To The Past and Back ➳ 1D {Editing Before I Publish More!}

Chapter 6

My feet carry me down the long paved streets and into the middle of Cheshire, England. The dark grey roads compliment the beiges and browns of the buildings lining the long empty streets. Many different businesses are along each side of the road, hotels, family restaurants, corner grocery stores, and even little electronic and hardware stores that are squeezed in between larger businesses. As I pass by a small hardware store, I hear thunder rumble throughout the clouds above me. 

That's just great. Maybe I can call Harry and he can come pick me up.

As I pat down all my pockets for my phone, it's starts to rain. I pause and realize that I did not own a cell phone five years ago. 

I sigh in discomfort as my clothes get drenched by the rain falling from the gloomy sky above. My eyes scan the area for a pay phone; spotting one across the street. My head turns both ways to check if there are any cars coming down the quiet streets. None. I run across the street and over to the pay phone before bending down and grabbing a quarter from in between my sock and shoe.

What? You never know when you need money! Plus it won't fall out of my pocket like ordinary coins would.

I put the quarter in the slot and take the phone off the holder, holding it up to my ear. I hold my wrist in front of my face so I can see Harry's number. Instead of seeing Harry's number on my hand, I see a large black smear. 

Just great, the rain washed it off.

I'm soaked, lost, and broke since I have no other money with me. Oh what a quarter can do for you. I can't believe what is happening to me. I have no clue what to do, how I got here, where to go, who to talk to, nothing. Do I have to guess on everything myself in order to get answers now? I suppose so. 

My legs carry me out of the phone booth as I sit on the wet curb, thinking of what to do next. Well if I talk to someone other than Harry, they will think I am mentally ill. Maybe I could go back to Harry's house? Wait, I can't because I don't know my way back. All I do remember, is that his house is on a street called Evergreen. Should I pinch myself to wake up? I shouldn't even bother with that because I have already felt pain since I got here. Not to mention that my head still hurts from when I collapsed after meeting One Direction. But what I don't understand is that my head hurts from five years in the future. Hopefully all the puzzle pieces come together soon so I can go back home, where I belong. 

All of a sudden a car races down the street, going through a puddle that was building up on the side. The dirty water splashing all over me. I stand up as quickly as I can and shout at the person speeding past me, "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

The man driving  just stuck his arm out of the window and flicked me off. How pleasant he must be. I sigh in heavily and let it out quickly before running across the street once again before going into the hardware store. I hope they don't care about my appearance, being wet and slightly muddy and all. 

I push open the wooden door and a bell rings, notifying the employees a customer has arrived. The store smells like old paint and fresh pine wood. From wall to wall, there are aisles dividing the store into different sections for different supplies. Then on the far right, there is a small metal counter with a woman standing behind it at the cash register. She looks up at me with a smile, greeting me, "Hello, how may I help you?"

"I don't need anything here, thank you. But I would like some directions to Evergreen Street," I request while walking up to the counter. The cashier hunches over, resting on her elbows before speaking.

"Okay, walk down this street up until the corner of Opal Lane and North Birch Road. Then take a right on that corner and walk down four blocks and make a left and walk seven blocks down and you'll be there."

"Thank you so much!" I say as I walk out of the small shop. I stop outside of the store and look up at the sky, it has stopped raining for the most part; just sprinkling small droplets now.

I start to walk the directions the lady told me. Along the way, I couldn't help but think of Harry's presence and him in general. He's just an amazing and great person to be around. He's nice and inviting to everybody he meets. Even if you're rude and just bloody awful, he'll still find something nice about you. He is the type of person to give you the warmest hug when you're down, to give you the best compliments when you're insecure and the best moments when you're angry. He's just naturally beautiful, inside and out. I wish that everybody could see the Harry that I do. Mostly everyone sees a womanizer, just a singer, a boy wrapped up in his fame. It's not true! He has had girlfriends like any other boy, and yeah he sings but he's more than just a singer, a hero too. Wrapped up in his fame? C'mon! He handed out thousands of pounds worth of pizza to homeless people on the streets. Red Nose Day? Donating money to the dying children in Ghana, Africa. He's just amazing, he really, really is.

I was interrupted by my thoughts as I hear a car horn. Jolting, I quickly walk across the street but stopping as soon as I reach the corner of the road. This doesn't seem like the directions the cashier gave me. I must've dazed off for a while if I got myself lost again. 

I decide to just take a right at this corner. My feet carry my exhausted body down a block until I reach a bar called Rusty Nail. The smell of alcohol lingers throughout the air, causing me to gag. 

What a great name! Note the sarcasm in my tone.

All of a sudden, four men come stumbling out of the dark brown doors, clearly drunk. As they try to regain their balance, they spot me standing there and smirk at me. Yellow tobacco stained teeth showing.

I turn around to run but they quickly catch me before I have a chance. Two of the men take my arms firmly in their hold and drag me down the sidewalk. One of the other men stand in the back and the other in the front. So if I escape, they can catch me. 

Who are they and why is this happening to me?? I haven't been a threat to anyone, have I? 

"Let me go!" I yell as I try and wiggle out of their grasp.

The one in the front of the group turns around sharply on his heels, causing the other men to come to an abrupt stop. He gets in my face and blows a long thick puff of smoke, flicking the cigarette onto the road while staring at me.

"You better watch your actions and your words little one," he smiles through crooked teeth. "'cause you'll regret 'em later," He warns me as he turns back around and snaps his fingers, queuing the men to follow him once again.

I decide to keep my mouth shut so I don't get myself into more trouble than I'm already in. Which I have no idea why i would be in trouble. I haven't done anything wrong! I just want to wake up or go back into the present where I belong, in my home country; I presume that I am innocent and I am just lost. But for some reason, they assume that I have done wrong to something, I just don't know what. 

After a good two minutes of my arms being squeezed to death and getting dragged down the wet and empty sidewalk, they finally let me go. Except by 'let me go' I mean throw me against a brick wall in a damp alley. I lay there in the dust in excruciating pain, my hands holding my right hip. 

The men then walk up to me, towering over me. The shadows block all light from me, causing me to not recognize their features. The one that I assume was the leader from earlier bent down in front of me and said two words in a raspy tone that scared the living hell out of me, "You're next darling."