*insert disclaimer here because, clearly, I cannot be bothered to*

A/N: Hi guys! Thanks so much for reviewing! It really means a lot to me, and it really motivates me! Sadly, nobody got the quote question right, but you'll find out in this chapter! Also a special thanks to Nekobasu97 for PMing me! It made me feel really happy! Anyway, without further ado, let Chapter 4 of 'Secrets' commence!

Chapter 4

"…You've decided to call me that too, huh?" Samantha muttered half-heartedly, not really putting much effort into the conversation, or even her voice for that matter. She was not in the mood to talk.

"…It's on your-"

"Shirt. I know," Samantha replied coldly, placing her face back in her hands. No offence to Ferb or anything, but he wasn't really making the situation any easier. It was stressing her out a little, actually.

"…Harry Potter's a good set of books," Ferb's quiet voice drifted past her ears, and her head shot up, to stare at him in shock.

"…You knew? Where the quote was from?" she asked, and he nodded, looking at her shirt.

"I…read the Harry Potter books a while ago. The quote just stuck in my mind," he shrugged, turning his head to the other side, to stare at the bark of the tree they were sitting on.

"So…you like the Harry Potter books?"

"Why are you so curious about me? Last time I checked, you didn't hardly talk! Why do you want to talk to me?" Samantha paused, realising that he voice was beginning to grow louder. She hadn't meant to say that; it had just slipped out. But everything was just happening so fast; too fast for her to comprehend any of it.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just," she paused, sighing, and placing her head in her hands once again, "I've just…had enough of everything."

Ferb could tell that she didn't really want to talk about it. If she did, she would have told him what was bothering her right at the start. Whether it was the gigantic step from moving from England to Danville that had stressed her out, or family problems, he didn't know, But he wasn't going to ask.

"…If you're wondering how I know that you don't talk much; your mum told me yesterday," Samantha murmured softly, her voice muffled by her hands.

"I understand…Samantha," he murmured back, secretly delighted that he had said her name.

"Hey," she replied, taking her head out of her hands, to lean on her knees, "call me Sam. Or 'Trouble'; whatever."

Ferb chuckled a little at that. He would never get over how…utterly clueless she was to the effects she had on him.

"I'll keep that in mind," he commented, which caused her to smile.

"So, Ferb…why do you talk to me? You don't really even talk to Phineas much, according to your mum," Samantha asked, and he sighed, but said nothing. She decided to press the subject further.

"You barely know me, yet you have talked to me more than you have probably talked to Phineas in the past few days. Why, Ferb?" she pressed, and he shrugged.

"I guess…I find you interesting," he murmured. Yeah, that should keep her satisfied.

"Interesting? How?" she asked, moving closer to him. He gulped a little, but calmed himself.

"…You're different than the others. I've…never met anyone like you before. Most people talk to Phineas, but nobodies really paid much attention to me. Which is how I want it to be. I only talk when necessary. Phineas does the talking for both of us. I'm more of…a man of action," Ferb explained, blushing a little as Samantha smirked.

"A man of action, huh? Just how old are you exactly, Ferb?" Samantha asked, a teasing tone in her voice. Ferb's cheeks tinted a darker shade of red, but he continued.

"I'm 12. Phineas and me are the same age. And you? How old are you?"

"13. Turned 13 last month," Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone, which caused Ferb to smirk.

"Y'know…I haven't been here all that long; not even a day, in fact, but…I get the feeling that…you don't smile much…" Samantha pondered, and Ferb stared at her in shock. How had she figured that out?

"…Tell me about yourself, Ferb," Samantha murmured, not even realising that she had said it until it was too late.

"I-I mean…if you want to," she added hastily, watching as Ferb sighed a little.

"There's…not much to tell, really," Ferb murmured, not really sure what to tell her.

"Oh, I'm sure there's something you could tell me. Like, where you were born," Samantha urged, smiling happily at him.

"…London. I was born in the heart of London," Ferb answered quietly, not really wanting to tell. No one had really asked him about his life away from Danville. It set him on edge a little.

"Really? I was born in Dagenham; a town on the edge of London," Samantha replied, her eyes getting a kind of distant look.

"I lived in a small, but comfortable apartment with my mum. It was…nice…until…" Samantha's voice lowered into nothingness, and Ferb looked up, to see her staring out into space.

"…Until what?" Ferb murmured, moving a little bit closer to her, until they were nearly touching. Ferb gulped; he was feeling so nervous he thought he might fall out of the tree.

"…Until my dad had to ruin it all," Samantha muttered, her eyebrows creasing in slight anger. Her fists clenched, and she gritted her teeth.

"He…cheated on my mum with another woman…he had for about two years before I was born…little did I know…that he had also had a child with this woman…so my 'sibling' was three years old when my dad left us…me and my mum," Samantha explained, all of her secrets seeming to rush out of her mouth in that moment. She didn't care at all that both her mother and her father had told her to keep it a secret. She just couldn't care less anymore.

"I hate my dad so much. I never wanted to move away from Dagenham, from my mum. But my dad; he wouldn't stop pestering. So I did the mature thing; I decided to come and live here for a while, just to keep him happy. God knows it'll be the death of me, though," Samantha grumbled, shaking her head slowly. Ferb said nothing; he just stared at her. Who knew that she was…so troubled.

"…I'm glad that I've got you, Ferb," Samantha said suddenly, turning her head to the side to look at him, "and Phineas. You guys will be my saviour in this summer vacation. Six weeks of living with my dad might just be worth it if you guys are gonna be there to help me through it," she sighed, and slowly, extended her hand out, to touch Ferb's gently. Ferb recoiled suddenly, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worry creasing her features. Ferb shook his head slightly, trying to calm himself down. When they had touched; it felt as if an electric shock had run through his body. It certainly wasn't unpleasant, but it had startled him a bit.

"Nothing. Don't worry," he murmured finally, not convincing himself as well as he had her. She smiled a little, and turned her head towards Phineas and Ferb's backyard.

"I guess we should get back down there. Phineas is probably looking for both of us now," Samantha joked, and Ferb managed a small smile. Immediately, he grabbed the large trunk of the tree, and began to slide down. He resisted the urge to look up as Samantha began to slide down the tree after him.

This girl…this one girl…just how was he going to cope with her?

Annnnd scene! Sorry for the wait; I've had an incredibly bad cold these past couple of weeks, so things have been…tough, to put it lightly. Anyway, merry Christmas everyone! See you guys in the new year!