Inked [Harry Styles]

i. new beginnings

"Eve, get over here we need you to attend to James," My boss instructed through my receiver.

I put the receiver back into my back pocket and run out into the battle field, avoiding bullets flying left right and centre. I eventually arrived at the spot where my colleague and one of my closest friends was lying on the ground, the red substance gushing from his right leg. As the medical officer, it was my job to make him fight even longer and harder.

"What happened James? Did they get you?" I said with attempted cheeriness as I desperately applied pressure to refrain the blood dissapearing from his lips.

"Yeah, doesn't hurt though," He said with light humour. That was James; never let anything get to him no matter the serious turmoil.

Suddenly, he started to cough up blood and I, being well trained in the medical department, knew that coughing up blood was the first sign that someone was going to die within five minutes. I hopelessly tried to keep him stable and alive but it wasn't working, I knew that but I wasn't going to give up that easily. I kept going, pumping his heart through his ribcage, giving him mouth-to-mouth but I knew it wasn't working. My boss put a comforting hand on my shoulder blade.

"It's time to give up Eve, he's gone," He said and I looked at my best friend in the eyes for one last time before they shut and I would never see the comforting chocolate eyes again.

A glass tear slipped down my face and I wiped it away angrily. One rule I had about myself was to never let pain show, but I'd lost my best friend. That hurt. Why couldn't it have been me that died? James was the peanut butter to my jelly, the horn to my unicorn, basically he was the closest thing I had to a brother. I stood up but then a bomb went off and I had to run off to the right to save myself from blowing up. I heard screams and cries from people who were caught up in the gassy flames.

I stood up from the stone covered I had dived down onto and looked at the scene in front of me. There were people trying not to break, checking that the soldiers were somewhat alright, injured people that were trying to get to safety and out of the flames, and then there was me. Just stationary with the tears pouring down my face.

I let the tears pour down my face, not bothering to wipe them away. Then it felt like a slow motion replay when a bullet fired towards me, crashing straight into my chest.

The pain was spreading all around my body, I fell to the ground. Everything looked like it was happening half the normal pace. My friends and fellow soilders rushed towards me as I lay there in complete agony.

Everyone tried to get me to communicate with them but I felt myself slipping into darkness, everything went out of focus and then faded to blackness.

Then I woke up.

I sat up, breathing heavily; my hand clutched the paper skin layer which covered my heart as the beads of sweat rolled down my forehead. It wasn't real, just a nightmare of the time I almost died. The place on my stomach tingled where I had got shot and almost faced the ghosting. That had been one in a long line of nightmares and flashbacks I had had since I came back from Afghanistan.

It was a month since I came back and I decided to move out of my mums flat to have some independence. But I moved into a flat with my best friend, Alice. That was a good move and a bad move all in one. But I loved Alice; she was just so bubbly and had a positive outlook all the time. It was a good attitude to have around me.

I breathed heavily a few times then decided that I was going to get out of bed and get myself a mug of coffee. I tumbled out of bed and pulled my white, spotty dressing gown on top of my stripy pyjamas. I brushed my hand through my raggedy hair and wandered aimlessly into the lounge and kitchen in the flat.

I grabbed my mug from the place I had left it on the worktop and put the kettle on. Luckily the kettle still had water in because of Alice and her unfortunate addiction to coffee. I grabbed the jar of coffee and added a spoonful into the mug. When the water had boiled I poured it into the mug and stirred the black coffee. I added about 3 teaspoons of sugar because I found coffee horrific without the sweetener.

Once my coffee was made, I got my box of chocolates out of the cupboard. Hopefully Alice hadn't been snacking on my chocolates so there was at least five left. I walked over to the squidgy brown sofa we had in our lounge and collapsed on it, bringing my legs up to my ribcage and hugging my knees whilst sipping the steamy coffee.

I laid my coffee down on a coaster on the coffee table and opened my box of chocolates. My prediction was correct; Alice had eaten most of my chocolates. I picked a caramel one out and placed the box back on the coffee table. I bit into the chocolate and the sweet taste of caramel mixed with chocolate exploded in my mouth.

Suddenly a pair of hands poked into my shoulders and I looked up to see the gorgeous face of my best friend Alice Clifford looking me in the eyes. I rolled my crystal blue eyes and she laughed and sat to the right of me on a pillow.

"So, why you up at this time Evie?" She asked me with curiosity.

"Had another nightmare, about James dying," I sighed with a heavy shrug.

She sighed and looked me in the eyes. Her chocolate brown ones pouring into my blue ones "You need to start moving on from what happened if Afghanistan, that's your past. You make your future. I don't want to be your only friend Eve. You need to start being more social. You should get a job; go to some parties, spruce up your wardrobe a bit. You know what, I'm going to take you out tomorrow and I'm going to help you get a job," Alice said to me reassuringly.

"Yeah, I need to start moving on." I agreed with her mainly because she would ridicule me until I gave up.

"And you need a boyfriend," She said, her bluntness getting the better of her.

I sighed "Alice, I'm never going to get a boyfriend. I'm not like you. You have Josh because you're beautiful and confident. No guy will like me because of everything I've been through,"

"Well I'm meeting up with Josh and he's bringing some friends so you're coming with me. You don't have to ask any of them out or feel attracted to any of them. It's about you being more sociable," She said and I couldn't be bothered to defend my cause.

Maybe she was right, maybe I did need to get more sociable and meet new people.

Only time will tell.

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A/N: Here is the first chapter of Inked :) I completely and utterly love this story and I'm going to make sure you all love it as well :)

Sorry that Harry/1D don't appear in this part, they will be soon :) You will soon see the relation between Josh and 'his friends' ;)

Please vote and comment for my chapters because it means a lot to me to know that people loved the last part. I mean that amount of feedback in only a week astounds me! Thank you all :)

Lovely gif of Matt Smith a.k.a. perfection on the side :) Love him so much :)

Amy x