Invisible || h.s.

6: Deal

[edited]

Everything that happened after I'd pulled that trigger was no more than a blur in my hazy mind. I could vaguely remember Harry peeling my limp fingers off the gun, his arms supporting my weight while I reveled in the indescribable high caused by the fact that Robb was no longer breathing the same air as I was. The sensation was euphoric; a single, split-second decision lifting years of heavy burden off my shoulders. 

It's hard to say how long we'd stood there until Harry finally passed me over to Niall, who had unbeknownst to me watched the entire scene from the door to the prison cell. The fact that I didn't protest when yet another man's arms wrapped around me showed just how badly I was handling the entire situation. I think they both must have said something to me then, but I was too out of it to register the meaning of their words. 

When I finally came to my senses, Niall had already managed to carry me up the stairs, through the dim-lit kitchen, and into an unfamiliar living area that I hadn't been allowed to enter before. The room was far from fancy, and the various pieces of male clothing scattered around the area let me know that this had to be where Niall and Harry spent their time while I was locked down in the basement. The log cabin style walls were made of rotten wood planks that had seen better days, but I still sighed dreamily. After having been locked up for days, this place felt like heaven in itself. 

I sat quietly on an obnoxiously green couch, head thrown back and feet tucked in underneath my bottom as I stared vacantly at the sunrays peeking in through the windows. A sudden realization hit me—it was the first time I'd seen sunlight in more than a week. I couldn't stop the small grin that lit up my face as I walked over to the window, a beautiful forest stretching out on the other side. Was I smiling at the view that I'd been deprived of for so long? Or was it because for the first time in years, despite still technically being held captive, I felt free? 

The large wooden doors to my right teased me with the fleeting idea of freedom, but I dismissed the thought as fast as it came. My life had changed so drastically in the span of just a couple of days; the version of Hope that had met Harry on that fateful night simply did not exist anymore. My former life was gone, replaced by this uncertain, yet thrilling existence starting with the moment I'd decided to pull that trigger. With that thought in mind, I turned around and resumed my original position on the couch. I knew then that running was no longer an option. 

When Harry entered the room some time later, I must have been quite a sight. Crimson specks of blood I got by having touched Harry's dirty clothing earlier covered not only my shirt, but also skin and hair. All of it didn't matter though, not with the way my mouth stretched into an impossibly bright smile, which widened significantly once I'd finally noticed Harry's presence.

"Hey," I breathed, sounding like I'd just ran a marathon. 

He hummed in response, approaching me cautiously as if I were a wounded animal. "Alright?" he rasped.

"Amazing, actually," my voice came out uncharacteristically high-pitched and shaky. "I feel great!"

He nodded, playing with his lower lip like he usually did when he was thinking. I liked that, cause I liked his lips. They were really pretty for a man, not to mention they tasted nice—so minty. I actually despised the fact that I couldn't forget their taste, but that was a whole other story.

Had I been more alert and aware of my surroundings, maybe I would have realized just how much of a mess I was being at the moment. Thankfully, Harry was observant enough to notice it straight away. Not that it was that hard.