A/N - I apologize for my horrid writing skills. ;x
Guess what Saturday was? :D Saturday was my birthday! (: Yeah, March 2nd was my birthday; I'm now officially 14 years of age! So this is definitely a special chapter because it's the first one I posted after the new number I achieved in my age count.
Di immortales, I got 8 reviews on the previous chapter! Hopefully I can get some belated-birthday wishes from my amazing readers? :) You guys have no idea how much the continual suuport means to me. I wouldn't be anywhere without it, so you guys mean the world to me. :)
Warning: Physical Abuse in the chapter.
I had Writer's Block while writing this chapter, so it may not be as good as I anticipated it would be . . . hopefully, chapter 29 and 30 will be better.
Nina
Shadowland
Friday, November 5th, 2011 5:38 a.m.
"Just guess what I'm going to do to you."
He took one step forward in his new human body.
Thump. The first beat of my heart set off the rest. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. One after the other. My pulse raced, the pounding of my heart echoing in my ears, erasing all sounds around me.
I swallowed, closing my eyes and imagining a better place, anywhere that wasn't here. Seconds, possibly minutes past before I opened my eyes again.
To my horror, I was still here. I said, "You're going to hit me."
"Correct," the Man in Red confirmed. He released a sickening smile before his palm met my cheek and a stinging sensation overtook me.
The slap didn't faze me. I'd dealt with abuse worse than that. I ignored the sting in my cheek as a pleading look crossed my face. "What did I do wrong?" I begged. "I was doing exactly as you asked! Tell me what I did!"
"It's more like what you didn't do," he said, clenching his teeth, as he moved forward to place his arm around my neck, holding my head much too close to his mouth. I gasped, but caught my breath before he could hear me.
I'd been telling Fabian for the past two and a half weeks that I wasn't afraid of anything. I wasn't afraid of the Man in Red. I wasn't afraid of Shadowland. But I was.
I was utterly and deathly afraid of the man holding me by his arm. My pulse racing, my heart thumping, my adrenaline rushing through my veins. But I couldn't attack him - he'd hurt me much worse than I could hurt him.
I heard something slip out of his pocket, but I dare not to look. The Man in Red said in a disgustedly seductive voice, "Now, we wouldn't want to ruin your pretty face, would we? That would be a shame for your little boyfriend back home."
Fabian. His name echoed through my head, and I could think of nothing else but him. Fabian. You have to keep Fabian safe. If you love him, you won't let anything happen to him.
He tightened his grip on my neck and I closed my eyes in fear. I knew he could tighten his grip even further and choke me to death. He wouldn't care if he killed me. He'd find another poor minion to do his crimes for him, to find another person who wouldn't mind being kidnapped and sending dreams to their friends.
He would suck the life out of me in two measly seconds.
I could already feel the tears falling down my face as he let go of his grip on my neck and threw me down onto the floor, so I was forced to stare up at his ugly face. "Don't you do anything to Fabian," I said confidently, through the tears, trying but failing to keep my voice steady. My voice cracked with wet tears as I said again, "He didn't do anything to you. Don't hurt him. Don't you DARE hurt him!"
He chuckled, and the sound of his evil, disgusting voice made me heart swell with anger. "Hm, you love the boy, don't you? What was his name? Ah, yes, Fabian. That was his name. A beautiful name, really. It goes good with your name, Nina."
"Don't call me by my first name," I murmured, but I didn't realize at the time that all I was doing was pushing my luck. I couldn't sat there talking with him all day to prevent him from abusing me further, but I didn't want him to call me Nina. I didn't want him to refer to me by my first name.
We were not friends. We were never friends. We would never be friends.
He was not my friend.
"Ah, confident little fellow, are we?" He snarled, just like the disgusting dog he was, and kicked me in the chest from where I was lying on the floor. I gasped, having the breath kicked out of me and gripped my stomach in pain. "You're such a crybaby," the Man in Red marveled, his sickening smirk making a reappearance. "Nina Martin, I know you all too well. You'll try to stay strong while I'm hitting you, but as soon as I leave you'll break down into hysterics. I know you."
"You don't know anything about me," I gasped, the pain from my chest overwhelming everything else. It was only a kick, a simple blow to the chest, but it hurt like the Devil. The air from my lungs was long gone. I knew I'd have to get up and catch my breath again, or else I'd die of oxygen loss, or something along those lines.
"I know everything about you," the Man in Red said ominously, as he took soft, short steps to stand in front of me once again. He stood, towering over me, and I knew that I couldn't do anything without it coming back to bite me in the ass. The Man in Red was my karma.
I cautiously pushed myself off of the floor, so I was sitting up. I could feel the bruises forming, the blood dripping down my legs, but I ignored the sting and deadpanned, "Tell me what I did wrong."
"What didn't you do wrong?" He murmured, almost to himself, as he walked over to the beat-up couch that Fabian and I were just sitting on. Once he sat, he crossed his legs, and his eyes drifted off into the distance. I had no idea whether he was going to come back to hit me again, but I stayed put, sitting on the cold floorboards.
"The first day I was here," I began, in a whisper that was so inaudible I was surprised he could hear me, "You told me to give my friends dreams, or else you'd hurt them and get them yourself," I remembered. "You gave me the power to give dreams at night. You told me exactly what I had to do. I didn't want you to hurt my friends, so I obeyed you. I was just giving my friend a dream, and you stopped me. Why?"
"Because," he stated. That was all he said.
"There has to be a reason."
"Because I'm just an evil being, that's why."
I stayed silent, waiting for the real reason.
"YOU DISOBEYED ME YET AGAIN, MARTIN." he suddenly boomed as he pushed himself off of the couch in one swift motion, towering over me again just like he was two minutes ago. "I told you to give them dreams, yes, but I did not tell you to give them clues as to WHERE YOU WERE. I told you to give them clues to come here, thinking they were going to save you but ultimately ending up in my clutches. Otherwise, I'd get their DNA myself and then kill them, but keep you alive, just to watch you suffer. WHAT DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?"
"I will never let you hurt them, that's why I didn't give do what you asked." I said, rushing the words out of my mouth.
"You stupid, stupid young girl," he snapped, pushing me down against the floor again. I could faintly hear the crack of my skull against the floor before he started screaming again.
But I wasn't listening. I told myself since the very first day that I would never let the Man in Red hurt my friends. Even if I wasn't safe, they would be. They'd be away from harm. I wanted them to save me, yes. That was only because I loved spending time with that lot; I loved being around them and solving ancient mysteries.
I was the Chosen One. I was chosen to put together the Cup of Ankh. I fulfilled my destiny. Now it was my duty to keep my friends safe. They had all of me.
Sure, I'd seen them at night. I'd given them dreams. But each of the dreams had only last about ten minutes or less before I sent them back. I only see them for ten minutes a day.
I still remembered Fabian's promise to me in my first year - "I will not give up; on Sarah, the quest, and certainly not on you." It was the only thing keeping me alive. He told me he wouldn't give up on me, and through it all, I still believed him. I trusted him more than anyone in the world. I trust Fabian, I really do . . . I trust him.
Though they all were still with me, I had been alone all along.
xXx
Patricia
Sunday, November 6th, 2011 10:00 p.m.
As always, Victor's voice was booming from the hallway as he held his pin up in the air and announced that we should all be in bed. Normally, it was quite difficult not to listen to his ridiculously loud voice, but today I wasn't focused on him. There was only one thing on my mind: Eddie Miller. (And yes, I know his last name now, thank you very much.)
I hid behind the arm of couch so Victor couldn't see me, and neither could Eddie, when he came along and left Anubis to go who-knows-where. All through today,Sibuna, which included everyone but Eddie now, had a huge meeting with everyone, including Mara, Jerome, and Joy. We discussed pretty much everything: Nina, Shadowland, Eddie - I think we mostly covered everything.
I don't even know how long I was crouching behind the arm of the couch, but once I heard footsteps from the hallway, peeked over the arm the slightest bit, and noticed it was Eddie, I pushed myself off of my spot on the floor, and I almost lost my balance because my legs were so unsteady.
I ignored the unsteadiness, and followed Eddie out of Anubis House, leaving the door open this time. Eddie had approached me this morning, saying he knew he was following me the previous night. I knew I had to be more discreet this time.
So I followed Eddie, staying a good pace behind him so he wouldn't see me. He walked about a quarter of a mile before he started to walk into the woods.
This time, I followed him. I told myself that I would be the one to figure out his secrets, and if this was the way to do it, well, I'd take some scratches and bruises any day if it meant breaking someone into a million pieces.
I tried to be quiet while stepping on leaves and brush - I tried to keep my pace with his so he wouldn't hear separate footsteps. I thought it was easy - too easy. It stayed this way: Eddie kept walking through the woods, never looking back. It was like he was possessed, almost; his head never swayed, he never looked to the side to check if he was going the wrong way.
It was like he knew where he was going by heart, like he hadn't only been in the UK for 4 days. I almost couldn't believe it myself, but it was true: Eddie had only been in the UK for 4 whole days.
It continued for a while. I had absolutely no idea where Eddie was going, so it didn't help when I went blind again.
It didn't occur to me that Nina's presence was near. I completely forgot about the reason I went blind in the first place when I was suddenly following the ridiculous boy and everything went black.
"Oh, COME ON!" I screamed to no one, as I couldn't even see anyone anymore. Even through my disability, I tried to focus on my advantage: hearing. Even though I couldn't see anything, I sure as hell could hear it.
I focused on Eddie. I was aiming to hear the crunch of twigs, the sway of leaves in the trees, but instead I heard something much more valuable.
I didn't know where he was, but it was most definitely Eddie's voice. He was talking to somebody, and based on Eddie's constant replies, I figured the person was responding to him as well - the thing was, I could not hear the person he was talking to. As hard as I tried, I could not hear them.
I almost sort of felt like my advantage was failing me. I could hear anything in the entire world, and I couldn't hear the one measly person Eddie was talking to?
I was about to turn away and try to walk home through my blindness when I heard a new voice that obviously wasn't the original person Eddie was talking to. Before, he was talking in a soft tone, whispering - but kindly, like he was concerned about the person. He didn't even mention their name, which infuriated me beyond belief, but anyway; it was obvious this new voice was a new one.
"Ah, Miller," the new voice said in a male British accent, "How are you today?"
I couldn't see the face, obviously; I could only hear them. I wasn't sure where they were, who the people Eddie was talking to were, or even what they were talking about because I still couldn't hear the person who Eddie was talking to originally.
Eddie didn't answer for a second, but I heard one single footstep and one millisecond after the single footstep, Eddie announced, obviously through clenched teeth, "Fine. Just fine."
"Can you tell me more, Edison?" The voice said. I could tell the voice was toying with Eddie, trying to fry him for something - but what was that something?
"Don't call me Edison, and maybe we'll have a deal." Eddie stated simply. I took note of his full name - it might be useful later on. I heard another single footstep and Eddie finally said, "A girl was following me the other day. I learned her name was Patricia."
I barely had time to process his statement before the other voice said, "Ah, Patricia Williamson. Yes, she's a feisty one. I'll be keeping a close eye on her from now on. Anything else, boy?"
"Not that I know of, no. Nobody was really home today, or doing anything for that matter. They all gathered around in one big group today, though . . ."
"Figure it out, boy," the voice growled, "or else."
"Yessir," Eddie muttered, and I heard a door slam. I wished I could see the door, but hey! Things don't always turn out the way you planned to.
I rolled my eyes after listening for another few minutes and not hearing anything, planning to leave the scene, but before I left, I heard Eddie's voice again. It was most definitely Eddie's voice, and what he said made me jump out of my socks.
"Nina, isn't the Man in Red such a meanie?"
And that was when I ran home to Anubis House.
xXx
Nina
Shadowland
Sunday, November 6th, 2011 10:49 p.m.
Don't tell him he was hitting you don't tell him he was hitting you don't tell him he was hitting you.
"Nina, what's wrong?" Eddie asked as he walked in through the door, sitting next to me on the couch.
Don't let him see the bruises don't let him see the bruises don't let him see the bruises.
"Nothing," I stated simply, my head turned away from him so he couldn't see the bruises and the cuts on my face. I couldn't let Eddie see the injuries; he'd ask what was wrong, and I don't think I could tell him the story without breaking down in tears.
"Are you sure?" he inquired, the curiosity in his voice reaching a whole new level.
Don't let him see you're lying don't let him see you're lying don't let him see you're lying.
"I'm fine. I'm absolutely positive."
"Then why aren't you facing me?"
"Because I fell earlier, and my face looks horrid."
"I'm sure you don't look horrid," he said sympathetically, and when he grabbed my chin to turn it his way, I was surprised to find he didn't cringe; he didn't tell me how disgusting I looked, or even ask me what happened. All he said was: "Are you okay? Don't tell me you're fine, because you're not."
"But I am fine -"
"Bullshit, Nina."
I sighed and placed my arms around his neck, careful not to choke him this time. "Yeah, I'm not. You're right. But I just need you here with me, okay? Can you stay the night?" I pleaded.
He cringed this time, and judging by his expression, I could tell that he was overwhelmed by guilt. "As much as I wish I could, Nina, there's a girl in my house in Anubis House who seems to growing suspicious of me. If I don't return in the morning, she might suspect something and tell Mr. Sweet . . . which actually wouldn't be that big of a deal."
"Why not?" I asked, removing my grip from around his neck. He answered, "Well, Mr. Sweet just happens to be my father."
As much as I tried to contain it, a laugh escaped from my lips, but as soon as I heard it, I covered my mouth; that didn't help much, as I continued laughing. "Come on, Nines," Eddie complained, "it isn't that big of a deal. Stop laughing."
"I'm sorry," I said, still laughing, which probably didn't make him feel much better. I contained my laughter, but before I could say anything else, my stomach growled.
I didn't pay much attention to it; the Man in Red didn't feed me much, but I'd grown accustomed to the amount of food he gave me, so it was a surprise why my stomach was growling. I cringed, trying to slink away, but before anything happened, Eddie said, "You must be hungry. Is there a kitchen here?"
I closed my eyes and said, "Take the hallway to the right and it's the second door on the right." I considered lying, but it was Eddie; he'd find it himself, and even if there wasn't one, he'd find the tools to make a kitchen. So it was no use lying to him. I pushed myself off of the couch, following him down the hallway, but didn't give any emotion when Eddie scoured the kitchen, only to find no food. He looked at me with those hazel eyes of his, and I lowered my gaze, ashamed.
"No food . . ." Eddie mused, listening to the continual growl of my stomach. "Hm . . . well, Nina, we're going to have to fix that."
You turn a cheek, they slap the other one
Don't try to step out of line, they'll stomp on anyone
You start to think, "What if everyone would stop being so weak, just stand up for once?"
I won't walk away, I've got a lot to say.
I thought that I was free; they took that all from me
They told me I should back down, all around, not a sound, dirty little freak
But this is how we bleed, and we ain't gonna stop now, a penny for your thoughts now
A bullet for your dreams
~Hedley, "Bullet for Your Dreams"
A/N - Wow, this chapter was absolutely horrible! High five! *hits computer screen*
God, I am not just saying this for pity. I had such a case of writer's block, but because I made a commitment, I had to finish this before Monday, so I kind of just spit it out. Yeah, I know it sucks. I know it could be better. It could be much better if I didn't only have 6 days to edit it. Well, I have 7 new days to write chapter 29, so maybe that'll be better!
Next chapter includes more Peddie! :D They go to the Supermarket. Why, you may ask? Well, you'll have to wait 7 days to find out. Patricia, do you want to do the Disclaimer today?
Patricia: If I do the disclaimer, do I get a dream?
Me: No, Patricia, you do not get a dream. Stop trying to cheat, because you know you never get a dream.
Patricia: So what's in it for me?
Me: You don't get to interact with Eddie for a whole chapter!
Patricia: Good enough for me! Smiley612 does not own House of Anubis, and she never will. Can you give me my gift now?
Sorry, I had to do it * . * I do hope you enjoyed, and I hope you have a sparkling day!~*
~Julianna
