Katroina clapped once, her eyes seeming to shine. "Well, that works, then."

"Let's just focus on getting out of here, yeah?" Abigail said, lighting a cigarette. Katroina gave her a condescending look, but didn't say anything. She blew the smoke out in rings. Harriet had seen the old butler smoking once, and had told the King. She hadn't seen Withers since.

Abigail looked amused, raising an eyebrow at her.

"What?"

"You really are a golden child, aren't you?"

She was about to protest, when Katroina said, "Leave her alone, Abby."

"You're a golden child, too."

"No, I am your golden girlfriend." She replied and pulled the cigarette from Abigail's fingers, dropping it to the floor and crushing it with her heel.

"And I assume my golden girlfriend says to quit?" Abigail said, and threw her arms around Katroina's shoulders.

"We agreed one a day, didn't we?"

"Ugh. Yes. Whatever." She huffed, but pecked Katroina affectionately on the cheek. "For you, fine."

Katroina blushed, surprising Harriet. People made of angles didn't blush. But then again, she could see why she was blushing.

"Guys, this is really adorable and all, but we kind of have an army problem." Harriet pointed at the door, "And we need our stuff."

"We're going... Now?" Caleb looked confused, but shook his head. "Okay. Fine."

Abigail nodded to Harriet and Mina, in turn. "You need a staff, and you need a knife."

Katroina fumbled in her pockets, and procured a small blade, only four inches for it's whole length. She threw it to Mina, who caught it and kept it by her side.

Harriet still needed a weapon, so she raised an eyebrow at the two. "Staff?"

"Patience, please." Abigail replied, opening the door and slipping out. They waited in silence, uncomfortable silence, until she got back.

Katroina had crossed over to the other side of the room, and sat down in one of the stools that were arranged around the edges. She sat there, slightly less hard than before. Abigail. Harriet couldn't really understand how they got together, but they didn't seem like they would be breaking up anytime soon.

The door flew open and hit the other wall. With it, Abigail walked in. She threw a staff towards her, and she caught it, spinning it in her hands.

One, two, three, release. Catch. Spin overhead and drop.

"I see you've copied my style." Abigail had a small smirk on her face as she leant against the wall.

"Indeed I have."

She spun it again, but fumbled and dropped it, catching it with her other hand.

"Not mastered it, though."

--

Harriet had killed three people by the time they got out of the base. After they got their stuff, they had come up into a parking lot, and been hurried into a pastel blue convertible. She still had no idea how they all fit. And why they were escaping in a pastel blue convertible.

She swore every time they got into a car, it was raining. Katroina sat in the passenger seat, arguing with someone over the phone. Harriet, however, was pressed up between the edge of the car and Caleb, who was arguing over music with Mina.

"Panic At The Disco, you uncultured fuck."

He grabbed the phone back from her and changed it to Charlie Puth, shoving it back at her. "I honestly think you can only listen to Panic At The Disco."

"No complaints here." Abigail shouted back, seemingly agreeing with Mina. "Good taste, rune master."

The grey eyed girl gave Caleb a triumphant look, and he rolled his eyes as she nudged his shoulder. "Call me Mina."

"Okay then, Mina. Favourite song?"

Abigail really was likeable. Maybe that's what she didn't like about her. She was likeable, and Harriet was not.

Harriet tuned their discussion out, and looked out the window at the bleak landscape. They were heading to Manchester, Katroina had shouted something about it to the person on the line. She felt sorry for the poor soul who had to deal with a pissed of Katroina.

G'day.

What do you want?

Can't a girl just want a chat?

Considering it's you, you just feel like berating me.

Just because I think you're a stuck up dickhead doesn't mean you're not preferable over an awkward silence.

Well, I like my awkward silence.

I'm insulted.

You're the one who called me a 'stuck up dickhead'.

She really couldn't think of anything to say to that.

True.

So fuck off.

Language, Chosen One.

He didn't reply, and she grinned, leaning her head out of the window. She liked annoying people, but she wasn't Jax. Jax annoyed people on a whole new level.

Feck off, then.

I thought you preferred awkward silence to talking to me?

I will go away again, I swear.

Then I invite you to do so.

That shut him up, and she felt slightly guilty. She was the one who wanted to talk in the first place. She waited a few minutes before replying.

Hi again.

I thought you were fine with the awkward silence?

Crap. What did she want to gain by it? Nothing, really. She just wanted to talk to... someone. And that someone was Kadriq, at this moment in time.

Well, turns out I'm not.

Kadriq let out a small laugh, at least she assumed it was Kadriq, and turned his head so he was looking at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, but let her lips curve upwards slightly.

"Kat, can you take the wheel?" Abigail asked, a hint of playfulness in her voice, and Katroina stopped shouting into the phone for a second to look at her. Evidently, she knew what the dark mage's expression meant, and gave her a despairing look, but unclipped her seatbelt and switched seats. "Just to be clear, you guys are okay with getting a bit drenched?" She said, without looking back.

What on Earth is she doing?

Absolutely no idea.

Harriet heard a click, and the top of the vehicle retracted, folding behind them. Rain pelted her shoulders and her head, soaking her in seconds. She was getting deja vu from the stolen coffee incident. It wasn't too much of a bad thing. Abigail straightened up, holding onto the seat and climbing over to them, and then placing her feet on the back of the car. Slowly but surely, she rose up until she was standing on the car.

She raised her arms, until she was standing with her arms spread out and her head tilted back, facing the sky. She was like a goddess, or a nymph, or just someone without a care in the word. In a start, Harriet realised that she should be able to be careless. She should be able to just leave and not have to worry about what would happen.

In a start, she realised she was a kid.

Before, that would have made her so angry, but now... she realised she shouldn't be. She wasn't an adult, she was close to eighteen, but she wasn't there yet.

She should be able to be normal.

Maybe that was why she stood up, and shouted to Abigail. "I need a hand!"

A grin split over the dark mage's face, and she held out a hand. Harriet took it, and almost fell into her. Her hair was plastered against her face, but she turned around to face the rain. It was stupid. She didn't have to. She wanted to.

She wanted to stop doing things she had to do, she wanted to do what she wanted. What she felt like. She wanted to do idiotic things, she wanted to do things that she was taught not to, fuck, she wanted to leave.

But that would come later.

They had to kill Darian, and then she would be free.

But for now, she stood on the back of a pastel blue convertible, frozen to the core, and looking up into the sky. For now, she was just a teenager who wanted to be standing on the back of a pastel blue convertible, frozen to the core, and looking up into the sky.

For now, she didn't care.

Fuck the future. She was Harriet Curtis, and she was living in the moment.

A/N:

Sorry about this chapter! I know it was kinda stupid and out of character, but I just felt like I needed to add it in. If not for you, then for me. Writing is hard, like you probably know. And sometimes, we just need a break. This chapter was mine. I promise I'll get back to the plot next time!

Mad as ever,
Moose