The village is larger then I thought it would be. Jackson shows me around, guiding me down the narrow sidewalks that replace the roads, down alleyways and around corners. He shows me where the grocery store is and explains that we won't need to pay for anything here, simply take what you need. Next is a small stone white building with a red sign the reads "threads and stitches".
"This is where you can get some new clothes if you run out or for any reason need something new. Runners, jacket anything. It's all in here."
I nod my head in response as we continue our walk, my feet scuffing slightly on the pavement. We walk for a few minutes until we come to a large black building, with Windows surrounding the outer walls, making the inside visible.
"This is the leisure centre. There's a schedule put up once a week saying what activities will be held here. Everything from film nights to sporting games. It'll give you a chance to get to know the other chosen better and see some of the ones that you already know" he smiles as he's speaking, and I can tell that he's hopping that this is exactly what il do. Come to these soccer games and go dance with the others, but he knows that that's not what u want, so he brushes it off lightly while grumbling under his breath.
I run ahead now, trying to make him smile. Because even though I would never say it out loud, having him here makes this whole thing a lot easier. Having someone familiar that I can trust.
I can hear him laugh from behind me, the noise being followed with the sound of feet hitting concrete. He catches up to me and continues on, leading the way, we match pace as we run to the next location. The gym.
We arrive in a few moments, the scale of it both shocking and intriguing me. It's massive. A tall and thin steel building with tinted windows that reflect the light, much like the ones from the complex. Making it so that from the inside you can see out but not the other way around. It's geometric shape is both confusing and extremely interesting,
"Whoa, you're finally showing interest in something here" he responds with a sly smile.
"No no, it's all quite beautiful. This ones just so.... Interesting. It's hard to imagine how the inside would look with all the sharp turns and slanting walls." I reply, never taking my eyes off of it.
"Well you'll see tomorrow, this is where you'll train. Monday to Friday from 7am to 10am."
He snaps me from my thoughts as he pulls me along, going more into the centre of the village, so far we,be done the outer edge.
This area look different, still very modern and industrial, however the buildings are small and huddled together. Very different from the large building that took a few minutes to get to.
We walk down a couple small alleys, past little restaurants and cafés. I see a few shops selling different home Devore items and make a mental note to come back here later, after I see the house.
"This is known as middle town, because it's situated right in the middle of the village. Pretty easy to remember" he says. "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything yet." Jackson notices.
"Yeah...I'm a little peckish I guess" I respond, pulling on my green military style jacket, trying to keep myself warm.
He looks up and down the alley, his eyes searching for something in particular. He finally seems to find it and walks away from me, in the direction of a small coffee shop. I follow him in.
My senses are automatically taken over by the strong scent of pumpkin and cinnamon filling the air. The deep red of the walls compliments the burnt orange counter top. A small list of beverages and food is written down in chalk on a blackboard, a large pumpkin drawn beside it. All of a sudden it hits me, it's already the end of October. Nearly winter.
I take my time choosing what to have, looking at all of the options available. I've become used to just having a meal put out for me, it's strange to have a choice. Strange.... But very relieving. I finally choose a cinnamon apple muffin and a pumpkin latte, taking full advantage of the autumn flavours.
The sweet muffin dissolves in my mouth, a soft hum of approval escaping my lips as I wash it down with the pumpkin drink. " oh my god that was delicious" I mumble between sips.
Jackson let's put a soft chuckle as he sticks hands in his pockets, protecting them from the chilled wind. "I thought you'd like that place. It's seasonal, so at Christmas it'll be all gingerbread and eggnog flavours." He says with a wide smile. I know exactly what he's thinking about.
"Sybi, remember when we would all get together for the holidays? I would come over Christmas Eve and we would bake the most delicious gingerbread cookies. Well... We would bake, when you would eat the batter. Your parents would finish wrapping gifts and I would help you wrap all of theirs. I always stayed over on Christmas Eve, and then on Christmas morning you would come running out into the hall pounding on all of the doors, your eyes lite up brighter then the Christmas tree. You'd run around like a puppy and sit right under the tree, trying to get your gift first. Your mom cooked the best Christmas dinner too. You always loved the holidays." He speaks of the memories so fondly, practically skipping as he jumps, eyes and smile wide.
The truth is, I do remember. I remember every Christmas. The ones where he was there, where, like he said, I would run down hallways and hide under trees, but I also remember the ones after, after we thought Jackson was dead. There was no one to help me wrap, no one to sneak handfuls of batter over to me while my mom baked. My parents didn't laugh when I hid under the tree, instead they told me to stop acting foolish and would pull me out from underneath. Christmas dinners tasted bland and silence filled the house. My parents, although apparently they knew he wasn't dead, had to spend Christmas without the closest thing they both had to a brother, and me, I spent it without one of my favourite people.
After my parents died and I moved in with my grandparents, we simply didn't celebrate Christmas, they don't agree with the holiday. So yes, once upon a time I absolutely adored that exciting holiday, but I haven't in years. Now it's just another winter day.
I look down at the ground, realizing that we've arrived to the outer edge of the village. "Yeah... Not so much anymore. Stuff kinda changed." I say lowly. His head turns my way rapidly, confusion taking over his features, quickly followed by recognition.
"Oh...yeah I guess it would be..." He replies sadly.
We continue on in silence, we come up to a small trail and follow it. I'm not too sure where we're going but I follow anyways. Within a few seconds the trail stops and in front of us, a large house. The house is a dark grey, with massive windows all around, letting the natural light in. You would think that the modern style of the home would clash with the surrounding forest, but it doesn't. The settings are so different, that they seem to fit together perfectly.
A run around the outside, taking in the surroundings. The tall trees, the thick forest, only exposed to the winding trail in the back. I see a hammock hanging in between two of the trees, and a massive dark wooden deck in the back, connecting to the house.
I can't contain my excitement, I run up onto the deck and see a small golden keys hanging from a cord above the door. I pluck it off and stick one of them in the key hole, unlocking it. Jackson follows me in, but I barely even look at him as I walk around the house. It's two storeys, no basement.
The back door opens into the dinning room, dark hardwood floor flows through, the walls an off white colour. The wall colour flows the same throughout the entire house. In the middle of the room is a black wooden table, it's oval shape fitting perfectly in the room. Next is the kitchen, it's attached to the dinning room, separated only by he counter.
The kitchen has marble countertop and pearl white cabinets. It's breathtaking. The stainless steel appliances make the whole room look very sharp. The lights hang down overtop of the island, lighting the room brightly.
The living room is the last one on the main floor, the same flooring as the dinning room is in this one, and I can see from here that it continues up the stairs and on the second floor. Which I'm definitely not complaining about, it's absolutely gorgeous. The living room is full of massive windows making the room seem even larger then it is. I spin around lightly and look at the furniture. A black leather couch lays against one wall, while a matching love seat is against the wall beside it. I small glass table is infront of the couch and a large tv is hung in the wall opposite to the couch. I haven't seen a tv in years. Not since i lived with my parents.
Jackson follows me up the stairs, where The two bedrooms and a bathroom are. The first bedroom is on the right of the hallway, I step inside and see the same white walls that flow throughout the rest of the house. There's a big closet, in it I see the boxes that contain my clothing. The only other thing in the room is a bed, the headboard and frame are black, and the comforter a very light grey. Monochrome is definitely the theme in this house.
The other bedroom is the same, only the beding is a darker grey and Nialls boxes are in this closet. I wonder if he's been here yet. I dismiss the thought as I go into the last room. The washroom. I open the door and my breath is instantly stolen from my lungs. The floor changes in this room, marble floor spreads out across the room. A standing shower is in one corner, the walls of it made completely of a cloudy glass, in the other corner is a deep jacuzzi tub, a spotless white. On the opposite wall is a gigantic mirror, under it marble counter with a double sink. Cherry wood cabinets take up the rest of the wall, where I assume our towels and toiletries will go.
Jackson tout he's my arm lightly "hey, I'm gonna head out. Il meet you for training tomorrow. Do you remember how to get back to town? It's a bit of a walk. You guys have the farthest house, it may get confusing." I look at him questioningly "photographic memory" his cheeks go a slight pink. "That's right... Sorry I completely forgot" he says under his breath. "It's fine. Thank you for showing me around, see you tomorrow" I yell as he leaves.
After awhile I head downstairs and sit on the couch, letting myself sink into the comfortable leather. I live here. This is my home. I live in a beautiful modern house, with glass tables and leather furniture. I can't seem to process it. It's completely different from the run down farm house I lived in only a month ago. I close my eyes and think of all that's happened over the course of the last month, finding that Niall played a bigger part in it then I had initially thought.
...
I bolt upright as the front door is slammed shut. I pluck my jacket off of the couch beside me and put it back over my lavender tshirt. It's a bit too cold for just a tshirt and leggings right now.
I step over to the front entrance, only to see Niall with his arms full of grocery bags and one larger paper bag. He hasn't seen me yet since he's trying to peel off his high tops and not drop the bags. As he leans down to try to pull his shoe off, I see one of the bags slipping from his hand, without another thought I lunge for it, grabbing it right before it hits the ground. I stand back up, Niall staring straight at me.
His face lights up in smile as he closes the closet that he just put his shoes in. "Sybil! I didn't know you were here yet" he says lightly as he struts over to the kitchen.
I find myself twisting my hands in anxiousness. How can he not find this awkward. He's smiling and talking like nothing's happened.
"Yeah... I got here a little while ago. What is all of that?" I ask, motioning to the bags that are now on the counter.
He looks up at me and his smile widens even more then I though possible. "Well, I thought that we would need a few things, so I got us some groceries. I wasn't 100% sure what you'd like so I didn't get much. I noticed at the complex though that you usually ate fruit and yogurt so I picked some up for you. There's some vegetables, chicken, pasta, milk and bread. We can go back tomorrow if there's something else you'd like though" he says the last part hurriedly, the smile dulling ever so slightly.
"No, no. It looks good. Thank you for doing that, you didn't have to." I reply, tugging at the end of my ponytail.
"Of course I did! I want you to love it here. I don't want it to be a chore for you to live here. I also got some candles...the shop was right there so I thought I'd grab a couple..." He says, pointing to the paper bag.
I look at it quizzically, reaching in and pulling out two small candles. The first one is called autumn wood. I screw the cap off and sniff it. It smells like a mixture of cinnamon and some kind of tree. One thing is for sure, if I had to put a name to it, it would be autumn. I like it.
I reach my hand in to grab the second one, this one looks interesting, it's a black candle, but the glass jar has a more geometrical shape to it, the silver label reads enigma. I open the lid and take a cautious sniff. At first it smells dark, I'm not too sure how to describe it. Like a cold winter night mixed with an ocean storm. It smells daunting and intriguing, however after a moment there's an undertone, an undertone of soft roses and sweet vanilla. The mixtures are strange, making it both comforting and cold at the same time. I take another sniff and look back at Niall.
"I like them. This ones my favourite though" I say, nodding towards the black candle. His eyes make contact with mine and his shoulders soften.
"It reminded me of you" he whispers, a pinch of sadness laced in his voice. My heart feels heavy all of a sudden. He did this for me, he went out and got food he knew I'd like, got candles that that reminded him of me. These sweet gestures, ones that to most would seem adorable, are driving me crazy. Because with each one, he's getting closer and closer to my heart, and I can't afford to have him steal it.
I put the candle back, his eyes folwing my every movement as I do. He quickly puts everything in the fridge and turns around, leaning on the counter infront of where I'm crouched. Making it so that the counter separates us but our faces are only inches away from each other.
"What do you want to do? You hungry?" He asks me, watching to see if my expression will change, of course it doesn't. "Not particularly, I'm pretty tired though. I think I'm just going to go to bed." I tell him. It's already 10pm and I have to get up early. Better get some sleep I figure.
He looks disappointed with my response but gives me a small nod. I walk over the doorframe, only to be stopped by Niall grabbing my hand. A small gasp escapes my lips from the sudden contact. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to go get some stuff for the house tomorrow. Maybe we could go together?" He states nervously.
Surprisingly, the thought of it isn't too bad, and we do need to get a few things. "Uh... Ok sure. That could be fun." I reply lowly. His face lights up 1000x brighter then before. "Really?! Ok, il meet you at the big fountain in middle town tomorrow. Is noon good?" His bright blue eyes are crinkled at the sides from his smile. "Yeah... Noon should be fine" I reply lowly, looking away.
Before I can register what's going on, he wraps his arms around me in a warm hug. My body stiffens from shock, but I slowly calm down and my body moulds to his. I'm not sure why I'm not pushing him off, why I haven't broken free of the embrace yet. I know that I should, but I seem unable to.
I feel his chest move up and down as he sighs in contentment. I close my eyes as he rests his forehead on the top of my head "goodnight Sybil" he mumbles, lips brushing against my forehead slightly. My breath catches in my throat as he holds me a bit tighter before letting go completely. He's staring at my face, obviously startled that I let him hold me like that.
I focus my gaze downwards and respond with a quiet goodnight before going upstairs. I go into my new room and lock the door behind me. I sit on the edge of my bed and breath for a minute. It's only been a day, not even 24 hours, and he's already gotten under my skin.
How am I going to do this for the next 11 months. It'll kill me. I rest my head in my hands and let out a soft groan. It's getting late, I should just get to bed and sleep on it. I trudge over to the boxes in the closet and open the first one, thankful that it's the one containing my pyjamas. I pull out a pair of yellow shorts and a black tank top.
I crawl into the warm covers and let myself fall asleep, the scent of the black candle still in my nose and the memory of his lips on my forehead lolling me to sleep.
They're in the new house!! I've been waiting so long to get to this point, I'm so happy. What do you guys think of the chapter? What do you think will happen next? Thank you all for taking your time to read this story. Please comment what you think about it, your comments make my day that much better❤️ please comment and vote, all the love xxx