leedle.


When I'm away from you, I'm still with you. When my eyes are closed, I still see you. When I'm awake, I still dream of you. When I feel I have everything, I still need you. And no matter what, I still love you.

- Ritu Ghatourey


Chapter Eight

Fabian's POV

I sat anxiously in the cab, watching my leg bounce up and down. I wanted to get to Anubis as soon as possible, so I could properly talk to Nina. I was worried what was going on; I wasn't sure if it had to do with Anubis, or her Gran, or what.

After impatiently waiting two hours, the cab pulled up to Anubis. I jumped out, paying the driver, before darting to the front door. I then opened it, walking in, and noticed not a soul was downstairs. By now, usually everyone was. So that was peculiar.

I knew someone had to be on the first floor, so I listened closely. I eventually heard chatter coming from the dining room, and I sprinted over.

What I thought was peaceful talking, was mindless yelling. What in the world happened? Patricia was holding up some book, while Amber stood crying, begging for her to burn it.

That's when I realized that it was Nina's diary. And from the corner of my eye, I could see Joy smirking in the corner, watching everyone.

"HEY!" I shouted over everyone, getting their attention. They all brought their glances over to me, quieting down.

What were they doing, reading her diary? And Nina wasn't there, where was she?

"Look what your stupid girlfriend wrote!" Patricia shouted, forking the diary into my hands. I didn't really want to read it, but I forced myself to, knowing that it would give me some answers.

The pages Patricia had opened to were full of hatred. But just from looking at it for a spilt second, I knew something was off about it. I flipped back to the beginning, glancing at her I's. I then went back, noticing the difference between them.

"Nina doesn't dot her I's." I said blandly, putting the book on the table.

"So? Ugh, you're just defending her because you love her!" Amber growled, crossing her arms much like a child.

"It's right here!" I remarked in disgust, gesturing to it on the table. "This is why she was upset, you framed her! You really think she wrote this? Where is she?"

How could they do this to her? After knowing her for so long, how could they? Definitely Sibuna, who knew how selfless she was. She was always taking risks, and nearly never thought about herself. Even if the forger hadn't dotted the I's, I would've been able to tell it wasn't her!

"She left the house yesterday, and never came back…" Mara whispered.

I shook my head, literally disturbed how animalistic everyone was acting. "I can't believe you guys. I come back, and just… Wow. You guys really stooped that low." I glanced over at Mara, nodding slightly. "Thank you. I'll go look for her."

I dropped my stuff on the floor, ignoring the odd placement, and ran back outside. I had to find Nina; I prayed she didn't do something stupid. Sometimes, she just didn't act rationally.

Though she's very intelligent; she just doesn't think things through when she's stressed out.

I thought for a second, then gazed down, my eyes meeting up with muddy boot tracks. They had to be Nina's, so I began to follow them, heading towards the woods.

I wasn't sure where I was going. I had only been in the woods for Sibuna purposes, and that was it. Personally, I didn't like it; it made me feel uneasy, and slightly vulnerable.

Eventually, I found her. She was curled up in a ball on the ground, sound asleep.

"Nina?" I whispered loudly, as I kneeled next to her. That's when I noticed a big bruise formed on her cheek, and I instantly knew one of them hurt her. It infuriated me, but that wasn't important now. I shook her lightly, stopping when she let out a small whimper.

She swiftly opened her eyes, and stared at me, before bursting into tears. I could almost literally feel my heart breaking into a thousand pieces. I hated to see her so hurt, so upset.

"Neens, I know what happened… It's okay, I believe you…" I murmured, glancing at her. She sat up, before hugging me tightly, continuing to cry. I held her tightly, rubbing her back as gently as I could. I couldn't even imagine how awful she had to feel, and all I wanted to do was make it better.

How dare our friends turn their back on her, and treat her like a criminal, when she did absolutely nothing wrong.

"Everybody h-hates me! I-I didn't even write i-it!" Nina cried, her tears drenching my shirt. But I didn't care, I only held her tighter, continuing to rub her back.

"I definitely don't hate you, Neens. And I doubt they do either, they're just upset… But it isn't an excuse for how they treated you…" I replied softly, kissing her forehead.

She let out a choked sob, and all I did was keep her in my arms, trying my best to make it all better.


Nina's POV

I didn't want to cry in front of him; that was the last thing I wanted to do. But when I looked at him, I just fell apart.

After he comforted me for quite some time, he carried me back to Anubis, since my ankle still hurt. I knew it wasn't broken, but he had insisted.

He also promised he would speak to all of them, and try his best to solve everything. But I was sure that they wouldn't believe him; they're too stubborn.

Maybe they just like the drama.

When we got to the door, all I wanted to do was dart back into the woods. I didn't want to hear anymore yelling, or experience any more slapping. I just wanted to go to bed, and maybe at this point, never wake up.

Fabian opened the door, and glanced around before stepping inside. He put me down gently, and I quietly took off my shoes. He did the same, and then led me to the living room. I was hesitant to follow, but knowing he believed me, I figured nothing too bad could happen.

The room became noiseless as we walked in. I could still feel their dirty looks, centering their hate right on to me. I nearly cringed from how uncomfortable it was, and gazed at the ground.

"You guys are being immature!" Fabian responded angrily, shaking his head. "Look what you're doing! She slept in the woods! She's hurt! You know if something like this happened to one of you, she wouldn't act like a toddler about it!"

When he said this, both Alfie and Mick turned away. I also noticed that just like earlier, Mara wasn't giving me a look.

"Did you let her explain?" He began, walking over to them. I stayed behind him, watching him. "Because maybe, if you did, you would know who actually wrote it! Did you stop and realize that nothing is even written about Joy in that entry?"

"Are you saying I wrote it?" Joy remarked, standing up. She sent her best death glare towards me, and I kept my gaze away from her.

"Maybe I am." Fabian whispered at a scarily-low level. "Did you? And don't you dare lie to me. Because I am NOT in the mood for it."

The room feel deafening quiet. Fabian never spoke like this. I wasn't even sure why he was doing it now. But I stayed quiet, not questioning his sudden change in attitude.

"I-I had to!" She suddenly stuttered out, causing everybody to look over at her.

I knew she wrote it. I knew it.

Fabian shook his head, a disgusted look on his face.

"There you have it. You guys have been blaming the wrong person this entire time. Congrats to you. Maybe next time, you'll let her get a word in." He stated lowly, before storming out of the room. I stood there for a moment, dazed about what just happened, before running out.

The truth had finally come out.