Where I Belong - Ace Merrill

Chapter 20

"Hands." Harper's dad mumbled sternly as he saw Ace's hand grip her waist tight.

Harper groaned as she sat up and turned to face her parents, refusing to get off Ace.

"21." She replied sarcastically.

"Don't care." Her dad snapped back.

"Well this is fun!" Eyeball said excitedly as he clapped his hands and came crashing around to land down next to Ace and Harper.

"And what the fuck is that?" He asked quickly, pointing down at the laptop on the coffee table.

"It's called a laptop, portable computer." Harper quickly answered as she spun herself round and grabbed it.

Ace and Eyeball moved aside slightly as she slipped in between them, placing the laptop on her lap.

"See? It does pretty much anything..." Her voice trailed off as Ace and Eyeball leant closer and watched as she showed them different things.

"James..." Harper's mum whispered to her husband as he appeared at her side.

The husband and wife looked down and watched as Harper was smiling and laughing with both cobras as Eyeball made joke after joke about the laptop.

"I know..." he whispered in response.

When they had first arrived in Brownsville they had hoped that being closer to where her two favourite fictional characters were would help her but they never expected them to be real!

"What are we going to do?" She whispered as he placed a hand on her waist and saw Harper's head rest on Ace's shoulder as she laughed at Eyeball.

"She doesn't belong there... she belongs with us... she's our daughter James..." her mum continued to whisper at him as he just stayed silent, watching as the boys hung on every word she said and continued to make her laugh.

"When was the last time she did that?" He whispered as he nodded to trio.

"Did what?" His wife asked confused.

"Laughed." He paused. "When was the last time you heard her laugh like that?"

Harper's mum turned and looked down at her daughter. Harper had clearly brought up the camera and was showing Eyeball different filters as her and Ace mocked his distorted appearance. Harper was laughing hard, harder than she ever had before.

"She's our daughter James..." Was the only response she could come up with.

He nodded slowly. "For how long?"

Harper's mum shrugged slightly as she felt tears form in her eyes. "Why do I feel like we lost our daughter 70 years ago?"

Harper's dad looked at her before back at his daughter. She was leaning back into Ace but had Eyeball's face in her hands and was squishing his cheeks together, she still laughed. The smile on her face and twinkle in her eyes never once fading.

"We lost our daughter before we even had her..." he whispered.

Harper's mum wiped her eyes quickly as she stormed off into their bedroom, shutting the door with a slam.

Harper, Ace and Eyeball all snapped their heads up at her dad.

"What was that?" Harper asked as she remained seated.

Harper's dad sighed slightly as he looked at the shut bedroom door before back at her.

"Nothing sweetheart." He shook his head, forcing a smile. "Why don't you order room service or something? We'll all have dinner and settle down. The boys can go home tomorrow." He mumbled as he quickly followed his wife and shut the door.

Harper sat there confused as she'd watched her dad leave. Ace and Eyeball gave each other the knowing look.

"They want you to stay here Harper..." Ace mumbled quietly.

Harper snapped her head to him. "They what?"

Ace looked down slightly before back up at her. "They think you belong here, in your own time with them. Not in a fictional town with fictional characters."

Harper shook her head slightly. "I don't belong here though!"

Ace nodded quickly. "Believe me, we know that!" He gestured between himself and Eyeball. "It's just, they don't... they're your parents Harper."

Harper looked down slightly before looking up at the door, her parents had been shut behind.

"Think about it if it was your daughter..." Ace mumbled quietly.

Harper nodded slowly, she knew she'd be the same.

"But I have to come with you! Both of you!" She quickly blurted out.

They both nodded quickly.

"We want you too!" Eyeball quickly said.

"Definitely, just take it from the two without parents, don't leave it on a bad note." Ace mumbled.

Harper slowly nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.

"We'll sort it tomorrow, help you talk to them if you need it." Ace mumbled against her hair as she nodded again.

"Now about that food..." Eyeball mumbled as he turned to them, a smile on his face.