When I get to the outside of Dad's lair, I hop off a roof in front of Celia and Mal, breathing heavily. "Damn," I say quietly, careful to not make an echo, "you're really slow."
"Did you get the bikes?" Celia asks quietly.
I shake my head. "Left that to Jay and the others."
"What?" Mal asks. "Our bikes are more important than you coming here to help with ember."
"Um, I lived with him. Remember? Or did you forget that him and I have been close for our whole lives?"
"Girls, quit," Celia shushes us. "You'll wake him with your bickering."
"He's a light sleeper," I mutter as Celia sticks the key in the key hole and twists it. "Makes sense as to why I never got away with literally anything."
"Hey," Mal says, nodding to the 'Beware of Dog!' sign. "How big's that dog?"
Celia glances at it before looking at Mal again. "You'll see," she says semi-defeated.
"I make Dad keep it away from my room," I say as Celia pushes the doors open. "Hard to sleep with it yapping near my bedroom door."
Celia smiles smally at me before we walk inside. She turns to Mal. "Okay, stay quiet. It echoes like crazy in here."
Mal nods and glances back as Celia and I go towards the bike on the tracks. Mal gasps a little, looking around scared when the dog starts barking and growling loudly. "Told you," I whisper. "You wanna drive?" I ask Celia, grabbing the helmet at the front.
"Go ahead," she whispers. "He'll be happier to see you than he'll be to see me." I nod and the three of us get onto the seats. Celia leans forward, "He never stops talking about you."
I roll my eyes and start pedaling. The bike starts moving easier and faster when they both start pedaling with me, and the lights on the bike flicker on. And the dog never stops barking even when we stop.
Celia shushes Mal as her and I quietly get off and hang the helmets back on the handles of the bike.
I walk first, Celia behind me, and Mal behind her. Mal flinches at the dog while Celia and I pretend that it's not even there. Celia gestures to Dad's lair, with him sleeping on the couch, and I start down the stairs quietly, avoiding the parts with creaks.
Mal looks around as the dog abruptly starts barking again. I roll my eyes and Celia shakes her head, pointing to the record player that starts cutting out.
I lean against a pole; Celia points to a doorway and Mal walks into that room. She comes around the couch and carefully walks behind the couch towards his stand. Celia rolls her eyes at the cutting out player and goes to move the needle.
I roll my eyes. They aren't going to be able to pull this off at all. One, Dad's probably already awake, despite the very fake snores. Two, even if he is sleeping, never touch the dog. He'll wake up as soon as the needle is touched. And three, as soon as Mal reaches her arm over to grab that ember, it's game over.
"What are you doing here?" Dad asks as Celia moves the needle. Mal stops in her tracks.
"I noticed you were low on canned corn," Celia says, turning to him and walking. Dad looks up as she takes out a can of corn. When the hell did she manage to grab that? When she tosses it to him, Mal goes to reach for the ember.
Dad catches the can and grabs Mal's wrist harshly with his other hand. She gasps. Dad turns to her slowly.
"Told you he's a light sleeper," I singsong.
"Hi, Dad," Mal says.
Why do we have to have the same dad? Couldn't Maleficent have fucked someone else?
Celia's eyes widen and she snaps her head to me. I nod and sigh.
Dad takes his sunglasses off and waves at Mal.
"Quite a show you put on the other day," Dad says to Mal. He turns and points to me. "Don't even get me started on you."
"Love you too, Dad."
"Mmhmm."
He turns to Mal again. "Right back at you," Mal says.
Dad hums. "I was just coming to see you two," he says happily, smiling as he sits back in the couch normally. "Come and sit down, Harper." He stands up and pats the couch.
I huff and flop down on the couch as they both walk around it.
"Really?" Mal asks, "Wonder why. Is it because I'm gonna be queen?"
Dad hands me a newspaper as I groan. "Not everything's about you, Mal. Ooh! Newest edition!" I smile at Dad and he winks down at me.
Dad laughs when he looks back over at Mal. "Ah. Mal, don't be bitter."
"You abandoned me when I was a baby." Mal crosses her arms as Dad looks at his hair in a mirror. "But you kept Harper."
"Well, my mother didn't want me, so cry about it," I mumble, flipping through the first few pages.
"No, no," Dad said, pointing at Mal as he turns back to us. I lean my head backwards, looking at him upside down. "I left your mother," he nods to Mal, then me, "and I took you before your mother could say any different." Then he shakes his head. "Neither of them are the easiest people to get along with." He turns back to the mirror.
"Right strand is off-centered," I mumble.
"Ah! Thank you," he says before fixing his hair.
"You think?" Mal asks.
"Huh. You see? We have something in common already," he walks over to Mal, "We both hate your mother."
"No!" Mal says, pointing at him. "I don't hate my mother. She may be an evil lunatic, but at least she stuck around."
"Reason number one as to why Dad and I get along way better," I mumble, furrowing my brows at the small text on the page.
"Ohhhh! Boo-hoo," Dad says, frowning at Mal. He walks around him. "Wake up and smell the stink. You think you've had it rough? I used to be a god!"
Mal flinches and I nod my head to both sides. I've had that 'I used to be a god, Harper' pep talk since I was seven. He has it worse. I don't have it that rough. He stills loves me like I'm a goddess if I respect him like a god. We get along. Blah, blah, blah.
Dad sighs. "I had an entire world which bore my name. And now I have nothing! You have no idea what that feels like."
"Really!"
Yeah, actually. The exact opposite happened to you, Mal. So suck it up buttercup.
"Because for sixteen years, I had nothing! And now, I have a whole world!"
Exactly. Are we not on the same page here?
"But unless I get that ember, it's game over."
Dad raises his brows and glances at me. I shrug.
Mal puts her hand out. Dad looks down at it before flicking it backwards. "Hold, please." I snicker.
Music starts and the lights change to blue.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
"Listen little girl, you're talking to a god. And I don't wanna hear the drama. Kindness ain't my brand."
"Oh, I guess that's why you ran."
If you're mad that he stayed with me, just say that.
"Try being married to your mama."
"You stink at being a dad," Mal sings.
"Meh," I say semi-loudly.
"Poor, Mali, are you sad?"
"Not as sad as you without your powers." I raise my brows. Not bad, Mal, not bad. That'll hit a nerve. "I didn't come to fight. For once do something right."
"I steal souls!" Dad says boredly. "Were you expecting flowers?"
"I only need you 'cause I came here for something."
"I've given you everything."
"By givin' me nothing."
"By givin' you nothing. I did what I had to do."
Celia pops her head out from a pole and harmonizes an "Ooh." I rolls my eyes and scoff out a laugh at her as she hides behind the pole again.
"No, you only did what's best for you," Mal argues.
"Well, you can learn a thing or two. When push comes to shove you do what you've gotta do. Yeah." He lifts my legs up and puts them on his lap when he sits down.
"You were never there. I guess you don't have a phone. You never called to say 'I miss you.'"
I smirk to myself. Yep, he definitely doesn't have a phone. Note the sarcasm? Yeah? No? Okay.
"Are you kidding? Is this a joke?" I mean, at least he called me. "You need to let it go. You're stronger with those daddy issues." He gets up and pats my feet hard.
"Oh, thank you."
"Show me some respect. It ain't easy to neglect."
I try to hide my laugh behind my hand and earn a quick glare from Mal.
"My attention would have made you softer."
Funny, considering I'm ruder than Mal.
"Should I be proud? Don't turn this thing around!"
"I guess you are your father's daughter." He laughs.
"Don't think I need you. I just came here for something."
"I've given you everything by givin' you nothing."
"By givin' me nothing. I did what I had to do. I made it on my own no thanks to you."
"You could learn a thing or two," Dad sings, pointing at me. I wave at Mal from behind the newspaper. "When push comes to shove, you do what you gotta do. How about I go with you two. We'll spend some time?"
"How about you stay here 'cause you're out of you mind."
"Let's make new memories. You can show me the town."
I can't tell if he actually cares or if he's just trying to manipulate her. Maybe both.
"No, you can keep your memories now." Mal glances at me.
"Get over it."
"I am over it."
"I'm over you being over it!" they both say at the same time.
I ignore their singing the rest of the time until the song finally stops.
"Did I seriously waste time listening to the two of you sing when I could've helped the others get our bikes back from Harry and Gil?"
"Do you wanna make up for being a lousy dad?" Mal asks as they stand on the stairs. She puts out her hand. "Give me the ember."
"The ember only works for me," Dad says.
"No," Mal shakes her head. "It'll work for me. We're blood."
"Not fully," I say loudly.
Dad chuckles and points to me. "Harper's right. You're only half Hades. I'm full."
"Well, me and Harper are both fifty. Fifty plus fifty is full."
"That's not how it works!" I shout.
Dad points at me again and shows off the ember. "The ember won't do everything for the two of you that it does for me. Even if you try to use it together."
"I'll take my chances."
Dad looks at me and nods the opposite way. I huff and stand up, folding the newspaper before I put it on his stand and walk in front of him.
He grabs my wrist and lifts my hand up before placing his ember in it. He closes my hand and sighs. "Don't get it wet. Just like yours, just more powerful." I nod, then he nods to Mal. "I don't trust her at all. You, on the other hand."
He looks at me before shoving the hat over my eyes. "People gotta stop doing that," I mutter and put the ember in my pocket.
"You gotta stop wearing the kid's hat," Dad says.
Mal rolls her eyes and starts walking off. I sigh and follow after her.
"Bye, Dad!"
"Goodbye, Harper!"
༒
"I guess that's the reason he always asks about both of you and not just Harper," Celia says as we walk out of Dad's building.
Mal stops, so we both turn to her.
"Evie is the only one who knows that he's my dad," Mal says after a moment. "And as far as I'm concerned, he's not my dad, and he doesn't even exist."
I nod and start walking again.
"Which is why the two of us aren't sisters until Mal needs us to be."