Lake's End (Ziall AU)

Chapter One

     "How much bigger you've gotten. Growing up so fast, Niall," his grandmother said, pinching his cheeks. He let her squeeze his face until it started to get red. "You'll love the room; I've spent hours cleaning it. There's a new desk your grandfather bought, but I'm pretty sure you could set that up yourself." Niall stared at his dad in disbelief, mentally saying, 'Kill me. Kill me now, please.'

     "Alright then..." Bobby said, shrugging his eyebrows. "I'm sure you'll have fun here. I'll see you in a few weeks, Niall." He under exaggerated. No, there wasn't a problem at all with that, except made the blonde lad feel a bit more depressed. "Good bye, mom," Bobby said, opening the door to leave. Niall gave a weary face, "Dad, I can't do this. Please," he whispered.

     "It'll be fine, Niall. I spent my childhood playing out in the lake. I have to get going or I'll be late for work," he quickly added, jogging towards the little mini-van. "Remember to call us every now and then! Don't miss us too much, stay safe, and have a good time!" He finished, rolling up the window and speeding off past the trees. Niall stood on the porch until the last bit of picked up dust fell to the ground.

He sucked in the fresh air of pine trees and musky rotwood and grabbed his two suitcases into the house.

          Woof! 

A dog's bark emitted from the back of the house, followed by the actual furry critter. It was a white Siberian Husky, with a tint of reddish fur on its back. "Morning," Niall laughed, as he ruffled behind its ears. He had almost forgotten about this ball of fluff that he left behind last year. Morning was literally its name, as it resembled the breaking of dawn.

     "Come on Morning," Niall said, as he gently nudged the dog along inside to his room.

It was barely cleaned, and the only thing that looked good was the made bed, just like he remembered it. The wooden boards were dark brown, the wall paper was of a flowery retro design, and the closet... the same three-by-four feet wide and deep space.

     "Well, it looks like some things never change," He hummed, putting the luggages on his bed. "No, Morning. Off the bed." He patted, fixing the blankets. As much as he loved the large dog, he wasn't going to let it mess up the place he was sleeping on, let it be the only thing he liked about this place.

     "Niall, honey. Grandpa's almost back. Why don't you come out and help set up the table for lunch. You can unpack later." His grandmother's voice inaudibly shouted behind the nearly shut doors. The worst part was he forgot this room's doorhinge didn't fully let the actual door close.

He unzipped his duffel bag and pulled out his phone charger. The other good thing was the single electric socket located directly under the window sill. If he were going to spend even one day here, he couldn't afford to run out of power.

Just as he went over to the other side of the bed, he couldn't help but also notice the deep blueness of the lake right outside. Even a nice calm lagoon resided directly underneath and near the backporch. He made a mental note to himself that he'd definitely have to check it out later and maybe possibly go for a swim.

At the lake's end, he noticed another summerhouse. It wasn't there the last summer he came, or either he hadn't paid much attention to it.

By the time lunch was finished, Niall sat in the only location his legs knew of. 

     "Niall, are you done unpacking... You're not going to stay in this room for the whole summer are you?" His grandmother asked, after knocking on the door. Her light-blue checkered blouse hung low to her ankles as she stood still. She noticed how Niall held his guitar lightly to his side and laid there on bed motionless.

     "I think I am," He muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. "Well, not on my watch you're not," she stated, "Go outside and have some fun. Your mother sent you over for a reason. Take Morning out with you, if you will. He hasn't been able to go out as much recently, with your grandpa's back problems lately."

Niall opened his eyes. "Fine, fine." He mumbled, "Morning!" He yelled lazily in the same position, calling for the dog to come. As quickly as it came, it hopped on the bed. "Good boy, Morning. You ready to take a walk?" Niall murmured barely opening his mouth. His grandmother shook her head and walked away.

"Yeah? You ready boy? You must be so hyped..." Niall trailed off, yawning.

"Woof!" Morning barked, practically pushing the blonde lad out of the bed. "Alright, alright. I'm up," he stretched, clumsily putting on his shoes. By the time he reached the door, he looked around for the leash. "Where did..." He paused, staring at the object in Morning's mouth. "You sneaky little bastard," he chuckled, opening the door.

"Well off you go," he mumbled, watching the white furball shoot out between his legs.

~*~

     "Hold on, you're running too fast." Niall groaned, regretting the decision he made. "You really are the little ball of energy, now aren't you?" He finished, running up to catch the dog. He realized maybe he should have used the leash instead now. It was a problem keeping order over an excited canine. He pulled on the collar of the white husky, making a way along the path by the lake.

He had to admit; the scenery was pretty, the kind he wouldn't ever get to see back in the city. Being out here was like being in the actual wilderness. There wasn't a police station or hospital around for miles. Running away from a psycho killer would be the worst scenario he came up with. Niall shook the thought out of his head and continued walking silently.

     "Wooo!" A boy screamed, followed by a splash of water. "Come on, Zayn! You're not gonna get wet standing there," The same shouted yelled afterwards. "Maybe, I don't want to get wet?" The other teenage boy retorted.

Niall looked around, realizing he was not alone. He was actually more surprised that there were kids about his age around here. "Liam, I don't know how to swim," The raven-haired boy said, when clearly he was dressed for the occasion. "Just get in! You haven't even tried yet!" The shorter-haired brunette coaxed.

     "Shut the fuck up. I'm going in already, okay?" Zayn replied, clearly showing a little fear.

Raising an eyebrow, Niall shook his head. "Come on, Morning. We better get going," Niall pointed out, making sure he didn't get noticed by the teenagers. Usually, he wasn't the type to get involved with strangers, especially those who acted reckless. He turned around and made a way back over towards the way he came.

Morning stuck its tongue out and panted, while his tail flailed in the air. "Tired already?" Niall joked, scratching the ears. The white fur looked shinier with the setting sun. Niall checked his phone, "Dam. By the time we get back it'll be almost five." He said, picking up the pace. He hoped his grandparents wouldn't start getting worried.

     "So! Up for some more running, Morning?" Niall shrugged his eyebrows, "Race ya' back to the house!" He laughed, taking off before the husky could even process it. In an instant though, it began to chase after the blonde.