♡ chapter 31 - Rose ♡

        Our joyous moment had ended sooner than any of us would've liked, but we each knew the risks at stake if we stayed in an area for a lengthy period of time. The Council would still be after us, even more vicious than before if expected. We had defeated them, and yet they wouldn't take defeat as an answer. Not from a group of people they despised most.

        My arms were still killing me, limply hanging by my sides as we walked through the - what seemed to be - endless forest. Daniel was singing to "help pass the time" while the rest of the boys picked up random stick and twigs to toss them his way. Daniel's spirits never broke, however, and he was currently singing a tune that seemed to aggravate everyone.

        "She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes!" He raised his voice. "She'll be coming around mountain, she'll be coming around the mountain, oh she's coming around the mountain-"

        "Will you please?" Louis yelled, slapping him in the back of the head. "Sheesh, if I had a dollar for every time I felt like jabbing pens in my eyes, I'd be the next Bill Gates."

        I chuckled to myself, not realizing John had fallen into step with me, Harry chatting with Liam about what we would do if we came across any signs of civilization. He knew as well as everyone else that we couldn't walk forever without resources.

        Sensing John's presence, I tensed. My breath caught in my throat at his nearness. He had been this close only one time before, hands reaching to touch areas they shouldn't when Harry had intervened. But I wasn't go to call him to my rescue - I had done that enough already. I could handle John. After all, I know what I'm capable of now, even if I'm not sure how to ignite it.

        "Relax," he muttered under his breath. "I'm not here to flirt or anything again. Believe me, I've seen Harry pissed enough times already." He rolled his eyes, then glanced over at me. "If anything, I'm just saying I'm sorry. For being kind of an asshole."

        I rose an eyebrow. "Kind of?"

        He sighed. "Okay, okay. An asshole. Point being, I'm sorry and I shouldn't have tried anything. Believe it or not, I have more respect for people than that. You were just the first attractive person I had seen in a while and-"

        "Problem here?" Harry asked as he caught up, stepping between John and I.

        I laughed. "No, knight in shining armor. John was only apologizing."

        Harry hummed, looking John up and down. "I'm not buying it. But it'll have to do, I suppose. Unless he wanted to end up hanging dead from a tree branch."

        I slapped him in the shoulder. "Could you not be so demonic and gruesome all the time?"

        He slung his arm across my shoulders. "It's just my personality, babe. Don't get so girly on me."

        "Girly? So you'd like me to be a resemblance of a male? Should I get the whole genital surgery too?"

        He scrunched his nose up. "Damn, Rose. I was just trying to be comical, no need to take it to extreme levels."

        Laughing, I leaned into him. "You started it."

        Harry rolled his eyes, smiled, and kissed my temple.

        John shook his head. "This is getting awkward. You two make me want to puke." He nodded towards me. "Sorry again, Rose." And then he fell back in step to walk beside Max and Ryan.

         As we continued to walk towards nowhere in particular, I began to think about where we would end up. In a small but welcoming village? Or would we end up in a major landmark where we'd easily be spotted and sent to prison again? I'm sure wanted posters have been strung all over the country by now, if not the world. The Council didn't only have control over small populations, but even countries were under their rule.

            The world had become an eerie place, I realized. While we don't have vampires, werewolves, or other supernatural things, we have magical humans - Witches. Evil and pure ones. However, I'm beginning to question what pure truly means, because the supposed ones don't seem to be measuring up to the definition. Harry is the supposed evil one, and yet he has shown more good deeds in the little time I've known him than the Council has in their existance.

        You truly can't judge a book by it's cover, a major flaw many of us possess.

        "Harry?"

        "Hmm?"

        The wind tousled my hair as it swiftly blew by, rustling the leaves on trees as it did so. I licked my chapped lips. "Where do you think we'll end up in the future?"

        "Together or in general?"

        I shrugged.

        Harry thought about this a long moment, gave my shoulder a squeeze, and finally let out a breath. "I'm not sure. I don't really care where we end up, as long as we're together. Maybe some dingy town that smells like feet or a palace that's ruled by cookie-making queens. Maybe we won't end up anywhere at all." He frowned. "I don't like thinking about all the possibilities."

        "I don't either."

        "And yet you continue to ask?" He smirked.

        "Oh shut it. Curiosity is a pain when there's nothing else to focus on."

        He nodded. "Fair point. But unfortunately, I didn't have the answer then and I don't really have one now. Life can throw whatever it wants at you, and out of all people, I think I've learned that the hardest."

        "Way to pat yourself on the back," I teased.

        Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, because being miserabe twenty-four-seven is definitely something to brag about."

        "Hey, I used to do it all the time."

        "Well, you're naturally a loser, Rose."

        I gave him a look. "Are you implying something? I can very well go tell John I'd like to take him up on his offer." I was joking, but the sentence made Harry's jaw tighten.

        "Too far, Rosalie. Too far."

        I laughed, looking up at Harry and he mustered a smile before bringing his lips to mine. Out of the few times I've kissed these same lips, I'll never be able to get over how soft they are. As apposed to mine that are chapped from the horrible conditions, but Harry's never seem to split. It's like God himself blessed him with incredible, kissable lips.

        And I was beyond lucky to be the one kissing them.

***

         I had lost track of time and my sense of direction what seemed like ages ago. It was getting dark outside, stars beginning to sparkle up above. I stayed closer to Harry the darker it got, feeling as if the trees were moving in on me, suffocating me until I finally surrendered. You would think after being in the dark so many times, I would be oblivious to it - but it's the total opposite. 

        If anything, I feared the dark even more now.

        Harry seemed to notice my stiffness as he locked his hand with mine, giving it a small squeeze as if to assure me he was right here. My stomach rumbled, the need for food becoming nearly unbearable. We hadn't stopped moving sense we left early this morning, and the complains of the boys couldn't even overpower the sound of my grumbling stomach anymore.

        "All right, you bunch of babies. We'll find somewhere to stop," Harry had said, rolling his eyes. He was used to traveling for hours, sometimes days without food just to get away from authorities. He was used to being constantly on the run.

        Everyone else? Not so much. Including myself.

        A few more minutes passed before Harry turned to face everyone. "If I remember correctly, there's a small town not to far up ahead. We should blend in fine, but if anyone gets suspicious, play it cool or run."

        And Harry had been right. There was a small town up ahead, very few houses lining the dirt road. There was a mini mart up ahead on the corner, a gas station to the left of it, and a Town Hall directly across from that. If I had to give an answer, I'd say there were only about fifteen houses in the area. Very small.

        But horrifyingly enough, very recognizable.

        I gasped as soon as I had taken in the details, my heart faltering and feeling as if it had dropped to my toes. I stopped in my tracks, nearly causing Niall to bump into my and Harry to jerk backwards with his hand still in mine. I shook my head, not truly believing what I was seeing.

        This was the town where I used to live.

        The town that held all those terrifying memories of the troubles I had gone through with my father. The beatings, the arguments, the constant neglection - it was all practically unbearable to me. There were moments that I was happy to forget, and now they were all rushing back.

        "Rose?" Harry frowned, staring at me. "What's wrong?"

        "This..." I shook my head, still in shock. "This is where I used to live. Right over there." I pointed to the small house two blocks away from us, still looking incredibly haggard and in need of repairs. My eyes darted back to Harry's. "Can I please just wait for you guys?"

        "Rose..." He licked his lips, glancing over my shoulder. "Nothing is going to happen to you, all right? Staying out here is more dangerous."

        "But..." He didn't understand what kind of horrible things truly went on in this town for me.

        Daniel patted my back. "It's all right, Rosie. We'll all be right here with you."

        The other boys nodded in unison, tossing me soft smiles. Harry laced our fingers again, managing to give me an encouraging smile before he started walking again. My heart was pounding in my chest so hard, I feared it would fly out of my chest. I had to walk by that house. That house that I finally escaped from. I didn't want to be anywhere near it.        

        And yet, somehow, I managed to follow the rest of them.

        I knew we would be safe here. We never received much news, anyways. I hadn't even known about the Witches scattered around the world if not for the few times I snuck my father's piece of crap computer and internet surfed. At first, I was fascinated with everything that had been occurring in the world while I was stuck in such a boring place, but now it all seemed frightening.

        Nearly jumping out of my skin at the sound of a front door opening, my head snapped in the direction of the sound only to see a man peeking his head out from his home. A man I most certainly did not want to see.

        "Rose?" He squinted. "Is that you?"

        My heart stopped, my throat dry. "Y-Yes, Mr. Potts."

        "Good golly." He shook his head. "Your father has been looking everywhere for you. And... who in the world are you with?"

        "Mr. Potts, I'm not staying. Please don't tell my father I'm here, all right?" I should've known better, however. He was best friends with my father.

        He waved me away. "I ain't no tattle tale, Rosie. I ain't seeking to be nosy, neither. Just don't expect back-up when you need some."

        With that, he closed the door.

        "Who was-?"

        "We need to hurry," I cut Harry off, eyes wide. "That's my dad's best friend. He's never really liked me. We need to hurry."

      Harry nodded, jogging towards the mini mart with the boys following. We couldn't go somewhere else because Harry knew his way around and he also knew there wasn't another place for miles. We would starve overnight just to get there and well, if I had to risk seeing my father to get food for everyone else to survive, so be it.

        I was shaking while we walked through the store, my eyes wavering every which way to keep a grasp on every direction. It was only a matter of time before Mr. Potts sold me out to my father, and who knows when he would show up. His rusty truck wasn't in the driveway, but with his horrible speeding habits, it wouldn't take long to show up.

        A younger boy was working the cash register, much to my relief because I didn't recognize him. We didn't always get newcomers, but we had plenty of homebodies. Plus, the kid worked fast and we were out of the store faster than lightning, also to my relief.

        Except we weren't that lucky.

        That rusty blue pick-up I remembered all too well came skidding to a stop from up ahead, and I assumed he had to of been coming back from the bar not too far away. The driver door swung open, nearly breaking off the hinges and there he was - even older looking that before. In the little light the streetlights provided, I could see dark bags under his eyes. He had let his facial hair grow out to stubble, something I never saw on him. But what was still familiar was the bottle of beer clutches tightly in his right hand.

        Some things never change.

        Harry gently grabbed my shoulder, eyebrows furrowing as he moved to stand beside me, eyes glancing my direction. All I could do was stare at the angry man storming towards us, taking another swig of the bottle before throwing it off to the side. An asshole and a litter bug.

        I don't know what I was expecting when I took those few steps forward. Maybe I thought he would miss me considering I've been gone nearly three months. Maybe I thought he would find a sliver of goodness in his heart to hug me, tell me he was sorry. Maybe I was too hopeful that he would plead for a second chance, beg to be the father I've always wanted.

        But that was far from the case.

        Those few steps away from Harry was the perfect opportunity for him. When he was in reach, he grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me towards him. "Where the hell have you been?" he spat at me before tossing me away like a rag doll. He raised his fist, obviously aiming for me, but something held him back.

        He froze in place, eyes bulging before his hands wrapped around his throat. Something between the sound of a strangled gasp or a cough left his lips - I couldn't tell. My heart was pounding as I backed away from him, scrambling to my feet. I glanced over his shoulder, although I knew what had happened.

        Harry.

        His eyes narrowed in on my father, he looked angrier than ever. Somehow he had managed to keep his composure, even with his nostrils flaring and fists clenching. I'm not sure how he managed to do those little tricks, but I was forever grateful that he had. I had made a stupid move and once again, he came to my rescue.

        "Now," Harry said through gritted teeth, walking around my father to face him as he fell to his knees, "let's get a few things straight. You lay a single fucking finger on her again and I swear I'll snap your neck without a second thought. Understood?"

        The few residents in this neighborhood had come to see what the commotion was about and I knew Harry was being too obvious. Whether he saved me or not, someone would soon grasp that he was not a normal person. He did not blend in.

        My father somehow managed to nod. Harry tilted his head to the side, as if pondering his options before finally looking away from him. Dad collapsed, gripping his chest as he crouched over, gasping for breath. 

        "Who... are you?" he wheezed, glaring up at Harry.

        Harry folded his arms across his chest, standing in front of me as if acting like a shield. "No one you should be concerned about. Now if you excuse us-"

        "Rose," Dad coughed out, glancing up at me. "You're leaving again?"

        I almost felt like slapping him, screaming out the facts of why I was leaving. I nearly laughed out loud. "Seriously?" was all I managed to say.

        His gaze snapped back to Harry. "I know you, now. All of you. Escapees." He managed to get to his feet, eyes narrowing. "I could get you sent back to prison, where you belong."

        "You could, but I wouldn't try if you enjoy breathing," Harry retorted. 

        Dad shook his head. "You don't seem to understand, wise guy. I knew your father."

        Harry snorted. "You and the rest of the world."

        Dad let out a bitter laugh. "Guess you aren't interested in a few things you probably don't know about him."

        "What are you talking about?" I spoke up, glancing around Harry.

        Dad smirked. "Marcus was here just yesterday."

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A/N: Cliffhanger! Kind of? Lol, what do you guys think Marcus was there for or IF he was there? Also, the CONCERT WAS SO AMAZING OMF I CRIED 5 TIMES :'D And now I'm sad cause the tour ended... Anyways, leave your thoughts & excuse any mistakes because my spell check isn't working and I'm too lazy to reread... oops? Love you all (: xx

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