The Soul Catcher (Harry Styles)

39 - I Got You

"We do not remember days, we remember moments."

- Cesare Pavese

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The moment my fingers opened the bolt and the box opened like a cardboard box you decided to unfold, I felt my insides catch fire when my eyes landed on Elaine.

Unlike all those other souls, she reacted to the light filling the darkness that had surrounded her only moments ago. At first, she shielded her eyes, but as she realised her freedom, she spun around. Her eyes locked with mine and within seconds, I could see various emotions flash through them.

For starters, there was fear. This really didn't surprise me, I was scared myself and I wasn't the one that had been trapped.

There was also disbelief and defeat. Elaine had lost hope, even though we had spoken only moments ago. By now, I was worried that this had been a figment of my mind, and we had never really mentally connected.

The last emotion to cross her eyes was hope. This was also the emotion that defeated the others, pushing her forward to wrap her arms around my neck.

I was stunned, but quickly recovered. There was so much force behind her actions, I would have been worried she would squeeze me to death if I hadn't been already dead.

"I got you," I whispered against her hair, holding her inhumanly close.

We stayed in our little save bubble until her breathing had returned to normal, and then I turned around and motioned for her to jump on my back. She looked absolutely fragile and I feared that making her walk would end up in a disaster.

Giving her a piggyback ride was the only logical thing to do.

"Everything is in ruins," Elaine whispered, her head resting on my shoulder.

I avoided looking at the disoriented souls around me, my eyes simply searching for a Council member. Hearing groans and moans everywhere surely didn't simplify my quest, and I nearly jumped five feet in the air when someone tugged at my leg.

Looking down, I found a young boy, no older than 8, looking at me with big brown eyes. I gulped, having lost my voice.

"It will be all right," Elaine surprised me by saying, giving the boy a small smile. She tightened her grip around my neck, urging me to keep going. I relented.

I ran around, and after ten minutes, I was pretty sure we were just walking in circles. Elaine complained that she was too heavy to be carried around, but I honestly didn't mind her little extra-weight.

Before long, we ran into Juliet. "I was looking for you! Elaine, are you all right?"

Elaine nodded her head, giving her a weak smile in return.

"How can we help?" I asked, looking around. Most boxes seemed to be opened, but I wasn't responsible for all of them.

Juliet shook her head. "Take Elaine home, help her rest. We will take care of everything, don't worry."

I didn't have it in me to just leave a mess behind, but up until now, I've never had anyone to take care of either. So against any better judgment, I agreed and sighed in relief when the bridge appeared behind Juliet. On our own, we would never have found a way out.

"Let's go home," I said, heading for the bridge.

In the wink of an eye, we stepped into our living room. Elaine cringed visibly when she saw the mint coloured wall, but I was oddly satisfied.

When she tried to jump off my back, I held on tighter to her legs. "Harry, let me down."

I ignored her pleas and ran up the stairs, aiming for my bedroom. Without a single word said, I threw her on the bed and took off her shoes.