I kept pacing around back and forth trying to figure out what I got myself into and what should I do about this whole situation, going to the asylum can't be that bad, right? Can't be that bad my ass, it's terrifying! This is not a school trip to the park for god's sake, what am I thinking and why am I even considering this? Oh, right. Because my friend is the one who got us into this mess in the first place and I am stupid enough to agree to this just cause I am scared of what might happen to him.
I know I didn't really agree but I didn't refuse either, I am just taking my time to think about everything, I wanna be honest with myself and admit that this case is intriguing me but despite feeling this way I can't bring myself to break into an asylum, it sounds so unreal and criminally. All of this is making me curious and horrified at the same time, I wanna know every little detail about this case, I wanna know how can someone be in this mental hospital for years and not have a single picture of him, and the fact that the CCTV footage was deleted makes me ask myself the same question every time; how did he manage to do it? In order for someone to do this, they must have control or access to the recording equipment or servers, removing the footage isn't in the hospital's advantage for sure.
Looking at old magazines that were written and published a few years ago when Styles was taken to the mental hospital in hopes that I can find a picture of him but to my dismay I found none, this is unbelievable and I am going crazy. I pulled at my hair roots frustratingly, I can't seem to get enough sleep, I am losing track of time and my stress levels are getting higher the more I engulf myself in this, I am trying to remind myself that it's not my job to look for answers but I just can't seem to stop.
Pulling out my phone, I stared at it for what feels like ages but it was barely a couple of minutes, contemplating whether what I am going to do is the right thing or I am just about to get myself in so much trouble and I'd be wishing I never did this. I closed my eyes for a few seconds before opening the phone and typing a message to the last person I ever thought I'd text.
To: Harry
From: Celia
You win, Harry. I am in.
I was fighting the urge to get myself involved but I am in and I am not taking it back, it doesn't sound as bad as it is in my head, all we're gonna do is go into the hospital and out again, I don't think he meant the literal meaning of breaking into anyways.
Deciding that I've been exhausted enough by looking at the pile of papers laying beside me, I thought that I should get some sleep so I can get up tomorrow and to get my mind to stop stressing out.
***
I woke up to find that I am late which was inevitable due to my lack of sleep, I was rushing around to have a shower and to get dressed which made me end up being even more late, I was driving my car pretty fast and that was something I've never done before, I heard the sound of the tires screeching against the ground, I hastened my pace into the building then slowed down when I saw the blue familiar door that belongs to my office, I tossed my purse and plopped down on my chair letting out a long sigh that I didn't know I was holding.
I pulled out my phone to see three missed calls from Zayn and one unopened message from Harry, I decided to ignore both of them since I am already late and have lots of things to do but I was interrupted when I saw Zayn walking into my office, making himself comfortable as he took a seat on one of the chairs, it seems like this is the only way how we've been meeting the past few days and I don't doubt one bit that an argument is about to go down.
"Funny how you told me to stay away from Harry and his maddening idea then I find out that you're into this as much as I am" Zayn said with an emotionless tone that I rarely heard him using before.
"I don't wanna fight anymore, okay? If you're here to lecture me then please just leave" I said.
"Why are you being like this? You're acting so cold and I don't even know why, you're making this a bigger deal than it is" he said throwing his hands in the air.
"I know, you're right but can we just talk about this some other time? You know I am already stressed enough about the new article and everything that's going on" I said trying to get him to understand and I know he did when he let out a sigh of defeat, nodding his head then leaving to go back to his office.
I began typing on my computer again feeling a bit more relaxed now that I am not really thinking about anything other than the articles, but I know that sooner or later we're gonna have to talk about the case, I just wonder if Harry was never the one to convince Zayn about finding out more about this case, would Zayn still be insistent on doing all of this or would it just be like any other normal mental case that we came through? But I guess there's no use to try to persuade him to change his mind since I am already doing this as well.
Shutting off my computer, I decided that this is enough for today, I knocked on Zayn's door and surprisingly he was still here, usually he leaves way earlier before I do.
"Are you done?" I asked.
"Yeah I am, wanna go somewhere? Maybe your special place?" He asked smirking and I can already till that his nastiness is back.
"You know I can never say no, Malik" I said walking straight with him following right behind me to his car.
He drove in silence, I know that there are lots of stuff that we should talk about but I thought that maybe I should just enjoy this comfortable moment while it lasted cause eventually we will talk about it no matter how hard we try to avoid the subject.
I unbuckled my seat belt as he parked the car, opening my car door then entering the place, feeling the familiar smell of coffee hitting my nostrils, I took a seat on the high chair while Zayn went to the counter ordering god knows what.
A few minutes later he came back with two drinks in his hands then he sat down across from me "so, how was your day?"
"I smell awkwardness" I said grinning.
"You smell coffee, idiot. You can't smell awkwardness" he said rolling his eyes playfully.
"It's called sarcasm, don't know if you've ever heard of it, seems like you didn't though but anyways stop beating around the bush" I said while sipping on my coffee "oh wait, in fact I'd like to know how did you find out that I am doing this with you and Harry?"
"The minute you sent him the message, he told me, Cel. You know I was actually sure that you would say no, Harry thought you'd say the opposite and for a second I thought I was right" he said.
"Are you saying that you're angry that I agreed? Cause I remember you trying to convince me otherwise" I replied in a calm tone while holding my cup feeling the heat seeping through my hands.
"Can't say I am, but I can't say that I am not worried eith-" he was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing, "it's him" he said while pressing the green button before he can hear my protests.
I zoned out while he was talking to Harry, thinking if all of this will get us anywhere maybe it's pointless after all but we can't be sure of anything until we do it.
"He's on his way" I rolled my eyes for what seems like the thousands time today.
"You can't imagine how much I dislike him" I said dreading the moment when he walks through the door.
Zayn chuckled at my response, but it faded as quickly as it appeared, realizing what we were talking about, his face went back to neutral.
"I don't want things to change just because something stupid like this, okay? I know I overreacted but you were right, I am making this a bigger deal so let's just get it over with, if I am being honest I don't think that we're gonna do much progress even if we found something" I said expressing how I feel about this situation.
"Maybe you're right and maybe not, just don't mention this in front of Harlyn" Zayn said looking at something behind me.
"Who's Harlyn?" I asked feeling confused cause the name doesn't ring a bell.
"It's my real name, darling" I would recognize that deep, husky voice anywhere. I turned around to be faced with Harry who was dressed in a black sweater and black skinny jeans, since the first time I met him, all he ever seems to wear is black, feels like this is the only color he knows.
"Such a weird name" I said snickering at this new information.
"And yours isn't?" He asked raising his eyebrows and I can see that familiar smirk over his lips making a dimple pop up.
"Why are you here?" I asked waiting to get this over with.
"To discuss what we're gonna do" he said shrugging his shoulders then pulling out a few papers that I didn't notice that he was carrying when he first walked in "this article was published today, they found a picture of Styles, it's not clear at all but it shows some of his features"
I snatched the paper from his grip to take a look at the picture, it was a Polaroid in black and white, he was facing the other way and the light was dim which didn't show much, he looked so thin and exhausted, he had dark circles under his eyes, faded scars scattered all over his face.
"It doesn't even show much, is there any other picture?" I asked hoping there was but Harry- or should I say Harlyn shook his head.
"This is not helpful at all" Zayn said analyzing it as well.
"When was this picture taken? And more importantly; how did they find it?" I asked curiously.
"At the asylum, written under the article is the date when it was taken and you can see a set of numbers written on his arm as well and as for how they found it, I don't really know" he said scanning my face with his vibrant green eyes.
"What are those numbers?" I asked feeling confused.
"It's the patients cell and file number in the hospital" he said "if you ask me I think this is pretty helpful, when we break into the asylum it's gonna make it much more easier so we don't have to look everywhere, they have patient's file that begins with the same number in a stack of files wrapped together" he said, I let my eyes wonder over the picture again to see that indeed there is a '17B' written over his upper right arm.
"Is that a tattoo or was it written by a pen or something?" he snickered at my question which made me feel stupid but I chose to ignore it.
"Of course it it tattooed, if it wasn't then it would've been gone since the first week and there are lots of patients there and all of them have ones so yeah they needed to tattoo it" he explained, I sat looking at Zayn for a while not uttering a single word.
"Is this even legal? They can't just tattoo the patients! What did the media say about this Polaroid and about the tattoo then?" I asked in disbelief.
"They don't even know that this tattoo was made by the hospital, as you can see Styles has so many tattoos so why would this one be any different?" He replied.
"What about the others? Haven't they seen their tattoos as well?" I asked feeling lots of questions popping in my mind all at once.
"They put it in hidden places, I guess Styles tattoo was an exception" he said answering all the questions with ease as he seems to know everything about this hospital.
"So what are your plan for getting into the hospital then?" Zayn asked engulfing himself in the conversation.
"there are two theories, which is; we can do it the easy way or the hard way" he rested his back on the chair, folding his arms together, I scoffed at the way he said it as if he has all the authorities to get everything he wants from that place. I guess he was waiting for a different reaction but when he found none he explained further "you and Zayn could just go there as journalists or as lawyers who are working on this case and need clues to find the first string"
it was my turn to snicker at his plan "this is the most pathetic thing I've ever heard, what makes you think that they would give us information that easily as if there weren't plenty of people who tried this before!"
"You didn't hear it 'till the end, sweethea-" I cut him off by saying " I think I told you enough with the pet names"
he brushed off what I said as if he didn't hear it "I am sure they won't give you shit, that's why you're gonna analyze the place as much as you can, take in every single detail"
"and why is that helpful?" Zayn asked seeming as confused and bewildered as I am"
"So when you break in at night, you won't feel like a lost puppy and get out as fast as you got in" he said smugly.
I widened my eyes at what he just said "this is not happening, Harlyn. and why do you keep saying 'you'? last time I checked it was a 'we', we're all getting in together"
"Call me Harry" I rolled my eyes at his demanding tone "And no baby, you and Zayn are getting in together, I'll wait for you on the other side, by the fire escape, it's much better like that"
"Hell no" I was surprised by Zayn's voice that boomed through the place making a few heads turn in our direction "it's not safe like this and you know it, we don't know shit about this place which makes it harder for us to get away if anything happened"
"Well if anything fucking happened someone should be waiting for you so you can escape immediately, if we all got in together, we're not gonna make it out of there" Harry said his eyes darkening the more furious he got then he turned his head to me "or are you afraid that the little princess might get hurt?"
"Har-" I cut Zayn off before he can say anything "its settled, Harlyn" I said calling him by his real name despite the fact that he said I should call him Harry.
Zayn shook his head furiously "No, this is not happening"
"Zayn, just let it go, we'll be alright" I said not breaking the eye contact once with Harry, I held his gaze for a few seconds before I averted my eyes away from him.
Saying this doesn't mean that I am not shitting my pants right now and dreading the day that we're doing this in.
________________________________
Imagine the picture above as the Polaroid