Drown [z.m.]

13.

Charlotte can slowly feel herself tearing at the seams, so keeping a straight face becomes an exceedingly difficult task. Her jumper hangs off her bony shoulder, and she tugs at it in an attempt to hide the bruises patterned on her skin.

"Mummy?" A gentle pull at her hand. She looks down to see her daughter pouting, and it nearly makes her smile, but she's tearing apart, so the smile is lost.

"Mhm?" she says, entering through the large doors into St. Andrew's hospital. It smells like antiseptic and caged up sadness, and it hurts her eyes to just look around, because its like looking depression in the eyes.

"Mummy, is Uncle Zayn...dead?" Matilda pipes up, and her eyes are so hauntingly wide and blue, and they remind Charlotte of Louis, so she shivers a little.

"No, darling, don't ever say that," she responds in a fierce whisper, making her way through the ward where she's been told Zayn is being treated.

Her daughter's words resonate through her, and she's biting down on her lower lip until the taste of blood spreads across her tongue.

And Charlotte is terrified, so she just-

Charlotte just stops.

Because Zayn has pipes and tubes attached to him, and machines beep in time with his heartbeat, and he looks...peacefully asleep.

But Charlotte knows better; Zayn is not peaceful. He's never been peaceful. Zayn never gives up. He is persistent and bustling.

So why is he chained to a fucking hospital bed where he can't even breathe by himself?

Matilda is frozen in place, and Charlotte feels an urge to run her fingers through the little girl's dark curls, maybe give her some form of comfort.

Charlotte's heart forgets how to function, so all she does is avert her eyes to look at the pristine white sheets wrapped tight around her little brother's body.

And she remembers his squeals as a six-year-old when they played tag, and his laughter as an eleven-year-old when talking to girls was deemed 'cool' and the crinkles near his eyes when he smiled the day he won his swimming championship.

But Charlotte is forgetting how he fell in the mud moments after their game, how his first 'girlfriend' (Julia, was it? Or Jessica?) broke up with him for ignoring her, or how, the day he won, he began to hate swimming entirely. She missed it all; she was in a hurry to dig out the smiles, chuckles and happiness from the mess of tears, pain and heartache.

And the result? An unmoving little brother whose laughs were lost somewhere along the battlefield that was his life. All that was left was hospital sheets and sadness and closed eyes.

But Matilda sniffles, reaching out and taking the unconscious boy's inked hand in her two littler ones, in comparison. "Uncle Zayn? Remember the stories, Uncle Zayn?" she whispers in his ear. "Remember the 'happily ever after' everyone gets? You promised, Uncle Zayn."

--

guysss sry its late *blushes*

this book got so many reads and stuff i cant thank you enough <33 x :))

dont forget to vote and comment and all bc it means a lot to know what y'all think.

btw; what do you think of zayn's character so far? ;)