A/N: Don't hate me please. I know I haven't been fluent with my uploads, but I really am doing the best I can right now. I'm also thinking about revising some of my earlier chapters. Trying to make it make more sense and such. I hope you guys like this chapter by the way. I also want to thank everyone who has been commenting, you guys really make me happy, so thank you.
Caution: A bit heavy on the angst in the beginning, just letting you know. It's mostly for character development.
Detective Brandon's P. O. V. :
I sat thinking about how really fucked up Madison's family was and realized I hadn't seen mine in way too long. You never know how much time you have left and I don't want to die with my family thinking I've abandoned them. I left them and they even followed me across the country to try to be close to me, but I still pushed them away. I told Richard that I was taking the rest of the day off. He nodded and gave me a knowing smile like he knew where I was going.
I got in my car and put my shaking hands on the wheel. They probably hate me by now, I would if I was them. I've failed them. I put my car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. I attempted to calm my erratic breathing as I drove to my parents house. I could admit it, I was scared to see my family again. I was scared to see how they would react.
I pulled up to the house in a shorter time than I had intended and I wasn't ready. I wasn't mentally prepared. Though I knew that I would never be prepared for what I was about to face.
I walked up to the door and knocked gently, silently hoping no one was home. "Come in," someone called. I recognized the voice. My throat constricted.
I opened the door to see my little sister sitting on the couch staring at the TV. She was looking at it, but not watching it. She wasn't mentally there, she has never been.
She turned her head to look at me. The expression on her face broke my heart. She looked at me like I wasn't really there. It's more likely she believed I was a hallucination, her mind playing tricks on her. I was never here.
"Levy," I said, my voice cracking a bit. I wanted her to notice me. I needed to know she didn't hate me.
Her eyes widened as she said my name, "Donie? Is that you?"
"Levy, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to be away so long, I promise. I'm so sorry I left you alone. God, I'm such an ass," I said, kneeling down in front of her and pulling her into my chest. I soon felt violent sobs rack her body.
"How could you? You're not the only one who wanted to leave! How could just up and leave? You never even told us where you were going! Do you know how long we searched for you? It's been three years Donie! Three! You must really have it good, don't you? Leaving your family behind and moving away. You even changed your last name! Benjamin was my brother too!" she screamed into my shoulder. There it was. I knew his name would come up sooner or later.
"I was scared Lev. I was a coward. I was ashamed. I was stupid. I was angry. I was spiteful. I was violent. I was a sorry excuse for a brother," I said as the tears flowed freely from my eyes. I welcomed the aching pain in my heart, I deserved it.
"So was I. Don't you think I was ashamed. I was his sister and I couldn't see that he was hurting. I let him go Donie. Our Benji is gone, because we let him go! He didn't trust me enough to-" she stopped, but I knew what she was saying. He couldn't tell us, and that's what hurts the most.
"It's not your fault, Lev. It's not," but I knew she wasn't listening. She believes it was her fault, just as much as I believe it was mine.
I stood up and dried my eyes. "Is Benji's room here?" I asked. Just like me, my parents never accepted that he was gone. Everytime they moved they packed up all his things, never leaving anything behind.
"You don't have to Donie," she said. I nodded and told her I do. I needed the closure.
"I'll show you," she leads me down the hall to a room with a familiar keep out sign. A faint smile graced my features. I put my hand on the knob and opened the door, sucking in a breath.
All his things were here, only in different places. My hand slid over his guitar and his Star Wars wallpaper. It was almost if he was still here, fighting me for the last cookie and beating me with pillows. Now that I'm older I'm more aware and I can remember the day when Benji changed. He gradually stopped smiling, stopped doing his favorite things, and eventually stopped feeling. I hadn't even noticed when the real Benji died, by then it was too late. Deep down I know he had already let himself go.
I ran away the day Benji did it. I didn't want to see the ambulance, the police, the tears, the grief, the pain, the stares of pity. I despised it all. So I ran, I ran like a coward. Leaving my family behind, when they were what I needed most. I was evil, resentful, and despicable. I went around like a bitch out of hell, until I almost killed someone.
It was a regular day at the bar, blowing the money I had made from drug dealing. My mind was hazy and I hardly remember what happened. I got into a fight and took out all my anger on an innocent man. He did nothing wrong. I'm the one who walked across the bar and socked him for looking at me wrong, when he only had a lazy eye. I landed punch after punch until I couldn't decipher my blood from his and my fists from his face. I was pulled off of him and when I saw what I had done, my blood ran cold. The man was a bloodied pulp on the floor. His face was unrecognizable. What scared me the most was, he wasn't moving. So I ran like a bitch, again.
That was about the time Richard found me and forced me to get it together. I went to college to be a police officer, changed my name, and started anew.
My hand accidentally knocked over Benji's life size Yoda replica and a disc fell out. I picked up the disk and put Yoda back up. I looked at Levy questionably, she didn't know what it was either. I flipped the disc over and it reads "My note by Benjamin McGarden." I had a feeling Benji wanted us to watch it, so I sat down at his computer and played it.
"Hello, my name is Benjamin McGarden and this is my note. I'm not very good at writing down my thoughts, so I thought I'd just talk it out. You're obviously pretty smart if you found this disk. I commend you."
"If I'm going to tell a story, I have to start at the beginning. This will be long, so bare with me. It all started my first day freshman year. God, it was hard. Getting lost, homework, embarrassing myself. The usual stuff. Until I was chosen as the lowest of the low. If you've ever read the book "The Bully Book," then you could say I was chosen as the grunt. Apparently it was a tradition, one in every grade. I thought it was really unoriginal and dumb, until I was chosen. I don't know why and I don't know how, all I know is I was, and it was torture."
My fingers gripped my thighs. My brother was taken away from me because of some sick joke. I was going to murder someone.
"It started with evil stares, snickers when I answered questions, rumors, and then it got worse. Pushing in hallways, sitting alone at lunch, excluding me. I thought I could handle it, at first. Then my things were stolen, my locker trashed, then I was framed for stealing. I was suspended for a week. The teachers were no longer on my side, I was alone. Until I met you, Amelia."
God, I knew where this was going and I hated it. I hated every minute of it. I hated the way he couldn't help, but smile as he said her name. It was a smile, but not a friendly one, it never reached his eyes, because there was nothing there.
"You were beautiful, more so than I could handle. You had a perfect smile, perfect hair, perfect eyes. You were perfect, too good to be true. I was stupid. I should have known, you were an angel of darkness. I should have seen it in the sway of your hair and the glint in your eye. The way you insulted me in ways where I didn't know I was insulted. I was in love. I was dumb. You used that to her advantage."
I realized I was crying. I turned to see Levy looking at the computer screen in shock with her tears forming rivers down her face. I almost want to find this girl. To ask her why she did it. But I already know the answer. Kids are vile, evil creatures that feed off of other's pain and laugh. They are bullies right down to their core and they are proud of it. They will tell you a bold faced lie and go right back to the sins they were committing. Damn, I hate kids.
"You smiled at me and touched my arm as you said, "Benny, would you go to the St. Valentines dance with me?" I was surprised that you had asked me when almost all the guys in our class wanted to go with you. You said no one has asked you yet, I wondered why that was. I should have known it was just part of their scheme."
"I dressed up. I had spent three hours getting ready for that dance. I felt like a fool, but I had wanted her to like me so bad it burned like acid on an open wound. You said we'd meet at the dance, I thought it was odd, but again, I was an idiotic, lovesick fool."
I was tempted to turn it off. My hand went to the mouse. I didn't want to hear it, it would kill me. "No, let him speak, we owe it to him to let him finish," Levy said and I listened.
"You met me out front and said there was a group of us having fun out back with the upperclassmen. I was hesitant to go, but you knew just how to convince me, Amelia, you minx. You gave me what I wanted, a kiss. You knew that after that I would be putty in your hands. You had it all planned out didn't you? Me following you out back where I was cornered and forced to do things I didn't want to. You let them humiliate me, Amelia. And I hate you for it, but I still like you for some reason. Does that make Masochist? Then that would make you a sadist Amelia. That's what you were. A heartless bitch."
"I won't say the things they made me do back there, while Amelia watched. I can't say, I wouldn't live through it. I bet you guys think my story sucks, but it gets worse, much worse."
My urge to find that girl came back. I wanted to tracked her down and make her feel what Benji felt; the evil witch.
"At school on Monday, everyone knew about it. I heard them talking about the video. A video, huh? You guys really found it funny didn't you? Well, I'm glad I brought you enjoyment with the tears that fell from my eyes. "
"I thought you guys couldn't top yourselves after that. As usual, I was wrong, so wrong. At this point, I was at an all time low. I couldn't remember the last time I had smiled. Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw someone dead, with a blank stare and a grim expression. You guys enjoyed that, didn't you? Seeing me walk around like someone contemplating suicide, because I was. I was going to do the day of the dance, but I waited. I believe things would get better, I was a fool, it got harder than I ever could imagine."
I was full on sobbing now. Levy was in a ball on his bed out of tears and just listening. She was in another world again. Blocking it out. The pain, the failure, the grief. She's become skilled at it since Benji died. I wish I could block it out, but something's itching me to continue.
"My grades began to slip and my parents got on my case. I told them it was fine and that I'd take tutoring, I lied. I knew I wouldn't be around long enough to get my grades up. Everything around me was failing. So I turned to drugs. Like everyone else. I walked around in a haze and forgot how to feel. I felt good, I thought it got better. But It was only the calm before the storm."
"Oh, God," I said, my voice hoarse, my throat dry. I couldn't handle it. The grief and pain were like the ocean, pulling me further out to the deep end, where my feet can't touch the ground, threatening to drown me. I put my elbows on my knees and gripped my head as the tides came in and pulled me under again.
"This story sickens you doesn't it? I hope it does. It sickened me too. Then the cyberbullying came. They ranted about me online, made a fake account under my name, and talked about how they were going to kill me. They posted the video online. If you search you may still find it. Go ahead, I know you want to. You want to see me humiliated too don't you? I won't mind. I won't be around to."
"Soon they found something personal. A love letter I had written to Amelia. Corny, right? I know. They made sure everyone had heard it. They made copies and passed them out, throwing them in the hallways, putting it online. They even got it read on the PA system, claiming they were looking for the owner, the clever bastards. I guess I should thank you. You gave me a reason, a last straw. Actually, I took one of your ideas for how I should kill myself. Thank you, Kevin. So creative. Since you're watching this video, it was very effective."
"This is where my story ended. I'm obviously dead now so why are you watching this? Watching a dead guy's last thoughts? How sick. I'm kidding…. Really, I am. I appreciate you watching this. If you could do this dead kid once last favor, post this online. I would like for everyone to see why I died. I'll be grateful, as much as a dead person can. "
"Lastly, I'd like to thank some front runners in my freshman class, the kids who help me along on this journey. Please clap for the following: Amelia Crawford, Becket Howard, Paul Jones, Logan Fields, Kevin Alvero, Juan Martinez, Wilson Brown, Julian Lest, Velencia Sisilis, Aysia O'berlin, Lyliette Zynthos, Don Westfield, Jesus Alverez, Sheldon Gonzales, Aaron Billingsly, and the big and bad bastard Levi Restwood. Thank you and good day my old friends."
The video ended and I was forced to come to terms that my brother was indirectly murdered. I never knew how he died, I didn't want to know. Levy was the one who found him. She took it the hardest. They were the closest. She was a sophomore when he died. They were going to the same school and didn't know what they were doing to Benji.
I did as he said, I uploaded the video online. People should know what they did to my brother. As I watched the views climb higher and higher, I felt my throat constricting as I choked out the words, "I'm sorry, Benji." I pulled at my hair and let out silent screams. I couldn't help him at all. I couldn't take away his pain. What kind of big brother am I?
The tides came in again and pulled me away. This time, I was drowning.
Gray's P.O.V. :
I woke up again, forgetting that I was not in my own room. I still haven't gotten used to it and I've been here a week. The world has found out about my infidelity and inability to take responsibility for my actions and my "parents" furious. I heard their stocks dropped five percent. It might not seem like a lot, but to my "parents", it's like losing a limb.
I climbed out of bed, ruffled my hair, walked downstairs. I met Juvia in the kitchen making breakfast again. I smiled at her and sat down at the island. It had become a routine. I come downstairs late, Juvia makes breakfast, I go back to sleep, she wakes me up, and drags me off to school.
Speaking of school, apparently people think we're dating because we come together and leave together. I don't really care, but Juvia get a weird look on her face when anyone mentions it.
"School starts in an hour, " she said simply. I groaned. It's senior year. Can't you lay off for a bit.
"Senior year is important, you idiot. College? Ever hear of it? I know what your grades are and they aren't good." she said shaking a spatula at me.
"Even if I said I would take you out somewhere?" I asked. Girls like this kind of stuff. She blushed and turned away.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Giving back?" I said, but it sounded more like a question.
"Nice try, but no," she said, taking a waffle out of the waffle maker. For some reason I feel like she knows when I'm lying.
"Come on, please? We've been at school for a month straight and there's nothing going on today. Even if we go to the next town over and go to the beach?" I asked. I could feel her resolve slipping away as her back tensed. I was reeling her in.
"But…. But…. Juvia can't…. We can't skip school today," she said almost to herself. I knew Juvia cared a lot about her grades and I almost felt bad for trying to get her to skip school. Almost.
"It'll be fun! Come on, live a little," I said, prompting her.
"If we go, I'll go to school without complaining for at least a week," I said sealing the deal. As soon as she turned around, I gave her my very best puppy dog face and the only resolve she had left melted away.
"Okay, just this once though. Never again," she said, smiling at me. I ignored the odd thump in my chest as I took in her perfect smile, freshly washed hair, and dark misty eyes. I couldn't help but smile back.
"You're not going to regret this," I tell her still grinning at her like a fool, which was very unlike me.
"You're smiling a lot today," Juvia pointed out, looking at me with question. I didn't know what the change was or why it was making me smile, but I think it was due to the fact that I hadn't thought of Lucy for a week, until now. My expression returned to the blank stare I had donned for a while now. Juvia saw this and frowned as she turned back around. I instantly felt bad for ruining her mood, so I tried to wear a smirk as she handed me a plate of food. It worked to some extent. She walked upstairs muttering something about changing into some clothes.
Dammit. I messed up again. Juvia was my best friend and I couldn't stand her being upset with me. I vowed to make it up to her today. I was gonna make her smile so hard, her face will hurt.
The Next Day
Lucy's P.O.V. :
I was sitting in a cell with a bunch of other women. There were prostitutes, gang bangers, and just all around ruffians. I sat cross legged on the ground and listened to one prostitute named Indie talk about this guy she loved. She was a year older than me, but had such a playful personality, it made her seem younger.
"He just makes me happy, you know? He doesn't like my job, but he's helping me get into college so I can stop. I almost have enough money to pay for my first 4 years," she said a misty look in her eyes.
"What are you going to be?" I asked.
"I want to be a vet," she said, fierce determination in her fiery auburn and green eyes.
"How long does that take?" I asked, I was guessing about four, maybe five years.
"Well, I'm going to be a Veterinary Specialist, so a total of about 12 years, not including one year of internship," she said nonchalantly. My eyes almost bulged out of my sockets.
"Damn, girl, you must like school," said a girl named Laney, with tattoos covering her whole body, excluding her face, and wearing an outfit that could make a thong and bra seem modest.
Indie just laughed and shook her head, "No, I don't, but it's necessary." I realized that I really like Indie. She's down to earth, funny, and she doesn't act nor look like a prostitute.
"But seriously though," I said, frowning comically, "you get way more action than I do all year!" everyone in the room laughed.
"You're really lucky finding a guy that loves you that much. Is he some old toot?" a gruff and strong looking girl named Buttercup said.
"No, do you wanna see a picture?" Indie asked, pulling out her phone. I looked over her shoulder. My breath was caught in my throat. Her boyfriend was fucking model gorgeous. If I said I was jealous, I was lying through my teeth, I was burning with envy. Why can't I get a godlike boyfriend.
I heard footsteps coming toward our shared cell. I suspected it was those two cops who dragged me in here yesterday. As soon as they reached our line of vision, all the girl excepting Indie and I were purring and cat calling. One girl began twisting her hair around her finger, another hiked up her skirt, and yet another adjusted her cleavage. The two men paid them no attention, they were staring down at me with suspicious eyes. As I stood up, I saw the ring on the red head's finger.
"I guess this is my cue to go," I said as they unlocked the door. Indie stood up abruptly.
"We should trade numbers," I nodded and as she read her number off to me and vice versa.
The cop with the deep purple hair snapped cuffs on my wrists and lead me away.
"Tell my parents I love them, " I yelled back to the girls in the cell.
"We'll tell them there's a ransom and get rich," Laney called back to me. I didn't get to respond because the purple haired cop roughly dragged me out of the room.
They put me in a room that was completely empty except for a table and three chairs. I sat down in the cold, hard, unfriendly chair and they began my interrogation.
"Okay, we'll cut right to the chase. Why'd you kill Madison Blakely?" he asked and finished with a devilish smirk, I then knew that he was the one who was there just to get under your skin.
"I didn't kill Madison," I said simply. The dark haired one squinted his eyes at me. I began to feel uncomfortable under his gaze and shifted in my seat.
"That's what they all say," the carrot top said.
"Okay, but I'm telling the truth," I said, crossing and uncrossing my legs.
"Well-"
"Richard," The dark haired one said. Richard pouted, he was enjoying this too much.
"You're crossing and uncrossing your legs. You're nervous. Why?" the mean detective said.
"Um, I'm being interrogated for something I didn't do," I said.
I shifted under his gaze again and folded my hands on the table. His eyes followed my every movement, scrutinizing me. I bit my lip and surveyed the wall behind him.
"You want to tell me something. What is it?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. I took back what I had said earlier, he was the one who was getting under my skin.
I hadn't even realized I wanted to tell them about what I heard Madison talking about. It that struck me that maybe I should tell them about the video too.
"Out with it, girl, " he said, growing impatient.
"Madison was pregnant," I blurted out. Richard was shocked, but the other detective nodded his head and smirked as if he had known it all along.
"There's more, I assume," he said, prompting me to open up about what I had seen. He couldn't possibly have known, could he?
I decided to leave Natsu out of this, "I saw something odd," I said, speaking slowly, hoping they would tell me that I could stop, that they already knew. I didn't want to relive what I saw on that screen, but they didn't stop me.
"It shook you a bit, didn't it? Made you wonder? Please tell us what's on your mind," he said. Richard was completely amazed with his ability to make me talk, I could see it on his face.
I tuned them out as I went deep into the recesses of my mind and retold what I saw, "After Madison and I had our argument, she left her clutch in the bathroom. I was planning on giving it to her. I heard voices, so being the nosy person I am, I opened the door a peek and spied on them. Madison was talking to a man, his back was turned towards me. She told him she was pregnant and how she had stopped drinking. She said how she wanted to announce their engagement that night. Then he said he had to show her something.
"I put her clutch in my purse, expecting to give it to her later, but as you know she died that night. A few days later, my roommate and I were playing around and her clutch fell out of my purse. My idiot roommate wanted to go through it, which started a fight. Her purse was dropped and the contents went everywhere, including a pink flash drive. Again, being nosy, my roommate and I plugged it into a computer and it asked us if we wanted to watch it, which we did," I said, not making eye contact with either of them.
"You're not done. Tell us the whole truth or we can be in here all day," the purple haired detective threatened.
I swallowed hard. "It was Madison and a man with black hair, the same man she was talking to at the wedding. They were talking about a man and killing his family and how they didn't trust him. Then they said they would kill him. There was something about businessmen. Then they were talking about how he told and how N was going to take care of him. They said he told Cleveland Fullbuster. Then it cuts to a scene where Madison was torturing a man, she cut off his fingers and then he screamed. It ended after that," I said, shaking. I would never forget that man's blood curdling scream. I hoped it wasn't the man in the video who sent those men for us, but somewhere deep down inside of me, I already knew the answer.
The man smiled, "I'm Brandon Johnson and thank you for your cooperation. You can go now, there's someone waiting for you," I sat shocked, staring at this man, whose name is Brandon, that I never thought was capable of smiling. He looked way more handsome when he smiled, and he reminded me of someone I knew. Purple hair, dark eyes.
"You thought we thought you did it," Brandon stated matter-of-factly. I nodded
"I knew you didn't do it, but I also knew you'd be useful to us," he said shrugging his shoulders.
I suddenly felt violated and used. He unlocked my handcuffs and Richard began giving loud claps and grinning at his partner.
"We'll be keeping in touch," he said as I walked towards the door.
"You don't even know my number," I said, glaring at him.
"Oh, but I do," he said, laughing at my anger. He was still laughing as I opened the door and stepped out. I overheard Richard ask how it went when Brandon met his family and that sobered him up pretty quickly.
I walked towards the front of the police station and saw Natsu standing there leaning against a wall.
"How'd your interrogation go? Are you the murderer, I think you to be?" he asked smirking at me.
"I will be!" I said as I lunged for him. He jumped up and sprinted to his car. He rolled the windows up and locked the doors.
"Stay calm, Lucy. You don't wanna end up in another cell!" he yelled from the inside. I was seething, and I stayed that way until we got home.
We opened the door to our apartment and I screamed.
"What the flying fuck!" Natsu yelled.
"In the name of Bob's blue boxers!" I yelled at the same time, "Our apartment's been ransacked!" We stood there, shell shocked in joint fear as we viewed our utterly fucked up apartment.
Detective Brandon's P.O.V. :
"No, seriously. How'd it go?" Richard said pestering me as we exited the interrogation room.
"It went like any other time someone sees their family," I said nonchalantly, knowing Richard would continue to pry. He always eventually got me to talk.
Suddenly the sound of a banshee on crack resonated through the police department.
"Brandon Johnson! You bastard!" I swore out loud.
Richard shook his head, "Tell me you didn't." I had no choice but to shake my head yes.
Richard and I quietly slunk toward our joint office, hoping she wouldn't know I was here. We had no such luck. She spied us with her crazy eyes and I knew I was in trouble. We took a run for it as she chased us down the hallway. I slammed the door and locked it, mocking her and smirking as she banged on the door and screamed profanities at me.
"You didn't call, did you?" Richard asked me smiling, probably thinking about how she was going to castrate me when she saw me again.
"Nope," I said, still mocking the banshee.
Shit. How was I going to get out of this one?
Lisanna's P.O.V. :
"I'll get you guys out of here, I promise," I sat sitting at a table, staring solemnly at my brother and sister donning jail clothes.
"You need to worry about school, Lisanna," My sister Mirajane said. She didn't belong in here, neither did Elfman. I shed a treacherous tear.
"Please don't cry, Lisanna. We'll find a way," Elfman said, reaching over to ruffle my hair, but pulled back as a guard eyed him.
I stood up abruptly, knocking over my chair. "You guys won't be in here much longer, trust me. I'll die trying to get you guys out of here. You did nothing wrong!" My siblings looked to me with sad faces, Mirajane had tears streaming down her face.
"Please don't get yourself hurt Lisanna! Please!" she pleaded with me. She knew I would go to desperate measures.
"Don't try to stop me. I love you guys," I said before walking out. I would find what that man told me to, or die trying.
A/N: Hey guys another author's note, I want to raise awareness for suicide. I girl at my school committed suicide recently and I want you guys to know that it is not the answer. It's not a joke. Don't make fun of anyone, for any reason. You never know what someone is going through. The girl that committed suicide was probably the least likely person to do it. She was smiling, she seemed happy, but evidently, she wasn't. If you feel like you need to end it, please talk to someone, get help. I know you hear this all the time, but please reach out. Just talk to someone, do something you like, something that makes you laugh. You can even message me if you want to, but just please don't do it. Even if you believe it not true, someone loves you, someone cares for you. I for one love each and every person who is reading this right now. I don't want anyone to take their life, so please listen to what I'm saying.