Flicker (H.S)

10.

10.

“Investigators believe that the disappearance of Everly Green has a strong connection to the Styles murders in Oakwood. Last night, as policemen were searching the Green’s home, a loose floorboard was found. Hiding underneath was a hole carved into the ground and a shoebox containing multiple pictures and notes of both Green and a boy by the name of Harry. The notes suggested a serious romantic relationship between the two and span over a year and a half. Although this ‘Harry’ in the photos may not be the Harry Styles that is currently on the run, suspicion is rising in Oakwood.”

-Daily News, aired August 6th, 2016

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*past this point just assume everything in italics is a dream or flashback. over and out.*

h a r r y

She took a small step closer to his body, stark white converse contrasting harshly with the dark colour of her skinny jeans. Her legs were slim, he noticed. They weren’t muscular. They were just slim. Like her skin rested directly on the bone. And he caught himself wondering if she made them that way.

Her eyes were this, like, this incredibly dark brown that he found specks of both gold and grey inside, just floating around. And they were watering. And he caught himself wondering if she made her legs slim or she was just naturally skinny. And there was some acne dotting her forehead but somehow, it made her look better. It made her feel real.

“I love you, Harry.” She whispered. Her bony fingers captured his own and his eyes widened. They were burning hot- her skin was searing. He tried to ignore the pain- because her eyes had both gold and gray floating around and she had acne dotting her forehead- but soon he felt the flesh on his palm smoking. “Don’t leave me. Everyone leaves.”

He bit back his cries and watches as smoke rises up from their connected hands. Tears soon pricked his eyes and he couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m sorry, Everly.”

And he disconnects their skin. And she falls into this abyss below her feet that he hadn’t noticed before, and her skinny legs were flailing as she fell. So he crouches beside the chasm, hoping to God that she was going to come back. But what felt like years passed and all that was left of Everly was the raw, broken skin on his hands.

 

He sat up, all bloodshot eyes and unruly curls, taking a deep breath before reaching over and turning on the lamp beside her bed.

Mel’s room was soon illuminated, and he quickly took in the posters on the wall, the familiar scent of home and lilac perfume filling his nostrils. There was a shifting from beside  him. There was a Mel shifting beside him, to be precise. An angry Mel shifting beside him.

“Hazzy?” Her voice is filled with sleep and anger but Harry just heard comfort. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Harry shifted away from his half-asleep sister and freed himself from the confines of his sister’s duvet. It was cold in Mel’s room. It was warm in Mel’s heart but it was always cold in her room so Harry pulls on a jumper he hung on the hook by the door before he enters the hallway, ignoring Mel’s sleepy questions from behind him.

Last night, after Luke left to go who-knows-where, Mel came home. And she smelled like abuse.

But then again, all the Styles kids smelled like abuse at one time or another.

So Harry wrapped her in a hug, which is where she broke down. Tear-filled confessions of hurt and unseen bruises fill her younger brother’s ears as they lay in Mel’s bed, Harry sipping tea and Mel sipping whiskey. He didn’t talk, because words weren’t needed.

Fists were needed on this boy’s face. Arms were needed to wrap crying older siblings into warm embraces. Because Mel’s heart is warm but her room is cold so his arms were needed to wrap his older sibling into a warm embrace.

And then again, all the Styles kids smelled like abuse at one time or another.

So now, at three o’clock in the morning, Harry slipped a jumper on and carried himself out the front door of his home, grabbing Mel’s car keys on the way. Luke was no where in sight, and to be honest, he was a bit disappointed.

He could use someone’s face to bash in.

And since Mel didn’t get enough alcohol in her system to tell her brother who the boy was that violated her body, he couldn’t take out all his pent up aggression on him.

The nights were dark in Oakwood. Streetlamps line the side of the road but there aren’t on- never have been, never will be. Mel said it’s because running the lights cost money, money our town doesn’t have. But Harry thinks it’s because night time is the only time there is complete serenity in this place. As soon as the sun rises so do the people, and with people comes ear-drum bursting noise and bright car headlights and steaming tea kettles and crying children and complaints of going to school and noise.

But nights were dark in Oakwood. 

And then again, all the Styles kids smelled like abuse at one time or another.

 

He ends up at an abandoned house with white shutters and a blue welcome mat and a blue mailbox and an unlocked front door. And, since nights were dark in Oakwood, he switched on a flashlight he kept in one of the compartments in his truck to illuminate the pavement leading up to the porch.

Harry was shaking. He was sweating. He felt like crying. But he’s cried too much in the past year than he ever has so he bites his lip and stands right in front of the front door, trying to forget the sound of her laugh as she opened this very. same. door. Or how she’d take his hand and pull him up to her bedroom and they’d sit on her bed and talk about anything and everything they could. Or when she’d start kissing him and giggle into his mouth because he always moved his lips weirdly when he kissed her.

“You’re so hot.” She said dramatically, fanning herself with her hand as she tried to fight a smile. Her blonde hair blew out behind her and Harry started to play with his fingers because if he didn’t they’d probably end up knotting in her hair and pushing her lips to his. But he has the flu. And even though Jess says she doesn’t get sick Harry refuses to let their lips touch. “Like, smokin’ hot. I love you so much, baby.”

She scooted closer to him on the bed and straddled his lap, teasing him cruelly. She tried to bite back the grin on her beautiful, freckles-dotted face but failed.

“I love you too Jess but-” She grabbed his hands and guided them closer to her. Harry groaned, regretfully placing his hands on her hips. He squeezed the bit of skin there and pushed her body closer to him. He was going crazy. But Jess was crazier if she thought he was going to give in.

“Just one kiss. That’s all I want.” She pleaded, resting her forehead on his. A little frown was planted on her lips but the corners of her mouth were tilted up in a smile. “Just one.”

“You’re going to  get sick. Sorry, but-”

But she did anyway. She kissed him and slipped her tongue into his mouth and Harry gave in.

That’s what he always did with Jess. They always gave, and gave, and gave to each other until they had nothing left. But somehow, they felt so… whole.

It’s all a hoax. Wholeness.

Because once she was ripped away from him, he was as empty as Jess’s eyes as she lied in her casket.

 

It took Harry a whole two seconds before he bolted back into his car, turned the ignition and took off down the pavement.

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yeah this is really, really short and yeah, i’m super, super sorry. but stuff has come up and i haven’t had time to update properly :/. I’ll probably update sometime in the next few days

love from

el x