Captivated by shadows [h.s.]

4.

I never thought I would be happy about the yellow tulips blooming in our front yard, but here I am. I'm in a car with Niall after he and the others have spent about half an hour arguing about who should go with me, and he ends up drawing the shortest straw.

"We have an hour." Is the first thing he says since we got in this car.

"What about packing? Do I need anything specific?"

"No, we can get you everything you need." With his eyes fixed on the driveway, he pulled his key out of the ignition. I nod silently.

It's hard to believe that in just a few hours I'll be in another city with four strangers, and all because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I know you don't owe me anything, but can I still ask you for a favour?" His head turns in my direction, but he doesn't say anything in response, which makes me continue. "The person I want to say goodbye to is an old lady named Edith. She shouldn't know anything about this because I don't want her to worry about me."

"And what do you want me to do?" Breathing in and out deeply, I slide deeper into the car seat with my arms crossed.

"She probably wants to know who you are, and I definitely can't tell her that you and three others kidnapped me, and now I have to come with you because I saw you guys kill someone." It became quiet in the car as I tried to find the right words. "Can I just tell her that..." I became quiet again, thinking about how he'll react if I keep talking, but he can't do anything worse than kill me, right? "That we met at the parade and that we get along well?" My gaze falls on him as he stares silently straight ahead.

"And what do you want to tell her why you're leaving town?"

"I don't know," I shake my head helplessly and look back at the yellow tulips.

How should I tell her that I'm leaving town and probably never coming back?

Who will bring her the newspaper now?

Who will help her with the shopping?

Who will play Scrabble with her on Sunday?

My head started to hurt, just like the last few hours. I ended up in an extreme situation that overwhelmed me so much that my body sent me clear alarm signals, but I had no choice but to ignore them.

She doesn't deserve me to leave her like that without giving a valid reason. She has a good soul and has given me a home without asking for anything in return. It breaks my heart to leave her.

If I hadn't cried so much in the last few hours, I would probably be in tears again, but I had the feeling that I was empty inside.

"We'll find a reason to tell her why you're leaving." I thought I recognised a slight smirk on his lips before he reached for the door handle and got out of the car.

Poor Edith

One last time, I walked through the front garden, tried to memorise every single detail as well as possible.

The rusty house number

The light blue letterbox

The yellow tulips

The pebble path

In a daze, I walked to the front door with Niall and then pressed the doorbell. My heart hammered against my chest, knowing that this would be the last time I would ever see her again.

I couldn't let my emotional chaos show, otherwise everything would get out of hand. Harry told me what would happen if I did something stupid.

We'll both die