Chapter 21
The drive back to the shop was a partially silent one. Mum sat in between Seville and me, and Grandma kept her eyes on the road as if she were the one driving. I looked around for a little while, feeling awkward and bored.
Then I gave in to the urge to look up at Mum and actually speak this time.
"So... Sev said you had something important to tell him and me?"
Mum swallowed before replying. "Yes. I... do."
"What is it, then?" Seville chimed in from her other side.
"I'll only tell you when we get back to Fleet Street." She murmured. "Be patient."
I looked back out the window, a glare making its way across my features. "I suppose Dad being dead wasn't it, then?"
"Valerie," Grandma looked back at me from the front for the first time, a glare far more present than mine on her face. "There's no bleedin' proof that your father's dead!"
"Yes, Valerie," Mum frowned at me disapprovingly, though I could've sworn I still saw a hint of sadness in her still-watery eyes. "Please show some sensitivity."
I didn't like how often my full name was being used lately.
Shaking my head, I unhappily crossed my arms for the rest of the way back.
It didn't take as long as the way there did, obviously. I hadn't the slightest care in the world. I didn't think much about what Mum had to tell us either...
I was surprised when Fleet Street came into view again. We, like before, seemed to be plunged into a world of gloominess and gray colors. Mum was looking out the windows nervously, and I could see a faint shake in every turn of her head.
With a sigh, I rested my hand on her wrist.
This place was intimidating, no doubt. Especially when you took seriously the notion of who resided here.
As I took a peek, I saw Grandma's face. She looked to be thinking hard about something, too set on this to care about the threatening vibe that this area gave off.
She was thinking about Dad - her son. I knew it.
When we finally parked outside the shop, Grandma was the first to move. She got out on the street's side, and I was the next to follow suit. I was a few feet away from the courtyard fence.
"Val, go fetch Mr. Todd, would yeh?" Grandma ordered.
Before I could ask why, Mum's voice cut off any potential for speech."She will do no such thing!" She came up from behind me and grabbed my shoulders, keeping me from proceeding the stairs.
Seville sighed. "It's okay, Mum."
I looked up at him in surprise.
"Valerie an' Mr. Todd 'ave met," Grandma explained to my mother, who still looked utterly shocked. "And though I'd be taking it a step to far to say they "'it it off", I'd say they're on... speaking terms." She gave me a small smile, which I happily returned.
Were they letting me into the loop now?
It's about damn time!
"Amri, come with me." Grandma took Mum's arm and pulled her towards the pie shop door. "Valerie can 'andle 'erself... I'm pretty sure."
Mum still looked as hesitant as could be, but she reluctantly followed her. Seville nodded to me. "Be careful, Val."
"As always." I mocked a curtsy at him.
He just shook his head without much of an expression and followed after Grandma and Mum, who were both already inside the shop.
I wasted no time in climbing over the courtyard fence and, just as I was starting up the stairs, came to another halt.
Sweeney was already standing outside his shop. Both his hands (gloveless, randomly enough) gripped the railing, and his eyes were closed.
This guy really did confuse me sometimes.
"Hey!" My raised voice made his eyes snap open immediately. "Getting some fresh air for once? You should be careful, you know; You might blow your own cover."
The moment I stepped into his reach, he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me upward, his glare returning.
"Keep your voice down." He hissed.
I scowled as I backed off from the stairs, afraid of falling again. "Why so on edge?" I questioned, watching him as he turned fully to face me with his arms right back at his sides again. "Is this the first time my grandmother left you home alone?"
Sweeney defiantly opened his mouth, his eyes sharpening. But the words that were forming seemed to die on his tongue, and the hand that was reaching towards his holster dropped back down again. It was still twitching though, as if he was unintentionally acting out a kill (sorta the equivalent of a cat chattering its teeth when stalking a bird). It was rather pitiful, really.
But... was that kinda like a yes?
Deciding to shrug that odd answer off, I stepped nearer to the stairs again, getting ready to begin my way down once more. "Look, Grandma - er, Elle - wants you downstairs. My mother is here."
Sweeney stared at me for a few heartbeats, a disgruntled look on his face. "So you brought that woman back, did you?"
Annoyance pricked at me, but I let him continue.
"And... I'm expected to...?" He paused, and I rolled my eyes.
"Yes. It's important, apparently. I... I think it's about my father." I admitted.
"Your father?" Sweeney repeated. "Is he hurt?"
"I think so." I was starting to get tired of these questions.
"Hm.." Sweeney's eyes fell back down upon the stairs, and I swear, the corners of his mouth curled upward into a good-natured smirk. He sounded as though he were talking to someone who wasn't there when he spoke next. "I believe I won the poll, Benny..."
"Excuse me?" I looked up at him with wide eyes.
"I - I was... nothing." Sweeney's smirk vanished. He briefly looked down at me and cleared his throat, then he began descending down the stairs as if he were only doing it to have a chance to look away from me.
"Wait; What do you mean by winning a poll? Who were you talking to?" I demanded, hurrying down after him.
"It's nothing," He grumbled without looking back at me (smart move). "It was a long time ago."
"You started a poll with my father? About what?" I pressed on.
Sweeney reached the bottom of the stairs, then flipped around to face me with a cold glare that made me freeze in place. "Discard it, lass."
"But I-"
"Drop it!"
Our argument must've carried on into the shop, because just an instant after my feet touched the cobblestone ground, Grandma opened the side door, her eyes round as she stuck her head out to look at us.
"What's goin' on out 'ere?" She exclaimed.
I crossed my arms and hung my head a little. Sweeney looked away dismissively, still fuming.
Wow.
Grandma really did have control of the household.
And us.
"Both of yeh," She muttered. "Get inside."
With an obedient nod, I stepped forward first and came in, just to see Mum and Seville to my right, sitting in the booth. I paused there for a moment, but as soon as I felt a light shoving on my back, I came further into the room and turned on my heel to watch the "show".
Grandma led Sweeney in, muttering gentle things to him all the while. She spoke so quietly I couldn't even hear.
Mum tensed where she sat.
"Alrigh'..." Grandma left Sweeney at the door, as that was obviously as far as he went before refusing to go any further.
Grandma went on over to Mum and helped her out of the booth. "We'll take care o' those cuts soon, dearie. Jus' a little while longer, alrigh'?"
Mum stiffly nodded. She was silently struggling over her injuries.
"What's the matter?" Sweeney's brisk, sharp voice cut through the still air, making Mum and Seville flinch.
Grandma looked at him. "I think..." She paused, in motion and in speech. Mum did too.
"Jus'-jus' come in 'ere, Mr. Todd. Please." Grandma pleaded, already helping Mum in.
"What about us?" I demanded.
"Stay in 'ere, like I told yeh." She ordered sternly. "No eavesdropping, either."
"But what's the big deal?" Seville spoke up, to my surprise.
"Yes..." Sweeney was slowly edging further into the room, interest seeming to overthrow his previous indifference. "What is the big deal? Surely it was enough to disturb my peace."
"Mr. Sweeney Todd," Grandma glared daggers at him. "Yeh know 'ow much this "forbidden subject" sends me into fits of rage. Do not push it."
This finally did it.
Sweeney's eyes widened. "Forbidden subject? You mean...?"
Grandma nodded.
Sweeney relaxed his shoulders a bit, and he seemed a bit more sure as to where his legs were carrying him as he steadily strolled across the room. "Alright, Elle," His voice was far more confident now. "Tell me something I don't know."
Seville and I waited in the shop for what felt like an hour, unable to do anything but sit there. We listened to the three adults' muffled voices from inside the parlor, only able to wonder what the problem could be now.
When the muffled voices turned into heightened shouts, we knew immediately that it wasn't a conversation anymore, but an argument.
"...Yeh don't sound worried!" Grandma's angry tone was the first clear sentence we made out. She sounded mad, but... also thoroughly grief-stricken, as if she were on the brink of crying.
"I can't be," Mum's voice came next. "I've got my kids to worry about."
"So you'll jus' forget your 'usband if yeh 'ave to?" Grandma snapped.
"I'll never forget Benny," Mum murmured. "You know that. But if I never see him again, you know I can't be taking time away from my children to grieve."
Seville and I exchanged anxious glances.
"You're jus' giving up, then?"
"I'm not giving up. But if I need to prepare for the worst, I will."
There was a pause. Then Grandma started up again, her voice a little softer this time.
"We need to drive out there an' 'ave an actual look. You could be wrong."
"Elle... it was..."
Their voices toned down again, and I nearly spit with annoyance and disappointment.
"Be patient," Seville advised. "Remember what Mum said."
I stifled a groan and sharply slouched back against the seat, in the process hitting the back of my head up against it.
Heh. I kept forgetting how high the back rest was.
"Ow!" I hissed.
Seville shushed me immediately, though that didn't keep the exclaimation from coming out.
Even after, Grandma came storming back into the shop, shaking her head.
She didn't even look at us.
Mum followed closely behind, but she gave us a brief glance. Her eyes quickly fell back upon our grandmother though.
Where did Sweeney go off to? I didn't hear him at all throughout that whole discussion, and I honestly thought he'd be the most vocal out of all three of them.
"Elle... I'm sorry," Mum's voice shook me away from my thoughts. "I'm so sorry."
"What's going on?" I looked up at them, raising a brow.
Seville pushed up from the table and approached them carefully.
Grandma had her back turned to Mum, her gaze resting on the dull, marble floor. "I 'ope your last words to your father were generous ones."
"W-what?" Seville stammered.
"Elle, I would have done something if I could." Mum insisted.
"Like what? We all know this business 'as gotten way outta' 'and!" Grandma's voice shook with anguish.
Footsteps across the room made me look right; Sweeney stood in the archway, staring at Grandma with a blank expression on his face.
"Can someone explain to us what's going on?" I was now stood up myself, my heart pounding harder than usual.
"I know it has," Mum's temper seemed to be rising - she was completely ignoring us, that's for sure. "Just know it was sheer luck that I survived the attack."
"Why? So yeh can flaunt it?" Grandma sneered. "I knew Benny made a mistake when 'e married you!"
I tried to silence my gasp, but I failed. Seville did too. I even heard a very quiet intake of breath from Sweeney's direction.
"No," Mum's tone was even, almost inaudible now. "Because..." She looked from Grandma to Seville and I. Her eyes traveled back and forth for a few heartbeats. Then her next words came out a bit quicker than I was prepared for. "...because I'm with child."
Everyone was silent for a moment, believe it or not.
Believe it or not because, as you must've gathered by now, we're a talkative bunch.
Well, all of us except Sweeney, of course.
Alright, Val... it was as of now time for the tension-breaking, cool-played, practiced girl of the lot to take a step in. Yours truly, of course...
"Um... what?"
Sorry.
It was all I could say.
Elle's eyes were wide with shock. She placed a shaky hand on Mum's shoulder, carefully studying her face. "Amri, love... you're pregnant?"
Sweeney seemed to have offically deemed this subject worthy of his attention, because he finally stepped all the way into the room. He crept along past us to stand a bit closer to the side door, staring at Mum and Grandma the whole time. There was certainly something new and peculiar behind his dark eyes. Something not even I could place.
Mum, for once, wasn't watching his every move. She was staring steadily back at Grandma. "What would you say if I said yes?"
"I'd..." Grandma was speechless. "...I'd be thrilled, of course, dear! But... when did this..."
"Happen?" I finished for her, placing my hands on my hips.
Mum finally looked straight at Seville and I, who were both staring back at her expectantly.
This couldn't be happening.
Seville and I - we-we already had our thing. What would... what would happen now?
And on top of that... why would Mum... how could she...?
"I know this is a lot to take in, guys," Mum sauntered over to us and pulled us both closer to her by the shoulders. "But... if he or she physically survived the attack, you two are going to have a younger brother or sister."
"Mum... I..." I really didn't know where to start on just how wrong - cruel - this was. "Our father is dead," I pushed away from her, scowling. "and you're telling us that you're going to be having a baby in the same minute?"
Mum frowned at me. "Do you think I planned for your father to be-"
"Who was this guy?" Seville broke in, narrowing his eyes. "I think you're keeping us from the fact that you knew exactly who he was, and why he attacked you."
Mum certainly looked uncomfortable now...
But I had enough.
I had enough of all these secrets.
Looking past Grandma, I saw that Sweeney wasn't in here anymore.
Huh. I didn't even hear him leave.
Shaking my head, I brushed past Mum and stormed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Mum turned to watch me, as did Grandma.
"Out - as usual." I didn't look back.
I closed the door gently.
Why? I'm not sure.
I just didn't feel the need to slam it that hard.
Sweeney wasn't out here. He must've gone back up to his shop.
I placed one hand upon the wooden baluster, standing at the foot of the stairs for... well, I didn't keep track of how long.
Something about this just seemed so... wrong.
I knew Mum couldn't help getting pregnant again.
So why was I so mad at her?
She knew Seville and I were perfectly fine without another sibling.
Another sibling.
That just blew my mind.
The sound of rumbling from above made me look up; Flashes of light were seen dancing through the gloomy gray clouds.
Hm, I supposed it really was going to rain soon.
About time.
Without hesitation, I quickly began up the stairs, refusing to go back inside just to hear more of the crap I heard earlier.
I was due for another visit to the barbershop anyway.
So yes, Valerie and Seville's mother is pregnant again. And yes, I do believe it's logically correct. I always thought of her as being in her mid/late 30's, and, you know... I think that's right.
Amri and Benny were attacked by someone whom they've met before, and whom has a... grudge against them, and the whole Lovett family, I suppose you could say.
More trouble for the whole gang, I suppose (no, this really isn't the whole gang. everyone knows that the true Sweeney Todd gang is Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett, Toby, and Anthony, because that guy just won't leave them alone. ^^ ah, really, no offense to Anthony fans. but wouldn't you agree that those four are the ones who get into the most antics? "FML" antics, but all the same... antics).
Oh! I'd almost completely forgotten: I had the worst Halloween ever. x.x I don't want to start using this story as means to rant on all of my author's notes - and in fact, I might just talk about it as my new addition to the Rant Section on my profile - but I really did. This was the most unproductive Halloween I've ever experienced. If you don't care, you don't have to read anymore, but... this just needed to come out in typed-up words, because yelling about it aloud in real life wasn't satisfactory enough.
I went out trick-or-treating with my brother and his friend. We were... edging our way towards the school that we used to go to, because apparently, some "hardcore" kids were planning on egging it. One of the guys who was planning this was another one of my brother's friends.
We waited around the school yard for... I'd say almost an hour, at least. Wasting the night away. Then they finally showed themselves, and supposedly, they forgot to bring the eggs, even though that was the whole reason they were coming out in the first place. So when they finally got the eggs, one of the dumbasses goes right up to the door and throws it at the window. They all made a mad dash, and I just leasurely followed. Hey; I didn't do anything.
They all had to go early after throwing only two eggs, because it was a school night. We got hardly any candy at all. And I had to tag along behind those idiots while they threw glass bottles in the street and watched them break. Just... how stupid can you get? I must not be a teenager yet, because I honestly don't see how someone can get joy out of vandalism.
My brother isn't even like that. He's way better when it's just the two of us. Like I said: We're Sweeney Todd fanatics. Around guys his age, he just turns into someone he's not. -_- Those guys didn't even know what Sweeney Todd was. *Insert disgusted gasp here*
So... my brother wasn't throwing anything. He was just... too social with those jerks he calls friends.
This just goes to show: Do NOT do something just because a bunch of other people are doing it. If this is what it means to be a teenager - according to my brother and his friends - then I wish I could've just stayed a kid (which I still feel like I am).
Sorry I have so much to say. I haven't updated in a while.
Hopefully the next one won't take as long. :) Oh, and I hope you all had a better Halloween than I did.