Mark poured water from a nearby bucket onto the sad flames.
"Well, it definitely is like old times." My eyes drifted to the sky.
"Yeah..." his voice trailed off as he dusted his arms. "You miss the stars don't you?"
I shrugged a shoulder. "I just miss the night... Eight years being in the same room, thrown around the crap apartment, it's just nice to feel the air." I closed my eyes, really appreciating the night with all it's goodness. "It feels so... good."
He half-heartedly chuckled. "You know, out of the time you went missing, I've never felt so alone."
I faced him, finding him with half a smile. "I'm sorry, Mark... it's my fault..."
Whatever-of-a-smile he had on disappeared so fast. "You've changed so much. Not only that, but you're still the same in some ways. It's overwhelmingly confusing."
My head hung, making me stare at my own two feet that carried me this far. "What did you expect? That I'd go through hell and be the same? Maybe if eight years in my personal hell wasn't so bad, maybe I'd be the same (Y/N) you knew."
The weight of my words stung. Glancing at Mark, it stabbed him in the heart. His expression completely gave up hiding his hurt, the moonlight putting stars in the tears that bubbled at his eyes. His breathing is under control, yet it's still obvious...
"Mark, make me another promise."
He weakly nodded.
"Promise me you won't blame yourself for my problems, for my disappearance." I plastered a big smile on my boney face.
It's still my fault it all happened in the first place.
His mouth opened, no words or sound formed, leaving the night to fill the silence.
I sighed. "Mark-"
The door slid open, gaining our attentions. "I missed the fun?"
Adda told us to come inside so we can all talk. When we were situated in the living room, she stayed standing as she made her announcement.
"We're going after Jude. My men already have him in custody. We're pressing charges and getting restraining orders."
Mark jumped up, elated. "That's great! When will we put him behind bars?"
She pursed her lips. "That's the thing." She turned to me. "We need your side of the story and details of what happened."
"Mark. Bring me my bag with my computer."
His eyebrows bunched, unsure why I made my request. He did it anyways, leaving me and Adda. She took a seat next to me.
"Are you okay enough to do this?" Her hand held mine.
I nodded. "I'm scared if he knows you guys are holding onto me."
"It doesn't matter-"
"Oh, you have no idea how much it matters." My voice raised a bit.
Fear ran up and down my very being. My body started shaking.
"Got it!" Mark held the bag high over his head then handed it over. I searched through the pockets.
"Why do you need your computer?" Adda studied me.
My fingers traced a weathered book in a smaller pocket. "I don't need my laptop."
"Then why-?"
I exposed the book to them. "This little book has everything. I logged everything he did to me and the time he did. Sadly, there's no dates... they're labeled by days."
"That's fine. It should be enough."
Mark stared at it like it had killed his brother in cold blood. I tossed the book to Adda, not sure what I want at this point.
"I went through hell. Trust me."
I walked out of the room.
Mark's P.O.V.
That book has everything that piece of shit ever did to her. My fists tightened at the very thought of him. He hurt her! And this little book has everything he's done.
Whatever he did to her, he'll experience it tenfold.
I reached for the book from Adda only to have my hand slapped away. I gave her the look of 'why' when she moved over to the couch and sat on the book.
Her eyes became cold as they bore into my soul. "I can't let you read it."
"Why not? I thought we're together in all this." My fingernails dug into my palms this time.
"Remember when she went missing and how you went berserk? Well, this will only piss you off even more than that."
My jaw clenched. "Adda. You went out of control more than I did. Why are you the only one able to read it?"
The words were forced out of my teeth.
"Because I grew up."
"Grew up?!" I tried to keep my voice down as to not alarm (Y/N) in the other room. She needs a break from all of this anyways. "You didn't grow up until last year."
Her eyes narrowed. "At least I didn't destroy everything I owned."
"At least I didn't take a baseball bat and start swinging-"
"Fine!" She cut me off. "Promise me you won't take your anger out at all until I hand you your gloves."
"I promise."
She revealed the book and flipped through the worn out pages. Her expression darkened with every page she seen. "She's been through more than we thought..."
"Read it, don't keep me in suspense."
"Day 48. He hit me in the side with an iron pipe twice at exactly 15:37."
She glanced at me, turning more pages.
"Day 120. He filled the tub with water and tried keeping me under for a minute and a half at 07:45."
My fingernails really dug into my palms now.
She flipped through more pages.
"Day 298. He shoved a wet cloth in my mouth while holding my nose closed at exactly 03:27."
"That man deserves death." I growled.
She flipped more pages. "It seems she wrote some stuff in here like a journal. Everything she wrote is really small print. Like she knew a lot was going to happen..."
My hopes unintentionally raised a little. With everything I am, I prayed against every impossibility it was something good.
Her lips pursed again. "Day 347. It's been over a year since I've last seen my two best friends. I started the recordings a few months after I went missing, explaining why it's off. They never left my thoughts... I really wonder what happened to my house..."
"She loved that house like crazy, it's the last thing her sister gave her."
"Hopefully Addaline or Mark is taking care of it." She exhaled. "Damn it."
"What?"
She hesitated, staring in suspicion at a line. "I wrote in my will, in case of death or suspicious disappearance, that they would get the house."
My hands ran through my hair. That house means everything to her...
"She... ah, damn it all." There are no words I could say. I let her down once again.
"Wait." She hit my arm a few times. "She said in case of death or suspicious disappearance."
"Yeah. And?"
She stared into my eyes. "She knew she was going to disappear."
I'm such an idiot. "Does it say anything about it?"
"No..." she flipped through more pages, obviously nothing sticking out. "I don't see anything else on it."
A folded piece of paper fell from the book. "Look."
I picked the paper up, unfolding it. "This is it."
"Read it."
"If I die, I need someone to find this and tell my side of the story. Through everything that happened, I can't feel like nothing isn't my fault. It's probably from all the abuse I've suffered, but hear me out. I am the one who triggered this."
"Like the hell she did!" Adda interrupted.
"Like the first falling domino to cause the destruction of the rest. Jude spent so much money on me, he started going broke. He went from owning a mansion to debt."
"The same mansion as that party, right?"
"God, I hope not." My heart sank.
"What else does it say?"
"I let him hang out with me, even when I ran errands or just wanted to explore the town a bit. He bought me everything I looked at, picked up, touched, admired, liked and loved."
"I wish more guys had that much money." She mumbled.
"Adda." I glared at her.
"Sorry. Continue."
"It was okay at first, even then I wasn't alright with his spending. I really hated it. He acted like a friend. He always tried to beat Mark for my affection."
"She had a thing for you, ya know."
My face felt warm. "No, I didn't know... I wish I wasn't so oblivious."
"Eh." She shrugged. "Both of you guys were oblivious." She mumbled something else. ("And still are...")
"I'm still reading..." Anything to get away from this topic. "I told him to stop, but he wouldn't. Then I started avoiding him. His little puppy crush for me turned to a sick obsession. He got more clingy. It began to worry me when he stood outside my house and looked up to my window."
"I remember her talking to you about that."
"Yeah..."
"You should've stayed with her..." She spoke softly, head down in shame. "I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to..."
"I know, Adda..." I folded the letter back to the way it was.
"Is that all it says?"
"That's all I can take for now..."
We sat there, minds swamped with feelings and thoughts we couldn't begin to explain. Especially the feelings backed up from eight years ago.
"Mark..."
"Yeah?"
"I saw... I saw her scars..."
"Scars?"
She nodded, colorless. "She has them everywhere."
"How bad?"
Her eyes met mine, saddened.
That's all I need to know how many scars slit on her body. Silence slipped between us.
"Did you notice how she shook earlier?"
"Yeah... I watched you guys for a moment before announcing my presence..." I felt the muscles in my arms tense. "That's not alright. Whatever happened must've broke her, because the (Y/N) I know wouldn't be easily shaken."
Adda set her hand on my wrist. "It's okay now. We have her. That's all that matters."
I sighed. "But she isn't the same one we know."
"Maybe you guys aren't the same ones I know." We turned our focus to her behind us at the door. I wasn't sure if it's just me, but the light gave a little shine to her tears that trailed from her eyes, giving away their small existence.
"(Y/N),-"
"I don't wanna hear it." She didn't let her finish. "I want to be treated a little more my age. You guys are so over protective I can't even breathe! You guys are hurting me more than you're helping."
"We're trying to make sure you're safe because we love you."
"Oh yeah?" The expression she had couldn't hurt me more than it did, she's definitely hurt deeper than we could begin to understand. "That's exactly what Jude told me when he kidnapped me, you assholes."
We really are the idiots here.
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