The hours were ticking away and I was still stuck in my living room, my dad watching over me. For a moment I feared that he knew of my plan, but then again, he couldn’t. I hadn’t even properly thought it through myself. But somebody had to do it.
The sun was rising, its rays peeking through the living room window. I stood up to walk to it, pushing the curtains aside and letting the warm light caress my face. I had been standing there for what felt like ages when I finally got an idea.
‘’Hey, dad? I think I’m just going outside for a bit, maybe drive around.’’ He wasn’t paying attention, his eyes fluttering and his head lolling around as if he could fall asleep any moment. Only when I told him again did he grunt, waving his hand dismissively. I took this as his approval and went upstairs to get dressed. After managing to squeeze myself into my black skinny jeans, I put on a white T-shirt and my old, white converse.
As soon as I closed the front door behind me, I jogged towards me jeep. The engine roared to life, and I pulled out onto the road, rolling down the window. I drove leisurely, enjoying the sun flickering through the trees here and there. The wind ruffled my curls, and I was perfectly at ease.
I finally seemed to get a bit nervous when I slowed down, stopping at the edge of the forest. I sat there for a while, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel and glancing at the forest. It seemed harmless, now. Taking a deep breath, I got out of my jeep. I approached the forest cautiously, small twigs snapping under my feet when I stood on them. After passing the first few trees, I increased my pace. I breathed in the fresh air, smelling the earthy forest ground and its plants and flowers. The heat of the summer wrapped around me in a comforting blanket, giving me courage.
After the short hike, I reached the meadow. The flowers were in full bloom, swaying softly in the wind. The mansion was still a dark, scary thing. My feet slowly carried me forward, towards the large doors. I felt detached from my body, almost as if I wasn’t in control of it anymore. My mind was screaming in protest, but my feet went on relentlessly, not breaking pace. My hand reached for the door knob, feeling the rough texture. I twisted it and gave the door a soft push. There was a loud creaking, followed by complete silence. The sun shone through the cracks in the wooden boards covering up the windows, offering enough light to see. I had to admit it seemed a lot less threatening. I had the urge to call for Zayn, but kept quiet just in case.
I carefully entered the house, looking around me. It must have been a stunning place, all those years ago. But now, the marble staircase was broken and covered in dirt. The large chandelier was buried under layers of dust and swinging dangerously in the soft breeze. Making sure not to pass under it, I made my way to the sitting room on the left. This time I clearly saw the large fireplace with an impressive mantelpiece, the stone adorned with delicate swirls. The coffee table was still somewhat intact, but the sofa I had seen earlier was beyond repair. A few bookcases were spread around the room, some shelves broken. The books were scattered and ripped apart.
The curtains were either ripped or torn off completely, left on the ground in a heap. Sighing deeply, I looked around in hopes of finding Zayn, maybe curled up in a corner again. But, the room felt empty. I turned back around, stopping in the hall to look at the stairs. I felt a strange pull, almost as if someone was softly pushing me, urging me to go upstairs. I let it lead me, my feet moving forward almost on their own. My hand slid across the cold marble, dragging trails in the dust.
Upon reaching the second level, I looked from left to right, only to find long corridors on both sides. A few doors were hanging on their hinges, allowing some light to stream into the corridors. I could feel myself almost instinctively turning to the right, spotting a closed door at the end of that corridor. I started walking, my eyes scanning over the carpet which was caked with dirt. The lamps on the walls were dusty and broken, some of them threatening to fall down. After seeing the mansion like this, I wasn’t scared anymore. It was pitiful, actually.
I finally reached the door, feeling my stomach churn uncomfortably and my palms turning sweaty. It was a mystery what I would find behind this closed door. Without thinking too much into it, my hand shot forward to grab onto the knob, slowly twisting it. The door opened with a small creak to reveal a dusky room. The curtains still seemed to be intact, because they were drawn. There was a large four-poster bed against the wall, with a small figure on top of it. Zayn was curled up in a ball, fast asleep. I let out a deep breath, happy he seemed to be unharmed.
Even though I was definitely intruding, I stepped into the room. It didn’t seem to be in a very bad state: he had obviously taken care of it. I shuffled towards the bed, suddenly unsure of what to do. Should I wake him? Or maybe wait until he was rested? I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, causing me to step on a creaky floorboard.
He shot up suddenly, screaming loudly. I was startled, squealing and stumbling over my own feet, falling backwards. My bum hit the floor, a grunt escaping my lips. Tiny dust particles flew up around me, making my nose itch and causing me to sneeze. I sniffled softly, looking up in confusion when I heard loud laughter. Zayn was rolling around on the bed, holding onto his stomach.
‘’What’s so funny?’’ I whined. His laughter slowly died down, his eyes twinkling in the dark. He was silent once again, sitting on his bed and his expression turning grave.
‘’You. You’re an idiot. You shouldn’t be here,’’ he snapped. I slowly got up and cautiously moved over to the bed to sit at the other end. He didn’t say anything, just stared. My eyes had gotten used to the lack of light, now spotting Zayn’s nervous fidgeting. He told me I shouldn’t be here, not that he didn’t want me to be. I had already gotten this far, and I wasn’t backing off.
‘’Why not? Please enlighten me,’’ I insisted.
‘’Because apparently you can’t recognise danger, even when it’s right in front of you.’’ I ran my hand through my hair, taking a deep breath. He was talking in riddles and it hurt my head. Danger, right in front of me? What was it all supposed to mean? Zayn seemed to be patiently waiting for my reaction. He clearly overestimated my intelligence: I couldn’t make sense of his words.
‘’I don’t understand, what danger? There’s no sign of the beast and you’re absolutely fine!’’ He was avoiding my eyes, looking at the wall to his left. His fidgeting had gotten worse, and I had to fight the urge to grab his hands to keep him still. It seemed as if he was preparing for something bad, closing his eyes and his breath coming out in shaky puffs. I guess you could say I wasn’t prepared for what I heard next.
‘’It’s me. I am the beast.’’
You were right! But can you predict Harry's next move..? :) Since this chapter is so short and because you've been so sweet, I'm updating tomorrow! But after that it's back to every other day. Thank you so much for the votes/comments/reads!
Until then xxx <3
