Frozen Waves Trilogy

(FWT) #4: Mad World

Summary: An Epilogue of sorts for Frozen Waves.

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Niall couldn't believe he was there right now. It had happened so long ago, almost seemed like a bad distant dream, but he knew it was real. He still felt it in his heart at times and looking down at the grass and the flowers in front of the cold stone made him realize just how real the bad dream had been.

Every year he'd come back, sit down, look and touch the stone and just cry. It wasn't fair that it had happened, but over time the wound scabbed and healed, letting Niall live on. Sure it wasn't the best life, he felt alone most of the time, but it was his life.

His parents began to work more and more and Niall barely got to see them. It was a terrifying experience to have no one there for him for such a long time. He had his brothers though, all of them, even if it took forever, but he had them there for him.

10 years were a long time to try and get over something. It had been an entire decade. Every year Niall spent living while his brother, his twin, the one he was closest to had stopped aging, decomposing in the soil and every single September, Niall would sit, cry and beg for Harry to come back.

He didn't show it. Most people had forgotten Harry even existed. When his friends came over and saw pictures they just thought Harry was a close friend, none ever asked and Niall never told them.

Louis had moved out, he was now living with his long time girlfriend, they were even expecting a child. Niall was so happy for them. Louis had always wanted a family. He wanted someone to take care of. After Niall Louis had been the most affected.

He never managed to be himself. Louis would sleep with this stuffed animal that Harry had always slept with. He stole it, in the middle of the night snuck into the twins' shared room, took the stuffie and then every night cuddled it to his chest.

Niall had been pretending to sleep and the next morning when he saw the toy gone he knew Louis had taken it. He knew Louis cried, because he'd come down with puffy red eyes, tear tracks on his cheeks. Niall knew Louis wasn't as strong as he liked to be.

Zayn, he was off somewhere with his basketball. He really made it big... well for England. He played in some league in Germany. Not the money you'd make in the NBA, but Zayn was a healthy 26 year old, living the life of a pro athlete, lots of work outs, awkward interviews, all of which Niall watched, and he even managed to win and lead his team.

Liam... Liam was 24, just finished his graduate studies and looking for a job. He was still living at home with Niall and their dad's though soon to move out, once him and his two friends got the jobs they wanted. Niall knew it and he knew that once Liam left, he wouldn't know what to do with himself anymore.

Never before had Niall ever truly been alone.

Sure, as a child he'd often felt neglected, felt alone and cut off from his family, but he'd never truly been alone and gone from them. This was probably the last time he'd be at the cemetery of his twin when at least one of his brothers lived with him.

Niall was dreading it, the day Liam would leave. Liam was the only one Niall had left. Sure, he loved his dad's but they were so focused on work. Every single day was another day for them to make money to be part of the company and Niall was so proud, but he just wished they'd been around more.

It seemed like after Harry died, the whole glue was gone. No more family nights, no more laughter all of them together. Each boy went and did their own things. Louis with his focus on family. Zayn on basketball and Liam somehow forgot all about the drugs and all he wanted was a good education. Niall didn't know.