𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐞

Prologue

Maple takes a deep breath and hits the record button on her laptop on her bed. "I have this recurring dream where I sit in the sun and bask in its warmth and the breeze. When I dream further, I see my mum next to me. But that's impossible because my mum died when I was eight, and I can't go in the sun. I have a rare disease called Xeroderma pigmentosum, or if you know my uncle and think that's too hard to say, it shortened down to XP, which is much easier to say. If I go in the sun, I develop skin cancer, and my brain goes to mush, and I could die, so that's fun to think about," Maple said with a sarcastic smile. "So I spend all my time indoors behind special windows where the sunlight can't get in and also hanging out with my uncle and his friends, who are the best. I mean, Simon didn't have to take me in after my mum died, but he did. I mean, he was 23 when my mum died. He was 23, living with his friends and starting a YouTube, but he did, and he always made sure every house we lived in had special UV windows. If not, he would pay over 1,000 pounds to get someone in to do them. He and the guys have been great. It's not easy having a kid that always has to stay inside.

Flashback...

"No way", one of the kids was looking at the window where Maple was standing.

"Yup, a vampire. That's why they have special windows and why she is not allowed outside," another one of the kids said outside the house, looking at Maple. "Don't worry, she can't get us during the day, but at night, stay far away."

Making young Maple sigh just as JJ entered her room to see her looking out the window where kids were pointing and laughing

"hey", He said, coming next to her 

"Hey", she sighed, making JJ put an arm around her 

"Hey, screw them, they're little assholes", making MMaple's eyes widen. Of course, she had heard swear words before. She lives in a house with four men in their early twenties, so she's heard swear words, but Simon made a rule that the guys can't swear near or around Maple. "don't tell Simon I said that." JJ points at  her, making her giggle 

"Until I met the twins."

All sidemen were hanging out in the living room of the sidemen's house when suddenly there was a knock at the front door, making Simon sigh and get up to get the door. Once he opened the door, he saw two almost identical girls. 

"Hi," Simon greeted the two girls with a smile.

"Hi," the blonde-haired girl said with a little wave.

"What's wrong with her?" burnet girl Simon assumed was the other girl's sister. Making Simon's smile disappear.

"She has something called XP," Simon said, thinking of a way to describe the condition to the two without complicating it so they understand. "The sun hurts her. so she can't ever go in the sun."

" We can't be in the sun for too long either,"  the blond-haired girl said. Making Simon smile, "I'm Marley, and this is my twin, Meghan."

"Can she play at night?" Meghan asked 

"Yeah, bu- "

"See you tonight." Meghan cut him off before he could finish the sentence and gripped hold of her sister's hand to walk down the driveway.

"Oh, and we like pizza", Marley called out. Making Simon laugh and turn to go into the house with a smile still on his face.

"Who was that?"  Harry asked after noticing the smile on Simon's face.

"I think Maple just made friends somehow; they're coming over tonight for pizza", making the guys excitedly smile. They knew how mean the kids on the street could be about her and how hard it was for her. Suddenly, Ethan yelled up to Maple, who was in her room.

"MAPLE, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE YOU'VE GOT FRIENDS COMING OVER", Ethan yelled.

And that's how I became friends with the always bubbly and witty Marley North and the ever so sarcastic and straightforward Meghan North. From then on, it was me, the guys, and sometimes some of their other friends and Freya, Marley and Meghan. Until Simon met the ever-so-beautiful Taila Mar, she and I got along almost instantly. At first, I told Simon not to tell her about my XP because I didn't want to be the reason she left like my dad and to leave Simon. He deserves to be happy after all he's done for me. But then she got suspicious when I couldn't go outside during the day and only at night. So Simon broke down and told her. Taila went home that night after Simon told her and researched everything so she knew how to support Simon and the guys. Eventually, all the guys leave the Sideman house and get their own places. While the rest of the guys moved out during the day, JJ, Simon and I moved out at night because the whole sun could kill me. Talia later decided to move with us; it's nice having another girl around the house, especially when my favourite reality TV show is on. It's nice to have someone to watch and not comment on how stupid the show is. I miss living with the guys but see them nightly after they finish filming a sidemen video or whatever they were doing, and that became a part of the routine, along with constant doctor appointments and sleeping during the day and being awake at night, which I'm told is expected the schedule of an average teenager. But it is nice to hold onto those dreams.