Syren's Plaything

by Jennah Thornhill

  “You… you were with my daughter, but it was late when I rang you, I thought you would have been home… alone.” She hasn’t got what I’m trying to tell her, so I spell it out for her.

  “Me and Karina are sort of together now, I found her. After all these years fate brought us back together Laura.”

  “Oh, my goodness, does she know? About you? About… me?” I can hear the hope in her voice, she just wants her daughter back. It’s clear.

  “No. She hasn’t got a clue who I am Laura. And I want to keep it that way for as long as I can. So, if she doesn’t know about me then she doesn’t know about you. Not yet anyway. I’m sorry Laura but that’s the way it has to be for now. I will not risk losing my family over all of this mess. Surely you of all people can understand that.” I ask her.

  “Oh John, I do… I’m happy for you, I always knew you held a special place in your heart of my Karina, I know you’ll give her the world, and as a mother I couldn’t ask for anyone better to make my daughter happy.” I can hear her trying to hide the cries I know she so desperately wants to shed.

  “I love her Laura, which is why I need to see you, all this needs to get sorted, once and for all.”

  She reluctantly tells me where she’s been hiding out all this time, so I hang up the phone and turn the car around in the direction I need to be heading and make my way to the woman who I saw as a mother figure, and who I helped to leave Dom, without any questions asked. I risked my life for this woman, because I thought she deserved a better life than she was living, Dom ordered her around, sometimes almost had her beaten to death because she disobeyed him and made him look like a fool in front of all his men. He was having none of it. So that last job I did for Dominic would see me dead if he ever found out I never actually completed it. That job was to kill Laura, his wife and the mother of his child. That was the last straw for me, I was done being their plaything, always fighting between them, which of them was always right or wrong. I was knocked between pillow to post with them the whole time I was there, and I can’t not, would not take the only pure thing out of Karina’s life, at least not permanently, that I could live with. One day Karina and her mother would be reunited. That was the only thing in my mind and made me choose a side. So, I choose Laura’s. To this day, Dominic Vale thinks his wife is dead. And If I want to stay alive, that’s the way it has to stay.

  Karina

  As soon as Johnny leaves the apartment, I get up off the bar stool, taking my dishes with me as I go, placing them into the sink ready for me to wash.

  I found myself looking around the place and wondering what to do with myself. I came up empty, so I put the kettle on again, and make myself busy with doing the dishes whilst it boils.

  Before long, I’ve finished my cup of tea and all the dishes are cleaned, dried and put away, it took me longer to find where the plates and cups go, then it did for me to wash them. Johnny got them all out that quick at breakfast this morning, I never actually saw which came from where, but it’s ok I got there in the end. Finding myself in a cleaning mood, I then find myself looking for the hoover and duster, it takes me a while to locate all the items I’m after, but I do eventually. I start with dusting the shelves off in the kitchen and living- room, being extra careful not to knock or break any of the ornaments, as they all look very expensive, and probably cost more than I earn in a year.

  Once I’ve finished doing that, I start the hoover up and hoover all through the house, starting with the bedrooms, then the walk-in wardrobe, then the bathrooms, all through the hallway into the living-room and finish up where I started cleaning, the kitchen. I put the cleaning stuff away where I got it from and stand back to admire all my handy work. And if I must say, I’m pretty pleased with myself.

  I park my behind down on the sofa, picking up a magazine that’s sitting on the side table. Having a quiet ten minutes, I open it up and have a read of all the latest gossip. I’m only a couple pages in when I’m blessed with the image of my gorgeous, handsome man. There in all his glory is Johnny, rocking with his guitar. I have a quick look at the rest of the pictures, there’s a few more of Johnny, but the rest are mainly of Connor, and then on the right page is a massive picture of the whole band, it was from their latest tour.

  I start to read what the article is about.

  Syren has now finished their worldwide tour.

  What do they have next in store for you all? Well that is the question.

  Having under seen a few problems on it, my guess would be having a little down time.

  As we all know Connor is now settling down with the new love in his life, the stunning lady that is known as Allie Whitbury, daughter of the well-known newspaper owner Paul Whitbury of Whitbury newspaper. Now I know a lot of you lovely ladies out there will be crying your eyes out that he’s now off the market, but come on there’s three more very handsome looking guys that are in this band too.

  There’s a lot more about the tour as I carry on reading. I find myself laughing, if only they really know what the guys were like. I’ve only spent a small amount of time with them, and I don’t know whether I’m coming or going half the bloody time, but I love them all the same. And then there’s Johnny… Just wow, I’m lucky to have him in my life. I smile fondly as I turn the page to read on, that is until I see a bloody picture of Johnny with a stunning looking woman on his arm…. It’s me. Wow I look fabulous, in that dress I wore just to make Johnny see what he was missing when we went out for drinks in Madrid. I can’t believe my eyes, it doesn’t even look like me. But it is.

  Oh god what have they written about me now, I know how horrible the paparazzi can be to people, I used to read about it all the time, until Allie’s horrific attack, after that I stopped. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I really don’t want to know, but something has me reading on anyway.

  Does Johnny have a new lady in his life?

  Who is the beautiful woman on his arm? That’s the question we all really want to know now. All we know is she’s a close friend of our girl Allie. She pulls off this dress better than Beyoncé ever would, that we know for sure.

  We need to do some more digging for our readers and find out if she’s good enough for our boy Johnny. Don’t we???

  There’s plenty more to read, but I find myself closing the magazine and throwing it back down on the table, I don’t want to know anymore. I feel sick, I’ve got enough going on in my personal life now, I don’t need the media finding out about it too. God they’d be in their element with all the information they could possible find on me. Especially if they found out who my dad was. Jesus, that would be a fucking nightmare.

  I don’t get chance to wallow in self-pity for long, as I hear my phone ringing from the kitchen, so I pull myself together as I walk to the kitchen side in which my phone is sitting on. I look at the screen and its Allies face lighting up my phone.

  “Hey mofo. You ok?” I ask as I answer.

  “Hey back mofo, yeah I’m ok, the boys are in the studio, so I was wondering if you fancied coming around, keep me from losing my mind.”

  “Erm, yeah ok sure. I just need get dressed, I’ve been cleaning believe it or not.”

  “What you? Cleaning? Well I never…” She’s a cheeky cow.

  “Hey, I clean. You just never know about it when I do, now if u want me to come over, I suggest you stop with your bitchy comments.” I’m only joking, and she knows it.

  “Ok, ok. Hurry up, I’m dying of boredom here.” Then she hangs up. Rude.

  Half an hour later I’m dressed, hair’s up in a messy bun, and I have no make-up on, I’m only going to Allie’s, so I saw no point in wasting more time with trying to put on my face. I opted for comfort again, so I settled on wearing a pair of black leggings with a long, loose top, that covers my bum, with my khaki green Timberland heeled boots. They’re easy to walk in, and look great with my top, which is also khaki. Sorted.

  I pull up at the gate outside Allie and Connor’s house, just as it opens. Jesus, was she
watching the gate the whole time I was getting ready. Knowing Allie, I’d say yes.

  I drive up the path and park it next to Johnny’s baby, looks like all the lads are here.

  I jump out of my car and lock it as I walk towards the door, which opens before I get the chance to ring the doorbell. It opens, and I’m greeted by my mofo.

  “Jesus, Al, you’re like a bloody whippet.” I tell her. She must have run from the camera room to get to the door in no time to open it to me.

  “Erm, thanks I guess, now get your arse in here, before I scream the place down, I’ve been bored shitless.” She sure as a way with words, I close the door behind me and follow Allie into her kitchen.

  “So, you put anymore handbags in the freezer whilst you were cleaning today?” She asks, whilst trying not laugh.

  The sarcastic little witch is referring to the time I nearly broke my neck on a daily basis, due to her never putting her bag in her room or on the hook by the door. So, one day, because for the tenth time that week I had nearly tripped over it, I emptied the entire contents of her bag, then put it in the freezer. She didn’t find it funny, in fact I think she actually threatened me with death.

  Taking the bottle of water, she offers me from her hand, I reply.

  “That was a one off, plus you deserved it. I swear you wanted me to break my neck Al.”

  We both start laughing at our behavior from when we lived together, when the patio doors open and Max walks in looking a little sheepish.

  “Don’t mind me ladies, I just need some scissors.”

  Me and Allie look at each other blankly, they’re in the studio. Why the hell would they need scissors?

  Patting my hand, Al says to me.

  “I’ll take this one mofo.”

  Cocking her hip and leaning against the kitchen worktop, she folds her arms across her chest, aiming her sights on Max, who is currently rummaging through drawers.

  She clears her throat then goes for it.

  “I just know I’m going to regret asking this, but why do you need scissors if you’re in the studio Max?”

  He stops dead in his tracks, at the same time he looks very shifty.

  Something's going on that he daren’t tell us about it.

  “Max your being transparent, we know something is going on in that studio and it isn’t music. Your being dodgy and acting more weird than usual. So, spill. Now.” I say, taking over from Allie.

  “Look, I can’t tell you. You’ll see soon enough, just know that I’m sorry and I didn’t mean for it to happen.” With that he goes back to the draw, leaving me and Allie even more confused by his behavior.

  “Yes!” He shouts, as he holds a pair of scissors in his hand and quickly slips back out of the patio doors.

  “Don't run with scissors.” Myself and Allie shout at the same time. If he had a brain he'd be dangerous.

  With raised brows and a curled lip, Allie looks back to me.

  “I swear that dude has more issues than Vogue.” She’s not wrong on that one. “Shall we sneak out, see if we can see what’s happening? There’s windows we can peek through.”

  Never one to turn down a chance to snoop, I quickly agree, just like old times.

  We leave it a couple of minutes, making sure that Max has had enough time to get back to the studio, before we quietly exit the kitchen through the same doors Max walked through less than five minutes previous.

  Tiptoeing down the edge of the garden so we’re not seen, we make our way to the back of the studio Connor has built on his grounds and like two bloody idiots, we drop to the floor; carefully of course. Then we crawl on our hands and knees to the first window. Ok we try to crawl. If anyone could see us right now they would think we were two crazy arse stalkers not the fiancé and girlfriend of Connor Blackwood and Johnny Owens. A laugh bubbles up in my throat, causing me to give a pig snort.

  “Sshh, will you. You're going to get us caught.” Allie whispers over her shoulder.

  Allie gets to the window first, using the window sill to pull herself up from the ground, she pops her head up to the window just as I get there, just like to peeping Tom's.

  “Holy shit!” She gasps.

  “What? You can’t say that and not tell me.”

  “Erm, mofo. How fond of Johnny’s hair are you?”

  She has got to be shitting me? If what she is implying is true, I’m going to be one pissed off woman in about ten seconds.

  Reaching Allie and the window sill, I place my hands on the ledge and pull myself up, what I see will stay with me forever.

  And just like that I’m thrown back to being fourteen years old again.

  “Karina?” where are you, I hear John boy shout. Like he has to really go looking for me, I’m either with him, my father or my room. Which is where I currently am.

  “In here.” I tell him just as he rounds the corner to my bedroom. When my eyes take all of him in, I notice his hair is cut, it wasn’t long to start off with, but it needed a good trim. Now he’s got short back and sides, he’s not bald, but I’d say he’s had either a number one cut or a number 2. It’s the shortest I’ve ever really seen his hair. But it suits him, like really suits him.

  “So…. what do you think Princess?” He asks me, pointing at his head.

  “I like it. It suits you. But it doesn’t matter what I think, it’s your hair.”

  “Yes, it does, I want your opinion. It doesn’t make me look mean and nasty like the rest of them here does it?” He sounds like he really wants my thoughts on this. This makes me happy.

  “No, John. You could never be any of those things, because you’re nothing like them. For starters you have a heart… that beats. They don’t.” I tell him truthfully. To me he’s my guardian angel.

  “Thank you, Princess, that means a lot to me coming from you.” He crosses the room and gives me a big hug, then kisses my forehead.

  “Anytime, now get off me you big soft bear.” I tell him as I playfully push him away from me. When in all honesty I never want him to let me go, he’s my save place.

  He laughs with me as he turns and walks away from me and out my bedroom. Leaving me laughing to myself.

  “Karina? Hello. You ok there?” I just about hear Allie ask me. I just nod my head at her, not able to form any words just yet.

  What I’m seeing can’t be true.

  Can it?

  “Jesus, anyone would think you’ve just seen a ghost, you’re as white as a sheep. Her theory is spot on, though I will not tell her. I can’t believe what my eyes just saw. All this time, how have I never seen this before. Because you’re blinded by your love for this guy. I tell myself.

  Shit, I don’t know what to do, I can’t move, can’t feel a single limb of my body. I’m totally and completely numb. All except from my heart. That is bleeding, and splintered, trying to hold itself together before it shatters into a million pieces. How can he do this to me? Especially with everything that has happened between us, the baby, the other day at my father’s and making me fall in love with him. I always knew there was something about him, but I just could never put my finger on it. Now seeing him without his long hair, well it makes everything clear to me. Something as small as a haircut and everything is out in the open.

  How can he keep lying to me?

  Did he think I would never find out?

  Would he have ever even told me?

  I look through the window again, and I see him laughing and smiling with Connor, Liam and max, like there’s nothing wrong.

  Well two can play this game.... John boy.

  Johnny

  “I can’t fucking believe you Max. Chewing gum is meant to stay in your mouth, not in my fucking hair!” I’m fucking fuming, it took me years to grow my hair like this. And not only that… what the hell is Karina going to think? Shit will she remember me now?

  “It was an accident John, I was laughing, and it flew out my mouth. I said I was sorry.” He’s too busy still laughing at me to be bloody sorry.

>   Connor is currently cutting the gum out of my hair, he’s not said a word about it, he knew exactly how long it took to grow.

  “John… mate, I’m going to have to get the shaver out. I don’t think just cutting a big chunk out your hair is going to do.” He sounds general sorry for me. “You’re going to have a big piece of hair missing, and you wouldn’t be able to hide it.”

  “Fantastic, this is just fucking great. Well get on with it then, before I bottle it and knock that twat out over there.” I could kill him just by looking at him.

  “Ok, I’m sorry man. I have a spare set in here, just give me a second and I’ll plug them in.” He makes himself busy, whilst I just sit there giving Max death glares. He mouths ‘Sorry’ to me again. I don’t care, I can’t speak to him right now. I might say something I’d regret.

  Actually, no I wouldn’t. I’d mean every word.

  “Ok. We all good to go Johnny?” Connor asks, afraid to just go ahead and do it.

  I can’t believe this is happening.

  “Just do it.” I say bluntly. I close my eyes as I hear the sound of the shaver starting up.

  Connor shaves the sides first, whilst I make the mistake of cracking one eye open, as I do I see all my long blonde hair fall to the floor. I want to hurt Max more than ever when I see it. Growing my hair was my way of saying goodbye to the past, having it short was too painful. She always loved it short. So, I made the decision to start a new me when I left, I didn’t want anything to remind me of what I had left behind.

  Now I’m going to have to tell her everything because of Max, my hand is being forced. Karina’s not that stupid, she’ll figure it out as soon as she sees me.

  The next thing I know, I’m staring into the mirror, trying to take in who the fuck is staring back at me. It’s like looking at an eighteen-year-old version of myself all over again.

  I’m the monster I once was.