Two Pieces

"It's Just Us"

Sofia was calm. She was calm as she closed the door, asking the police for a minute. She was calm as she put the gun back. She was calm as she answered their few questions, and followed their directions to get the nearest adult relative on the phone. She was calm as she called her father, and he didn't pick up, and calm when she called Liam and explained that there were police on their front porch. She was calm now, as she leaned against the counter of her kitchen, watching form a distance as Liam and Danielle talked quietly with the police. She could only see their backs, but she could tell that they were not calm.

No one else was calm either, not like Sofia. Eleanor was moving quickly around the kitchen, trying to get tea ready to serve – whether it was for the police, or for them, Sofia didn't know. Louis wasn't calm, as he tried to reach her father again. Niall wasn't calm, as he called the other boys back from a job – and called others to put the clubs and other houses on lockdown. No one knew why the police had shown up at the door – but they couldn't be too careful.

Sofia remained calm and quiet, as Jay barged into the kitchen with Harry behind him – asking questions that no one knew the answers, and she was calm when Zayn slipped in, quietly asking her if she was okay, to which she could only nod. Everyone was in a panic, but Sofia wasn't.

She was calm because she was trained to be, she was calm because she knew that when the police came looking, the calmer you looked – the less they thought you had to hide. She was calm because she knew that they didn't come here looking for answers, she could tell by the look on
their face when she told them who she was. They came here to give their own answers, and she was pretty sure she knew why.

"He's not going to pick up," she said quietly to Louis, her voice gentle as she watched him dial for her father another time.

"Of course he is," Louis snapped, "He has to know what's going on..."

"Lou, he's not going to pick up..."

Her voice was gentle, but firm. Louis looked at her, his eyes wide as he took her in.

"What do you know? What did the police say to you?" he asked, putting the phone down.

"Nothing," she said, "They couldn't tell me anything, I'm underage. I don't know anything..."

"Then how do you know he isn't going to pick up?" Louis hissed, picking the phone back up.

"Just a guess," she said, but her voice was so quiet that she wasn't sure he had heard her.

It was the heart wrenching sob from the other side of the house that confirmed her thoughts. Eleanor jumped from the sound, clearly coming from Danielle, turning to the kitchen entrance. Eleanor wanted to go to her friend, everyone wanted to go to Danielle and Liam, to find out what was going on, but Sofia stayed still, as though the sob didn't affect her at all. She looked at the ground, still calm, still not giving anything away. No emotion, no thoughts, just calmness.

They listened for the front door to close, and knew that it wouldn't be long before Liam was in the kitchen. He would tell them what was going on. Sofia could feel eyes on her, and looking up she caught Harry's green orbs staring into her. She held his gaze, as though daring him to say something, but he didn't. He just leaned back in his chair, and watched her, never taking his eyes away from hers. Neither of them said anything, they just sized each other up, waiting for the other to break contact.

Both were distracted when Liam walked into the kitchen, Danielle throwing herself at Louis and Eleanor, who held her, hushing her cries, even though they weren't quite sure why she was crying. Sofia looked at her brother, his eyes were red and wet, he had been crying. Sofia hadn't seen her brother cry since they were kids, or his wedding day, but she didn't count that.

"What happened?" Jay asked, stepping towards him, but Liam held up his hand, looking directly at his sister.

"Come with me, Sof," he said quietly. She stared at her brother, holding his hand out to her, tears running down his face, and she knew. She knew what she had known all along. Her parents were dead.

"Both of them?" she asked quietly.

"Come on," Liam said, stepping towards her, "let's go talk... we can talk..."

"Just answer my question," she said, trying to keep her voice calm, everyone's eyes we're on the two siblings, "are they both dead?"

Danielle let out a small sob, and Eleanor let out a gasp. Jay moaned as though someone had punched him, while Niall jumped out of his chair.

"What are you talking about?" Zayn questioned

"Who?" Harry barked, but Sofia didn't take her eyes off her brother.

"Sofia, come on," Liam said, grabbing his sister's hand, but she didn't move, she just stared at him.

"They're both dead," she gasped, her voice was quiet, she was trying to remain calm, she was trying to keep everything together.

"Yes," Liam answered quietly, "Car accident tonight, both died on the scene."

The noises and questions that erupted around the siblings was none that Sofia had heard before. Some asking when, and if it was really an accident, Jay grabbing the phone because everyone needed to know as soon as possible, Eleanor was now crying and Louis was holding both girls up. Zayn was talking to Sofia, but she couldn't hear him. Neither Liam nor Sofia was paying attention to any of it, as they stared at each other. Liam had silent tears coming down his face, he gripped Sofia hard, and as though she was the last thing he had to hold onto.

She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't move. She had been expecting this from the moment the police showed up on her doorstep, and she had remained calm. But hearing her brother say the words, hearing it out loud that both her parents were dead, it shook Sofia to her core. She was no longer calm, she wasn't anything. Everything in her turned off, because if it didn't, she would have to feel, and she couldn't afford to feel right now.

"It's just us," Liam whispered to her, "We're the only ones left."

That was it, everything that her family had built, the gang that had its hold on most businesses and public offices, had come down to the two of them. Her father was dead, and in turn, so was the leader of the most powerful gang within miles. They were the only Payne's left in this world, this was their blood, this was their destiny, and they had no choice but to accept it.

"Say something," Liam insisted quietly, pulling her towards him. She was surprised when her feet moved, she didn't think they could. She didn't think she could do anything, but merely exist. What was she supposed to say? If she opened her mouth, she was sure she would either cry out or throw up.

"Sofia, you're scaring me," Liam said quietly in her ear, as he pulled her in for a hug.

She still couldn't respond. Just a few hours ago, she was hoping that they wouldn't come home, and now they weren't. They were never coming home. She would never eat her mother's cooking, or see her smile again. She would never banter with her father, or train with him again. They would never argue, or yell, or laugh together. They would never have another holiday, or family meal. They would never see what Sofia became; they would never see Liam have children.

She could feel her heart cracking in her chest. At the end of the day, no matter what they said and did, they were her parents. She felt a deep sadness in knowing that they would never see her again, and an even deeper anger when she processed how quickly they were ripped away from her. She felt guilty, because she wished that they wouldn't come back. And she felt confused and anxious, because she wasn't sure where they were all going to go from here.

"Sofia, say something, what are you thinking?" Liam hissed, he was shaking her a bit, "Sofia, talk to me..."

She had all these feelings, all these emotions, and she didn't know what to do with them. She wasn't supposed to feel, she had been trained not feel. These kind of emotions, and how deeply she was feeling them, they could throw her off her game, they could throw her off everything. She had to turn them off, if she didn't, she wouldn't survive.

Her father always warned this could happen, most people didn't come out of gang life alive – or happy he would say. Death was always a possibility, and it was something we had to push forward from. Crying or sobbing or feeling sad, wouldn't bring them back. These things happen, he would say. And he was right to warn them, because he was in charge, and he was the biggest target. But she never thought it would actually happen, she never thought he would actually ever die. Her father seemed invincible, like he would live forever. She was wrong. He wasn't invincible, he wouldn't live forever. He was dead. And so was her mother.

"I think she's in shock," she heard Niall whisper.

"Shut up," snapped Zayn.

"Sofia, come on," Liam whispered, and Sofia pushed away from him, looking him in the again, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sofia said quietly, pulling away from her brother, "I'm fine."


***


"What am I supposed to do?" Liam asked Danielle, as they sat at the kitchen table the next morning. It had been a late night, Liam telling everyone what the police had told him, and then making sure that everyone who needed to know heard the news. Sofia didn't say anything the rest of the night, she just sat quietly, taking everything in. When she finally did go to bed, she drug Zayn up with her – Liam thought because he would distract her, she was always looking for a distraction.

It was her lack of reaction that had Liam worried, he wasn't sure if she was suppressing her emotion, and it was all going to bubble over later or if she was really so far gone inside that she wasn't feeling anything anymore.

"Liam, you can do this, I know you can," Danielle said quietly, taking his hand, "I think you need to look at this as your chance... I know it's sad, and I'm going miss your parents, and I'm sorry this happened, but this is your chance to help her, Liam..."

Liam looked up at his wife, his face cocked to the side in confusion. He wasn't quite sure what Danielle was getting at, and he needed her to explain further.

"What do you mean?" he asked

"For weeks Liam you've complained about how you have no control, how you have no power, about how you would do things differently... about how you would handle Sofia. For weeks, you've worried and you've complained, and you've fought. But, now, you can help her. Now, you have the control and the power, and you are in charge. You're in charge of her, and you're in charge of the gang. Now you have the power to change everything. You finally have what you've wanted, Li..."

"This is not what I wanted. Not at this price, not at the of my parents, though," he growled, standing up, "I didn't want it like this..."

"I know that!" Danielle said, standing up and approaching him, "I know you never wanted that. But, maybe this happened for a reason..."

"What reason?" Liam barked, spinning towards her, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Maybe they were lost, so that you could step in..." Danielle said quietly, still holding eye contact with him, even though he was angry, "Maybe this was God's way of giving you a way..."

"A way to what?" Liam hissed at her, angry that she was saying such things.

"A way to save Sofia," Danielle said quietly. Her words hit Liam at the very core of his heart. Danielle was right, that was all he had wanted to do. He wanted to make his sister human again; he wanted to make her a normal teenager. He wanted to save her from their father, and save her from herself. He wanted to change things so that Sofia wasn't free to run around, doing whatever she pleased. He wanted to change things, so that she in return would change.

"I don't know if I can..." Liam said quietly, and Danielle walked to him, knowing that he had calmed down.

"Liam, you've always wanted a family..." Danielle said quietly, "You always wanted a house full of laughter and fun, and occasional fighting. You wanted family dinners, and conversations that didn't revolve around work and jobs. You've always wanted a family, and you were never allowed to have it. It's why you married me, so that we could create that together. Because I always wanted that too, and I wanted it with you. But, now you can have it, and you can have it with the one person you've always wanted it with. You can have it with Sofia..."

"What if she doesn't want it?" Liam asked

"It's not about what she wants, Liam. She's a child. It's about what's best for her, even if she doesn't see it or she doesn't want it. I know your sister, she is going to fight you on every change made around here, but this is our responsibility now. She is our responsibility. She's a child and... she..."

"And she needs to be treated like one," Liam said, finishing Danielle's sentence, "You're right. This isn't about what she wants. It's about what's best for her. And I believe having a normal, family setting when she comes home would be best."

"So, what do you want to do? Bring her to the apartment?" Danielle asked.

"No, we should move in here... I don't want to take her from her home," Liam said quietly, "And maybe... maybe we should fill the house a little bit, make it more of a home..."

"What do you mean?" Danielle asked, looking up at him.

"How would you feel about having the boys move in?" Liam asked her, grabbing her hand, "I'm going to need all the help I can get, and their going to be taking on head roles in the gang now. I know we're married, and we should be enjoying time to ourselves – but I just... maybe..."

"I think it's a really good idea, I think we all need each other right now, and I think the more eyes on your sister, the better," Danielle said.

"More eyes on her?" a voice questioned, both turned to see Zayn standing in the kitchen.

"Sofia still asleep?" Liam asked immediately, taking in Zayn's appearance. His hair was a mess, and he was only in his boxers, leaving Liam to believe he was right – that Sofia used him as a distraction last night.

"Sound asleep, once she was out she was out," Zayn answered quietly, he didn't mention that she was probably exhausted after begging him to fuck her with his fingers, instead of talking like he wanted to, "What were you saying about more eyes?"

"Yeah, sit down," Liam said quietly, "I want to ask you something."


***

When Sofia finally woke up, the house was full of people. She quietly made her way down to the kitchen for some water, wondering why all of these people were in her house. When she entered the kitchen she found Zayn, Harry, Eleanor, and Danielle.

"Sofia!" Danielle cried standing up, "Can I get you something to eat?"

Sofia stood there silently, blinking a few times, as though trying to adjust to what was going on.

"Um, what's going on?" Sofia asked finally, looking back at all the people.

"People are organizing the funeral, and we also have real estate people here, and movers," Danielle said, approaching Sofia, and putting a hand on her shoulders.

"Movers?" Sofia asked, allowing Zayn to take her hand and pull her towards him.

"For me and Liam," Danielle explained, not sure if she should mention who else the movers were here for.

"What can I get you, Sofia?" Eleanor asked, "Anything?"

"Um, I'm not very hungry right now," Sofia said, trying to find confidence in her voice.

"You should eat," Zayn said quietly, squeezing her hand.

"Ah, Sofia," a man said, walking into the kitchen, she recognized him as the funeral director, Liam right behind him, "Just the girl I wanted to see..."

"Me?"

"Yes, dear," the funeral director said, "With the funeral in 4 days, I need you to get together what you want to say..."

"What?" Sofia gasped.

"Henry, she just woke up," Liam warned, looking at his sister, "Sofia, come on.. let's go talk, somewhere quieter."

"The funeral is in four days?" Sofia asked, she swayed a bit on her feet, the noise of the house getting to her.

"Yes," Henry said, not even noticing how pale she had gotten, "And usually the children say something..."

"You want me to talk?" Sofia gasped

"Henry, enough," Liam growled

"Sofia, it's okay," Zayn whispered

"Liam, maybe we should clear the house a bit," Harry growled, standing up, "A little privacy would be nice right now."

"You want me to talk?" Sofia repeated.

"You don't have to," Harry said, "Liam... the people..."

"Yeah, clear them out," Liam said, "I'll help you. Sofia, stay here. Sit. Get something to eat."

"This is too much," Danielle whispered, gripping Sofia as she swayed again.

Zayn helped her into a seat; where Sofia sat quietly, wondering what she would even begin to say. What does someone say at a funeral? Let alone one for their parents. She didn't even notice the people clearing out of the house. She didn't notice Danielle place food in front of her. She couldn't hear Zayn talking to her, or the cars starting outside. Everything went completely blank. Except for the song. She had kept hearing the song over and over again in her sleep last night, but when she woke up this morning, she couldn't place it. The same melody again and again. Where was it from? Why was it in her head?

"Sofia –" Liam said, his voice calling her from her hazy state of mind, "I'm sorry – it was a lot to wake up to. You shouldn't have to –"

"I don't want to talk," Sofia said, she meant for her voice to come out calm and confident, but it sounded panicked instead. Liam's eyes widened, she didn't sound like a sixteen year old, and she sounded so much younger. She sounded like a child, a child who was lost and scared, and not quite sure what to do.

"You don't have to," Liam said, quietly, gripping her shoulder and pulling her up so he could hug her, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. But, we do have to talk about some things..."

"Maybe save it for later, Liam," Louis suggested quietly, as he watched Sofia stiffen at Liam's words, "Sofia, a shower might make you feel better..."

"A shower?" she questioned, repeating his words, "Yeah... um, but maybe after a run..."

"I don't know if that's –" Liam started

"Please, Liam," Sofia said, her voice cracking, "Please. I just need to get out of this house. I just need to run."

To Liam, he heard his sister begging to get out of the house that reminded her so much of their parents. But Harry heard something different; she was begging him to let her run from reality. She didn't want to be here, she didn't want to deal with this. Harry was about to object, not caring if it was his place or not. Sofia couldn't run from this, she had to deal with it. If she didn't, the consequences could be tragic. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he was interrupted.

"I'll run with you," Zayn said, standing up, "Go get changed."


***


The Sofia that had emerged in the days after her parent's death was not the Sofia that Liam was used to. She was quiet, and calm. She was helpful, putting together the house with Danielle, and the funeral with Liam. She didn't say much, but she didn't argue either. She went through the motions of everyday, almost as though nothing had happened. The best Liam could describe it was as though she weren't really there, there was nothing behind her eyes, she was just doing what she had to.

He wasn't worried though; this seemed normal for a teenager that had just lost her parents. She wasn't drinking, or sneaking out. She wasn't fighting; she wasn't being rude or aggressive. Liam had been expecting her to snap, but instead she remained calm and cool. He found himself relieved, wondering if this was a turning point for her.

"I can't believe their moving in," Sofia mumbled to Emily and Katie, as she watched the four boys unload things from their cars.

"Well, Liam needs all the help he can get," Katie said, "Next week he officially takes over, and he's going to be overwhelmed. It makes sense that they're moving in."

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, grabbing her friends hand.

"Yeah," Sofia nodded, her voice quiet, "I always knew this could happen, dad prepared us..."

"Nothing can prepare you for something like this," Emily said quietly, "I wish you would talk about it."

"What's there to talk about?" Sofia asked, standing up quickly, moving away from Emily's soothing voice and towards the kitchen. Liam was in there, sitting next to Jay, going through papers. He looked up the second his sister came through the door.

"Do they have to move in?" Sofia asked

"We've had this discussion," Liam said, "You know the answer..."

"But Liam,' Sofia hissed, "I don't want them here. I don't even understand why they're here. They can totally be your head guys without living here..."

"They aren't just here to help me with the gang," Liam said, standing up,
"They're here to help me with you too..."

"Me?" Sofia questioned, giving her brother a confused look, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how I'm your legal guardian, and as far as I'm concerned, they are too," Liam said, "I don't know the first thing about raising a sixteen year old, I'm going to need help."

"Raising a sixteen year old?" Sofia snapped, "Have you lost your mind? I am raised!"

"No, you aren't," Liam said, standing up, "I'm not arguing about this with you. I know there have been a lot of changes – and I'm sorry. But I have to do what's best for you, whether you like it or not."

"I don't want this," Sofia growled, staring at him with her eyes narrowed.

"I don't care what you want, Sofia," Liam said quietly, "It's not about what you want anymore..."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sofia growled

"I'm not talking about this right now," Liam said, "We can discuss everything after the funeral, when things have calmed down... when you're ready to discuss it."

"When I'm ready?" Sofia barked, "You're changing everything, Liam! And you won't even let me have a say! Who do you think you are?!"

"I'm your big brother!" Liam barked back, "And right now, I'm the only parent you have."

"You're NOT my parent!" Sofia screeched, "Just because they're dead, doesn't mean you're my parent! Just because some paper calls you my guardian, it doesn't mean anything! So if you think you are going to come in here and boss me around.. you are mistaken! You're not in charge, Liam!"

"That's where you're wrong, little sister," Liam said quietly, "Because actually, I am."

Sofia stopped breathing; it was the growl in his voice that changed everything. Hearing him say it, made it hit her harder. He was in charge. Liam was taking over. Liam was in charge of her, as a guardian and as a gang leader. Her father was gone. Liam was her brother, her guardian, and her boss.

"Oh my God," Sofia gasped, as though it was finally hitting her.

"Sofia, breathe," Liam said, watching as reality hit his sister hard. He gripped her shoulders, not sure what her reaction was going to be.

"Oh my god," Sofia repeated, shaking her head. She looked up at Liam with wide, terrified eyes.

"Sofia –"

"Oh my god," she gasped again, "He's gone. You're – oh my god."

"I need you to breathe," Liam said, shaking her bit, "Come on, Sofia. You're all right. It's okay. It's going to be okay."

Sofia froze again, her eyes glazing over as his voice hit her ears. He was promising her it was going to be okay. He was in charge now – because their father was gone. Their parents were gone. She looked at the table; Liam was signing papers to take over. He was in charge because their father was never coming back. Stepping away from her brother, Sofia heard the song again. The same song, the one she still couldn't place. She looked at Liam, biting her lip, trying not to cry, trying not show how much he had just shaken her to her core.

"Sofia, we talk about this..." Liam said quietly, "I know it's a lot, let's talk..."

"Talk about what?" Sofia asked quietly, looking at him, "There's nothing to talk about."

"Sofia, that's not true, you know that's not true," Liam said, stepping towards her.

"I can't," Sofia gasped, stepping back, shaking her head. Her wide eyes and step back caused Liam to stop.

"Okay," he agreed. She wasn't ready and he was going to respect that,
"Okay..."

"I... think... I'm going to take a nap," Sofia whispered, turning from her brother.

"Let her go, Liam," she heard Jay tell Liam as she escaped the kitchen, "She needs to process this her way."


***

"He didn't deserve to die the way he did," the old man said to Sofia. It wasn't the first time she had heard that today, and it wouldn't be the last.

The funeral had been full of people who were looking at her with sympathetic eyes and repeating cliché after cliché. Sofia looked at the old man, her eyes blank, but about to explode.

This was it, this was the scream that had been in her stomach the last week, making it's way up into her throat. It was right there, she was going to completely lose it, and she couldn't stop it. Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder, she looked up to see Harry, his eyes warning her.

"Excuse us," Harry said to the old man, pulling Sofia away. She didn't object as Harry led her through the living room and into the kitchen. He pushed her gently out the door. Sofia turned to see Harry closing the door behind him. He turned to her, and she couldn't hide her curiosity.

"You looked like you were ready to explode," he said, answering her unasked question.

"Well, thank you," she said quietly, before taking a seat on her porch, surprised when Harry sat next to her.

Harry had moved in with the other boys just a few days ago, although neither Sofia or Harry knew why Liam had asked him. They didn't really know each other, in fact, Sofia was pretty sure they didn't even like each other. She wasn't sure what made Harry grab her, he had been doing his best to avoid her after he moved in. He kept to himself, really. Neither of them said anything, both wondering what it was that compelled Harry to step in and save Sofia from exploding in the house.

Harry didn't care about Sofia, outside of her being a part of his gang, and his friends little sister. But, he felt bad for her, it was obvious she was struggling, and he recognized himself in her over the last week. He had been watching her, especially today. He wasn't sure what made him realize that she needed to get out of the house, but before he could even process what he was doing – he was pulling her out. It was like his body was controlling him.

"Well," Harry said suddenly, surprising himself, "this really fucking sucks."
Harry was relieved when Sofia bust into laughter, his words effecting her like no one else's had. The tension between the two of them was broken, the awkwardness gone. He was being honest and blunt, something Sofia could appreciate about him.

"Yeah it does," she agreed, her voice giving away her sadness, and the first tear she had all day running down her face. She tried to hide them from Harry, but it was too late, he had seen them. Before Harry could stop himself, he was grabbing her hand, surprising her again. She looked at him, a small smile on her face as he continued to hold her hand. He didn't have to comfort her, she knew he didn't even like her, but here he was doing it anyway. She couldn't help but appreciate his effort. Again, the same melody played in her head, causing Sofia to groan.

"You okay?" Harry asked, his voice concerned.

"I have a song stuck in my head, just one little part," Sofia said, "And I can't place it for the life of me. It's like it's stalking me."

"What is it?" Harry asked, "Hum it."

Sofia looked at him a little weary, unsure of if she wanted to embarrass herself in front of him. But the need to recognize the song overpowered the need to keep her pride so she let out a tiny, off key hum. Harry's eyes scrunched, as though he recognized the song.

"Sounds like Jack and Dianne," Harry said thoughtfully. Sofia tried to think of if she had ever heard the song before.

"You know, if it was in key..." Harry added playfully, causing Sofia to shove him.

"Shut up," she snapped, and Harry let out a laugh. The door opened behind them, and Louis and Zayn slipped out, both looking confused as they saw Harry and Sofia on the porch – laughing together. There was a glint in both their eyes that Sofia couldn't quite place, as though they were seeing something or knew something she didn't. The four of them said nothing, letting the comfortable silence take over.


***

The house was finally quiet as everyone settled into the living room. Tea and cookies were on the coffee table, and everyone was in more comfortable clothing. The living room was quiet, everyone too exhausted to speak. After a week of a loud house, it was finally quiet. That's why when the loud music came from the office, everyone jumped in surprise.

"What the fuck?" Liam hissed, standing up, and rushing towards his dad's office – everyone behind him.

Liam stopped suddenly in the doorway when he saw Sofia sitting in their dad's chair. The familiar glazed look in her eyes, as the music filled the room. Liam recognized the song from their father's work out playlist. It would often play in the background of their training sessions, becoming the soundtrack to their father's instructions. Liam tried to step forward, but a hand grabbed him.

"Don't," Harry said, watching Sofia, "Let her listen."

The familiar melody of the Jack and Dianne was playing in the office, as Sofia sat with her chin against her knees, staring at nothing. Her eyes were glazed over, and again, it was like she was in a trance. The familiar look of nothing behind her eyes took over, and it scared Liam as much as it left him relieved. This seemed normal, this seemed like her way of grieving. Sofia didn't move, she didn't even notice that anyone had made their way into the office. She just sat, her eyes fixated on the air in the room, not moving, letting the music rush over her.

"Well, I guess if blasting music is the worst of it," Liam said, shrugging, "I can handle that."

Suddenly as the bridge of the song played, Sofia jolted in the chair, as though breaking out of the trance. She finally heard the melody playing in her head over the last week.

Gonna let it rock
Let it roll
Let the Bible belt come down
And save my soul

Hold on to 16 as long as you can
Changes come around real soon
Make us women and men


***

"Liam," Harry said, stepping into his friends office later that night, long after everyone was asleep.

"Come on in," Liam said, looking up, "What's up?"

"Liam, I'm worried about your sister..." Harry said quietly, unsure if he was overstepping his boundaries.

"Why? Did something happen?" Liam asked

"No, but the way she's been acting over the last week... it's concerning..." Harry said.

"Well, she did just loose her parents, Harry," Liam said, "I think she's handling it really well."

"Liam, I never knew how to deal with my anger or my emotions. I just didn't deal with them like normal people did, and when my dad died, it made it worse. I couldn't deal with anything, I didn't know how. And your sister, she's been trained not to deal with anything... so she really doesn't know how..." Harry said, his voice quiet, as he sat down across from Liam.

"I'm aware," Liam said, his voice stiff.

"At first, I tried numbing the emotions. Anything I could do, not to think about it, drugs and alcohol, anything that would make it go away..." Harry said quietly, looking at Liam.

"I know, you've told me," Liam said.

"And then I realized that nothing, no amount of drugs or alcohol numbs pain like that, so I started looking for ways to feel it. Some people cut, some people burn, I ... fought. I fought everyone and everything, and got the shit beaten out of me again and again. Anything to feel the pain I was feeling on the outside, on the inside..."

"I KNOW HARRY," Liam barked, "What does this have to do with Sofia?"

"Liam, don't you get it? We've been waiting for the catalyst that would send your sister over the edge, the one that would totally make her loose it..."

"Yeah? And?" Liam asked, getting frustrated.

"I think we just got it," Harry said, "Your parents are dead. There's no bigger catalyst then that..."

"What are you saying, Harry?" Liam growled.

"I'm saying that I'm worried about your sister. I'm seeing myself in her, Liam. I'm seeing the same signs, and it scares me. It should scare you too. I think we're in the cam before the storm. I don't think she's dealing with this as well as you think she is, and it's only a matter of time before spins out of control."

"You think my sister is going to spin out of control?" Liam laughed, Harry wasn't telling him something he didn't already know.

No, I'm saying I think your sister is already spinning out of control," Harry said quietly, "And I don't think there's any stopping her..."