The Wrong Harmony

sixteen.

"Daddy, what's a maternity?" Harmony read the large sign above her head as they walked through the squeaky clean halls of the hospital in Illinois that her dad had taken her to. He didn't say why, just that they were going to see someone special.

"It's where the mommies stay with their new babies," Wilmer explained as Harmony nodded and clutched her stuffed polar bear closer to her chest. She still dragged it around with her everywhere even though she was pushing seven years old and no one else in her first grade class religiously carried around a stuffed animal.

"Oh. Okay," Harmony replied. They stopped in front of room 110 and the nurse at the front desk let them in with a small smile.

"She's resting and the baby is in the nursery," the nurse explained. Wilmer whispered something to her that Harmony couldn't understand so she pushed open the doors and walked into the room.

"MOMMY?" She ran over to the bed but before she could hop up and hug her mother, she was held back by her father.

"It's fine, Wilmer," Demi opened her shaking arms and Wilmer apprehensively allowed his daughter to jump into her mother's arms.

"Mommy I missed you!" Harmony squealed. It felt like she hadn't seen her mommy in forever but it had only been a few months...like four if she had been counting down correctly.

"I missed you too baby. We will never go that long without seeing each other ever again, okay? I promise," Demi kissed the top of Harmony's head as Harmony snuggled farther into her.

"Pinky swear?" Harmony held out her pinky, it was something that Lauren had taught her, and she locked it with her mother's, but Demi added in her own twist by kissing the top of both of their pinkies.

"Mommy why are you in the ward with the mommies and the babies?" Harmony questioned.

"Because I'm a mommy," Demi glanced up at Wilmer who shook his head before she focused back on Harmony.

"They keep all the mommies here, new and old ones," Demi finished off as Harmony nodded and opened her mouth in a wide yawn. She didn't want to fall asleep because she wanted to spend some time with her mother but she was exhausted from the plane ride over.

"Go ahead and sleep baby, I've got you," her arms secured around her tiny body and Harmony finally let her tiny eyelids flutter shut before drifting off into a much needed peaceful sleep.

"Ms. Harmony," one of the attendants was shaking her and Harmony opened her eyes, taking her sunglasses off and looking at the woman who was trying to wake her up.

"We've arrived. Your luggage is already in the car with your driver. I hope you've enjoyed your flight," Harmony narrowed her eyes as the events from the past day ran through her mind. How dare her mom ship her off to Florida? If she was ever going to get the chance to live with her dad she wanted it to be because he genuinely wanted her to, not because she was forced there in some unfair form of punishment.

"Ms. Harmony," why wasn't her dad picking her up? The driver opened the door for her and she slid into the back of the Lincoln town car before pulling her phone out. The only texts that she had were from Lauren but she didn't bother to respond to them. She wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone.

"Your father apologizes for not being able to pick you up but he says that he'll meet you at the house," everyone thought Florida was so pretty but Harmony didn't see the big deal. She had seen much better and this was nothing but a tourist trap because of Disneyworld.

"It's fine," Harmony mumbled, even if it wasn't. Was it so bad that she wanted to see a familiar face in semi unfamiliar territory?

An hour later they pulled into the driveway of her father's Miami mansion. It hadn't changed from when she was little and she didn't expect it to. She was just like her dad in the fact that they both hated change.

"Welcome back," Harmony tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace so she exited the car and walked to the front door. She knocked since she technically didn't live there anymore and waited for the door to open while the man got her luggage out of the car.

The door swung open but it wasn't her dad. It was a little girl in a pink leotard with black spandex shorts and two pink bows at the end of her two long black braided pigtails. She had the biggest brown eyes that Harmony had seen, bigger than hers, and staring into them reminded her of her mother. And it wasn't just the eyes that reminded her of her mother. It was the butt chin and the slightly pointed nose and even the chubbiness of her cheeks. And the fact that she reminded her of her mother pissed her off because she wasn't on the best terms with her right now, and any reminder of her only aided in Harmony's anger towards the woman.

"Who are you?" Harmony sneered, her defenses instantly going up as the little girl cocked her head to the side.

"Well I'm-"

"ISABELLA! What did I tell you about opening the door?" Her dad came into view and Harmony was just totally confused now. What was this little girl doing at her dad's house?

"Hey, I'm glad you made it safely. Let me help you with your bags and show you to your room," Wilmer kissed the top of her head and slightly pushed her into the house while he went to grab some of her bags. Harmony obviously didn't have time to pack her entire closet but she had packed what she knew she couldn't live without. She could always go and buy new clothes.

Harmony looked around the house as Isabella ran back to wherever it is that she came from. There were dolls lining the staircase and a pair of black tap shoes in the middle of the floor. There were hair bows in the living room and a purple unicorn pillow pet thrown on one of the couches. This is how the house used to look when Harmony stayed there when she was little...when it had just been her and her dad after her mom had been sentenced back to rehab.

"Harmony, come on," Wilmer was going up the stairs so Harmony followed him. She expected him to just take her to her old room but instead he took her to one of the guest rooms.

"Um why can't I stay in my room?" Harmony asked and Wilmer set her stuff down and released a deep breath.

"That's Isabella's room now..."

"Dad...who is she?" In her heart, Harmony knew who that little girl was but she didn't want to come to terms with it because it didn't make sense. How could it? Her parents were divorced, they couldn't have had another child together...could they?