Volume VI: And Introducing Harley Morrow As - Herself

11. Backstage

        Beneath the reaches of vulgar light - we’re home.

        I couldn’t refuse my new family - my uncle died shortly into the process of setting up the show. He went to sleep and stayed that way. Cause of death? Unknown.

        The bar was put in my name, on paper. Pandora was the one that made it work in the really real world. Legally, I signed it over to her, as co-owner. This way, it stayed with the loyal. To us, it was the gateway to the real show. This was my life.

        Why didn’t I look into my uncle’s sudden death more carefully? Because there are rules.

        The wrong question at the wrong time can get you killed.

        My uncle didn’t have enemies. He was good, even-tempered, for the most part. Most people ruled it out as suicide. I knew better. Someone helped him. And got away with it. For now.

        Your voice as an individual doesn’t have much moving power at 16. Wait, when I’m a political statistic, when I have people behind me. When the time’s right.

        Salvation - postponed. Redemption - waiting. Try again in two years.

        I was almost 17 at the time. Almost.

        We set up the show the way it was meant to be. People started coming. We improved. Doyle covered all financial concerns, how he came through, nobody asked. I was sheltered. The rest of the family knew the truth. I was the youngest, the child.

        They made it their business to protect me.

        And I made it mine to push buttons.

        They were great and wonderful, sure. I loved them - they were all I had. But there was something wrong with the works. It was kind of suspicious.

        Maybe I’m just paranoid.

        But it’s worth considering, right?

        Family is a really funny concept when you come down to it. They are the root of most of your problems, inescapably so because you can’t choose who brings you here. But what would you do if you could?

        Do you honestly think you could do better?

        There are rules, standards. There must be stability somewhere. That’s family. Devotion is another part of it. It’s what should be the foundation but never is.

        Devotion.

        Necessity.

        What’s the difference? Is there one?

        Family. A familiar yet foreign concept.

        At this point, it’s business. The illusion is all part of the show.

        So I became accustomed to my new home, I learned to tolerate the people involved in the show with me. We were in a business - we provided an arena for suppression to breathe. Over time, operations expanded. And we provided for more than the emotional. Basic rule of success in business is expansion. We kept up with the changing demand.

        I didn’t learn this until later.

        Keyword - sheltered.

        Doyle was the director of all financial affairs, though he was seldom around. Pandora controlled the bar. Art - reborn as Gothik, and Serkis ran the show. They pulled the strings, played the part of lowly sceneshifters and pretended to only be a name. The hierarchy was backwards.