nine ➸ harry styles

two.

R E G A N

id been left alone for at least a painful thirty minutes in that daunting room, full of cameras, watching every move i made.

despite being incredibly scared, DI styles has calmed my nerves, to say the least. there was something about his eyes. i suppose if you want me to be boring and cliche, i could tell you they were green. grass green, emerald, whatever one-word descriptors you want to use.

if you had asked me though? his eyes were a deep, intelligent green that provided a sharp contrast to my dull brown ones. perhaps if id known any better if have guessed the way he looked at me was out of hope, but falling was dangerous.

DS merchant on the other hand? she had kind of an understated beauty. perhaps it was because she was so disarmingly unaware of her prettiness. her black skin was completely flawless. I doubt she used face masks or expensive products, that really wasn't her m.o. but i still didnt trust her like i did DI styles.

the door swung open, bewildering me for a short moment. "regan, we have your family waiting for you" DI styles brightly smiled, i felt my heart begin faintly beating again. nine years ago, if youd have asked me if id ever see my family again, i probably wouldnt have been able to answer. or called you utterly stupid.

but now i was truly about to see them, a happiness id never had before alluded my thoughts.

i sprung to my feet, walking towards DI styles who walked out the door before me. as i followed him, i met eyes with DS merchant and looked down to the floor. she knew i had distrust in her; she tried smiling to make things easier, but i just couldnt look at her.

each step we took down the hallway to see my family echoed in my ear, it was a familiar sound. i spent nine years locked in a basement with concrete floors, the footsteps were a permanent reminder that i was never alone, that i had truly been taken by a man. the sound would stay with me until i was on my deathbed, i knew that much.

at the end of the hallway, the first person i locked eyes with was my father. he'd aged in the nine years id been gone, which was inevitable, but our time apart looked like it had damaged him more than it had me.

his face had the same structure as my own, high cheekbones and symmetrical. he had the same deep brown eyes and pale skin. he was still slender despite his years, toned and not at all stooped. but his eyes didnt hold laughter lines, instead they held pain, grief. i supposed he'd spent the full nine years distraught about what happened to me.

i didnt even have time to look around for my mother before i heard her cries, and laughter. i snapped my head to her direction and she ran towards me, her short legs reaching me. ironically, she collapsed in my arms, instead of me into hers. her cries turned into fits of happy sobs, it was an overwhelming feeling.

but even as i held my very own mother i didnt feel anything, i didnt feel joyful or over the moon. to be quite honest i felt absolutely nothing, and that was my kidnappers fault.

he showed me what his version of love was and it made me skeptical about what true love could truly mean. so as my mother and father stood there, stroking my hair and whispering soothing words into my ear, giving me their version of love, i couldnt help but feel absolutely nothing but a void in the pit of my stomach.

"we need to wait for the dna, just to be sure" i heard DS merchant beckon to DI styles. this caused my mother to turn slowly turn her head, she gritted her teeth.

"this is my daughter" she stated, matter of factually, it was clear in her harsh tone that she didnt doubt her statement. not even for a second.

"of course, mrs vogel. all we want is to find her kidnapper as soon as possible and get regan justice. we have to ask your daughter more questions in order to do so" DS merchant briefly explained.