Savages

Meghan was practically floating on air walking next to the blonde Irish boy, her hands tucked away in her jacket pockets, her laugh filling the air when he said something that spiked her interest, and I was at ease.

"You're a quiet one," Harry stated. The sweater sleeves that had been rolled up at the restaurant were now at full length, concealing his arms from the small gusts of wind that picked up.

"I'm not an avid talker." My posture mimicked that of Meghan's as I walked, hands shoved in my pockets, keeping pace with the green eyed boy on my right.

"Any particular reason?" His curiosity was intriguing.

"There's not much to say. I'm a very boring individual." If I had known how to laugh, I might've done just that after my statement.

"I wouldn't call you boring, love." I caught the grin stretched on his lips after he spoke, his eyes lifting up to meet mine. "More like, cautious. As if you're hiding something you don't want anyone to discover."

Harry was very observant, finding little details that went overlooked, and within thirty minutes he had unvieled a truth he didn't even know. "Which by default makes you interesting. A puzzle that needs to be put together."

"You're very insightful." His smile made his eyes nearly glow, two rows of perfectly straight white teeth exposed, and something new tugged in the pit of my stomach.

Similar to the warmth I felt when I did something the right way, the normal way, but mixed with another feeling. A tingle? A spark? It was all so foreign.

"We're almost there!" Meghan called over her shoulder. Instantly my eyes lifted to the large wheel towering ahead of us, spinning slowly, with capsules containing roughly 15-20 people in each.

It had been Niall's idea to visit the 'London Eye,' stating that you will never experience anything like it in your life. I went along with it because it was the right thing to do to blend in, to act normal, and because I needed time to assess a plan.

The boys were already targets, that much had been determined by the portfolio, and now I had hard proof that they were being watched. I thought that I would have more time, and maybe I would, but I needed to be prepared. Being defeated was not an option.

Harry and Niall insisted on paying for all of us, going out of their way to reserve a private capsule, and soon we were moving at a slow pace away from the ground. We stood by the glass wall and stared out at the shrinking land before us.

"It's beautiful," Meghan breathed.

The silence, the view, the moment to think, I couldn't help but agree with her in my mind. My eyes focused on something far in the distance, squinting slightly as it came into focus, and watched the blades of a windmill turn in the breeze. Scenic, standing tall in a field of grass, spinning carelessly, an invention for many different things. Abruptly I was pulled from the image when a hand pressed against my lower back shooting an electric hot shock through my system.

"That's our flat." His voice was right next to my ear, barely above a whisper as he pointed to a building he could barely see through the glass, but I heard his statement as if he were screaming it to me.

Suddenly I was in overdrive. Hyperactive. My nostrils flared when I took a deep breath and all I could smell was him. A distinct, soft, musky smell that wafted from the clothes rubbing against his skin, it clouded my head. One of his fingers twitched on my back, a movement so small you would barely feel it, but it felt as if I had been hit full force.

"Somewhere out there is my home town, way up North." His breath was hot against my cheek, spreading the heat from my face all the way down to my knees.

"I need to sit." I dared a glance at Harry and saw his face rapidly change from serenity to concern. His eyes dimmed slightly when he furrowed his brow.

"Do you feel ill?"

"Yes." Harry's hand disappeared and I felt like a weight was removed from my shoulders, his arm extended to the seats only a few feet away.

"Is it the heights?" I expected him to stay put, stand and look at the land in all its' glory, but he sat himself next to me.

No. "I'm not a big fan." I kept my eyes on the floor, partially scared to look anywhere else in that moment, trying to regain my composure as descreetly as possible.

"You should've said something." I listened to the low rumble that climbed his throat and left his lips, the chuckle light and airy as it lingered. "We didn't have to come on it."

"He was so persistent," I countered with a nod at Niall who was animately saying something to Meghan in that moment.

"It's hard to turn him down," Harry admitted with another soft laugh. My insides were twisted, knotted up into millions of little bundles, and I thought I was going to burst.

What the hell was this boy doing to me?

Twenty incredibly slow, agonizing minutes later, it was time to depart from the capsule and be back on solid ground. Meghan and Niall walked a few strides ahead of Harry and I, their arms looped together carelessly.

The bridge wasn't too crowded with tourists taking pictures and pointing at landmarks within eyesight, some cars whizzing by with curious passengers pressed against the windows.

A gasp.

I heard it from behind, muffled slightly by a string of curse words, followed by the revving of a V6 engine as a foot pressed down too hard on the gas pedal. A taxi cab was barreling down the road wildly, the driver oblivious the pedestrians as he angrily swiped at his newly stained pants, the coffee cup that had slipped through his fingers rolling around by his feet. It felt like slow motion, the driver finally looking up from his lap and letting out another curse as he yanked on the wheel, the tires squealing against the street while the car jerked harshly to avoid someone crossing.

Meghan and Niall were too caught up in their laughter to realize what was happening. Then again, I doubt Harry was aware of the events unfolding in front of him as the car swerved again, the driver losing control completely as he pulled on the wheel once more.

"MEGHAN!" Her head snapped up, eyes wide, but it was too late. There was no time.

The front of the car collided with the railing of the bridge first, crumbling it under the pressure of the impact, before sending her and Niall's body with the rubble toward the river flowing below. The car itself rolled off and into the air seconds later, screams piercing the rigid silence, and smacked into the water nearly ontop of where Meghan and Niall had disappeared.

I didn't hesitate.

I ripped the jacket off my torso, ran to the opening, and jumped.