Mirrors |NH|

Chapter Seven

The next week, before the meeting Niall texted Edie and suggested they meet a couple of blocks away and walk in together, to make it look like they had spoken to each other prior but she declined, saying she wasn't comfortable with that idea, but that she would see him there.

When he arrived, he gave less of a protest than he had done previously, which probably made Harry think he was doing better.  He saw Edie getting out of the car, her brother once again was helping her.  He gave her a hug and he heard him say, "I love you," as he walked past them.

"Love you, too," she responded.

She saw Niall and made a small nod in his direction.  He nodded back.  They both walked in together.

Charlie came in and looked around the room, "Alright, we're heading to the pool today, grab your towels."

Neither Niall nor Edie had followed the assignment and brought their suits or towels. 

Charlie noticed, "Hold on, everyone!  It seems Niall and Edie have decided they don't want to participate."

There was a grumble and they all turned around and walked back into the room and took their seats. 

"Thanks a lot," one of them said.

"Okay, since Edie and Niall decided to ruin this little experiment, I guess we will revert back to a tried and true method."

Niall looked around him and then looked at Edie who was looking around her and looking down.

"But first, take the coat off, Edie," Charlie said.

Edie's head snapped up, "No."

"You don't have to make her do that," Niall piped in.

"Oh, so you two do know how to talk?" Charlie said taking a look at them both before a hint of a smile played upon her face.  "Alright everyone, get with your partners."

Everyone stood up and got next to the person who had apparently been deemed their "trust partner."  Niall and Edie both groaned as they stood next to each other.

"Very good.  Alright, one of you will stand in front of the other and fall back, trusting that the person behind you will catch you."

Niall glanced to his left where she was standing.  He could see panic in her eyes.  'What happened to this girl?' he wondered.

"Actually, before we do that, how about we induct Niall and Edie into our little trust circle," Charlie suggested, a smile on her face.

Everyone nodded and smiled.  "This is actually a really fun exercise," some random girl said to them both as they got ushered to the center of the circle.

"Alright, Niall, you start.  Stand up on this block, please."

"Huh?"

"Stand.  On the block." Charlie pointed to this large block that had magically appeared in the room.  Niall rolled his eyes but did as she said.  "Okay, you'll stand with your back to everyone and fall back, trusting that someone will catch you."

"What?!" Niall half screamed.

"Do it." Charlie said.  She was not in a playing mood tonight.

Niall turned around and took a deep breath before he fell back into what he thought was a crowd of people.  Instead, he landed on the ground, with one person barely holding on to him.  When he opened his eyes, he looked into hers.  He noticed all the other faces were around him, but she was the only one touching him.  She quickly set him down on the ground and let go of him before taking several steps back.

"Alright, good job.  Edie, your turn."

"I'm not doing that.  I saw what you all just did.  You left me there to be the only one to catch him.  You'll do the same to me. Trust isn't a fucking game. It's earned."

"We didn't leave you alone, Edie.  We never left your side.  We wouldn't have let Niall hit the ground," the same random girl said, a smile on her face.  She had clearly either been here awhile or was a sadist.  Niall couldn't quite figure that out.

Niall stood back up as everyone gathered back into a circle.  Edie was basically shoved onto the block but she stayed there and turned around.  Before falling back, she loudly said, "This is fucking ridiculous."  But she did fall back, and Niall saw what she had meant.  Everyone stayed around her and him but they essentially forced him to be the one to catch her.  He caught her, while watching everyone else hold out their arms underneath her but not touching her.  They must've done the same for him. 

Edie's scarf had fallen down a little in the process, so Niall quickly bent down and whispered, "Your scarf," in her ear.  Her eyes bolted open and her arms moved her scarf back over the bottom half of her face before he helped lift her back into an upright position.

She gave him a small nod before they all took their places back in the circle.