The Fortune Teller (One Direction)

Chapter 9 - Darkness?

The café is rather empty, surprising seeing as we’re in the centre of Manchester on a Saturday. Though even with fewer people, there’s still one tall, stylish, heavily perfumed reason why this is the loudest café in the world.

“How long are they going to be?” Darcy moans again, “I want to go shopping!”

“They’re spending some time with their fans, Darce, they have to do it!” Wendi tells her calmly. I really don’t see how Wendi can put up with Darcy sometimes, because recently I’ve been seconds away from slapping her in the face.

Darcy has been acting peculiar for a few weeks now. Since I received the flowers from Harry, Darcy has denied any chance she had to visit my house or spend time with me after school. Raya, she’s been fine with, and she’s practically glued to Wendi, but I’m being avoided like the plague.

“Well they shouldn’t arrange to meet up with us if they’re going to ignore us!” Darcy huffs.

“Hey, you’re lucky they’re here at all! This is their one break from the tour for ages! They could be relaxing!” Raya shoots at her. Slithering back into her chair, Darcy zips her mouth.

I don’t say anything. I’m too scared of her reaction. I take a swig from my bottle of water and pretend that I didn’t just see…no, it’s nothing, I didn’t see anything.

Outside, the mass of fans dies down and the boys finally decide to collect us. All but Louis is here, seeing as he decided to visit his girlfriend.

“Right then,” says Niall, clapping his fingers together, “Shall we shop?” He hooks his arm and looks at Wendi, a sign that she should link arms with him, but Zayn beats her to it.

“We shall!” he says, skipping out of the shop and taking Niall with him. Wendi laughs like she’s just been given a large dose of Nitrous Oxide, and then jumps to her feet to follow them. Darcy looks over them with disgust before deciding to stand so she can finally go shopping.

“Hey beautiful.” Harry says to me, wrapping his strong arms around my waist and giving me a quick, soft kiss.

“Hey sweeite,” I reply, “Ready to go shopping?”

“Hell yes!”

He takes me by the hand and we leave the shop lastly, following the loved-up Raya and Liam, Raya resting her head on Liam’s shoulder and letting her blonde locks fall down his back. Gazing at Harry, I swear I see something in his eyes as his line of view falls…no, I won’t go there. I’m imagining things.

Once we leave the café, we go off in separate directions, several times. Darcy marches off to find River Island, taking Wendi and poor Niall with her. Zayn, abandoned, tags along with Liam, Raya, Harry and myself. We stick together for about fifteen minutes, before Raya and I run off into Primark. Later, we see Niall, Liam and Harry heading off somewhere together.

It gets to the point where I’m shopping with just the girls, minus Darcy. Apparently, she got ‘fed up’ of Wendi and Niall being all ‘lovey-dovey’ around her – but Wendi insisted they had only been talking. 

Hiking up and down the streets of Manchester with my two best friends is so much fun! It’s so normal, unlike this past month of drama...

But I realise I spoke too soon as my eyes catch sight of a woman wearing a long summer dress, topped with a rainbow-coloured shawl.

“Umm…I’ll be back in a sec, Ray, I just want to pop into this shop,” I tell Raya, leaving her to drag Wendi from the stalls she’s now become obsessed over.

I sprint through the light drizzle now falling over Manchester and spy Vita, waddling down a side street. I scramble down after her until I catch her up.

She turns before I’m able to speak (though I’m so unfit I’m breathless from my slight jog) “Hello dear Issa, fancy seeing you here.”

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but why are you in Manchester?”

“Visiting a friend.” She muses, glancing sideways at the soft white, real rose pushed behind her ear.

“All the way up here?” I question suspiciously. I know she’s here because of me. I’ve been waiting for her to crop up again, even though I’m not in London any more.

She ignores me anyway. “I cannot stay long, Issa. I need only one thing from you. Do you have the tarot card I gave to you?”

Without any hesitation at all, I pull it from my bag and thrust it at her, smiling. She eyes it, and slowly takes it from my grasp, placing it hidden between her clasped hands.

“Now what did I take from you?” she asks randomly.

I very nearly say ‘a piece of card with a picture on it’ but I step back and think for a second as to what she may be on to. “Sun. The Sun card…so you mean you took my sun…?” I say it out loud and I wish I’d chosen my first option.

But Vita smiles, “That’s exactly it. And what is left of that?” opening her hands a tiny amount I see nothing but a small dark gap between her two thumbs.

“Darkness?”

“Correct again!” she says, ecstatic. “That is exactly what I’m here to warn you about.” As soon as she says it, I lift my eyes to the sky, expecting an eclipse, but all I see is clouds and falling rain, heavier now. “No, no, my dear. You must beware Darkness, as she is mysterious, blinding. Try not to ignore what isn’t there.”

Is she telling me to get a night-light or something?

“Right then…” I say to Vita, “Well I’d better go, my friends will be wondering where I am,” I laugh, “See you!” with that, I run back up the alleyway and into the street.

Immediately I spot Raya and Wendi huddled beneath a veranda, who have been joined by Niall and Liam.

“Hey guys,” I say coolly, trying not to look confused and flustered, “So where’s Harry?”

“He should be here soon, he just wanted to stop off at a couple of shops first.” Liam tells me.

“Hey that reminds me, anyone seen Zayn?” Raya asks the group

“He was with Darcy last time I saw him…” Wendi pipes up. Hearing that Darcy is with Zayn is reassuring. Maybe they could get together and Zayn could cheer her up, and turn her from moody cow into Darcy again.

I think I may have spoke too soon again. Mere seconds after Wendi finishes talking, over Niall’s shoulder I see them approaching though the drizzle.

Zayn and Darcy, laughing together as they trudge across the pavement. Next to them stands Harry, my Harry, holding his coat up for Darcy so she doesn’t get soaked. Her arm is wrapped around his waist, and a giant smile is plastered to his face.

They hurry over to where we’re standing, but I look away as they draw nearer. I only look back at the group when I feel Harry’s arms grip me tightly, and feel his lips kiss mine.

“Hey, you okay?” he asks sweetly, and I tell him the common lie: ‘Yeah, I’m fine’. He looks pleased with my answer and turns away.

I see it again.

I don’t think I can deny it any more. It’s there, in plain sight. I saw it before with Darcy, and again with Harry earlier. A third time and I can’t say anything but the truth.

Clear as daylight, I see the chemistry playing between my boyfriend Harry, and my so-called-friend Darcy. I can see their eyes dancing with joy just by looking at each other. There’s something going on here, and I don’t like the look of it.

Darkness Vita had said. Darcy is what she should’ve said.