Ghostly (Narry)

Chapter Eight: Something Only we Know

Liam pulls open the door to reveal an anxious looking Zayn. Zayn hadn't been back to this apartment since the night Niall was murdered. Both boys parents had moved their things out because Zayn couldn't bring himself to even step inside the building anymore.

He was running a little late, about an hour before the sunset, because he wasn't even sure if he should come today. He had met the three boys on Wednesday and they had told him to come over Friday during the late afternoon because they had classes. The closer the day approached, the more anxious Zayn became.

He wondered if these guys were just trying to mess with him, or maybe they were getting him to come over alone so they could torture him or something. He thought of a million ways that this day could go wrong, but he had to come because if there was a slim chance of being able to talk to Niall again, he would do almost anything.

Liam welcomes the black haired boy inside and Zayn looks around the apartment. Zayn freezes when he looks at the floor where Niall had lain. The floor is spotless now. If he hadn't known what had happened in here, he would've never guessed. He can still see the image so clearly from that night that he has to squeeze his eyes shut and take a few calming breaths. Liam gives him a look of sympathy as Zayn steps inside.

He avoids the place on the floor where he had found Niall, and takes a look around. It's weird to think of how different it looks. All of their furniture is gone and replaced with newer looking things. He wonders which of the three is occupying his old room.

Niall had been waiting the past few days for Zayn. He had overheard the three talking about him and Niall became so excited that he accidentally pushed the remote off of the TV stand, effectively scaring the three boys once again.

Harry sits on the couch and looks up from his schoolbook when Zayn arrives, but he doesn't make any move to say hello. He's pissed to say the least. He's pissed at his friends for inviting Zayn over to try and 'contact' Niall. It was a stupid idea. There they were, giving Zayn false hope that his best friend was somehow still around. He felt like such a shitty person.

"Hello again," Zayn mutters, quickly raising his hand for an awkward wave.

Louis gives him a big smile, "Hey mate, how've you been?"

"Um...good," Zayn settles on this as an appropriate answer, "You?"

Niall was in a state of shock when Zayn had entered inside. He was a lot thinner now and there were dark purple bags beneath his hollow eyes. His sharp cheekbones were even more defined and it made Niall's stomach turn. He was so sad that his best friend had been treating himself like this.

After analyzing Zayn, Niall knew that tonight would be the night that he would try and tell the boys about his 'power.' If Zayn stayed long enough, he would voice his concerns.

"I'm pretty excited mate," Louis responds before getting down to business and setting up the ouija board.

After Liam asks Zayn if he'd like anything to drink or eat and Zayn declines politely, they join Louis on the floor by the board.

Liam and Louis look over to Harry who has now read the same exact sentence four times in a row. He can feel their gaze on him but he ignores it and pretends to be invested in what he's pretending to read.

"Harry, are you joining?" Liam asks.

"Eh, I'll sit this one out."

Louis rolls his eyes and leans over to whisper to Zayn, "He's a bit of a grump, but don't worry about it."

Harry hears his friend whispering to Zayn but he bites his lip. This kid has already been through enough, he doesn't need to see them fighting.

Zayn nods hesitantly and looks at Liam for help.