They left K's house as soon as the sun rose.
Harry was the last to leave the house, making sure to lock the door behind him.
Niall was already at the driver's seat while Liam was still asleep next to him.
"What's up with him, drank much?" Selena asked while they waited for Harry.
Niall chuckled, "Harry gave him some sleeping pills."
"Excuse me?"
"I think he snuck some from K's cabinet or something."
The front door opened and Harry jogged to the car. He sat next to Selena at the backseat.
"Let's go."
Selena looked at him questioningly, "Just left a note for the good doctor. Made sure we didn't leave any other trace."
"And Liam?"
"He deserved that."
To say that Liam was in a bad mood when he woke up was an understatement.
He had been snapping at everyone and everything, making the overall mood of their day unpleasant.
Not to mention, Selena was also acting so awkward around Harry - something Harry found amusing. He took it as a good sign that she was so conscious of him.
As it turned out, they were already pretty close to Cambridge. They made it there before the sun set.
They were parked on a sidewalk, mulling over what to do.
"We can go to my apartment?" Selena suggested.
"What a stupid idea. You think those dickheads aren't already surveilling it in case you return?" Liam snapped.
"That is it. You are on fucking time out Liam. No one will talk to you unless you shape up," Selena seethed.
Liam scoffed, "What am I, two years old?"
"You're acting like one!"
"Okay, that's enough. Don't get pulled in on Liam's bad mood, Sel. It's not worth it," Niall interjected.
"It's not worth it," Liam mocked. "Fucking goody two-shoes."
"We should just go find a place first. It's a uni town so it shouldn't be that hard. We might be here a while so better find a short-term apartment that doesn't ask questions." Harry said, completely ignoring Liam.
Selena sighed. She didn't want to but it was the only option they had right now, "I know a place. Trade places with me, Ni. I'll drive."
She'd been living in the area long enough to know some of its secrets. And this included even the ugly parts. She drove to a shady part that was a bit farther away from the campus and even farther away from her apartment.
She stopped in front of a rundown motel. She grabbed her hoodie and turned to the boys.
"I need some cash," she said.
Liam scowled at her and begrudgingly gave her his thick wallet.
"Stay here and wait until I come back," Selena instructed. "And try not to kill each other while I'm gone."
"No way, you're not going there alone," Harry said.
"This isn't up for argument," Selena didn't wait for a response and she got down the car. She took a deep breath before she went in the the front desk.
Liam cracked a window to listen in on the conversation or whatever Selena was planning to do. He might be pissed but he still wanted to make sure she was safe.
A few minutes later, Liam's face turned into confusion. Harry's eyes were trained on the small window to get a glimpse of Selena.
"What the fuck is she doing?" Harry muttered when he saw Selena grab someone's collar.
Selena came back a few moments later with a set of keys on her hand. Her hands were shaking a bit but she tried to hide it. She returned Liam's wallet and drove away.
"What was that all about?" Liam asked.
"And who was that guy?" Harry added.
"Just someone who owed me a favor. Anyway, we have a place to stay. But it's not gonna be pretty."
She drove around for a few minutes until they stopped in front of a shoddy-looking one-storey house. The paint was peeling and some of the roof tiles were missing.
Selena didn't like that she was back there. The place brought back bad memories. But they needed a place to stay and this was the perfect place. Nobody cared about anybody's business here.
The inside of the house wasn't any better. There were some beer cans that littered the floor, a few dirty furniture, and fading wallpaper.
It was also very dusty that Selena sneezed thrice in a row.
Liam finally laughed, "The fuck, you sound like a cat when you sneeze."
"Geez, it's not like I can help it," Selena sniffed. "Anyway, we need to clean up a bit here."
Harry clicked his tongue and took out a handkerchief. He folded it and stopped Selena on her tracks to tie it around her face like a face mask.
"Thank you," Selena forced out a smile.
"How many rooms does this place have?" Niall asked.
"Two, if I remember correctly," Selena said.
"You've been here before?" Harry said.
She nodded as the scene she wanted to forget flashed in her mind, "Last time I was here this place was packed with people partying though."
"Didn't think a place like this was your scene," Liam commented as he eyed a vandalized wall.
Selena didn't make any further comment. The four of them wandered around the house to try and make it livable.
Selena tried her best to get her emotions and memories in check. She cleaned everything she could lay her hands on with such vigor, hoping it'd wipe away the memories that came with the place.
They gathered at the small dining table when they were done, eating pizza that Liam had gone out and bought.
"So where do we start looking for the next Keyper?" Liam asked.
"Harvard, obviously," Niall said, his mouth full of food.
Liam threw a piece of tissue at him, "Stop talking with your mouth full, you idiot."
"I'll have someone make us IDs so we can go in and out easily," Selena said while she picked at her hardly eaten food. "But that might take a while."
"You know someone who makes fake IDs?" Niall asked.
"Yeah," Selena took a sip of water.
"Let me get this straight," Liam said. "You threatened that burly dude earlier, went to a party in this shithole, and know someone who makes fake IDs?"
"So?"
"Not straight laced as I thought," Liam grinned. "I like it."
It was Harry's turn to throw something at Liam.
"I'm going to bed," Selena abruptly stood up and left the boys.
Selena washed up in the small bathroom. She was brushing her teeth and staring at her reflection, her mind wandering to places she didn't want it to go.
She didn't like the vulnerability she felt in this house.
She shook her head and finished up. It's fine, it's been over a year. You're fine. It's just a house.
Harry was already in bed when she got out.
They both laid next to each other, not talking but they both knew that the other was awake. Selena couldn't believe that she was back in Cambridge.
If only she knew she'd come back different, she wouldn't have come back home in Triton.
That's not true. I was already different when I came home.
She went home because she needed a break. She needed to think about what she really wanted. She had always been so sure about the path to take.
She hadn't been sure for some time now and it was driving her crazy. She thought the familiarity of her home might help her go back on track.
But now she knew how mistaken she was. She was even more lost. Sometimes, she wasn't even sure there was a path anymore.
She glanced at Harry.
But then again, Harry wouldn't be with me if I didn't return to Triton.
"Are you gonna tell me the story?" Harry said, breaking the silence.
"What story?"
"About how you know that guy or this house?"
Selena didn't reply immediately. She slowly turned to look at him and murmured, "You don't even tell me yours."
"What do you wanna know?"
Selena stared at Harry but his eyes didn't waver.
"The Addingtons."
Harry didn't even flinch. He knew she was going to ask one way or the other.
"Mom had an affair. She and the eldest Addington. They knew each other back in high school so when they saw each other again in the big city, they got talking. And one thing led to another and then to me. He left her when she got pregnant."
Selena's eyes grew wider with every word Harry said. She couldn't believe what she just heard. "Did... did your Dad know?"
"He found out the same night I became Keyper. The Addingtons were the ones behind my Mom's work transfer. They found out about me being their kid's son. They made sure that I was close so they can spy on me if I ever became Keyper," Harry had bitter smile on his face.
Selena didn't know what to say. So many things happened to Harry that night she left him. She wasn't there when he needed her.
The guilt and regret came flooding back. It was overwhelming her already anxious state.
"Don't," Harry took her hand. He could see the emotions swirling in her gold eyes. "You didn't know. 'Sides, they're okay now. They're not in Triton though - they moved to England. Gem just flies back to help me sometimes."
"How about you? Are you fine with it?" she whispered.
"It sucked at first." Harry squeezed her hand, "But I'm fine now."
Selena sat up and removed her hand from Harry's. "Water. I- just gonna drink some water."
She stood up and left the room. She held her shaky hands together and hoped Harry didn't notice it.
She stood over the sink and washed her hands, hoping it'd get rid of all the bad feelings.
I don't deserve Harry's kindness.
She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Harry was being so kind to her even when she was the one who left him. He might be obligated to be with her but that didn't mean he had to shake up her heart and confuse her like that.
She couldn't understand why Harry didn't even seem like he was mad at her. She hurt him. He should be angry at her. She liked it better when Harry was barely speaking to her. He had every right to, anyway.
She hurt him.
It was her fault.
It had been over a year since the last time she was at this same house. The music was loud but she could still hear him screaming at her clearly.
He didn't want to go home but she knew he was drunk. And high to boot. She was there to help him. Like she had always done since she met him.
He didn't always scream at her. And he would apologize afterwards so she didn't mind.
She pulled him outside the house and was trying to get him to go inside her car.
He just screamed louder.
But she ignored it.
And that's when he hit her.
She was so surprised that she didn't even realize what happened. She just heard the loud slap and then the next thing she knew, she was sitting on the pavement with a stinging cheek and a scraped arm.
Nobody paid them any mind. Everyone just went on their way, drinking, smoking, and partying.
While she felt so vulnerable sitting on the floor.
But it was like the slap woke her up and it was the final straw. So she got up and left him.
She was finally going to leave him.
She left him just like how she left Harry.
And now he was gone.
And it's all her fault.