Gardens Of Eden (A Harry Styles Story)

19. A New Start

Morning sun seeped into the spaces between the blinds, confusing me as I woke up. The nightmares that always haunted my dreams were fading as my reality clicked into place, one piece at a time, until a warm glow hit me square in the chest. I couldn't remember the last morning that didn't start by fighting off a sense of impending doom, I felt incredible.

I touched my feet to the carpet, taking a deep breath in and appreciating the moment, before making my way to the bathroom.

I splashed water on my face and brushed my teeth with the new toothbrush on the counter, trying to figure out if Harry had thought of that, or if it was normal to stock the bathroom with new toothbrushes. I shrugged away the thought as I spit, and took one last glance in the mirror. My eyes were sky blue today, not nearly as icy as usual, and I couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with my new found freedom. I left the bathroom and took a few minutes to make the bed, something I rarely did growing up. It wasn't perfect, but I was satisfied as I went downstairs to find coffee.

No one was around, but there was food spread out on the counter and I helped myself to some fruit and sausages and a fresh scone. Taking the plate back upstairs, I made myself cozy in the tv room. It was a luxury I had never known, watching a giant tv, having full control of the remote, and I ended up flicking from show to show, wanting to watch a little of everything until I landed on a reality show where a bunch of rich people did absolutely nothing but talk about themselves. I watched four episodes, laughing at their stupidity while simultaneously being unable to turn it off, before I started getting restless. It was nearly noon. I went downstairs again to find Helga in the kitchen.

"Hey darlin, you hungry?" She asked sweetly

"I had some breakfast..." I began, but my stomach growled, giving me away.

"Take some crackers and cheese out to the garden. It's just beautiful outside." I couldn't disagree with that, so I thanked her and took the plate to the backyard.

I sunbathed and munched on crackers, relishing the alone time, until eventually I decided to explore the backyard. The sky was clear and the air smelled wonderful, signalling Springtime. Everything felt new, including me, and I couldn't help but appreciate the symbolism of my rescue coinciding with the time of year when everything starts to grow. I wandered through the fruit trees, further than I had gone the night of the charity, and eventually came upon a huge empty patch of dirt, nearly the size of a small house. The ground needed to be weeded, and I could see a roto tiller and wheelbarrow off to the side, making me even more curious.

I wonder what they're doing here? I thought to myself, kneeling down and grabbing a large handful of the soft dirt. I could envision my mom, up to her elbows in dirt at the home I was born in. She adored the garden. She planted wildflowers from corner to corner and rose bushes along the fence. I used to sit on that fence in my long pink dress and watch her as she worked. My father used to say that all she had to do was ask, and the whole garden would bloom. She could make anything grow.

I wondered if I had that trait.

I pulled the closest weed free and tossed it to the side, making sure to get the whole root. Again and again I dug the weeds out of the dirt until a small patch was clean. I played with the soft earth, loving how it felt in my hands. I wanted to keep going, so I wiped the hair out of my eyes with the back of my arm and moved down the row to keep pulling. My brown hair, still curly from last night, fell into my eyes, making me wish for an elastic.

"Nope." I said out loud to myself. No elastics, no hair pins. I pulled a big weed and added it to my pile. In fact, I haven't got anything of mine. No clothing, no books, no-