Playing in Shadow (26 page)

Another peal of the doorbell welcomed Trent and Juliet. Trent walked in wearing a purple suit with a green vest visible beneath. Her face was painted white with an ugly red slash cutting its path across her mouth, giving her The Joker’s trademarked evil smile. Bryce didn’t feel so bad about having her hair dyed. Trent’s had been colored green. Juliet was in a very curious nurse’s outfit. She wore the little nurse’s hat on her head, and a white shirt tucked inside a red leather corset. A white miniskirt was worn over two-tone stockings, one red, one blue. She also had white makeup on, but a black eye mask was molded to her face.

Baby Harley was cradled in Trent’s arms. Now nearly four months old, she was more alert, always smiling, and quite vocal in her squeals and baby babble. Monica had fashioned her a onesie decorated in black and red diamonds, complete with a soft jester’s hat with two horns. Harley kicked and wriggled in Trent’s arms as if eager to get the party started.

“Fellow party people, why so serious?” Trent said in a creepy tone of voice that made Bryce shiver. “Harley Quinn is in the house!”

Harley’s arms waved as she reveled in the attention that brought. She tugged on Elton’s dangling beard and batted at the beads that decorated it. She also wasn’t fazed in the least by the Evil Queen who may have been famous for cursing babies but was decidedly soft hearted when it came to this particular child.

“Baby’s first Halloween,” Scarlet singsonged, ushering the family to a makeshift studio she’d set up where everyone could have their photo taken to remember the night. She picked up her camera and quickly took some shots while Harley was wide-awake and smiling. “You guys look fantastic.”

“Your skirt is as short as mine,” Juliet said, trying to tug hers down a little more.

“I, for one, am appreciating both of your attentions to detail,” Trent said with a sly wink at Bryce. “You’re especially rocking the older Quinzel’s cleavage, my love.”

“You’re just lucky I managed to fit into this.” Juliet fumbled with her skirt again. “It’s a slow process losing the baby weight I gained.”

“Sweetheart, you look gorgeous, with or without the psychopathic gleam in your eye left over from baby hormones.”

Juliet gave Trent such a withering look that Trent burst out laughing.

“Those baby hormones are still raging, Trent Williams. I’m just one step away from releasing the crazy!”

Trent’s laughter set off Harley’s giggles, which made everyone smile.

Bryce took it all in. She’d been to many a party, mostly stiff, formal dos where everyone was miserable but too adept at putting on false faces not to let anyone know. Tonight she was surrounded by people in
real
masks, yet everyone was having the best time. For the first time, Bryce couldn’t help but wonder if the accident had been an oddly
positive
turning point for her in life. It had pulled her from the miserable existence she was a part of and forced her into another direction entirely. Bryce loved the view now from where she stood. She only wished the people who’d been with her in the car had been there to share in her happiness too. She vowed to appreciate life in order to honor them. The guilt was easing; gratefulness was breaking through. Surviving had been a miracle. Bryce could finally see that.

“Well, look at you,” Juliet called softly, bringing Bryce out of her musings. “Kayleigh is going to be hanging off your robes all night when she gets here.”

Bryce looked down at her gray school uniform and the red/gray striped tie. Her wizard robes were a handsome finishing touch.

Scarlet joined them both, leaving Trent and Harley holding court with Uncle Elton as the self-appointed jester.

“I took poetic license with the lightning scar.” Scarlet traced the jagged bolt that instead of cutting through the middle of Bryce’s forehead was edged over Bryce’s actual scar.

“Seemed a waste not to use what I already have,” Bryce said with a shrug.

Juliet agreed. “It’s perfect.” Her head whipped up at a particularly loud squeal from behind her. “Please excuse me while I go rescue my daughter from her uncle who is like a high dose of sugar on that kid. There’ll be no chance of getting her to sleep tonight if he works her up into a baby frenzy now.”

She headed toward Trent who held Harley up and was asking her, “Who’s that? Is that Mommy? Doesn’t she look sexy in her nurse’s uniform?” which got her a playful slap off Juliet and then a swift kiss to follow.

Scarlet snagged Bryce’s hand and squeezed it. “How are you doing, Bryce?”

Bryce smiled happily. “I’m doing excellent. I’m hosting a great party. I’m looking quite dashing in my wizard robes, and I’m romancing the prettiest woman in the room who knows some mean tricks with her katana. Life is pretty near perfect.”

Scarlet trailed a finger over Bryce’s painted scar. “Of course it is. That’s because you’re a wizard, Harry.”

Bryce lifted Scarlet’s hand to her lips. “The girl who lived and found love.”

“And they lived happily ever after.” Scarlet kissed the smile that Bryce couldn’t hold back anymore.

Her eyes widened as Scarlet shifted slightly to whisper in her ear. “Tell me you came equipped with your magic wand tonight?”

Bryce frowned at her a moment then snorted when she realized what Scarlet really wanted to know. Laughing, she nodded. “Yes, I did.” The sensuous curve of Scarlet’s lips did wonders to Bryce’s ego. “I promise, once I’ve made our friends ‘disappear’ tonight, you and I can go make some magic all of our own.”

“And we’ll play a little music, perhaps turn the lights down low,” Scarlet added.

Bryce just nodded, thankful that her fear of the dark had lessened as the days and weeks rolled by. She reached up and kissed Scarlet with all the love she felt inside.

No more playing in shadow for me. All I need to banish the darkness away is the light I see shining in her eyes when she looks at me. The eyes of my love who knows that I am in pieces but only ever sees me as whole.

The End

Lesley Davis lives in the West Midlands of England. She is a die-hard science fiction/fantasy fan in all its forms and an extremely passionate gamer. When her Nintendo 3DS is out of her grasp, Lesley is to be found on her laptop writing.

Her book
Dark Wings Descending
, was a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards for Best Lesbian Romance 2013

Visit her online at www.lesleydavisauthor.co.uk

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