Let's Pretend [Niall Horan]

Chapter 6

-Niall-  
••December 26, 2012••

Curled up on the couch, I flipped through the iPhone manual, desperately looking for some way I could trace or retrieve the voice message Faith had left me a few days ago.

This was both the best and worst Christmas in a while. To know that Faith was out there, alive and well… It was overwhelming.  It just made me so happy, I couldn't even explain it to the boys, who were staying at my house over the holidays.  I probably ruined their Christmas over all this, but it was seriously, crazy.  I can't believe it.

But why hadn't Mrs. Gray informed me of any of this?  She would have definitely known that, somehow, Faith didn't die.  Why hadn't Mrs. Gray told me years ago?

God, I was a complete wreck over this.

I shuddered, randomly opening a page in the manual and reading the short segment, tracing the tiny words with my finger.  I had to find that voicemail again.  It was like my phone had just… eaten it up.  Which reminded me…  I was hungry.  I had hardly eaten since I got that voicemail a few days ago.  I just couldn't stop thinking - what if I had answered the call?  I could have talked to her, actually had a conversation with Faith.  Faith!

I needed that voicemail back…  I returned to the manual again, starting on a new section.

Harry suddenly cleared his throat, scaring me. I had forgotten that there were others in the room with me - it had been so quiet.

"Niall, mate..." Harry said, again startling me. "Zayn and I need to talk to you." I slid my finger in the little manual so I wouldn't lose my page and turned around, biting my bottom lip anxiously. 

I really needed to keep looking for a way to get that message back, and whatever this was could wait, right? Mostly if was something about One Direction. That could definitely wait.

I didn't speak, waiting for them to continue but they didn't speak. 

Both Harry and Zayn looked pretty much like little first-graders right before their first piano rehearsal.  Zayn's hand was even shaking a bit, but when he saw me looking, he quickly steadied it.

Harry sighed, shaking his head, which made his curls hit his forehead. He ignored it. Harry's face had always been an open book to me, but I couldn't read his expression now.

Something was definitely wrong.

"We have to tell you something about Faith," Zayn said in a timid voice.

My eyes immediately widened. They knew something about Faith?

I quickly nodded, trying to get them to tell me as quickly as possible.

Harry let out a long sigh before proceeding. "When we first met you, you spoke about Faith a lot, but we didn't know much about her, or about you." He paused, fidgeting uneasily with the string of his hoody.  Harry looked up at the ceiling, not making eye contact with me. He sighed and continued, "One day, just a couple of days after the band was formed, Faith's mother, Elizabeth calle--" He stopped.  

Mrs. Gray had contacted them?  Oh my God, what was going on?  I waved my hand, trying to get them to continue.  Right when I opened my mouth to ask why they had stopped, there was a sudden loud bang at the door. I flinched back in more of a shock–if that was even possible.

"What the...?" I asked, looking back at Harry and then at Zayn, trying to get them to reply or explain something.  They both looked as baffled as me.

We all slowly turned our heads back towards the door.

There was a rustling noise,

The doorknob creaked, turning slowly.