Susan watched the FanFic Critic from behind the door frame. Her cousin was reviewing a fanfiction called "Eddward". From the sounds of it, the fanfic didn't sound pleasant. Susan watched on as the FanFic Critic continued reading the fanfic. She noticed that the FanFic Critic was constantly fiddling with her famous straight blade. Susan didn't forget how her cousin acted earlier when she was gearing up for the review. She had watched her come out of the closet. She was putting on her jacket and her long, brown hair was down. The FanFic Critic looked like she was on the verge of having a heart attack when she saw Susan. When she tried acting like everything was fine, Susan brought up the blade in her cousin's hand. This resulted with the FanFic Critic dropping the blade. Susan kept her gaze fixed on the straight blade as she allowed the memory from earlier to fade away. Without a noise, Susan went back downstairs to reheat the meal she had gotten for her cousin. She had a feeling that the FanFic Critic would be done with the review soon.
After ten minutes, Susan watched from the living room as her cousin descended down the stairs. The FanFic Critic did not glance at Susan as she walked by the living room entrance. Susan waited a moment before she put her book down. If she was going to do this, it would have to be while her cousin was eating. That way, Meg would not have an excuse to leave. When she entered the kitchen, she saw the FanFic Critic tense lightly. She didn't look up. Holding back a sigh, Susan sat across from her cousin and kept her fixed in her gaze.
"The fanfic was longer than expected I see," Susan stated. The FanFic Critic tightened her grip on the straight blade in her right hand as she used her left hand to eat another chicken nugget.
"Yeah it was, uh, a pretty long fanfic. I didn't bother reading it all," she replied softly. Susan noted that her cousin kept her gaze down. She had never seen her friend act like this before. It broke her heart.
"I take it that the fanfiction was bad?" She pressed on. The FanFic Critic looked up and briefly froze when they made eye contact. She looked away.
"Not necessarily. It was just one of those fanfics that like to darken up cartoons that are meant for kids." Susan glanced at the FanFic Critic's straight blade. She then looked back at the FanFic Critic.
"You don't usually eat with your blade with you. May I ask why you have it here?" The FanFic Critic turned pale. She glanced at Susan, whose eyes were still locked onto hers, and then glanced at the blade. She smiled nervously as she put the blade in her jacket. Susan studied her sadly. She desperately wanted to hug and comfort her.
"Uh...the...the fanfic made me uneasy. That's all..."Meg muttered this unconvincingly.
"It's not the fanfic that is making you uneasy, my dear," Susan replied softly, "The thing that is making you uneasy is sitting right across from you." The FanFic Critic looked at Susan at a loss of words. She wanted to deny it but it would be a lie. She hated herself for being uneasy and afraid of Susan. The dream she had that morning, though, had a really bad effect on her.
"Susan..."
"You can deny it all you want but I know it's true. I can see it in your eyes and your body language," Susan regarded her cousin sadly, "...and I know you are still in a lot of pain. You try to hide it but I know it's still there. Being shot once can have a lingering effect. With the amount of times I shot you, I know that it will take you a long time to fully heal."
"Sue..."
"When I had shot you repeatedly that day, I would be lying if I were to claim that I meant no harm. I wanted to hurt you, to teach you a lesson. For that, I am deeply sorry. I know that I already apologized but I need to apologize again. What I did was unforgivable."
"I have already said that I have forgiven you," the FanFic Critic interrupted, "I may be acting...off, but that doesn't mean that I am mad. Just...give me some time, Susan. Please." The two stared at each other for what felt like ages. Susan finally glanced down at her hands before standing up.
"Okay, Meg. I understand. I'll leave you to your meal." She smiled sadly at the FanFic Critic before she turned and left the room. The FanFic Critic looked down at the food that Susan had gotten for her. She ignored the tears that streamed down her face.