There's a certain time of day that feels the most peaceful, well actually there are two. If you are a morning person; there is a 20 minute period between 6:15am and 6:35am where the sun is on its way up, birds are chirping, the air smells of that refreshing morning dew and the colours seem just a bit brighter. It's quiet, almost as if you have the entire world to yourself.
If you are a night owl; there is a 45 minute period between 10:15pm and 11:00pm where the sun has well and truly gone down, there is always a slight breeze, the street lights are on and it illuminates the beautiful silhouettes of trees and buildings. It too is quiet, like the entire population had banded together to give you a moment of peace to end your day.
But there was nothing peaceful about 1:17pm.
Quiet and peaceful was a far cry from the current situation. The ocean was crashing loudly against the shore, kids were squealing as the cold water hit their skin, seagulls were screeching overhead and Clem and Harry just kept talking.
"Clem, I need you to go in and get my keys. I need to get Jo out of here. Whether you and Adrian come with us is completely your choice but we are leaving right now."
I didn't want to ruin everyone's weekend. We had only been away for one night, not even a full twenty four hours, and I had managed to fuck up everyone's trip. My problems followed us here and now Harry has to leave his friends and Clem has to spend her weekend in fear.
The pain in my feet had disappeared into a tingling numbness and the noises echoing deep within my ears lessened to a ringing. We had moved up the beach, when did we move? How had we made it this close to the house and I did not notice? The house was in sight now which caused fear to bubble in my stomach. The living room had the balcony with an extensive view of the beach, if we could see it - it could see us.
I had hoped Ella had taken him to her room to dump his things, that way he wouldn't see us as we rushed to Harry's car. The universe put a harsh stop to that though as we got closer to freedom. Will stood casually out on the balcony, elbows rested on the railing as one hand raised to wave at me in a torturous manner. He knew.
He knew I was here, he knew my connections and now, he probably knew where I was going.
The fear fuelled me further and helped me to run the remainder of the way to the car. The leather of the seat was cool due to the car being parked in the shade but it felt ice cold on my bare skin. I was still in the two piece from the beach, no shoes, sweat coating my chest, legs wet from the water and feet bloody from the glass. I looked a mess, the quick glance I got of myself in the car's reverse mirror was a horrid sight, but it was nothing compared to how I felt on the inside.
This whole situation just solidifies the fact that you can run but you are never truly free. It was idiotic of me to think that just because I wasn't under his roof, I was free from the pain he caused me. Unless William Gregory is behind bars or underground, I will never be safe.
But this no longer concerned just me. Not only was my life back in danger, but Clem's was at risk now too. Ella was in the most danger. It means nothing if he hurts me some more, I'm used to it but if he were to start hurting her, that would be enough for me to kill him. I just hoped that Clem could talk to her and convince her to leave him before things go downhill for her.
My head is also a dangerous place. I get stuck in there quite often and it can turn dark very quickly. It's where I spent most of the drive home- to Harry's I mean. This way was vastly different to the drive to the beach. We were so happy and excited for some time away together but now, Harry drove pale-faced and I was planning my next move.
It was 2:45pm when we came to a gentle stop in Harry's driveway. The gorgeous weather certainly didn't follow us back, because the sky above us was grey and windy. Neither of us spoke a word as we exited the car and made our way inside.
Harry was the first to enter the house after unlocking it, he turned to the right into his room and left the door open. But I continued down the hall, I needed to be alone. I hadn't been in 'my room' in a while, recently I had just been staying in Harry's room, so to say walking through that door was a punch in the gut would be an understatement. It felt like I was constantly taking one step forward and ten steps back.
Harry didn't try to force himself into my space or make me talk, which I appreciated beyond words. I had to make my plan foolproof, he couldn't catch me, so I needed absolute silence to think of all the possible outcomes.
I wasn't hungry, I don't think I could have forced food into me even if I wanted to. So when I heard pots clanging together in the kitchen, I stayed put under the covers on the spare bed. I had tried to nap, who knows how much sleep I would get tonight, but every time my eyes got heavy another possible problem would appear in my brain and I had to find a way around it.
The peaceful night period snuck up on me quicker than I had anticipated. I was sat by the open window in the spare room, observing as the layer of bliss coated the backyard. The air felt crisp, the apple tree was illuminated by the house lights, the room was cold as the breeze pushed its way in and all was silent. There was no sound other than my rhythmic breathing to be heard; no cars, animals or music, just me.
My skin was warm in the plain black tracksuit pants and red hoodie I wore, two pairs of socks were on my feet for warmth and blood containment, my hoodie pocket held a pair of woolen gloves and there was a scarf hanging loosely around my neck. The backpack at my feet held things like a phone charger, toothbrush and any clothes I could make fit without it being too heavy.
10:53pm.
The blissfulness of this time frame was coming to a close, meaning it was almost time to start putting my plan into action. My feet, with a little hesitation, slid into a pair of shoes and I made my way up the hallway. The key Harry had given me when I first started staying here was resting in my palm and it felt like it weighed fourteen tonnes.
After a few deep breaths and an internal psych up, I slid the key under Harry's bedroom door and headed out the front door, locking it behind me.
I couldn't let them get hurt because of me. I had to remove myself from the equation.
I had to leave.
*****
oml, she's leaving? I didn't see that coming! Whatever will happen when Harry notices she is gone?
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Meet Me in the Hallway (HS AU)
Fanfiction"You'll never get this done, you know?" The satisfaction was evident in his voice. "You could leave me alone so I can actually get this finished. Or pick up a brush." I gestured to the abundance of supplies I had purchased. "Mmm, no thanks. Don't re...
