Elena
My knuckles rub my tired eyes, trying to erase the sleep, my mouth expelling a tired sigh. I shouldn't have drank as much as I did last night, it's only adding to my exhaustion. I've been doing nothing but trying to wake myself for the past ten minutes, my breakfast slowly getting cold.
"Psst," Tori whispers from her seat opposite of me, trying to gain my attention. When I lift my eyes, she smirks. "Where did you disappear to last night?"
I got drunk with H, talked to him and kissed him, not to mention falling asleep in his bed. . . or more specifically on his lap, I think to myself. "My room. I was incredibly sleepy."
"Oh, really?" Jess says beside me. "Funny how I saw you sneaking out of the men's building early in the morning. I usually wake up before everyone else to have a run."
"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone," Tori says, an amused smile on her face. "Who were you with, though?" She leans forward slightly, eager to hear my reply.
"Fine. I was in Alex's flat," I quickly lie. "I didn't want to say anything since he lives with Niall and I don't want you to get the wrong impression."
"Mhm. Nice hickey," Jess comments, sipping on her drink. "But that's none of my business."
Tori grins, wiggling her eyebrows. "At least one of us gets some di--"
"Can we just get back to eating?" I interrupt, wanting to close the topic. I'm sure H would be more than displeased if I told them the truth. Besides, I don't need more attention now that everyone knows where did I come from.
"Eating what?" Jess says, laughing at her own innuendo.
"What are you three whispering about?" Liam asks, his brown eyes observing us. "Talking about us men, maybe?"
"Boy, you thought," I reply flatly.
"And you shouldn't," Louis deadpans while glancing at Tori, his voice coated with jealousy. "Not when some of you have a hot guy at your disposal." He probably heard us since he's sitting beside me.
"Ah yes, lucky us," Tori comments. "A hot guy that only wants to hit it then quit it. What more can a girl wish for?"
Louis frowns. "Maybe if the girl showed more interest, that wouldn't happen."
"Maybe if the guy paid attention to the girl rather than dozens of them waiting to hop on his overused dick, he would notice," Tori fires back. "Give it a rest."
"Fuck yes, you tell him," H suddenly says, snapping his fingers in a z formation dramatically.
My eyes flick back and forth between Louis and Tori as I try to hide my amusement. Alex pokes Louis' cheek, trying to cheer him up, but Louis only pouts, angrily stabbing his meal with a fork. Tori, on the other hand, is eating her meal with a satisfied smile on her face, humming to herself.
H seems to be doing the same thing as I am, our eyes meeting at one point. We hold the eye contact much longer than necessary before I shift my gaze down at my plate. Last night is a slight blur to me, but I do remember all the important bits of our conversation and shifting on his lap at one point. I still haven't talked to him about our kisses, but I intend to do it today. I'm not quite sure what I expect from the conversation, possibly a clarification of our. . . relationship?
Shit, what if I'm in the friendzone? Wait, what if I'm not even in the friendzone--
"Lenny, are you done?" Alex asks me suddenly, craning his neck backwards so he can look at me considering Louis is sitting between us. "I need to talk to you."
My eyebrow raises as I eye him suspiciously. Alex never wants to just talk to me, he either messed up or he needs a favour. "Yeah, let's go." I nod toward the door, pushing myself up, my eyes glancing over everyone at the table before settling on H. His green irises are already trained on me and I try to remind him telepathically I'll talk to him later.
When Alex and I leave the mess hall, I feel his fingers wrap around my arm, pulling me to a quieter place. He glances around before his brown eyes look into mine, his eyebrows dipping low. "Okay, who is he?"
"What--"
His finger suddenly pokes my neck and I wince slightly since it's the area with the hickey on it. "Who did this? We had an agreement, remember? No attachments to anyone."
A sigh leaves my lips, my palm rubbing my forehead. I really don't want to do this now. "It just happened, okay? I won't get attached, don't worry. It's nothing serious."
His face grimaces. "Ew, that means you're doing the dirty with him." He shakes his head as if he's trying to get rid of the image. "Ugh, whatever, I just don't want any troubles. As long as you don't fancy him, all is good."
"There won't be any troubles, Alex, relax," I try to assure him, but at the same time, I'm trying to assure myself as well. I'm not oblivious, I know I'm attracted to H, more than I should be, and some feelings are involved in all of it, too. I just have to make sure they don't develop into something deeper.
"Good, you know it wouldn't last. I'd prefer it if you stayed away from guys completely, I mean you've already got attention and as much as I'd like to fight them because of all the flirty comments and looks they give you, I can't because my protective alpha male game is weak as fuck and--"
"Alex," I say, rolling my eyes. "You're doing the thing where you're blabbering uncontrollably again."
"Oh. . ." he blinks a few times, clearing his throat. "I just want to make sure we stay here as long as possible. We can't afford ourselves to get kicked out."
"Don't worry. And don't worry about protecting me, either, when have I ever needed your protection?"
"I know you're tough, but you can't control who you fall for. I'm going to trust you, though." He smiles, his hand reaching to ruffle my hair, but I quickly grab his wrist.
"Nice try." However, his other hand pinches my side, causing me to jump back and squeal as I'm quite ticklish. Before I can curse him out and return the favour, he flees, snickering loudly.
Sigh. Siblings.
. . . .
"Lift your arms a bit," I say as I circle one of my trainees, pushing his arms in a higher position. "And straighten your shoulders." I place my hands on his shoulders, pulling them back. "Now focus and aim. And remember, expect a twitch when the bullet flies out." I make sure to glance at the group of them lined in front of me, each of them pointing a weapon at their target, ready to learn how to shoot properly. I don't like the fact I have to teach fourteen-year-olds things like that, but the war is our reality and they have to be prepared to defend themselves.
My head turns when I hear children's laughter, seeing a handful of children running inside the gym, scattering around. A smile spreads over my lips, my head shaking lightly. I see their teacher, Tara, run after them, eyes frantically scanning the room. She's a lovely woman, somewhere from China, I believe, her accent prominent every time she speaks. I decide to help her catch the rebellious little people, my feet quickly carrying me toward her.
"Come back here, pups!" She yells, grabbing her head.
"They tricked you again, huh?" I ask, placing my hands on my hips.
"They do this every time," she exasperates, sighing. "They're all so adorable, but God, they're twice as mischevious."
"I'll handle it." I turn, my eyes glancing around and locating each of them. "Who wants to become a soldier?" I ask loudly, gaining their attention. They all start yelling "me" at the same time, their little feet stomping as they run in my direction. I recognise Tommy and Alice among the children, my smile only growing. "Alright, if you want to become soldiers, you need to be very strong. If any of you manages to do twenty sit-ups, I'll show you a few knife tricks."
Surprisingly, they accept my challenge, their little bodies lying on the ground as they struggle to grant my request. Tara gives me a thumbs up as I cover my mouth, trying to stifle my laughter. "Ah, ah, Tommy, you're cheating!" I say, pointing a finger at the dark skinned twelve year old. "You're basically just moving your head up and down."
"Is that not the way to do sit-ups?" He asks, feigning innocence. I release a laugh, making a gesture with my fingers to show him I'm watching him. I smile when I notice he's wearing a bandana just like H, his frizzy jet black locks spilling over it, reaching his eyes. He purses his full lips, his hand pushing the locks away from his face.
A deep chuckle is suddenly heard behind me, familiar at that, my smile faltering as my heart skips a beat. Only one person affects me this way.
"Something funny, soldier?" I ask him, the memory when he had asked me the same question before our first kiss still fresh in my mind. I give him a look over my shoulder, realising he's standing much closer to me than I thought. The scent of his shower gel is filling the air around me, his dampened hair pushed back with a bandana.
"H!" Alice cheerfully exclaims, standing up and running toward him, spreading her arms. H quickly crouches down and welcomes her hug, his arms enveloping her fragile body.
"Having fun, Little Dove?" He asks her, green eyes bright and focused on her.
"Ellie is making soldiers out of us," she tells him, glancing at me. I smile at the nickname, remembering how she gave it to me the first time we met.
"Is she now?" H's eyes flick up at me, one corner of his lips lifting in a smirk. "Tara, lead them back to the class." He looks at her, nodding his head toward the exit.
"Alright pups, no one has passed the test today," Tara announces, making all of them moan in disappointment. "Oh stop that and let's learn some history."
The children rise to their feet, obeying her command, slowly leaving the room. "Psst," Tommy suddenly whispers as he separates from the group, pulling the hem of my shirt. "Let's be real, I'm your favourite, right? Could you show me those tricks later?"
"Now, now, junior, we don't condone favouritism around here," H says, approaching Tommy. "Be a good lad like we agreed and go to class."
"Everyone knows Alice is your favourite, I have to find someone who will appreciate my cuteness," Tommy retorts, pulling his lips in a wide smile. "I ain't getting any younger."
H rolls his eyes playfully, reaching to ruffle his hair. "You're all my favourites, kid."
Alice, who's been standing quietly, hugs H one last time before shyly grabbing Tommy's hand, pulling him away from the gym despite his protests. "This is abuse!" We hear him yell as she drags him out of the room.
"He has a smart mouth," I note. "He'd make a fine leader one day."
"He gets it from his father," H mumbles, a happy grin gradually becoming a melancholic smile. "He was a great man."
My heart clenches at the word 'was' which clearly means he's no longer alive. I wait for H to speak more if he'd like, but he doesn't, his eyes distant as he's clearly lost in his thoughts. A few trainees call my name and I sign them I'll be right there, my hand reluctantly lifting to touch H's shoulder, bringing him back to reality.
"They need me," I tell him. "You wanted to tell me something?"
He blinks a few times, drawing his palm over his face. I notice there are clean bandages wrapped around his constantly bandaged knuckles. "Yeah, I--"
A loud alarm starts blaring, indicating there's an attack on the base in progress. My eyes widen, but I don't allow any panic to take over me, deciding to stay calm, thinking of the gym filled with teenagers. "Stay calm!" I shout, trying to be louder than a mixture of voices speaking at the same time. Panic slowly spreads around the room, everyone frantically looking around, not knowing what to do.
Groups of armed Hazard soldiers burst inside the room, beginning to lead the children out of the room. I notice H giving orders to a few soldiers, mumbling something about safe rooms and locking the doors. While he's busy doing that, I run toward a crying girl that seems to be having a panic attack.
"Hey," I say softly. "Look at me." My palms press against her tear stained cheeks, her clouded blue eyes looking up at mine. "Breathe with me. It will be okay." I begin taking deep breaths, watching as she tries to imitate me, inhaling shakily.
"Let's go," one of the soldiers says gruffly, grabbing her arm, trying to pull her away.
"I'll bring her out," I tell him firmly, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her to me. The soldier looks at me warily, pulling back reluctantly. "All good?" I offer her a smile and she manages to reciprocate it. "Just follow the others, it will be okay."
My eyes search for H, finding him standing at the exit, making sure that everyone knows where to go. He looks calm and collected, a true leader. His green eyes look at mine briefly, a small smile flashing on his lips before it's replaced with a firm, determined expression. The girl and I run toward the exit and H gives her instructions, placing a hand on her shoulder in comfort. I stay with him as everyone slowly leaves the room, giving them brief words of comfort. I'm surprised there are no explosions or gunshots echoing from the outside, perhaps the enemy army hasn't managed to infiltrate so close to the base yet.
"Let's go," H orders me once the room is empty, his hand drawing a gun from the holster attached to his belt. I realise I don't have one, so I quickly run and grab the closest one from the counter where trainees train, swiftly following H outside. There are a few soldiers running with us, armed and prepared to fight. I'm amazed to see how organised everything is, everyone knows what to do and where to go.
When we exit the building, my eyes take in lines of soldiers on the patio, huddled in front of the main entrance. People begin moving aside, creating a clean trail for H, so I quickly follow. I try to find a familiar face in the crowd, but I find none. I'd like to make sure Alex is armed, but I can only hope he has managed to find a weapon for himself. As I walk, I hear people muttering about the war, but one word catches my attention.
Vortex.
H stops at the gate, David, Niall, and Liam turning to look at him, worried expressions on their faces.
"What's going on?" H demands.
"Hundreds of Vortex soldiers are outside," Liam says angrily. "Bloody morons."
"I'm so ready to fight them all, just say the word and I'm on it," Niall says a bit too enthusiastically as he lifts two guns, one in each hand, eyes glancing at David then at H.
"Why aren't they attacking?" H asks, pushing Liam and David away so he can pass through. "Open the gate," he orders the soldiers guarding it while they exchange glances then look at David for approval.
"Son, what do you think you're doing?" David asks him.
"I'm going to see what the hell do they want," he retorts, shifting his eyes on the soldiers. Based on their expressions, I'd say he's glaring at them, silently demanding them to open the gate, which they end up doing.
Brown uniforms, army vehicles, stern, threatening faces welcome us, anxiousness building in the pit of my stomach. H stands tall, beginning to walk outside, Liam, Niall, and David following him immediately. Before anyone can stop me, I walk out after them, pushing away the hands of the soldiers trying to pull me back. My heart plummets in my chest as the person I was hoping I'd never have to see again comes into my view, his arrogant expression recognisable even from a distance.
Seth.