Caught Between a Halo and Horns

twenty eight.

I am roughly awoken by Zayn, and I frown when I look at the clock to see that I've only gotten an hour of sleep.

"Get up." He snaps at me. I rub my eyes groggily and swing my legs over the side of the bed, standing up. He grabs my arms and throws me out the door a little too fast, causing my to completely lose my footing and fall down the marble stairs, my head hitting on each one.

"Fuck." Zayn swears from behind me. The room before me is spinning so fast I can't see anything clearly. The immense pain from the fall makes my head feel like an inflating balloon. I can numbly feel a hair of hands beside me, and a muffled voice.

The impact of the fall must've affected my brain's ability to send out nerve impulses. The room suddenly snaps back into focus and I feel a rush of cold water over my face. Zayn stands above me with an empty pitcher, his eyes worried.

"Are you alright?" He asks uncharacteristically. 

"Like yare cou." My brain becomes dyslexic for a moment, still throbbing. Nonetheless, he gets my point.

"Listen, there's someone coming to see you in five minutes. Get your fucking head screwed on straight or it will only be harder for you." He spits and storms away.

He leaves me on the floor and I hold my head, trying to get it to stay still. I know it's not actually spinning, but it sure as hell feels like it. I take my right hand away to find it drenched with blood. I look up at the staircase and the fifth step from the bottom is where the trail of red originates.

I groan loudly and wander into the bathroom. I fumble through the drawers and find an ace bandage with gauze to stop some of the bleeding of now. The last thing I want to be when this man visits me is lightheaded.

I hear harsh whispering from the living room and I rest my ear against the doorframe.

"She'll recognize your voice, Max! She can't know that you're working with him." Zayn reminds him.

Max? Harry's boss? Sworn enemy of Alex and the Man in Charge? They all want Harry dead?

"She won't fucking recognize me. Not after that little fall of hers. I personally chose to come and teach her a lesson. She wouldn't answer questions for Desmond, so maybe I can get them out of her." Max reasons.

So that was the name of the man Harry looked like, the man in charge. Desmond.

"Whatever. I'm just saying this was a really bad fucking idea." Zayn huffs. 

"She's going to be dead in three days time anyway. It's not like she can run and tell Harry after this." Max reminds him.

I don't hear any other words besides footsteps and I turn back to face the mirror, to make it look like I've been busy.

They appear at the door, Max grinning sickly at me. "Hello, Cristina." He says. I internally debate whether or not to tell him I know who he is, but with the hope that Harry will come get me igniting inside, I go with the safer route.

"How do you know who I am?" I ask, putting on a fearful look.

A small sigh of relief accidentally leaves Zayn's lips and I struggle not to smirk. "Oh honey, everyone knows who you are. You're the sole thing that controls Harry Styles." He tells me, and I stifle a laugh.

"You think I control him? Don't you think he would have found me by now? He doesn't give a shit about me. I'm at peace with it at this point." I retort.

I'm trying to use reverse psychology on them, and I just pray it's successful. If I can make them believe that I've lost all hope, and make them believe that Harry isn't coming after me, the more they'll end up telling me.