Darkest Powers fanfiction
EVERYONE'S SECRET
Derek Souza/OC: Mary Ralluber

Author's Note: Sorry for the filler-esque style of this chapter. D: I didn't really know what to write for Derek's chapter. Mary's chapters are all planned out. (: So get ready to read lots of drama in her department. Enjoy the chapter and please review. Thanks. ;D

Chapter 14.

A couple of months had passed since Mary had left Lyle House. Derek was even more grumpy than ever; it seemed that each day that passed without her, his mood grew heavily depressed and angry. He remained quiet during meals and only grunted brief answers to anyone when asked a question. The only person he really talked to was Simon, but even he didn't really keep up conversations either.

What really annoyed Derek was how the nurses acted as if Mary had never been at Lyle House. They pretended she didn't even exist. They tried to erase her existence from the boys's memories. Little did they know that Mary had made too big an impact on all three of their lives, particularly Derek's. Around his neck was clasped the golden necklace that belonged to Mary's mother, hidden underneath his t-shirts and sweatshirts. He never took it off. Not while he slept, not while he bathed, not ever.

He also noticed that his acne was returning with wrath, taking over his face and his shoulders. He was running low on Mary's magic acne cream, as well. His body odor was beginning to get stronger and stronger and he found himself taking more showers than he usually did per day.

The three boys sat in the living room, piled around the blank television, each as solemn as the other. The nurses knew something was wrong with them because Mary was gone, but, as Derek had already figured, they were trying to erase her memory from the home.

"I heard they were going to replace Mary with some other girls," Brady finally piped, playing with the tag attached to the couch pillow and folding it into tiny squares. Derek's eyebrows narrowed as he glared at the black screen of the television set. Simon's eyebrows rose to his hairline.

"Really? Already? Jeez, way to make us feel better."

"Where do you think they took her?" Brady asked, now ripping the tag off of the pillow. Simon shrugged and Derek ignored him. Brady sighed. "Well, assuming she'll be let out to the real world, hopefully, we'll probably see her in some Playboy magazine, or, if we're lucky Girls Next Door." He couldn't help but smirk. Simon groaned and rolled his eyes. Derek turned his glare on her.

"Don't talk about her that way!" he snarled, pointing a finger in his face, grasping the neck of his shirt in Derek's other hand. "Mary isn't a slut, like those girls are." Brady raised his hands up defensively, and then pushed Derek away from him.

"Jesus, why the hell are you so protective over her? She's not your daughter or anything. Besides, you know she's got the body to be on one of those shows. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up as a stripper. I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you, Souza?"

Derek held up his fist, but Simon was there to hold it from releasing on Brady's face and destroying him. "Derek, don't listen to him. Brady's a dumbass, remember?" Brady looked taken aback.

"I'm not going to let him insult Mary, especially not in front of me," Derek snarled, baring his teeth.

"Brady, shut up and get a life. We know you wish you would have gotten into Mary's pants before she left, and you know she wouldn't have let you. Get over yourself. Mary's not a slut," Simon snapped. Brady glared at him and Simon clapped a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Come on, bro. Let's get out of here. Leave Brady to his fantasies."

Derek's green eyes gleamed with hatred as they pierced through Brady's own. He stood, towering over the both of them, and followed Simon out of the living room. He clenched the necklace underneath his hooded sweatshirt and growled.

"I can't believe he had the nerve to say that in front of me. He knew Mary and I loved each other. He was just jealous. Too bad I got into her pants before he did," Derek scoffed.

"Technically, Mary was wearing any pants—let alone any clothes—when that happened," corrected Simon, a small playful grin spreading across his lips. Derek narrowed his eyebrows, but then quickly lifted his stern gaze. His comment had brought some humor to their dampened moods. They climbed the creaky staircase and shut the bedroom door behind them, each separating to their own beds. Derek leaned up against the wall, tilting his head back and sighing heavily. Brady was eating at his mind again.

"I hate that he misses her," he admitted. "She's not his to miss."

"We all miss her, bro," said Simon. "You just miss her the most because you two actually went beyond friendship. That takes it to a whole new level."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Anyway, we should really talk about getting out of this place. To find Dad and Mary," Simon added. "I think the nurses have changed the security code the alarm systems, but that won't be too hard to figure out." Derek nodded.

"We have to prepare for a long journey," Derek said. "After we leave, they'll most likely send cops to chase after us. We'll need to find places to stay."

"We can look for old abandon buildings," suggested Simon.

"Yeah, that's what we'll have to do. And we'll have to lift food and other necessities, since we don't have money."

"Dang, this sucks. Too bad we don't have any money," sighed Simon.

"We'll have to make do with what we have, and what we can do. We'll have to do a lot of preserving."

"That'll be hard for you, considering you eat a lot," mentioned Simon. Derek leered at him.

"This isn't time to joke around. We should leave soon. We've waiting two months. Who knows where Dad is already and what's been happening to Mary?" Derek sighed heavily. "I just want to see them safe, but I know both of them can take care of themselves."

"I want to find them just as much as you do. Let's plan to leave soon," said Simon. Derek nodded in agreement.

A couple days later, Derek and Simon had soon come to learn that Brady had been right about the new kids coming to replace Mary. Derek's blood boiled. He didn't want to have anything to do with them. The nurses had no reason to take Mary away. They only took people away when there was something seriously wrong with them, and Mary was normal.

Derek had walked down the stairs and saw that a tall black-haired woman stood at the door, a smaller black-haired girl in front of her. The girl had a sour look spread over her face, an expression Derek already found irritable. He looked at the woman, who was clearly the girl's mother, and recognized a very faint familiarity about her, but he couldn't' place his finger on it. Probably someone he'd passed by when he was younger, or his mind was playing tricks on him and he'd actually never seen her before.

Simon appeared at Derek's side and he spotted the two unfamiliar females. He arched an eyebrow at them.

"Guess Brady was right," grumbled Simon.

The girl turned her gaze on Simon, and her eyebrows arched. Simon's face flushed and he grew a puzzled expression. Derek rolled his eyes at the both of them and pushed him towards the kitchen.

"That was weird. Did you see the way she looked at me?" Simon asked.

"Who?" asked Brady, sitting at the table, eating a bowl of sugar-free Cheerios.

"The new girl you predicted would replace Mary," Simon explained.

"She's here already?" he asked, peering out the doorway. "Is she hot?" Derek rolled his eyes and scoffed. Simon did the same.

"Wow, Brady," Simon sighed and picked out the sugar-free Cheerios from the pantry.

"What? I'm just curious."

"No, you're low," Derek grunted. Brady glared.

"Don't get all pissy just because your lover is gone. I miss her too, you know," he said.

"Yeah, I do know. I don't' know why you miss her, though. She hated you," Derek snapped.

"Bro," Simon warned. "Take it easy." Derek snarled at them both and stormed out of the room, stomping back up the stairs, not caring who heard him. He slammed the door to his bedroom, pounding his fists against the wall. He growled as he rested his head against the wall. Memories of Mary flooded through this head, and he felt the golden chain against his neck, the heart pressed against the skin of his chest. He was angry—angry at Brady, angry at Simon, angry at the nurses, at the Edison Group, at everyone.

"Derek, sweetie?" inquired a gentle voice from outside Derek's door. Mrs. Talbot's scent swam through his nostrils. "Is everything alright?"

He didn't want to talk to her. After all, she had been one of the people to help get rid of Mary.

The door opened and Derek looked up and saw the small elderly woman appear. Her face was contorted with sadness and worry, but Derek didn't buy it. He refused to believe her worry was genuine.

"What's going on, sweetheart?" she asked again, walking towards him. He was silent and stubbornly looked away from her. He curled up on his bed, bringing his knees to his chin. Mrs. Talbot sat at the edge of his bed, pressing her wrinkled hand against his jean-clad knee. He softly hissed and she quickly retreated.

"You sent her away," he snarled softly. Mrs. Talbot's eyes narrowed.

"We had to, Derek. She wasn't helping you get better, or herself for that matter."

"That's not why, and you know it," he grumbled.

Sighing, Mrs. Talbot stood and walked back to the door, solemnly looking at Derek's pitiful state. "We did what we thought was right. You can get better now." She closed the door and Derek glared.

"Yeah, once I get out of this prison," he muttered.