Twisted (Harry Styles Fanfic)

Chapter 1

1.

"What about the police?" I asked, slightly alarmed. I was starting to feel light-headed. Was this some kind of dream? "Can't we tell them about-"

Francine only laughed, shaking her head. I stopped talking upon hearing her. "The police can't do anything." Francine said matter-of-factly. "The police are terrified of them, Claire. They won't intervene with any of their business."

"Why not?" I sat up a little, hearing the wind blow against Francine's walls from outside. "They're the police - it's their soul duty to protect us from people like them." At least, that's how it was in America. I remembered going to the big cities where gangs were notorious, but the police always fought against them for the civilian's sake. What makes this gang so different? And how could the police be afraid of them?

"They're not people." Francine mumbled darkly.

"They have a beating heart." I insisted. "They are people."

She shot me a look. "Are you defending them?"

"What I'm saying is that they can't just 'rule' this place! That's impossible."

"You don't understand." Francine's voice was quiet. "You just don't understand. I don't know what it is, but...there's something that doesn't make them normal."

I stared at her. "Fran? Have you ever....have they ever hurt you?"

Francine looked down at her lap sadly. "No, they've never hurt me. I've never even spoken to them. But I've seen the things they have done." I noticed that she was slightly crying. Smiling feebly, she wiped at her tears. "They pull people off the street, Claire, in broad daylight. They just come from the alleys and drag them back, either to kill them or...worse."

I gasped at that, covering my mouth with my hand. No...that kind of stuff just doesn't happen...right?

"Don't people hear them?" I asked quietly.

Francine shook her head slowly. "Nobody helps. They just look away. They're too scared to get involved with them."

I had tears in my eyes. Mumbling, I shrank back in the sofa, too overwhelmed to sit up properly. "No...this isn't real...this can't be real. People don't just do things like that. People don't watch people be dragged off the street without doing anything. It's not right."

"We all know it's not right." Francine said brokenly. "But they'll kill us."

I squeezed my eyes shut, remembering Harry's voice in the darkness. "I was with him. He could've killed me. It would've been so easy, since it was so dark."

"I can't believe you went into an alley."

"I was just trying to escape the rain." My body had started to tremble violently. "I was inches away from him, Fran. H-he could've killed me."

"But for some reason he didn't." Francine said gravely. "He's taken an interest in you, I'm afraid." She glanced to her room. "His jacket is here."

"So?"

"That's a sign. He's coming for you." Francine stood up abruptly, striding into her room. She came back with the jacket, and she held it away from her, as if it was poisoned or had a foul smell.

"Fran," I breathed, feeling like I was about to have a panic attack, "stop...please. You're scaring me. This is just too much."

"You can stay the night here."Francine said, throwing the jacket on the floor. "In the morning we'll figure something out."

I felt like a sudden wave of exhaustion had taken over me. I closed my eyes, but I could still hear his voice in my head. I still saw the brief glimpse of him when the lightning had illuminated everything for a passing moment.