Finding, Finding... Found.

Chapter 3

“Niall, what the hell was that?” Liam whispered to Niall. The three of them were heading back to the classroom to join the rest of their band mates, and Alyssa was out of earshot, prompting Liam to question Niall about recent events.

“I… I don’t know,” Niall replied uneasily, because he felt like he did know. He knew what just happened, and when he looked into those eyes.

God dammit! It is her! Every fiber of his being was screaming out at him. He had found her, after eight long years. Even during the best years of his life – when he was competing in The X Factor – he could not shake off the feelings of guilt and remorse… that he could have helped her escape that hellhole.

He remembered when he was turning thirteen, and his parents wanted to adopt another child – another daughter, to be specific.

“Niall? Can you come here for a while? Mum and Dad would like to talk to you.” Niall left his video game on the sofa and walked into the kitchen.

“Erm… yes?” Niall sat down on the chair across the both of them.

“We would like to adopt a daughter!” His dad broke the news, unable to contain the excitement any longer. “I mean, both of us just got promotions, and we would be able to afford having another..”

But Niall had already tuned them out.

A daughter… Alyssa! He could help her get out of that orphanage. He knew he could. His parents wouldn’t mind – after all, they wanted a daughter, right?

But being siblings would mean that…

Siblings can’t… be together, not in that way. Not in the way he immediately knew he wanted when he had left Alyssa. He was just eleven then, but he knew what he wanted.

…

He whispered a silent apology to Alyssa.

“Sorry Niall, what did you just say?” His mum asked kindly.

“I was just thinking… could we not go back to the orphanage I came from? It gives me… memories.” Niall breathed out. He could feel his heart aching.

And that night, Niall cried himself to sleep, because he knew that he had just singlehandedly destroyed his best friend’s chance at getting out of that orphanage.

“Niall? Nialler, Niall, Niall-” Liam’s incessant repetition of his name and nickname simultaneously snapped Niall out of his thoughts.

“What?” Niall replied, annoyed. It wasn’t Liam’s fault – it was just that he hated that memory.

“You tell me,” Liam shrugged. “You were the one who zoned out. Alyssa’s already gone – she’s in her classroom.”

Niall looked at Liam, dumbfounded, before patting Liam’s back as if he was wordlessly apologizing for his earlier outburst, and the pair walked into the classroom… only to see Harry and Alyssa in the middle of a heated debate.

“We can’t just leave; there are millions of girls out there who would stampede us to death!” Harry huffed out, exasperated.

“Well that’s just too bad isn’t it?” Alyssa replied sarcastically. “You signed up for it! It’s your job to be… stampeded on!”

Even Alyssa knew how dumb and illogical that sounded, and it seemed like the boys did too, and before they even realized what was happening the six of them were on the floor, laughing as if they were old friends.