Harry was sitting in the back of his social worker's car on his way to yet another city. This would be the fifth city that he will now live in, and he has lost count of the number of group homes, foster homes, orphanages, or schools he had been to. He had lost count because he had been in the system since he was six after the death of his mother, Anne and sister Gemma.
They were in a mall doing some last-minute Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve when some people decided to pull out a gun and start shooting everyone. There were 95 people killed and 150 people injured. The cops caught them, but Harry didn't feel like that did much. Yes, he is glad they are off the streets, but that doesn't bring his mum and Gemma back. That doesn't put his family back together. That doesn't ease his mind about malls and the holidays.
It was Christmas at the hospital when Desmond disowned Harry. Anne had died even before the paramedics got there. She was shot right in the head. She died on Christmas Eve at 5:34 pm. Gemma had survived the ride to the hospital; she was unconscious but breathing with the help of machines. She was shot twice, once in the leg and the other in the chest. However, she lost much blood since the bullet hit vital veins and had hit her head hard when she fell to the ground. She died Christmas morning at 6:28 am. At 7:30 am on Christmas day is when Harry lost his entire family. No sister. No father. No mother.
New Year was no better for him. Since Christmas, he had stayed at the orphanage while they got his file all set up and running. He hated it. He had a hard time dealing with everything, and it didn't help that no one cared. But everything got worse for him when it was around New Year, and that was the first day his only best friend/brother was allowed to visit him. That day he came to the orphanage to pick Harry up, and they were going to have lunch and then go back to his house to hang out for a few hours. The house was where everything went down. Lunch was great, Harry loved their parents, and they were nothing but pleasant and sweet and caring to him. They had bought Harry a Christmas present and New Year's present, and that was the first day he felt like he wasn't alone in the world. Back at the house was when he was reminded that he was alone.
Desmond still lived in Harry's old house, and they are neighbours, so when Harry went back to their place, of course, Desmond saw. Desmond was drunk and decided to have some final words to say to Harry. He had taken Harry back to their house for a chat, but Desmond verbally abused Harry. Saying how it was Harry's fault, they were even in the mall in the first place because Harry decided they didn't have enough decorations for both the Christmas and New Years' parties they were going to host. He also brought up that Harry was an accident and that they never even wanted him but pitied him and kept him because Gemma immediately connected to newborn Harry. He said that Gemma was always there for Harry, his best friend and a great older sister, and Harry paid her back by getting her killed.
Harry had cried. He thought his father would take him back, but Harry let all his emotions out once he uttered the first words of abuse. By the end of the verbal abuse, Desmond had lost it and picked Harry up off his chair and threw him to the ground. He had used Harry as a punching bag to let all his emotions out.
Harry had started the New Year in the hospital with three broken ribs, multiple bruises all over his torso and face, a concussion, and a broken leg. He had woken up all alone with physical reminders of what he had lost.
Since that year, Harry has hated anything to do with Christmas and New Year. He hates the music, the songs, the decoration, the parties, the presents, the clothing, the food, the drinks, all of it. He wishes he could avoid it. However, the whole month of December is all Christmas, and Harry hates it as well. He stays in his room with headphones on and ignores the world to the best of his ability. He hates malls, more like became paranoid by malls and only sticks to stores if he ever needed to buy anything.
He had never celebrated another Christmas, New Year, or even his birthday ever again. It was too hard to celebrate a birthday when all the brings up are family birthday traditions but no family to do it with. Over the years, he frankly forgot the tradition, or at least he will like to believe that. He actively shuts down the memory whenever it pops into his mind and pretends February 1 is any other typical miserable day in the life of Harry Edward Styles.
The only thing he celebrates is his sister's birthday and his mother's birthday. Those are the days he honoured their memory and all the love and support they had given him.
Currently, Harry was watching the trees pass by their car window with his duffel and school bag. He was being moved to yet another group home, but this group home was specifically for abused children.
Harry believes he is cursed. He lost his family, then every orphanage, foster home, and group home has treated him like a slave. He did every chore imaginable and some completely useless chores just because they could boss him around. He felt like Cinderella, but this time there isn't a happily ever after or a prince charming to come and save him from his miserable life and live in a castle. He got yelled at constantly, got punched, pushed, and beat up every day. There was no break for him. He was raped and sexually assaulted when he was ten, and none of that has stopped.
He was numb. Physically and mentally numb.
Harry walked around half dead. No life in his eyes. No dimpled smile. No sign of life aside from the fact that he is breathing and moving. He takes whatever is thrown at him and carries on with his life.
He barely even cries anymore. He is so numb to the point where anything terrible happens to him gets counted as usual, and he barely reacts.
He cuts, not for any relief but because he enjoys watching the blood flow out of him like life is leaving his body.
A sixteen-year-old, curly head, green eye. No family. No friends. No emotions. Numb physically and mentally. No home. That is Harry Edward Styles.
---
They got to the group, and the house is average-sized and what looks to be a pretty good area. Harry didn't care and just grabbed his bag, got out of the car and waited outside the house while his social worker talked to the house owners.
It was a quick five-minute talk, and Harry was led into the house. It was Wednesday which meant that all the kids were at school, so the place was pretty empty. Harry was led to his room, where there were three other beds. The owner of the house, Simon Cowell, had informed Harry that there are eight other boys in the four-bedroom home. He said there was a list of chores to do around the house, and Harry was put onto kitchen duty. He was expected to cook and clean up the kitchen after him. He has to have food on the table by 7 pm every night.
Harry didn't mind. Cooking was something that he was good at and something that he didn't hate. He was doing it alone and wondered if they had seven other people in the house, why doesn't Harry have another person helping him? However, he doesn't care because he won't have to interact with any of the boys and can be left alone.
Harry got time to settle into his room, and then he has to make everyone lunch since he is here.
He already had a weird vibe from Simon but decided to shrug it off. Nothing can be done if Harry is uncomfortable and Harry doesn't care about what happens to him anymore.
---
Harry is in the kitchen making lunch when Simon comes in with his laptop. He silently sits on a stool by the kitchen island and works. Harry sends him a glance before he is back at work and tries to ignore Simon's eyes following him as he moves around the kitchen.
It was an uncomfortable thirty minutes of silence before they finally heard the front door opening, followed by eight pairs of feet walking into the house.
Harry knows their names are Miles, Ross, Joey, Nick, Marlon, Logan, Peyton, and Greg. Nick and Greg are his roommates, but he doesn't know what any of them look like.
Simon quickly got up from his seat, and Harry saw a few heads about to walk in when Simon turned them around and ushered them into another room.
Simon had made the boys a deal in the other room where he would stop assaulting them if they make Harry's life here at the house a living hell. Simon loves watching teenagers break and use them as toys for his pleasure. The minute he laid eyes on Harry, he could see Harry was already broken and that it wouldn't be hard to get him to the point where he needed him. He doesn't like it when they move and scream. He wants them to be entirely under his submission and do as told. Simon had been abusing and sexually assaulting all the boys in this house, so they all immediately agreed when they heard that it would stop.
The boys and Simon all enter the kitchen just as Harry finished setting the table and cleaning the dishes that used.
"You must be the newbie," Nick said, eying Harry up and down and biting his lip. Harry nods and turns back around. "Well, I'm Nick. One of your roommates, the other is Greg." Harry nodded again. He doesn't want to make friends or let anyone in.
"Well, let's eat," Simon said and clapped his hands, and everyone ran to their spot and started to plate food on their plate.
Harry can hear them talking and eating, but he isn't paying attention. Once he is done with the dishes, he dries his hands and goes to the table to find half a spoonful left. He looks up to see everyone looking up at him with a smirk. Harry just sat down and was about to reach for the leftover when Miles grabbed the plate first and put the half spoonful onto his already full plate.
"Oops, sorry, Harry. I'm starving," Miles says with a fake apologetic look and everyone snickers.
"Since you are not eating, leave," Simon says, and Harry gets up and goes to his room. He isn't bothered by not eating. He is used to not eating and never really had a big appetite anymore. He knows they are doing this on purpose, but he also doesn't care.
He just laid down on his bed and pulled out his phone. He has an online job that Harry thinks is pretty simple. He is pretty intelligent and always has been, so he used that to his advantage. He is an online tutor, and he doesn't have to do any phone calls or video lessons. They would send in the problem to him, and Harry would solve it with a written explanation, and he would send it back. If they had more questions, they would text Harry through the app, and Harry would reply. It is pretty good, and he gets paid fifteen pounds per question. The app has the users sign up for a membership, and it is pretty popular so that the app can pay their tutors properly.
He saw a few problems, so he pulled out the notebook he used specifically for his job and got started. There is a table for him, but Nick or Greg has stuff on it, so Harry works on his bed.
He is working for about an hour when he is finally done and just in time when Simon comes bursting into the room.
"The lads are going to get ice cream," Simon said and licked his lip when he saw Harry laying down on his stomach with his legs spread and on his elbows. "Listen here, kid. If you want to survive in this place, you won't scream or move. It would be less painful if you listen and let me do as I please." Harry internally rolls his eyes but moves to put his notebook back, sit cross-legged on the bed, and look up at Simon.
"Strip," Simon sat, taking a step back when Harry stood up and did as told. Once his boxers are down, Simon grabs his wrist and pulls him over to the table and bends him over. He presses a firm hand on Harry's back to keep him there while he pulls down his trousers and boxers and puts on a condom.
Without any prep or lube, he enters Harry, and Harry bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden pain. He takes deep breaths and has his eyes closed tightly and biting so hard on his lip that it is bleeding the entire time Simon is thrusting in and out. Harry wants to put headphones in so he doesn't have to listen to Simon's obnoxious and disgusting grunts and moans.
Harry doesn't know how long it has been, but soon enough, Simon comes in the condom and pulls out, and Harry wants to scream at the pain, but he keeps quiet.
"Good boy, might want to clean the blood," Simon said a bit out of breath, and when Harry turned around, Simon had his pants back up and the condom in hand. "You are the best one. Might keep you," he says as he leaves, and Harry rolls his eyes.
He takes this time to grab a change of clothes and towel and goes to the bathroom and get cleaned. After showering, he took out the blade he brought in, cut his right wrist, and stood there watching the blood flow out. He is scarily calm as this happens and doesn't even wince at the cut. He makes another one on his left wrist and watches it flow out. He stood there watching his wrist for a few minutes before he decided to clean and take care of his cuts.
Once he is all done, he can hear the others downstairs, and Harry walks out of the bathroom, but Harry is pushed roughly into the wall once he does.
"Watch where you're going slut," Ross snarls in Harry's ear as he walks by. Harry gets off the wall and continues down to his room.