𝑳𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝑶𝒇𝒇

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 25

Grace's POV.

It's hard to breath and I don't know why. It's all black and my head hurts. My eyes are wet and I can't move. My face is placed against something hard and it's way too much hot. Like I'm burning. I think I fainted when Harry was taken away from me. I just felt my sight blurt by tears and everything spinning and then nothing more. I hear the door closes and footsteps. They are fast and heavy against the floor. Then someone curses and I feel some fresh air on my face but I can't open my eyes, my eyelids are too heavy, I need to sleep. Two skinny arms embrace my body and lift me off of the ground. My head tilts against a chest and I want to fight whoever it is but I don't find the strength. It's all so distant right now, I feel like flying in another universe. It's not Harry. this is everything I know. No minty scent. This guy smells like something wild, like the forest and I think I recall this perfume. It's so familiar. Like a memory from years ago when I was just a little girl. It reminds me this child, he was my friend and we used to play together at my house. We spent all the time together while my big brother was watching us. This sounds creepy because I've never had friends, I'm always be the girl with no friends. But this seems so real, his big eyes, those little hands and his smile everything is too real. I think I've hit the head too hard. I'm imagine things and it's not good, the fever is too high I need to do something or I will feel bad for real. I'm placed on something cold and I mentally thank whoever it is that it's treating me with so much care. But I'm really tired so I fall asleep in a manner of seconds.

***

When I come back to reality I feel water falling down my forehead and it takes me a minute to understand that I have a wet cloth on and ice on the crotch of my neck. I force myself to open my eyes but they only give me a little view of crossed fingers and tattooed arms that lays on skinny ripped jeans. I look at his hand and see a little stylized swallow. Where did I see that tattoo for the first time? I've always liked swallow they are my favourite bird, Harry has two of them on his chest and I love them, they are so particular. This one remind me of a broken memory, something that I have in my head but I can't make it to recall it. I flutter my eyes open a little more to see Alex, sited on a chair in front of my bed, hitting the floor nervously with his foot. I've never saw Alex so out of himself. He brings his hands to his mouth and his eyes looks down at me.

''Grace'' he whispers when he finally notices that I'm awake and stand up. I can't seem to find the voice to answer him back so I move my head but I'm pretty sure it didn't even lift of an inch.

''Grace are you okay? Did Oliver do something to you?'' his concern is so strange, he seems the classic guy who doesn't care about anything, who lives in his own world and pretends that the others don't exist. But I judge him wrong, he's not a stupid asshole, after all. Still can't understand why he's talking about Oliver, I haven't seen Oliver since the day at Lee's, is he referring to that time? strange.

''You have a fever and it's really high.'' He takes my now burning cloth and soak it into a bowl full of water, I see ice floating on the surface. He places it back and takes away some strands. There's this weird look on his face, something I'm not used to. Something strong and unusual. It's like watching Harry looking but even more intensive. His dark eyes are soften than ever and a weak light is shining at the corner. They are really beautiful. My head is heavy and I can't seem to get up from this bed but I really need to drink something, I can't talk my throat is completely dry and swallow is the hardest thing. I point to the glass on the nightstand and Alex rises an eyebrow in confusion. It takes two good minutes to make him understand I want water so he stumbles on his feet and run downstairs. Really running, I'm not joking. I take off Harry's duvet and something in my stomach begins to hurt. With all the strength I have I lift a little only to sit myself on the mattress and placing my back against the headboard. My head it's like a piece of stone and is rocking back and forth like it has a life on its own. Alex storms into the room pulling out the glass full of water and looks at me like he has seen a ghost. I gulp down all the cold liquid and use my hands to move my legs out of the bed.

''What are you doing?'' He asks eyeing me carefully. I don't answer, I need to spare my forces to get up, I can't lose concentration. And when I have both of my legs swinging back and forth out of the mattress I stand up, grabbing hold of the nightstand. The first try is not good enough because only after two seconds my legs go weak and I fall.Alex with a swift movement grabs me by the waist and offers me his body as support.

''Grace you can't leave the bed. You're too weak'' people don't get to tell what I can and what cannot do. This what I hate the most. I'm not a fucking child and I do as I please. Plus Harry is in a fucking jail and I need to take him out before Christian does his next move. Which will be very soon. I know him, he doesn't like wasting any time.

''We need to go rescue Harry'' I say, my voice seems like the echo of some dark cave. I'm not used to it.

''He demanded me to keep you safe and that's what I'm going to do. You need rest. Harry is okay, he can take care of himself.''

Does this mean I can't? because I'm not letting anyone tell me I'm not enough strong to take care of me. I've been through a lot to hear this shit.

''No. I'm fine. I just need to see Harry. we need to take him out of that fucking place or Christian will do something.'' It's so hard to talk, I feel like every word I say, takes away a little bit of my power and by the time I finish the sentence, I'm exhausted.

''Grace you can't even talk, how am I supposed to take you out to see Harry?'' I shake my head. The anger towards Christian and his stupid trick is healing me, giving me new strength.

''I'm not going to see Harry; I'm going to take him out. I've been there once and it's not a nice place. Please let me help him. I'll do it anyway; you like it or not Alex. Today I'm going to rescue Harry.'' I force a smile but the only thing I can do is barely lift a corner of my mouth. He looks into my eyes and I see him smirk. I don't know why but I'm smiling back with my eyes because I can't seem to move my lips.

''Okay then. Let's get that dumb ass of Harry out.''

He helps me sit on the chair where before he was sited and hurries to pull the second drawer of the closet out, searching for something. He finds a credit card and shows it to me.

''What's that?'' I ask confused and Alex's grin widen.

''This, little Nirvy-girl, is Harry's way out.''

***

''You scared me,'' he says out of the blue and I tilt my head back in his direction to give him all my attention.

''Did I?'' I ask and lay back on the seat. I need to rest; the fever is eating me alive.

''Harry called me and it took me twenty good minuets to understand what he was saying. He kept talking about a fucking Irish boy, and cursing Christian's name because he was going to harm you. he was almost crying on the phone because you were on the ground and you didn't get up even once. I was around here so I just run to get to Harry's house. When I first got there, Oliver was standing on the doorstep with that maniac grin of his and was also rubbing his hands together. I rush in the doorway just when he was about to get in and do something to you. I basically grabbed his collar and crushed is face against the doorframe twice before he apologizes and backwards. He said he was there only because Christian told him to, and I let him go. I was concerned about you. I thought I was late and that Oliver had touched you or did something to you. there was blood on your face and I panic a little. I check out if you were injured but I didn't find any fresh bruises.'' I flush and look down to my feet. This means that now even Alex knows about my marks. It's uneasy for me to talk about them. I only talk to Harry because well, it's Harry but I feel strange tell Alex about my father.

Lucky he doesn't ask and keeps going with his story.

''This card is what me and Harry use to take us both out of trouble so his mother doesn't know anything about the shit we usually go through. Every month we deposit 200 pounds, just to make sure there will always be something in it. it's our saver and you now know why.'' He explains starting the car. I hope all that money is enough to take him out. I feel like dying for all of this waiting.

We eventually pull into prison's parking lot and Alex helps me to walk. I'm blacking everything out. The pain, the warm, the dizziness. I feel like walking someone else's body. We enter into the police station and Alex take care of everything. He talks with the woman at the reception and I walk towards a chair, and sit down. I hate the heat, I hate feeling so weak and useless. I abandon my head against the wall and pray Harry is okay. It's the only thing that keeps me up right now.