✓ Meanwhile [h.styles]

.three.

"Uriah, this place looks shady." Astraya's head is cocked near the window of his car. She's in shotgun with her fingers twisting awkwardly as he passes red light after red light. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

Her brother just gives her a side glance, lips in a straight line. She doesn't like when he's so serious. It makes her feel like a child. "You'll be fine. I just need to drop something off."

He makes one last turn before slowing down the car. The neighborhood they're at looks abandoned. Many of the houses have their entrances boarded up by wood. Her lips are parted in shock before she turns to Uriah whose hand is already opening his door. "You're not leaving me out here alone, are you?"

"It'll only be a moment," he promises. "Just let me settle something."

"Settle what?"

He's out of the car and closing his door a second later. Uriah opens one of the back doors and pulls out a black duffle bag that she didn't even know was there. Something about it makes her skin crawl, but she trusts him enough to know that what he says is true.

Slowly, her brother hooks the bag around his shoulder and locks the car from the outside, eying the many houses he's parked around. Only one of them has a light on and Astraya taps her knuckles against the glass to get his attention, pointing at the house to save some time. With a small wave, he disappears into the side and sends a knock at the door before it opens for him.

Now alone, she hugs her chest for comfort and begins humming a song gently to herself, trying her best not to think of something jumping out at her. She moves her palms and instead moves her hands to the visor above her head, pulling it down and sliding one of them to reveal the mirror. She doesn't like the bags under her eyes or the dull color of her irises, but what really gets to her is the bandage on her neck.

It's been a week and a half since she's seen Harry and a part of her really wants to think that he's gone for good, but the bigger part knows that he's just good at hiding. Her fingers work at taking the white bandage and gauze pads from her skin. As soon as the air hits it she looks over at the mirror.

There's this ugly, blue color around the healing skin and she worries that maybe she didn't clean it enough. It looks worse than it did when it actually happened. The cut is definitely closing, but whatever is inside of it is still being pushed out.

From the corner of her eyes, Astraya sees what looks like a person running. Her head turns but she ignores the pain it brings her. She shakes her head and looks down at her lap. Thinks maybe she's just paranoid.

She decides to sit like this instead of looking outside of the window. After twenty minutes she grows impatient, adjusting her seat so that she has more leg space. Something hits the car from behind and the first thing she does is freeze.

Astraya looks behind her where another car is and tries to remember if it was there before Uriah parked his. When the lights go on and off again, she unlocks the door as discretely as she can, thinking it's best to find her brother wherever he is than to deal with anybody else. Her thoughts flit back to Harry and she prays it's not him.

Her legs work quick to carry herself to the house with the one light on. She doesn't even knock before pushing herself through, eyes wide at what she sees. Around ten men stand spaced out in the main room.

Her brother is the first person to notice her and his eyes become wide. "Fuck. Rah?"

All other eyes travel to her but she's too confused as to why there's so much money against the wall on the floor. A hand closes around her forearm and her attention finally
focuses on the man at her side. His breath smells like beer and cigarettes, a combination that makes her wince and turn her head.