The Steam Lounge

Disc 1 - Track 8

Youth - Daughter
"My eyes are damp from the words you left ringing in my head when you broke my chest."
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Mercy could see the guys sat in the living room, just out of the corner of her eye. They were drinking despite the fact it was still morning. Typical males.

They didn't seem to notice as she slowly slipped into Patrick's room and approached the bed. At the far side of the room there was the pile of bags that Pete had been carrying the day before.
Her curiosity got the best of her and she walked over, looking inside one of them. She saw her clothes. Not all of them but some. Enough to get along. He's been in my apartment?

Her hands shot to her pockets and then she remembered that she had taken her own trousers off the previous night. Her pockets had been empty anyway, which meant they already had her keys, phone and wallet. Fuck this.

Her head fell into her hands, over taken with new found resentment.

Inside the bags there were none of her comfortable clothing. No jumpers, sweatpants, leggings or even long sleeved tops. They pretty much made up her entire day to day wardrobe. Pete had decided to bring everything else. The things she put in her publicity wardrobe for when she had to go out with her parents and face photographers.

She emptied them out and was surrounded by tight pencil skirts, low cut tank tops, booty shorts that she'd worn once and then swore never to wear again. Even a summer dress. It's winter, why the fuck do I need a white, cotton summer dress?

She put all the clothing back, disgusted with his choices. Of all her wardrobe, he had focused on the shortest and tightest items of clothing. Pervert.

She searched Patrick's room quietly and found nothing of much interest. In one of his drawers she found paper and pencils which she pulled out.

There was a window in Patrick's room, so she sat by the window ledge and looked out. The skyline continued to amaze Mercy.

She set to work sketching it out, drawing the outline first and then filling in the details. Patrick's alarm clock told her that it was way past lunchtime when she was only half finished.

The pencil kept moving across the page, her hand beginning to feel numb as she continued to sketch. Mercy had always loved music but she had never been any good with instruments. Sketching was her was of getting her emotion out as she was normally very isolated.

She had just turned 16 when she had decided to move out. Living in a house where she saw the maids more than her own family wasn't the kind of thing she wanted to do for a second longer than she had to.

She saved up money that she earned and started renting a room near The Steam Lounge. There were two guys and a girl living in the apartment with her. Ryan and Chloe, who were dating and a guy named Daniel who was constantly asking her if she wanted to go out for dinner. He was nice enough but she wasn't interested in dating. She'd lived there for just under two years now and had managed to make friends at the numerous parties Dan threw every other week. Mercy had met her best friends Molly, Lexi and Rob at the very first one he threw while she was there to celebrate her moving in. She missed them all so much. They probably didn't even know she was missing yet.

Her pencil stopped moving on the page. She'd finally finished the skyline. Once she had signed her name in the corner like she always did and set it down on the bedside table.

There was a thud that came from the living room followed by a loud cheering sound. Are they drunk already? Mercy checked the clock, seeing that it was 3:47.

She stood up suddenly, deciding to go check on them. She no longer noticed the pain in her foot and she could walk without a limp.

As she slowly paced from the bedroom, she could hear loud arguing. "Why are you so protective, it's not like she gives a shit!" Patrick shouted furiously from one side of the living room.