Broken Glass [h.s.]

seventeen

Dove

"Let's stop here Styles, I think it's dark outside, and I'm kind of really tired. Wouldn't want to take the wrong turn" I say, and he gives me a weird glance.

"Don't I get to be called by my first name? I've started calling you Dove" he points out.

I pucker my lips. "Alright... Harry." His first name feels weird said out loud, it being only the second time I use it.

He gives me a smile at hearing his name, and it's worth it. "So what's on the menu this evening?" He says sarcastically and I open my backpack, looking inside.

"It's your lucky day, St-" I stop myself in time. "I mean, Harry. We have..." I pause and give him an amused glance. "You know that already. Apples" I say taking out one and throwing it to him.

"I think I've eaten more apples on this trip than I have in the last year" he says before taking a bite of it.

"Can't say the same" I reply, "Not everyone is that rich to dine with meat."

"I suppose so" he only says, glaring at the apple in his hand.

When we finish eating he takes his blanket and put it over himself, raising a corner for me to slide in, which I promptly do.

"Do you still hate me?" He muses as we press our bodies together to fight the cold air.

"Maybe a bit less" I whisper, turning my back to him.

He wraps his arm around my waist from behind. "I don't like that maybe."

"Too bad, you'll have to deal with it" I say before closing my eyes. I feel him move next to me, and after a few seconds the darkness surrounds us.

• • •

When I wake up again there's a faint light in the tunnel, and Harry is sitting a few feet away from me fumbling with his gun.

"What in the world are you doing?" I ask him sitting up and starting to redo my braid.

He looks up as I speak. "I'm cleaning it. Because I slept with it and there was dust."

I widened my eyes. "You slept... with your gun?" I hiss, trying not to think how bad that night could've ended.

"The safety was on" he replies, as if that settled it. "Don't look at me like that, I forgot it attached to my belt."

"Attached to your belt? You're lucky you didn't blow your dick off" I say, and he glares at me.

"I've already told you the safety was on." He goes back to polishing the metal as I huff annoyedly.

"What if it had come off?"

"Oh" he says looking up again. "I hadn't thought about that."

I just stare at him, not knowing what to even reply to his complete carelessness. I pull my backpack towards me and take an apple out. There's one missing, showing me that Harry has already had breakfast. I finish mine fast and I put the remaining core into another pocket of the bag with all the others, knowing that it's better not to leave them on the floor in case someone is following us.

"We should go now" I say out loud, and Harry stands up and puts his gun back into its place.

We keep walking, and after a while we reach a junction and stop abruptly.

"Do you know which one is it?" He asks me, but I motion him to shut up, trying to recall that day in the studio with his father.

"Where do you think is the Styles Mansion?" I ask him, having completely lost my sense of orientation.

"Well..." he starts, "the Styles Mansion faces directly the man road of the city centre, which goes straight into downtown. The Moon territory is on the left after downtown, and we got in from the neutral area between the city centre and it, so we went perpendicularly left to the main road. Then we took the straight main road of the Moon territory, went left and then turned right, and there was the entrance of the tunnels. In the tunnels we went left, and then right, left again and here we are. So the Styles Mansion should be in that direction" he concludes indicating a direction.

"Well aren't you great at geography" I mutter sarcastically.

"My father always deemed really important for a king to know his kingdom" he simply replies, making me nod.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're like his heir or something like that. And king? Is that what Mr Styles calls himself? What are we, in the 17th century?" I ask him with a snicker.

"He is the king of our city. He is the only person who rules it, and does however he pleases. How do you call it?" He replies defensively.

"I'd try with dictator if I were you" I say, "It's left, by the way. I can't remember exactly, but it's less risky. Left will bring us straight out, right would be the direction of Payne's territory."

We take that turn and we keep walking, hoping that it will actually lead in the right direction.

After a while we reach another junction, and we stop again.

"What about now? Still left?" He asks, but I shush him, taking one step closer to him.

In the darkness on the right there's something moving, our light being bright enough to allow us to slightly see something, but not enough to show us exactly what it is.

"I think there's someone on the right" I whisper to him, and he takes out his gun fast and points it in that direction.

He slowly takes one step forward giving me the light to hold, the polished metal shining as the light moves. "Who's there?" He asks out loud.

"Be careful" I whisper to him, not even knowing if I'm loud enough for him to hear me. I put the light on the floor and take my knife from the strap on my belt, gripping it hard, ready to fight if it'll come to that.

"I said, who's there!" He says again, "Come out right now or I'll shoot."

The thing in the darkness moves, coming out of its shelter and standing right in front of us.

I drop my knife in surprise, and it hits the floor jingling.

"Aaron?" I say out loud, not believing my eyes.

"Hello, Winters. Good morning Mr Styles" he says, and Harry lowers his gun, before putting it away.

"We thought you had died" he says, relieved.

"I had them follow me for a while, but then I managed to hide, and when nobody was around I got into the tunnel. I was searching for you, didn't expect to have got in before you if I have to be honest." His gun disappears into his dark cloak as well. "Where is Max?"

Harry looked down. "He didn't make it."

Aaron nods, not saying anything.

"You still have the map, don't you?" I ask him, and he looks at me.

"Sure thing, Winters. Shall we go? We have a town to leave."