“Keira? I’m going to head out now, and let you shower up and get to know the boys. Your parents will stop by in the morning and explain everything.” the older man maintains eye contact with me as he disappears down the grand staircase. An explanation would be lovely right now, but I sense that I won’t get anything out of these boys. At least I managed to figure out that I’m with the good guys, and my parents.
“Oh, um, bye then, I guess,” I glanced at him, still trying to figure out who he was. I turn to the boys, speechless.
“Don’t feel bad about going to shower, love, we wouldn’t mind either,” Harry says while waving me off with one hand. “Go on, Keira, unless you want me to join you?” his first jab hit home, but the flirtatious second sentence made up for his insult. Niall, who I can already tell is cheeky and laughs a lot, cracks up. His laugh is loud and full of character; it’s a very different laugh. It’s not a chuckle, or a giggle, or a scoff. He full out laughs, and is comfortable in his own skin. I admire him for that, since I am about the same age as all the boys yet I question myself daily. It may be that I grew up with a disapproving mother, always expressing her desire for a better daughter.
“I’ll pass, but thanks Harry. First I need to get clean before I shower with you.” I chuckle, and wink at Harry. My comment sets Niall off again, and Harry looks disbelieving. Before he can try to clarify, I quickly say, “Joking, boys.” and march back into my room, not looking back.
There is a mattress on the floor of the biggest room, with all my suitcases piled up at the end of the bed. Immeasurably large casement windows lay opposite the mattress, without curtains. The plain, dark cream coloured walls practically beg for a splash of colour, and I can’t wait to start redesigning this room. A white radiator rests next to the door, taking away the cool fall chill that threatens to seep through the windows.
I walk through the door next to the casements and step onto a floor of heated marble. I suppress the urge to lie down on the warm floor, and instead marvel at the rest of the bathroom. It is a little smaller than my bedroom, and contains a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall mirror on the wall opposite my bedroom door. There is a ceramic toilet, and a sink on a marble countertop. Underneath the sink, in the oak cabinets, are shelves already labeled. Captions saying things like ‘Painkiller’ and ‘Other meds’, ‘tooth care’ and ‘feminine hygiene’ indicate empty shelves. I hope someone packed me my toiletries bag; otherwise I’d be in trouble.
An archway in the mirrored wall leads into a room with a shower and a sauna. This house never fails to impress me, and I’ve only been here a few hours! I go back to my room and pull out my phone. I have eight contacts; Claire, Dad, Harry, Liam, Louis, Mom, Niall and Zayn. I check the time; it’s 7:30 p.m. I decide that I will shower, then go down to the kitchen and grab a bite to eat. Bill Covack didn’t feed me very much food, only enough to stay alive, so I am starving.
I open up each suitcase and lay them out over my floor. I spot a sports bra in the top of one, and snatch it up swiftly. The packing of my suitcases look pretty random, and I see my favourite pair of sweat pants in another. I get a clean pair of underwear, and I spot my pink Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner under some tank tops. I get up and turn the water on in the shower. I set it to almost the hottest temperature, and use the toilet while I wait for the water to reach a nice temperature. I strip off my ripped, dirty shirt and throw that through the arch to the middle of the bathroom. I yank my stained grey running shorts off, too, and they join the pile with my shirt. Soon, my underwear and blue sports bra come off too, and the entire pile reeks of unwashed, old sweat.
The water reaches a nice temperature, and I step into the shower. The stones massage the bottom of my feet, and I tip my head back into the warm waterfall of clean water. I shampoo, condition, rinse and repeat three times until my hair feels and looks soft, smooth and glossy. Then, I coat my body with body wash, and lather it up. I rinse it off, and shake my hair out. I scrunch it with my fingers to give it texture, and step out of the steamy shower, turning it off as I leave. I find a vibrant, orange towel hanging on a rack next to me, and I grab its fluffiness greedily with my prune-like hands. I wrap it around myself, letting my shoulders droop and I relax for the first time in the weeks. I am encased in my soft cocoon, in a steamy room, and I feel pretty. My wet hair falls down my back, and I put on the sports bra and sweat pants. It feels so good to be in clothes, and especially an outfit that is comfortable enough to sleep in. I fold the waistband of the sweats over, and walk out of the bathroom, ignoring the stinky pile of clothes in the centre of the room. I hit the light switch, and pause at my suitcases. I dig through each suitcase, and in the final one, I find my SpongeBob slippers. I slip them on, and I feel like I could be in my dorm, sitting down to a night of homework or watching movies.
I walk out of my room, looking over the oak handrail at the living room below. I see the five boys reclining on the sofa, and I’m reminded that I live with five teenage (or young adult) boys. And currently, I’m wearing just a sports bra. I dash back into my room and pull on the first shirt that catches my eye. It is a maroon shirt with short sleeves, and it has the logo of my university, Oxford, on the right side chest pocket. I leap down the stairs and slide a metre before stumbling to a stop. Niall looks over at me, and starts laughing.
“Hey Keira! Good to see you looking clean, but I think Harry’s still disappointed.” Niall adds with a chuckle. I notice the boys shooting each other looks, and soon their phones are buzzing with texts, secrets they’re sharing and keeping away from me.
“Well don’t you clean up nice, Keira,” Harry rips his eyes away from his phone as they slowly look up and down my body.
“I’m going to get something to eat.” I add sharply, not in the mood for Harry’s playful pick up lines. Niall eagerly jumps up to join me, clearly hungry.
“Yay!” His face lights up with a huge grin, his eyes sparkling. “I’m hungry too!”
“Nialler, you’re always hungry,” Liam adds. “When are you going to ever gain weight?”
“Yeah, I think you’re making Hazza jealous,” Louis chimes in, teasingly prodding Harry in the gut. I giggle, my spirits lifted by the boys’ antics. Niall and I walk into the kitchen giggling, but it’s a room I’ve yet to explore. It is built with classic white, wooden cabinets and dark granite countertops. The appliances look new but well used, and there is a pile of dishes next to the sink. The sink rests on the island, and the fridge is a double door, grand, silver monstrosity. I open it up, and my eyes scan over the contents. It is well stocked, with plenty of food. Niall looks over my shoulder, and pulls out 2 slices of pizza, an apple, and 2 slices of cheesecake. He settles down at the breakfast bar and starts stuffing his face.
“Didn’t you have dinner?” I try to make conversation with him, as I’m going to be living with these boys for a while.
“Yeah, we did, but it was just ribs. Harry cooked it and I ate two full racks but I’m still…,” Niall doesn’t even bother to finish his sentence before continuing to cram the pizza into his mouth. “Oh, and you’re only a-wowed to eat in the kitchen. Daddy’s rules,” Niall states, his mouth full of food.
“Daddy?” I ask, but Niall is quick to explain.
“Liam has been nicknamed Daddy Direction because he’s the responsible one. He kind of runs our activities and gets us places on time, too.” Niall chuckles, but it is still a full laugh. I pull out a slice of pizza and an apple, and sit with Niall. As we eat, he tells me about how One Direction was formed. He is shocked that I’ve never really cared about who they are, but he gets over it quickly. He then tells me about his family back in Dublin, and how much he misses his mum. Once we are done eating, we stand up and walk back into the main living room. I take this chance to look around. The boys are crowded around the large TV, debating who is cuter, Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus.
“Let’s go show Keira around, boys.” Liam talks to the boys, and Harry looks up and winks at me.
*************
A/N: Here's chapter 3, as promised! I hope someones reading this! I'm going to be annoying, but my twin sister @kkorslund is writing Small Village, a Liam fanfic! go read it! also, please fan/vote/comment on my story. I'd like that a lot :)))
-H <3
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Save Me
FanfictionWhen 19 year old Keira gets kidnapped by an old man named Bill Covack, her ransom is $3 million. Her parents do not have that kind of money, so they open a charity, the Save Keira fund. They manage to earn half of her ransom through generous donatio...
