Julia's Youth

By Sinner Saint

At 3 o'clock in the morning, on the 17th of June, at Timber Community Hospital, born to Anna Mackenzie and Christopher Heartilly (deceased), was a beautiful baby girl, Julia Liana. Anna Mackenzie wishes for everyone to know that Julia will be taking her father's name of Heartilly.

"So this is how you chose to live your life. I'm ashamed of you. I would have thought you out of all your sisters would lead the respectable life."

"It's not up to you to dictate my life for me. I'm not ashamed of what I did."

Jonathon Mackenzie sighed with exasperation. His daughter was being difficult. She always seemed to be difficult these days.

"Anna, I'm not trying to dictate your life for you, but I don't think you know the consequences of your actions. You're a mother now. Do you understand that? You're only fifteen, just a young girl. And you've brought so much shame on our family. We're well respected, Anna. People don't expect us to be involved in scandal."

"Maybe they don't expect you to be involved in scandal, but they don't know me. Nobody knows me! I don't care if I've ruined your precious reputation! All I know is that I don't want to be trapped in your stupid social circle, making endless visits and going to endless parties. Maybe Josephine and Rachel would, but it's not for me! And I'm not having Julia grow up in such a shallow, demoralised world."

"You can't expect to make it on your own out there. Look, Anna, I know I'm asking for a lot, but will you at least consider adoption? Then we can forget this whole incident ever happened."

"Why don't you understand? I don't want to give my daughter up. Why do you want to get rid of your granddaughter?"

"She's not my granddaughter. She's the child of…that man. I told you again and again to stop seeing him, but you never listened. Now look where it got you."

Julia started to cry, as if she knew how unwanted she was. Anna rushed over to her, clutching her to her body and rocking her. Julia was the only thing Anna had left of Chris…the only reminder of happy times.

Anna made up her mind; she didn't want to bring the baby up here, under her father's stern and unforgiving eye. But where else could she go?

Anna hated the idea of living alone on the streets. Maybe if she went to Chris's family…maybe they would take her in. Maybe.

Aimee felt the knock on the door before she heard it. She put down her duster and went to answer it.

"What do you want?" she asked the pitiful young girl stood on the front porch step.

"My dad kicked me out…could I stay with you for a while?"

Aimee looked Anna up and down; they had never really got on very well. As far as Aimee was concerned, it was entirely Anna's fault that Chris had died.

"Poor little rich girl…daddy isn't supporting you anymore. This must be quite a step down for you."

"Please…I have nowhere else to go. I'd be really grateful if Julia and I could stay here for a while." Anna pleaded, "I'll earn my keep…anything you want. Just please keep me off the streets…" Even Aimee could see the young girl's desperation. The streets of Timber were no place for a young woman, much less a newborn baby.

"…Fine. But only because Julia is half Chris. Otherwise I'd be turning you away."

"Thank you Aimee! You have no idea what this means to me!" Anna would have flung her arms around the older girl if she hadn't been grasping Julia to herself.

"Don't think I'm going easy on you. Well…you'd better come in…" Aimee stepped aside for the young mother and her baby to come through.

Over the next few weeks, Anna fell in love. Deeply, irrevocably. Julia, her little reminder of the past was her heart and soul. She and her daughter could make it, and, more importantly, they would make it.

Even Aimee found it hard to resist Julia's smile…Chris's smile…It was almost like being a family again. Almost like having Chris back again. Almost.

Timber was at war again. Galbadia just couldn't seem to stay out of their business. Just because it bordered on their land didn't give them an excuse to try and take for themselves. Aimee hated Galbadia and everything it stood for; she hated the sorceresses and their power. But she hated Anna's family even more.

The Mackenzies were a prominent family in Timber, mixing with the right people, going to the right parties. They were upper class, not for the Heartillies to be messing around with.

Chris was just a boy on the wrong side of the railway tracks who happened to catch a glimpse of Anna as her limo went by.

He seemed to see her more and more often, and was falling more and more madly in love with her at every sighting. He asked around, but his heart sunk when he learned she was a Mackenzie. Mackenzies and Heartillies don't go together; not in this world. He had no chance; she was way out of his reach.

Aimee had tried to warn him not to get mixed up with her; he'd only get hurt. She wouldn't want him. After all, why would she have cotton when she could have silk? At the age of fourteen, Anna was a famous beauty in her social circles. All the older women were waiting for her to grow up properly, then they would compete to marry their sons to her.

Anna's other sisters, Josephine and Rachel were just as pretty, but nowhere near as refined. Anna knew how to charm an audience, Anna knew how to do everything a young lady was supposed to do to be well thought of and climb high in the social ranking.

Rachel was too young to know; she was only nine when Anna became pregnant, but Josephine, the eldest of the three, had a reputation. She shocked the dignified old women by declaring that she wanted to be an actress, and appalled her father by getting a boyfriend at the age of thirteen, then making out in front of him.

Josephine always hated Anna: Little Miss Perfect, always the favourite, daddy's girl. And now little Miss Perfect had done something that was not so perfect.

During the first few months of the pregnancy, Josephine had made sure that everyone knew that Anna was pregnant, and by Chris Heartilly, nonetheless. The well-known criminal and all-round lowlife. As the word spread, Anna lost her position in the social rounds, and Josephine began to climb.

Josephine took great delight in announcing that she had been invited to go to the Deling Ballet with the Kensingtons. That was something Anna had done every year since she was nine, and Josephine had never been invited to. Now the tables were turned; Anna was the black sheep, and Josephine couldn't be happier.

Aimee, on the other hand, was still grieving for her brother. He had been shot in the streets by Galbadians, on his way to see Anna. If only he hadn't been going to see her that day. If only he'd never met her, for that matter. If only…the two saddest words in existence.