The Bagman's Direction

Chapter 27

I have to say it again, Niall could've never prepared me for this.

Vinegar and burnt cocaine and sweat and sex, that was all I could smell. I was relying on my nose as Harry had felt the need to blindfold me on our drive. He didn't want me to know how to escape or exactly where the cabin was located so I could rat them in if I ever found a way to escape.

I never planned on running. 

When we arrived at our destination, I was still left in the dark but that smell, the smell was making me nauseous. At least it wasn't as bad as the shed.

"We're here" Harry breathed, leaning over to tell me.

No shit. My motion senses weren't out of whack, I knew the truck had stopped moving and I could hear a commotion outside. I wasn't an idiot.

He removed my blind fold and I sighed in relief. I stared at him, he was wearing his porcelain mask. Before I could question him, he hopped out of the car and I assumed to do the same.

I got out, the scent even stronger.  Although the winds were cold I could feel heat radiating onto my small body. I looked around. We were parked on top of a hill and when I looked down the crop of grass I could see a huge bonfire. It was bigger than anything I had ever seen. The red and orange flames were licking the face of God, tasting the clouds with every sizzle and crackle it shouted.

The bonfire did not sit alone, it was surrounded by colourful people and they were chanting... No, they were singing. They were singing and laughing and drinking and having fun. I didn't expect this. This was not how I envisioned the Game at all.

Harry began making the awkward manoeuvre down the hill and I followed. The crowd got louder as we approached and the heat of the fire grew stronger on this cold night.

We got into the crowd, pushing past these people who didn't recognise who we were. I supposed they couldn't have, they shouldn't have. One Direction was a secret movement. People knew it existed but nobody knew who resided in it. Plus Harry was wearing his long-nosed, almost scary, glistening mask, nobody could've pinned him down.

As we walked through, I took note of the people. They were young and lively. Everybody I saw didn't look a day over twenty. They were tattooed or pierced, they had brightly coloured hair or a leather jacket on, they were in fishnet stockings or chokers. Yet there were also those who appeared reserved. They were young but in sweaters or perms, they were holding hands but not making out, they were partying but not drinking. It seemed a wide range of diverse youth who were all in pairs and their finest attire. The biggest thing I noticed about this group was not what they wore on their body but who they wore. They all had same-sex partners.

We managed to get to the other side of the fire, to the boombox that was blaring Dope and In This Moment and all sorts of angry love songs. I didn't even hear it on the other side, these people were almost as loud as the fire. Harry stopped the music and a couple of people stopped dancing and sucking face to stare.

Harry left me standing in front of the fire as he whispered to somebody I didn't know with vivid green hair and the most incredible grey eyes. They quickly disappeared over to the other side and I managed to grab eye contact with Harry. His look was stern and mine was confused but somewhere in the middle it turned into wonderment.

Suddenly people started walking around the fire and over to us. The group grew larger as the North side was abandoned and the South piled on. People squished in as Harry made his way over to me, we were positioned at the front. Our backs were to the flames as we watched the youth turn their attentions to us, like we were important, like we had something to say, like they had been waiting for someone to take charge.