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v.
hurt
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Harley could feel himself slowly regaining consciousness, and he opened his eyes, only to find himself in an unfimiliar room. He stared at the ceiling above him for a while, before he noticed that there was a constant beeping sound coming next to him. Slowly, he turned his head to the side, and he spotted a monitor that seemed to display his heartbeat.
He lowered his gaze, and he was slightly surprised to find his hand being attached to a drip. Was he at a hospital? He moved himself into a sitting position, and he let out a soft groan when his head hurt. Gently, he rubbed his temple, and he finally took in his surroundings. His clothes were changed, and he was now sitting on top of a hospital bed. His body ached, and only now he remembered that his mother was beating him before he passed out.
Or was he knocked out?
A nurse came into the room, and she smiled genuinely at him as she entered. Though, her smile was only faint. She pulled a chair closer towards his bed and sat on it. Her voice was soft when she spoke, "Hey, how are you feeling?"
He didn't answer. Whether it was due to fatigue or because he just refused to, he wasn't sure.
"Anyway, while you were sleeping, we did a little check up on you," she continued, despite his silence. "We can't help but notice that there are bruises all over you. Can you tell us who had been hurting you?"
He looked away.
If he answered, his mother would surely punish him.
"Your mother is currently being questioned by the police," the nurse said, her face growing solemn. "She is currently a suspect for child abuse. We noticed that you've suffered from physical violence, and you barely had any sleep. Was she responsible for all of this?"
What was the point?
If he answered, would it really change anything?
"Harley," she said, placing a hand over his shoulder. She was looking at him, but he refused to meet her in the eyes. "We cannot help you if you don't answer. If you help us, we can arrest her—if she's really the one who had been hurting you all this time."
It sounded like a dream, but how long could they hold her? What if she came back?
"All right, you don't have to answer," she said, letting out a defeated sigh. "But please nod your head if what I said is true."
Well, it doesn't matter anyway.
He had made up his mind, and, even if his mother wanted to hurt him after this for telling, he won't be in her reach anymore.
So, he nodded his head.
"I see." The nurse stood up and patted his shoulder. "Please rest as much as you need. You don't have to worry about her anymore. We'll send you some food in about half an hour."
He watched as she left the room, the sound of her footsteps becoming distant. He waited until she was gone, before he moved to the edge of the bed. He groaned when he landed on his feet, and he yanked the drip away from his hand. His body started to sting, but he simply ignored it. This wasn't the first time he had to bear the pain coming from his body. He had endured it many times, so he should be fine until he finishes what he intends to do.
He opened the door and glanced around. The hallways were empty at the moment, and he took this opportunity to pass it. He could feel his head becoming lighter, but he shook it in order to stay conscious. He couldn't wait anymore. He had considered this many times, but he had always stopped himself because—he thought that his mother would change. He thought that she would one day love him. But, now that he realised how much of a fool he was to believe that, he wasn't going to hesitate anymore.
For years, he had kept quiet about the abuse. His mother had threatened him and everyone who tries to get involve with him. His friends got expelled, some teachers from his previous school got fired. He could only watch in agony as they were taken away from his life one by one. He had pleaded to her to leave his friends alone, but she listened to none of his cries. After that, she made him move into a different school, and he decided that maybe he shouldn't be friends with anyone.
It was beneficial for everyone, right? No one would get hurt, and he wouldn't have to worry about anyone. His problems would only be dealt by himself, and no one needed to get in trouble. Besides, if he was gone, at least he knew that no one was going to miss him.
And he wasn't going to miss anyone.
It didn't take long for him to find himself standing at the edge of the rooftop of the hospital. He stared at the night sky before looking down at the cars driving beneath him. They were fast as they moved, and it looked so small from where he was standing.
If he jumped, would it instantly end his life?
Abruptly, his vision started to blur, and he quickly wiped them with his hand.
It's okay, you're not leaving anyone.
He took a step forward.
Nobody cares about you anyway.
And he leapt.
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- ♛ -
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Harith and Nana were running around the hospital, currently looking for Harley. They heard that the Mage Genius got into the hospital, so they decided to visit him. But, when they entered his room, they were shocked to find it empty. They had called the nurse and asked if they had transferred him into another room, but it turned out that Harley was supposed to be in there. Their question caused all the nurses to panic, and they were now searching for him all over the hospital.
"Where could he be?" Nana asked, looking around. "Maybe he secretly left?"
"I don't think it's easy for a patient to exit the hospital when a guard is standing in front of it," Harith answered, his lips turning into a frown. He had a rough idea where Harley might be, and he didn't like it one bit. "Come on, I think he might be here."
Nana's brows furrowed in confusion. Nonetheless, she just followed his lead. "Where are we going, Harith? He might still be at the third floor."
"He might be at the rooftop."
"The rooftop? Why would he–"
They both gasped when they spotted Harley standing at the edge of the rooftop, his back facing against them. Harith could feel his blood running cold, and he watched in horror as Harley took a step forward. The mage's clothes swayed against the gentle breeze, and, the next thing he knew, he had leapt.
Harith could feel the adrenaline pumping in his veins as he dashed forward. He heard Nana screaming behind him, but her voice was muffled. The only thing his mind was focusing right now was to save Harley, and he wasted no time to extend his arm in order to grab him.
Luckily for him, he was fast enough to catch Harley's arm. The mage wasn't supposed to be heavy, but, with the gravity pulling him, it was going to be hard to get him back up here. He could feel his fingers loosening against the mage's wrist, and he forced himself to tighten his grip. He had to pull the mage up at this very moment, because god only knows how much longer he could hold onto him.
With one harsh tug, he successfully pulled Harley up. They both ended up tumbling on the ground, and Harley ended up lying against his chest. Upon examining him, only now Harith realised how small he actually was. It was proof how little his mother feeds him, and Harith couldn't help but feel pity that it was also his mother himself that drove him like this.
Harley slowly lifted his face, and Harith watched as he stared at him for a while. The mage took a moment to look at his body, and, all of a sudden, he whispered, "Why would you do that?"
Harith opened his mouth. "Harley–"
"Are you trying to take away my freedom?" Harley asked, his voice wavering. Abruptly, his body started shaking, and Harith could see the tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. "Just leave me alone."
"Harley, I am not going to let you commit–" But Harley was already trying to get off from him, and Harith had no choice but to wrap his arms around him in order to keep him in place. "Harley! You can't–"
"LET GO OF ME!" Harley screamed, thrashing around in his hold. "I DON'T WANT TO LIVE ANYMORE! JUST LET ME DIE ALREADY!"
"Oh my god," Harith muttered, right under his breath. How far did his mother push him until he reached this point? "Harley, I won't let you kill yourself!"
But Harley's screams became hysterical, and his struggles became stronger. Thankfully, Nana arrived with a nurse just in time, because Harith was already losing his strength by holding the mage. The nurse quickly injected something in Harley, and Harith slowly felt Harley's movements becoming weaker.
"Please don't," Harley said, his voice barely above a whisper. There was a sniffle, and, before he fell into slumber, the last thing he said was, "I can't live like this anymore."
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A woman with long, magenta hair quickened her pace as she followed a nurse. Her hair was tied into a braid, and her left eye was covered with an eyepatch. From afar, people would mistaken her as Lady Vance. However, when they get closer, they would realise that she looked younger, and she was actually the daughter of the Vance family.
Her name was Lesley Vance, and she was the eldest child in the Vance family.
When she was little, her mother used to love her. She was happy when she stroked her hair and whispered how beautiful she was. However, as the years go by, Lesley realised that her mother was starting to behave oddly. She would often ask her to change into different types of dresses and hairstyles. Even if the hairdo hurt her, she never listened to her complains. She would just say that; if it makes her pretty, she should just endure it.
Soon, she noticed that her mother doesn't look at her as her daughter anymore, but rather a doll for her to play dress up with. She would put ounces of makeup on her, and she would start teaching Lesley on how to become a perfect lady. Everyday, right after school, she would have classes until night. A tutor would come to their house, followed by her dancing teacher, then her music teacher, and the list goes on from there. She didn't have any time for herself, and she couldn't even spend some time to play with her brother.
It was torture.
At one point, she couldn't take it anymore and decided that enough was enough. She said goodbye to her little brother and ran away from home. He was six back then, and she remembered him begging for her to stay. During that time, he was too young to understand what she was facing through, and she remembered how heartbroken she was to leave him. She had considered to bring him with her, but, she thought, maybe it would be better if he stayed at home. She knew she couldn't provide for him back then, and, since he wasn't a girl like her, she had thought that her mother wouldn't do the same thing to him like what she did to her.
Oh, how naive she was.
"This is his room, Miss."
Lesley gasped when she spotted her brother lying on the hospital bed. She motioned towards the side of his bed, and tears prickled at her eyes at the sight of him. She noticed how he didn't grow much these past few years, and she caught the bruises on both of his arms.
What did Mother do to him?
"Can you tell me how he ended up this way?" she asked, her voice in a whisper.
"He has not been fed properly and has suffered from years of physical abuse," the nurse answered, glancing at Harley. "His mother sent him here after he had hit his head. And, just a few hours ago, he was close to committing suicide. Thank goodness a boy managed to stop him before he could do so. He has to be put under sedates since he was so determined with killing himself."
Lesley covered her mouth as she gasped. "Oh my god."
"We believe that his mother is responsible for making him this way, despite her panic reaction when she got here," the nurse continued, shaking her head. "Who knew that the noble Lady Vance would do such a thing to her son?"
Lesley was at a loss for words. She had heard that her mother might be the cause of her brother's hospitalised state, but she didn't know that she was this brutal. How long had her brother suffered? Years? And she didn't know anything about it? What kind of sister was she?
The nurse must've noticed that she needed some alone time, because she started heading towards the door. "I'll be leaving now. Your brother will be awake in a few more hours."
Lesley could only manage a nod of her head as the nurse left. Abruptly, she slumped onto a chair and buried her face in her hands.
How did she not thought that her mother would hurt her brother after that? Why didn't she try to at least see her brother? She was so focused on staying away from her mother, that she was completely oblivious to the fact that her brother could be harmed.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, even though she knew her brother might not be listening to her right now. Her shoulders quivered, and she moved her hand to squeeze her brother's smaller one. "I'm so sorry for leaving you."
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Lesley was asleep, when she felt her brother shift a little. She slowly opened her eyes, and she was surprised to find herself staring at her brother, who had his eyes half-lidded. He was silent when he looked at her, but then he jolted into a sitting position. Immediately, he started to breathe heavily, and she watched as he tried to move away from her.
"Harley?" she called, making an attempt to move closer to him. However, it only made him move further away. "Please don't be afraid. It's just me."
Harley paused for a moment, before he squinted his eyes. "L-Lesley?"
"Yes, it's me." Lesley removed her eyepatch, and she gave her brother a small smile. Her brother doesn't seem to believe her at first, and he looked at her warily. But, after he realised that it was really her, only then he relaxed. Lesley frowned. She must've resembled her mother too much if he was this traumatised. "Harley, I–"
"Why are you here?" he asked, his voice low. His body started to tremble, and she noticed how his green eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Where have you been all this time? Why are you making an appearance now?"
"Harley, you don't understand. I–"
"Do you have any idea what I've been through after you left?!" he shouted, and she flinched at his words. "The moment you left, Mother turned me into some kind of punching bag—a bag to let all of her frustrations out!"
Lesley bit her lip. She wanted to explain to him why she left, but she had no right to speak, especially after leaving her brother.
She deserved all of this.
"She hits me, she locks me in the basement, she doesn't let me eat," Harley continued, tears streaming down his face. "Without you, nothing makes her happy. Everything I do is wrong!"
Lesley could feel her eyes watering. How could she leave her brother with a monster? Because of her, his childhood was ruined.
"Why can't she love me like she did with you?" Harley muttered, wiping his face with his hand. He sniffed before looking away. "She was okay with me looking like Father when you were with us. So why does she hate me so much after you left?"
Lesley knew why Mother hated their father so much, and she knew Harley must be aware of the reason too. Their father wasn't really a good man. He never really did them both any harm, but she could sometimes hear him hurting Mother in their room. His father barely comes home because of his business, but, when he does, Lesley knew that he would sometimes beat her up.
Mother probably needed her in order to keep her emotions in control. And she screwed that up by leaving the house. Because of her, Harley became Mother's next victim, and, unlike her, he had to suffer way worse. It was all her fault. If she had just endured everything, Mother would've left Harley alone.
"I'm sorry," Lesley said, glancing away. She couldn't look at her brother anymore. She didn't have the right to, not after leaving him like that. "I shouldn't have left."
Harley drew his knees towards his chest before wrapping his arms around it. His voice was quiet when he asked, "Why did you leave me in the first place?"
Lesley didn't know whether her brother would understand or not, but she explained her past situation to him. She told him the amount of stress she got after Mother signed her up into numerous classes, and she also told him the part where Mother treated her like a doll. At first, Harley looked indifferent with her story, but, the more she told him, the more understanding he looked, and his face started to soften.
"I didn't know," Harley said, outstretching his legs. He turned his head to the side to look at her. "How do you not feel like killing yourself after all that?"
Lesley tensed at her brother's words, maybe because she knew that her brother had attempted to do just that, but she forced herself to relax. Harley was not jumping off a building right now, and, as long as she was here, she would make sure it would stay that way. "That's why I left when I was fifteen. I knew that if I'd stayed longer, I would've done it."
Harley gave her a small nod of his head. Then, he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry for yelling. It's just... I've always thought that you left for no reason. You never told me about this."
"I know," Lesley said, subconsciously clenching her fist. "I didn't want to trouble you with my own problems. Since Mother seemed to care for you back then, I thought that leaving wouldn't be a problem." Slowly, she tilted her head up to meet her brother's gaze. "I thought that she wouldn't done the same thing to you because—well, you're a guy. And I was right, but you got it worse instead."
"It's fine," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Since she had been doing that to you, I guess I'm glad I was the one–"
"No!" Lesley shouted, sitting straight up. Her vision blurred, and she quickly blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. "This? None of this is fine, Harley! Look what she almost made you do. She almost made you kill yourself!"
Harley winced at her words, and he instantly averted his gaze.
"Because of me, you were hurt. Because of me, you almost died. If I had stayed, none of this would have happened to you!"
"Yeah, but you'll suffer instead!" Harley yelled, looking at her angrily. "It's not fair for you!"
"It's not fair for you either!"
The both of them were silent for a while, not knowing what to say. Maybe because they knew what they said was true, and Mother was just someone they both had to escape from. Even though the both of them were victims, but Lesley still blamed herself for leaving her brother behind. If she had known that Harley was suffering, she would've came back.
Lesley inhaled deeply before letting out a shuddering breath. She then forced herself to look at her brother. She knew that she doesn't deserve his forgiveness, but she apologised anyway. "Harley, I'm so sorry for leaving you."
"It's okay," he muttered, lowering his head. "I'm just glad you got to escape from her."
Lesley's vision started to blur again, and she instantly threw her arms around her brother. She could feel her brother tensing under her embrace, but she tightened her hold anyway. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Harley seemed to relax in her arms, and she could feel him returning her embrace. His voice was quiet when he said, "It's okay, Lesley. I'm just glad you came back."
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note: some of you had been asking where's lesley, so here she is. :) i'm sorry this chapter took a while. i had writer's block, and i didn't know how to continue it. 😂 and the next chapter might be the last, but i'm not 100% sure. i hope all of you enjoyed this chapter ♡