24/7 [h.s.]

109

happy valentine's day ❤️

—
Previously in 24/7...

"Smoke and mirrors, Harry. That's all this is. That's all anything has ever been."

The level of confusion that was consuming me was unreal. But then again, my dead brother was standing in front of me so i'm pretty sure reality is a joke at this point.

"Let me tell you both a story." Grayson said and then walked back to the door, slamming it shut. "You know, before I have to kill you both."

A gasp left my lips, as Grayson stepped up to me. His hand reached forward a stroked along my cheek. His fingers were cold and felt so foreign yet so familiar.

"Story time, just like when you were little, right Baby Bop?"

My heart clenched in my chest.

Oh, shit.

__

Like a shark hunting its prey, Grayson circled Harry and I. I was too scared to blink, fearing the moment I did he would choose to strike.

Sharp pains shot up and down my entire body from being dangled by my wrists from the ceiling, and the metal cutting into my skin had made me
bleed and had rubbed the skin raw.

I still couldn't comprehend the fact that my brother, my best friend, my second half was standing in front of me. I had spent years of my life believing he had left this earth, but he had never left at all. He was here, the whole time...

Grayson circled Harry and I once more before he paused, right in front of me. He smiled, a smile so dazzling that I died a little inside. That smile used to be what I longed for after a bad day at school, or when I had a bad dream and ran to his room in the night, and it had been my last memory of him... watching him walk up the ramp onto the plane that took him away to war, he had turned and smiled this same smile at me. But now, the smile I had longed for was a smile that chilled me to my core.

"Why, Grayson?" I pleaded with him. "I don't understand."

"I know, sweetheart." He spoke, and I could tell he was being earnest. "And it's not your fault, but you just have to pay for other people's mistakes."

"But why me? And who's mistakes?"

Grayson looked at me, gave me a sad smile, and then glanced at Harry.

"Our father."

I narrowed my eyes to express my confusion.

"What did dad do to you? He loves you Grayson." I said in disbelief. Our father truly did love his family. He was heartbroken and distraught when Grayson was killed. I had never seen him cry until Grayson died, and he cried for weeks. He still got teary eyed thinking about Grayson.

"It's not just him Emma, it's what he stands for."

"You're not making any sense!"

"I am! You're just too naive to understand!" He fired back at me, and I felt a feeling in my chest that I hadn't felt in a long time, the same feeling when we used to fight over who ate the last piece of cake or argue about who was allowed to have friends over to spend the night.

"Grayson! I am your sister! Talk to me!" I practically screamed at him. "Why are you being like this?"

"I am not being anything!" Grayson roared back at me, but when he did, his hand reached forward and grabbed the lower half of my face, his fingers curling around the sides of my chin. It hurt.