Gentle Eyes of Evil

Chapter 13: An Early Night

As Harriet continued thinking up her plan over the next few days, she started to make notes of things on pieces of paper. Her plan was rather simple: figure out a way to get the crown from her father peacefully. Failing a peaceful option? Murder was always on the table, and Harriet wasn't exactly opposed to the latter given Leo's track record within the family.

Throughout all of her planning, Harriet always kept Josephine close enough to her, but far away from her work. She didn't want to scare Josephine with the possibility of killing their father by her own hand. She also didn't want Josephine to try and stop her. As the two never discussed it, Harriet didn't actually know Josephine's thoughts on their father, and so didn't want to test that water.

Harriet spent roughly a week setting her plan in motion, she thought through every outcome and which ones would lead to a more murderous path. The results were rather simple for which outcome would lead to which path. If Leo gave up the crown willingly, then all was well. If he fought her about it but eventually gave in, all was well. But, if Leo refused her all together, then things would get nasty. After everything her siblings had been through, Harriet didn't even want to talk to the man. But, despite her grudge, this had to be done.

One night, during the early hours of the morning, Harriet awoke from her sleep. The girl had been so consumed with her planning that she was even doing it in her sleep. She looked to her bedside table and noticed a piece of paper with a scribble on it, then glanced down to her hand and noticed she was loosely holding a pen. She sighed quietly and looked down to Josephine, who was still sleeping peacefully at her side. After waking herself up fully, Harriet swung her legs over the bed and put a pair of slippers on, before walking across the cold marble floor to the balcony outside, closing the door behind her.

She rested her arms over the balcony ledge and looked down to the vibrant city of Lust below. Most clubs and bars were still open as they operated 24 hours a day, and so the lights from these buildings made the city look alive even in the early morning. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting her ears fall down and relax for once.

"I really do need a break, don't I..."
She muttered to herself, as if anyone would respond. Harriet then looked forwards, to the lowering moon of the morning sky.

"But...I'm doing what's best for us all. That's worth the lack of sleep. It'll pay off."
She convinced herself.

"You always talk to yourself like this?"
A familiar male voice rang through Harriet's ears as she jumped a little and looked behind her, noticing Luna stood there with a smile and his arms folded.

"What are you doing out here?"
She asked him, raising her eyebrow

"I could ask you the same"
Luna replied with a chuckle, letting his arms fall to his sides and walking towards her, standing beside her and resting his arms on the ledge.

"I had a nightmare."
Harriet told him, not wanting to reveal her plans to anyone. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as the gentle breeze of early morning blew through her hair.
"Now you have to tell me"
She smiled weakly to him

Luna smiled back as he looked at her.
"I just couldn't sleep. I've had a rough few days with...stuff. Besides, you left Josephine's door open and I saw you out here. Just wanted to check if you were okay as well."
He responded, glancing back down to the city below

"Oh I did? My bad. Thanks for coming out here, though. Sorry to bother you..."
Harriet replied

"No no, don't be. I made the choice to come out here to see you, you aren't bothering me"
Luna reassured her with a smile, before sighing calmly.
"Well?"
He asked

"Well what?"
Harriet questioned

"What was the nightmare about, silly"
Luna chuckled

"Classified information"
Harriet giggled, her eyes also fell back down to the neon pink lights of the city's bad habits.

"Aww, so secret that you can't tell your little bro?"
Luna teased

"My little bro who's somehow taller than me? Yeah, no"
Harriet rolled her eyes with a smile

"You know you love me"
Luna smiled

"Do I?"
Harriet raised her eyebrow and smirked, looking back to him

Luna raised a hand and ruffled her hair
"Yes, you do!"

"Hey, hey! Not the hair!!"
Harriet laughed, using her fingers to comb it back into place
"Dick"
She muttered

"What was that?"
Luna asked, smirking

"I said your a dick"
Harriet repeated, Luna just pulled her in for a hug

"But you like those, don't you?"
Luna laughed, looking down to her

Harriet blushed faintly and punched him weakly in the stomach, not enough to hurt though.
"Shut up! Don't say that!"
Harriet laughed alongside him as she then hugged him back

"Seriously though, what was the nightmare about and are you alright?"
Luna asked her, sounding more sincere now as he kept Harriet in his arms and kept his eyes on her.

"It was just something about Josephine...nothing major"
Harriet replied

"H, you're around the girl 24/7, literally nothing bad can happen to her"
Luna assured her

"That was the problem though, she got annoyed with how much I was around her and one day just stopped acknowledging me all together"
Harriet muttered, her voice sounded more genuine and sad as she explained. Coming up with a lie on the spot wasn't easy.

"Harriet, that girl loves you more than she loves any of us"
Luna chuckled
"She'll never leave you, or hate you. No matter what you do"
He smiled.

"I can only hope you're right"
Harriet sighed, keeping Luna held close.

"I only ever speak the truth, sis"
Luna told her.
"I know that when you become queen, you're going to do what's best for us all, including her. Leo and that wretched bitch will both get what's coming to them, and we'll all live out the rest of our immortal lives happy again...just as we were meant to."
Luna's voice sounded full of calmness and hope as he spoke of the siblings' future together, without their parents in it.

What Luna told her gave Harriet hope. Becoming queen was what's best for herself and her family, that much she was sure of now. Luna kissed the top of her head which made Harriet smile.

"Come on, get yourself off to bed. We've all had a rough time, you need it"
Luna told her, stroking her hair.

"Hm...fine. Thanks for this Luna...it means a lot"
Harriet hugged him tighter before both of them let go.

"Anytime, get some rest"
He told her

"Aren't you coming inside?"
Harriet asked him as she headed towards the balcony door

"I'll join you in a bit. I just...have some stuff to think over"
Luna replied, smiling to her before looking out to the city.

The truth was, he didn't sleep that night, how could he? The prince had just received news that he was to be a father to his abuser's child. He reached a hand down and slowly took a cigarette from his pocket and set it alight, taking a drag before blowing the smoke into the gentle morning air as he watched the sun rise over Lust's thriving yet broken city. The red and orange hue's of the sun began to bless his face, as did its warmth, still the gentle breeze persisted. This was how Luna liked the weather, though.

"At least I don't have the crown to worry about anymore. Means I can put my time and work into the kid at least..."
Luna thought as he closed his eyes, savouring the warmth on his face as it began to shine through the glass doors into the bedroom behind him.

"Didn't know ya smoked"
A familiar voice pierced Luna's ears and interrupted his personal moment. He glanced behind him to see Eclipse.
"Or woke this early for that matter"
She giggled, walking beside him

"Satan...does everyone in this family just have a talent for sneaking up on each other?"
Luna muttered with a smile, his eyes weren't on her for long before he looked back down to the balcony ledge.
"And I don't normally wake up this early, I haven't slept"
He told her

"Ah, how come?"
She asked, looking at him. Eclipse didn't have the same wolf ears as her siblings, instead she had Leo's demon horns, so her hearing wasn't as profound as theirs. Thus, she hadn't kept up with what had gone on with Luna.

"Just...got a lot of stuff going on."
Luna told her, it was clear he didn't really want to get into it. His head remained down, glancing at the cigarette in his hand.

"Ya wanna...talk 'bout it?"
Eclipse questioned, also looking out to the city. The truth was, she had never been the comforting type, she was more of a listener, like an empty vessel who never judged because she wasn't much better than any of the stories she heard.

"No, it's nothing important"
Luna shook his head
"How come you're up this early anyhow?"
He asked as he raised the cigarette to his lips and took another drag.

Eclipse shrugged in response
"Dunno. Just woke up 'nd couldn't be bothered goin' back to sleep."
She replied, pretty nonchalantly.

Luna chuckled softly
"Trust you to not be bothered to sleep. Are the others awake?"
He inquired with a slight smile, wondering if Harriet even got the chance to go back to sleep after she went inside. While waiting for an answer, he tapped his cigarette on the balcony ledge and watched the ashes fall from it.

"Think Jace might be, H 'nd Jo ain't. Don't care 'bout Leo 'nd his wife."
Eclipse told him, Luna nodded to her.

"It's still quite early. I'm sure they'll be up in their own time. Besides, it isn't like we have plans or anything."
Luna replied, finishing off his cigarette and dropping it onto the balcony floor and crushing it underneath his black trainers.

Eclipse nodded to him.
"Yeah. So how've ya been since...y'know, everythin'."
She asked. Eclipse knew about Sophie's abuse because Harriet told her, and she knew about his eye because she heard him scream.

Luna sighed
"Decently."
He answered simply.

Eclipse didn't exactly know what to make of such a small response.
"Good...Good"
She smiled awkwardly, glancing at his cigarette.
"Since when do ya smoke though?"
She asked


"Since my life went to shit"
Luna answered with a half-hearted chuckle.