Alcatraz

Prologue

Zayn Malik. One of the most notorious gangsters of the twenty-first century.

Niall Horan. Just your average University journalism student.

The two were so different from each other. They were never supposed to come in contact at all.  They were never supposed to form a bond. But most of all, they were never supposed to fall in love.

But how did the story of the two’s unlikely relationship start?

Rewind a bit and you’d find Niall sitting in his boring wooden desk, listening intently as his Journalism teacher droned on endlessly about writer bias and correct punctuation usage. It was always the same: sit through a lecture for an hour and then free-write until dismissed for the day, only to come back the next day to repeat the cycle. One day, however, Niall sat down, prepared for the usual routine, and was surprised when the teacher announced a new project the class would be starting that week.

Each student was to do a research project and a subsequent “time piece” based on an important historical figure. The topics Niall’s peers chose tended to be mundane and very similar in nature. George Washington, Christopher Columbus, General Robert E. Lee, and so the list went on. Not that Niall didn’t hold those men in great reverence, it was just that they were the topic of history lectures year after year, and quite frankly, he was sick and tired of hearing the same information about the country’s first president, or the man who discovered America, or the Civil War hero spit at him time and time again.

The next day in class, as the rest of the students recited which historical figure they’d be researching in depth, Niall’s foot jiggled up and down nervously under his desk. Everyone else had chosen someone who had done the nation a great service. Niall’s selection had done much the opposite. He was a liability to American society, a parasite, and that was why he’d been stuck in the highest security prison in the nation until the government could decide what to do with him. Niall had always been able to see the good in people, however, and believed whole-heartedly that the man wasn’t all bad. He’d just made a few poor decisions here and there like everyone else in the world. It just turned out that the mobster’s wrongdoings were a little more public and, well, against the law.

Niall had always been interested in criminals and that was why he picked the most famous one of all: Zayn Malik.

What came next after what Niall thought was simply another ordinary decision on what to write his next essay on, he could never have predicted. His was the story that went from dusty chalkboards, wooden pencils, and sleepless nights fueled by coffee, to letters scribbled under the lamplight in the dead of night, flurries of letters with the same neat handwriting pinned all over the white walls, and most importantly, it became the story of a boy who fell hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with a man whom the rest of the world despised.

And that chapter of the boy’s story begins with a simple letter.

*This story is going to be loosely based off the life of Al Capone who was a gangster in 20th century America. He was famously incarcerated in Alcatraz prison, hence the title of the book. Like I said, this is looselybased off of Capone’s life, so I won’t be following things exactly. It’ll be a modern-day take on events similar to his life. I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies with the American law system as I have very little idea about how it works, although I’ve researched things a bit. Enjoy!*

Edit: I absolutely despise the cover (I’m awful at manips and cover-making in general, can you tell?), so any submissions for a new one would be greatly appreciated! You’d most definitely get a dedication and I’d be forever greatful to you! Thanks everyone xx

VOTE<FAN<COMMENT< Love you <3

(Let me know what you think! The first letter is written already, I’m just waiting on feedback, so the more I get, the faster I’ll post!)