Void {h.s. au}

chapter one

I stare at the silver band around my finger, turning it to see all of the words carved in to it. Sed diabolus in vitam, or the Devil lives.

"Come on, it's been two weeks." Hailee, my best friend, says. She lounges on the couch beside me, giving me a bored expression. 

"How do I know my emotions have died down?" I raise an eyebrow at her before studying the ring again.

"Because it's been two weeks." She sighs, "Do I need to take it off for you?"

"No, I don't want to be chilled to my bone right now." I refer to her icy temperature since she died and became a ghost. Most college students wouldn't be hanging out with their dead best friend, but I, being a banshee, am not normal.

"Tabitha, you need to take it off. You're moving on." Her tone changes to one more serious now.

"This ring is what has been keeping my mental state sane. If I take it off, all of my emotions will come crashing down at once."

"You can never recover from it if you don't do it."

"I know, but now just isn't the time. I'm sorry." I mutter and leave the room. She's been begging me to take it off ever since Harry left, but  something inside of me won't let me. 

I hear my phone's ringtone start to go off in the kitchen and rush towards it. At the sight of the name, my heart skips a beat, and I hastily grab it from the counter and answer the call.

"I was starting to think you'd never call." I look around for Hailee's curious ears, but she doesn't seem to be around anymore.

"Would I ever break a promise to you?"

"Well, there was the whole stabbing thing." 

"I'm hanging up now." Dylan sighs, and I laugh.

"I was kidding!" I yell, "What's up?"

"I may be in town tomorrow. Business things to do." He uncomfortably clears his throat, and I shift my weight.

"You mean you have orders from Harry?"

"You said you didn't want to talk about him, so I wasn't gonna say his name." 

"It's fine. If you can spare some time, swing by my place." I try to sound as confident and together as possible.

"I will. See ya then, Tabby." He says, and I throw the phone back on to the counter. 

No matter how hard I tried to keep Liam and Dylan out of my life, they tried harder. I think they just want to make sure I'm safe, but I don't mind the company. Now that Hailee is dead and Harry is gone, I have nobody. I remind myself that Harry being gone is a good thing. He couldn't offer any positivity for my life.

He could've become human, though. The thought creeps into my head just like it has been for the past two weeks. I don't want the thought in my head, but it always finds its way in. He didn't want to become a human, and I didn't want him in my life. Those are the facts.

Niall's words fill my ears, though, saying that there are many shades of grey in reality. There isn't just black and white. I can't expect to have my feelings for Harry be just black or white, even if he did stab me to further gain Niall's trust before killing him. 

My eyes move back to the ring on my finger. Harry gave this to me, so I wouldn't be overwhelmed by my emotions. It dulls all of them. Consequently, if I take it off, I'm flooded with overwhelming emotions. Hailee seems to think that since it's been two weeks since Harry left, I should be fine. 

I believe that the only reason I'm still able to function like a normal person is because of this ring, which just makes every day harder. It's a constant reminder of Harry and everything he put me through. Not only is the ring a reminder, but the house I live in was bought by Harry, making him constantly on my mind.