Broken Glass [h.s.]

eight

Dove

"I don't think I'll ever meet someone who enjoys being a total pain in the ass as much as you do" I say without turning around.

"I told you to be respectful while talking to me" he hisses from behind me.

"I was, you lost it when you tried to kiss me though." I pull my cloak harshly enough to make it slip out of his grasp.

I hear him snicker. "I think I did more than just trying, love." He fastens his step until he's walking next to me. "And it didn't look like you were that against it, either."

I stop in my tracks and so does he, stopping right in front of me, a little sly smile on his lips as he realises that his words had some kind of effect on me. "How about you stop assuming things and acting like a prick? You should try doing that, it'll surely give you more luck with women, since that's apparently all you care about."

"I actually have a pretty wide range of interests, not that a girl from downtown like you would know of course." He's fast to reply.

"See? That's the problem with you!" I exclaim, "You're that used to being a jerk that you can't even reply to a critique without reproaching the fact that we come from different parts of the town."

"That's a nice way to say it, it's more like I rule it and you get ruled actually."

"And yet I could still kick your ass, how embarrassing is that?" I say glaring at him before surpassing him and bumping his shoulder in the process. "And for the record, I'm not even from downtown, asshole" I add raising up my voice when I'm a few feet away from him.

"Would you mind keeping your voice down? We're trying not to be too obvious here" Aaron says turning around to glance at me.

"Good luck with that, Styles's ego is too big to go unnoticed clearly" I reply shutting him up and surpassing him as well.

Max side-glances at me when I start walking next to him. "Remind me again why Mr Styles thought it would've been a good idea to take you with us."

"Because you don't even know where you're going, and he wanted someone that knew their way around to protect his dear offspring."

"Not the Mr Styles I was talking about" Max mumbles before fastening his pace, leaving me alone.

I don't understand. Is there another Mr Styles I know nothing about, or is he talking about Mr Styles as in... Harry Styles? Why would that Styles want me to come along, when he's done nothing but trying to drag me down since the first time I saw him? And most importantly, why does finding that out make me somehow happy? Not possible. It just doesn't touch me, I convince myself. Who cares if that prick wants me to come along? Not me.

• • •

When the sun starts to set again, I start to recognise the dirty buildings surrounding us. We're in what possibly is the weirdest part of the city. Contrarily to what the names are, downtown is physically the centre of the city - other than the core of it. Right between the Moons' territory, Payne's territory and the part of the town that is rightfully ruled by Mr Styles, which also takes the name of the "city centre", it's like some kind of neutral area between all of them. While the Styles's territory is normal during the day and dangerous when it's dark, the Moons' territory is a hidden trap during the day and lively - and dangerous - during the night, and the Payne's territory is normal - dangerous for us - during the day and ruled by the Moons during the night, downtown is always active. As soon as the sun sets, a myriad of lights, torches and fireplaces are turned on to frighten away the darkness, and the city keeps living. I've always found it really special, coming from the city centre and so being used to hide away during the night. I used to think the people who live there really brave, since they didn't seem to be scared, even though they're living in a bubble in the middle of all the areas of the town that are in a continuous conflict with one another. But growing up I realised that it isn't really bravery, but the simple knowledge that every single person in the whole town had, that if something bad happened there, the entire city would fall into a war too big to be managed.

We pull up our hoods not to be recognised, mixing ourselves with all the other hooded figures on the streets. I wonder how many of them are armed, and how many of them are Moons. I slightly shiver at the thought that the leader of the Moons could walk right next to me and I wouldn't even know. The Moons are the most feared in the town. Why? Because they are like ghosts. Nobody knows who they are, or what they do for a living, they basically don't exist during the day and appear during the night, often bringing destruction with them. Everybody fears them, with no exceptions. Even Payne, after having burnt himself on their liquid fire too many times, has decided to steer away from their territory.

"Cocoa?" I hear someone faintly say, and I look up.

An old woman is standing in front of me, a torn, faded and holed cloak draped over her shoulders, her hood down. She has a little bag in her hands, with a dark powder inside.

"What?" I ask confusedly.

"Cocoa, dear?" She asks again, but sweetly, understanding that I'm a girl. "Smuggled it in by myself, it's good. I can give you one ounce for three dollars, it's a good price." She looks at me with hopeful watery eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry-"

"Is that cocoa?" Max says coming closer to us, "Ma'am, are you aware of the fact that the selling of cocoa is strictly regulated by the government?"

"Please don't snitch on me, sir" she says slowly, "I'm just trying to make a living."

Aaron comes around and puts a finger inside the little bag, putting it in his mouth right after. "It's not only cocoa, it's sugared cocoa. The selling of sugared cocoa was declared illegal two years ago, whoever is found selling it is to be imprisoned without trial" he says, reciting the text of the law.

"Just let her go, it's just a bit of cocoa" I decide to jump in.

"Miss W, sugared cocoa is a rare good only belonging to the Styles Mansion, therefore its selling is illegal" Max informs me, leaving out my last name just in case.

"You" I say pointing at Styles, "Do you give a fuck that she's selling cocoa?"

"Frankly, I don't" he says sarcastically.

"Great, so there's no problem, see? Now let's go" I say, turning towards the old lady just to find out that she walked away somewhen during the conversation.

We keep walking in the dimly illuminated street, careful not to crash into anyone not to cause excessive trouble.

"Wait here" I say as I spot someone selling fruits down the street.

I stroll down to where he is and buy four apples, before going back.

"What did you do?" Styles asks me as soon as I reach them.

I throw one of the apples to him. "You might be an asshole, but I don't want you to starve. Now let's go ahead and find somewhere to sleep."