SNAPSHOT FIVE: PRE…TEEN

By the age of thirteen, Harvey was growing tired of boarding school. He had lots of friends, participated in clubs and sporting events, and had average to good grades – (he still struggled immensely with Mathematics.) Yet, he wanted more. He loved his Dad, he had saved him from abandonment, yet he was so strict and regimented his son's life in all aspects. Harvey had friends, mostly from school and a few from a tennis club Dad had signed him up for at age seven, however he had to ask for permission whenever he wanted to leave the house and Dad would continuously message him to discover his whereabouts. Sleepovers were rarely allowed and if he wanted to 'waste time' by going to, per say, an arcade, Dad would limit his time spent there and shepherd him out of the building if he was not obeyed within seconds. Obeying Dad was an issue threatening to create cracks in their relationship. All the pupils at Dad's school seemed to obey him without question, as he had seen when off for the school holidays. Attending boarding school provided him with more time off than public schools, thus he spent the weeks that Dad was still running St Champions, at the actual school. He was granted several privileges – playing video games, chatting to his friends over the phone, baking cakes, swimming – however, he was reminded to not interrupt lessons and strictly forbidden from entering the Hall during Assemblies.

Educational films did not interest him in the slightest, but to be banned from Assembly was ridiculous and Harvey reckoned that it was an excuse to keep him out of the way. Feelings of sadness would overwhelm him, until he brushed those feelings away and buried the resentment. Over the years, the resentment regarding his exclusion had festered and upon entering teenage hood, Harvey's attitude towards the Headmaster was quickly changing. More arguments were snapped back and forth, tension thick in the air. He no longer let his Dad talk him down, he had opinions and they were meant to be heard.

So that is why, in the middle of his first of three weeks off school for the Easter holidays, Harvey decided to seek out his birth family.

Dad had almost spat feathers when he had dared to interrupt a meeting between himself and his Prefects. This new batch, Harvey was not keen on, surveying them coolly as he lounged against the doorway. He had requested permission to go to the skate park, permission denied, and had booted the door in frustration. His Dad had kicked off at that and snarled at him to wait outside his office. Harvey had rolled his eyes in response and slammed the scuffed door behind him, leaning against the wall.

'Reckless teenage behaviour' – how the Headmaster described his son's antics, and Harvey was not appreciative of the term. All he wanted was more independence and truly, to find out more about his background. Idiotic he sometimes thought to himself, to search for the two people who left him out in the cold, all alone, however his burning desire could no longer be quelled. Therefore, it was time to find the Hunters.

He zipped his jacket up and mindlessly scrolled through his phone as he ambled out of the school gates and down the street. The soles of his trainers tapped against the pavement as he googled how to find his adoption records. Logically, it seemed the first step. The police could maybe help, but perhaps no-one remembered him? There had been a very brief newspaper clipping in the paper detailing his abandonment and his intake by the 'kindly Headmaster of St Champions as a foster child', a clipping proudly displayed in Harvey's bedroom.

The google search resulted in the General Register Office and Harvey was pleased to find one not too far away. The directions provided by Google Maps consisted of a short train journey and fifteen minute walk. Grateful for his topped up Oyster card, Harvey headed to the train station, plugging his earphone jack into his phone. Stuffing the buds into his ears, he selected an up-tempo jazz piece (his music playlist was varied) and sped up his pace.


Arriving at the General Register Office, Harvey waited at the back of the small queue, head and shoulders below everyone else. A spike of anxiety struck him. What if he needed to be over eighteen to access his records? His heart sank. He had been so wrapped up in finding out the truth about the very beginnings of his life, that he had neglected to think about the finer details. Shoulders slumping in defeat, he shuffled up to the booth, ignoring the looks from the adults in the queue and rested the palms of his hands onto the counter surface.

A middle-aged woman smiled sympathetically at him, knowing already that she would have to turn him away, saying softly:

"How can I help you, young man?"

His gelled spikes wilting under the immense amount of sweat, Harvey croaked:

"I-I want to access my b-birth records, p-please."

"Do you have a parent or guardian with you, sweetheart?"

"N-No… it's j-just me."

"I'm very sorry, but as you're under eighteen and aren't with your parent or guardian, I cannot release that information to you. Next time, make sure they come with you."

'There won't be a next time. Dad won't want me digging into my past.'

Nodding, dejected by the blow, Harvey let his hands slip down to his side and he turned back round, shoving his earbuds back into his ears, blasting the music at a high volume to drown out the background mutterings. He'd best be getting back to St Champions, as sooner rather than later, Dad would be on his case about his whereabouts.

Sure enough, as the train departed from the station, the music was abruptly interrupted by an incoming call. Sighing as FATHER flashed up on the screen, Harvey accepted the call, clutching his phone between both hands and slumping back in his window seat.

"Hello."

"Harvey James." The growling erupted into his ears. "Where on Earth are you? I ordered you to wait outside my office, yet when I finish my meeting, I find you no-where to be seen! You best have a plausible explanation for this, boy!"

"I-I'm on the train, Dad. I… I had to go and do something."

"The train? You demanded to go to the skate park, why are you travelling by train? I cannot believe your sheer ignorance to your safety and the blatant disregard for my rules!"

Harvey swallowed down the lump in his throat, nerves creeping up. He was in big trouble now and only ten minutes of his train journey were left until he was back at the station, to face the dreaded walk back to the school.

"Harvey, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Sir… Father. I am."

"Good. I will be at the station. If you arrive before I do, you are to wait for me, otherwise, your punishment will become more severe."

The distinctive sound of the line hanging up echoed in Harvey's ears and he immediately resumed his music, to fill the deafening silence. He was on edge now. Dad was not happy.


When the train pulled into the station, Harvey's heart sunk further. The Headmaster was standing there on the platform and behind those dark glasses, he knew that the man was glaring daggers at him. Harvey pulled himself up, paused his music and wrenched out his earbuds, winding them round his phone. He jabbed the button to slide open the doors and stepped off the train, trudging over to his father with his gaze down-cast.

The Headmaster's hand shot out to grip Harvey's empty one and he proceeded to steer the boy out of the train station and back towards St Champions. Throughout the walk, neither spoke, both their respective anger and fear increasing at each step. Once through the main doors, the Headmaster stormed towards his office, dragging Harvey by the hand down the corridor. He banged open his office door and hauled his son into the office, slamming the door shut behind him. He whipped off his glasses, green eyes burning into the boy's own chocolate brown. Harvey shrank away from his furious father, understanding that if he were to look away, Dad would only pressure him to maintain eye contact to ensure he was 'listening'.

"You foolish boy! Why would you run off like that? I believed that you had been abducted or you had got yourself involved in an accident! For your sake, Harvey, this reason must be valid!"

Flinching at the harsh tone, Harvey wrung his hands and mumbled:

"S-Sorry, Dad. I… I want to f-find out more about my birth family. S-So, I went to the Register Office to g-get my birth records, but…" His shoulders shook slightly. "I-I'm too young! I-I got s-straight back on the train though, Dad! I just want to know where I come from!"

The Headmaster did not soften in his stance nor his expression, however his tone lightened somewhat.

"Harvey, you do not need to find out anything about them. You have me, and you always will do."

"I-I know and I do appreciate you taking me in… but I-I just want to know-"

"I have seen your birth records."

Harvey's jaw dropped and wonder flashed in his eyes. "You have?! What did it say?!" The wonder dimmed slightly as irritation crept in. "Why didn't you tell me? I have a right to know!"

"Perhaps." The Headmaster scoffed. "Seeking out your birth records would have been a waste of time. Harvey, your birth parents did not put their names down on your birth certificate. They are listed as 'Unknown' with no address stated. You would have been unable to gather any further evidence from the document, thus your journey would have been wasted either way."

The revelation of such little information on his birth record caused Harvey to pale. His breathing laboured and he fingered his asthma pump in his jacket pocket. Wheezy gasps filtered out, the panic exploding in his chest.

"Use your asthma pump, control your breathing."

The order snapped him out of the daze and he pulled out the pump with trembling fingers, administering it to help his breathing. When his breathing was under control, he pocketed the pump and trembled upon hearing the dreaded words:

"You are going to be getting a spanking for this, Harvey. I cannot allow you to put yourself in such danger again."

"But I'm t-too old for this-"

"Nonsense. Spare the rod, spoil the child. You need to learn a lesson, come here."

As he reluctantly moved forwards, Harvey's heart plummeted straight down to the bottom.

"For your attitude towards me today, once we have returned home, you are going straight to bed with no dinner, and no phone tonight. You have been a naughty boy, Harvey, and this should rectify that behaviour."