Forever Winter//NH//

Prelude

Niall Horan
January 24th, 2011
London, UK

"This is a terrible idea, Harry; do you even know what you agreed to?" Liam’s foot tapped against the floor, slouching in his seat against the cold leather couch. The rest of us sat around the small room, J having left just moments prior.

"I mean, no, but-" Harry tried to argue, but Liam just let his head fall forward into his hands, elbows propped up on his knees. "But I agreed for our own sake. He has connections, he’ll get us out there somehow."

I glanced over at Louis, whose eyes were drooping in exhaustion and tried to blink it away as he spotted me, sitting up straighter. He gave me the same unwavering look I had on my face, clearly wanting to leave this warehouse in the middle of nowhere that we had been dragged to.

"This is how people usually get killed." Louis added to the conversation mindlessly, interrupting the argument that Liam was about to present Harry.

"What are you talking about?" Liam sighed, sitting back up as his foot continued to tap against the wooden floor.

"This," Louis gestured to the room. "Some fucker approaches you, makes some big promise and gets you to come out to his 'workplace', which tends to be some warehouse out in the middle of nowhere. Exhibit A." He makes another grand gesture to the room.

"We aren’t getting killed, Louis. You watch too much TV." Harry scoffs, glancing towards the door J went through a few minutes ago.

"You don’t know that." Louis retaliates, and goes to say something else but Liam entirely disregards the interruption and goes back to what he was saying before.

He turns to Harry, starting to count off his fingers. "You don’t know what the 'work' this guy talks about is, you don’t even know who he is, you don’t know what you agreed to, you don’t even know if this man can make us famous, and you don’t even know where he’s brought us. Yet this seemed like a fine idea in your head 30 minutes ago?"

"Look, worst comes the worst, we just say "hey, we aren’t into this anymore, thanks for the offer." And we just leave. Simple as that." Harry leaned back in his seat, grinning to himself happily.

"And if it doesn't work out like that?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

"I think it will. He seems like a nice guy."

The door that J went through then opens, and he walks back through.

"I just need to try out something before I tell you everything," J says, beckoning us to stand. Once we do so, he turns and starts walking, but not before stopping in his tracks moments later. "Harry- you said you had friends who could also help out?"

"Oh yeah. They’re in town. Do you want me to call them?" Harry flashes him a smile.

"Yes, if you don’t mind. Shoot them the address as well."

"Which is..?" Harry trails off, waiting for a response but instead J takes his phone and types it out.

"So, essentially, I just have a test I want to do so I can make sure I trust you all- and whoever Harry brings along for us," J walks into another room, which looked more like an office space. "Take a seat somewhere while we wait on them."

"They’re on their way. Only 10 minutes away." Harry shoves his phone in his back pocket and J makes his way around the desk, nodding to himself. J picks up a notepad, writing something down as he looked up at each of us in intervals, as if taking note of our presence.

"What’s their names?" J asks, looking up at Harry.

"Luke, Calum, Ashton and Michael." Harry takes a seat between Liam and Louis, as I stay leaning against the wall opposite them.

"So 8 total," J says to himself.

"Mhm." Harry nods, tapping his forefinger against his thigh.

"Wasn't a question, Harry." J eyes him, setting the notepad down and taking a seat.

"Oh."

After a beat of silence, Louis speaks.
"Who are your connections?"

"Sorry?" J looks up.

"You said you had connections to people who would get us famous. Who are they?"

"Just a couple industry people I know." He says briefly, but it doesn’t satisfy Louis.

"What people? We might know them already."

"If you knew them you wouldn't be sitting in this room, would you?"

"Fair," Louis nods, and J goes back to paperwork on his desk. "What work do you do?"

"You’ll see."

"When?"

"Soon."

"Why not now?"

J looks up, clearly irritated. "I can’t trust any of you yet."

"When will you?"

"Louis, just cut it out." Liam mutters, sighing as he stretched his legs out in front of him.

"When Harry’s friends arrive I have a test to try out, and if you pass it I'll tell you." J tries to gain his composure, speaking calmly and fluidly- except if the fluid in question was gasoline and Louis was a match dangerously close to it.

"Well, then what’s the test?"

"You’ll see." J mutters through gritted teeth, close to saying something else as the large doors out front rap with knocking. J stands, eager to escape Louis momentarily as he went to answer it.

"See? Doesn’t seem like he’s going to kill us." Harry says happily as Liam shakes his head disappointedly.