"I'm the shell of a girl
That I used to know well"

Today is the day. The day that's going to change my life forever. Okay, maybe I'm being dramatic.

Let me start again.

Today is the day that the 1D boys are coming to stay in my house. For seven days. 

Hm. No, that doesn't sound right.

Today is the day that the boys of One Direction are coming over to the house to stay for seven days. While I babysit them.

Much better.

Before leaving the house, I made sure that Mari and my bags were packed with everything we needed for the next seven days. Now I might have alluded that we'd be staying at Anne's for a few days BUT in my defense, I couldn't tell her the truth. I needed to mentally prepare myself for the meltdown she'd have when I tell her what's really going on.

I kid you not. If she found out that she'd be in the same house with One Direction for an entire week, it'll be like me noticing the last Snickers bar at the convenience store.

Total. Chaos.

I have no regrets whatsoever.

After dropping her off at school, I then proceeded to drive in the direction of the house.
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It amazes me how every time I come here, I can't believe the beauty in front of me. It's absolutely magnificent. I always find myself to be having second thoughts when I come here. Like, did I make a mistake? Was I stupid enough to think that paying rent was better than living in a huge house rent-free and with the addition of free house cleaning?

As I drove around the fountain in the middle of the driveway, I kept looking at the house and how every single time, it looks brand new to me. Maybe I was a bit rash in my decision to move out. I mean look at this place! But then I'm reminded of all the reasons why I moved out in the first place.

Apart from wanting to have my independence and be all adult-y, the other reason why living here was so impractical was because this house is literally in the middle of nowhere. It's so far away from everything, basically in the forest, that nobody comes down here unless they have a death wish. I mean that literally.

I wish I was making this up when I say that the amount of people committing suicide on the cliff just a few miles up is absolutely ridiculous! 

Why would I voluntarily stay here knowing that there are ghosts, probably with unsettled souls because of their unfinished business, just roaming around. Do I look like I want to be possessed?Probably won't even get an exorcist to come all the way out here either. So for my piece of mind, it's better I keep that apartment in London.

I like my sleep, thank you very much.

My God, the places my mind goes to sometimes...

I park my car in the garage and lock the doors.

Why did I lock the doors? Who the hell is coming to steal an SUV? It's a fricking Kia with a booster-seat in the back for crying out loud. 

I spent a good few seconds debating with myself about the security of my car. Should I leave it locked or unlock it? Then I remembered the gigantic steel black gate I just opened to drive in and the impossibly high walls surrounding the property.

You know what I also realized? I was literally stalling to delay going into the house, knowing what was waiting for me. As I'm walking towards the front door, I take time looking around my surroundings, admiring the beautiful landscape before me. Must say, abuela has great taste.

I open the door with my keys and walk inside. The bright lights in the foyer momentarily blinding me as my eyes try to adjust to the brightness.

"Maria! I'm home!" I sing loudly, so she could hear me.

Suddenly, I hear a thick Spanish accent say from somewhere in the huge house, "Ay cariño, has vuelto. Te extrañé mucho."

She walks into the foyer and immediately pulls me into a bone crushing hug. Maria's hugs always bring back so many memories...good memories and I'm thankful for that. With the way my life has turned upside down over these past four years, it's always nice to be reminded of all the happy and good memories in your life. Like going down to the beach every Sunday evening and having mini fiestas, where my family and I would all be together...and trust me, when all of us are together, the fun never stops. Maria has been a part of our family for years. Probably since I was four, I think. Maybe even before that, I'm sure. She's a short Mexican woman, who looks so damn hot for her age. She has a daughter who is a little older than me, living in the US. Maria has been my grandmother's housekeeper since she moved to the UK. When abuela left for Holmes Chapel, nobody understood why she decided to make such a move, especially for someone at her age who had no other family but us. It was comforting to know that she had someone like Maria constantly around her, especially as she was living by herself.

Anyway...back to the present. I'm reminiscing too much.

"So what brings you here, darling? I know you never come here on your own without a reason."

Reason= Mariangeli

I quickly fill her in on everything that's happened these last few weeks. Her reactions were priceless. Going from shocked, to amused and concerned.

She looks into space and says, "Hmm. Harry Styles. Haven't heard that name in a while. This should be a good one."

"What do you mean 'this should be a good one'? We haven't even talked properly yet and I could feel that this is going to be a recipe for disaster!" I exclaimed.

She pats my arm gently and softly says, "Your story is just beginning, Mia. I have a feeling that the ending to this story of yours is going to be worth all the pain and heartbreak that you've been through."

She continues, "Some things happen for a reason, carina. You of all people should understand that clearly."

I look down trying not to get emotional. Don't think about it. Don't think about it and it'll go away.

She lifts my chin so that she can look at my face. She turns it from side to side as if inspecting it for something.

"You do know that's it's normal to feel sad, right" she says and then to herself," Not even at single tear."

"What reason would I have to cry right now? I can't change what happened, it's already gone. Four years is a bit of a stretch for a mourning period, don't you think?" I said, shrugging.

"¡Ay Dios Mío! Do you even hear yourself? How can you say that you've mourned when you don't even shed a single tear after that horrendous day?" she scolds, "You let her get into your head. You let yourself be defined by her standards and now look at you...you're unrecognizable."

Yeahhhh there's a reason why I was stalling outside.

And this is why.

"Can we not get into this right now? The boys will be here any minute and I may need your help," I say pleadingly. I hate letting her down. I hate letting people down.

She walks around me and reaches for her coat.

"My shift is over. I did what I had to do. The rest is up to you now," she says and heads for the door.

I feel my heart drop as I watch her walk away. I really, really let her down.

I wanted to tell her that I'm sorry but I just couldn't do it. Maria may not like it, and I'm sorry that once again, her heart breaks for me but I think that the person that I was forced me to become has made me stronger. I can't allow myself to be broken up into pieces again. So yes, Maria finds me unrecognizable but I think that I'm just redeemable.

When she reaches the door, she turns to face me with tears in her eyes, "If only your grandmother saw you now, she'd....you'd break her heart, Mia. You were supposed to be the last one...our survivor but now it's as though you're gone too!" She cries.

A tiny voice in the back of my head was screaming, "I'm right here!" but it wasn't loud enough. Instead I turned my back to her because I knew that if I watched her heartbroken form any longer, I would give in to my emotions.

Not too long after, I hear the front the shut and I sink down to the floor trying not to break down.
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At around 10 am, the doorbell rings. Andddd instant headache.

I checked through the peephole to make sure that it was them. I almost laughed at what I saw. Five heads looking curiously around the property. 

I exhale a breath and then open the door, plastering a bright smile on my face.

"Hiya boys! Bienvenidos a mi casa. Come on in." I chirped. I had to sound the opposite of what I'm feeling inside right now.

They walked in silently looking around the foyer, their bags in hand.

"Alright! Well let's get you to your rooms," I say and gesture to them to follow me.

I decided to put them all on one floor so that they were near each other. There are en suites in each bedroom for people like me who get lost every single time they go looking for the bathroom. The bedrooms, to me, are far more than decent. It may not be what they're used to in hotels but it's close enough. 

It's been about ten minutes. They still haven't said a word. Okay...

After I show them their rooms, I call them back into the corridor outside of their rooms.

I clear my throat, trying to get rid of the awkward tension and say with a smile," So this is where you'll be staying for the next seven days. I hope you enjoy. I'll try my best to make you feel as comfortable as possible."

They all nod but still say nothing. Are they afraid of me or something? Are they scared to talk?

"Umm...you're free to explore if you'd like," I see Niall perk up at my suggestion. I can tell that he's excited. To be honest, I'd be too. You see a gigantic house and not want to explore it? Do you even have a soul?

"It's big enough with so much space and fun activities. Go explore. I mean, you can't stay cooped up sulking in your rooms for a week. You can't go outside so find things to do inside."

I continue, "Though there are some rules. The kitchen is off limits. Don't you dare go into my kitchen. And well my bedroom is off limits as well...unless I say otherwise, which most likely ain't gonna happen"

They chuckle to themselves. Okay, good start. Now I know they aren't statues. Everyone except Zayn. What's going on with him? He was the same way the first time we met. Maybe he is the statue...

"Alrighty then. I'll leave you to it," I say and turn to make my way downstairs.

As I'm halfway down the stairs, I hear Niall scream,

"It has a bloody golf course! Somebody come play golf with me!"

I smirk to myself. So they found the golf course in the back. He probably saw it through a window. Wait until they find the-

"Forget the golf course, Niall! The house has a bowling alley! A. fricking. bowling. alley!" Never mind, they found it.

Almost to the bottom of the stairs, I hear them running around upstairs, laughing at their reactions about their discoveries.

As I'm busy laughing, I didn't notice a presence behind me.

"Mia?"
My laughing is cut short as I turn around to face the source of the voice behind me. I instantly get nervous. Why do I always get nervous around this guy? It's quite annoying.

"Yes?" I ask. Don't snap. Don't snap.

Yeah, I'll admit that I was still reeling about how he ran away. I guess in a way my feelings were hurt. But I also wanted to talk. I know that I was a bit apprehensive about it before but to be honest, I was tired. Tired of being mad. Tired of wondering why. 

Tired of missing my friend.

"So...umm...uh....how was your uh...how's your day been so far?" He's nervous too.

Well one of us has to be the bigger person and it doesn't look like it's going to be Harry. We did need to talk it out and if left up to Harry, I was willing to bet that he'd run away again.

"My day has been just peachy. So you wanted to talk, let's talk," I said, getting straight to the point. If I'm being honest, I'm kind of curious as to how this conversation is going to pan out.

"Yes. Let's talk," he says, nervously.

I lead him into the living room and gesture for him to sit while I take the seat opposite him.

"Okay, shoot"

He gulps and then focuses his attention on the rings on his fingers and begins to speak.

A/N
Chapter 12 is up! Wow double update. I was feeling rather generous as it's my birthday and thought,"why not?"

The pic at the top of Constance Marie is Maria.

So it got a lil emotional in the middle and some of you may be confused as to who 'she' is. All will be revealed in due time. Don't worry. Patience is key.

Also, cliff hanger! Will Harry finally explain himself or run off again. Keep reading to find out.

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Thanks so much to my readers. I love y'all ❤❤