Sweet Sinister [A Ziam Fanfiction]

Chapter 7- The boy with the malice

Hey everyone!

Final exams are on my head and God, do they suck. Anyway, here's another chapter and I hope you guys find it interesting. I'm always waiting to hear your opinion down below!

Enjoy!

-Jenny aka LoveandHeartbreaks

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Over the past few days, Liam has reached one solid conclusion: Harry Edward Styles is equivalent to the real-life version of Caspar the friendly ghost.

People may associate ghosts with words like 'scary' or 'evil' but when it comes Harry, Liam just pictures a cat. That's just how Liam's brain functions when he's thinking of Harry too much. And he has been thinking about Harry too much because he 'hangs out' with him a lot lately. To be honest, Liam has no idea where this friendship will take them but he's really not complaining.

"So, you can like teleport and stuff?" Liam whispered to Harry in the hall when Louis and Niall were busy preparing lunch one afternoon. Actually, another funny thing about Harry: he can appear in broad daylight as well. Whatever happened to ghosts having a tendency to appear at night?

"Around the mansion, yeah," Harry replied, lazily. "I don't think I can go outside of this place though."

"Why not?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I've tried it, but it just...doesn't happen. I just can't step out, hard to explain."

Liam creased his brows in confusion. "Do you think it takes like, energy? Like it takes too much energy or something to go out?" Liam had read something of this sort online last night. It said that the dead have a hard time leaving the place they died, especially if it's a house like Heather Wood. And even if they can, it's pretty much impossible to leave the land the house sits on. Some say it's because they just don't wish to leave because of the memories associated with that place and others, well, they just can't. No matter how hard they try. However, Liam couldn't say for sure whether this was the exact place where Harry died.

"Maybe, yeah, I'm not too sure." Harry stretched his arms. "I wish they gave you a manual or something. Something called 'On Becoming a Ghost'." They both chuckled lightly at that. That's when Liam remembered something important.

"Hey, Harry, you smoke, right?" Liam asked.

"No? Pretty little princesses like me don't like to smoke." Harry replied. There wasn't a hint of laughter in his eyes during the princess part. Liam rolled his eyes.

"Stop playing with me, I know you do. Remember that time when I came to the attic? The first day when we moved here? I could smell it, I saw it too."

Harry's eyes widened for a fraction of seconds before they were back to normal. That was odd, Liam thought. "I don't really remember; who cares?" Harry said, averting his eyes. Liam didn't let that sudden change in topic bother him too much.

"I bet you can fly around the house. That's pretty cool, mate." Liam said wistfully.

"You bet it is!" Harry said, smirking like a lunatic. Within seconds, he was hovering right over Liam's head. Liam thought he looked a little awkward, with his long limbs flailing wildly everywhere but it looked like he was enjoying it a lot. Liam couldn't help but grin.

"What are you looking at?" Niall asked with one eyebrow raised. He had both his hands full of chips and beer. Liam stood up to help him as Louis appeared from the kitchen.

"Erm, nothing, cobwebs and stuff." Liam said offhandedly, desperately trying to play it cool. Maybe that's where he went wrong. You don't desperately play it cool.

"Cobwebs and stuff." Niall dragged out the words slowly, clearly not believing them. Thankfully, Niall isn't one to push.

That night, Liam was just taking a shower when the water suddenly turned boiling hot. He flinched and stepped away and instantly, he saw his skin turn red at the spot like it was just about to turn into a proper burn. Great.

"Not funny, Harry!" Liam shouted, hoping Louis and Niall wouldn't hear him. Liam shook his head, he wasn't even mildly traumatized about the fact that Harry was probably here and seeing him naked because he has literally lost count of how many times Harry has played this same prank on him.

But he did feel a little surprised when he didn't hear Harry laugh in return. Usually, Harry has a hard time controlling his laughter. He wondered what happened today.

Just as Liam was about to get out of the bathroom, heavy smoke swirled around him. He took in the familiar scent of it which still sent chills down his bare spine.

"I knew you liked a good old drag, mate. It's okay, I mean, Louis smokes too." Liam said to the walls. "Pretty princess? Bullshit."

Liam coughed. "Okay, this is a bit intense. Do you mind till I get out?" Liam reached for the bathroom door handle but it was locked. He tried again but no luck. Liam sighed.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Harry. You got me. Now can you open the door?"

No reply.

"Dude, seriously, it's ha—" Liam coughed. "It's hard to breathe in here. Open the door, will you?"

Dead silence. Liam licked his dry lips while trying not to pass out. He rubbed his eyes as he felt them get watery. "Harry, mate, it's burning my eyes."

Liam didn't know how the fuck the smoke was growing so much. All he knew was that the scent of it was overpowering, it was making him sway a little. When he coughed next, he felt like he might cough his bloody lungs out. He got a grip on the door handle to keep himself from stumbling.

"Fuck," Liam gritted through his teeth. He tried to make his way toward the mirror over the sink but all the grey around him was literally choking him. His vision became blurry but he somehow managed to get hold of the edge of the sink. When he looked up, he saw that his eyes were bloodshot red. Liam forced his eyes shut and God, it felt like someone was piercing a thousand needles at the same time on the back of his head.

Liam's didn't know how to describe this agony anymore. Air was alternately taken away from him, leaving him gasping and heaving, and then slammed back into him, crushing his face. But when he finally opened his eyes and looked back up into the mirror, his blood turned cold.

Liam sees a boy. Liam sees a boy that is neither Louis nor Niall.

Liam sees a boy that isn't Harry either.

The more Liam looks at him, the more blurry he looks. He looks slightly out of focus, like a poorly taken photograph. But seconds later, he congealed into a form. Liam identified the malice right off his face. He stared at Liam with heavy lidded eyes and a slack mouth. His raven-black hair that were messily styled, turned metallic at the tips. His cheekbones accentuated the skeletal look and in his gaze, Liam's mind was robbed of emotion. Thick blue veins swelled through his wax paper skin. He wasn't as pale as Harry, no, his olive skin glowed. He floated with ease, something so graceful in the way his long fingers held a cigarette in one hand.

His lips were curled but Liam knew he wasn't smiling, for nothing in his face reflected the 'happiness' of that smile. His eyes were as empty as the nothingness from which he came. Liam's eyes still burnt, but he daren't blink.

"I do not want you here," The boy whispered, but his voice ringed in Liam's ears. "Get the fuck out of this place."

With that, he was gone.