The Beast (Harry Styles)

Chapter Twenty

There is some news Harry has to tell,

None of which will make Adeline well;

But it must be said, and deep severity there is not.

Just a little sadness? Yes, that's what it's got. . .

~.~

". . .and it's urgent. I don't wish to leave you so soon, but I'll be back in a few days time to bring you back to the castle. Are you okay?"

I rubbed the rim of my cup and cast my eyes towards the table, trying to hide my annoyance of Harry's short absence.

"I'm fine," I muttered as I brought my eyes to see Harry's face. There was a frown upon his lips, his eyes full of what I thought to be pity or sympathy.

"You don't sound fine,"Harry said stating the obvious and refusing to let me get away with anything.

Shifting in my seat, I debated whether or not to admit my vexation. I knew this trip was designed to hand freedom over to me so I could reestablish a relationship with Harry, but I enjoyed his company. His observations shed light on things I had passed by without giving a second glance because they became so familiar that I felt I didn't need to.

~.~

"The Smiths live in that house?" Harry had inquired a day before with my arm linked through his as we meandered down the path around town.

I showed him the shops I'd go to, and we were on our way to the outskirts where the field basked in the sun all day and hid the small cliff where so many bad things happened.

"Yes, though they don't really talk to anyone; they think they're better than everyone," I replied, a hint of disgust involuntarily coming through.

"You don't like them," Harry stated more than asked.

"They're not very kind to my family; they were the ones who started the petition to remove us from the village when I was a small child," I explained rolling my eyes at the memory. "It almost happened, but of course, Sam—may God bless him—refused to sign. They failed to get the unanimous cooperation needed to send the request through."

Harry nodded in understanding before stopping, causing me to halt as well.

"What's the matter?" I asked in confusion while Harry just stared at the beautiful home.

It definitely was the largest house in the village, aside from John's, and it caused citizens and travelers alike to stop and stare. With a shingled roof and great gables, it was easily triple the size of my house. The porch reached out several feet on the street, and the brick chimney puffed grey smoke into the azure sky.

"It may look pretty, but look closely," Harry said, breaking my thoughts and the momentary silence.

I looked, yet nothing seemed odd or out of place.

"I don't see anything," I admitted, a tint of pink creeping on my cheeks.

"Look closer," Harry urged on. Yet there was still nothing off about the magnificent house.

"Still nothing?" he guessed, and by my crimson cheeks, it was confirmed. "Okay, look at the chimney." I did as he said.

"Now, doesn't it look like all the bricks are uneven?" I nodded. "It might add charm to the home, but it means it's going to collapse soon.

"And that porch? It's rotting: look at the insects around it and the warping from erosion. They're not so perfect, now are they?"

After he mentioned it, I did start to see little things such as chipped paint on the house, or a slight crack on the window.