Marvels Of Fate

Carving

Harry's POV
Mus rings the doorbell, although she holds the keys in her hand.

"Why ring when you have the keys?" I ask, nodding towards the silver key clenched in her hand. She shrugs.

"It reinforces the fact that this is his home. Not mine," Mus answers. There's no answer though.

"Is he even at home?" I question. Mus laughs and nods her head.

"He calls me before going anywhere. Plus, he's only 11." Even though there's mirth in her tone, her eyes are suddenly clouded with worry. I ring the doorbell again. Mus furrows her brows, concern emanating off her in waves. She steps forward and inserts the key, turning it hastily. Mus throws open the door and rushes in.

"Joshua!" She calls, her eyes wide with worry. I step in and shut the door behind me.

"I'm in the bathroom! Coming," a voice calls back. Mus relaxes and places a hand over her chest. I can bet her heart is beating erratically. Now that she knows everything is okay, Mus chucks her keys onto the bar counter in the open-styled kitchen and heads toward the fridge.

"Harry, if you want junk food, this place is filled with it. Go to town!" Mus says, taking out a Coke can for herself. She opens it and saunters over towards the couch.

"Nice place." I comment, taking in the house. A door bangs upstairs and then heavy footsteps thud down the stairs. Mus gets up, and positions herself in front of the staircase, ready to greet the little person who seems quite excited.

"Mus!" Joshua yells, carting straight into her arms. Mus falls back onto the plush carpet and laughs. It's a light-hearted laugh, the kind that she only ever offers me.

"We met yesterday, remember?" Mus says, sitting up. Joshua is still clinging to her, his arms wrapped around her neck.

"Do you know how many hours passed since?" Joshua pouts. "You've also promised me a sleepover, but that never seems to happen."

"Mm...how about tonight?" Mus asks, a smile still plastered across her face. Joshua grins and nods his head vigorously.

"Sounds like a plan!" Suddenly, his eyes flit over to me and he frowns.

"Who's this?" The kid asks, standing up and coming over to me. He offers me his hand and a laugh almost escapes my lips at his formal greeting. However, I contain it and take his outstretched hand.

"I'm Harry. Her friend." I say, nodding my chin towards Mus. Mus' head swivels toward me, shock etched onto her face, as if she expected me to introduce us as something as.

"I'm Joshua. Her son." He looks toward Mus and then back at me. "Just for the record, she loves me more than you." I laugh and nod my head in agreement.

"I'm sure she does. After all, I'm not the one who she comes to visit everyday." I shrug my shoulders, frowning the best that I can.

"Yeah, because she loves me more. And if she comes to visit you everyday, how'll she come to me?" Joshua stares at me, his head slightly tilted. "Mus has talked about you. A lot."

"Uh, Joshua, do you want me to pick up any snacks for the sleepover?" Mus hastily questions, seeming flustered all of a sudden. I smile and cock an eyebrow at her. But before I can further investigate on this topic, Joshua cuts in.

"Some Lays packs. And Twisters." Joshua chirps up, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Yes, boss!" Mus salutes to him with two fingers. "Come, sit." Mus says, looking at me. I nod and take a seat beside her.

"I'm just coming!" Joshua exclaims, rushing back upstairs.

"He seems real nice and healthy." I comment, watching his retreating steps.

"Yeah, but that's just the exterior. Never judge a book by its cover, remember?" Mus says, offering me the Coke can. I take it, chugging down a long swig. "Wow, thanks for emptying my drink." She takes it from my hands and takes a long gulp as well.

"You offered!" I defend myself. Mus glares at me playfully. Joshua comes running back into the living room, holding an orange bowl in his hands.

"I made it," Joshua announces proudly. "From paper, glue and acrylic paints." Mus slams the Coke can in my hands and takes the bowl from him, her eyes already sparkling with wonder.

"Dang, this is really good!" She compliments. Joshua beams proudly and turns to me for praise. I compliment his work of art as well and then he takes it from Mus' hands and places it on the coffee table. Throughout the evening, Joshua, Mus and I converse with each other. I find out he's a real curious kid, who loves to investigate me for some reason. By the time Mus and I leave the house, it's already 9. I've also been invited to the sleepover, so now Mus and I are heading back to our houses, where we'll gather our stuff and head back to Joshua's.
********
"So I'll come to pick you up in 45 minutes?" I ask Mus, as I pull up into her house's driveway. She nods her head and opens the door to get out. My eyes flit over towards the window next to the front door. Carter is standing there, glaring at the car I've rented out for the duration of my stay.

"Seems like someone's pmsing." I say, nodding my chin towards the dick. Mus sighs and smiles.

"Must've had a long day." Mus shuts the door and heads toward the front door. I wave at her one last time and then put the car in reverse. However, before I can reverse out of the driveway, my phone rings.

"Hi, Liam." I say, answering the call.

"Hey Romeo!" Liam exclaims loudly in my ear. "How's your love story unfolding?"

"Good, I think." I smile to myself, thinking about the events of the day. "You were right Liam. I needed to try harder and now I am. Thank you."

"No problem, mate. You know I'm always right," Liam says cheekily. Mus' ear pierces through my ears.

"I'll call you back." I tell Liam hastily, one foot already out of the car. I rush onto the porch and bang on the door.

"Mus!" I call out, pacing towards the window, but now the curtains are drawn. I step in front of the door and kick at it. Once. Twice. "Mus!" I call out again. No answer. Another yell. I step back and slam into the door with all my body weight; it breaks. I rush inside, my eyes frantically searching the lounge for Mus. Another yell. They're upstairs. I bound up the stairs, two at a time and step onto the top landing. A door on the right is slightly ajar, a sliver of light visible. I bound towards it and throw it open. Carter and Mus are crouched in front of the bed. One hand of his holds her hair in a death grip and the other is holding a paper cutter. Her hand is squeezed between his legs, as he's carving something out into her skin. I can see red. That's all. His head swivels toward me and he moves back slightly from Mus. I step over to him and kick him, making him topple like a bowling pin. I kick him once more, not giving him the chance to gain his footing. I bend over him and grab his collar in one hand, while my other goes to town punching his face in.

"Fucking bastard!" I yell, delivering punch after punch. "How dare you!" Carter's lip is bleeding now, his nose probably broken. His eyes are slits; he's slowing losing consciousness. But my hand doesn't want to stop. I knee him in the groin as well, wanting to injure him all over.

"Harry, stop." Mus says, coming over to me. She grabs hold of my forearm, stopping it midway. I turn to face her, immediately cupping her face in my hands.

"Are you okay?" I ask, gently turning her arm around so I can see what the fuck that dick was about to do. There's a crescent carved into her arm, blood flowing out of it.

"He was trying to carve his name into my arm," Mus explains. "So that I always remember I'm his."

"Disgusting." I grimace and turn my head to glare at the bastard who's lying on the floor, unconscious. "And you're still not leaving him?"

"No, we're through." Mus says sternly. "I'm going to message him tonight to leave my house and dump his sorry ass somewhere else." I press down on Mus' arm, trying to stop the blood flow.

"That's a real good idea," I agree. "Now lets grab your bags for tonight and bandage you up."