Playthings [h.s.]

15

I hate this.

We've been in this club for precisely two minutes and I already want to leave. I've already lost Greg and Joey, it's like the second they walked in they vanished into thin air. I struggle to move through crowd of people to find somewhere to sit, because I know that I can't leave until Greg and Joey are ready and I have a feeling that won't be for a while. I spot an empty seat and wiggle through the people to get to it. I sit down and sigh in relief, I close my eyes trying to imagine myself anywhere but here.

"Hey you wanna hit?" I open my eyes to look at the girl standing in front of me holding a pill and a mirror.

"No thanks."

"Alright. Is anyone sitting there?" She points to the empty seat next to me and I shake my head. "Cool." She sits down putting the pill on the mirror that is now in her lap.  She pulls her ID card out of her pocket, she brings it down on the pull crushing it and I realize that she's doing the same thing I saw Petunia doing not that long ago. Immediately feeling uncomfortable I stand up and walk to the bar.

"What can I get you?" I look around to see who's talking to me, I find myself looking down at the counter to see that it's a giant screen. People around me look down at the screen and tap on it making all kinds of stuff appear around them.

I tap on the screen and a menu comes up, my finger hovers over the small picture of a basket of fries. I click and wait to see what happens.

"Name and Level please."

"Joey Walters, Level 9."

"Answer accepted." The screen goes back to the home page and a basket of fries appears on the side. I stare at the fries feeling slightly guilty for using Joey's name but then I think about earlier and happily bring a fry to my mouth feeling the guilt melt away.

I continue eating my fries and turn around to look out into the crowd to possibly find Joey but it's hard to tell in the horrible lighting everyone seems to look the same.

"Harry what are you doing in a 9 club?" I turn around quickly not knowing who just called me. I look at Gemma who stares at me so intently that I shiver under her hard gaze. 

"Joey brought me." At the mention of his name she blushes and looks down at the ground. I know she likes him but even though I don't know her the last thing I want her to do is end up a part of the Walter family. They're all crazy, and she seems slightly normal, I mean she's strange but not in the same way the Walters are.

"Do you know where he is?" She asks fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater.

"I do not, I was actually looking for him earlier."

"Harry I need to tell you something important."

"What?"

"Your m-"

"Hey Gem." Joey comes up behind her giving her a hug from the back. I huff and bite my lip harshly. What was she going to say? 

"Hey Joey I was just looking for you."

"Well let's go dance." He kisses the corner of her mouth and leads her to the dance floor. I try not to think about how many disgusting things he's done with his mouth. I turn back to the counter enjoying the rest of my fries, slightly irritated that I don't know what Gemma was going to say.

---------------------

"What is it?" Tobi's asks standing beside me looking down at the neatly wrapped package in my hands.

"I don't know." 

"We'll I'll leave you be so you can open it in peace. I'll bring you back some salad from dinner."

"Alright, thank you." She kisses my cheek and walks out the room making sure to close the door behind herself.

I peel back the paper and feel the edge of a frame. I pull back all the paper letting it fall to the ground and expose what's inside.

"What the hell?"

I stare at the picture in the frame,  it's similar to the one I saw in the Styles' house but this time Anna is holding two babies in her arms with a proud smile on her face. A younger version of Mr. Styles leans in at Anne's side smiling happily,even though one of the babies is crying in her arms. The other lay in her arms with its eyes closed not crying at all.

I'm guessing that was the baby that must've died but I don't think anyone noticed yet. Why would someone send me this picture? Who sent me this picture? It was probably Gemma, but I still don't understand what she's trying to tell me. It's pretty creepy that she's sending pictures of her dead brother. I really wish I knew what was going on but I don't understand, I feel so stupid as if what ever she's trying to tell me is right under my nose but I just don't understand.

I stuff the frame under my bed in the small box 33006 gave me and open my drawer to pull out my sleeping clothes. I sit them on my bed and leave the room, to go up and sit down for the last ten minutes of dinner.

When I get there, everyone is already gone and the table has been cleaned. I know that they're not back in the living quarters because I would've passed them or heard them going into their rooms, so where is everyone? My stomach growls and I pause looking at the fridge for a moment deciding that I should grab something to eat while I'm looking. I open the door and grab a bowl of grapes. I leave the kitchen and walk straight to the back to see if they're out in the gardens.

I see a flash of blonde out the corner of my eye and turn to see Lebbie run around the side of the house. I pop a grape in my mouth and follow her around the corner. I see that everyone's crowded around someone and I walk closer to see who everyone is crowding around. I drop my bowl and step back shaking my head in horror and the body that lay in the middle of the commotion heavily bruised and bleeding.

Happy reading -Kai