Achilles Heel |h.s|

11. Astar - Tranquility

I had scrubbed at my skin until it was throbbing to the touch. If I were to grab my arm, it would leave white indentions in its wake. I had sat in the tub until the water had gone cold and the pads of my fingers started to prune but I didn't care. I just wanted to distract myself from the pain that was currently weighing heavy on my heart. To distract myself from the heavy survivor's guilt that I felt every year on the anniversary. The guilt of not being able to visit her grave today, to leave her favourite flowers or have a conversation with her.

Eventually, I was able to pick myself up out of the tub, watching as the water created a little tornado before swiftly going down the drain. I'd focus on the smallest of things to distract myself from my mind. The way the water disappeared. The little leak the tap had because it wasn't tight enough. The way the condensation slipped down the mirror because it had been too hot in here at one point.

Once the water had disappeared down the drain, I stepped out onto the fluffy rug and pulled on my robe, wincing slightly whenever it touched my reddened, raw skin. It stung but it was another small thing that distracted me from just how loud my mind was at that moment. Thankfully, it was slightly chilly today in London as it was cloudy. I was able to hide my arms from society.

I had received a text from Harry a little less than an hour ago with the name of his driver and a time frame. That left me with more than enough time to stop at a cafe and run a little errand since it's been a while since I checked in with the secret service.

Once I was dry—along with my hair, I slipped on a black turtleneck with black dress pants and a thin Gucci belt. Simple. No one would think twice or look my way. I then pulled on a tan, long coat just in case it was a little colder than I initially thought before pulling my hair up into a bun.

Before I walked out of my room, I pulled my phone off of my charger, making sure my debit card was in the back of my clear case before I spritzed on some perfume. Once I had made it to the living room, I slipped on the black pumas that sat by the door before leaving, popping my AirPods in once I was out the door. I made sure to only put the right one in, leaving the left one out so that I was also able to focus on my surroundings.

The cafe that a fellow agent was meeting me at was a good fifteen-minute walk from my studio apartment. Not too far but far enough that I'd probably end up complaining on the way back. However, I do understand why they wanted it to be a little further away. We couldn't be caught. I moved to put my hands in the pockets of my coat as the voice of Muna filled my right ear.

I Promise was the perfect song for such a cloudy, gloomy day. I could ignore the world around me as I walked, get lost with my thoughts and the possible upcoming test that I had to endure. Considering I thought I had to burn my fingerprints off for the first one, I could only imagine what Harry was going to put me through next. The first one left me with more questions than answers. I know Niall mentioned that only members of the gang remove their fingerprints but was it just the five of them or all of them? I know there are more members than the ones that I have met.

I know that they have politicians, police, security guards and more in their pocket. There's a reason why so much of the terror they cause flies under the radar and no one bats an eye at it. They could pull a successful heist and no one in London would hear about it. They have pulled a successful heist. It's like their ghosts but everyone knows better than to mess with them.

I've witnessed darkness before. I've been at the hands of darkness. Yet, I don't think anything will compare to unearthing the darkness that surrounds Harry Styles.

"Take the next left," I had completely forgotten that I turned my GPS on to give me directions to the cafe. I will never understand why Apple made it to where if you had your AirPods in they read out your texts or GPS directions. I just wanted to listen to my music.