[ 22 ] 2014

-

"The tide is rising, don't you hear the fucking waves? We need to get out of here right now before we drown."

-

"You guys are leaving?" Harley asked Jack.

He nodded his head in affirmation. "We can't stay while your crazy dad wants us dead, no offense." He paused for a moment before continuing, "If we stay in Sydney, he'll know just where to find us, which will make it easy for him to kill us."

Harley knew, from what she had heard from others, that Arthur's main targets were Hazel and Jack Quimby. They were the last living descendants of the original family, and getting them out of the way would reverse the shifters' special abilities, making them regular human beings. Now that Harley knew how to use her powers and they were useful to her, she didn't want to relinquish them and go back to being a regular human. None of them wanted that, but Arthur did.

Life seemed more interesting the way it was. She had met so many people she'd have never met otherwise, and if she no longer had her powers, it meant she would no longer be able to see Ashton. She would no longer be able to hold her Diamond Rose, since it was only graspable to shifters. She would no longer have all the different abilities that often came in handy for her and her friends. Being normal wasn't appealing to her, not like it used to be. 

"I'll get Arthur to back off." She promised him. It was the least she owed Jack after he saved Calum's life. And Harley didn't take promises lightly. 

Now that she had Michael back in Sydney, as well as two new friends, she didn't want to see them go away.

But Jack shook his head at her offer. "That's sweet of you, but we'd rather not risk it. You'll be hearing from us again, Harley Quinn. You're not seeing the last of us." He winked at her, trying to lighten the mood. But goodbyes were never easy, and the group of teens had all become rather close over the last few weeks.

Calum sighed from the bed. He was now sitting up and looking much better than they had seen him since they found him at the pier. "Have a safe trip, mate. If you ever need anything, you can always come to us for help." He said to Jack, Harley nodded in agreement. She was still surprised at how much the near death experience had changed Calum. Perhaps he would return to his cocky self after the rush of being alive left him. Or maybe this was going to be a permanent change in him. She still wasn't sure. Maybe that was how he became such good friends with Niall and Andrea, maybe they had saved his life once and he owed that friendship and respect to them the same way he know owed it to Jack.

Harley, Calum, and Ashton said their goodbyes to Jack and wished him a safe trip. They didn't know if or when they would be seeing each other again.

-

It had been a while since Jack left the hotel in Brisbane where Harley and Calum were staying. He would return to Sydney to face the wrath of his sister Hazel and Michael, then they would pack their things and leave Australia. 

Back at the hotel, Harley and Ashton were on one of the beds, watching the television together. There were morning cartoons on and they had decided they would take a few hours to relax before returning to Sydney in the afternoon. Ashton was very excitedly watching Courage the Cowardly Dog, while Harley tried in vain to pay attention, but her mind was else where. Calum had been sleeping, as he was still drained from all the time he had been tied to that pier. When he woke up, Calum looked to his left, and scoffed, "Right. I forgot you two were a thing before I left." Though his words were full of venom, Harley still detected a hint of hurt in them. He felt betrayed by her because he thought she would ultimately end up choosing him. She suddenly felt guilty for making the decision she made to be with Ashton. 

How could she be with someone when she was knowingly hurting someone else she cared about?

Ashton noticed the way Harley seemed to react to Calum's words. It was a negative reaction, and he pulled his arms away from her, quickly getting on his feet. "I'll go tell the others that Calum's okay. Please excuse me." He announced, and poofed out of the room within seconds, before Harley could even think to stop him.

"Oh. Now he's gonna act like the martyr." Calum rolled his eyes as he simultaneously groaned. It seemed that he was back to his old self. Or perhaps he was back to his old self as long as it was something concerning Ashton and Harley being together. It had been the reason he had left that night, and he was clearly still upset about it.

Harley sat up in her bed and turned to face Calum, crossing her legs on top of the mattress. "Why do you have to be like that with Ash?" She asked him. "He has done nothing but try to help you."

"He took you from me." Calum replied bitterly, his eyes were trained on the ceiling above. 

He knew that she was upset over the fact that he was being so rude to Ashton, and he couldn't face her. He wouldn't as long as he didn't have to. He couldn't bear to see her upset at him, but he couldn't avoid it either. Calum didn't like Ashton because Ashton had Harley, and though Ashton continued to insist that she loved Calum too, she was in a relationship with him. What would having her love serve for if she wasn't his? He wanted her all to himself. Her love, her attention, everything. That was where he and Ashton were different. He was willing to share her attention. But Calum wanted all of it. Sometimes love was selfish that way.

"That's not true." Harley gave a shake of her head.

"It is." He insisted. "Now you'll be wanting to spend all your time with him instead of me."

"Everything will be the same as it's always been." She promised.

Calum said nothing.

"Really." She assured him.

"If you say so." He finally said after a pause, but he wasn't convinced.

-

It had been a couple of hours and Ashton still hadn't returned. Harley figured he was giving them some time and space to talk. When Calum left, he and Harley were not even on speaking terms after he found out that she had chosen Ashton. They needed to talk about their friendship and how things would change now that she was in a relationship with someone.

When their conversation ended, Harley left her bed and went into the bathroom. She was still sweaty and sticky from having spent the night under layers and layers of sheets, trying to keep Calum warm. With everything that was happening, she hadn't gotten the chance to get in the shower until then. She locked the bathroom door and turned the knobs for the water to start running from the shower head. She was about to peel her band shirt off when she heard an urgent knock on the door.

"What is it?" She called over the noise of the running water.

"Harley," said Calum's voice from the other side of the door. His voice sounded strained and nervous. "The tide is rising, get out of there."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What tide? What are you talking about?"

Now he was grabbing at the doorknob and twisting it desperately, trying to get the door open. "The tide is rising, don't you hear the fucking waves? We need to get out of here right now before we drown."

She adjusted her shirt and unlocked the door, opening it for him. He was standing on the other side of it, sweating buckets, his eyes peeled in fear. She gestured to the running water of the shower behind her, "Its just the shower, Calum. Everything will be fine." She assured him with a warm smile. He was still so shaken over what had happened to him that any sound of running water was enough to startle him.

He gulped back nervously and cleared his throat. "Right. The shower. Okay." He smiled at her, but it was forced. "I'm just going out on the balcony to get some air while you shower."

She nodded and he walked off. She didn't close the bathroom door until she heard the glass sliding door to the balcony open and close. He had gone outside to get some fresh air, just as he had told her. 

Harley closed the bathroom door and got undressed, quickly getting in the shower. She made sure to scrub herself down quickly, so that she could shut the water off as soon as possible. She didn't want Calum to feel afraid any longer. 

-

this one is rather short and it really bothers me, but its because i've had a really busy week, which is why i was unable to update on friday. i was preparing for the internship fair at the university because univision was going to be there, and it has been my dream to work for them, in their sports segment. and next week is spring break though! im going to be working at the library, but its fine. i love it there and its a super chill job.

qotd: do you think that calum is right to be upset that harley didn't choose him? think of it this way: a boy you like a lot. you know he likes you, but you also know he likes another girl just the same. and he chooses her. second question: do you think she led him on? or maybe thats not the way to word it. do you think she showed that she liked him too? let me know what you think!

and thank you for reading! it means so much. i'll try super hard to have an update for friday. i dont want to let that update streak go down the drain.

-clary xx