Subjected || Harry Styles [AU]

eight

A n a s t a s i a

"And we are finished!" Angelica cooed, spinning my chair around so that I was facing the mirror placed on my dressing table.

She and Laurel had spent the past hour drying and curling my hair. The long blonde strands were all immaculately coiled, shortening the length of my usually straight hair by about an inch. It looked different, and I had to admit that I did like it. This was something that I had never known to be possible. Electricity was still something that I found strange, living underground only allowed me to use natural resources to survive, and all of these modern devices are so peculiar.

"Do you like it?" Laurel asked excitedly, twirling one of the strands before releasing it. I simply nodded whilst keeping my eyes glued to the mirror.

"Yes, it looks so unlike me." I observed, glancing across my whole attire for the day. The two girls had finally listened to my pleas, allowing me to wear a colour other than white. I was wearing a short, pastel blue dress today, accompanied by a pair of navy flats and cardigan. "What time will Lord Harry be here?"

I wanted to leave this castle and spend some more time with him. After the encounter that I had with Lord Zayn yesterday, I needed space from all of these perplexing and menacing people. Lord Harry was definitely not in that group. It baffles me as to how different he is, yet it leads me back to the puzzling conversation that I had with Walter and King Alistair.

Was Lord Harry hiding something from me?

"He will be here soon," Angelica informed me, her eyes then lit up before a blissful grin plastered itself onto her face, "actually, he is here now." She giggled.

Laurel clapped excitedly as she and Angelica walked towards the bedroom door. Angelica clasped onto the handle, before pulling the wood open, revealing the familiar and temperate face of Lord Harry Styles. I could not help but feel a sense of warmth rush through me as he smiled at the girls, before flicking his gaze towards me.

"Good morning, Anastasia." He nodded towards me, graciously passing by Angelica and Laurel before reaching his hand out towards me. I clasped onto it, feeling a strange surge run through me as I used it as a lever to stand up beside him.

"Morning, Lord-I mean, Harry." I smiled sheepishly, letting my hand fall by my side, the surge immediately vanishing. I looked up into his striking green eyes, noticing that they were lighter than usual. "What are we doing today?" I had to ask.

"That is a surprise, first we must walk to the car."

We both then casually strolled through the castle, side by side, in a comfortable silence. I do not know whether it was due to the surprise awaiting me or whether Harry had something else on his mind. As we exited through the front door, I saw Walter stood against the black Rolls-Royce with his arms crossed. He smiled at the pair of us before opening the back door.

I climbed into the car first, shuffling across to the other side, before Harry climbed in next to me. Walter then proceeded to close the door, walking around the back of the car to the driver's seat. The vehicle began moving, and I felt a shift in the atmosphere. The calm air which was surrounding us seemed to be more vibrant.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going now?" I questioned again. Harry turned to answer me but was silenced by a loud ringing sound. I watched as he pulled a small device from the pocket inside of his suit, sliding his finger across the screen before holding it up to his ear.

"Harry Styles." He quipped, still keeping eye contact with me. I smiled at him, receiving a cheeky grin in response, before he bit his lip and looked away from me. "Yes, I still want to." His tone shifted into a much more serious one. "I will be there tomorrow to complete the autopsy." My eyes wandered to Walter's rear-view mirror, where he was already staring at me. "The girl was found in the middle of the road; of course I am looking into it." Harry's angry voice made me jump, my eyes glanced to his face and his eyebrows were screwed together agitatedly. "Something suspicious happened and we will figure out what it was." He nodded to himself. "Yes, thank you. Goodbye."