the eclipse [sequel] ☾ l.s.

seventeen - it's harder to reach you

After Harry disappeared, the entire pack seemed to move in slow motion. Louis had broken down completely when they found the note. It was short, but Louis would recognize Harry's handwriting in his sleep: "Louis -- I'm sorry."

Those three words were a dagger in his back, the whispers that haunted his dreams. Harry had always been the one who couldn't sleep on his own, but now, Louis tossed and turned between cold sheets.

Even as his body bled, exhausted, his heart always beat for Harry.

Two weeks crawled by, each passing second a reminder of what -- of who -- he had lost. Louis sat waiting at the kitchen table in their temporary house. Most of the morning had already been wasted. He had just returned from a meeting with his father, who was still convinced that their ragtag group was the key to solving their problems of unrest.

Niall had emerged from his bedroom just a few minutes before, grabbing a cup of coffee and plopping down beside Louis at the kitchen table. Zayn and Liam were still out in the woods, wasting their time looking for Harry.

"Good meeting?" Niall asked, just making meaningless conversation.

"Productive enough," Louis replied shortly.

"Productive for you or productive for your father?"

Louis didn't reply, focusing on the half-full, cold mug of coffee in front of him. It was nearly impossible to distinguish his father's desires from his own anymore. He felt like he was fifteen again, crushed under the pressure of his father's thumb -- except this time around, he didn't even have Harry by his side to ease the pain.

When Zayn came through the front door a few minutes later, he didn't say a word. He beelined for the refrigerator, avoiding Louis's gaze. Louis didn't have to ask to know that they didn't find anything.

Niall apparently needed a verbal report. "Nothing?"

The dark-haired beta shook his head slightly.

"Sit down," Louis finally spoke up. "Just because there haven't been any attacks over the past few days doesn't mean that it's over. The calm before the storm is our stolen time to prepare."

His friends shared a look that Louis chose to ignore. As Zayn took a seat at the table, he admitted quietly, "We went back to the cave early this morning."

Surprise sparked inside of Louis's chest, but he tried to keep his face neutral. "Did you?"

"No sign of anyone being there. Everything looked exactly the way we left it." When Louis still showed no visible reaction, he added, "We'll keep trying, Lou. We'll find him."

Louis shrugged. His chair squeaked as he leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can't find someone who doesn't want to be found."

The room went deathly silent. Niall was finding his coffee extremely interesting, while Zayn just stared at Louis blankly -- like his best friend had become a complete stranger. Without Harry, the entire world stood on unsteady legs, wobbling with every word that any of them spoke.

Niall broke the heavy silence, muttering to himself, "It's the same damn thing."

Louis's tone was sharp. "What?"

"It's the same thing, Louis. It's like we're living in some sort of sick, twisted loop," he seethed, his clenched fists resting on the table. "Nick, then the final battle, and now this . . ."

"Nick? What does Nick have to do with any of this?"

"You let your father walk all over you and Harry. You should've just told him what was going on instead of letting that douchebag anywhere near Harry in the first place. If you wanted to let your father push you around, that was your business -- but don't drag Harry into it. You shouldn't . . ." he trailed off, still shaking his head in disappointed disbelief.