Harry's POV

"Have you checked in places,that are hard to approach? Like..I dunno,the dingy basement maybe?" Emily suggests a small smile playing on her lips,as she addresses the basement,making a weak chuckle escape mine.

"I think I have..Erm..Haven't found much down there," I huff,throwing a bunch of old calendars back into the bottom drawer of the empty room,which we used as storage.

She mumbles a soft "Oh" as she continues, to help me look for the letters,in the dimly lit room.

A soft smile spreads across my face,as Emily rummages around the old boxes,a new expression taking over her features,everytime she comes across something interesting.

It's crazy how close we've grown,in the matter of 4 and a half months..feels so much longer,than that. Ever since day one, there's..there's always been that..Sense of..Familiarity..With her..And boy,is that the best feeling ever.

It had been around 3 days,since I told Emily about this.
The night I did,she stayed in my arms a little longer,the memory of her combing her fingers through my hair,as I listened to her soft breathing, still clear as day.

I've been home alone,for the last 6 days.

He hasn't come home yet,but I'm not complaining.

But,another part of me couldn't help but,wonder, Where he was. What he was doing. ...And,why he hadn't come home yet.

What on earth could it be?

I had told Zayn,that he wasn't home,which made him feel much calmer about the fact,that I'm still staying here.

Trust me,I didn't want to.

I hated living in the dark,gloomy hole of a house.

But,I couldn't leave just yet.

There was so much more,I had to uncover..So much more,I needed to find out about.

Where are the rest of the letters?

How do I get ahold,of my aunt's number,so I can call her,and ask her what happened to my mum. Why hadn't she told us?

I could think of so much more,at the top of my head,but one thing that really stuck with me,was the fact,that I didn't know how many letters were actually there.

There could be hundreds of them for all I know.

I'm brought back to reality, when the sound of Emily's phone buzzing in her pocket,echoes through the empty room.

She takes her phone out with frown,that expression soon turning into a wide eyed look,as she stands up immediately.

"Shit,I'm late!" she says, placing her hands on her head.

Before I could say much,she grabs her bag,and turns swiftly to me.

"My mum just texted me,and well.. I should be off," she sighs,slinging the backpack over her shoulder.

"Tell me what you find,yeah? I'll see you tomorrow morning," she smiles quickly,placing a soft kiss to my cheek before practically, sprinting out of the room.

"Bye?" I laugh,hearing her shout one back.

I chuckle under my breath, as I hear Emily mumble a small "Oomph "as she trips over her own feet.

I hear the front door click shut,not long after,making me let out a sigh.

I lean back into the wall,my head lifted up,to stare at the ceiling.

An old Jersey covered my torso, the material sticking to my body,as the room becomes hotter and hotter by the minute.

My eyes aimlessly look around the room,the two shelves on either side,towering over my body,as I sat down.

As I was getting up off the floor to grab some water,I notice something in the corner of my eye.

It was at the top of the shelf,the one that stood on the right. It was a large brown file or envelope, that stuck out halfway.

I furrow my eyebrows,dusting my pants down,before standing on my tiptoes, reaching for the light brown object.

I huff in defeat, as I realize that it's too high for me to reach,without a stool of some sort.

I walk out the storage room,into my bedroom,the small table at the foot of my bed coming into vision,making me let out a sigh of relief.

I pick it up with ease, walking straight back to the dusty old room,placing the small table down,right in front of the dark brown shelf.

I step up onto it,tapping my foot against the wood,to check if it was stable.
I stop,when I don't feel the stool like piece of furniture move,and reach up for the top shelf.

It took me a couple of tries,to get it within my grasp, but I do eventually, a wave of content washing through my body.

I step down slowly, blowing the dust off of the large envelope, turning the one light off,inside that room,and walking into my fairly well lit one,taking a seat on the side of my bed.

The large envelope had something scribbled on,with black ink. I couldn't make out what it was,since the ink had been in contact with water by the looks of it,and was completely drowned out.

I shrug that off,opening the paper flap delicately, since the material seemed flimsy,looking as if it would tear at the slightest tug.

I open it up without damaging it,a breathe of relief escaping my lips.

I turn it upside down,emptying the contents onto my crisp white bedsheets.
It takes a couple of seconds for the objects to shimmy out of the package, but soon enough,fall onto the bed.

My eyes go wide as I look down,at the duvet.

It can't be.

This must be a fucking dream.

It is isn't it?

No,wait no..It isn't. Of course it isn't.

I've done it! I've finally done,Holy shit!

I've found the letters!

My eyes glow with glee,as my fingers brush over atleast, 8 yellow envelopes, each one having the house's address jotted down on the front.

I carefully examine each of them,tracing my fingertips over the unsealed flap.

I pick one up between my trembling fingers,turning it over.

I frown,as I notice something,that I hadn't seen on the last few letters I had found.

Huh.

It was marked,with some sort of symbol.

Nothing out of the ordinary, just a couple of X's.

Weird.

I place that letter down,turning the rest of them over on my bed.

The crease between my eyebrows grow stronger and stronger,as I take in the appearance of all of the worn out letters.

All of them had these X's on them.

Each letter,having a different number of them.

What could that mean? Was it...some sorta..Code..or..I dunno,something that the post office does,when they send them out? Or maybe-

Wait.

I collect myself,shaking my head,and closing my eyes,before letting out a sigh.

Fuck,my thoughts were all over the place.

I examine each of the letters,soon realizing that these X's were marking the letters in Chronological order.

Each one of them,had one X more than the other.

I hastily, move them around,placing them from ascending to descending order,cocking my head to the side,as I look at them.

I nod to myself slowly,before getting up off the creaky bed,and walking over to my closet.

I had hidden the letters I had found in the past,so that he wouldn't find them.

I pick them up from the corner,placing them down along with the others.

I had found the first few ones in Chronological order,surprisingly. I place those down,letting out a satisfied huff.

After staring at them,for a good couple of seconds,
I decide not to leave them out on display,like this incase he came back home any minute.

Unlikely, but it's happened in the past,and we all know how that ends.

I pick each of them up,placing them under my pillow.
I hide the first few that I've already read,inside my pillow case,before picking up some from the middle.

My eyebrows furrow once again,this time in confusion.

Why did this envelope feel so...Light?

I pick up the ones I had already read,to hold in comparison.

And,I was right.

It was oddly,lighter than the rest.

I pick up a few others from the middle,realizing that all of them felt weirdly weightless.

I continue to frantically move the letters around,holding each on one hand,comparing their weight,when something hits me.

"No,no,no,no," I mutter,swiftly opening up the envelopes,and turning them upside down,in Hope's to see a piece of paper fall out.

But,nothing came out.

It was empty.

"Shit," I mumble to myself,as I open up Five other letters, only to see all of them were empty.

I throw my the empty envelopes onto the duvet,my hands reaching up to clutch my hair.

You've got to be,fucking kidding me.

All of this..all of this for,nothing?!

Absolutely fucking nothing?!

I let out a strained groan,my hands cover my eyes.

My uneasy breathing,fills the atmosphere,as I grip my brown curls tight.

I stare down at my duvet,Two unopened letters,sitting at the foot of my bed.

I screw my eyes shut,praying that those envelopes were graced with a piece of paper on the inside.

I wipe my clammy palms against the rough material of my jeans,and reach over to the other side.

I pick the two objects up,examining the marked X's that adorned the yellow stained envelope.

One of them had 6 X's while the other one had 8.

7 was missing,but at the moment I didn't care.

I knew there were letters inside these,I could feel it.

I carefully, but quickly, open up the 6th envelope, making me take in a sharp breathe through my nose, as I see a tattered piece of paper on the inside.

I take it out slowly,prying the stuck parts of the paper off carefully.

I lean back onto my bed head,the letter placed between my calloused fingers.

Dear Robert,
                  
                  It's been 11 months.
I haven't heard from you yet.
I understand, why you have no interest in fulfilling my needs,but please.. I'm begging you,I just want to know how he is. He's my son, Rob,and I still care for him.

I still love him. With every fiber of my body.

But,that's not the only reason,I'm writing this letter to you.

I need you to write back,because I have something I need to share with you.

Share with him?

  It's important,and I'm sure,that you'll want this information. It's been bothering me lately, and...I'm now aware,that you deserve to know.

So please. Write back, to me..Just this once..and,I promise it will be the last time.

And,to Harry...Tell him I love him.

                      - Anne

My breathe hitches ever so slightly in my throat,as I read the last sentence.

I put the letter down beside me,closing my eyes,as my head faces the ceiling.

What was so important? Did he write back?

You've got one more letter Harry,c'mon.

Pull yourself together.

I gather myself for the second time in 15 minutes, picking up the other letter that was marked with 8 X's.

I open it up the same way,making sure I don't rip the delicate yellow paper.

The letter comes out smoothly,the paper gliding out easier than the other.

Well...Here we go,

Dear Robert,

                    I received your letter.

Wait..He wrote back? What did he reply to?

Must have been Letter number,7.

Which I don't have.

Shit.

       And,all I can say is sorry. I'm so sorry,and I...God,sorry doesn't explain the way I feel at the moment.

No,no,no,What did that letter say?! Why was she apologizing?

   I understand that your angry, and that's okay. You should be. I've done something that's hurt you,and I hate myself for that.

But,I just want to make something clear.

I didn't want to.

I hated keeping this from you for so long,but at the same time..I just..Couldn't come,to say it to your face.

And,that does not make what I did,okay in any way. I understand that.

I need you to know,that I wanted to tell you. I really did. And to this day,I despise myself for keeping it from you.

I...I'm aware, that you won't want me writing to you anymore. And that's okay.

All I can say is that,I'm sorry. I'm so,so,sorry. You didn't deserve that. No one,deserves such pain.

I..I should stop writing now,otherwise I'll probably go on forever..Just one last thing..Before I go...

     I truly am,sorry..

                         - Anne

The shock and confusion in my eyes,remain,as I place the letter down on my lap.

What on earth,did I just read?

What was she talking about?

Why wasn't Letter 7 there,and why were these the only ones that remained?

Where did he put the other letters?

What was she sorry about? What did she say,that compelled him to write back to her?

How did she hurt him?

With all of these thoughts,I bring my knees up to my chest,burying my head in my arms.

I was confused.

I was shocked.

I was sad.

I was angry.

My mind was all over the place,that it physically hurt. I was feeling so much,that everything felt incredibly overwhelming.

All of these emotions continued to run through my scattered mind,as I sat in silence.

But,one feeling really stuck.

   The feeling of not knowing what to do.

A/n If I had a coin,for each time I mentioned the word, "Paper","Letter" and "Envelope" in this chapter, I'd be rolling in money XD

Anyway ;) ,What do you guys think,Anne wrote in letter No. 7?

All the love - V