Chapter Twelve

Familiar and Evils

"Actually…" Brielle fidgeted as stood before the dark-haired man who looked her in the eye. "I couldn't sleep."

"You too, huh?" Fabian relaxed, seeing that the redhead was truthfully answering. He was a bit shocked that he could read Brielle as easily as he could Nina. He slumped back to the wall, slowly sliding down back to a seated position. "So, you come here often?"

Brielle stifled a giggle but it slipped through her lips.

"What?" Fabian asked defensively. He didn't particularly like being laughed at for no reason.

"That sounded like a terrible pick-up line," Brielle grinned.

Fabian felt his cheeks warming as he realized that his words did sound like a terribly overused line used in a bar. "That's not what I meant."

"I know and to answer your question, yeah, I do go here often," Brielle took a seat beside the brunette. "There's just something so familiar about this place. It's so… calming."

"It's a creepy attic," Fabian raised a brow, breathing out a chuckle. "It's not supposed to be comforting."

"I guess it's the feeling of familiarity," Brielle sighed out. "I think knowing nothing about who you are makes you rely more on your instincts and emotions."

"What do you think that makes you then?" Fabian smiled, happy that the woman trusted him. It was barely a month that they knew each other and this was probably their first one-on-one conversation but there was always a feeling of ease between them.

"I think it makes me weak," she admitted. "And yet so strong. It's a paradox."

"Why's that?" Fabian was fascinated by her words.

"I have to rely on gut feeling most of the time," she explained to him. "I don't really trust other people much but if I do, I depend on them a lot."

"Just like you are to Eddie," Fabian pointed out. He has seen the two interact in the house and they're like siblings. It was like an instinct for Eddie to take care of Nina and Nina, on the other hand, doesn't hesitate to rely on Eddie.

"Yes," she nodded. "I rely on him too much."

"He's all you ever know," Fabian smiled in understanding. "I guess, you just need more time to adjust."

"I guess," she replied before changing the topic. "So, what are you doing in a place like this?"

"Er, well, I just wanted to tire myself out… mentally," Fabian started. "And, I guess reliving memories is one of them. My friends and I used to spend nights in the attic in high school."

"Ah," Brielle gave a grimace. "I wonder what my high school is like."

"It's probably like mine," Fabian muttered.

"Sorry?"

"Well, it's probably like your regular American high school," Fabian shrugged. "You are American, aren't you?"

"I don't really know," Brielle sighed. "I think I am. I do have an accent, I suppose but you never know. I'll never know."

"Hey," Fabian noticed her somber expression. "Memories aren't everything you know? You could always make new ones."

"I know that. But, those could never make up for what I lost."

"You don't know that. You could've been living a fucked up life," Fabian comforted. "You could take this chance to start anew."

"And what if I wasn't?" Brielle argued. "What about the people who I left behind in my life? What about them? Will they stay awake at night, worrying about me?"

Fabian felt familiar with that situation and realized that she was right. "You can't go on relying on what ifs."

"It's all I could do," she reasoned.

Fabian let out a resigned sigh. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I guess, I think I trust you," Brielle smiled. "Well, my gut says so anyway."

"You trust me?" Fabian couldn't help but smile back at her only to remind himself that he couldn't go falling for this girl, that she isn't Nina.

"I think I do," she corrected. "There's just something about you."

"Look who's the one throwing cheesy lines," Fabian teased, liking that it was so easy to talk to Brielle. It was just like talking to Nina.

Brielle stuck her tongue out childishly. "You know what I mean!"

Fabian nodded seriously. "I do."

Brielle suddenly shivered as a draft chilled her. She was only wearing a set of thin pajamas and the attic was freezing cold.

"Here," Fabian handed her his jacket, flinching when their skins touched. "Your skin. It's ice cold."
Brielle thanked him and used his jacket as a blanket. She leaned against him and sighed comfortable.

Fabian relaxed as she warmed him up, his hand unconsciously playing with her hair.

The two then fell into a silence. But, the silence was not an awkward one. It was something that was comforting to them. The sound of each other's breathing was very much like a serenade. It lulled them to a peaceful sleep.

The first one to wake up was Fabian. He blinked his eyes, wondering the time as the attic wasn't dark anymore. His eyes then wandered to the figure tangled up with him on the floor. Brielle Miller looked peaceful as she slept. She looked like Nina. He was tempted to tell her everything, to tell her about Nina. He was sick of pretending that seeing her didn't matter. Looking down at the girl, Fabian faintly smiled, brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"You're much easier to talk to when you sleep," he sighed.

"Mhmm… Eddie…" Brielle mumbled in her sleep.

Fabian froze at the sound of another man's name. Closing his eyes, he tried to get himself to be calm. This was merely another reminder that Brielle isn't Nina. Nina doesn't know Eddie. Nina wouldn't be mumbling Eddie's name in her sleep.

"Brielle?" he shook her awake, a little bit violently.

"Hmmm?" Brielle blinked her eyes open, a little bit surprised at Fabian's presence. Recalling last night's events, she relaxed. "What time is it?"

"It's morning," Fabian shrugged, not really wearing a watch at the moment. "I have to go back. Patricia must be worried."

Brielle nodded, offering Fabian's jacket back to him. "Thank you for this."

Fabian nodded and helped her stand up, hiding his emotions from her. He quietly led her out of the dusty attic. By the time they separated ways, Fabian was once again angry, mostly, with himself. He couldn't let himself be close to Brielle. He just couldn't.

Fabian felt himself getting angrier and more agitated as he approached the bedroom. There, Patricia sat on her bed, fuming.

"Where have you been?" She asked, standing up.

"Nowhere," Fabian muttered, nonchalantly.

"You can't imagine how worried I was when Joy called telling me that you stepped out last night!" Patricia ranted. "I've been awake ever since she called, worrying that you'd kill yourself!"

"Patricia, can you shut up?" Fabian asked sarcastically.

"What did you say?" Patricia was getting angrier with the man by the minute.

"Shut up," he repeated with more conviction.

"Not until you tell me where you've been!"

"I've been with Brielle," Fabian answered truthfully. "There! You happy now?"

Patricia gave a knowing smile. "I knew it! You're gonna end up liking her anyway!"

"It's not something to be happy about, Patricia," Fabian scolded. "I'm not gonna end up with her. I can't be with her."

"Why can't you just accept that she's like Nina?! Or that she is her?!" she bellowed, almost sick of the way Fabian is behaving. She didn't want him in denial of his feelings.

"Because I'm scared!" Fabian finally let out.

"What?" Patricia's voice lowered significantly.

"I'm scared, okay?" Fabian sighed. "What if she isn't Nina? What if this is a ploy by the gods? What if I lose her again? Damn it, Patricia! Don't you see? I couldn't take it if I lose her again! Isn't this why we're here in the first place? Because I can't lose my memories, I can't truly lose her. I couldn't take it. My heart couldn't take it."

"Why are you letting your life revolve around her?" Patricia asked, already sick of fighting with Fabian.

"Ha," Fabian scoffed. "Look at who's talking. That's a very hypocritical thing to ask."

"What do you mean?"

"Stop playing dumb," Fabian rolled his eyes. "It's not a good look for you, Trixie." His eyes flashed at the last word.

Patricia noticeably paled.

"Does Jerome ring any bells?" Fabian finally asked when she didn't reply. "How could you ask me to move on from her when all these years, you can't even move on from him?"

Patricia felt tears pool in her eyes. She only just remembered how cruel Fabian could be, especially when he's swimming in a pool of hurt. "That's different."

"It isn't." Fabian chuckled darkly. "We both have to move on, right? There's no other choice. She's gone and he's not coming back… to you, at least. He's very much happy with Mara. He's happy without you."

"Stop it!" Patricia begged him with tears sliding down her cheeks. "Please!"

"Do you feel it, Patricia?" Fabian asked, his eyes dark as coal. "That's what I feel now. Every time you try to insinuate that Brielle is Nina, I think 'how could she go on without me while I couldn't go on without her?' We're the same, Patricia."

"No, we aren't!" she denied, not wanting to be compared to him.

"Yes, aren't you angry, Patricia?" Fabian gave a grin, cornering Patricia. "Aren't you in pain? That's what I feel right now."

"Fabian, stop it!" Patricia nearly screamed, pushing Fabian out of the way. She was scared of the man before her, which was weird. She was never scared of Fabian. For even when he's fuming angry, Fabian always had it under control. He would never lash out on her. The Fabian in front of her isn't himself. There was something very wrong with him. The dark aura and the evil expression told her that the man before her was not normal Fabian. Also, his eyes that were once a cool blue were now black as if dark with evil.

"Fabian, are you okay?" she asked quietly, slowly reaching for him.

Fabian quickly held her wrist. "Don't touch me, girl."

Patricia flinched at his tone and the fact that his hand was holding her arm way too tight. "You're holding me too tight," she notified, glancing at her arm.

"I don't care," Fabian smirked. It was a sight that Patricia wasn't used to seeing.

"Yes, you do," Patricia reasoned out, trying to figure out how to bring Fabian back. "That's why you're here."

"You're pathetic." He let go of her hand and Patricia immediately rubbed her wrist.

"Whoa, what's happening here?" Eddie burst into the room, hearing the yells from the first floor. Taking in Patricia's tear-stained face and Fabian's angry stance, he rushed to the girl. "Is he hurting you?"

"Eddie, get out," Patricia was worried Fabian might hurt the blonde for he wasn't himself.

"No," Eddie replied defiantly. "Is he hurting you?"

"No," Not yet, she wanted to add. "We're just having an argument."

"Ah, lover's quarrel," Eddie nodded in understanding. "So," he nudged Fabian, trying to lighten the tense mood in the air. "You finally realized that Yacker is too much to handle?"

At Eddie's contact, Fabian's stance visibly changed. His eyes, from a charcoal, was now back to its blue color. Patricia was about to sigh in relief when Fabian fell to the floor, in exhaustion.

"Whoa," Eddie exclaimed. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Patricia rushed to the unconscious figure of her friend, trying to see if he had a pulse. Feeling a beat, she relaxed slightly.

Patricia didn't know what was happening with Fabian but she knows that there is an evil lurking in the House and it wasn't human. It was much more powerful than that.

AN: Evil lurks.

What do you think is lurking in the house?

What do you want to see in the next chapters?

Review ;)

Next Chapter will take a while. Writer's block. Help me! :)