Speed ➢ harry styles

Ch. 6 ~ 3 East 3rd Street

I returned to my hotel room after spending the entire evening with Leo in the bar and kicked off my boots. I lied on my bed, which was a little too fluffy, and stared at the plain white ceiling. I suspected Anella to have suicidal tendencies, so the thought of her drowning herself like Penny had really perturbed me.

That night I tossed and turned dreaming of a drowning girl. She had hazel eyes and straight dark brown hair that appeared black as her hair became submerged in the water of the Hudson. She kept sinking and sinking and I felt helpless. I woke up breathing heavily. I couldn't save her in my dream. One moment Anella was in my arms as we watched the sunset by the Hudson and in another she's backing away from me until she reaches the river's edge. "I have to go now, Harry," she had whispered, her voice growing very distant. Then she fell backwards with a loud splash and sunk until she'd ran out of breath, with me unable to help her in time. Not once did she come up for air. 

I gazed at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was 5 am. I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn't. My mouth suddenly felt dry so I made my way over to the self serve mini fridge in my hotel room and poured myself some sparkling water. I was feeling very restless so I decided that there was no use going back to sleep now.

I went to the bathroom and turned on the tap. The sound of the running water made me shudder and an image of a girl's pale face and body, that looked painfully akin to Anella, lying on the bottom of the Hudson River flashed through my mind. I rubbed my eyes as if to wipe away the grisly image. A knocking on the door my room made me jump. "Room service! Your breakfast is ready, sir," a voice called out. I had forgotten that I'd ordered breakfast last night. 

"Yes come in, you can place it on the table right there, thanks." I said reaching into my pocket to tip the woman.

After I had breakfast I was determined to start my search for Anella today. I couldn't waste any more time and with image of the drowning girl haunting me, I worried for Anella's life. I hope she was doing okay wherever she was right now. So I opened Rodrick's email and decided to start my search at 3 East 3rd Street. After donning my disguise of a beret and a fake mustache to avoid recognition, I took a cab and it only took about fifteen minutes. There was the dormitory style residency that Rodrick had mentioned. It was cleverly titled 3 East 3rd Dorm and was a simple brown three story building. As I stood there awkwardly dressed in my itchy fake facial hair, I realized that I hadn't planned what I was going to do when I got there. Should I even go inside? I decided against it when a sign that read: Visitors not accepted without appointment, caught my eye. 

I felt defeated and it was just my second day in Brooklyn. What the hell was I supposed to do now? "Can I help you?" I heard from behind me. I turned around to face a woman standing on the steps of the dormitory, that looked like she was in her mid thirties.

"Um, yeah you can. Has a girl by the name of Anella Delaney ever stayed here?"

"Hmm...I'm not sure I can disclose that information to you sir," she says.

"Please, I'm just asking if she has ever stayed here, I'm not asking for any of her personal information. You could tell me that couldn't you?" I plead.

"Well...I suppose I could. You can come in while I check my computer," She says and I follow her inside.

"Thank you so much," I tell her. 

"Mhm. What was the first name again? Spell it for me?" 

"Anella, A-N-E-L-L-A."

"Anella Delaney, you say?" My face lights up at the sound of this. I guess I'm making great progress here after all.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hmm there was a Ms. Anella Delaney who stayed here about two weeks ago. It was the weirdest thing, she paid for a week but stayed two days and left just like that."

"Did she leave any belongings behind? What was she like? Did she look distraught?" I bombarded the poor woman with questions. 

She gives me a puzzled look but answers anyway. "Her room was clean except for this piece of notepad paper and as far as what she looked like, I'm not sure. I don't pay that much attention."

"Notepad paper? Do you still have it?"

"I don't know but the cleaning lady Rosie must have discarded it. Why is knowing this so important to you, if I may ask?" She narrows her eyes at me.

"I'm looking for her. She's my childhood friend and no one knows where she is. That piece of paper could've been the clue I needed," I answer honestly.

She shook her head. "Well I don't know what else to say, I told you all I could."

"Where would I find this cleaning lady?" 

She shook her head again. "She comes in on Fridays. You just missed her, she was here yesterday."

I felt frantic. I'd come this far and I was not going to leave empty handed. "Could you perhaps call Ms. Rosie? Please? This could be the clue I need."

"I could give it a shot, but to be honest, sir finding a person in a huge city like New York is not an easy task." She dialed a number and I listened to the dial tone beep. Rosie didn't pick up on the first try.

"Try it again. One more time?" She nodded and tried once again. This time Rosie picked up. 

"Hello Rosie, a young man is here asking about a piece of paper you may have found in room..." She glanced at her computer. "Room 5? Yes it was that girl's room who left within two days without notice. Oh? Really? Yes I will, if it's okay with you? Thanks Rosie, goodbye."

"What did she say?" I was a bit on edge. Okay maybe I was really on edge.

She smiled at me as she put the receiver down. "Rosie still has the piece of paper but there's one thing..."

"What?!" I was anxious.

"She's leaving for vacation tomorrow and she won't be here until January 16th so she says you're welcome to pay her a visit in her in her home to get the piece of paper. If you choose not to, you can wait until the 16th and come to me and get it. What do you choose to do?"

I thought about it for a minute. If I waited too long it would be just a bunch of time wasted on my part. I should go even though I was truly scared of visiting a stranger in her home. What if she drugged me and chopped my body into a bunch of pieces and stored me in her freezer? I shuddered at the thought. Then again. maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration and I should watch less horror movies. "I'll visit her in her home." I said finally.

"Alright," the woman scrawled something on the back of a business card. "This is her address and don't worry she's just as frightened about having a stranger in her home as you are about visiting a stranger. I told her that you looked trustworthy, so if you decide to do anything funny. Like maybe rob the place or something." She gestured to the security cameras on the ceiling. "Don't forget that you're the prime suspect."

"Um of course not. Thank you for your help ma'am." I took the card from her.

"You're welcome. Good luck! I hope you find that girlfriend of yours."

I opened my mouth to say that Anella was not necessarily my girlfriend but then I closed it again. I waved a goodbye instead because then again, girlfriend did have a better ring to it then childhood friend.