Death of a Prince | ✓

EP 03: THE TRIGGER, THE WILL, AND THE BODY

         

EPISODE THREE

'the trigger, the will, and the body'

     

    

AFTER FORMULATING AN excuse with Quinn Fong, who, unlike me who just agreed quickly at being awoken before I could get my bearings together, was swearing into a void when I woke her up.

"Christ, bloody whatever, mate. I'm pretty sure your dad thinks we're hooking up now by all the ludicrous escapades we're supposedly going on on, and that conversation you want to have with him that you've been scrapping your toes on about is a coming out story rather than a confession about being fascinated to murder and going for a more professional front for it."

She yawned. "I do hope you tell him soon enough. The more you scrape your foot, the more time you give yourself to worry. And worrying over the shit that's giving you anxiety is just going to make it ten times worse."

I sighed, already halfway dressed. More troubled in picking an outfit appropriate for going to a morgue in London to make sure a dead body is actually... dead. "Where's all this stop scraping your foot and just go on and spill your bloody guts out coming from?"

"Why? Did Leon give you the same speech?"

"Precisely. Could be word for word."

Quinn snorted. "Well you can't blame the guy. You've already agreed to be partners in crime or whatever, the only reason it's not official is because you haven't gotten your dad's blessings yet. Good lord, it sounds like a marriage."

"Don't start with that. It's six in the morning!"

"Whatever. Still can't believe Dominic Prince is dead. Or that he's friends with Leon. Or that he's faked his death multiple times that you have to go to a morgue to ensure it's actually his bloody body. Your boyfriend is really in another type of social circle. Do wear your best though. Don't want to look too much like town girl the way you already do."

I paused, my hand on a jacket. "What's that got to mean?"

"Oh you know how posh people are. It's obvious Leon's posh, and Dominic bloody Prince - bless his might be dead soul - is up there with the elites of uppity celebs, so it's best you look sort of good just in case you meet anymore of Leon's so called friends. If they do give you the upturned nose, do make sure to come up with something scathingly witty. Don't embarrass us town girls!"

"Jesus, Quinn, I'm going up there for a body, not a bloody ball."

"With Leon Song, darling, you never know. Best be prepared for both. At all times too!" Quinn sighed. "It's scary, his little world. If you want to be part of that... I guess this is a good time to figure out if you really do want to be part of that. To deny the part of him pre-you is to deny everything about him. Don't be blind, Wendy. Be smart."

I was quiet for a second. Quinn started laughing raucously.

"Good lord, I'm so smart in the morning! This is why god said this girl should sleep. When she's awake, the world hasn't got a chance!"

     

———

     

"Are you mad at me?" I blurted out after a silence that felt like choking settle in the air between us. I've always felt stuffy in his fancy car, of course in the few times I found myself in it which isn't that often, and today is no different.