The Bagman's Direction

Chapter 24

This was not lust...

"My hollowness will haunt you"

"I didn't choose you because I thought you were hollow"

"I know"

"Then what's the problem?"

"My hollowness will haunt you"

One month had passed again. The months seemed to roll on by like tumbleweed in a cowboy's nightmare. Tara and Maria taught me what they thought was best for me. I spent a lot more time in the shed than was probably necessary. I liked it there though. I wasn't a sadist but it was quite tranquil after you got passed the smell. Plus it was easy to keep track of everything, all their documents were there to file through.

Maria and Tara taught me about agility, stamina, keeping undetected and weaponry. There was even an incident with a poisonous blade hidden in an umbrella which we all laughed about. Three days out of that month I had spent with Sarah and she taught me a few tech tricks. Even if I had spent a couple of years devoted to technology in my time with the mafia there were a couple of coding techniques I had never even heard before that she helped me crack.

It was a good month but it was time to move on. Tara always welcomed me to join her in the shed for lunches just like Liam always invited me out hunting or to his secluded bonfires. I had friends now but I craved more. I wanted friends but more than that, I wanted to increase my knowledge when Harry thought there was nothing left for me to learn. I decided he was wrong. I didn't want to go on alone in this movement, I still thirsted for guidance so I sought it out myself against Harry's will.

"I don't care if you're hollow, we're all a bit hollow sometimes due to circumstance"

"I don't think I can give you what you're looking for, Lou"

"No" I shouted and stood up.

He looked at me baffled.

"I don't care about your hollowness. Niall Horan, I'm yours. You can't do anything about it. I'm going to follow you everyday and devour all you teach me. I need this. I'm sorry about Liam but hopefully I can make it up to you. I'm an excellent student, I catch on quick. I want to be able to read people, I want to look into body movements and the human mind. I want to tell when somebody is lying and I want to be able to persuade people. Psychology is possibly the best attribute to have in a movement like this so give it to me, goddamnit!"

Niall sat up slightly. He stared at me as he slowly took off his big, black glasses that enhanced his terrifyingly stern eyes. They reduced back to normality and I held my breath as he parted his mouth. He held his hands together as they rested on his desk and I bit my tongue.

"My hollowness will haunt you" He repeated.

I grunted, shaking my head in disappointment. I shuffled over to his door, planning on slamming it in rage as I exited his confined office room.

"Oh and Louis" He spoke up.

I had opened the door but stopped to look back at him with my eyebrows raised.

"Your first job is to socialise. Stand closer to the people you don't usually stand close to and stand further away from the people you usually don't stand far away from. See what they do. Pay attention to their feet. Also stare at someone for longer than you deem appropriate, see what they do as well. It's a basic task, so you'll be able to handle it. Tell me your results at the end of the day" Niall added and I sighed in relief.

He was going to take me on. I nodded and headed out.

It was a weird starting mission but I had suffered weirder. Besides psychology was a whole bunch of weird and crazy, I'd have to toughen up.