"Annalyn!" I hear a voice call out for me. "Annalyn, Wake up!"
The cold floor beneath my body was not kind, but laying down on it and trying to get back to sleep sounded a lot more pleasant than getting up.
So in response to the voice calling out to me, I turned a little, adjusting my body away from the source of the voice, and groaned.
"Anna, please! You need to get up!" The voice was considerably closer now, and I could tell that it was male by the obvious roughness of the voice.
This time I didn't even bother moving or giving any signs that I was alive. I merely stayed still and started mentally praying for everyone to leave me alone to sleep.
"Annalyn Rides, you get up right now or I swear I'm telling everyone what you use to do to get food." The voice threatens. Little did it know that I knew he was bluffing.
By now I was able to tell who the voice belonged to. It was, of course, no other than my friend for three months now: Zayn Malik.
Three months ago when I had sauntered off into the woods, only to have the adventure of a lifetime, it had been a miracle that I was able to find my way back.
Unfortunately, I didn't know some people were up at the break of dawn.
One of these people, was a black haired boy with unbelievably bright brown eyes.
Imagine his shock when a random girl comes out of the woods, in a ruined expensive dress and four wolves on her back.
His friends were, fortunately, drunk out of there wits. Zayn had apparently been trying to get them back to their homes safely at that time before I had come along. His friends just continued on stumbling around and about so he was having a hard time in directing them home - hence why they had somehow ended up at the edge of the woods.
I remember on that day how his eyes went wide in shock, mirroring my expression too. His friends had seen me too of course, and had started slurring out words - that I was positive did not even exist - in surprise as they started pointing at me.
I was just about to get on my knees and beg for him not to tell on me - a girl who had obviously been illegally hunting - but his expression had already softened before I could even move.
He had motioned me to go before he had proceeded to start pulling his pals away without another word.
The next week that past after that incident was spent in complete paranoia.
I was completely bewildered by my experience in the woods, constantly trying to make Christian believe me - but to no avail - and at the same time I was just waiting for some officers to barge into the house and take me away for hunting in the woods.
But soon, I had realized that no one would believe me about my tale of seeing the prince in the woods. I also figured that the boy with brown eyes did not tell on me.
After a while, I decided on two things: to give up on telling my story, and to give the boy with brown eyes a bit of the food we had as a thank you for his kind action. But when I had finally found where he lived and offered to give him the food, he had refused.
No one in our little town was well-off, but apparently his family was one of those who didn't starve as frequently as the rest of us do. So instead, as payment for his deeds, he had asked me to tell him why I was in the woods in the first place, and why I had four wolves on my back.
I told him what happened - deciding on telling one last person what the prince had done - but I knew he didn't really believe me, but he pretended to anyway.
And that's how this unlikely friendship begun.
And really, I like having him around but it was times like these where he would get annoying that made me want to slap him.
"Go away." I mumbled, pressing my face against my arm that I had used as a pillow.
"No." His simple answer was both stubborn and annoying.
I groaned again as a response, although I didn't move my body.
I didn't want to get up, because then I'll have to face working with those obnoxious women again. My fingers had had enough of getting pricked by needles, and my butt could only take so much of sitting down on a hard, unbalanced wooden chair.
I hated my job already, and it had only been three months.
"Get up!" Zayn says a little bit more sternly. I feel a small nudge to my back, telling me he either just shook me, or kicked me - either way I was not going to get up.
"No." I copy his short reply, hoping he'd leave me alone to my slumber.
"Annalyn, get up. Christian has been looking for you." This time I could feel his breath fanning the side of my face. "Anna," He's whispering now "you need to hide."
My brows furrow in confusion, and at that statement I moved my head to the direction of Zayn's voice. I kept my eyes shut, still refusing to get up, but I spoke anyway. "Hide?"
"There are knights in the town, demanding for payment again."
The moment the words leave his mouth I jump up. I was once again dressed in rags as we had chosen to sell of the dress after ripping it into individual pieces of cloth.
The wolves and the cloth had given my family the status of those who don't starve often anymore, but that I was sure that would change when these knights demand for everything we have.
But the possible loss of money wasn't what worried me. It was times like these that the knights usually abused their power. Getting, not only, the needed payment, but unnecessary and un-consented pleasure from anything with that resembled a woman's body.
"Where's Lea?" I panicked, now fully awake.
Zayn frowns at me. "Already hidden in my house. Christian just got and carried your mother to hide her there too, like last month."
"Are you sure they are safe? Are they well hidden -"
"Yes, yes, they're fine, Anna. But you aren't. So I suggest we get going before -"
Both of us were cut off as a loud pounding came on the door. Dust fell from the poorly made roof of the house just as a voice spoke out. "You are under the rule of King Styles and are therefore required to open this door and give us the payment due for this month."
My eyes were wide in complete terror, not far from the expression printed on my companion's face.
As we stood there completely frozen, the pounding on the wooden door continued. The force behind the knocking was visibly shaking the entire thing.
Zayn immediately whips his head around to look at me. "Hide. Anna, hide now." He hisses.
I snap out of my frightened state, though my eyes remain wide. "Where?" I asked, panic laced in my tone.
Despite our slightly better standards in living, our so-called house was still as small as ever. There weren't much space to hide in. Only a few chests and the small space behind a ratty old cloth for our mother - both of which the knights would obviously check.
Zayn's eyes frantically look around. The hazel color quickly flicking from spot to spot trying to think of a way to hide me.
I was doing the same of course, but the persistent loud knocking on the door was getting the best of me.
My eyes catch sight of a bit of light seeping through the tattered cloth, and that's when I remember the small window in my mother's space. It wasn't ideal for me to be out of the house when guards are crawling all over the place, but I had a better chance of staying out of sight out there in the town than being cornered in here.
I start heading for the cloth and hiss at Zayn. "Answer the door."
His bright eyes widen even more - if that was even possible - at my demand. "What? Are you kidding - " He starts to says but I shake my head.
I glanced one more time at the shaking door before I pushed past the cloth, eyeing the window. "Just trust me." I say, my eyes no longer widened in fear, but rather cold in determination.
He bites his lip in uncertainty for a few moments before he finally nods.
I make a beeline towards the old dusty window before opening it as quickly as I could.
The moment the window is fully opened, I hear the door do the same thing.
The gap in the window was barely wide enough to fit me, but I was just hoping that I wouldn't get stuck halfway through.
I hear Zayn talking, their words a bit muffled by the overall noise of the town coming from the other side of the window, and the low rush of adrenaline pumping in my system.
I pushed myself through the window, finding it difficult as my dress kept getting caught. I didn't care if it rips, but it was taking valuable time away from me and my escape.
I pulled my arm forward, yanking at the cloth that got stuck. I hear the fabric rip, but I continued on pushing.
I heard the ignorant laugh of the guards now. Their joy seeming to have branched from an insult directed at Zayn. I knew they were only seconds away from barging into our home and taking much more than what was due.
I kicked with all my forced and I fall face first into the ground behind the house. My nose stung at the contact, and when my hand had reached for it, it came away stained red.
I didn't have time to panic, though. I quickly shut the window and pressed my body against the side of the house and a hand against my nose, hoping against the odds that I stay hidden and not worsen the condition of my nose.
The beating of my heart was fast as I kept jumping at every little sound or movement. It could have been a rat or a shadow, I still would jump.
From here I could hear the men inside flipping over some of the things in my mother's quarters. I can hear the mockery in their laughter and the blood in my body boiled.
I had hated these men for so long, and what had happened three months ago had only intensified my rage towards them. But jumping back into the house and cussing them out was probably the stupidest thing I could do at the moment. And besides, the only thing they were harming were our scarce property. My family is safely hidden in Zayn's house, and that's what mattered.
A few moments later and I hear the window open. My heartbeat hastens once more but I was immediately calmed when Zayn's head pokes through.
"They're gone, Anna." He looked just as relieved as I did "But they took your mom's blanket, I think. The blue one."
I internally cursed those knights. I knew he was referring to the thick blanket I had made for my mother a few weeks ago.
Winter was approaching fast, and I needed to make sure she was in a more of a comfortable situation instead of what she might be feeling now, but of course those stupid selfish knights had to take the away.
"It's fine." I sighed, trying to make the anger leave my body as I did so.
I was just about to start climbing back in through the window when I heard screaming.
This wasn't unusual during this event. Screaming was normal when the knights came to collect payment.
Men would scream out the injustice, or plead to spare their lives. Women would scream if they were about to be taken advantage of. Children would scream if they were physically pushed aside by these guards.
But this time my heart stopped when a shrill scream resonated through the town.
"Lea!" A masculine voice followed the scream.
"Christian, help me!" The voice screamed again.
Zayn's eyes were once again wide as he had heard it too. His eyes met mine and he starts shaking his head when he sees me take a step away from the window.
"No, no, no. Don't do it, Anna." He says in a rush but the blood in my veins was already singing.
"I have to." I barely whisper before I take off running towards my little sister. Thick blankets and nose bleeds forgotten.
"Damn it!" I hear Zayn swear and hit his palms against the base of the window before I got out of earshot and could no longer hear him.
The wind was furious against me as it blew back my hair and dress, making me feel heavy and sluggish. I hadn't done much physical activity since the last time I was in the woods, but hearing my little sister scream was enough to make me run as fast as I could.
I soon see the small group of people looking on as some bastard in a guard's uniform holds my sister over his shoulder.
He was grinning while Lea had tears running down her cheeks, her usually bright eyes were puffy and red and screams so loud and heartbreaking came from her open mouth.
"Lea!" I hear Christian again, causing me to follow his voice and spot him being held back by two guards who were taunting him.
I couldn't stop myself. Anger and desperation ripped through me at the sight before me, and I pushed past a man who looked on in pity.
"Lea!" I screeched.
She sees me, and so does Christian. My little sister shouts my name, pleading with me to help her, just as Christian starts swearing.
"Anna!" My sister cries, stretching out a hand as if asking me to pull her back to safety. "Anna, please help me!" She screams.
"Anna! No! Don't! Annalyn, please!" Christian roars behind me. "Please! I can't lose you too!"
But I was deaf to all of it.
No tears ran down my face as I bent down to grab a rock. My face showed no fear or anguish as I got back up and launched the rock in my hand at the head of the guard holding my sister.
I didn't miss, of course I didn't.
He turns around with an angry scowl but before he can say anything else I speak.
"Let her go. I'll come with you instead."
❦
Late update because I'm still so horribly sad about everything but I'm also so proud of my boys and my family.
Seeing Louis' singing Zayn's solo was bittersweet. On one hand, I hated being reminded that Zayn has left, on the other, YOU GO LOUIS. SLAY IT MY SON.
Also, I had actually planned out Zayn's character long before this whole bruhaha and just because he "left" doesn't mean I'll forget about him and cut him out of my life.
I hope ya'll don't do that either.
Btdubs, I know it isn't his fault and all bUT CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL NAUGHTYBOY TO BACK THE FUCK UP.