Harry
A few days have passed since our battle with Vortex, yet we're still recovering from our losses. Not to mention my flashbacks have got worse, but I try not to let it control me and break down again. All of my focus is on making up a plan to get back at Vortex in such way, it'll take them a while to recover. But in order for us to do that, we need more soldiers and supplies, two things we're lacking the most.
"The East is obviously off limits, Ace doesn't want any alliances so the South is off limits as well. . . for now." David looks at me knowingly. "We've had two major battles with Vortex so far and only one was successful, but the losses were grand. One more battle like that and we could be out of the picture. It's safe to say we're. . . well, we're in deep shit, so I'm open to suggestions, we need all the help we can get," he finishes his speech, blue eyes scanning each of us.
Alex lifts his hand, but I quickly say, "for the last time, you don't have to ask when you need to go to the bathroom, just bloody go!"
He makes a peace sign and lowers his hand, the chair awkwardly screeching against the floor as he stands up.
"I've got a solution," Elena speaks, all eyes shifting on her. Alex stops in his tracks, looking torn whether to go or stay. He sighs deeply and sits back down.
"What-- wait, wait," Liam quickly says, immediately stopping swinging back and forth on the back legs of his chair he's been doing for the past five minutes. Silence fills the room as he awkwardly adjusts in his seat, clearing his throat and giving us all a small wave. He leans his elbows against the table, looking at Elena with interest. "Okay I'm ready. Do tell."
Elena gulps, looking slightly nervous for some reason and I've rarely ever seen her like that. It could be because she still feels like everyone's judging her and Alex because they're from Vortex. "There's one option no one has really considered in years," she says. "What if you tried to strike a deal with Wildfire?"
I lift my eyebrows in surprise as murmurs fill the room. "But they're not at war anymore, no one even knows if the base is functioning."
"I can confirm it is," Elena replies, now looking at me. "And there's obviously a reason, they're maybe waiting for an opportunity to attack and I bet Vortex is their priority number one. So why not make an alliance with them?"
"I think it's worth the try, besides, all of El's ideas so far have proven to be efficient," Niall says, flashing her a smile.
Ever since Niall saved her life, they've grown much closer and developed a special kind of relationship, but not in a romantic kind of way. It's the type of friendship that lasts for a lifetime and it could never be more than that, it's the one I have with Niall and the rest of the people in this room, despite the fact I've been keeping distance for a long time.
"Absolutely not," David suddenly speaks, making everyone stop talking.
Elena's surprise is evident on her face, but it doesn't last for too long. "Why not?"
"Because I said so," David replies sternly. "We won't side with them, we don't need their help."
"Yeah okay, but you said we need all the help we can get, so?" Louis comments.
"Yes, but not their help." David glares at him, making him shrink back in his seat slightly.
"With all due respect, sir, I think you should think about it," Elena persists. "Both Vortex and Rogue have strong armies, but their territories combined are nothing compared to Hazard's. There's plenty of economic, financial, and political advantages in the North, anyone would kill to own that part of the country, hence Vortex's obsession with Hazard."
"Ace is playing hard to get, but he'd die to be able to have the North under his protection," she continues calmly, one of her hands on the desk, fingers drumming against its surface. "His problem is he doesn't like to share, that's why he refuses your alliance offers and he knows he's not Vortex's priority, Hazard is. Therefore, he has no fear of being attacked. Minus that time Vortex tried to frame you. If I was Ace, I would just wait for Vortex to attack Hazard then seize the opportunity to attack while both bases are recovering, and take what I want."
Everyone silently stares at her, visibly impressed with her knowledge. I know she's clever and cunning, but that only makes her more suspicious. This isn't the first time she's offering such a smart solution and I can't help but wonder how does she have all that information. She's more than just a random soldier from Vortex. I won't ever be able to fully trust her until I find out why is she here and what are her intentions and the thought makes me frown.
David looks livid for whatever reason, suddenly pushing himself up. "Everyone leave the room. Except you two." He motions to Elena and me.
"Oooh you're in troubleee," Alex sings, whistling lowly.
"I want to watch this," Tori says and Louis nods in agreement, muttering "what she said". "We can stand there in the corner while you discuss, I promise we'll be quiet--"
"Nope, get out," David orders.
"Guess I don't have time to make some popcorn and enjoy the show then," Jess quietly says, walking out of the room.
"Wait, you guys have popcorn here?" Alex asks, running after her.
The only ones left in the room are David, Elena, Liam, and I. We all look at Liam with blank faces, making him glance behind him as if he's checking if we're looking at him or someone else.
He sighs deeply. "Fine, I'm leaving, but you're missing out on some great commentary, just sayin'." He stands up, winking at me then at Elena while he takes his time to leave the room.
"Listen to me now, Elena." David starts, authority radiating off him. "You know I respect you and you've shown nothing but respect to me as well so far. But, you have to understand I've been leading this base and army for two decades and I know what's best for it. I won't tolerate you questioning my authority in front of my soldiers."
Elena stands up slowly. "My apologies, sir, but if you could tell me why are you so against siding with Wildfire--"
"I have my reasons," David interrupts, nervously glancing at me for some reason. "Don't mention it again or I'll have to draw certain measures."
Elena looks pissed off, another state I haven't seen her in so often. I'd like to take her side in this case because her idea is logical and most likely our best solution, but I can't. I simply don't trust her and she has a lot of explaining to do.
"When you realise you have no other option, I'll be willing to talk to you, sir," she says firmly, keeping her tone as polite as she can. "Now excuse me, I have duties to fulfill."
"Wait," David orders, making her stop in her tracks. "I have a job for you two. With all that Vortex crap, it's slipped my mind, but I feel like now would be the right time. You two should try to strike a deal with Ace one last time. The two of us have been enemies longer than we had a truce, so I understand why have all my attempts been futile. But I believe the two of you could change his mind, especially since both of you have the ability to lead and get through to people."
Elena shakes her head in disapproval, but ends up agreeing with him since she doesn't have much choice. I think she's starting to realise she has to follow at least some rules if she wants to stay here, otherwise, David would kick her out, no matter how much he cares about her. She doesn't say anything and simply turns around, walking out of the room quickly. I immediately follow her, stopping only to hear David's last words.
"Keep an eye on her, son," he says, sighing deeply. "I trust her, but she has a strong temper and people tend to make mistakes when you awaken the worst in them."
I nod, breaking in a run to catch up with Elena, her ponytail swaying as she walks, her whole demeanour screaming 'stay away from me!' But I've been having difficulties with that ever since the day I met her, so that won't change today.
"Calm down, Tiger," I say as I manage to block her path, a pair of raging hazel eyes staring into mine.
"In order for me to do that, you'll have to leave me be," she says and circles around me, deciding to use the stairs to get out of the building.
I decide to follow her silently, determined to talk to her and confront her about her secrets. When people get angry, they tend to say the truth without meaning to, and I'm going to take advantage of that.
"No," I say firmly, grabbing her arm before she steps out of the building. "I'm done with this. You're coming with me and we'll work this shit out."
"Work what out? The fact your father is willing to sacrifice the whole base without giving a proper explanation and you saying nothing about it?" She retorts, an intense frown on her face.
A few soldiers passing by give us curious glances and I grit my teeth, my blood pressure rising. "Boxing," I manage to say, pulling the door open and stepping outside. I glance behind me to make sure she's following me, my eyebrows raising as she quickens her pace.
"I won't follow you around all the time, you follow me for a change," she mutters angrily as she passes by, fists knotted at her sides.
Despite my anger, I can't fight off a smile forming on my lips, holding back a chuckle. I notice one of the trainees making his way toward me in a fast pace, probably wishing to pester me to let them go on missions since they've completed their training. It's something I'm definitely not in the mood for right now.
"Not now Glenn!" I snap before he can say anything, leaving him behind me as I follow Elena into the gym.
"My name is Jeff. . ." he mumbles behind me.
I lock the door of my training room and turn around to face Elena, taking a few steps toward her so I can look into her eyes, making it difficult for her to lie to me if she tries. "How the devil do you know so much about everything? First, you manage to get inside a heavily guarded base armed with nothing but a knife and manage to stay here despite coming from the enemy side, then you come up with an idea of talking to Ace and getting those tapes, and now this alliance with Wildfire. Explain yourself."
"Sometimes I use my brain, sometimes I'm just very lucky," Elena says, shrugging. She seems calm, but I know better. There's a storm brewing inside her. "Listen, H, I don't want to do this when we're both angry, we can talk about this later. Fighting has never solved anything."
"Don't give me that shit!" I raise my voice, pointing my finger at her. "You always find a way to avoid telling the truth and I've been patient long enough."
"Don't you yell at me!" She replies. "I told you you could trust me, I would never do anything to hurt you."
"I'm trying, I'm trying so fucking hard to trust you, but you're making it impossible!" I accuse, swiping my palm over my face. "I want to trust you, I want you to tell me the truth because I like you god damn it! If it was someone else in your place, I can assure you they would be locked up, regardless of David's opinion. But it's you, so I. . ."
I stare at her and for a few moments, I see an emotion in her eyes and it almost seems as if she's going to say something, but she doesn't. The emotion disappears and all I see is rage and a wall she's put between us. We may be alike, we may be close, but this is where she draws a line. She doesn't trust me, either.
A scoff escapes my lips and I shake my head, turning my back on her. "I thought everything fades when we come to this room, but I see it doesn't apply to the secrets you're so keen on keeping away from me." I harshly grab the lock and unlock the door, storming outside without turning back.
. . . .
I hum a catchy tune to myself as I lie on my bed, my green eyes focused on the suddenly very interesting ceiling, my hand placed over my chest. Everything is interesting when you're trying to keep yourself from getting angry because the girl you like could be a mass murderer for all you know. You know, the usual.
I look at the beat up pillow I used as my punching bag since my training room was unavailable, letting out a sigh. "Sorry, mate, hope we're good," I say, pretending to fist bump the pillow.
Loud knocks suddenly give me a fright, but not big enough to move from my position. Let's see: it can't be Louis because he's busy with his own drama, Niall is most probably flirting and preparing the line of girls to shag on Sunday, I bet Liam is fucking someone at the moment regardless of the rules because his dick is a machine and-- yeah that's about it, all my male mates are crossed off the list.
It could be Elena, she would do something like this, coming to my room at like midnight because she doesn't give a shit. I groan and manage to stand up, dragging my feet over the floor as I walk toward the door, my hand freezing mid-air above the lock. I quickly fix my hair and clothes, putting on my best bitch face and opening the door.
There she stands, with her pretty eyes and firm expression. "Wow, I'm shocked," I say flatly.
She purses her lips and walks past me, my hand closing the door. "I have a story to tell you. I don't want you to interrupt me, just listen," she demands, eyes glancing over my living room before she makes her way into my bedroom. I'm suddenly nervous.
"What is it with you and my bedroom," I mumble as I follow her inside, folding my arms over my broad chest as I look down at her sitting on my bed.
"I'm one of the few people allowed here so I'm going to use that privilege whenever I can," she says, patting the empty space next to her, indicating I should sit down. I stubbornly keep standing still. "Come on, Charming, make this easier for me."
I soften a bit because she used her nickname for me, giving in and lowering myself beside her, the bed dipping under my weight. I lean forward, my elbows resting on my knees, hands clasping together. "I'm listening."
"I don't like sugar coating, so I'm going to be blunt and open," she says and I nod, adding that to my list of things I fancy about her. "My uncle used to lead Vortex. Alex and I were his only family, and I was supposed to take his place once he dies, but that never happened."
I tense, my eyes widening as I gawk at her. "What?! You were supposed to lead Vortex?" I stand up abruptly, my heart starting to pound. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"This doesn't change anything, that never happened and it never will," Elena says as she stands up as well, taking a step toward me.
"Are you for real? This changes everything!" I shout. "Shit, you're. . ." I give her a once over, shaking my head. "So, what, you're here because someone better took your place and now you're using us for your revenge? Is that it? Is that why you're trying so hard to find a way to defeat them, endangering all of us in the process?" My anger is rising with each second, my eyes glaring at her.
"Don't jump to conclusions," she says firmly. "No, that's not it. Your father wouldn't take any chances with Alex and me if that were the case. I'm here because of my parents and I'd rather die than break my promise to them."
"Our fathers were friends once," she continues. "Despite being on the enemy sides, they became best friends when my dad saved David's life during one of the battles. Life happened and they'd grown apart, especially with David becoming the leader of Hazard, but their friendship had remained strong. Dad told us if we ever need anything once he and mum are gone, we should look for David."
I notice how her voice keeps getting quieter and quieter as she speaks, sadness slowly replacing her firm expression. "One of you could've told me that sooner, it would've been much easier to deal with the situation. Keeping that from me was unnecessary."
"Come on, you barely trust me now, if you'd known about this from the beginning, there is no way you would've let us stay," she reasons. "Think about it, the leader of Hazard being friends with someone from Vortex and taking their children to his base? It's not exactly something that evokes trust in people. Of course, it was discovered later who are we, but all the crucial parts were left out."
"Like the part where you're supposed to lead Vortex," I clarify bitterly.
"Seth has been the leader for the past four years, not me. I have nothing to do with that base, I want it as far away from me as possible, I want it gone," Elena says, her tone determined, even disgusted. "Thanks to my uncle, I have a wide knowledge of warfare and being an army leader, that's why I know 'so much about everything', as you'd put it. I'm planning to use it against the base he was leading, though, helping Hazard in winning this war. Is there something else you'd like to know?"
My mouth opens then closes, repeating the process a few more times. I still feel like some parts were left out, but she's resolved a lot of my doubts, so it doesn't really matter. Still, a frown remains on my face as I sit back down, taking some time to process all this new information, not saying anything. She was supposed to lead them.
Elena approaches me and kneels in front of me, placing her warm palms onto my knees as her eyes search mine, tingles shooting through my body from the contact. "I'm sorry for keeping that away from you. Like most people, I have difficulties with talking about my past," she says honestly. "But I guess my. . . fear fades when I'm with you. Maybe I should've told you that sooner, but you can barely tolerate the fact we're from Vortex as it is, and later when we. . ." she pauses, letting out a sigh. "I was afraid you'd reject me."
After a few silent moments, my anger dissolves and I smile stupidly at her words, her hand reaching for mine, my smile becoming a grin. "Look at you being all cute and shit, that's so unlike you."
She laughs lightly in relief and I realise the ridiculous sound has become one of my favourites. "Only for you."
For some reason, the words get right to my heart, a warm feeling spreading in my chest. I realise I'm another person when I'm with her as well, a person I haven't been in a long time.
"Since I'm apologising; which happens never; I'd like to apologise for being such a trouble and stressing you out, honestly I wouldn't be able to deal with myself if I were you."
A smirk slowly curves my lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way, I like a challenge."
"Then I wouldn't dare change that, sir," she says playfully.
"No, don't call me that when we're together."
"Yes. . . H?"
"No." I shake my head, taking a deep breath.
"Harry," I say quietly. "My name is Harry."
a/n: it's been 84 years