Hollow Hearts (The Harkwright Trilogy)

“Don’t encourage her Caitlyn, let the freak go back to her bed where she can wallow in the misery and the fact that no guy will choose her. She’s only good to play with,” Carly snaps out as she looks down her nose at me.

I stand up, give Caitlyn and Millie a weak smile and leave the mess hall. It’s bad enough I’m not worth more than a stand in but to have Carly treat me like this, is more than I can take. That girl needs a good slap, hopefully someone will get permission to do it soon enough.

I open the door to our room and come up short when I see a guy vacuuming the floor. His head shoots up to meet mine and we both just stand here, looking at one another.

“Shit, sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be back this soon,” he says as he switches it off and I just stand here with my mouth ajar.

“Are you okay?” He asks as I drop my eyes to the floor and walk inside, shaking my head and wishing I could just be alone for a little while.

“I’m great, couldn’t be better,” I say, before I throw myself down on my bed and bury my head in the pillow.

“I can see that,” he says with a laugh, before the hoover starts back up and a growl slips between my lips.

“Do you have to do that now?” I all but shout as I sit up and glare at him, not acting like myself. I’m never this rude to people. Whether or not they deserve it and this guy certainly doesn’t deserve this much attitude.

“No offense but yeah I do, I’m not supposed to be in here when the girls are. It’s my ass on the line and I can’t risk coming back and finding more of you,” he snipes out as he looks me up and down, assessing me.

“I’m sorry, look it isn’t you and usually I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now but I’m having a bad day already and no doubt it’s going to seem like a cake walk by the end of the week,” I drag my fingers through my hair before assessing him in turn.

Dark washed jeans, a black Henley and a pair of Timberlands on his feet. He’s tall, must be over six foot easy and he’s got a nice tan going. The sort that screams he spends a lot of time in the sun. He has dark brown hair, cut short on the sides and slightly longer on top and his eyes are a mossy green. His arms are sporting muscles as is his torso, but it isn’t over the top.

It all works well for him in all honesty, but it does nothing for me. It’s not that I’m immune to the way he looks, it’s more that I need more than that to stroke my interest. Someone like Cole who has the entire package, but I shouldn’t even be thinking about him right now.

“You're an academy girl, you’ll do fine. I’m sure your days will get better,” he says as he shuts off the hoover and starts wiping down the one window this room has.

“I’m a stand in, one of four to be precise. My days here were numbered before they even began, I’m not like the rest of them,” I mutter as my fears threaten to crush me under their weight.

I’m scared I won’t

make it for the month and my mom will have to pay back any money they may have sent to her or the hospital. If I don’t make it, I’ll be burying my entire family and there won’t be a shovel big enough to dig us back up.

“Do you know what most of those girls have in common?” He asks and I shake my head even though I already have my suspicions. “Half of them are ruthless and have very few morals while the other half act as though they care so they can use your weaknesses against you. They are all capable of the same thing, but only a few of them wear their true colors openly. You want to last here, then be different. Show the Harkwrights that you have something only you can give. You never know, you may even become a Harkwright when all is said and done,” he smirks at his last few words but I don’t return it.

“Unlike the other girls, I don’t want to bag myself a Harkwright. I just want to make it to the end and ensure a future for me and my family. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m here for the money, but I’ll use every cent to improve my life and once I’ve made it, I’ll pay it all back,” for once I feel strong as I look him in the eyes and I don’t care if he believes me or not. The thing is I mean every word.

They may get me for the next three years, but if I keep the money, then they’ll own me forever. I’m just not willing to pay that price.

7

Cookies, Brownies and Midnight Trysts

He cleaned the entire room and changed the bedding before finally giving me the solitude I desperately needed. I never asked him his name just like he would never ask me mine. We’re nameless now, I haven’t even heard my name mentioned since I awoke this morning. I knew it would happen, but it doesn’t make it any less surreal.

Caitlyn and Millie return a couple hours later and their gossiping filters through my sleep addled brain. I didn’t plan on falling asleep but I guess my body had other ideas.

“What’s going on?” I ask, mid yawn as I stretch my arms above my head and pry my eyes open.

“We just heard that this reporter got sacked because of an interview she did on Sir Harkwright!” Millie says, but I’m struggling to see the point, it’s barely a surprise. If it’s the one I saw, then her days were numbered.

“It’s hardly gossip worthy, anyone who speaks out against Harkwright publicly will pay for it,” I say dismissively and I stand up and head to the bathroom.

“She didn’t just get fired, she’s been blacklisted. Nowhere else will hire her and if the rumors are true, she can’t even get credit. Her life has been destroyed because she asked the questions she was told to,” Millie states.

“No one made her ask them, besides how can you even know all of this?” I ask as I hesitate before closing the door on this entire conversation.

“One of the girls here is her niece,” Caitlyn whispers and I close the door and lose myself in the lukewarm stream coming down from the shower. That man has too much power and no one will ever dare to try to take it from him.

I’ve never really been much for idle gossip, I had to focus hard in school to even get anywhere near a good grade and if I wasn’t studying, then Poppy would teach me some very important life skills. Until she couldn’t guide me any longer and everything came to a standstill. As though our family revolves around her and without her sunlight, nothing could grow. I know I should go easy on the metaphors but she was my polar opposite and if I’m the moon, then it’s only right that she would be the sun.