Elena

I watch in absolute shock as Alice falls on the ground, her hands clutching the wound on her stomach. Harry releases a horrified shout as he runs toward her, my heart dropping to my stomach, my legs almost giving out. No no no, please no.

Harry drops to his knees beside her, cradling her small body in his arms as he stands up, his expression being the one of pure shock and horror. Niall runs toward him and tells him something, both of them running toward the vehicle filled with the rest of the children parked nearby.

None of the soldiers even attempts to shoot me, probably having orders from Seth not to harm me, which goes to my advantage. I notice how no more soldiers run out of the building and I conclude it's because everyone else is needed on the field. I strike down the remainder of soldiers, using one bullet for each, their bodies falling on the ground.

I anxiously watch as the vehicle with Harry in it drives away in a haste, my chest feeling so heavy knowing what happened to Alice. A feeling of determination takes over me as I firmly decide to follow them to Hazard so I can make sure she's alright and be there for them. Besides, this is my chance to break free considering the battle currently in progress, so no one will notice me running away.

My fists clench, my eyebrows pulling in a frown as I start sprinting, heat coursing through my body as I run, my heart pulsating in my ears loudly, the only thing in my mind being reaching Hazard. I'm going back.

. . . .

During my drive to Hazard, I make sure not to lose Harry's vehicle out of my sight, crossing the border with Hazard without much casualties considering I'm not that far behind them so none of the soldiers guarding the border questions who is in the vehicle I'm driving. My palms are clammy with sweat as my fingers tightly grip the steering wheel, my mind reeling with various possibilities and outcomes for Alice. 

The base gates open for Harry's vehicle and I press the gas pedal, managing to get through and inside the enclosed patio, slamming onto the break, the tires screeching on the cement. Harry jumps out of the vehicle with Alice in his arms, frantically sprinting toward the infirmary with Niall right behind him as the rest of the children get out slowly. I quickly jump out of my vehicle, following Harry when someone suddenly shoots in my direction, the bullet grazing my arm, making me hiss.

I immediately stop running, turning around to face the person who has shot me, seeing a group of soldiers pointing their weapons at me. It takes me a second to realise I'm wearing the Vortex uniform, muttering a curse under my breath, knowing how this looks like. Even if they recognise me, I'm sure everyone knows what happened in Wildfire yesterday and no one in their right mind would let me walk inside. 

"Lift your hands in the air and don't move," a soldier orders me firmly as he starts approaching me, his gun barrel aimed at me.

Unfortunately for him, I have no time nor will to put up a fight or let myself get imprisoned. I lift my hands in surrender as instructed, making eye contact with him to get his focus solely on my face. When he's only a few steps in front of me, my fingers curl around his wrist and twist it in a painful manner, my other hand grabbing the gun from him. Before anyone can react, I pull out a knife from my belt and loop my arm around his neck, pressing the blade against his throat while I aim the gun at the soldiers surrounding us.

"Step away!" I demand, taking a few steps backwards as I pull the soldier with me, moving toward the gym where the infirmary is, making sure no one sneaks up on me from behind, constantly aiming my gun at the soldiers around us.

"Tell them not to follow me or it'll get ugly. I'm not here to hurt anyone, I wouldn't come alone," I say to the soldier I'm keeping hostage before roughly pushing him away, disappearing into the building, sprinting through the familiar hallways. I know they'll follow me, but I'm hoping Harry is going to let me stay.

As I turn around the final corner, I see Harry pacing back and forth in the hallway, one of his hands tangled in his hair as he stares at the floor. Niall is sitting in the chairs in front of one of the rooms, shaking his knee nervously while resting his elbows on his thighs, his fingers interlocked behind the nape of his neck.

When they hear my footsteps, both of their heads snap up, Harry immediately stopping pacing as Niall stands up, casting a nervous glance at him before focusing on me again. "Elena, A- Alice was- she's- she's bleeding and-" Harry stammers, his reaction not the one I expected when he sees me. He looks down at his shaky hands coated in drying blood, my heart painfully clenching at the sight.

Before I can say anything, a few soldiers march into the hallway, glaring at me as they once again point their guns at me. "We're terribly sorry, sir, we'll lock her in-"

"Harry, do whatever you want, you can lock me in, you can throw me out, punish me in any way you want, but please let me stay here with you for now," I practically beg him, looking at him pleadingly.

He stares at me with a blank expression for a few moments before glancing at the soldiers, lifting his hand and motioning them to go, a huge breath of relief pushing past my lips, my eyes closing for a second. The soldiers nod and leave, leaving the three of us standing in silence. Niall's eyes keep flicking back and forth between Harry and me as if he's expecting something big to happen.

Harry keeps his expression completely emotionless, his green eyes fixed on me, the only thing showing me the pain he really feels at the moment. I know I'm one of the last people he wants around at the moment, but I can't help myself, I want to be here for him. Without much thinking, I step toward him, winding my arms around his neck tightly and pulling him to me, ignoring a slight pain in my arm where the bullet has grazed me. I hear him inhale in surprise, his body tensing.

I brace myself as I expect him to push me away, but he never does, simply keeping his arms hanging on the sides as he lets me hug him, hopefully giving him a bit of comfort I know he so desperately needs. Harry doesn't cope very well when someone close to him is in danger, the fact he's not having a fit and is this passive is worse than when he's panicking.

Niall only observes us in silence as he stands aside and I'm grateful he doesn't make any comments, my eyes locking with his for a few brief moments, noticing how sad he looks. The sound of hasty footsteps makes me take a step away from Harry, my head turning to see Louis, Liam, Tori and Jess running toward us, worried expressions on their faces.

"How is she?" Liam asks. "I wish I could've stayed, I wish I could've got them all in that vehicle, I- I tried-"

"Liam, it's not your fault," Niall interrupts him. "And we don't know, Ethan is inside with her, he's doing everything he can."

I notice how everyone glances at me, surprised to see me here and probably resenting me for what I did. I look down, unable to make eye contact with any of them as I walk further down the hallway, putting some distance between us.

"David is here, by the way," Louis tells Harry. "We made sure to bring him to his room where's he's resting, so that's one less worry for you, mate."

Harry only nods and pats him on the back, releasing a huff as he lifts his head, closing his eyes for a few moments. "What is taking him so long? Maybe he needs more medical supplies, what if he doesn't have enough? I- I need to make sure he has everything he needs." He walks toward the door, but Niall quickly pulls him back.

"Let him work mate, it's going to be okay," Niall tells him reassuringly. "He would let you know if there was a problem, okay?" He grabs his head and looks him in the eyes before pulling him in a hug. I'm so glad Harry has friends like this with him and he's not alone.

"I saw Alex," Louis says as he approaches me. "I didn't talk to him, but from what I saw, he's handling you leaving him there pretty tough, just wanted to let you know." He turns his back on me before giving me a look over his shoulder. "But I think what you did was brave nevertheless."

I manage a tiny nod as I lean my back against the wall, staring down at my interlocked fingers, feeling a pressure in my chest, the emotions I'm trying to suppress weighing me down.  I feel guilty for lying to Harry, I feel guilty for leaving my brother, I feel pain because of this terrible thing that happened to someone as innocent and young as Alice. I would give anything not to be right here at the moment, waiting to find out if she's going to make it. She has to, for herself, for Harry.  I eventually slide down the wall, sitting on the floor quietly as I wait with the others. I watch as they pace back and forth, sit on the chairs, stand on one spot or try to comfort Harry. 

"Hi," Jess says as she walks toward me, crouching down in front of me, her dark eyes focusing on mine. "I, uh- I know this is not the time, but are you and- and Alex leaving after this? Leaving the country?"

"I can't speak for my brother, but I don't want to leave. I can't really think about that right now, it depends I guess." I look at Harry, who is standing with his palms flat against the wall, his head hanging low. I notice a bloody cloth wrapped around the graze wound on his leg.

Jess nods, leaning closer toward me. "I would've done the same thing you did. If I believed something was right, I would've done it, no matter the cost. Sometimes we have to sacrifice something in order to get what we want, even if it feels wrong." She gives me a smile and places her hand on my shoulder before standing up. "Oh and. . . tell Alex I. . . just say bye from me." She walks back toward her friends, leaving me to process her words.

"I need- I need you all to go," Harry says, turning toward his friends suddenly. "The base. . . it can't stay unprotected, it needs a leader, it needs people to take care of it, David also does. I need you to take care of the children, see if they need anything. And don't forget about Thomas, he- I'm sure he's figured out something happened to Alice."

"Harry-" Niall starts.

"If you really want to help me, you'll do this for me," he interrupts. "I need you to take care of Hazard now that- that this happened. This might take hours so please. . . I'm counting on you."

They all exchange worried looks, anxious expressions on their faces. Louis is the first one to nod and step forward, pulling Harry into a tight hug. Niall quickly steps forward and hugs both of them and everyone soon joins in the group hug, making my lips pull in a small smile at the sight, loving how close they all are.

"I'll tell Alice you were here," Harry says sadly and his friends leave with reluctance, telling him they'll come to check on him and Alice soon. Once they leave, he lets out a heavy sigh, his palms covering his face as he stands in front of the room in which Ethan is operating Alice, waiting for the news.

My heart aches when I see him like this so I slowly stand up, cautiously approaching him, not wanting to make him angry now that he's so vulnerable. If he rejects me, I'll stand back and give him space. I slowly lift my hand to place it on his shoulder when he suddenly drops his hands, turning his head to look at me, his green eyes tired and filled with nothing but sadness. 

"This is what I tried to avoid," he tells me, his tone slightly cracking. "Someone so innocent getting hurt. She shouldn't have even been there in the first place. She has to live, if she dies I won't- I won't be able to live with myself knowing I could've prevented it."

"Don't do this to yourself, not again Harry," I say softly. "Don't blame yourself for something you couldn't control, you couldn't have known about the attack. Even if you were there, who says what could've happened? Don't blame yourself Harry, there are some things you simply can't control. If you need someone to blame, blame Vortex, blame Seth." 

He stares at me while I talk, seemingly pondering my words before looking down with a frown. "It's not fair, why her? Why are always the innocent ones that get hurt in war? I can't. . . she needs to be okay. She'll turn twelve in a couple of weeks for fuck's sake, she's a child!" He raises his voice at the end of his speech, raising his hands to grab his head. "Fuck!"

I feel nothing but pain, mentally praying Alice survives. Harry is right, she's just a child, a little girl who has merely got a taste of what life has to offer. My palm covers my mouth as I exhale shakily, barely keeping my emotions at bay at this point. Harry looks at me, tentatively taking a step forward when the door opens, revealing Ethan while two nurses walk out of the room. Harry and I immediately approach him, both of us bombarding him with questions. 

"Wait, hold up!" Ethan raises his hands. "She's. . . she's lost a lot of blood-" Harry widens his eyes, a shock crossing over his face "-but she's alive. I've given her a two doses of blood, I fortunately have her type. I've removed the bullet and stitched up the wound, but I can't tell for certain what's going to happen next, all we can do is wait." There's a look of sorrow on his face as he gives us the news, my heart dropping to my stomach, my insides turning. 

Harry quickly pushes him aside and enters the room while I look at Ethan's tired brown eyes. "Be honest with me. What are her chances of surviving?"

"Elena-"

"Just be honest, I can take it," I assure him, reminding myself to be strong. Harry needs someone to be there for him, I wouldn't be of any use if I break.

He sighs heavily, glancing over his shoulder. "It's hard to say. The prognosis is not that good at the moment, but things can still change. The problem is she's so small and fragile, if it was a healthy adult, the chances would be much better, but. . ." 

I nod and place a hand on his shoulder, thanking him silently. He stands aside to let me in and I slowly enter the room, seeing Harry sitting beside Alice's bed, his body shielding her from the view. I feel my pulse beating wildly as I approach them, deciding to give Harry space while he's with her, but be here to let him know he's not alone. There's a blood bag hanging on the stand beside her bed, a cord attached to her arm letting it flow into her body.

Harry is simply sitting beside her silently, his hand holding hers as he stares at her, patiently waiting for her to wake up. I stand aside as Ethan comes and informs us it will take a while before she wakes up from her anaesthesia, I stand aside when Niall and Louis come to check on her, I stand aside as Liam, Tori and Jess do the same. I don't know how much time has passed, but I haven't moved from my position, my body almost numb. I refuse to leave until she wakes up, and so does Harry.

I still have to tell her the end of the story, I promised.

Harry suddenly jumps up in his seat, making me flinch and take a few steps toward him, realising Alice is moving. A wave of relief passes through me, my hand clutching my chest as if I'm having a heart attack. I still can't see the upper part of her body from where I'm standing, but to know she's woken up is enough for me. 

"Hey Little Dove," Harry says gently, lifting his hand to stroke her hair. 

"My stomach hurts," Alice says in a weak voice. "Wait is that- is that blood up there? Wow, cool."

A smile makes its way to my lips, my palm covering my mouth. Harry lets out a low laugh, continuing to stroke her hair. "Cool, right? You were hurt, but you will be okay."

"Are you hurt? I saw how you fell. . . I- I wanted to make sure you're okay, I'm sorry for running," Alice says quietly. "Don't be angry."

"It's okay, sweetie, I'm not angry." He shakes his head. "I could never be angry with you."

"I'm sleepy," she mumbles.

"Then sleep, you're okay now," Harry tells her quietly, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. 

. . . .

We've managed to convince Harry to go and take a shower while I stay with Alice, refusing to leave until I talk to her. Everyone came here once again, happy to hear she's okay. Even Tommy came to visit her, telling her about their future while holding her hand, saying a few jokes he knows would make her laugh if she was awake. It was nearly impossible to get him to leave his best friend, but after promising him he can see her later, he listened to us.

I'm now sitting beside her bed, looking at her sickly pale face, her skin cold under my palm. Her chest is slowly rising and falling, her dark hair spread over the pillow. She looks so fragile, so young and innocent, it makes me absolutely sick to see her in this position. I squeeze her hand, swallowing a lump in my throat. When she inhales sharply and a small groan leaves her throat, my heart skips a beat, my body leaning toward hers immediately. 

"Ellie?" She mumbles quietly as her eyelids open to the half, a small smile spreading over her lips. "You're here."

"Of course I am, princess, do you think I would leave you alone?" I tell her, managing to smile for her. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good." She gulps, glancing down at her wound. 

"Do you think hearing the rest of Alice in Wonderland would make you feel a little better?" I offer, gently pinching her pale cheek, missing the rosy tint it usually holds. 

Her smile automatically widens, her eyes opening almost fully, but I can tell she's in pain. "Yes!" She barely squeezes my hand, her body being too weak. 

I keep a smile on my face as I slowly tell her the rest of the story, thoroughly enjoying seeing her facial expressions as I reveal the plot piece by piece, the sound of her laughter making me feel at ease. I don't let go of her hand, using my other one to make gestures and shapes to make her laugh some more, noticing how it tires her out, but she refuses to give in to sleep. 

"So it was all a dream? I think I like that," she tells me after I'm done. "Do you want to hear the end of my story?"

My eyebrows furrow in surprise. "You've finished it?"

"Not yet, but I think I know how I want it to end," she replies. "The princess saves the kingdom like in all your stories, but with the help of her magical flying unicorn named Tommy." I genuinely laugh at that, remembering how Tommy asked her to make him a character in her book. "And the prince named Harry asks her to marry him, but after a couple of years because you told me that's how real relationships work."

"Smart girl," I tell her after laughing again, loving how positive she is and how she's managed to make me feel better after having such a terrible day. It takes me a moment to process she said Harry instead of H. "Oh, and what is the name of the princess?"

"Elena," Alice replies with a weak smile. "I think you'd make a great hero. They will live happily ever after, I'm sure."

My smile slowly fades and I lift her hand in mine, giving it a kiss while I tuck the strand of her hair behind her ear with my free one. "Perhaps."

"Isn't that right, H?" She suddenly says, making me widen my eyes and glance over my shoulder, realising Harry is standing at the doorway, changed into a new uniform, no trace of blood on him. 

"We'll see," he tells her with a dimpled smile as he steps further into the room, standing on the other side of the bed. "You seem tired, why don't you rest, hm?" He leans toward her, poking her nose with her fingertip and she gives him a small smile.

"Did you like my story? I know you heard it, I saw you standing there for a while." Alice smiles widely and I notice how she shivers slightly. I quickly pull the cover slightly further up her body, not wanting her to be cold. She smiles at me then looks at Harry, waiting for his reply.

"I did Little Dove," he tells her gently, making her smile even wider as she grabs his hand so both Harry and I are holding her little hands.

"My wound doesn't hurt anymore," Alice says, her droopy eyelids closing. Her grip on my hand falters, making me frown in worry. "I hope the end of my story becomes real."

"Alice?" Harry asks, leaning toward her, placing his palm on her forehead gently.

Her eyes slowly close, a complete horror rushing through me when I realise her chest has stopped moving. I frantically run toward the door and call Ethan while Harry starts repeating Alice's name over and over again, panic lacing his voice. I turn my head to see him clutching her shoulders and shaking her slightly, pleading with her to wake up.

I faintly register Ethan rushing past me, looking at Alice and checking her pulse. I watch as he begins fighting for her life, I watch as he does everything he can, but I know she's gone. He suddenly lifts his head to glance at me, giving me a sorrowful look. A terrible pain consumes me as it sinks in the little eleven-year-old girl I've grown to love has just lost her life. My vision gets blurry with tears and I can't hold them anymore, letting them slide down my cheeks. 

Harry stumbles backwards as Ethan sends him a look, letting him know she's gone. He clamps his mouth with his palm and his back collides with the wall behind him. And then, then he completely breaks down, finally releasing all the pain he's been keeping inside him. And as he breaks down, I do too, realising I can't stay strong anymore. 

Yet another innocent life has been taken because of war, war that brings nothing but pain and suffering. And we can either keep fighting or give up. In this moment I decide to fight with all I've got, but not to win, but to stop it, stop the pain, death, destruction. Once and for all.

. . . .

a/n: I warned you this story is going to get really dark at one point and honestly this is only the beginning... the sad reality is that children die in wars every day in ways much worse than this and I wanted to write some of that horrible reality in my book. Thank you for reading, ily x