Harry
My whole body is tense as my eyes carefully scan the enemy army displayed in front of us, on our territory. There's a man standing proudly in front of them, so it's not hard to conclude he's their leader. I have never seen him since he hasn't been in the position for too long, four years tops. I do know his name is Seth and I do know the way he trains his soldiers and leads the army is absolutely ruthless and brutal, despite the conditions we're living in.
And I do know he's to blame for everything.
"H, don't do anything stupid," Niall whispers behind me. "Even though I can't see your face, I know you have that killer look."
"Stay out of this," I tell him firmly, keeping my eyes trained ahead. When their leader suddenly begins walking toward us, my hold on my weapon tightens. I notice his soldiers aren't following him, so I decide to do the same as him. He wouldn't dare kill me on Hazard territory, despite this little act he's doing to presumably intimidate us.
"Son, get back here!" David orders, his hand grabbing my arm, but I quickly pull it from his grip.
"Tell them to wait," I say, quickly glancing over my shoulder. "I'll handle this. Trust me. . .dad."
His eyes slightly widen and he nods, stepping back and turning to the soldiers. I stop walking, not wanting to stray too far from the base, waiting until Seth finally approaches me. When he does, none of us says anything, taking a moment or two to glare at each other, a few steps separating us.
He's as tall as I am, his cropped blonde hair falling over his forehead in short strands. A pair of blue-green eyes are looking at mine, his jaw firmly clenched, a medium-sized scar covering the skin on his left cheek. In all honesty, he looks like an asshole.
"You're far too young to be David," he says and I detect an accent in his voice which is not that common for people from Vortex. "So you are. . .?"
Oh he talks like an asshole, too.
"Very impatient," I snap. "What the hell are you and your damn army doing on our territory?"
He chuckles, licking his lips quickly. "Visiting. We're here to give you a warning."
Now is my turn to chuckle. "Oh do tell. You have a minute before I pull the trigger."
"You kill me, they kill everyone," he says, motioning to his army. "The attack your army had inflicted upon ours means one thing – war. So I came to warn you personally of our upcoming revenge and give you a slight insight of my power. Soldiers behind me are barely one third of the army."
I can't believe this bitch. He's not just an asshole, he's a bragging asshole.
"Soldiers behind me are worth twice as much as yours. The reason is they have a quality leader who is not turning them into ruthless killing machines," I say, my tone reflecting my sour mood. "Fuckface," I mumble quietly, but based on his narrowed eyes, I take it he's heard me. Good.
"You don't win wars by being good and honest. You win them by killing and destroying. It's simply how it works." He shrugs and I hate it that he's right. But I'd never stoop to his level, I'd never want to win the war that way. "The end always justifies the means."
I don't know what's stopping me from punching him, but I know it won't last long. "You set us up with that attack on Rogue, so we'd decided to get even. Consider yourself lucky it didn't go exactly as we planned, but next time it'll be much better, I promise." I give him a fake smile before my face suddenly turns serious. "Now, get the fuck out of our territory."
He stands a bit taller and I can tell I pissed him off, his expression stern. He is just about to say something when his eyes glance at something behind me, his lips pulling in a smirk. "Oh, I get it why you're so confident. I see you have found my precious secret weapon. Have fun while you can."
I frown in confusion, turning my head to look behind me. Elena is standing there, looking sick, her face pale. I grit my teeth, turning my attention back to the fuckface. "Get the fuck out. Now!"
He winks at her, giving her a slight wave, my anger finally getting the best of me. My free hand grabs his collar, pulling him to me while I press the barrel of my gun under his jaw, pushing it upward. His soldiers immediately begin walking toward us, which makes Hazard soldiers do the same. However, he lifts his hand, signalling his army to stop moving.
"Looks like I hit a nerve," he smugly says. "My job here is done. You have been warned, so expect our next encounter real soon." He pries my hands away harshly, taking a step back before looking at Elena once again, much longer than necessary. He then turns around, slowly and proudly walking back toward his army.
I don't move from my position until I make sure every last one of them is gone, ignoring everyone's attempts to pull me back inside the base. When the landscape clears, I reluctantly turn around, angrily marching back inside the base. I bump into a few soldiers on my way to the gym, not bothering to apologise, guessing I probably look like an angry beast.
I throw away the gun in my hand the second I step inside my training room, slamming the door behind me. My hands lift the hems of my shirt, pulling it off my body and tossing it on the ground. My bandaged knuckles harshly hit the punching bag, the very familiar surge of pain and satisfaction coursing through me. I hit it again and again and again.
In my eyes, Seth is guilty for my misfortune. The fault is not only mine, it's his as well, it belongs to his whole base. The more I think about it, the angrier I get, violently slamming my fists into the bag, tearing the skin on my knuckles. Grunts leave my mouth with each punch, perspiration glistening on my body, droplets trickling down my face, torso and back. My chest suddenly tightens and I know what follows after that, putting more strength into my punches, wanting to avoid it.
"Harry, it's not safe," Liam warned me quietly after I had finished my speech. "You know I'm always up for anything you come up with, but you can't mess with Vortex. You don't have enough experience. And this time I'm not talking about sex."
I cringed, giving Liam a look as he said the last line, glancing at a small group of my best soldiers huddled behind him, thankfully talking among themselves. He winked, mouthing "I love you." while pointing at me.
"Don't worry, Li, that's why I'm going with him," the familiar voice said, bringing a smile to my face. I felt him pat me on the back then ruffle my hair. "Someone has to make sure little Harry doesn't shoot himself."
"Ass." I laughed, pushing him away playfully.
"But I'm such a pretty ass," he retorted, blowing me a kiss.
"Harry, you know we're always going to stand by your side, but you're still young and inexperienced," Ethan suddenly piped in, stepping out of the group."I know David gave you enough authority to make decisions like this in his absence, but--"
"Know your place," I interrupted, pushing my shoulders back and standing straight and proud. "I'm your leader and you'll do as I say. I know what's best for us."
"The meeting is over." I waved my hand dismissively, watching as my best soldiers left the room with worried expressions. They thought I didn't have it in me to plan something as big as this, but I was about to prove them wrong.
"See?" I said smugly, shifting my glance at my brother.
"Don't do it or I swear to God. . ." he warned under his breath as I raised my hand.
I snapped my fingers in a z form.
He sighed deeply. "Every damn time."
"You know, when we come back from this mission, I'll show you how it's done," I told him teasingly. "I'll finally beat you at what you're best at."
"I'm looking forward to it, brother." He smiled warmly, but I could detect a hint of sadness in his eyes.
It was like he knew what was going to happen and it was like he knew I won't ever get a chance to beat him.
"H? I mean, sir?" Elena's voice says behind me and I immediately halt my punches, being dragged back into reality. My head turns, my eyes finding hers. She still looks like she's sick, her hazel eyes slightly widened, not sure if it's because of what she's witnessed right now or because of the earlier events.
"Secret weapon," I mutter bitterly, turning to her completely. "That's what he called you; his secret weapon. Care to elaborate?" I'm incredibly angry and literally anything she might say could tick me off even more.
Elena looks away for a moment, her chest rising as she takes a deep breath. "I can't, I don't know what to tell you. Don't let him get to you, it's what he does best."
"Sounds to me like you know him very well," I accuse, stepping closer to her, knowing how intimidating I can be when I'm like this. She stands taller as I do that, obviously sending a message she's not afraid of me. "I'm going to ask you this only once, so think about your answer. Can I trust you?"
My eyes are fixed on hers, their colour appearing a bit darker in this dim lighting, the specks of green they usually hold around the pupils now invisible. "Yes, you can trust me. Everyone has secrets and so do I, but nothing that could make you question my loyalty. I promise."
My head nods, my fingers reaching to push the damp hair away from my face. "Tell me about him, about that fuckface." She laughs quietly at the term I used, a small part of my anger diminishing. "Why did he refer to you that way? You have to tell me because what happened today will only make people more suspicious regarding you and your brother. I need to know how to explain that."
"His name is Seth," she pronounces his names harshly. "He's a skilled leader in the terms of training the army, but not very skilled when it comes to planning the attacks."
"I didn't ask for his weaknesses even though that information will be useful later," I reply. "I'm asking about your relation with him. It seemed to me he came to give us the warning about destroying us and left with the warning he'll take you away, so to speak."
She lets out a humourless chuckle, shaking her head. "I'm not afraid of him. But when it comes to his army, you shouldn't take his warning lightly. You're outnumbered in both soldiers and war equipment. As to my relation with him, I'd rather not talk about it."
"Why not?" I press.
"I never pressure you into telling me about your flashbacks, H, I'd appreciate it if you did the same," Elena says. "You told me you understand me and I need your understanding right now."
"It won't be easy to defend you in that case," I reason, realising I'm not angry anymore. If anything, this situation suddenly worries me even more.
"We don't need you to defend us, you've done enough with putting your trust in us." She smiles. "We can handle judgmental looks and insults and we'll try to stay out of any serious trouble."
"I sense the keyword is try," I joke, deciding to drop my sour mood.
"It is," she confirms, laughing with that ridiculous laughter. Her eyes not so subtly drop to my torso, moving a little lower. I can't tell if she's looking at my tattoos or admiring my toned body, but whichever it is, it's enough for me to make a joke about it.
"I'd let you touch the boys, but I'm all sweaty," I say, pointing to my abs, stepping closer to her, lowering my lips near her ear. "See you later, Tiger," I add and walk past her before she can make any remark, leaving the room with a smile on my face, my mood in a vast contrast to how it was when I came.
. . . .
The rest of the day goes by in planning our defence against Vortex along with planning any possible attacks from our part. Ever since Elena and Alex have arrived at the base, my involvement with Vortex has suddenly increased, and against my will at that. I've been trying so hard to stay away from them for years, wanting to avoid anything that could trigger my flashbacks.
I know I can't run away from my past, I just don't know how to let go of it.
My foot gently hits Elena's leg under the table, gaining her attention. I was lucky to snatch the empty seat next to her before Alex or Louis could since they usually prefer sitting beside her. "I'd like to see you tonight," I mumble quietly, throwing a quick glance at Tori who is sitting opposite of me to make sure she's not listening. Luckily, she seems to be invested in a conversation with Jess and Liam.
"I could come to your training room later?" She suggests quietly, not lifting her eyes from her meal.
I furrow my eyebrows, realising it'd be easier not to get caught that way. No one ever enters inside but me, plus, it has a lock. "Alright. Midnight. Be careful."
She subtly nods, pretending to laugh along with everyone else to something Niall or Liam said. Her fake laughter is not nearly as fun as her real one. The fuck, why am I even thinking about that?
Dinner is over soon and everyone either goes back to their guarding duties or goes to sleep. But I do neither of those things. Instead, I'm sitting on the sofa in my living room, nervously bobbing my knee up and down. I can't even remember a reason for calling Elena to meet with me, I guess it had something to do with Seth? Yeah, that's it, why else would I call her?
When the clock finally strikes twelve, I bolt out of my room, my posture straight, my head high. If anyone sees me, they'll think I'm checking if everything is in order which I do quite often when I'm not doing the night shift. Just play it cool, you're the boss here.
"Oi!" Alex suddenly calls and I freeze. I forgot he's still on guarding duty, but luckily the week's almost over. "Patrolling, boss?"
I turn my head, looking at his overly happy face. "Why are you so chirpy at midnight? Tone it down a bit, Tinkerbell."
I smile and pat his shoulder to show him it was a joke before resuming my walk toward my training room, feeling even more nervous now. When I finally reach the room, I take a moment to collect myself and inhale deeply before opening the door and stepping inside.
And there she is. She's sitting down on one of the mats, humming a tune to herself. I smile briefly before I clear my throat, her eyes snapping up. She doesn't say anything, only waves at me and pats the space next to her, gesturing for me to sit beside her. That's exactly what I end up doing, silently strolling toward her, lowering my body down.
"It'll be hell to get up in a few hours," Elena says as she lifts her eyes to look at me.
"Yeah. . ." I mumble, focusing on the colour of her eyes. They appear dark brown now, slightly widened due to the little to no light seeping through the small windows. For some reason, I think she looks very pretty in this lighting.
"Why am I here, H?" She whispers, pulling me from my daze. I realise I somehow shifted closer, pulling my head back quickly, pushing my hair back.
"I don't know, Elena." I sigh. "I just. . . I wanted to talk. I've known you for a few weeks only, but I feel like we understand each other and. . ." I shrug, searching for the right words. "Is that weird?" I ask, my eyes gazing at her again.
"No," she replies after a few moments. "No, it's not. And I'm glad you invited me here tonight."
"Were you in love with him?" I ask, her eyes confusedly looking at mine. "With fuckf-- with Seth, I mean," I clarify. I don't know why I'm asking that question, for some reason I want to know.
Her eyes suddenly turn cold, her eyebrows pulling in a frown. "No, H, I wasn't in love with him."
I release a quiet breath of relief. Shit, I don't want to be relieved, I don't want to care about that at all. "You know, you're a bad influence on me," I say, changing the subject.
"How so?"
"Do you know how many rules we've broken by coming here?" I say. "Four-- no wait, five. Five rules."
"I believe this was your idea, sir," she quips, a small smirk curving her lips. "Besides, I'm not allowed to disobey my superior, right?"
"You think you're so smart, huh?" I ask, recalling the time I had asked her the same question while tending to her wounds a few weeks back.
"I'd say I'm resourceful," she gives me the exact same reply as then, lying on her back. A wide smile is playing on her lips, my expression most probably mirroring hers.
And now that I watch her lie beside me, all sleepy and pretty, with her ridiculous laughter and often irritating temper, I realise she's so easy to fall for. That only confirms my statement she's dangerous for me.
Because I'm afraid I've started falling and I don't know how to stop.