Savages

Meghan chewed on her nails and shifted her gaze from the blonde boy on her right to the girl sitting across the room on the couch. Taking a deep breath, Meghan pushed herself out of her chair and carried herself down the hall to the third door on the left.

Harry looked up from the computer screen when she knocked on his door and gave a small nod at the sight of her. Checking over her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear she pushed the door shut as quietly as possible with her back pressed against it.

"Anything?" Harry shook his head and let out a deep breath.

"No." She sat down on the edge of his bed and ran a hand through her brown locks. "What about your end?"

"My dad says they're still searching," she answered quietly. "I don't know what to do."

"We wait for her," Harry stated simply while shutting the lid of his laptop. He ran a hand through his curls and rubbed the side of his cheek.

"It's been 35 days, Harry. I can't keep pretending."

"It's not a walk in the park for me either, Meghan. For any of us." She bit her lip as he spoke and nodded, silently agreeing with his statement. "We have to be strong, for Elle. She would want us to be strong."

"I know, I know," she whispered. Footsteps in the hall caused both of their heads to snap to the door and watched as Louis poked his head into the room.

"You guys need to come see this," he said with a grin. Harry and Meghan left the room quickly and followed their friend back to the living room where everyone was crowded around the television.

"Breaking News! It has been reported that just under an hour ago, a factory on the outskirts of Aberdaron has gone up in flames due to an explosion of massive proportions. The authorities are still trying to put out the fire but it has been confirmed that there was an underground portion of this factory that had recently gone under some renovation for scientific reasons." The reporter put his hand up to his ear and stayed silent for a moment, nodding eagerly before looking back into the camera. "Just confirmed, the origin of the fire came from the underground portion of the factory. There is no word on any survivors."

"Oh my goodness," the only other girl in the room gasped, pulling her hands to her mouth in fake horror, her pale blue eyes void of emotion.

The group exchanged knowing glances, hiding their newfound excitement expertly from the girl on the other end of the couch. It hadn't taken them long to figure out that she was an imposter, a clone, a mere physical reproduction of the person they had all grown to love. They weren't even sure she had any abilities, but didn't force the issue, upon Meghan's father's request, and continued to play stupid in order to keep their cover.

But there was one thing they knew that gave them a new hope, a lighter step. Something that Harry was screaming at the top of his lungs inside his head.

She's alive!

.......

Something was up her sleeve.

Meghan could tell just by the way she was moving about the flat there was something she wasn't saying.

It had been two days since the news report, marking the day on the calendar as day thirty-seven, and Meghan couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about it.

And watching the imposter moving around the flat very quietly didn't make matters any better.

"So what are we doing today?" Meghan turned her full attention to the brunette who had just sat down on the couch next to her.

It had been weird at first, noticing the small differences that this girl did compared to the one she had lived with before. Two weeks of searching and making phone calls only to have this person show up on her doorstep without a scratch or smudge of dirt on her face.

Four days later Meghan knew for a fact that Elle was indeed not Elle, and had called her father immediately. Two days later she sat down with the boys when Elle was in her sleep state and told them of her discovery. They didn't believe her at first, especially Harry, but after watching closely, they began to see the things Meghan was talking about.

She wasn't nearly as alert, not jerking her head up at different sounds, not scanning their surroundings like normal. She also spoke more freely, not as guarded, and never hesitated to speak to people on the street.

But the real red flag that had exposed her was the small cut on her leg Harry spotted when she got out of the shower, a trickle of blood falling with some of the water still dripping on her skin.

She had blamed the razor, laughing it off like no big deal and Harry laughed with her, secretly fighting the panic rising in his chest. He could distinctly remember a day where he had cooked with me and nearly chopped off one of my fingers only to have the knife crack when it came in contact with my skin.

"Well, the guys have a few interviews this morning and then tonight is that benefit concert."

"Oh yeah, that's right. What time are we meeting them?"

"The car is coming to get us at 5," Meghan explained.

"You've just got to help me pick out a dress. I really want to impress Harry. I think tonight is the night," she gushed with wide eyes. Meghan faked her enthusiasm with a small squeal.

"That's great! I'll make sure you look amazing."

"You're the best, Meg." She stood up from the couch and made her way to the hall, her footsteps fading into the bedroom. Meghan let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding before fishing out her phone to text the guys.

If she does anything, it won't be until later tonight. We've got to keep our eyes and ears open.

From: Niall <3
Hopefully Elle will get there in time.

If there is one thing I know about Elle, it's that she will fight to her death to make sure you guys are safe. She'll be there.