The Criminal Diaries

      Three more days flew by too fast. Helene, who came to herself more or less after the events that had happened over the past few days, went to walk with her dog Sammy and her grandmother Scarlett, a soft, kind woman of old age with gray hair and brown eyes that had lost their gloss. She keeps wearing her wedding ring, even if her husband, Roger, died several years ago, and does not forget about her favorite golden earrings that are probably the most expensive jewelry in her little collection.       Scarlett really knows nothing about what’s happening to Helene and Peter. She does not know the man has been chased by the unknown people for a long time, and the girl nearly died of drowning. Though she does notice that her dearest granddaughter has lately looked upset and even scared. Even the doggy Sammy is not as active as before, and whines with pity if she goes somewhere without him. As if he is terribly afraid to see her for the first time. Afraid that his owner will hardly be saved for the second time. Because the retriever is not near, and Peter may know nothing about it.       “You’ve lately looked very sad, my sweetheart,” Scarlett expresses anxiety in a quiet, soft voice, squeezing the belt of her bag hanging on her shoulders and walking next to Helene slowly. “You used to be so funny and active, but now it has changed.”       “It’s okay, Grandma,” Helene puts on a smile, holding Sammy on the leash and holding Scarlett under her arm.       “Tell your grandmother what happened. What made my beautiful girl sad.”       “Nothing. It’s okay.”       “Do you have problems with Peter? Did you fight? Did he hurt you somehow?”       “Nope, Grandma, everything is wonderful between Peter and me.” Helene swallows nervously, feeling how her heart squeezes painfully because of the memories of all his charges. “We didn’t fight…”       “If you’re so sad, the case is surely about him.”       “If something happened between us, I would tell you everything.”       “I still remember how much you were worried because of everything about him. When you were hiding your feelings for him, and when he wanted to kill himself.”       “I am worried about him now and want him to be okay.”       “Is he doing fine?”       “Yep, thank God! The guys and he are getting ready to release their album.”       “I am so happy for him and his friends,” Scarlett smiles shyly. “I can’t say I like their music, but if they like it, nobody minds.”       “Tonight, they are supposed to play a show for a big crowd of people. Peter said the guys and he were getting ready for it so hard.”       “That’s good he found something he loved and started to earn a lot of money.”       “And he is going to move into his own house very soon!” Helene notices cheerfully. “He is going to get documents in the near time, and he’s already paid for everything.”       “Oh, I am so happy! Finally, he will move into a better place and leave the apartment where he should not live.”       “Peter is starting to get ready and pack his bags little by little and looking for those, who can help him carry some furniture and everything he has.”       “Ah, if it’s so, it means your wedding is getting closer and closer.”       “Grandma!” Helene gets blushed.       “What, grandma?” Scarlett pronounces surprisingly. “Are you going to get married to him? Is Peter going to propose to you?”       “All in time. Don’t rush.”       “I want your wedding, Helene. I want you to take your husband’s last name and give birth to children from him.”       “I shall get married when God thinks it’s time. If I’m destined to date Peter now, it will happen.”       “Be careful, babe, you may miss the moment and remain an old maid!”       “Oh, Grandpa, changing your mind is impossible.”       “You’ve been dating for a long time, and you've known each other for much longer. I personally see no reason not to start to get ready for the wedding.”       “Do you want me to persuade Peter to go to the altar?”       “Since he doesn’t rush, you can give a soft hint that it’s all wrong. Like, if he is serious about you, he must get married to you.”       “No, Grandma Scarlett, that’s wrong! I can’t and don’t want to take the man to the altar against his wish.”       “Peter likely decided to buy such a large house with the thought that he would live there with his wife and his children.”       Sammy barks quietly two times.       “And one wonderful doggy.”       “Just don’t tell me you were also running after Grandpa and giving him a hint on your desire to have a wedding,” Helene chuckles kindly.       “No, my girl, your grandfather did not delay the proposal for too long. We dated for only two or three months before Roger proposed to me. And I agreed immediately. I was happy I would get married early, just like I dreamed. Just like it was right. Though you know we didn’t get on well at first.”       “Why would I rush? Now you date someone for years! And everyone would be happy!”       “You doubt Peter? You have some claims for him?”       “No, why do you think so?”       “If everything were otherwise, you would be as determined as never before in this case.”       “Grandma, if Peter and I love each other, it doesn’t mean we should get married immediately.”       “And how long are you going just to date?”       “As much as we’re destined.”       “In my time, people didn’t delay a wedding and children’s birth for too long. They dated for two or three months and celebrated a wedding.”       “Sorry, but I’m living in a different time when you can create your family when you want it, not when people tell you to do this.”       “Oh, Helene, Helene…” Scarlett sighs heavily. “Sometimes you make me really upset.”       “If Peyer wants to make a proposal to me, I will accept it with pleasure. I’ve told you about it. Everything depends on his wish.”       “Thank God, you at least don’t refuse to get married and give birth.”       “Of course, I don’t! I really want it.”       “My prayers do really work. You don’t succumb to all these trending things like living as a single person and joining the childfree community.”       “Do you think I must press on Rose again and again and tell him we should have a wedding?”       “At least, just give him a hint. Tell him that any intimate and children’s birth is possible only after your wedding.”       “Aw, Grandma…”       “Listen, what if that’s why you’re so sad?” Scarlett hugs Helene around the shoulders. “Maybe you’re worried because Peter doesn’t rush to propose to you? But you’re dreaming about it?”       “I’m not sad!” Helene protests.       “Babe, although I’m old, I’m not stupid or blind! I see everything clearly and understand everything.”       “I just get too tired at my work. They’ve given me too many responsibilities lately, and I can’t finish everything in time.”       “I am sure you can do this,” Scarlett replies confidently. “You’re my very responsible and smart girl.”       “Yeah, my head already goes around.”       “It’s life, granddaughter. You have to work a lot to earn money for food, clothes, and other things. If only you knew how exhausted I was when I worked as a literature teacher at school. How your grandfather, who was a mathematics teacher, and I went home powerlessly.”       “At least, I’m earning enough money,” Helene shrugs.       “You’re a professional in chemistry and biology with a higher education. That’s why it was easier for you to find a job.”       “I know.”       “It’s okay, my baby, don’t be upset. You will solve all your problems at your work.”       “I wish, Grandma.”       Sammy barks very quietly as he looks closely at Helene, who glances at him with sadness.       “Oh, I almost forgot!” Scarlett recalls. “I need to go to a pharmacy and buy one cure.”       “For your heart?” Helene specifies.       “Yes, that one I always buy with a recipe.”       “I think there must be one pharmacy here. We can go there.”       “Oh, yeah! And it would be great to restock some of our cures.”       “You know it better. I haven’t checked out our first aid kit for ages and can’t remember what it has.”       “But I do always have it in order.”       “I don’t doubt!” Helene laughs shyly.       “Oh, I think I see the pharmacy!”       At this moment, Helene, Scarlett, and Sammy come to the glassy showcase and run their eyes over the logo of the shop that is highlighted with a bright green color.       “I think I shall go there.”       “Erm, listen, go there alone,” Helene suggests hesitantly, biting her lip. “I will wait for you here and watch Sammy. We aren’t allowed to go there with him.”       “Ah, yeah, right! I forgot!”       “You have enough money? Or should I give you a little?”       “No, no, I have it. Don’t worry.”       “Okay, but I can give it/”       “No, babe, it’s okay. Wait for me here, but I will quickly buy what I need.”       “Okay, I will be waiting for you here.”       While Scarlett goes to the building of the pharmacy, opens the door, and goes further, Helene waits for her outside along with Sammy that is watching the old woman with his tongue out.       “So what, boy?” Helene addresses Sammy, yanking the dog by the ears. “Tired?”       Sammy barks quietly.       “Okay, okay, Grandma will buy her cure, and then we’ll go home,” Helene promises. “Eat, have a rest…”       While Helene is stroking and scratching Sammy’s hair, he is pressing himself to her as close as possible, wagging his tail energetically, and looking at his owner with love in his eyes.       “Let’s sit on that bench?” Helene suggests, paying attention to the free bench placed not far from the pharmacy. “My legs kinda hurt after such a long walk.”       Squeezing the leash tightly and leading Sammy after himself, Helene comes to the bench she found, sits on it, and leans back with a tired sigh. While the dog just sits down next to her and starts watching her closely again.       “Ah, it’s so good…” Helene pronounces blissfully, massaging her ankles and calves. “I guess it’s a sign that I need to do sports much more seriously. Train, so I don’t fall from tiredness after half an hour of playing with you.”       Helene pets Sammy’s head softly, while the dog moves his eyes aside with interest and looks at something.       “Ah, Sammy, baby…” Helene sighs heavily and fixes her hair slightly. “If only you knew how hard it is to hide the truth from my grandma. How hard it is to be silent about what’s happening. But I understand she should not know it.”       Sammy barks confidently as if he is expressing some kind of protest.       “Yeah, I know I’m doing a bad thing. But I’m afraid to imagine what’s gonna happen if she knows about all the horrible things I’ve had to experience. My grandma won't handle it. She’s gonna get a heart attack if I tell her I almost drowned.”       Helene presses her bag tightly to herself with both arms.       “My God, I wish the guys didn’t tell her!” Helene begs quietly. “I wish Peter kept his mouth shut! She must know nothing. At least now. Let it happen after everything is solved. So, she sees that the worst things are over. Everyone’s alive and healthy.”       Sammy puts his paw on Helene’s lap with a quiet whine full of pity.       “I’m doing this for her best, Sammy. For my reluctance to force her to be in the hospital or, especially, the grave. One day, she will know what’s going on, but none of the horrible details.”       Helene sighs heavily, and Sammy puts his face on her lap, enjoying the way she is petting his head softly with her warm hand. The girl is sitting on the bench for some time, looking around at times, and watching the building where her grandmother Scarlett went. And she does not notice someone comes to her quickly from behind and lets her know about themselves, saying quietly:       “I see Rose didn’t leave you and decided to save you. Since you’re sitting here alive.”       Shaking sharply and getting pale in fear, Helene jumps up from the bench like a boiled kettle, turns on the sound, and sees the most loyal accomplice of Marcus named Elijah.       “You again?” Helene jabs in a high, shaking voice, starting to breathe heavily enough.       “So, welcome back, Marshall,” Elijah crosses his arms over his chest with a sly smile. “Think you are really lucky.”       “God saved me!”       “M-m-m, I do feel how much it scared you. You probably spent a few hours crying bitterly, while your friends tried so hard to calm you down.”       “Seriously?” Helene wonders loudly. “I didn't almost die because your accomplice wanted to strangle and drown me! Because of fear!”       “I get it, girl, I get it. I completely understand everything.”       When Elijah comes much closer to Helene, Sammy starts growling at him quietly, standing in a fighting position and showing his sharp teeth.       “Calm down, buddy, calm down,” Elijah pronounces confidently with no fear. “Don’t scare me with your teeth and a threat of showing your claws.”       “How long will you keep doing this?” Helene wonders with pity in her eyes. “How long will we have to suffer and be afraid?”       “Until your sweetheart gets what he deserves and gives my lord what he wants.”       “Peter doesn’t know what’s his fault for the one he’s never met!”       “It’s alright, he will know everything soon! He will know how much he ruined the life of the one, who would’ve lived quietly if he hadn’t known about his existence.”       “Why should my man pay for the tricks of his mother? If she made mistakes, let her solve them! Why should her son pay the hell for her? The son that she rejected once for a box of vodka.”       “But they say you should love your parents no matter how terrible they are. Even if that’s a long-time alcoholic, who steals drinks from a shop since she has never had money.”       “If that woman harmed your leader somehow, she must solve this problem with him. And Peter should live a quiet life and do his business.”       “No, Helene, he will never get a quiet life back. Your sweetie can even stop dreaming about it. My lord will not get off him so easily. He will not calm down until he sees him in the grave.”       “Why?” Helene wonders loudly.       “Someday, we will tell you everything. But now we want all of you to suffer and guess a little.”       “You know, you will not get away from this! The guys and I are ready to make the strictest measures against you and your whole gang of assholes!”       “Oh, do what you want!” Elijah smiles innocently, putting his hands on his hips. “Even if you go to the police, nothing will help you anyway.”       “We will do! We will not sit down and fold our hands, pretending that it must be happening!”       “If it can help you feel better, it’s alright. And we will keep doing what we should do.”       “Early or late, this story will end! End!”       “Of course, it will. Nothing lasts forever. But it will end not in the way you all want.”       “You are crazy! You all definitely went insane because of revenge on the man, who is guilty of nothing!”       “M-m-m, you’re trying so hard to defend the man, who thinks you are an insolent liar,” Elijah notices thoughtfully. “Who blames you for betraying him and is sure you are not loyal to him to death.”       “Yes, because of that fucking message, Peter looks at me badly now, and his opinion of me changes all the time. He started to doubt me!”       “That’s what we needed!” Elijah says with his head proudly raised. “We wanted Peter to stop trusting you completely.”       “I am so lucky my friends manage to calm him down for a while and make him believe he is unfair to me. At these moments, Rose takes care of me the way he did before.”       “I think Luther has already told you it’s just the beginning. Do you think it will end with just one message? No, Marshall, the attack is still on! My lord will be regularly sending messages to Rose with hints at your infidelity and dislike for him.” Elijah smiles slyly. “Maybe, now, while you and I are talking here, he is sitting and reading one of them.”       “I am guilty of nothing for him!” Helene protests determinedly. “And I did nothing bad to him!”       “Maybe, you did nothing bad to him. But you played on the nerves of some other people.”       “It doesn’t have to do with him!”       “It doesn’t. But I am sure that he would be overwhelmed if he knew all your dirtiest secrets from the past. If one person that you know very well told him the truth about the dark angel named Helene Marshall.”       “Yes, I didn’t always behave well toward people. But I have never betrayed Peter, and I am ready for anything for him. I’d die for him! I’d do my best for him to feel good. And I will not leave him at a hard moment.”       “Trust me, dolly, after all of our hints and short stories, Rose will doubt it a lot.”       “No way!”       “Don’t worry about proof, we will get it for sure,” Elijah promises. “I mean, we will make fake ones look like real ones. And one beautiful day, your sweetheart will either strangle you with his own hands, or fuck you off and end any relationship with you.”       “The men won't let him believe in it!” Helene raises her head proudly. “They’ve all gotten through similar things and can make Peter sure that I’m guilty of nothing. You’re doing all of this on purpose. To make us fight.”       “Ah, yeah, his friends…” Elijah glances aside for a second with a sly smile. “Dealing with these bastards was not a part of our perfect plan of getting rid of that bastard and his gal.”       “If you wanted them to leave Peter and stop helping him, I want to upset you: it will never happen. The guys are ready to stand by him until the very end.”       “That’s why they will pay a lot for being so loyal to him.”       “Don’t underestimate them. Together, they are much stronger than you think. They would tear anyone, who would dare to attack them and their close people.”       “Unity will not help them, babe. And they can stop hiding from us. As you already know, you are all on our hook. If we want, we can go to your home in the deep night and get rid of you quietly. But if we want, we can turn your apartments and houses upside down.”       “The girls and I do believe in our men and know they can get through this.”       “Believe as much as you want. You can hide behind their backs forever.”       “And until Peter has such wonderful friends, you will not cloud his mind with false accusations toward me. They can get him rid of all the doubts and won’t let him do anything to me in anger.”       “They’re doing this just because we haven’t pressed on him enough. And my boss is going to put him under a stronger and stronger psychological pressure and repeat the same thing like a mantra.”       “Don’t dare!” Helene threatens with her finger in fear. “Don’t dare to do this! Don’t dare!”       “If you play on the person’s nerve all the time and tell them some dirty things about someone else, they will believe it against their wish one beautiful day.”       “He will do, if he has nobody to be able to open his eyes. And Peter is not alone. He will never be alone.”       “If we do everything right, Rose will only believe the lie. The dirty things about you that we will tell him. He will no longer listen to any of your excuses and pleas to believe him. Even his pals will not be able to change anything. They will be absolutely powerless.”       “Early or late, Peter will understand you lied about me!”       “But it will be too late to change something. Because you and he will break up, and you will be hanging out with your late relatives somewhere in another world. With the pals of the blond-haired, whom we are not going to pity, either.”       “Catch them first if you want to kill them! As you could see, the guys can protect each other and themselves very well.”       “No, my love, to get rid of them, we don’t have to beat their faces.” Elijah smiles mysteriously. “Besides, we will not even need a pistol or a knife to harm them.”       “What do you wanna say?” Helene frowns slightly.       “My friends, my lord, and I found a much better and secret way to end these bastards. So, nobody guesses anything and understands what’s going on.”       “What? What are you going to do to them?”       “Oh, yeah, I will tell you now!” Elijah rolls his eyes. “You will rush to call all these men and start to say someone is about to murder them.”       “You think I will not tell them?”       “Tell them, it’s fine! Nobody bans you! But remember that it may be too late to change something. Because we are always one step forward. And we do not reveal our plans in advance.”       “Don’t dare to harm them!” Helene exclaims with a heavy breath. “Don’t dare to do anything! Leave Peter and the men alone!”       “Getting rid of these men is our number one mission now. They are messing up everything with their attempts to save you and Rose.” Elijah glances at Sammy that is literally killing him with his piercing eyes full of hate. “And we should do something to your dog. He is kind of too smart. He brought Perkins to save Rose and found Rose himself to make him jump in the water by force and bring you to life.”       Sammy starts growling quietly at Elijah, not leaving Helene alone and being ready to attack him at any time in case he is going to do something to her.       “Don’t hurt my dog, too!” Helene demands with her head proudly raised and swallows nervously. “If something happens to him, you will pay me a lot.”       “Don’t threaten me, Marshall,” Elijah smirks evilly. “Your threats sound like a cry of a little baby to me. While men can pretend to be threatening, girls can’t do this.”       “I am not afraid of you!” Helene protests in a high, shaking voice.       “Come on? But why’s your voice shaking? Why are you looking at me with such scared eyes? Why are you so pale, as if you are about to fall to the ground unconscious or actually die, to the happiness of my lord?”       Elijah raises Helene’s head by the chin and looks closely into her half-wet, widely open eyes, while Sammy starts growling much more cruelly than before.       “Luther had pleasure telling us about how you were screaming and crying with the hope that someone would come to save you. Yes, of course, you tried to use your long, extended nails, but you turned out to be much weaker than a man. You turned out to be a worthless athlete.”       “Aren’t you so stupid to attack me right here?” Helene pretends to be confident. “There are so many people around… Who could call the police.”       “Do you think I cannot?”       “You don’t need problems. Don’t you?”       “Likely, you need them. You do not want to scare that sweet old lady that went to the pharmacy. The old woman, who is your very own grandmother.”       “She knows nothing about what’s happening,” Helene says. “She doesn’t know what you want to do to Peter. She doesn’t know how you threaten me. How I almost drowned some time ago.”       “Are you afraid that her heart will not bear it? Are you afraid to send your only relative to the grave?”       “Yes, I am. So, I suggest that you go and leave me alone until she is back.”       “Alright, cutie, this time, you are madly lucky. Nothing will happen to you. Alright, I shall pity you. Because you haven’t probably come to yourself after what Luther did. And for my lord, it would be much better if you stayed alive yet. He does want to play on Peter’s nerve and make him kick your ass with the thought that you are a heartless and false prostitute.”       Elijah runs his thumb over Helene’s lips with a lascivious smile and plays with her hair brushed into a tail a little.       “But actually, I wasn’t going to kill or wound you before the eyes of your grandma,” Elijah says confidently. “I just decided to warn you again that you will not get away from us so easily. And make sure I can make my lord happy with the news about your salvation.”       “We will punish you early or late!” Helene replies with her head proudly raised. “You will all pay me for what you are doing! Pay us for the lie about me that you are telling Peter.”       “It’s not such a lie, honey.”       “No, it’s a lie!”       “Alright, I don’t have time to deal with you. I think I will go to do my business.”       Elijah goes two steps away from Helene.       “And yeah, very soon, we will give you a chance to meet our lord. Maybe he will want to tell you the reason for all of this. Or maybe, he will kill you with the thought you won’t need his confession in the grave.”       “Even if you manage to turn Peter against me, his friends will always believe me. I know I can count on their support.”       “I repeat, Rose’s friends will be dead soon. I will not say when to keep an intrigue. But advise them to be careful and look around. Even if it does not help them anyway.”       “We are not alone and powerless. We have those we can ask for help.”       “We don’t care. The end will be the same – all of you will be dead. My lord will think about your gorgeous friends, but I don’t exclude that we will probably want to have fun with them.”       “Don’t dare to hurt my girls, too!” Helene hisses through her teeth. “Don’t dare…”       “This is everything I wanted to tell you so far. You will get more information when we meet next time. And now I am saying goodbye to you and going to leave.”       Elijah glances at Sammy that is still barking evilly and growling and looks at Helene with his head proudly raised, while she freezes and watches the man closely.       “And yeah, Luther asked me to say something,” Elijah says thoughtfully. “He asked me to tell you that you had excellent boobs and an awesome ass. And he cannot wait for the moment he can fuck you.”       Helene oohs quietly and opens her eyes full of a horror much wider, with the feeling that her heart misses a beat.       “And if your dog hadn’t made Rose go with him, Luther would’ve probably had some fun with you when you were unconscious.” Elijah smirks evilly. “That’s his words that I am telling you with no censor.”       Sammy barks loudly at Elijah multiple times and takes two steps toward him, covering the dumbfounded Helene with his body.       “See you soon, Helene Marshall!” Elijah waves his hand. “Live while you have this chance.”       Elijah turns around and goes quietly somewhere to do his business, coming to the pedestrian crossing and crossing it since it’s the green light. Helene exhales loudly and sharply with a feeling that her heart is beating fast, and every muscle is shaking from tension.       “My God, I was so scared…” Helene whispers under her nose. “I nearly died of fear…”       Sammy barks quietly and touches Helene’s leg with a whine full of pity.       “Oh, gosh, it’s kind of insane…” Helene runs her hands over her pale face. “It’s like I’m sleeping and seeing a nightmare…”       Helene sits powerlessly on the bench near her and puts her hand on her heart, which is beating fast, understanding that she kind of lacks air.       “Oh, thank God, Grandma isn’t here and didn’t see it all,” Helene notices. “And I’m lucky to be in a place with many people. As the men said, those stinkers wouldn’t ask for trouble and do something in this case.”       Sammy whines quietly again as if he feels truly sorry for his owner and tries to assure her that everything is going to be alright.       “These people will not stop, for sure. Because of them, Peter will turn his back on me. He will want to end our relationship. And he will not believe any of my excuses. Even the men won’t be able to do anything if Rose really has his brain washed and gets some fake proof.”       Helene sighs heavily.       “What do I do, Sammy? How don’t I lose Pete? How do I persuade him not to believe them? How do I assure him that they’re doing this to make us fight? I can’t do without him! I need him! I love that man with all my heart and don’t wanna look at anyone else! Peter’s my everything. My whole world. My guiding light.”       Sammy puts his face on Helene’s laps and looks at her with sympathy, while she is petting his head.       “God, I wish he didn’t believe it all…” Helene prays quietly. “I wish Peter understood they wanted to fool him. I wish the men had helped him think soberly again. All my hopes are on them now. If the blond’s mind is clouded, Daniel, Edward, and Terrence understand everything and know I’m guilty of nothing.”       Sammy barks confidently.       “And yeah, what did he mean when saying they’d get rid of Peter’s friends soon?” Helene frowns slightly. “Get rid of them, so that nobody guesses anything? Should we expect something terrible? After three days of peace!”       Helene sets her widely open eyes into the distance and swallows nervously.       “And what are they gonna do? When? What did he wanna say by saying they found a different way to get rid of all the men? What are they gonna do if they don’t kinda need a gun?”       Helene shakes her head as she is breathing a little heavily.       “My gosh, I’ve got not a very good presentiment. It’s like someone's gonna happen. Maybe, even in the nearest time. Maybe, even at tonight’s show.”        Sammy whines very quietly at this moment.       “I should talk to the girls about what that man said. And warn the men if I have the chance to. Though I don’t even know what we should save them from. Danger can be anywhere.”       Helene exhales slowly and runs her hands over the top of her head to the nape of her neck.       “Jesus, when will it all end?” Helene sniffs quietly. “When will we finally start to live a quiet life? I am now even afraid to get out of my home! And to be there! Being everywhere is not safe! Danger may be waiting for us anywhere! And every day, those scums are getting more determined.”       Sammy barks confidently in approval and butts his head against Helene’s feet, while she is thinking about what to do in the situation that seems so hopeless with a heavy breath. At some moment, she glances at the pharmacy and sees the glassy door open, and then Scarlett gets out quietly. She is holding a small packet with a logo of the pharmacy and checking something in her old wallet that is still in perfect condition.       Helene gets straight sharply, wipes tears under her eyes, sniffs multiple times, strokes her hair down, and exhales slowly with closed eyes, thinking it can help her calm down and not show how scared she is after meeting Elijah. Relaxing her shoulders sharply, Marshall gets up from the bench and comes confidently to the old woman with a slight smile when she is very close to her.       “So, you bought it?” Helene asks as if nothing is happening.       “Yes, I was lucky there was the cure in stock,” Scarlett replies cheerfully. “And I had money to buy something that we didn’t have at home. Though the pharmacist spent a lot of time looking for some cures. That’s why I stayed there for so long.”       “Good, I’m glad…”       “Didn’t you feel bored without me, sunshine?” Scarlett strokes Helene’s shoulder and glances at Sammy.       “Nope, Sammy and I sat at the bench and had some rest. My boy is a little tired.”       “It’s okay, we will go home now, and he will be able to lie in his favorite corner.”       “Sure…” Helene pronounces a little tensely, rubbing her hands nervously and pursing her lips. “Let’s go?”       With these words, Helene turns around and, leading Sammy on the leash, goes straight somewhere.       “Erm, are you okay, sweetheart?” Scarlett frowns slightly, following Helene shortly. “You are kind of pale and scared of something.”       “Me?” Helene starts biting her lips. “Erm… Why do you think so?”       “By the way, when I was at the pharmacy and standing in the queue, I saw the young man come to you.”       “Erm, w-w-what m-m-man?” Helene opens her eyes widely, holding her breath.       “A tall one, with a bun on his head?       “Erm… Ah… Him…”       “What did he need from you? And why did Sammy react to him so strangely?”       “That man… Erm…”       Helene starts squeezing her wrist, twirling the bracelet on her hand, or touching some parts of her face as she is breathing a little heavily.       “Well… He just asked to show him the way… Erm… The way to a certain… Sport arena…”       “Sport arena?” Scarlett asks with mistrust.       “Yeah, but I didn’t know where it was… So…” Helene swallows nervously. “I had to check… The maps on my phone…”       “Did you help him?”       “Yup, I did. I told him how to go there… He thanked me and… Left.”       “I see…” Scarlett pronounces thoughtfully. “But why was Sammy growling at him?”       “I guess he thought that… He could harm me.” Helene smiles tensely and pets Sammy’s head. “You know how hard he is protecting me. He treated Peter with suspicion at first, even though he didn’t show aggression. But then the baby got used to him and developed a love for him.”       “And I also know this boy wouldn’t show aggression without a reason. It’s like he feels that the man could harm you.”       “Yeah, but he was wrong this time. That man… Was very… Gentle…”       “Are you sure?”       “Yes, I’m sure.”       “I think you’re hiding something from me, granddaughter,” Scarlett assumes, crossing her arms over her chest.       “Do you think I would dare to lie to you?”       “I dunno… But now you look like you have something to hide. It’s like you did something terrible, and you are afraid to tell me about it.”       “No, Grandma, why do you think so?”       Helene hugs Scarlett tenderly around the shoulders and kisses her sweetly on the cheek.       “I’m hiding nothing from you.”       “But you’re acting too strangely. You’re standing so pale and tense now. And your eyes have been red for several days.”       “You’re hurting me if you don’t trust me.”       “But you’re hurting me with your secrets.”       “Grandma Scarlett…”       “Lying is bad, Helene, your grandfather and I always told you about it.”       “I know. But I swear I have nothing to hide from you.”       “But why have you been acting so weirdly for so many days? Why are you as quiet as a mouse? Yes, you’ve never been too loud, but now I can barely hear and see you. You’re sitting in your room all the time when you’re home, and you barely eat.”       “It’s okay, Grandma,” Helene flashes a slight smile. “I don’t have any secrets from you. Nothing happened to me.”       “What if I talk to your friends? Or your boyfriend? What if they are much more talkative?”       “It doesn’t make sense because I am okay.”       “Ah, Helene, Helene…” Scarlett sighs heavily. “Sometimes it’s too hard with you… There are moments when you upset me too much.”       “Please, Grandma, don’t say it.”       “My heart tears apart at just one thought that something horrible may happen to you.”       “For God’s sake, don’t torture yourself for nothing.” Helene slightly fixes the cape that Scarlett is wearing on her shoulders. “I completely understand why you’re worried, but it’s not worth it.”       “What do you mean by telling me not to worry about you, granddaughter? You’re my only close person! My flesh and blood that I’ve been raising since you were born. The one I’ve given a bigger part of my life to.”       “I love you with all my heart, too. I don’t have anyone but you. Because my parents didn’t need me. Grandpa Roger and I didn’t leave me when they wanted to take me away. And that’s what I am madly grateful to you for.”       “Remember, you can always ask me for help. I can always listen to you, support you, and help you with some wise advice. Your grandmother will always be near, no matter which mistakes you make.”       “I know.”       “I am an old woman, who has lived enough and run into many things. That’s why I can show you the right track and help you solve any problem.”       “You’ve always been near in the hardest moments. You’ve always given me the strength to hold on.”       “Just like you’re supporting my wish to live in this world as long as possible. Until I have my little baby, my life has great meaning.”       “Aw, Grandma…” Helene smiles widely. “My sweet grandmother…”       With these words, Helene hugs Scarlett with both arms on the way and rubs her cheek against her cheek, but the woman fixes the hair of her granddaughter with care and caresses her head tenderly. While Sammy follows obediently his owner, who is applying so many efforts not to show that she is scared to death because of what’s happening to Peter, her, and their friends.       

***

      Meanwhile, Anna is sitting at home and accepting her parents, Maximilian and Lilian, who managed to remain friends even after their divorce and kept working together with their business. Maybe, they were not too close with their daughter some time ago, but they changed their mind about this situation after the attempt of Julian and Norman Potter to get rid of their family due to personal reasons. Now the girl gets on well with them and is happy they no longer have anything against her relationship with Daniel, whom they literally call their own son.       “So sorry that Daniel couldn’t join us,” Lilian says with sadness in her eyes, keeping her back perfectly straight and her shoulders spread as she is sitting shyly on the edge of the sofa and holding a small plate, on which there is a cup with hot coffee. “We haven’t met him for so long: either we’re busy with our work, or he’s busy with something.”       “The guys and he are now getting ready for tonight’s show,” Anna replies with a slight smile, puts the plate with little pieces of recently cooked cake with raisins on the table, and sits down in front of Lilian and Maximilian. “And he went to the clinic and talked to Cassidy a little in the morning.”       “How’s that girl doing there?” Maximilian asks, holding a plate with a cup of coffee in his hands. “Is her therapy for the dependence doing fine?”       “Yup, she is a fine fellow! She is doing fine and getting well fast.”       “Thank God!”       “Daniel says she has literally become the favorite girl of the clinic.” Anna takes her cup of coffee from the table and takes a little sip. “His sister helps everyone, who comes there, get used to everything, and has become friends with so many people.”       “I see Cassidy doesn’t waste time,” Lilian laughs shyly. “She is combining pleasant with useful, as they say.”       “She loves being there. Getting therapy at the clinic is not torture for her.”       “It’s clear the person does really want to get healed. To start to live a regular life.”       “Yeah, a desire in this type of thing is a key to success.”       “By the way, will she attend the wedding of the friends of Daniel and you?” Maximilian specifies.       “She will,” Anna replies confidently. “Since she will keep getting therapy, Daniel will agree with the doctor on taking her out for two or three days. And if she’s lucky, she will probably be at the bachelorette.”       “Thank God, he has the opportunity to give her the best therapy in an expensive clinic,” Lilian notices and puts her cup on the table. “I heard that the clinic had very good reviews. Former patients talk about it with great admiration. But the prices are too high there.”       “It’s not a big deal for him. Now he earns a lot of money for every performance with the band. It would cover any costs.”       “And when the guys go on the tour, their incomes will two times bigger.”       “That’s right!”       “Oh, daughter, tell us how you’re living with him,” Maximilian says cheerfully and puts his cup on the table.       “Yeah, sunshine, we wanna know everything!” Lilian exclaims. “We’ve lately been so busy that we don’t even have time to call you and invite you to dinner.”       “Everything is wonderful, don't worry,” Anna replies confidently with a wide smile.       “Don’t you regret deciding to give him a second chance?”       “It’s one of the best decisions in my life. And Daniel hasn’t given me any reason to doubt him or reproach him for something.”       “That guy is a true diamond!” Maximilian replies confidently. “Thanks to him, we’ve finally opened our eyes and realized how wrong we were about those, who we thought were decent.”       “I'm so happy you and Mom love him so much now.” Anna folds her hands in front of her after she puts her cup on the table. “I still can’t believe you don’t mind our relationship.”       “You’re our smart and wise girl, who understands what can make you happy.”       “Yes, you do understand you’ve already stopped being a baby and become an adult woman. You’ve always been able to take responsibility for your actions.”       “And I don’t have any regrets about it. I chose my way, and I will be following it, deciding who to live and talk with.”       “You’ve had love for life since you were born,” Lilian notices. “You’ve always wanted to live and fight for every minute.”       “Yes, our little warrior held on when everyone lost their hope in you,” Maximilian notices.       “There’s really something about it,” Anna smiles shyly and looks down for a second.       “You say, Daniel doesn’t give you a reason to doubt him?” Lilian smiles mysteriously.       “It’s true. We’ve never fought for the past few months, and he does everything I ask him. And sometimes I don’t even have to say anything.”       “Don’t you think about his failures?”       “Nope, Mom, I never wanna remember that again. I don’t wanna remember about how I almost lost such a wonderful man.”       “It’s clear you should’ve gotten through it,” Maximilian assumes. “Everything in your life happens for a reason. You should’ve gotten through all of this to understand something, get wisdom, and grow up.”       “Yeah… We both started to feel older now. At least, Daniel is not the one I met for the first time. He’s grown up, become wiser, and learned to take responsibility.”       “Smart people learn from mistakes and learn lessons, and stupid people ignore them and are sure they always do it right.”       “But let’s not forget that it was hard for Daniel. He wasn’t ready to lose his parents at a young age. He wasn’t ready to live an adult life. He was literally taken out of childhood’s embrace and locked him in the labyrinth of mature life by force. But Daniel managed to orientate in it, luckily.”        “Yes, I agree, fate did a cruel thing to him in this case,” Maximilian replies thoughtfully. “The important thing in this case is not to rush. A cat doesn’t wean itself away from kittens for two seconds. It does everything slowly and learns everything it needs to know. The same thing for humans.”       “Daniel could’ve gone on the same way as Cassidy and died of a drug dependence,” Lilian adds. “But he was tough enough to hold on and keep moving on. Even when he stayed all alone, and nobody needed him.”       “It’s one of the reasons why I admire him so much,” Anna replies with her head proudly raised. “That’s why I am so proud of everything he has achieved.”       “Just like he admires you, my radiant beauty,” Maximilian says with a slight smile. “How couldn’t we be proud of such a determined and mentally strong girl?”       “Dad…”       “Anyway, we’re so happy you established your relationship and are now living in peace and harmony.”       “We didn’t put in too many efforts. I told myself I’d never reproach him for the way he was deceived by Blanca Moreno, who pretended to be his beloved girl. And I am keeping my promise. Even if it was super hard at first.”       “Have you really forgiven him now?”       “Yes. My heart is no longer poisoned with hate. It’s full of pure and tender love. I choose to love and move on. I choose to plan my future next to Daniel.”       “Your father and I are so proud of you, Anna,” Lilian says confidently and takes Anna’s hands. “Some time ago, we thought our education lessons weren’t worth it. But now we see you have learned them well. I mean, you have learned what you will really need.”       “I will never stop saying how lucky I am to have such amazing parents. And I am so happy we understand each other so well.”       “Your happiness has always been our greatest priority,” Maximilian recalls, stroking Anna’s hand. “Everything we’ve ever done is just for you. For your well-being.”       “I know, Daddy.”       “Don’t forget we aren’t your enemies, and you can always ask us for help. Even if you just feel sad and wanna talk, we can always find time for you. You will never hear anything like, ‘Not now, daughter, let’s talk later, we’re busy!’”       “Thanks a lot, Mom, Dad,” Anna thanks. “Having so much support from friends and relatives is a real blessing.”       “Real blessing is having such amazing friends as yours and Daniel’s ones. It was just enough for us to see everything they did for you to make conclusions and start to trust them completely.”       “Hey, don’t you know anything about Ryan?” Anna asks. “I haven’t talked to him for several months.”       “He is doing fine,” Lilian replies with a slight smile, tucking a strand of her brown hair brushed in an elegant hairstyle behind her ear. “Ryan rented a small apartment, found a job, and is now getting ready for the final exams at the university.”       “And he has officially changed his last name from Potter to Clayton,” Maximilian adds. “So, he is no longer related to Julian and Norman.”       “You met him?” Anna asks.       “Yes, we recently met him at the café when we went together to spend our break at lunch. So, Ryan told us what happened to him.”       “I'm so happy his life has gotten much better. Happy he’s now free from those snakes, who considered him nothing all their lives.”       “Ryan likes his new life, too,” Lilian confesses. “Yes, of course, he doesn’t hide that it’s hard for him. But this boy doesn’t regret anything and is already having great plans for his future. At least, his career.”       “Now, when the Potters got a big prison sentence for their tricks, he can exhale with relief and surround himself with those, who would love and respect him.”       “I think we all started to feel much better after those scums were sentenced to be in prison.”       “Yeah, our lawyers did a good job, and we’re madly grateful to them for that,” Lilian adds.       “No doubt that they will meet some new friends there,” Anna says confidently. “The same stinkers as they are.”       “We don’t care about the future of the Potters anymore,” Maximilian replies and drinks some coffee from his cup. “They got what they deserved, and we can be absolutely quiet and forget them like a nightmare.”       “I’m also trying not to think about them. Everything I had to experience because of them. Though I ain’t gonna deny that it’s super hard at times.”       “Don’t break your heart, Anna,” Maximilian insists. “It’s all in the past. You’re only surrounded by the people, who treat you with respect and love. Who wouldn’t treat you as something disgusting and criticize you for anything you do.”       “I know, but sometimes all those horrible memories make me cry and doubt myself.”       “Think about good things only, daughter,” Lilian says softly. “You’ve got the reasons to do this: your mom and dad love you and will always be near, your friends would support you at any time, and your boyfriend would get a star from the sky to make you happy.”       “That’s what doesn’t let me go crazy,” Anna cracks a slight smile. “What always reminds me of the reason I’m living in this world.”       “And someday, you will have a child that will be the meaning of your life, too.”       “Yeah...” Anna tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, getting blushed. “You’re right…”       “Haven’t you and Daniel decided to get married?” Maximilian expresses an interest. “Haven’t you decided to make your life together official?”       “Not yet, Daniel hasn’t proposed to me.”       “Sorry,” Lilian pronounces with sadness in her eyes. “I’m dreaming of attending your wedding. Seeing Maximilian walking down the altar with you.”       “I wish it happened one beautiful day,” Anna expresses hope. “But now let things happen as they want. And I’ll just be the perfect girl that he’s always dreamed of.”       “Something tells me Daniel is going to do this very soon,” Maximilian says confidently. “He is seriously determined to change his life so grandiosely.”       “When he is, it will happen.”       “We’d die of happiness if we had such a wonderful son-in-law,” Lilian smiles widely.       “In this case, everything doesn’t depend on me.”       “Wrong, sweetie,” Maximilian protests. “Many things do depend on you.”       “Yeah, I'm sure Daniel will decide to make you his wife if you keep being a loving, caring, and loyal girl,” Lillian says.       “I’m doing my best,” Anna replies shyly. “And I'm trying not for a desire to get married. For love. I like taking care of Daniel. I like seeing him happy. I like seeing the gloss in his eyes and a smile on his face. It’s easy for me to do something for him, and it’s nice for him.”       “I wish he appreciated it a lot and would not live with you without an official marriage until the end of his life,” Maximilian expresses hope. “As you know well, we don’t approve of a life together before marriage.”       “All in time, Dad. And first, we should get my friends married since the wedding is gonna take place at the end of August.”       “Are you ready for this?” Lilian asks.       “Yup, but the wedding dresses and the bridesmaids’ dresses aren’t done yet. And they’ve been working on the men’s suits for ages.”       “By the way, how are the girls and men doing there? We haven’t met them in a long time.”       “The girls are doing fine,” Anna shrugs. “The men are okay. But Peter and Helene have one problem.”       “They fought?”       “Nope, someone’s just trying to get rid of them.”       “What do you mean?” Maximilian rounds his eyes.       “It was started by the one, who Peter doesn’t know yet, but who got a crazy hatred for him.”       “But what do they need from him?” Lilian wonders. “What did the boy do? He is so good and decent!”       “I wish I could tell you that. But we don’t know anything yet. I mean, we know that it has to do with his mother somehow.”       “And what did she do?”       “We can only assume that she could harm a powerful person, and they learned about her son and decided to take his money or actually kill him.”       “Interesting…” Lilian frowns slightly, putting her finger on her lip.       “And the problem is that we can’t even ask her about it. First, she is deeply weaned to alcohol. And second, that woman left home when Peter was seventeen and went missing.”       “Do you mean she left that boy alone?” Maximillian horrifies.       “Yes. And we recently talked to Mr. Johnson, who told us about the case of the woman with the same name as Peter’s mother, who was arrested during the robbery of the bank. She and some of her accomplices were under the influence of some psychotropic substances and were forced to go for therapy at the mental clinic. But that woman managed to run away. And… Nobody has found her yet. Nobody knows if she’s alive or hiding something.”       “It seems like the problem is really that woman,” Lilian assumes thoughtfully.       “If we managed to find her, we could figure out something. But sadly, we know nothing about her. Peter also can’t imagine where to find her. But Mr. Johnson advised him to go to the neighborhood where he was born and lived before moving here. Ask his neighbors. They may probably know something. Or she may actually be hiding at that place.”       “It’s a very good idea,” Maximilian agrees. “So, will he go there?”       “I don’t know, he says nothing about it. But Peter minded this idea.”       “Listen, if you need some help, you can feel free to ask us. Yes, of course, I can barely imagine what we could do, but what if.”       “Yeah, since you and I met, be careful, please,” Anna says. “I'm not sure that the man needs you or other relatives of my friends, but we can expect anything now. Knowing that not only are Peter and Helene on the hook, but also Edward, Daniel, and Terrence.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Lilian rounds her eyes.       “And that man knows about Raquelle, Natalia, and me. But as far as I understand, that man doesn’t care about us as much as the men and Rose’s girlfriend. These people are their main target.”       “Could it happen that Peter is hiding something from you?” Maximilian specifies.       “Peter swears he knows nothing about it and wouldn’t lie to us.”       “Listen, sunshine, tell us more about this story,” Lilian says. “When it actually started. And what’s happening at the moment.”       “As I understand, haven’t you seen the video of the attack on Peter after one of the men’s concerts?”       “Nope, we haven’t.”       “So, everything started on that day.”       Anna starts telling Lilian and Maximilian all the details, how the story of the haunting of Peter started, how many times he has been attacked by the unknown people, and how one of them recently almost sent Helene to another world. Her parents are horrified after everything they hear, ask some questions to clarify something, and express their readiness to help with something. And they also give some pieces of advice that they think can help the friends, maybe not stop this hell, but get closer to the truth and finally find out who started all of this and what they need from the two people, who seem really innocent.       

***

      When she decided to visit her relatives, Raquelle invited Natalia to join her, and her friend agreed with pleasure. The girls did not warn Frederick Cameron, Raquelle’s grandfather on the father, about their visit, but he was happy to see his granddaughter and her friend, whom he had always treated warmly. Also, the friends’ visit surprised Raquelle’s aunt, Alicia Middleton, who has lived in New York with her adopted daughter, Amanda, for several months and had almost solved the things related to her move from London that she had wanted for so long. And the little girl is happy with any opportunity to meet her older cousin, who got on well with her and sometimes makes her happy with some gifts. Just like now, for example, when Amanda checks out the collection of beautiful clothes for her dolls with admiration.       “Wo-o-o-ow, it’s so beautiful!” Amanda exclaims with a wide smile and gloss in her eyes as she is sitting on the rug next to the sofa and looking at the packs of clothes that have not been opened yet. “These dresses are amazing!”       “I just thought all your dolls needed to renew their clothes a little,” Raquelle replies amicably as she is squatting in front of Amanda. “So, I bought a couple of beautiful things for them.”       “I like all of them! Where did you get all these clothes?”       “There’s a shop where there is lots of beautiful stuff.”       “Thanks, Raquelle, thank you so much! You’re the best cousin in the world!”       With these words, Amanda takes Raquelle in a tight hug and kisses her sweetly on the cheek, while the girl herself smiles shyly and caresses the baby’s head after she steps back.       “What if we go to that shop someday?” Amanda suggests.       “If only your mother doesn’t mind it,” Raquelle replies, moving her eyes to Alicia sitting on the sofa next to Frederick and Natalia.       “Mother doesn’t mind,” Alicia says confidently. “Mother can even give her daughter some money, so she buys everything she wants by herself.”       “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Amanda claps her hands happily. “Mommy doesn’t mind! Mommy doesn’t mind!”       “Then you and I will later choose a day when we’re free and go to the shop, so you can buy anything you want,” Raquelle promises. “Not only dresses but also some toys. There are many interesting things there.”       “I shall be ready at any moment! Just let me know it!”       “Okay, my sweetheart, I will mean it.”       Raquelle fixes Amanda’s light brown, short hair gathered in a pigtail slightly.       “Amanda, don’t you wanna open all the gifts from Raquelle and let your dolls try them on?” Frederick asks with a slight smile. “We all would love to see their new looks.”       “Of course, I will show you everything now!” Amanda replies happily.       “I can’t wait to see how well you can combine clothes,” Natalia expresses interest, folding her hands in front of herself.       “Would you help me if it didn’t look good?”       “Of course, my sweetie! In case you didn’t know, I am a huge fan of fashion and really good at all the styles and fashionable trends. So, together, you and I can find a perfect look for every doll you have.”       “Wow, thank you so much, Natalia! Thank you! You are the best!”       “Go to your room and check out everything, and we will talk about some mature things,” Alicia says softly, caressing Amanda’s head. “But don’t forget to throw all the packets in a can.”       “Alright, Mommy, I shall do it!”       Amanda gets up sharply, grabs all the clothes for her dolls given to her as a gift, and runs to her room, while Raquelle gets up with a shy laugh and sits on the sofa next to Natalia.       “You’re so lucky to have her as your daughter, Mrs. Middleton,” Natalia notices with a wide smile and admiration. ‘She’s such a gem! Just a precious child.”       “Yeah, God has finally forgiven me for all my past sins and given me such a wonderful daughter,” Alicia replies thoughtfully. “My prayers have been heard.”       “Yeah, I don’t understand how such a light and sweet child could lose her whole family for one moment,” Frederick sighs heavily. “Why fate was so unfair to that girl.”       “But she rewarded Amanda by letting her meet my aunt and making her stop feeling lonely,” Raquelle notices. “She won’t surely have any problems with her ‘cause the girl is really an angel.”       “And if Dominick were alive, she would have a wonderful dad,” Alicia says quietly. “He would love this baby as his own. And she would get on well with him. Amanda often asks me about him, and I have the pleasure of telling her about my husband.”       “I guess she’s probably got many friends in her new school,” Natalia assumes.       “Yes, she befriended some girls. And we are very lucky with our school. Not only because it’s very good, but also because our teachers are just a gem. It’s also because Amanda can go there by herself. It’s a few meters away from the building where there is an apartment that we liked and would like to rent.”       “I’m so happy for her,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “That girl’s gonna have a very happy childhood.”       “I shall do everything to make it real. And I would do anything for my child.”       “And I’d be happy to buy some gifts for her. It’s so nice to see how her eyes shine every time she sees some dresses or coloring books.”       “I wish you bought gifts for your own baby one beautiful day,” Frederick expresses hope.       “God decides it all, Grandpa,” Raquelle shrugs. “I will become a mother when I am destined to.”       “Oh, I’m literally counting down the days until your wedding with Terrence!” Alicia exclaims with a wide smile. “I can’t really wait to watch you finally become his wife.”       “We’re getting really close to this, my darling,” Frederick says cheerfully, clapping Alicia on her hand. “Our sweetheart will create her own family soon.”       “Ah, my relatives are also super excited because of my wedding with Edward,” Natalia confesses with a slight smile. “Especially, my grandma.”       “I hope none of you will think about cancelling the wedding.”       “Come on, Mr. Cameron! No way! I’ve been waiting for the day I can become the wife of my beloved man for too long.”       “And now I’m really ready for a new stage in my life,” Raquelle says confidently, raising her head.       “And when will you finally show us your wedding dresses?” Alicia asks. “We would love to know what you choose.”       “Don’t worry, Auntie Alicia, when the dresses are ready for trying on, we will take you with pleasure.”       “Or we will just send you photos on WhatsApp,” Natalia smiles shyly.       “I don’t doubt that our brides are gonna be so gorgeous that everyone will become speechless,” Frederick says with no hesitation.       “You’re all gonna love our dresses. I had spent several months working on the design of mine before I realized that was what I wanted to get in the end.”       “And don’t forget about your friends!” Alicia exclaims. “Yes, of course, you’re main folks, but it doesn’t mean the girls should look terrible.”       “Don’t worry about it!” Raquelle pronounces confidently. “All the men are gonna lose their yaws when our friends show up for them in the gorgeous dresses that the sewers from the best atelier we managed to find are working on.”       “When we’re close to the wedding day, Amanda and I will go to a clothes shop and choose the most beautiful dress for her.”       “Haven’t you done it?” Natalia wonders.       “Not yet. But I, girls, want to tell you honestly that I don’t have a suit, either, yet. So, I’m gonna have to get busy with choosing something beautiful and elegant.”       “And I’m excited as if I am gonna get married by myself!” Frederick confesses funnily.       “You still have a wonderful chance to meet a good woman,” Raquelle replies with a mysterious smile.       “No, Raquelle, I’ve discussed it many times! I’ve said many times that I’m not going to fall in love and get married.”       “Wrong!” Alicia exclaims. “You could find the same active and positive woman as you are and live your life with her.”       “Thanks, but I am happy with everything. And my life is busy anyway. Because I do want it, and I can do it.”       “Oh, Grandpa Frederick…” Raquelle sighs.       “By the way, hasn’t the problem related to the attack on Peter been solved yet?” Alicia asks. “Haven’t you found out who started it all?”       “No, sadly,” Natalia shakes her head. “And we don’t know what to do.”       “My gosh, who needed it all?” Frederick wonders. “A good, kind guy has done nothing bad to anyone, but one stinker got hatred for him for an unknown reason.”       “We asked Mr. Johnson for help, but he can’t advise anything since we don’t have too much information,” Raquelle replies. “Just to be careful outside, walk in groups and be in popular places only.”       “I hope you and the girls haven’t suffered for this whole time?” Alicia expresses anxiety.       “Raquelle, Anna, and I are okay, thank God, but they didn’t like Helene for some reason,” Natalia confesses. “Those men are trying to harm her, too.”       “Jesus Christ…” Frederick opens his eyes full of horror. “What did that girl do to them?”       “Who knows, Grandpa,” Raquelle throws her hands up. “But they probably just wanna give Peter as much pain as possible and make him go crazy. Knowing he wouldn’t handle the separation with Helene.”       “And that’s bad her grandmother knows nothing about this situation,” Natalia notices. “She doesn’t know what’s happening to Peter and what kind of danger is threatening Helene.”       “Doesn’t Mrs. Marshall know anything?” Alicia asks surprisingly.       “Nope, Helene refuses to tell her about it and is hiding the truth. She also banned us from telling her something. She’s kinda afraid it may harm that woman.”       “She would harm her much more if she kept her in the dark. Only God knows what’s happening to her granddaughter, but the girl is silent and pretending that everything is okay.”       “Meanwhile, all of our relatives are aware of it!” Raquelle exclaims. “You, Grandpa, Mr. MacClife, Mrs. MacClife, Mr. Rochester, Mrs. Rochester… Even Daniel’s sister is aware and worried.”       “What if it’s not enough for those stinkers to mock them, and they wanna go further?” Frederick gets suspicious. “What if someone decides to do something to that woman?”       “We’ve warned Helene about it, Mr. Cameron,” Natalia replies. “But she keeps being stubborn and pretending that everything is fine for her grandmother.”       “That’s wrong, girls,” Alicia says confidently. “We completely understand her wish to save Mrs. Marshall from shocks, but nobody makes your friend explain the situation in all details. She can just know the main things.”       “Anyway, we’ve told her our point of view, and then she can think about it. We did everything we could do.”       “I don’t even know what to advise you,” Frederick sighs heavily. “There is really too little information.”       “But that’s good you asked Mr. Johnson for help,” Alicia adds. “He should be aware and ready to take measures at any time if something, heaven forbid, happens to one of you.”       “By the way, where are the men now? They’re together?”       “They’re gonna have a concert tonight,” Raquelle replies. “And the girls and I are praying that it ends without a hitch.”       “I think they would think about strengthening the security and checking all the visitors much more closely after that attack,” Alicia expresses hope.       “Who knows, Aunt… If a mouse really wants to, it will surely steal a piece of cheese and remain invisible to everyone. So, those people will also get on the show without barriers.”       “Anyway, until your men are together, you can be sure they can overcome any attack,” Frederick replies confidently. “These guys will not stand aside if danger threatens one of them.”       “Yeah, we’re lucky the guys are so united,” Natalia exhales with a slight smile. “How hard they were all protecting Peter every time they met a stinker.”       “Now they should really be very careful and watch every new person in their circle. I don’t exclude that those people could send someone to them as a spy, so they pretend to be friends of your men and get all the necessary information or do some dirty tricks.”       “The most terrible thing is that we never know where and when we can expect danger,” Raquelle says.       “That’s why you must be super careful and, as Mr. Cameron said, watch every new person from your circle,” Alicia advises.       “We will pay that the tonight’s show was good, and the men come back home safe and sound,” Natalia says quietly.       “Amen, girls.”       Two seconds later, the door of one of the rooms in Frederick’s apartment opens, and Amanda runs to everyone, holding two dolls wearing gorgeous dresses that she was given.       “Mommy, mommy, mommy, look at my beautiful dolls!” Amanda exclaims happily. “Look at the beautiful dresses that Raquelle bought for them!”       “Okay, let me look at them,” Alicia replies, takes one of the dolls, and looks at her with a wide smile. “Gosh, what a beautiful dress!”       “And how beautiful this doll is!” Natalia pronounces with admiration, taking Amanda’s second doll. “And the dress is really stunning.”       “They only need grooms,” Frederick notices with a sly smile. “It’s wrong that such beauties may be without princes.”       “We’ve gotta dress princes, too!” Amanda replies. “My cousin did buy a couple of suits for them.”       “Don’t forget to put crowns on the princes and princesses’ heads,” Raquelle says.       “Of course!”       “And we’ve gotta make their hair done,” Natalia notices, starting to work on the doll’s hair. “I’ve just come up with one idea.”       “And I will change something in this hairstyle,” Alicia says and fixes slightly the hair of the second doll. “So, they look much better.”       “What if we all play a scene all together?” Amanda suggests. “Or come up with a whole tale, in which kindness takes a victory over evil?”       “Why not?” Frederick agrees. “Amanda, bring all the toys you have here!”       “But Natalia and I don’t have too much time, sadly,” Raquelle says with sadness in her eyes.       “Yeah, we’re gonna meet Anna and Helene soon,” Natalia confesses. “We’ll take them out since we’re in the car and then go to Raquelle’s home. We’re gonna watch movies and eat tasty food together.”       “Does it mean you’re gonna leave soon?” Amanda upsets.       “Sadly, sunshine,” Raquelle pronounces softly. “We need to meet our friends.”       “But don’t worry, we’ll meet again,” Natalia calms down. “Maybe, next time, we’re gonna be lucky and have much more time. We’ll play all the possible scenes.”       “You, girls, should visit us more often,” Frederick says. “You’ve been too busy with your life and forgotten about your close people. We miss you, though.”       “Sorry, Grandpa, we’ve really had too much to do lately,” Raquelle apologizes shyly. “And problems. But today, we have nothing to do. And we thought that it would be great to visit you, Aunt, and Amanda.”       “Oh, the most important thing is that you’re healthy and alive!” Alicia waves her hands. “Adults are always busy with something. They always lack time.”       “That’s right!” Amanda adds.       Frederick, Natalia, Alicia, and Raquelle laugh shyly, looking at each other. And then they decide to forget about their problems at least for a while and play a little with Amanda, who brings all of her dolls from her room and comes up with a breathtaking storyline and gives one or another role to all the adults.       

***

      The evening is getting closer. After a short break, Edward, Terrence, Daniel, and Peter come back to their performances and are going to go on the stage tonight to sing a couple of the songs they have already released. Some time before, the friends were getting ready for it with all the responsibility and spent a few hours rehearsing. And even despite the trauma of his hand and foot and people’s advice to take care of them, Peter has not let himself relax even once and is going to give his everything to make those, who bought a ticket for their show, happy. Music helps him turn off his head and distract himself from everything that’s been happening to him lately. It helps him not to think about anything bad and feel happy and carefree, at least for a while.       While there is enough time before the performance, the men are spending time together in their spacious dressing room. Someone just puts on the suits they got from their stylists, and someone is already wearing them and walking in circles in the room, lying on the sofa, or warming up all the muscles and vocal cords.       “George said all the tickets at our show are sold out,” Terrence says happily, putting on a black jacket with rolled sleeves above his white t-shirt with paintings and signatures. “Nothing’s left!”       “We haven’t performed for a few days, but it seems like it’s been forever,” Daniel notices, walking into the whole dressing room for nothing with his thumbs put in the pockets of his gray jeans. “And I’ve already started to miss it so badly.”       “Agree, I can’t wait to take drumsticks and start beating,” Peter agrees, lying on the smell rag and trying to control his breath as he is doing exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles.       “Let’s pray that everything ends without any bad events.”       “Oh, let’s not talk about this bullshit? Forget everything, at least for a while, and focus on our perfect performance.”       “Yeah, we’ve finally got a reason to think about something else,” Terrence notices. “And forget that we’re literally powerless in front of one asshole that started it all.”       “But as Smith promised, all the victors of the show are gonna be checked much more closely,” Edward notices, lying on one of the sofas with his leg bent at his knee. “Measures in safety have really been strengthened.”       “George is actually awesome!” Peter notices cheerfully. “He always keeps his promise! He said he would watch everything personally, and he doesn’t move his eyes off anyone!”       “And I really hope none of you will screw it up tonight and make me blush,” Terrence expresses hope.       “Let me ask whether we’ve ever screwed it up?” Daniel puts his hands on his hips, stopping sharply in the middle of the dressing room. “I can’t remember that!”       “Aha, we’ve rehearsed all our songs so many times that I’ve even memorized all your parts,” Peter says. “Left a bright print in my memory!”       “Excellent!” Terrence smiles innocently. “So, you will show it on the scene.”       “You turned on the severe dad mode too early, bro,” Edward chuckles kindly. “We’ve got fucking much time before the performance.”       “I’m just doing the work of the leader.”       “Did someone choose you?” Daniel asks surprisingly. “I think you’ve pronounced yourself the one!”       “Aha, just like he’s pronounced himself a king of everything and everyone,” Peter chuckles kindly.       Daniel, Peter, and Edward laugh shyly.       “Hey, shut up, everyone!” Terrence orders harshly. “Stop doing some bullshit and start to get ready. Warm up, check your cords, repeat the song’s lyrics, recall your parts…”       “I know everyth-h-h-hinn-n-ng…” Edward sings at high notes. “Without yoo-o-o-ou-u-u…”       “And I don’t need to memorize anyth-h-h-hing…” Daniel joins funnily. “You better work on something go-o-o-o-od.”       “Aha, give us a good example instead of working your tongue,” Peter agrees, moving his legs as if he is riding a bike.       “Alright, let’s see how you know the lyrics,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “And warm up your voices under my close control.”       Terrence starts singing random lines from the song, which the men will be performing tonight, and Daniel catches the wave shortly. Edward just claps his hand on his lap and works on taking high notes and their length with what he has learned. And Peter keeps doing exercises to strengthen his muscles, and watching his friends with a quiet chuckle.       “So, Perkins, it’s pretty good!” Terrence exclaims. “Babies, you are lazy!”       “I’m having a sports break,” Peter says. “So, get off me with your warmup.”       “Damn, dude, you’re literally obsessed with sports! You do this at any free minute.”       “It would be good for you to do this, too.” Peter sits up, deciding to take a little break and catch his breath. “So, you can get much more attention from girls and feel healthier.”       “Erm, I kinda doubt I’m gonna be healthy if I work out so much,” Daniel replies thoughtfully.       “Wait, Dan, when winter comes, we’ll be running in the early morning all together.”       “What? Winter? Early morning? Run?”       “No excuses are accepted! We’re gonna keep ourselves in good shape and strengthen immunity.”       “He is fucking mocking us!” Terrence resents. “I haven’t come to myself after our latest workout! My balls still squeeze when I think about how I could barely lift that fucking bar and stand in the bar. For five fucking minutes.”       “And seeing how Rose has been working on his abs, I’m starting to feel pain in my stomach,” Daniel confesses, running his hand over his stomach.       “Oh, you’re losers, bros!” Peter throws funnily. “Freaking losers! You can’t handle such an easy and short workout.”       “Oh yeah, it’s fucking easy and short!” Terrence chuckles loudly, while his eye is shaking slightly.       “You do really surprise me, MacClife. I thought you were a sports person. You kinda look tough and trained and can run fast. But you passed out after one and a half hours of the intense workout.”       “Yes, I do sports regularly, too. But not so fucking much! Your plan of workouts is insane! You can torture someone with it!”       “But I ain’t a monster and wouldn’t mock my best friends like this,” Peter smiles innocently. “Especially for you, I simplify the plan as hard as possible, but I do it, so it’s still effective.”       “Oh, yay, it’s so effective that I literally howl from pain in my whole body!” Daniel rolls his eyes. “And I’m ready to lie on the floor for a few hours.”       “If your body hurts, it means your workout is excellent! It means it’s worth it!”       With these words, Peter stands on all fours but then starts standing in the bar on his elbows.       “You and Edward are two fucking restless!” Terrence throws gloomily, crossing his arms over his chest. “One runs somewhere all the time and can’t stay in the same place. Another does sports literally every day.”       “Working with him is much nicer than you two,” Peter states. “MacClife never complains and handles my workout quietly. And moreover, he doesn’t mind repeating it.”       “It’s not a secret for us that this young romantic boy is a little sick,” Daniel laughs.       “Not a little sick, since he is getting pleasure from Rose’s tortures and asking him to give him more!” Terrence exclaims.       “In this case, it’s very nice to have a deal with him,” Peter says. “Unlike you, boneheads.”       “Alright, we will blame the age for this,” Daniel waves his hand. “You’re babies yet. They’ve got much more energy than several adults all together.”       “Ah, yeah, pardon, I forgot you two are two steps away from being thirty. You’re getting closer to the moment when you have to stand in the queue to the window where they give you a pension.”       “You know, Daniel, I think this kind of workout is too easy for Peter,” Terrence smiles slyly, putting his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “He is doing this like magic. What about helping him a little?”       “Agree, brother,” Daniel nods confidently, stroking his chin. “We’ve gotta increase the load. So, the blond doesn't work his tongue for nothing.”       “Listen, cuties, get out of here!” Peter throws gloomily. “Do something! Let me work out quietly before the show.”       “We do wanna help you!” Terrence smiles innocently. “If you have such an easy workout, you won’t get any results.”       “C’mon, Pete, shake up!” Daniel pronounces cheerfully. “We believe in ya!”       Daniel comes to Peter standing in the bar, puts his foot on his back, and presses on it, so the blond gets a heavier load.       “A-a-a-a, get off me, idiot!” Peter growls irritably.       “Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m a genius!” Daniel smiles slyly. “Is it better to stand in the bar with this load, right?”       “You have nothing to do? Go to fix your hair, powder your nose… Try to see the cubes on your stomach in the mirror… Play on the MacClifes’ nerves…”       “Of course, it’s cool to play on their nerves. I love mocking you much more. Because you’re my best friend.”       “Ar-r-r, I wish you, asshole, pinched your balls!”       “I’m gonna help him with pleasure!” Terrence says cheerfully. “So, you get much more pleasure!”       Terrence comes to Peter and does the same thing as Daniel.       “Ar-r-r, are you fucking kidding me?” Peter resents. “It’s heavy…”       “Aha, so, is it okay when you finish, watching us suffer in the gym class?” Terrence wonders loudly. “When we wanna kick your ass, you start to squeak!”       “You know… I think I know what we’re gonna do when we go to the gym class next time. Oh, I shall torture you hard! Oh, I shall exhaust you enough… You’re gonna come to yourself for one week.”       “Hey, paleface, did he just say something now?” Daniel specifies, pointing at Peter.       “I dunno, I heard nothing,” Terrence throws his hands up. “And I was thinking about something, to be honest.”       “Okay, okay, boneheads, I will see who’s gonna laugh much louder,” Peter smiles slyly. “See what’s gonna happen to you when I make you do my usual workout plan, not a simplified one.”       “Okay, buddy, I don’t know what about you, but I think it’s not enough,” Daniel says confidently.       “What if we put on a heavy bag with our stuff on his back?” Terrence suggests. “It’s gonna be a fucking good load!”       “Good, but I’ve got something better.”       Daniel sits right on the back of Peter, for whom it’s getting harder to stand in the bar and hold himself and his friend at the same time.       “Fuck, Perkins, get off me now!” Peter winces strongly. “It’s heavy, but you’re sitting on me!       “Hey yo, what about push-ups?” Daniel suggests with a sly smile and ruffles the hair of the growling Peter. “And I can swing up and down! Just like in my childhood with my mom and dad!”       “If you don’t get your fucking ass up, you’re gonna regret it a lot.”       “C’mon, Rose, why are ya so nervous?” Terrence wonders funnily, claps Peter on the shoulder, and twirls his nose. “Dan gave you such an excellent load! I heard the bar would be much more effective if you had your friend sitting on your back.”       “Aha, the feeling when this fucking friend weighs a hundredweight!”       “What?” Daniel resents and slaps Peter on the back of his head. “You are the hundredweight! And I’m as light as a feather!”       “Oh, yeah, the feather that’s playing on my nerves! That’s gonna break my fucking back now!”       “Oh, c’mon, Rose, stop talking!” Daniel makes a happy whoop, raising his hand, and starts to shake from one side to another. “You better ride me! Wo-o-o-oh-h-ho-o-o! Let’s go!”       “Hey, am I a fucking horse to you if you slap me on my ass?” Peter squeaks, feeling a loud and strong hit on his buttocks.       “Oh, right! Terrence, where’s my whip? Give it to me, please! I wanna ride this horse! So, it puts its tongue on its shoulder, after all.”       “Terrence, stop the fuck laughing!” Peter growls irritably, seeing Terrence thrill with laughter and watching what’s happening. “Take this fucking creature off me before my spine becomes an accordion!”       “Perkins, I am letting you keep doing the same!” Terrence says funnily. “Take revenge on Peter for all our sufferings on the workout. Let him feel all of this on his skin.”       “Oh, fuck it all! I shall deal on my own if you don’t wanna help me!”       “Hey, why isn’t the wind blowing my hair yet?” Daniel wonders and starts kicking Peter with his feet. “C’mon, gallop now! Nei-i-i-igh! Nei-i-i-igh!”       “I shall now gallop to the trash can and throw you at it. And hit you with the hoof against your gorgeous face. If you don’t stop the fuck kicking me! And leave my fucking ass alone!”       “Slacking off on the workout, buddy! Go to do push-ups! Thirty times two approaches! A ten-second break! C’mon, c’mon, Rose, let’s go!”       “Get the fuck off, I said! My arms are hurting from trying to carry myself and your body!”       “As you’re still standing, everything ain’t so bad.”       “Hey, horned donkey, stop kicking me on my ass! Kick yourself better! Or I can kindly help you if you keep hanging on my neck a few seconds later. In the fucking literal sense!”       “Hey, don’t ya have the guts?”       “Ar-r-r, it’s fucking heavy…”       “Oh, you say it’s too easy for you! Okay then, I will ask Terrence to join me, too. You’re gonna feel fucking good!”       “Alright, Perkins… Wenn du leben willst, fängst du besser an zu laufen. Dubisttot!”       “What?”       After Peter lies sharply on the floor, Daniel falls along with him with a squeak. Then the blond creeps to his friend and starts hitting him on everything he sees, while the brunet is thrilling with loud laughter and trying to cover some parts of his body.       “Calm down, buddy, calm down!” Daniel squeaks. “We can agree on everything!”       “We can!” Peter smiles slyly. “I’m gonna kick your ass fucking hard, pretty boy, as soon as we have the next workout. You’re gonna be doing back handsprings, roundoffs, and double flips! Again and again! Again and again!”       “Terrence, friend, save me!” Daniel thrills with laughter after he gets up sharply on his feet and does not manage to run away from Peter, who uses a chokehold on him and ruffles his hair with his fist. “Do something!”       “I don’t see the meaning in meddling!” Terrence smiles innocently, leaning on the dressing table with a brightly lighted mirror with his buttocks. “Besides, laughing makes your life longer. And gives you a guarantee that our show’s gonna be good.”       “Okay, everything’s clear about you.”       Thrilling with loud laughter, Daniel and Peter keep fighting hand in hand funnily for some time, running through the whole dressing room, and throwing everything they see. Moreover, Perkins jumps on Rose’s back and rides a little before the blond throws him off himself on the sofa with some effort and decides to slap him hard with a magazine that he grabs from the table. While Terrence is standing shyly aside with his arms crossed over his chest, looking like a loving father, as he wants to make sure they do not harm each other in passion.       “Hey, Rose, we see your foot doesn’t hurt anymore since you’re running here from side to side,” Terrence notices cheerfully.       “Indeed!” Daniel agrees, holding Peter by the neck and pulling him after him. “The sick patient is probably, absolutely healthy now.”       “I give a fuck ‘cause I took a painkiller!” Peter says funnily. “It works for a few hours only, but that’s why I don’t feel pain at all and forget I actually have my foot and hand injured.”       “Oh, yay, you’re jumping in the dressing room like a goat! As if you’re fucking stoned!”       “Nah, no drinks, no joints! Just an excellent drug.”       “Yeah?” Terrence pronounces with mistrust. “But it looks like you’re really stoned!”       “Thank what ya want.”       Peter easily manages to get out of Daniel’s grip, fixes his blond hair slightly with his head proudly raised, and pulls down his oversized gray tabard with a bright print in the form of signatures that can often be seen on the walls and asphalt as graffiti.       “Anyway, I’m one hundred percent ready for the show,” Peter says confidently, takes a black jacket from one of the sofas, and puts it on. “And I ain’t gonna pity myself at all.”       “Are you sure you can perform?” Terrence asks with anxiety.       “Huh, you’re hurting me, brother! I was fucking dreaming of this day! I was sleeping and dreaming of us rocking on the stage along with our fans’ shouts.”       “It’s okay, we’re gonna have a lot of fun now!” Daniel replies cheerfully, putting his arm around Peter’s neck. “It’s gonna fucking hot there when we get out and start playing.”       “It can be a good reason to take our jackets off and show our muscles,” Terrence smiles mysteriously.       “Oh, yeah, and everyone’s gonna get an orgasm!”       “Es lohnt sich,” Peter pronounces, crossing his arms over his chest. “Wer möchte nicht so eine süße Süßigkeit probieren?”       “What’d he say?” Daniel frowns strongly.       “I dunno, I guess it’s like he loves his older brother very much,” Terrence shrugs with a slight smile. “And he’s happy to have us.”       “If you feel better at this thought, I don’t mind you thinking so,” Peter replies thoughtfully, crossing his arms over his chest.       Terrence and Daniel say nothing and just look at each other with a quiet laugh. At some moment, the oldest member of “Against The System” realizes that something is not right and, frowning slightly, starts looking around. And when Terrence’s eyes stop on Edward still lying on the sofa as quietly as a mouse, everything falls into its place for him.       “Oh, guys, it looks like we lost Edward for a while,” Daniel says funnily.       “Yeah, he’s lying on the sofa as quietly as a mouse and doesn’t say a word,” Peter notices thoughtfully.       “Hey, I do not get it!” Terrence pronounces loudly. “Edward, why are you silent there?”       But Edward does not react to this because he fell asleep when his older colleagues in the band were playing the fool together.       “Edward, we are addressing you!” Daniel exclaims. “Fuck, did he fall asleep there?”       “MacClife, Jr. did a very wise thing by fucking you two off and deciding to sleep for two minutes,” Peter notices.       “Hey, wake up, soldier!” Terrence orders in a commanding tone, coming determinedly to the sofa Edward is lying on. “What are you going to do? Hey, kid? Wake the fuck up! Hey, rutrag?!”       With these words, Terrence takes the magazine that is the first thing he can find on the table and hits Edward strongly on the head. That’s why the guy shakes sharply with a quiet oh as if something scared him a lot and moves his sleepy, confused eyes to his brother.       “Hey, what the fuck?” Edward moans quietly.       “Wake up, kid!” Terrence exclaims. “Stop lying here like a princess! Stop playing the role of Sleeping Beauty that won't be kissed by the golden-haired beauty now.”       “Can’t I take a nap for two minutes?”       “You’ll sleep at home! But now get your precious ass up and be nice to start to get ready for the concert.”       “Ya think I ain’t ready?”       Edward sits up lazily and pulls down his jacket with rolled sleeves slightly, while Daniel and Peter come to him.       “I am ready! The rocket’s ready to be launched now!”       “By the way, does it seem to me that you aren’t too talkative today?” Daniel frowns slightly. “In the best case, you’d say just one word and fall into silence.”       “Indeed, Edward, you aren’t kinda you today,” Peter agrees. “I’m even starting to worry.”       “Nope, I’m kinda the same, as always,” Edward shrugs, leaning on the sofa with his hands. “My name’s still Edward, and I’m playing in the band with two brainless idiots.”       “But I think something ain’t right with you,” Terrence says confidently. “You’re really kinda strange today.”       “Do ya have problems, buddy?” Daniel asks, sitting next to Edward. “Something happened?”       “Nope, everything’s fine,” Edward shrugs. “Why do ya think so?”       “But why are you silent literally all the time?” Terrence expresses anxiety and sits on the other hand of Edward. “If I’m not mistaken, you lay on the sofa shortly after you changed your clothes. And you haven’t gotten up since then.”       “There’s nothing wrong with lying on the sofa a little before the show. Catch your wave, so to speak. I’d advise you to try it, too.”       “Rose and you usually raise unshirted hell, but today he’s doing this all alone,” Daniel notices.       “And today, you don’t almost play on the nerves of your brother,” Peter adds, comes to one of the mirrors and brushes his disheveled hair a little. “We’re used to the fact that it’s your tradition that never changes.”       “You can think I just didn’t get enough sleep,” Edward replies quietly with a tired sigh. “I fell asleep in the morning and woke up too early.”       Edward gets up slowly from the sofa and goes to the table, on which there is some stuff and multiple one-liter bottles of clean water.       “I was super excited because of the show and thinking about how we’d rock on today.” Edward takes the open bottle that is now half-emptied and takes two or three sips. “I was thinking about it all night long.”       “You’re excited as if you’re gonna perform for the first time,” Peter chuckles kindly.       “For me, every performance happens like it’s the first time. And now I’m not less excited.”       “Ah, yeah, sorry, we forgot you were our fucking sentimental boy,” Terrence laughs, leaning back on the sofa and spreading his legs widely.       “But on the contrary, I understand you,” Daniel notices, bending one leg under himself. “I’m waiting for all of this to be just my unreal dream all the time.”       “I mean the same,” Edward replies with a slight smile, closes the bottle, and puts it on the table. “But if it was just a dream, I would prefer to never wake up.”       “If it saves me from the bullshit that I can’t get rid of, this dream would be a paradise to me,” Peter replies thoughtfully, brushing his hair the way he needs it with the hairbrush.       “Nothing lasts forever, blond. Since all of our past problems were solved, we can surely solve this one.”       “When it happens, I’m gonna drink to the fuck from happiness.”       “Don’t forget to share drinks with us. We don’t mind drinking a glass of something strong.”       Edward runs his hands over his pale face, hiding so hard that he feels some kind of malaise from his friends and brother because he does not want to let them down.       “Hey, buddy, are you okay?” Peter expresses anxiety.       “Yup, I’m fine,” Edward replies quietly, glancing at Peter briefly.       “You look like you’re kinda sick,” Terrence notices thoughtfully.       “Aha, you’re so pale and weak,” Daniel agrees. “And you’re sleepy.”       “I said I just didn’t sleep last night,” Edward replies evasively, putting his hand on his stomach with a sense of strong pain in it. “Since we have some time, I can take a nap for ten or fifteen minutes.”       “You don’t tell us something, brother,” Terrence guesses. “It’s all happening for a reason.”       “Sometimes your fantasy may be too wild.”       “Listen, Edward, if you don’t feel good, let us know it,” Daniel says. “Don’t go on the stage when you’re sick.”       “It’s okay, guys, I feel great.”       Edward swallows nervously and closes his eyes for a second as he leans on the table with his hands.       “I can’t wait for us to be allowed to go on the stage. I wanna take my guitar and start running on the scene like crazy from side to side.”       “Okay, now turn your face on us and say it all again,” Terrence crosses his arms over his chest.       “Yes, MacClife, why did ya turn your back on us?” Peter puts his hands on his hips after he puts the hairbrush on the table. “We actually wanna talk to you, not your back or the back of your head.       “Really, Show White, show us your gorgeous face now,” Daniel says with a quiet chuckle.       “I know it’s really fucking gorgeous,” Edward turns on the men with a little exhausted smile. “Just like I am.”       Edward wants to go aside in a quick step, but he shakes slightly somewhere in the middle of the way because he suddenly feels dizzy and squeezes the bridge of his nose, thinking he is about to fall.       “Edward?” Terrence pronounces suspiciously, frowning slightly.       “It’s okay,” Edward raises his hand. “It’s okay.”       After taking two more steps, weakness in his legs betrays Edward, who starts falling on the floor. But he manages to grab the edge of the table and lean on it, falling to his knees with the thought that everything goes black for a moment. And Peter runs to the guy sharply and takes him tightly under his arm.       “Hey, hey, hey, Edward?!” Peter jabs excitedly. “Edward! Come on?”       “Oh, shit, Edward!” Terrence reacts loudly, getting up from the sofa sharply and rushing to Edward along with Daniel.       “Hey, MacClife, why are ya gonna do?” Daniel jabs excitedly.       “It’s okay, I just felt a little dizzy…” Edward replies with reluctance, shakes his head sharply, and puts his hand on his forehead, while Peter is still holding him tightly.       “Damn, you’re so white!” Daniel notices with widely open eyes.       “No panic, guys. It will be gone now.”       Edward starts breathing heavily enough and deeply enough, starting to understand that he will hardly hide his far from the best condition from the men. At this moment, Peter weakens his grip a little and almost lets him go. And then, the guy starts shaking from side to side again and almost falls to the floor again.       “Quiet, quiet, Edward, quiet, quiet,” Daniel jabs, grabbing Edward in time and starting to hold him tightly to help him stand. “Calm down, buddy, calm down.”       “It’s okay, bro, it’s okay,” Terrence says determinedly and takes Edward under his arm. “Breathe deeper.”       “We’ve gotta seat him on the sofa,” Peter says.       “We’re here, don’t worry. Just don’t forget to breathe. With your nose. It’s okay.”       Holding Edward tightly, Daniel and Terrence bring him slowly to the sofa, seat the guy down, and sit on both hands of him, while Peter squats down in front of him.       “How long have you felt dizzy?” Daniel asks.       “I was okay in the morning,” Edward replies in a quiet voice, squeezing the bridge of his nose with his fingers and doubling over. “But now I don’t feel good.”       “Does something else bother you?” Terrence asks.       “I feel dizzy… Strong weakness… I feel really nauseous… I wanna puke.”       “If you were a girl, we could joke about your pregnancy,” Daniel jokes. “That they diagnose girls with after a faint in movies.”       “So hilarious!”       “Okay, okay, forget! And something else hurts?”       “My stomach is hurting… Stomach… And my heart is beating kinda weirdly… It’s beating like crazy, but then it suddenly slows down…”       “So, did it all start just now, when we started to get ready for the show?” Peter specifies.       “Sort of…”       “Were you silent about it?” Terrence wonders loudly. “Sitting in the corner as quietly as a mouse and hoping you’d get away from it?”       “I didn’t wanna tell you that,” Edward confesses. “I thought it would be gone. But… It doesn’t.”       “Is that why you’ve been lying on the sofa and taking a nap all this time?” Daniel concludes.       “At least this is how I make my dizziness and pain in my stomach weaker.” Edward runs his hands over his face and closes the one, while his dizziness keeps bothering him. “But it’s hardly…”       “Hey, Pete, give him the bottle of water,” Terrence says, pointing at the open bottle standing on the table. “So, he can drink a little.”       “Oh, it doesn’t help me feel better,” Edward throws gloomily, doubling over and putting his hand on his belly, while Peter gets up and comes to the table to take the bottle. “It makes me feel much worse…”       “Okay, bro, let us bring you to the doctor. So, they examine you and find out what’s happening to you.”       “No, no need! I’m okay.”       “Dizziness doesn’t happen without a reason,” Daniel protests. “Just like nausea.”       “I guess it’s happening because I’ve eaten nothing since the morning.”       “What?” Peter opens his eyes widely, giving Edward the bottle of water. “Since the morning?”       “So, are you walking hungry all fucking day?” Terrence surprises.       “Ah, everything’s clear about you now!” Daniel exclaims. “You just decided that you should’ve lost weight and started a diet.”       “Oh, I wasn’t gonna start a diet,” Edward throws gloomily in a low voice, takes the bottle, opens it, and takes a couple of sips. “I just had no appetite this morning. It was only enough to drink a glass of warm water.”       “Wait, haven’t you really eaten anything since the morning?” Peter asks surprisingly. “Haven’t you put even a little bar of chocolate in your mouth?”       “When I don’t wanna eat, I don’t force myself to do it not for anything.”       “Ha, he’s wondering why he's feeling fucking dizzy!” Terrence chuckles loudly.       “Stop panicking, guys.” Edward drinks some water from the bottle. “I will sit for some time, and it will be gone.”       “Dude, do you know people lose weight thanks to sports and healthy food?” Peter puts his hands on his hips. “Not thanks to regular hunger strikes, which are the reason they can barely stand on their feet and faint.”       “Come on, buddy!” Daniel laughs. “The boy just wanna be the most handsome and sexiest guy at his wedding. He wants the bride to be overwhelmed by the gorgeous view of his naked torso.”       “Aha, or the view of bones sticking out on his naked torso,” Terrence crosses his arms over his chest.       “Ar-r-r, you’re so talkative!” Edward moans tiredly.       “And you are a fucking idiot, who decided to destroy his health consciously!” Terrence raises his voice. “Of course, you always act like a brainless idiot, but I didn’t think everything was so hopeless.”       “Can’t argue with MacClife!” Daniel exclaims. “The man’s telling the truth.”       “Oh, stop crowing, roosters…” Edward rolls his eyes, closing the bottle of water. “It’s like someone brought a crowd of chickens to you…”       “So, what do we do to you, miracle in feathers?” Peter exhales sharply. “We can’t let you go on the stage when you feel like this!”       “I will let myself do it.”       “Aha, you want to faint right before the eyes of many people?” Daniel wonders loudly.       “I will not.” Edward gets straight slowly, raises his head, and fixes his hair a little. “I feel much better now.”       “Oh, yeah, your pale face and your dead eyes do let us know you feel better,” Terence pronounces gloomily with mistrust.       “You can think what you want, but we will play the show at any price.”       Edward gets up slowly from the sofa with the bottle in his hands and comes to the table with the mirror, understanding that he keeps shaking from side to side, and his weak legs can barely hold him.       “And I will go on the stage even if I am dying,” Edward says determinedly, leaning on the dressing table with both hands and looking at his pale face, the reflection of which is blurred before his eyes. “Even with a bullet in my head. Even with a perforator in my ass.”       “Your heroism is wrong in your case, Edward,” Peter replies confidently. “You feel bad, and we can’t let you jump on the scene like a goat.”       “Actually, it’s my job.” Edward grabs his belly again with a sense of unbearable pain in his stomach. “My duty that I must do.”       “If you give a fuck about your health, we don’t,” Daniel says determinedly. “We’ve got much more brains and wisdom than you. It would be enough for all of us.”       “Exactly, brother!” Terrence exclaims and gets up sharply from the sofa. “And if I said you would not go on the stage, it means you would not the fuck go.”       “Who said I would listen to someone?” Edward chuckles quietly.       “You will do what I tell you!”       Terrence runs to Edward sharply, grabs him under his arm, and turns the guy around.       “And if you keep showing off here, I swear I will kick your ass with the belt, so that you regret it.”       “Yes, we are older, and it means you must listen to us,” Daniel says with his head proudly raised, gets up from the sofa, and comes to Edward along with Peter. “You’re the youngest one of us, don’t forget.”       “I’m no longer a child able to take care of myself,” Edward replies quietly. “And I know for sure that I can’t let down you, George, the organizers, and those, who bought tickets at our show.”       Taking his arm out of Terrence’s grip and taking the bottle of water, Edward goes aside. Then he, feeling a stronger wave of dizziness and ringing in his ears, puts his hand on his forehead with closed eyes. He wants to come to one of the tables to lean on it, but he does not do it because the weakness in his legs lets him down again. That’s why the guy lets go of the bottle and falls powerlessly to the ground. Then Terrence, Daniel, and Peter rush to him immediately and get down on their knees beside him.       “Ha, one special child must be under close control,” Terrence says confidently. “If you don’t grab him by the underwear in time, he won’t the fuck stop.”       “Ar-r-r, shut up, Terrence,” Edward moans tiredly, putting his hand on his forehead and shaking his head sharply. “I feel fucking bad without your comments.”       “Alright, MacClife, we will not let you join the community of anorexic folks that eat only one leaf of salad per day in the best case,” Daniel says determinedly. “We will now go to the cafeteria all together and eat a lot.”       “And if it doesn’t help, we grab you under your arms and lead you to the doctor,” Peter adds. “And if they say you aren’t allowed to go on the stage, the performance will be cancelled. You will go to the hospital and get therapy.”       “I don’t wanna eat!” Edward protests.       “Nobody asks you if you want it or not!” Terrence says sharply. “If you don’t eat by yourself, I will personally put food in your mouth. And make sure you do swallow it, not spit it out in a handkerchief or a trash can while we don’t see.”       “Just one thought about food makes me feel nauseous.” Edward closes his mouth with one hand, with a feeling of nausea that is getting closer to his throat. “But I even wanna puck because of clean water.”       “It’s okay, buddy, you will eat a delicious bun and feel much better now,” Peter assures.       “I was actually gonna go there and eat something,” Daniel confesses. “While we have time.”       “Alright, Edward, get up,” Terrence says determinedly and claps Edward on his back as if he tells him to hurry up. “C’mon, c’mon, bro, get up, in the tango’s rhythm! We’re gonna fix ya and reset your settings to default.”       With these words, Terrence helps Edward get up slowly from the door, puts his arm around his neck, and starts holding him tightly, while the guy rubs his forehead and face with his hand.       “Fuck, it’s all happening at the wrong time…” Edward blunts under his nose.       “It’s okay, you’ll come back to normal now,” Daniel promises. “You just need to stop doing some bullshit and eat well.”       “C’mon, c’mon, romantic boy, let’s go!” Peter exclaims.       With these words, Peter comes to the exit from the dressing room first, opens it, and goes to the hall. Next, Daniel leaves it, and then Terrence gets out of it slowly along with Edward, grabbing him much tighter at some moment since the guy is about to fall due to the weakness in his feet again.       “Hey, hey, quiet,” Terrence jabs. “It’s okay, breathe deeper, it will be gone now.”       “We will eat with you, so you get your appetite back,” Peter promises.       “Maybe, I will just sleep a little?” Edward asks faintly.       “If we have time, you can take a nap. But now we must feed you.”       “But looking at you, I’m starting to think the case is not only about the fact that you ate nothing this morning,” Terrence confesses.       “Oh, listen, couldn’t they set the normal temperature of the air conditioner here?” Daniel waves the edge of his jacket on himself. “Of course, I love the heat, but it’s too hot in this jacket.”       “Agree, it’s much better in our dressing room,” Peter agrees, waving at himself with a sense of the heat. “And it’s too hot here.”       “And I feel cold, vice versa,” Edward confesses.       “Serious?” Terrence wonders. “Cold?”       “Even this jacket doesn’t help me.”       Edward stops slowly, leans on one of the walls with his back, and rubs his arms with his hands, feeling a strong coldness in his whole body, even in his jacket.       “Too cold…”       “Hey, aren’t you ill?” Daniel frowns slightly. “What if Terrence is right that the case is not only about a hunger strike?”       “Hey, Edward, come here!” Terrence exclaims. “I don’t like all of this.”       Terrence puts his hand on Edward’s forehead and rounds his eyes when he understands that it’s too hot.       “Fucking shit, your forehead’s hot!” Terrence horrifies and touches Edward’s pale face with both hands. “Hey, guys, he’s probably got a fever! His face is burning!”       “Really,” Peter makes sure, putting the back of his hand on Edward’s forehead. “He’s literally like a stove.”       “Don’t tell us you really thought of going on the stage in this condition,” Daniel puts his hands on his hips.       “I must go to the stage and play the concert,” Edward says confidently. “With a fever or broken arms and legs.”       “Alright, it’s all wrong!” Terrence raises his head proudly. “We will find George now, talk to the organizers, and tell them about your illness. So, they can reschedule the show on another day.”       “No, no reschedule!”       “We said everything, MacClife!” Daniel exclaims. “You will go to the hospital and then home right now!”       “Do your father and mother know you are sick?” Peter asks.       “I said I was okay in the morning,” Edward replies tiredly.       “Oh, yeah, we believe you!”       “Okay, do you have a sore throat?” Terrence asks. “A runny nose? Something else?”       “I am fine,” Edward repeats quietly.       “Stop saying you are fine. Look at yourself, you’re shaking! Your forehead’s hot, your face’s sickly pale, and your legs can barely hold you. And you hold your stomach all the time!”       “Listen, guys, let’s perform all together now, and then we will think about what’s happening to me.”       Edward squeezes the bridge of his nose for two seconds, then sits on the floor with a feeling of dizziness, leans on the wall with his back, bends his legs at his knees, and puts his head between them with a quiet moan. While Terrence, Daniel, and Peter squat down in front of him.       “Though, I don’t fucking know why I suddenly felt so bad.” Edward runs his hands over his face with a heavy breath, while Terrence looks at him with true anxiety and strokes his back softly. “Why I feel even worse when I did when I had a temperature below 40 degrees.”       “Yeah, it seems like this day will not definitely be quiet,” Daniel assumes thoughtfully.       “Anyway, we won’t perform until we make sure you’re okay,” Peter says.       “We must go,” Edward pronounces quietly as he is shaking strongly from the cold.       “With this condition?” Terrence wonders loudly.       “It’s okay, I can handle it…” Edward swallows loudly and nervously, leaning on the wall with the back of his head. “For you… For our fans… For everyone…”       “No, Edward, I will not let you go on the stage!”       “I must! I must go…”       “You must get fucking therapy!”       “Yes, I really feel very bad now.” Edward grabs his throat with the thought that he lacks air. “And it’s getting worse every minute. But I have to… I have to brace myself.”       “Sorry, Edward, we do mind it categorically!” Daniel says confidently. “We aren’t going to put the show above your health. If you feel bad, we must take care of you.”       “I can’t do this, guys! I can’t let anyone down! I can’t let the show be disrupted because of me! No…”       Edward closes his mouth sharply with his hand with a feeling of strong nausea.       “Oh, I feel nauseous…” Edward complains powerlessly. “I wanna puck… Ar-r-r…”       “Alright, enough, we are coming to the doctor with you!” Terrence says confidently. “And while they examine you, we will find Smith and explain the situation to him.”       Edward keeps breathing heavily with the hope that he can catch a lot of air that he lacks catastrophically. At some moment, he starts coughing loudly, so that he can feel gagging as if he is trying to spit out something. While Peter, Terrence, and Daniel watch him and understand that they can also barely breathe, and their hearts squeeze painfully at the sight of their friend, who cannot hide how bad he feels anymore.       “Edward…” Terrence pronounces excitedly with widely open eyes, hugging Edward around the shoulders. “Edward, please, don’t scare us.”       “Quiet, Edward, quiet,” Daniel calms down, clapping Edward on his cheek. “We’re here. Don’t worry.”       “It’s okay, Edward, it’s okay,” Peter pronounces quietly, clapping Edward on his knee, while the guy keeps choking on a strong cough and panicking due to the lack of air. “It’s okay. Breathe deeper. Hear me? Breathe deeper.”       “I feel bad…” Edward moans quietly and coughs two more times. “Too bad… It seems like… It seems like I can’t really… I can’t perform…”       After one more attack of cough, Edward sharply coughs up a blood clot on his palm, at which he looks with widely open eyes full of horror.       “Holy cow!” Daniel exclaims, closing his mouth with his hand.       “It’s blood…” Peter horrifies.       “Fuck, what’s happening to me?” Edward wonders and looks scarily at Daniel, Terrence, and Peter with a heavy breath. “I don’t understand! What’s this? Why am I coughing up blood? Am I dying? Am I dying?”       “Quiet, quiet, brother, relax,” Terrence pronounces softly, taking Edward’s hands and looking into his eyes confidently, while the guy starts to panic much more. “No panic, breathe deeper. It’s gonna be okay. I promise you.”       “I’m scared, guys…” I… I don’t know what’s going on… Why do I feel so bad?”       “Don’t worry, buddy, we’re here,” Daniel pronounces in a little shaking voice, clapping Edward on the shoulder and stroking his back. “Just don’t worry. Whatever happens, we can get through it.”       “No… No, not this… I don’t wanna die… I don’t wanna die, guys. I don’t! I can’t! I don’t wanna die! I don’t! I wanna live! I wanna live!”       “Hey, hey, calm down, MacClife, calm down!” Peter exclaims when Edward wipes blood off his mouth with a shaking hand as he panics due to his condition, which is getting worse. “It’s okay.”       “I can’t die, I can’t!” Edward chokes, grabbing his throat as he starts shaking much stronger. “It’s not time… I can’t! I don’t wanna die!”       “Calm down, buddy, we’re here, it’s okay. We’ll help you. Whatever happens, just breathe. And remember, we’re with you. We’ll not leave you.”       “Damn, I can’t breathe… I can’t breathe!” Edward grabs his heart with a sense of sharp pain somewhere between his ribs. “I think I’m having a heart attack… I’m gonna die!”       “Quiet, quiet, brother, breathe deeply,” Daniel insists. “Don’t think about it. Focus on something else.”       “I’m choking! I can’t breathe! Everything hurts! I feel bad!”       “Alright, guys, get up quickly and take him to the doctor immediately!” Terrence orders determinedly and gets up on his feet, trying so hard not to succumb to his panic that makes him shake, breathe heavily, and feel his fast heartbeat hit him on his temples. “It’s not fine at all! Get him up! Quick! Faster! Don’t be slow!”       “C’mon, Edward, get up,” Daniel says.       “The concert…” Edward pronounces faintly.       “Fuck the concert off!” Peter exclaims. “First, we must find out what’s happening to you!”       Peter and Daniel get up on their feet and help Edward do the same together. After this, they put his arms around their necks, starting to hold the guy tightly. While he keeps catching air greedily with the thought that he lacks it in his lungs catastrophically, everything goes blurry before his eyes, and his heart is beating like crazy due to the panic.       “Hold on, Edward, hold on!” Terrence begs excitedly, while the four men go slowly down the wide hall straightly. “It’s gonna be okay!”       “Oh, and Blake’s walking nobody the fuck knows where!” Peter throws gloomily. “It would be great to catch him and tell him to find Smith.”       “If people come to us, Blake and George will be found by themselves,” Daniel replies.       “We’ll think about it later!” Terrence exclaims. “The most important thing now is to go to the medical office.”       “Oh, no, I think I will not be able to go…” Edward moans painfully.       “Hold on, bro, we’re gonna come soon.”       “I’m feeling worse and worse, guys. It’s not just some kind of weakness. I… I don’t know what it is.”       “Please, brother, hold on as hard as you can,” Peter says. “It’s gonna be okay.”       “I feel nauseous… My stomach hurts… My heart is about to explode… I feel dizzy… It’s hard to breathe…”       “Hold on, Edward, hold on!” Terrence exclaims.       Edward stops, doubles over sharply, and, grabbing his throat, starts choking with a loud cough again and coughs up some blood right on the floor. That’s why Terrence, Daniel, and Peter get pale from a horror that is squeezing their bodies, shake slightly with a quiet oh, and look at each other with widely open eyes.       “Shiver me!” Terrence opens his eyes widely, putting his hand on his heart that is beating like crazy.       “Oh, fucking shit…” Edward swears under his nose.       “Fuck, what’s this?” Daniel wonders, putting his hand on his forehead. “What the fuck?”       “Listen, I think I’m gonna faint now,” Edward shakes his head sharply. “I feel fucking dizzy… And I can barely stand…”       “Quiet, quiet, quiet, buddy, breathe deeper,” Peter insists quietly. “Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale.”       “Everything’s blurry before my eyes…” Edward moves his eyes to the ceiling for two seconds, trying so hard to pump some air into his lungs. “And someone put something in my ears…”       “Hey, hey, stay with us, don’t dare to pass out!” Terrence orders, clapping Edward on his shoulders, grabbing his face, and setting his confident look into the guy’s eyes running from side to side. “Look at me! Look at me! Hear me? Edward! Please, hold on! Hold on!”       “Help… Please, guys… I don’t wanna die…”       Pronouncing the last words at the last breath, Edward barely manages to grab Terrence by the shoulder before he starts falling on the floor like a stone with a quiet moan, being exhausted and giving up on this fight, and giving himself to the embrace of infinite darkness.       “Edward?!” Terrence shouts with widely open eyes, barely grabbing Edward and not letting him hit his head against the floor when falling. “Edward!”       “Edward!” Daniel and Peter shake at a different time, getting sharply pale, and rush to fall on their knees beside Edward, who is lying on the floor with his eyes closed tightly.       “Edward, can you hear me?” Terrence jabs, clapping Edward on his cheeks. “Edward! Edward, answer me! Hey!”       “MacClife, say something!” Daniel exclaims, shaking Edward by the shoulder. “MacClife! Hey! Whatcha doing?”       “Don’t scare us, Edward!” Peter exclaims along with the men, turning Edward’s head on himself. “Hear me? Come on? Hey!”       “No, no, no, brother, please…” Terrence begs with a much greater despair. “Please…”       Peter, Terrence, and Daniel try unsuccessfully to wake Edward up by clapping him slightly on his cheeks, understanding how tense all of their muscles are. How catastrophically they lack air. How every fast beat of the heart echoes painfully in the chest.       “I can barely feel the pulse,” Terrence says, putting two fingers on Edward’s neck, and checks his pulse on the wrist. “I’ve gotta try hard…”       “Damn, he’s barely breathing!” Daniel horrifies, bringing his hand to Edward’s nose. “I can barely feel it.”       “No pupil's response,” Peter says, lifting one of Edward’s eyelids. “Nothing.”       “It seems like the case is much more serious than we thought,” Daniel assumes. “It’s not just a slight weakness or something like this.”       “He's still literally burning,” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully, putting his hand on Edward’s forehead. “His fever is definitely too high.”       “MacClife was coughing so hard and spitting his blood out that I was fucking scared! I thought all his guts would be out! And he was choking… Saying he was dying…”       “Okay, you two stay with him, but I’m gonna find a doctor!” Peter says confidently. “I’ll explain the situation and bring them here shortly.”       Not waiting for the answer, Peter gets up on his feet and runs straight down the hall, not even thinking about his injured foot, and making himself remember that every second matters now. While the dumbfounded Daniel and Terrence breathing heavily keep watching the unconscious Edward, whose face looks deathly white.       “Fuck, his pulse is kinda chaotic…” Daniel notices. “It was beating fucking fast, but now I can barely feel it… What the fuck?”       “I don’t get it…” Terrence pronounces in a shaking voice. “Everything was fine. Why did he suddenly start to feel so bad?”       “And he was hiding it from us and gonna jump on the scene as if nothing happened!” Daniel exclaims.       “And he would’ve eventually fainted before the eyes of the big crowd.”       “That’s good we noticed it in time. Otherwise, this idiot would’ve really gone out.”       “But when we just arrived here, he really looked fine. At least, not as terrible as he does now.”       “Agree, but his condition was getting worse before our eyes. He just looked weak and wanted to sleep all the time, but then he started to lack air, choked from a cough, and coughed up blood.”       “I’ve got a bad presentiment about this case, Daniel,” Terrence expresses anxiety. “If only Edward didn’t get much worse.”       “Don’t worry, Terrence, it’s gonna be okay,” Daniel calms down, putting his hand on Terrence’s shoulder. “Your brother is a tough and healthy man.”       “I’m gonna go crazy if something happens to him. I’m even afraid to think that I may lose my brother.”       “You will not lose him. Whatever happens, he can overcome this, I am sure about it. He's a tough guy, he doesn’t give up so easily. Even if a satellite from space falls over his head, your brother will survive anyway.”       “Fuck, Edward, why?” Terrence moves his eyes full of pity to Edward with a heavy breath. “How could you do this? HOW, THE FUCK? TELL ME, ASSHOLE!”       “Hey, hey, hey, quiet, quiet.” Daniel takes the excited Terrence under his arm. “Calm down.”       “Whoever’s guilty of this, I WILL KILL THEM! EVEN IF IT’S GONNA BE EDWARD HIMSELF! I WILL STRANGLE HIM WITH MY HANDS! I WILL KILL HIM!”       “Don’t go crazy, MacClife. Hold yourself down.”       “You think it’s so easy? When your close person is having a condition like this!”       “I get it. But if you’re acting like a psycho, it’s not gonna help Edward. He won’t be healed, no matter how much you’re screaming here.”       “I do know!” Terrence cuts off sharply and grabs his hair with both hands. “I DO KNOW! Know…”       Catching the air greedily, Terrence moves his eyes to the unconscious Edward and opens his eyes with a quiet oh when he sees a thin flow of blood coming out of his nose.       “Oh, damn…” Terrence turns Edward’s head sharply on himself, touches the blood tracks under his nose, and looks at them. “And he’s having a nosebleed.”       “Fuck, where’s Rose walking there?” Daniel resents, looking around excitedly. “Where’s the fucking doctor?”       Daniel exhales sharply, grabs his hair for two seconds, and runs his hands over the top of his head to the nape of his neck, trying so hard to keep thinking soberly, while Terrence is losing it slowly and does not even try to calm himself down with any encouraging words.       “No…” Terrence pronounces quietly in a shaking voice. “No, it can’t be the truth…”       “What’s wrong?” Daniel frowns slightly.       “I can’t feel the pulse…” Terrence tries to feel at least a weak pulse on Edward’s neck. “I can’t feel it… It’s gone… It was chaotic then, but there’s nothing now!”       “Come on?”       Daniel tries to catch the beats of the heart by putting two fingers on Edward’s wrist and does the same to his neck with widely open eyes.       “Fucking shit…” Daniel exhales loudly, not believing what’s happening. “No, no, no, no…”       “No, Daniel!” Terrence shakes his head. “Don’t say it aloud! Don’t tell me we’re losing him!”       “No, no, it seems to us… He's got a pulse… He does…”       “Not this… Please, not this!”       “He is not breathing…” Daniel horrifies after he bends to Edward’s face to check his breath. “Not breathing, Terrence…”       “No, no, no way, no way! NO FUCKING WAY!”       Terrence starts clapping Edward on his cheeks strongly.       “Don’t dare to die! Don’t dare to die! You can’t leave us! You can’t do this to me! Hear me, Edward! DON’T DARE, EDWARD! DON’T DARE!”       Getting sharply pale, Terrence grabs his hair with both hands with a heavy breath, barely holding down his wish to scream at just one thought about his brother’s death and understanding that it’s super hard for him to take every sign due to the pressure on his chest. Refusing to believe what’s happening, Daniel is trying so hard to catch some beats of the heart on Edward’s neck and wrist. But no matter how hard he tries, he cannot do this. The guy does not show any signs of life, and his lifeless body keeps lying motionlessly on the floor. His eyes are closed tightly, his lips have a light blue shade, and his pale skin stands out against the black jacket and the white t-shirt covered with blood that he coughed up some time ago.