Harley Shaw

Chapter 5

"Harley, how have you been since our last session?" Doctor Lily looks expectantly at Harley. Harley though doesn't respond. She hasn't really had time to understand Dr Lily yet; granted, she had an hour last week, but she wants to take more time.

Dr Lily does not seem to be as innocent or sweet as the name suggests. She sits there, her left leg crossed over her right in plain stone grey trousers with a blazer to match lying on the sofa arm next to her, leaving her with her dark red jumper, tucked into her trousers; the colour mirroring her lipstick while she waits with manicured nails long enough to slit someone's throat and have the blood drip down onto the floor at Harley's feet. Her hairs tasselled curls, pulled into a tight ponytail behind her, a few stay hairs too stubborn to follow the rest are left to frame her face.

"Harley?" Dr Lily softly presses. She's going out after this. Harley can see it. Her phone is sitting in her bag facing her subtly, showing the time even though there's a clock on the wall in front of her. Maybe the clock isn't reliable enough for the almighty Doctor Lily.

Harley's sitting in the chair lazily. Her leg hangs over the arm of the chair, dangling one of her worn shoes as she leans back in the chair, watching Dr Lily.

The Doctor's expression doesn't change. "Look, Harley, I know you did not choose to come here, Harley. But hopefully, we can make the best of our time together." She continues to sit there patiently. Watching for Harley to make a move. But Harley remains where she is; sitting slumped in the chair with her leg bent upwards over the chair leg with ease. "We can talk about anything you want to. Feel free to talk about anything."

Harley doesn't say anything. She doesn't want to. She doesn't need to; that's what the infamous Dr Lily had said in the first session.

"Alright then, have you brought the diary I asked you to write in?" Dr Lily asks, clearly trying to find something to reach Harley with.

"I forgot." Harley says nonchalantly.

Dr Lily looks at Harley more intently all while keeping her expression the same. "Try to bring it next time okay? Keep writing in it. It can really help."

Harley fully agrees. It already has helped her. She has some plan solidly put in place now thanks to Dr Lily. But taking it in for Dr Lily to look at with hungry eyes might ruin Harley's healing and make her relapse or lash out or something else negative therapists say. It's better this way.

The tense air thickens to the point of strangulation, but both Dr Lily and Harley sit calmly, looking at each other as if it is a competition on who will give in and beg first. Harley enjoys this game they've started, it's quite amusing for her.

She lets out a slight, left-sided smirk, catching the attention of Dr Lily. "What's funny?" Harley's smirk doesn't falter; if anything, it widens. She doesn't care that Dr Lily caught something from Harley. She expected it mostly, Dr Lily it is trying her best to crack Harley under the radar.

Harley thinks about Dr Lily, clawing at her throat where Harley's hands would be hugging. Then ripping off one of Dr Lily's nails and run it along the red, raw flesh where Harley's hands would've been a mere second before in a quick pull of the hand from left to right as she listens to the ear-piercing melody that could only be sung by Dr Lily. Watching the deep red, liquid pouring out and over Dr Lily's neck and onto the grey carpet below, her screams now gargled and her hair clumping together in the thick red liquid belonging to her.

Harley smiles slightly more at the thought. But her smile becomes fake as she remembers that Dr Lily can't be the one wriggling, begging, and gasping for her life that's being held in Harley's hands. It just can't be Dr Lily.

"Harley?"

She looks up, her eyebrows raising slightly, annoyed by the fact that she had just been interrupted while experiencing a favourable thought.

"What made you smile?" Dr Lily asked in an annoyingly calm tone with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Harley's smile-turned-fake now morphed into a contained grimace. It's none of her business. "Inside joke." Harley looks.

Dr Lily tucks the few strands of hair behind her ear while subtlety looking down at her phone for the time. "You have inside jokes with yourself?"

Harley looks at her. She's trying to see if Harley has more than one mind in her head. "Am I keeping you?" She asks, wanting to see if Dr Lily might answer her questions.

Dr Lily's fingers twitch ever so slightly. She's not used to being analysed so surely before. "I'm not sure I understand."

Harley lets out a small humourless laugh while glancing down for a split second only to look back directly into Dr Lily's eyes. "Yes, you do."

"I was just checking the time so that we don't run over. I have another client after this and I-"

"Don't lie to me." Harley stands. "Don't let me ruin your date." Harley smiles sinisterly.

Dr Lily doesn't make a move to stop Harley as she moves towards the door.