Picturesque. (Niall Horan)

chapter 1

“You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control.”

― Megan Chance, The Spiritualist

 

Kaylie:

My body jerked up into a sitting position. I was covered in a cold sweat, and my heart was beating out of my chest. My breath was quick and shallow as I stared at the white wall across the room. Another nightmare. I reached over to the night stand and looked at the clock. The green numbers flashed 05:27. With a deep grunt, I threw my covers off my body and sat with my legs dangling off the side of the bed. I knew I would never be able to go back to sleep after this. I never could after a nightmare.

I repressed a sigh and used the little energy I had to get up and make a pot of coffee. My feet scuffed across the linoleum like a zombie as I waited for the brewing process to finish. That would give me at least a little energy this morning.

The wooden kitchen chair was colder than usual that October morning. I could already tell it was going to be a rough day. My lips slowly sipped on my drink as I watched the sun slowly peak from behind the London buildings. A very unusual calming feeling took over my frail body. It felt nice to just sit back and watch the sun come up. It was something I hadn't been able to do in what seemed like a life time.

Shortly after I finished my coffee, I threw the mug in the sink and traipsed back into my miniature bedroom. I rummaged through my dresser until I found the necessities for a shower. I snatched them up quickly, along with a towel, and stood in front of the mirror, waiting for my water to heat up. Standing in front of the mirror, I picked out all my flaws. My pale white fingers pinched my not so thing tummy. I sighed at the amount of loose skin there was. I stared at my chest for a moment. My breasts weren't large nor perky like those girls in the magazines. My eyes shifted to my all too flawed face. My pores were the size of craters, my nose resembling a squash, and my lips all too thin. My eyes did not twinkle like they should; they only remained a dull blue green. I sighed again and checked the water streaming from the shower head. It was as hot as it would get.

I was quick in and out of the shower, knowing I only had a small amount of hot water. My hair was wrapped in a towel when I dug out a clean uniform. It was a dull green polo shirt and a worn out pair of khakis. Lovely, isn't it? The second I put it on, I mentally cringed. I unwound my hair from the towel and tried to brush it out. When it was finally tangle free, I rolled it up into a neat little bun and started to find a pair of matching socks. That was a challenge within itself. After finally digging through a whole draw, I tied my shoes and was out the door to work.

Another day another dollar.

My job wasn't as bad as I make it out to seem. It was the cliché coffee shop on the corner of a London street. But it was nothing great. I had to deal with rude costumers getting nasty with me, getting yelled at by my boss, and spilling at least 6 different kinds of liquids on my apron a day. As I wound the corner and spotted the neon sign, I internally groaned  with horror. I could tell this was going to be a long day.

Niall:  

I kept my head low and watched my feet slowly take turns hitting the pavement. Absentmindedly, I tugged at my hood, trying to cover my head from the slight drizzle, and also trying not to get seen. Today was just not my day. But when I thought about it, I haven't had a good day in quite some time. Don't get me wrong, I live an amazing life, filled with fun and laughter. But I guess having everything is not as great has having someone to share it with.

Even though I have 4 amazing friends that I travel the world with, but I still couldn't help but feel lonely a lot. A voice in the back of my mind told me that I shouldn't feel this way because I have just about everything you could want in life. But the fame and the fortune take a toll on you after a while.