The Criminal Diaries

      In the first half of the next day, Peter decided to go to the meeting with Marcus to try to find out where Helene is. Deep inside, he does not hope for anything and understands that he is wasting time making an effort not to succumb to provocations. But the man also wants to believe that he can get some information about his girlfriend, the thoughts about whom make his heart squeeze painfully, in a magical way.       Leaving his car in the big parking lot, Peter turns off the motor, gets out of the salon, and locks it with a key that he puts in the pocket of his black leather jacket. Then he, fixing slightly his sunglasses that cover his red eyes and protect them from the bright sun, comes to the high icon gates and goes through them. He ends up in a small park where many people walk by one or in companies with their sweethearts, friends, or dogs. The man walks quietly and determinedly straight down the asphalt path that leads him to the lake, on which ducks and a pair of white swans are swimming, some time later. There are multiple stoned benches and tables in front of him so everyone can eat what they take from home or buy in one of the stands on the way.       Some of them are free, some of them are taken by someone. Even having a bad vision, Peter can recognize Marcus enjoying the taste of chicken nuggets and drinking something from a plastic glass. Not alone, with Darren, who bought the same box and is now talking about something to him with a wide smile on his face. Not thinking a lot, Rose comes determinedly to them with his head proudly raised, while his hands are clenched tightly into fists. Watching what’s happening around, Marcus notices him quickly enough and opens his eyes a little surprisingly, coming here with his companion with no hope of meeting the guy here.       “Good morning, Peter,” Marcus greets with the calm that is typical for him, getting up from the bench and inclining his head slightly. “Glad to see you.”       “My morning will be good when I see your name and the names of your gang on the graves,” Peter snaps in a low, rude voice.       “I see you have decided to come. But to be honest, I was not waiting for you. I thought you’d stay home. Suffer and cry your eyes out, not knowing how to help your sweetheart.”       “I am going to make you tell me where you are hiding Helene. And you will tell me.”       “How naive you are, my boy.” Marcus sneers evilly. “How stupid. I told you I would say nothing to you.”       “I can read, don’t worry.”       “If you came here to learn the current location of your beauty, I want to upset you – it’s going to be the wasted time.”       “Of course, I know you will say nothing,” Peter replies confidently. “But I'm not going to give up and will believe that I can find my girlfriend.”       “Alright, my sweetheart, hope. Hope. Hope is always good, but you can’t count on this all the time. A human understands that waiting for the impossible is worthless early or late and decides to keep moving on.”       “Alright, honorable, stop showing off here and end this bullshit right now. You tell me where Helene is, but I take her out and do my best for the bastards surrounding you not to dare to touch her with a finger.”       “Do you still want it? After everything I have told you and shown you?”       “Aren’t you going to assure me that’s your proof for Helene’s betrayer?”       “It’s one of them,” Marcus smiles slyly.       “Don’t dream, old bastard! It’s not a secret to me that your henchmen used Helene by one and raped her. I know she would not agree to do this at her own will.”       “M-m-m, are you so sure about it, Rose?” Darren smiles slyly, sitting next to Marcus. “Are you sure the girl really rejected such a good suggestion? Sex for a comfortable life in captivity!”       “Be happy you are in the public now, asshole,” Peter hisses through his teeth with an irritated growl. “Otherwise, I would not pity you. I would hang you by your fucking smelly balls,”       “This place was chosen for this reason. So, you sit here and subdue your anger. That you will release on your friends.”       “M-m-m, you have come up with a whole plan of driving me crazy.”       “Sit down, Peter,” Marcus invites, pointing at the free place against him. “Don’t stand like the poor cousin. Let’s talk quietly, looking into each other’s eyes.”       “I’d scratch them to the fuck.”       With these words, Peter sits on the bench in front of Marcus and folds his hands in front of himself.       “I advise you to say where you hid Helene or set her free immediately at your wish. Otherwise, I swear you will have a great problem.”       “You will never see her again, my boy,” Marcus says confidently. “Helene Marshall is living her last days and pleasing my boys, who got this gal as a gift from me.”       “My girlfriend is guilty of nothing for you,” Peter replies rudely. “And you had no right to do that to her.”       “If she weren’t your girlfriend, Helene would live quietly and do her business. But she fell in love with you. But you are my biggest enemy. The enemy that I want to torture enough before killing.”       “Let’s deal with this face-to-face as fucking real men. Though I don’t the fuck understand what my fault is for you. What I did to you since I have to live in hell because of you.”       “Don’t worry, Rose, you will know everything soon,” Darren promises with a sly smile. “Mr. Longbottom will kindly tell you the reasons for all of this before you stand in the line for the distribution of souls.”       “Yeah, you should know nothing now,” Marcus agrees. “Though nobody bans you from making guesses. Thinking about what could be a real reason for my wild hate for you.”       “I repeat, if my mother did not please you with something, deal with her by yourself,” Peter recalls rudely. “But I am not going to pay for the sins of that alcoholic who left me on my own.”       “Do you mean you haven’t come up with any new guesses over this whole time?”       “You did drop a hint to my girlfriend about my mother having to do with this story!”       “Yeah, right. But I advise you to think a little wider, not so one-sidedly.”       “I have no time, no strength, no wish to play your fucking games and guess something. I give a fuck about the goal you are chasing me for. I am absolutely clean for you and have no idea of how I could harm the one I have never known.”       “Don’t worry, Peter, you will get all the answers. I promise that when it’s your time to die, I shall be happy to answer all your questions and tell you everything about me. Absolutely everything.”       “I doubt your biography will help me understand why you the fuck started it all.”       “Thank what you want.”       “Where’s Helene, old bastard?” Peter demands an answer in a low, rude voice. “What did you the fuck do to her? WHERE ARE YOU THE FUCK HOLDING HER?”       “Calm down, Rose, stop screaming,” Darren throws coldly. “Don’t act like a hysterical boy.”       “Where are other pals of yours, bastard? Where are all those assholes who fucked my girlfriend by one?” Peter grabs Darren sharply by the collar, setting his icy look into his eyes. “WHERE ARE THEY? ANSWER!”       “Hey, you, empty-headed woodpecker, don’t dare to touch me!” Darren roars, moving Peter’s hands off himself rudely.       “Do not make me enraged, bastard. You will now bring all that gang of jackals to me. And I shall show you where you belong. Break and tear your fucking penises so you have nothing to get into holes and squeeze.”       “Yeah, where is your loyal gang?” Marcus asks surprisingly. “Why are they not with you? Did you annoy them with your hysterics so hard that those freaks fucked you off?”       “The supply of fresh blood is cancelled, honorable. My friends aren’t with me, I came here all alone. Though they do know well where the meeting will take place. If I need it, I only have to make just one call, so that they come here shortly and help me kick your asses.”       “M-m-m, wow, the coward decided to prove to us that he is not a coward,” Darren smirks contemptuously. “I guess your pants got wet from fear when coming here. And when you came here, your heart started to beat as fast as a buddy’s.”       “I see you also tensed when I said I’d break your balls. The most valuable and dearest thing any man has. If you don’t have a big and thick penis, you have no right to call yourself a man.”       “Well, my aggregate cannot be compared to your whistle that can only be seen through a microscope.”       “I wish it would rot off! The same wish for your pals. Whom, I swear, shall kill personally after what you have done to Helene.”       “By the way, the gal is pretty sexy,” Darren provokes with a mysterious smile, stroking his chin. “Of course, it was impossible to deal with her when she screamed and resisted. But when we hit her with an electric gun, the baby became freaking obedient. And she let the guys and me undress her and admire her boobs that Luther liked so badly, and her ass. Which she actually should work a little on so it’s feng shui-ed.”       “Hey, bastard, haven’t you had your face beaten for ages?” Peter asks in a rude, low voice, clenching his hand into a fist with a heavy breath. “It’s been a while since your dick was burned with a kettle?”       “Whoa, whoa, boy, easy!” Marcus raises his hands. “Why are you so bloodthirsty?”       “Do you dare to mock me, pretending to be an idiot that does not understand what the fuck wrong is?”       “My boy, why are you so worried about that betrayal? Don’t you care that she has slept with several guys? She is not the pure and innocent girl you met.”       “I only care that these several guys FORCED her to do that. Not just one time, as I understand.”       “This cutie is wanted to be fucked every day,” Darren says. “To squeeze her boobs and ass and caress all her holes with fingers. M-m-m… When I think of these moments, I feel immediately hard.”       “If I hear something like this again, I shall bury you right here before everyone’s eyes.” Peter claps sharply on the table with his hands. “Did you get it, bastard? YOU GOT IT, I ASKED?”       “What can you do, milksop? Wave your wings like a hysterical girl and scream at the whole street so someone calls doctors from the mental hospital?”       “You will see what I can do if I know one of you dares to touch Helene with your finger again. Look at her. Breathe on her. THINK OF HER!”       “Don’t worry, Peter, I will not leave you without the explicit content,” Marcus promises with a sly smile. “The guys took a lot of photos and videos that I will be sending to you every day. Not everything at once, of course, but little by little. Though you can hardly feel hard for this naked girl at the thought that dicks of other men have been in her, and her gorgeous, tender lips sucked them fucking hard.”       “By the way, didn’t you crush your phone when you got a message from the lord?” Darren asks. “When you understood your gal no longer belonged to you. She belonged to the guys and me after she was given to us as a gift. The most generous gift that we had ever had in our lives.”       “The guys were right that I shouldn’t have come here,” Peter growls irritably. “You just wanted to make me mad. Provoke me for some stupid things.”       “I did not make you come!” Marcus throws his hands up with an innocent smile. “I said you could come here in case you were interested in finding out how my guys got pleasure from sex with Helene Marshall. And as I understand, you were interested in how the gal was fucked by four men.”       “Maybe, we will fuck her all together tonight,” Darren adds. “Come to her tonight and have fun. She will suck one, another will get into her deeply, the third will caress her naked body, and the fourth one will be masturbating at the sight of all of this.”       “Ar-r-r, bastards…” Peter hisses through his teeth, clenching his hands tightly in fists, while his face gets red from anger. “I wish you all had died on the way. I wish you were crushed by a truck.”       “Don’t worry, buddy, we will surely record a video of our hangout and take a lot of photos. Mr. Longbottom will be happy to send you a report about our party.”       “And knowing the gal is too weak now and can barely walk, she will stop resisting and acting like a hysterical girl soon,” Marcus adds.       “What?” Peter explodes in a rude bass voice.       “I suggested the girl befriend us and live with us in peace. She should’ve just been a good girl and done everything we said. But Helene did not listen. She has tried to escape many times, been mean to my people, attacked them with fists, showing off…”       “So, we had no choice but to deprive her of water and food,” Darren adds. “Yes, yes, the gal is hungry now. And she squeaks all the time, Complains about the stomach pain, dizziness, and weakness in her legs. We offered her some food for her agreement to have sex, but she refused. The guys and I fuck her anyway, but we don’t feed her. Because she’s guilty. She forgot that she was a prisoner who must have obeyed any orders.”       “You will pay me for this,” Peter threatens, literally killing Marcus and Darren with his eyes full of anger and hate. “I will not close my eyes to this! You will all pay me for Helene’s suffering. I SHALL MAKE YOU ALL PAY FOR THIS!”       “You are nervous,” Marcus notices. “You are nervous because you are powerless. You are in despair because you can do nothing. So, you only have to do nothing but snap and throw empty threats.”       “Anyway, I try to take measures and do not wait for everyone to do everything for me.”       “Wrong, my sweetheart. Whatever you and your friends do, you will meet failure. Helene is hidden in a very trustworthy place that you cannot easily find. And she will not escape. Because we will not let her do it. And the girl will not be able to orient herself in a place she does not know.”       “Why are you doing this? WHY, THE FUCK? EXPLAIN IT TO ME!”       “Later, Peter, later.”       “I demand that you let my girlfriend go immediately and let her come back home. Her grandmother has been lying in bed for several days, suffering from high blood pressure and heart pain. She cries all day long, not letting go of Helene’s stuff. The policeman, who is investigating the case, also has his heart squeezed because of that poor woman.”       “That old lady has just two Mondays to live!” Darren exclaims. “Do not take care of her so hard! If she dies, it means her time has come! She will meet her granddaughter in heaven.”       “If you want it, deprive me of freedom. Lock me in that place, deprive me of food and water, beat me, torture me, tie me up… Do anything you want to me! But let Helene go. Stop making her suffer! She doesn’t deserve it!”       “Aw, it’s so generous to sacrifice yourself for your girlfriend’s freedom…”       “I am madly sorry that I have to decline this suggestion,” Marcus says. “Because I am not going to give up on my wish to get rid of the girl before it’s time for her sweetheart.”       “Are you waiting for her to die from hunger and cold?” Peter smirks evilly. “Don’t you want to deal with her? Is this why you are torturing her morally and psychologically?”       “Trust me, she will not live long in the condition she has to live in. While a human can live a long time without food, they die quickly without water. And if you add some psychological violence to this… Marshall is already close to a nervous breakdown, and her eyes are always wet from tears. Every time my people come, she always cries.”       “Don’t wait for pity from me if she dies.” Peter grabs Marcus by the collar with one hand. “I swear, old bastard, I shall cut your throat and bury you alive personally. I am fucking angry because of your tricks and the attempts of your henchmen to rape Helene, but her death is going to turn me into a monster.”       “Hey, move your dirty hands off the lord!” Darren roars, moving Peter’s hand sharply off Marcus. “Respect the one who is older than you. But if you weren’t taught to do it, we can fix it easily.”       “Hey, fucking ass-licker, you'd better go to walk somewhere if you don’t want to spend one day or two in the trauma unit where they would fix your arms and legs piece by piece.”       “I’m sure you will not be trying so hard to save her after we show you some videos that my guys took,” Marcus assures with a slight smile. “Trust me, these shots are not for the faint-hearted lovers.”       “You can even show me the full process from start to end! I will not believe that my girlfriend agreed to do all these dirty tricks you came up with.”       “Prisoners have no right of the voice, Rose,” Darren notices. “We give a fuck about what Helene wants. Since she’s our prisoner, and we want to fuck her, she must spread her legs and open her mouth widely. Otherwise, we will do this by force. After we put her to sleep a little.”       “Close your mouth, bastard!” Peter roars, clapping his hands on the table, getting up from the table, and bending to Darren. “SHUT UP, I SAID! IF YOU SAY JUST ONE WORD, YOU WILL BE DEAD!”       “SHUT UP!” Darren explodes and slaps Peter in the face strongly. “SIT DOWN! SIT DOWN, I SAID!”       “Don’t dare to tell me what to do, fucking piece of shit!”       “Calm down, Peter, why would you scream?” Marcus pronounces with amazing calm. “Do you want to get attention on you?”       “Don’t meddle, asshole!”       “Relax, boy, don’t fret when you completely understand you can do nothing. Accept the fact that you lost your sweetheart forever. Accept the fact that you will be dead soon. And don’t try to protect your friends in case they don’t understand what’s better for them.”       “I shall NEVER accept it and SHALL NOT give up on my attempts to save Helene from what is threatening her.”       “Let’s see if you remain determined after I show you a little collection of the stuff from my loyal guys’ party.”       Marcus takes his cheap but good enough smartphone from the pocket of his coat and looks for something on it for a few seconds, while Peter breathes like a furious bull and looks at him and Darren with a bloodshot glance, tensing every single muscle of his body.       “Enjoy this cutie.” Marcus turns the screen of his smartphone to Peter, starting to swipe left slowly. “Look at these exciting curves, what a body…. How beautiful a young girl can be when she is absolutely naked.”       Peter’s eye starts shaking as he sees tons of photos of the naked Helene on Marcus’ phone that were taken when she was unconscious. His face gets immediately red, his breath gets heavier, his fingers shake slightly, and his muscles are so tensed that it gives him pain.       “The guys pictured her from all sides. They pictured every part of her gorgeous body.” Marcus sighs with a blissful smile. “Ah, I wish I were the same age as them… I’d die of happiness if I caressed this kitty. But alas, my age doesn’t let me do it. I mean, my health is not good now. I’m not allowed to tense.”       “Look, look, Rose!” Darren exclaims with a sly smile. “But don’t forget to wipe your saliva. You look like you see Marshall’s naked ass and squeeze her boobs once per six months.”       “Ar-r-r-r…” Peter growls irritably.       “Now you can see all of this in photos only,” Marcus says confidently. “And touch it in real life.”       “But before death, you can lock yourself in the bathroom and get an orgasm, looking at this stuff that the lord sends you so kindly,” Darren adds.       “If you don’t stop it now, I swear I shall crash this photo to the fuck,” Peter threatens in a low, rude voice.       “Oh, you haven’t seen the videos yet. Watching any of them can make you super excited.”       “By the way, I have those I couldn’t send yesterday,” Marcus says thoughtfully and starts checking something on his phone.       “Oh, fuck, I’m an idiot…” Peter moans under his nose, rolling his eyes. “Why did I the fuck come here? Why didn’t I listen to the guys?”       “Yeah! I found them!” Marcus turns the screen of the smartphone to Peter. “Look, Peter! See how good and funny the guys felt when having fun with this young beauty.”       In anger, Peter squeezes one of the glasses placed on the table so strongly that his face gets red, and little drops of sweat show up on his forehead. His eye keeps shaking, and his body is squeezing from the painful tension. Just because this is the video with Darren and David looking at the naked body of the unconscious Helene with hungry eyes, caressing, and kissing every part of it.       “Fucking assholes…” Peter hisses. “Bastards…”       “M-m-m, when I think about it, it’s getting harder to breathe…” Darren pronounces with enjoyment. “Oh, it’s getting tighter in my pants as I watch this video.”       “Elijah couldn’t resist, either,” Marcus notices. “He refused at first and was as shy as a girl. But this baby could not leave him indifferent.”       Other videos that Marcus shows are all the same. But one of them shows Darren and David opening the flies and getting their pants down first to do the unthinkable things to the helpless Helene, asking if someone is recording the video two times.       “Turn it off…” Peter demands with a heavy breath, glancing aside. “I said, turn it off!”       “So, boy, is it disgusting to realize that you are not the only one for the gal?” Marcus sneers evilly. “Luther and Ronald came to visit her before David and Darren. But sadly, they got so busy with this thing that they pictured nothing. However, as they said, the girl, whom they tied up and shut up with a rag, stopped resisting at some moment. She only squeaked that she felt pain.”       “Stop making me the fuck think she betrayed me in this way! STOP! I SHALL NOT BELIEVE IT! NEVER! NO WAY!”       “I don’t make you believe anything.”       Marcus turns off the screen of the phone that he just put in front of himself on the table.       “I just showed you what was happening to your girl. I let you know that Marshall is alive yet, but she might not live for too long. And I allowed my guys to have fun with her at any time.”       “Nasty bastards…” Peter hisses through his teeth. “A whole crowd fucked the weak girl… When she was unconscious. Sick assholes!”       “The guys and I don’t regret anything,” Darren says with his head proudly raised. “And we will not regret. And we will come to her again. Again. Again. And again. Very soon, the gal will undress, lie, and spread her legs by herself so we can do our work. She will understand that fighting, screaming, and biting are worthless.”       “As I understand, don’t you mind a long and tormenting castration with no anesthesia and painkillers?”       “You are talking a lot, but you will not do anything from what you promise,” Marcus replies quietly. “Because you are cowardly and weak.”       “If you kill Helene, you will know how cowardly and weak I am. I shall do something to make you fucking overwhelmed!”       “Come on? And wouldn’t you even need the help of your friends? Without whom, your pants are always wet!”       “I do believe yours would be dry if you were eighteen, not ninety. You wouldn’t surround yourself by so many nasty bastards, who try so hard to lick your ass to get a chance to fuck my girlfriend against her will.”       “Watch your mouth, freak!” Darren demands rudely. “Fucking cad! Fucking asshole!”       “Don’t be mad at him, Darren,” Marcus smiles slyly. “Nobody just educated the boy. So, no wonder he is really so uneducated.”       “I am only educated with those who deserve it,” Peter says. “But I do not want to please you with this, bastards. Especially after what you did to Helene. I shall not close my eyes to this.”       “Ah, Peter, Peter…” Marcus sighs tiredly, folding his hands on the table in front of him. “I’m begging you… Remember what you really are. Stop pretending to be a brave and determined hero. You are a timid, insecure boy who fears everything in the world. Who actually shakes over in front of everything like a cowardly bunny.”       “Stop provoking me.”       “I’m telling the truth.”       “You cannot know who I am!”       “Oh, no, I know everything about you. I even know what you don’t know what about.” Marcus sets his confident glance into Peter’s eyes rounded in surprise. “I mean, what you don’t remember. I mean, what you made yourself forget.”       Peter getting pale tenses all his muscles with a quiet ooh shortly, feeling that his heart starts beating much faster, and something is pressing strongly on his chest and not letting him breathe.       “Oh, your eyes are running! Your breath is heavy… Your body tensed… Which means you know what I’m talking about.”       “I do not!” Peter snaps, suddenly feeling the unexplainable pain in his stomach, while sweat shows up on his forehead. “You say some kind of bullshit! Your old brain doesn’t work at all!”       “By the way, do your friends know what you don’t want to confess? Do they know why you actually stopped trusting people and did not let anyone come to you for a long time.”       “I cannot confess what I don’t know, don’t remember, didn’t see, and didn’t hear!”       “So, do you understand something is not right with you? Your body reacts like this to the words about what was erased from your memory for one or another reason.”       “It’s none of your fucking business!”       “But I do know what’s going on. I am well aware. And if I want, I can refresh your memory. But I’m not sure if I should do this now. I shall think about it.”       “Listen, honorable, honestly, I really give a fuck about why you started it all,” Peter says, clenching his hands into fists. “Really. I give a fuck. Leave your truth with you. I don’t need it. I only care about one thing – my girlfriend. And I shall not calm down until I see her alive and healthy.”       “M-m-m, your attempt to avoid the answer means this talk is not nice to you. Though I am not surprised at all. Anyone would prefer to be silent and keep this pain inside if they were you.”       “If you don’t tell me anything good, I shall get up and leave.”       “But early or late, you will have to come back to this. You will have to get through the pain that still kills you. You cannot run away from this pain forever.”       “I shall solve my problems by myself.”       “You remember that when you and I met the day after yesterday, I mentioned the world that literally tried to get rid of you. So, it’s the truth. One of the proofs is what you are trying to deny.”       “Shut up…” Peter pronounces in an irritated whisper. “Shut up!”       “But it’s alright, I shall fix this mistake that was made many years ago very soon. I shall save this world from the trash it does not need. Nobody and nothing will no longer have to try to kill you or force you to do this by yourself.”       Peter inclines his head slightly with a heavy breath and clenches his hands tightly into fists, understanding that his heartbeat gets faster and closing his eyes for a second due to the slight dizziness.       “I feel you want this passionately right here, right now. Even your beloved girlfriend cannot make your life better. You keep suffering. The events of the past are killing you inside more and more. They’re the reason why you still don’t trust people and expect a betrayer from them all the time. You are afraid that even your close people may stab you in the back at any time. Just like your beloved Helene did it.”       “Maybe, it’s true,” Peter replies in a low, little shaking voice. “But since I let someone in my circle, it means they have already proved their loyalty. I can trust them completely.”       “No, Peter, you don’t trust even the people from your close circle. You are probably waiting for some bad tricks from your friends all the time. You are afraid that they will leave you. That’s why you are nervous all the time, telling them to prove their loyalty again and again.”       “Actually, the guys give no reason to doubt them. Even if I kick them out, they don’t leave me and say they will always be near.”       “Never say never, my sweet boy. Sometimes even those you would easily trust with your life could betray you.”       “You don’t know the guys to have a right to judge them.”       “I’ve said it already, but I can repeat: if the guys really wished you the best, they wouldn’t make you suffer and save you from what you are destined to.”       “Listen, your verbal diarrhea makes me feel a headache,” Peter winces slightly, grabbing his head with both hands. “And my stomach suddenly hurt! And I wanna vomit. Maybe you will finally shut up? Forever, preferably!”       “So, don’t you like it?” Marcus sneers evilly. “Are you hurt at the thought that these guys can betray you? Are you afraid that you made a great mistake, letting someone come into your life like a naive idiot? So they ruin it much more!”       “The one to be guilty of my problems is just me.”       “No, Peter, it’s not your fault. The fault is in this cruel and unfair world that does not want to see your wide smile and the gloss in your eyes. The universe literally got mad at you and takes revenge for deciding to come into it. It considers you something like a piece of tape on the paw of a cat that cannot get rid of it. Something like a failed project that may be thrown in a trash can.”       Peter says nothing and just swallows nervously, looking hesitantly at Marcus, while Darren smiling slyly prefers to be silent and drinks something from his plastic glass.       “So, you did the right thing by not trusting people. They all want to get rid of you. Everyone wants to hurt you. They enjoy your sufferings. You are a cowardly, insecure, and weak freak who was left by everyone and has never had anyone’s love. Including that alcoholic lady who gave a fuck about you with the thought that you could not be anything good.”       “Did you the fuck decide to mock me?” Peter gets enraged. “Do you like to insult and humiliate me?”       “I don’t insult you, I am telling you the truth!”       “Fuck you and your fucking truth!”       Peter hits the almost-empty plastic sharply, and some of the drink from it ends up on the table.       “I am leaving! Because I do not want to listen to this bullshit of the old bastard that went insane.”       “You don’t want to listen because you understand it’s the truth,” Marcus notices. “The truth you are trying to deny so hard.”       “When you are pleased to tell me about Helene’s current location, let me know it. And I shall come to meet you in case you are ready to do this. Or at least explain why this fucking hell is happening now.”       Peter gets up sharply from the table, turns around, and goes in an unknown direction in a sharp, wide step, while Marcus smiles evilly and watches the tense man full of anger with a blushed face.       “The boy is nervous,” Marcus pronounces thoughtfully. “He understands that I am right.”       “I do not doubt that he started to doubt the loyalty of his friends after all your words,” Darren replies confidently.       “You’re right, I settled some doubts inside him. The psychological pressure works like magic. I don’t even have to prove anything.”       “It would be easy for you to wash his brain because he does not have any kind of psychological protection. He is like a nude girl: he is a weak, vulnerable, and unprotected person that you can do anything you want to.”       “That’s right…” Marcus crosses his arms over his chest, raising his head proudly. “Peter has not gotten the icon shield and sword yet. And this kind of aggression is his protective reaction, which does not mean he is strong and can stand up for himself.”       “As they say, the best protection is an attack.”       “He just understands he cannot get anything with tears. The boy cried for his whole childhood, and the only thing he got was the fact that everyone bullied him with no shame. He did not protect himself and tolerated all of that silently.”       “I can imagine what’s gonna happen if Rose manages to remember what you just talked about. Remember what can give him a much stronger trauma than Marshall’s betrayer.”       “I think we can try, so to speak, replay that episode in real life when I think it’s time to get rid of him. So, he is happy with his death and begging for this. We know so well that’s the reason why he tries to kill himself for the very first time.”       “You’re right, as always, Mr. Longbottom!” Darren exclaims with a wide smile. “Rose’s death should not be easy. He must suffer a lot before it happens.”       “Helene and he are already suffering. The girl is suffering from hunger, loneliness, rape, and cruel tortures, and we are psychologically torturing the boy. Words, reminders of the past… I’m also going to send him photos and videos of his naked girlfriend. And who knows, maybe I shall get some kind of dirt for his friends, too. Maybe, I will also turn Peter against that whole gang.”       “Trust me, lord, that guy cannot trust them already. I’m not sure that he has always trusted them at one hundred percent, even if he befriended them.”       “That’s why I say he should blame this world, not himself. People. They are the evil that is trying to get rid of him.”       “It’s true,” Darren agrees. “Any action has a reason for it. Rose would hardly dream of killing himself and withdrawing into himself if he grew up in a healthy environment.”       “Absolutely correct.” Marcus clears his throat quickly. “However, all his sufferings will end soon. I will take care of this personally.”       “Haven’t you decided when you want to deal with him? The gal cannot live for too long if she doesn’t eat and drink.”       “I shall wait for several days. And then I shall contact Peter and invite him to the meeting. The one that will end it all. I will tell him the reasons for this hell and give you an order to get rid of the gal and him.”       “We will be ready at any time, sir.”       “Besides, Helene is not so exhausted to stop resisting at all. But we should do our best for her just to lie and blink her eyes. No matter what we do to her: fucking, stabbing, caressing, beating, burning with something hot…”       “We got it.”       “May she think this is the karma for her past actions. For being the reason why so many people suffered because of her. Marshall thought everything was in the past, and she got away from it easily, but now it’s her time to pay for everything. The dark angel will fall soon. The black sheep will be destroyed. These two pieces will never reunite in the living world. The pieces of heart that will meet in the afterlife.”       Darren says nothing and just nods confidently, while Marcus smiles smugly and looks into his plastic glass lying on the side of the table, and the poured drink that he did not drink with some kind of sadness. But he has a couple of potato tortillas that he eats quietly, continuing the conversation with his companion about everything the old man has been dreaming of for such a long time.       

***

      Helene has not come to herself after the nightmare she saw last night. The girl could not fall asleep after that and just kept lying on the bed. To be clear, she was afraid to fall asleep at the thought that Peter would come to her again to try to kill her and blame her for betraying him after the cruel rape. The stomach pain caused by hunger drives her crazier and crazier and deprives her of the rest of the strength she still has. As well as the fact that she has nothing to do but just lie on the bed and stare into the distance. Well… Or count all the nice and insects that run on the floor or creep on the walls.       Every muscle is still painfully tensed, and there are tons of fresh and old bruises and bites from mosquitoes on her skin. Her puffy red eyes horrify, she feels dizzy, and she sometimes has a headache due to the stress and tears Helene sheds all day long. The girl does not know if she should wait for salvation after it’s been literally forever. And she starts to regret a lot leaving the home on the day of her kidnapping, thinking it could save her from the hell where she is burning slowly like a candle.       Also, Marshall thinks of her past more and more and starts to believe that what’s happening to her is punishment. The payback that she has to give so many years later, when she relaxed and forgot everything. She understands that just regretting everything and apologizing was not enough. And any kind actions are definitely not the reason to whitewash her and make her holy. Helene has addressed the gods so many times to ask them for forgiveness for everything she did and begged them to let her know how she can fix her mistakes and save herself. And she feels empty since nobody is going to give her a chance to get peace.       Helene hugs the pillow tightly with both arms, not paying attention to the fact that it’s wet from the endless flow of her tears. She keeps looking into the distance with dead eyes when someone pushes something heavy off the door and opens it at some moment. And she does not react when Elijah enters the room quietly, holding a little bottle of clean water and a gray packet.       “Lying, beauty, feeling bored?” Elijah asks as if nothing had happened. “But I came to you with something.”       Closing the door, Elijah comes to the table, puts the bottle of water, and takes a small plastic box with multiple sections full of some food from the packet.       “I talked to Marcus and assured him to let you eat a little. It’s not good to live so many days without food and water. You may die before he wants to get rid of you.”       Elijah wraps the packet several times and puts it on the table near the bed, while Helene keeps lying on the bed with her back turned to him and does not react to his words.       “It has a couple of hearty sandwiches, a little bit of salad, a little bit of cookies, pieces of a full apple, and a bunch of grapes. And a little bottle of water so you don’t feel dryness in your mouth.       Although Helene does not show it, she is happy to have the opportunity to eat a little deep inside.       “Don’t worry, everything is fresh, no poisoning threat. I personally ordered all of this in the food delivery app. A delivery guy brought it all literally two hours ago. I left something for me and put it in the box with the lord’s permission.”       Elijah sits on the edge of the bed and claps Helene on her thigh.       “Most likely, you will not get this kind of concession anymore. So, I advise you to do something to eat it for several days. Don’t eat everything at once. I had to make a lot of effort to convince Marcus to agree to feed you.”       Helene says nothing and just swallows nervously, squeezing the pillow tighter.       “And I don’t advise you to show off. If you get food, just eat it. Otherwise, it’s gonna be worse for you.”       “Could it be worse?” Helene wonders in a shaking voice and sniffs, still lying on her side with her back turned on Elijah. “I’m living in hell! Alone, hungry, surrounded by some living things, in coldness… And everyone rapes me… Uses me like a toy…”       “Everything is not so bad, babe. Nobody limits your movements, nobody ties your hands and feet. You can walk in the room, jump, run… Warm up so your muscles are not atrophied. I'm going to tell you a secret, it’s a real punishment.”       “I can’t take this anymore… A little bit before I go crazy. Living in these conditions is unbearable.”       “Listen, Helene, none of the guys wants to harm you on purpose. You think we need it all? Not the fuck at all! If not for Marcus, we wouldn’t even pay attention to you.”       “But it doesn’t stop you from tying me up, knocking me out, undressing me, raping me, and taking photos and videos.”       “You’re a young and beautiful girl. She can excite any healthy man. So, my friend cannot resist you. Especially when nobody can stop them. When they are encouraged.”       “I don’t want this!” Helene exclaims in despair. “I don’t! I have a boyfriend! Whom I literally betrayed. Though I didn’t want it! I did not!”       “What can I do?” Elijah throws his hands up. “Marcus doesn’t control us at all in this case, and the guys don’t hold themselves down.”       “I feel dirty now. Spitted. Used. And my whole body hurts after what you’ve done to me.”       “In my defense, I can say I didn't fuck you. I just caressed your naked body a little, but nothing more.”       Elijah runs his hand over Helene’s naked leg and claps her slightly on the buttock.       “It was impossible to resist when the guys teased me on purpose. That’s why I didn’t resist and joined their game. But I kindly declined their suggestion of taking my pants off and getting into you. Because I had spent a cool night with a prostitute the day before.”       “But I’m not a prostitute!”       Helene turns onto her back and moves her tear-stained eyes to Elijah.       “Grandma and Grandpa raised me as a shy and decent person and paid a lot of attention to my education. For the time being, they did not allow me to walk with boys. And then they wanted me to bring those I met at home so they could decide if they were good for me.”       “Don’t worry, Marshall,” Elijah says confidently. “We promise your grandmother will not know you’re gonna be our sex toy until your death. She will know nothing. I think Rose has enough brains not to tell her everything Marcus will be telling him kindly in the next few days. He hardly wants to bring the old lady to death in this way.”       “Grandfather is probably twisting in the grave because of everything you’re doing to me.”       “It’s not our problem.”       “Is this torture never going to be over?” Helene sniffs. “Will you keep putting me under these endless sufferings?”       “Of course, not, silly girl!” Elijah caresses Helene’s forearms. “It’s not going to last forever.”       “I’m starting to go crazy here little by little. From fear, loneliness, stress… I see nightmares, I see what’s not real all the time… I’m not sure if I’m living in reality. As if this is my nightmare that nobody can wake me up from.”       “That’s what Marcus wants. He wants to bring you to the craziness and deprive you of the strength so you don’t resist. And while you scream, squeak, and try to escape, it means you have a lot of strength.”       “I just want to live! Live! You see!”       “I get it, but I cannot help you.”       “Please, sir, pity me…” Helene begs in despair. “Do something…”       “Still thinking I’m a good man that is going to go on the light side, save you from the horrible beast, and bring you back to your gorgeous prince?”       “You are not the same as your friends. You’re different… I… I don’t believe you’re so terrible.”       “I know a man should do a little to melt any girl’s heart. It was enough for me just to feed you and refuse to fuck you.”       “Please, help me… I will do anything you want, but take me out of here. Let me come back home.”       “If everything depended on me, I would probably pity you. But in this case, Marcus decides everything. I risked my head by deciding to come to him and ask him for permission to buy some food for you.”       “Why did you do this then?” Helene wonders. “Why did you come to him?”       “I was just a little sorry for you. Seeing you suffer from strong stomach pain. Seeing you barely standing due to the weakness and dizziness.”       “You see! It means something already! While your friends don’t pity me, you behave differently.”       “You’ve got a wild fantasy, Helene. You’re an adult girl. It’s time to forget all the tales of princes and princesses and kindness that takes a victory over evil. It’s time to remember that real life is different, it’s too cruel and unfair at times.”       “At least, you’re the one I fear much less than Marcus and the others.”       “I’m gonna call it a compliment,” Elijah flashes a slight smile. “But I repeat, don’t even count on me. I wouldn’t help you even if I really wanted to. My life is more important to me. And Marcus does not pity those who betray him. Those who go against him pay a high cost for this in the end.”       “My life is important to me, too. And I’m ready for anything to save it, come back home, and see my close people.”       “Don’t dream, girl. Even if you agree to suck all of us and spread your legs for us, nobody will let you go.”       “I don’t want to die…” Helene sobs loudly. “I’m too young…”       “Trust me, after you spend many more days here, you will not wish to live, for sure. You will be exhausted that death will seem the only salvation to you.”       “Until I have my beloved people, I will be fighting for my life and will not give it at my wish. I’m still alive thanks to them. Thanks to the thoughts about them. Thanks to the thought about them needing me.”       “Any hopes get weak early or late when days and weeks pass by, but the situation doesn’t change for the better or gets much worse.”       “First of all, I’m holding on for Peter. Because I know he needs me. He can’t live without me. Even the guys won’t save him if something happens to me.”       “Peter will hardly like the fact that you’ve been fucked by many men. He doubted your loyalty, but this case got him enraged. If Marcus tells him everything right, you will become the nastiest bitch to him. And he will stop looking for you. He will give a fuck about your death, which is getting closer and closer.”       “Peter will not believe that I did it at my wish!”       “We will see, Marshall. Anyway, yesterday, your boyfriend got some beautiful photos of his naked beauty in an unconscious condition that was fucked by two men.”       “What?” Helene opens her eyes widely, feeling that her heart stops for a moment.       “I imagine how enraged Rose was when he realized that he wasn’t the only one to see your naked ass and boobs anymore.”       “No…” Helene shakes her head sharply and sniffs loudly, starting to breathe heavily enough. “No, it cannot be the truth! It cannot!”       “Don’t worry, the guys and I took a lot of photos and videos that Marcus will be sending to Peter every day,” Elijah promises. “Telling him how good the guys felt in all details.”       “No, please, don’t…”       Helene rolls onto her stomach and hides her head in her arms, snuggling her nose in the pillow and starting to cry bitterly.       “God, why? Why?”       “Be happy you’re far, dolly,” Elijah says confidently, clapping Helene on the back. “Peter cannot start a scandal, blame you for all sins, and leave you. Since he’s our hot-headed guy, there is a chance that Rose may kill you in anger.”       “I don’t want… I don’t want him to leave me.”       “Why would you worry when you’ll never meet again? Marcus will not let him hug and kiss you for the last time. When it’s time, you two will die. And none of you will help each other. You will not save Rose, he will not get you out of here.”       Helene says nothing and just keeps crying bitterly and loudly, screaming into the pillow in despair at some moment.       “So, accept your fate, Marshall.” Elijah claps Helene on her buttocks. “Nobody will save you again. And it’s too late to regret your mistakes. It’s too late to think everything would’ve been otherwise if you had done something wrong.”       “Why? Why do I have to suffer like this?”       “Trust me, dolly, sometimes people suffer for nothing. You kind of do nothing, but you have your ass kicked all the time. Even if you’re the kindest person in the world, who is ready to give the last piece of bread to someone, it cannot save you from the injustice and cruelty of this world.”       “My life cannot be over like this. It cannot end so early. I’m not ready to die. Not ready! I don’t want!”       “Sorry, but I cannot help you. If Marcus wants to do something, he will not give up. Even if he runs into failures, that man will try to do this again and again.”       “No…”       “The case of Rose proves it. Marcus has been trying to kill him for much longer than you think, but your sweetheart always manages to get away from it.”       “He’s guilty of nothing for that man. Peter didn’t know him at all!”       “Wrong, girl. Peter once gave my lord such a strong pain. And he cannot still come to himself after that. And I’m not even sure if he will get better when that guy is lying dead in the ground.”       “What kind of pain?” Helene wonders, moving her tear-stained eyes to Elijah.       “If he thinks he should do this, you will know everything very soon. I can say just one thing: when Peter hears Marcus’ confession, he will be really surprised.”       “Is it really worth torturing and killing him like this?”       “The lord thinks it is. And nobody is going to change their mind and say that murder and death are not a solution. The guys and I support him in everything. It will always happen.”       “Support the one who killed hundreds of innocent people just for the unhealthy pleasure?”       “Everyone makes mistakes in their youth.”       “Seriously?” Helene opens her eyes widely. “Is that just a mistake to you? Just an accident?”       “Marcus is not a child anymore and can decide how to live and what to do. The guys and I don’t care about his life, and we are not going to meddle in it.”       “If you really didn’t meddle in it, you wouldn’t help him do everything to harm Peter and me.”       “We’re just honoring our late fathers, whom Marcus befriended.”       “It’s unfair! Unfair!”       “Alright, Marshall, I don’t see the meaning in talking to you anymore. I have nothing to say and will do my business. And a little later, someone from the guys will come here to watch you later.”       Elijah gets up quietly from the bed, while Helene keeps lying on her stomach, looking at him with dead eyes and embracing the pillow tightly.       “I advise you not to show off and to eat what I gave you. Say, ‘thank you’ to me for being lucky enough to persuade Marcus to allow me to feed you. Otherwise, you would be sitting here hungry for several more days.”       After cleaning his throat quickly, Elijah comes to the door, opens it, and turns to Helene to say something in the end:       “See you later, dolly. I advise you to be a good girl in the next few days if you don’t want them to be a real hell to you.”       Elijah leaves the room and closes the door that he props with something heavy again. Helene sighs heavily with sadness in her eyes and sniffs quietly due to despair and the realization of her helplessness and the hopeless situation.       “God, do You really think I deserved it all?” Helene asks herself. “Do You think I haven’t done enough good things to make amends? Were my apologies and regret true? Am I still acting like I can stab the back of anyone to harm me?”       Helene swallows nervously.       “What do I do to get out of this hell before they decide to bury me in the ground? I can’t and don’t want to give up, but now I see no way to just give a sign to the guys. Let them know where to find me. Probably, that’s why they’re stuck in the same place and haven’t found me yet.”       Closing her eyes for two seconds, Helene squeezes the pillow much tighter.       “I don’t even know what I can do if I manage to survive after this hell and come back home. I will do this. I will keep my promise. Just like I did when Peter survived. Whatever I come up with, it will become real. It will…”       Helene lies on the bed and looks into the distance for some time before the loud grumbling in her stomach makes her think about it again. The girl looks at the box placed on the table and hesitates at first, being afraid that the food may be poisoned or something sedative or drugs. But since the pain in her stomach that literally eats itself, dizziness, and bitterness and nausea in her mouth drive her crazy, she sits up slowly, takes the box, opens it, and looks at what’s inside.       Of course, there is too little food – it’s impossible to feed enough with it. And if she has to eat it for several days, the hunger does not leave her. So, after thinking a little, Helene decides to eat just one triangle sandwich with thin pieces of ham, a couple of pieces of toasted cheese, potatoes, leaves of iceberg lettuce, and a little bit of white thick sauce. Either she is just too hungry, or it’s really delicious, soft, and juicy. The girl eats big pieces of it greedily, enjoying the feeling when food gets through her esophagus and fills her stomach slowly, and taking a few sips of water with the thought that this is a truly incredible drink.       

***

      Despite not being in a good mood, Edward invited Natalia to walk in the city somewhere closer to the evening with the hope of cheering her up a little. The girl did not stay home, suffering from boredom and falling into her dark thoughts, and accepted his invitation with pleasure. And it would be a sin to miss a wonderful chance to spend some time with her sweetheart. Moreover, due to the current events, it has lately rarely happened.        The lovers walk slowly down the wide asphalt path, walking by unfamiliar people who have decided to spend the rest of this day in this quiet and beautiful place. Bright green grass is growing on both sides, and nobody usually walks on it, but young, non-educated people and dogs may step on it anyway. Today, the sun did not make the inhabitants happy with its appearance, the sky is closed with thick gray clouds, and there are some pools of different sizes after it rained all day and a half of the night.       “It’s been so much time, but we still don’t have any news,” Natalia sighs heavily with sadness in her eyes, walking next to Edward, holding him under his arm tightly and pressing herself to him as tightly as possible. “Helene has literally been swallowed by the ground.”       “I’m worried about it, too,” Edward nods, keeping his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. “Even the police can do nothing. They’ve questioned all the potential witnesses, but nobody saw or heard anything.”       “And the owner of the car is hiding and not showing up at the address where he is registered.”       “The cad does know he will be taken to be questioned with a degree.”       “Marcus is hiding like a pathetic coward, too. Not stopping to harm Peter again and again.”       “Rose went to the meeting with that asshole today.”       “Why? He wouldn’t tell him where Helene is.”       “Well, he thought he could get the answer to this question. But the blond recently texted that he didn’t get anything. That hold bastard just provoked him by showing him a bunch of photos of the naked Helene and the video of those assholes playing with her as they want, while she is unconscious.”       “Oh, God…” Natalia exhales sharply.       “The guys and I did warn him! We said Marcus wouldn’t say anything and wanted to meet him just for that provocation.”       “Thank God, this meeting wasn’t a trap. Marcus could’ve tried to organize the second kidnapping of Peter. And we wouldn’t know where to find him.”       “Nope, it didn’t happen, luckily. And Pete regrets wasting his time. And he is furious with what those scums are doing to Helene.”       “The girls and I had our eyes popped out when Terrence sent those photos to Raquelle.”       “I hope you didn’t tell Mrs. Marshall anything?” Edward gets suspicious.       “Of course, not, honey! C’mon! We decided that the woman shouldn't have seen her granddaughter like that.”       “She didn’t get better?”       “Nope, she still spends all her time in bed. Her health has lately been much worse because of worrying about her granddaughter.”       “And the worst thing is that we’re powerless. No matter how we take care of that woman, Helene’s salvation is the only thing that can help her feel better.”       “Just like Sammy. The poor boy doesn’t eat anything, doesn’t play, and lies in his corner all day long.”       “Thank God, he almost recovered after the knife wound.”       “Yeah, the wound is almost gone. Raquelle takes him to all the necessary procedures every day. And it’s strange, but Sammy reacts quietly to all of them.”       “We can’t help Sammy, either,” Edward sighs tiredly. “He rejects his favorite treats. He doesn’t really care about his toys now.”       “At least, he accepts the caress with pleasure. He even comes to us, so we pet him and scratch his hair or caress his head for longer.”       “I guess it helps him feel better. We’re letting him know we’ll always be near.”       “We only have to support these three.” Natalia puts her head on Edward’s shoulder. “And do our best not to go crazy.”       “It’s okay, we’ll get through it. We must do this. Sammy, Mrs. Marshall, and Peter need us like never ever.”       “You’re right. We can’t let ourselves break, no matter how hurt we feel.”       “Father and Mother are also worried about us and let us know that we’re ready to help if we need it.”       “Just like my parents and grandma. And Anna’s parents didn’t stay aside. They decided to spend some time with Mrs. Marshall when Raquelle, Anna, and I left.”       “The realization of the fact that we aren’t alone makes me feel a little better,” Edward notices.       “That’s right… I’m so happy so many people are supporting us.”       “Besides, not only do we have the support from our families and friends. The public was nice to us at yesterday’s concert. Yes, it ended without a hitch, and we were never wrong. But it didn’t have a soul. It didn’t have the fun we had before. And nobody swore at us for that.”       “By the way, I saw a couple of articles about Peter’s nervous breakdown during the Q&A session today.”       “He held on ‘til the end, but he couldn’t take it in the end. And speaking the truth, his words scared us to death.”       “Yeah… But we thought he got more or less better. But as it turned out, it was a wrong assumption.”       “The thoughts of death have never left his mind. Peter thinks about it nowadays. And he is very close to coming back to his old ways.”       “What if he’s back? What if Pete started to cut himself secretly from us?”       “At least, his hands are clean.”       “He’s hiding his wrists with bracelets. He still does!”       “Yesterday, they were naked, and we saw he didn’t cut them. And there are no scars on his body.”       “Who knows, Edward… We can’t be so sure. Moreover, Peter lives alone. It means he can do anything while we don’t see.”       “The guys and I talked about it. We can’t exclude the possibility that someone may spend nights at Peter’s home soon. Or we will make him move to someone’s home. For example, Daniel. He suggested this idea on the day Marshall was kidnapped.”       “Looking at him makes me horrified now. And if something, heaven forbid, happens to Helene, we won’t be able to help him.”       “But we’re getting more and more confirmations of Mr. Johnson’s words about Peter making himself forget something. When we asked him about it directly, he started to feel something like a panic attack. He was shaking, choking, squeezing, crying… Though he could not explain it all.”       “I guess that’s something really horrible since Peter can’t remember and doesn’t understand what’s happening to him.”       “Most likely. His ruined mental health wasn’t just ready to get through it. And… It kinda saved him for some time.”       “Maybe, if he understands what’s wrong, it’s gonna be easier for us to help him. What if we’ve actually been going the wrong way? What if one of us does something wrong and horrifies him?”       “Yeah, but how do we do this? Where do we find at least one hint? How do we understand which direction we should move on?”       “One of Peter’s biggest problems is his mistrust of people. The fear of having his back stabbed by someone. So… We’ve gotta focus on that.”       “Right… I don’t think the problem is only about the girl who got him ashamed of the whole school and used the fact that Peter was deeply in love with her.”       “School years could make the situation much worse. Everything supposedly started before or somewhere between.”       “He said the world had always been against him and kinda tried to get rid of him. Yes, Marcus made him think so one hundred percent. But… What if there’s a part of the truth in these words?”       “Do you wanna say Peter has been betrayed by everyone since an early age? Whoever he asks for help, everyone kicks him out, insults, humiliates, and pushes him in the dirt?”       “And someone gave him such an unbearable pain that he withdrew himself from the world and started to consider everyone a threat?” Edward continues. “Peter doesn’t hide that he’s expecting a betrayer from us. He seriously thinks Terrence, Daniel, or I can do a disgusting thing to him.”       “My God, what did they do to the poor guy that he hasn’t come to himself yet?”       “I dunno, Natalia… But we will find it out early or late. We will find a way to help Peter remember everything and understand the reasons for his trouble.”       “We can work on this before Helene is found. This is the only thing we can do now.”       “Oh, if only we had the strength to take it all…” Edward puts his hand on his forehead. “We’ve got so much to do, but that old bastard Marcus started to chase Rose and Marshall. Who lived a quiet and peaceful life and were happy together.”       “We thought all the bad things were over, too. But as it turned out, they weren’t.”       At this moment, Edward and Natalia come to the railing and lean on it, watching sadly different boats and steamships swimming on the wide river and accepting everyone who pays some money. They can even see a large boat, on which people are dancing so hard along with the loud music that can be heard one mile away, since this is someone’s wedding. Judging by the young girl in a ballgown white dress and a man of the same age in a black suit, with wide, true smiles on their faces, and a bright fire and gloss in their eyes.       After watching the boats for some time, Edward moves his eyes to Natalia thinking about something sad that makes her barely hold down the tears. The man takes the girl in his strong hug, caresses her cheek with the back of his hand, and kisses her sweetly on her temple. She presses herself to her fiancé with pleasure, putting her arms around his waist and putting her head on his shoulder, while the cold wind blows up her hair, which is brushed in a ponytail, and makes her skin covered with goosebumps.       “Don’t worry, my little star, it’s gonna be okay,” Edward assures with an encouraging smile. “These things won’t last forever.”       “Sometimes I wanna cry ‘cause life can be unfair,” Natalia replies quietly. “Innocent people have to suffer.”       “Yeah, but sadly, we can’t do anything with it.”       “Of course, Helene can’t be called innocent, but Peter is guilty of nothing. He does nothing bad to anyone.”       “I sometimes compare my situation with his situation. And I understand I lived a little better to some extent. Yes, both of us were deprived of love, care, and attention in childhood. Nobody cared about us two. But… At least, I had a family. I didn’t live alone, I lived with my father. Even if he didn’t pay attention to me, we were together. And my relationships with people have always been good. I’ve always been able to make new acquaintances easily. And I’ve never expected a betrayal from anyone.”       “You’re a mentally strong man, Edward. You had the courage to get through the hell that, however, played on your nerves a lot.”       “Because I got what I wanted – I was finally noticed. People love, value, and respect me now. Father and Mother don’t refuse to spend time with me and are always ready to advise me on something or just listen to me whining. Friends are always near and ready to support me. Brother doesn’t let anyone hurt me and takes care of me. Fiancée makes me feel loved and needed.”       “You know well that I’m always here,” Natalia smiles shyly, caressing Edward’s cheek. “I’m ready for anything for you.”       “Love breathes into my soul. Love is the reason I can break any wall. Overcome any barrier. I can and want to fight because I know many people need me. I under how much pain I would give them if I gave up and let myself become someone’s victim.”       “I’ll never stop reminding you that I’m madly proud of you. You’ve done a great job of leaving the past behind and becoming stronger in all senses.”       “It took a lot of strength. Nevertheless, I don’t regret anything I’ve had to get through. Anything happened. I wanted to scream, cry, fret, fume, pull my hair out, hang out in despair… But I did it. I learned all the lessons I got and understood my mistakes. Without all of that, I wouldn’t have become what I am now.”       “I wish Peter could get through this, too,” Natalia expresses a wish. “Though he seems a little weaker to me.”       “I’m sure the situation will get better if we know everything that has happened to him. Peter has done half of the business – he recognized his problem and doesn’t deny it. You need great courage and much effort to do this.”       “You’re right… It’s very good.”       “The important thing is not to leave Peter not for anything. Whatever happens. Whatever Marcus wanna tell him about us. We should be next to him and let him know he can trust us completely.”       “The girls and I are always at his service,” Natalia replies confidently with her head proudly raised. “The guys and you. Just ask us about something, so we can do everything.”       “If I didn’t have you, I would go crazy.” Edward presses Natalia closely to himself and caresses her head tenderly, while she runs her hands over his back with closed eyes. “My shoot of the sun…”       “Me too…”       “And actually, let’s stop talking about bad things and making our mood worse. I didn’t invite you here to do this.”       “Any ideas on making it better?”       “Walk here a little, then go to the nearest café or just buy a glass of strong coffee and drink it on the way.”       “With a big piece of chocolate cake.”       “M-m-m, I’ve been thinking of this. In this stressful situation, pleasing yourself with something tasty, fat, and caloric is not a sin.”       “What else do we do when your friends are in trouble, but you can’t do literally anything?” Natalia shrugs. “Eat your stress down, embracing your beloved man.”       “Who is missing the company of his golden-haired beauty. Who has lately given her much less attention.”       “I’m missing you, too. But I understand everything and don’t wanna insist on anything.”       “That’s why I just couldn’t miss a chance to invite you to walk while everyone was busy with their business.”       “That’s what I’m grateful to you for. Otherwise, I would’ve been lying on the bed in my room, suffering from loneliness and crying in despair and hopelessness about the current situation.”       “We’re lucky it’s not raining today. It was raining heavily yesterday. The guys and I were wet when going to the concert and going home.”       “But I spent the whole evening watching the lightning through the window. They were so bright and big. Scaring but beautiful picture.”       “M-m-m, was my girl scared or brave?” Edward asks, caressing Natalia’s cheek.       “Scared…” Natalia blinks her eyes innocently and rubs her nose playfully against Edward’s chin with an innocent smile. “My tiger wasn’t near. But I feel safe and fear nothing when he’s next to me.”       “Wait for a while, my baby…”       Edward kisses Natalia sweetly on her forehead and runs his fingers through her hair.       “We’re gonna live together very soon, and I’m gonna protect you from everything in the world every day.”       “I doubt it would be right to celebrate the wedding in such a terrible situation,” Natalia sighs heavily. “At least, I can’t do this.”       “But it doesn’t stop us from getting all the documents to register our marriage officially. Then we could pack our stuff and buy everything for our house. Because we would be husband and wife.”       “If nothing gets better, we will do this. And if we want, we can organize a ceremony for our friends and families later.”       “You and I understand each other so well.”       “Anyway, we will do what you say.”       “If you don’t mind.”       Natalia shares a tender smile full of warmth with Edward and presses herself to him as closely as possible with closed eyes. Then they spend some time watching boats and yachts swimming on the water surface, while the cold wind blows their clothes and makes the girl wearing light enough clothes shake in the cold.       “You’re cold?” Edward expresses anxiety.       “A little,” Natalia pronounces shyly, embracing herself with both arms and rubbing them with her hands. “It was kinda warm when I left home. But now it’s colder…”       Saying nothing, Edward takes his leather jacket off and puts it on Natalia’s shoulders.       “Hey, you’re gonna get cold!” Natalia rounds her eyes. “Wearing just one t-shirt!”       “I will not, don’t worry,” Edward smiles sweetly and caresses Natalia’s cheek tenderly with both hands. “The most important thing is that you feel warm. Your cheeks are cold now.”       “Sure?”       “Absolutely?”       Natalia moves her eyes down and smiles shyly, while a slight blush shows up on her cheeks. In parallel, she grabs Edward’s jacket put above her shoulders with her fingers.       “Another reason to wear something that smells like my beloved man,” Natalia says confidently.       “I don’t mind it, my sweetie,” Edward purrs, hugs Natalia tightly from behind with a wide smile, and kisses her sweetly on her temple and cheek. “I don’t mind.”       “Aw, Edward, sweetheart…”       Natalia turns her head when Edward wants to kiss her on the cheek again. But he eventually leaves a short kiss on the lips of his sweetheart, steps away a little, and looks at her surprisingly for two moments. Then the girl answers him with the same kiss and laughs shyly when he rubs his nose against her nose, locking his fingers on her chest. But remembering that they are not alone now, and many curious people walk by them, the lovers just keep standing, embracing each other, and looking into the distance. The girl gets a little warm thanks to her fiancé’s jacket on her shoulders, and he gives her the warmth that his body literally spreads, feeling comfortable enough in just one t-shirt in this cold weather.       At some moment, Natalia and Edward step away from the railing and keep walking straight down the wide asphalt path, embracing each other and forgetting all the bad things. On the way, the girl thinks of the chocolate that she has in her bag and shares it with her fiancé. But who breaks it into two pieces and gives the second half to his fiancée, who gives him a sweet smile. A little later, they are stopped by a company of young girls, who recognize the man as the guitarist of “Against The System” and ask for permission to take a photo. He agrees with pleasure, answers some of their questions related to the new album of the band, and promises to tell Peter about their wish to come to him as soon as possible and remind him of their love.       The girl just stands aside shyly and watches what’s happening all this time, looking quiet, while her fiancé gets so much attention from his fans and does not show any kind of aggression toward them. Vice versa, she keeps being very sweet and friendly when they ask her about the wedding, admire her beauty, and beg her to share her beauty care secrets. And of course, they cannot be indifferent when Edward shows his love and care for Natalia and treats her like the dearest thing that he has.       

***

      It’s dark and cold outside now. Terrence comes back home after spending two hours walking somewhere not far from here for nothing with the wish to spend some time alone. Opening the hall door with his key, closing it, and entering the living room, the man notices that it’s suspiciously silent here, even if the light is on in the whole house. Not thinking a lot, he gets upstairs to the second floor and goes to his room with the thought that Raquelle is now there and probably reading a favorite book. But he does not find her, to his surprise. The girl is not on the balcony. She is not in the bathroom.       After looking around himself, Terrence frowns slightly and asks himself where Raquelle could go at such a late time. But he hopes that she is somewhere in this house. So, he leaves the room and walks down the long halls, reaching the rooms of the servants, who are working here, and understanding that someone is sitting there and talking on the phone. But the man decides not to pay too much attention to this and gets downstairs to the first floor, where it’s still silent.       And when Terrence wants to go to the kitchen, the dark-haired young girl is at the age of approximately twenty and two more women are at the age of thirty or thirty-five: one of them is thick, and another wears square glasses. All of them are carrying a black packet with some trash or something unnecessary and used. Seeing the man, they step back in surprise, but they smile at him gently the next second.       “Oh, Terrence, we are sorry,” the woman with glasses apologizes shyly. “We didn’t notice you.”       “It’s fine, I didn’t think someone would be here,” Terrence waves his hand with a slight smile.       “We want to throw some trash,” the thick woman replies. “Some paper, bottles, boxes…”       “We also found some expired food,” the young girl confesses.       “Alright, thanks,” Terrence thanks. “Do what you think is right.”       “By the way, Terrence, how long ago did you come back? You were not here for like two or three hours, as far as I remember!”       “Well, I just came back. And I was really surprised when I found out that it was too quiet here, and there was nobody around.”       “We didn’t go anywhere,” the woman with glasses shrugs. “Blair just recently talked to her mother and brother on the phone and came back when Christiana and I were cleaning the kitchen.”       “But now we will throw the trash out, eat, and go to have a rest,” Christiana adds.       “Unless you don’t have any other orders for us,” Blair shrugs.       “No, no…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully. “No orders. Do your business and go to have a rest.”       “Alright, thank you so much.”       “Yeah, don’t you know where Raquelle is? Is she at home? Or did she go somewhere? I can’t find her anywhere!”       “Raquelle is at home,” the woman with glasses replies. “She took a warm blanket with her and went to the back of the house.”       “Back of the house?”       “Yeah, she is kind of lying on the chaise lounge in front of the pool.”       “Very sad and thoughtful, we must confess,” Blair notices.       “I got it,” Terrence nods slightly. “Thank you so much, Violetta.”       “By the way, what about her friend?” Christiana expresses anxiety. “Have the police found Helene?”       “Yes, Terrence, what about that girl?” Blair worries. “We are really worried about her!”       “No news, sadly,” Terrence shrugs. “The police keep looking for her.”       “Poor girl…” Violetta pronounces with sadness in her eyes. “She’s so good… Kind, sweet, educated… And her doggy is just a gem.”       “We are all worried about her, trust me,” Terrence replies quietly. “But alas, we can do nothing yet.”       “Oh, sometimes life can be too cruel and unfair…” Christiana sighs heavily.       “If we have some news, Raquelle and I will tell you that. But we have nothing to say now.”       “We got it.”       “Alright, you can go. But I will talk to Raquelle and try to comfort her a little.”       “With your permission,” Blair, Christiana, and Violetta pronounce at the same time.       When the three servants go outside through the hall door to get rid of the trash, Terrence sighs quietly and goes to the one that leads to the back of the house. Looking around, the man goes downstairs and really sees Raquelle on the back of the house well-lighted at a dark time of the day. She is sitting all alone on the chaise lounge in front of the pool. Bending her legs under herself and leaning back, the girl wrapped herself in the blanket that warms her up when it’s cold enough outside. She just looks into the distance and thinks about something not very good with true sadness in her eyes, moving her eyes aside at times when she hears dogs’ loud barking or the sounds that crickets make.       Not thinking a lot, Terrence comes confidently to the pool, being invisible even when the soles of his shoes knock quietly against the white tiles. But when the man puts his hand on her shoulder carefully not to scare her, Raquelle moves her sad eyes to him and smiles at him sadly.       “Oh, honey, you’re back…” Raquelle pronounces amicably.       “Here you are, I’ve been looking for you,” Terrence confesses and kisses Raquelle sweetly on the cheek. “You weren’t in the living room, the bedroom, the bathroom… I thought you were reading a book, just like you always love. But no…”       “Oh, I’m not in the mood to read…” Raquelle sighs heavily. “I wanna do nothing…”       “By the way, what are you doing here all alone?” Terrence sits on the chaise lounge in front of Raquelle. “What makes my girl worried?”       “I feel sad…” Raquelle confesses quietly and puts her head on her bent knees pressed to her chest. “Very sad…”       “Worrying about Helene?”       “I'm afraid to imagine what’s happening to her now. My heart squeezes at what those cads may mock her in all possible ways.”       “We’re all worried about her, honey.” Terrence caresses Raquelle’s head tenderly and moves some strands of hair off her eyes. “But you see that we can do nothing now.”       “It scares me. Suspense scares me.”       “Raquelle…”       “What if we’ll never see her again, Terrence? What if we do not save her?”       ‘No, my sunshine, don’t say it. We will surely find her. The police will not stop working on this. Mr. Johnson controls this business personally. It’s in the hands of the trustworthy man.”       “I know, but it doesn’t mean Helene will be found. We have nothing that could help us find her.”       “It won’t last forever. One day, the police will figure out the current location of Marshall and save her.”       “These cads did their best not to leave any tracks. And they’re now hiding like cowardly dogs that did some bad tricks.”       “People can be found even in this case early or late.”       “But it seems like they hid Helene so well that there’s a small chance to find her.”       “Can’t promise anything, but it might happen that Helene finds a way to escape. Or at least give us a sign.”       “No, Terrence, she won’t be as lucky as Peter was. They weren’t ready that he’d manage to set himself free and escape in the car of one of them. But this time, they learned from all the mistakes. Helene will not run away from them, even if she really wants to.”       “Maybe,” Terrence agrees. “But I believe it’s gonna be alright. I believe Marcus and his whole gang will be caught and put in jail.”       “Since Marcus wasn’t caught more than twenty years ago after committing hundreds of crimes, we shouldn’t hope for a miracle.”       “Sometimes a human doesn’t meet karma immediately. It sometimes happens some time later. There are cases when five, ten, or twenty years have passed. But we all will have to pay for everything early or late.”       “Yes, I can’t call Helene holy ‘cause she’s made tons of mistakes in her life. But she regrets everything. She regrets.”       Raquelle sniffs quietly.       “Does… Does she have to pay for her tricks in this way? Is horrible torture and tormenting death her paycheck?”       “I hope it will not go so far,” Terrence replies with a quiet sigh.       “But if those people don’t kill her, she will give herself up and die. She will not handle what’s happening to her. I dunno… Die of hunger, thirst… She may be beaten to death… Or… She will actually kill herself.”       “No, sweetie, Helene will not do that. At least for Peter. She knows he needs her. She knows he will not take her death. She knows we will not be able to save him in this case. Helene will be fighting at least for that.”       “Sometimes tortures can be so horrible that you don’t want to live at all. You wanna kill yourself to end all your sufferings once and forever.”       “Don’t say it, my sweetheart.”       Terrence caresses Raquelle’s cheek tenderly.       “Love for one or another person may be one of the most powerful motivations to reach a goal and survive in any extreme situation. The one who doesn't have a meaning doesn’t fight. And a person doesn’t have to be the meaning. You can fight even for your beloved dog or cat. For the dream you haven’t fulfilled yet.”       “It doesn’t make sense to talk about any motivation when you’re a weak, unprotected girl that has to deal with a crowd of people that have terrible plans for you.”       “Agree. But… The one who wishes to live passionately can survive in any situation. They can survive even when everyone literally buries them.”       “But how passionately does Helene wanna live?”       “She wants. She has Peter. She has a grandmother. Sammy. Friends. She can find tons of reasons.”       “I imagine what kind of shame she’s gonna feel because of being really raped by those cads. They didn’t try to do this. They didn’t just feel Marshall’s whole body up, just like Wainwright did to Natalia. They really threw her on the bed, undressed her, and did their business, despite her resistance.”       “It’s really awful. She’s gonna need time to come to herself after that. But it’s gonna be easier for her ‘cause Peter knows Helene didn’t want it. She was forced. She was used when she could do nothing.”       “I was shaking when you sent those photos and described the situation shortly. I didn’t believe it at first, but when I saw my naked friend… I was speechless… I was deeply shocked.”       “The guys and I were thinking a lot about whether we should’ve shown you that and told you everything. But we thought you’d know it all early or late.”       “And you probably were silent about something, so that we weren’t too overwhelmed.”       “Something. But we described the picture.”       “My heart bleeds at the thought that it will happen more than one time, while Helene is their prisoner,” Raquelle sighs heavily. “It will happen. Moreover, those scums drool over her and look at Marshall with the same eyes, with which Sammy looks at the piece of fresh meat.”       “Not just yours, Raquelle. The guys and I are also horrified by what they can do to her. Peter is actually fretting and fuming. He almost crushed his phone in anger when he saw that shit.”       “God, when will everything be over?” Raquelle inclines her head slightly, still being wrapped in the blanket. “When will we finally live a quiet life? I’m so sick of all these problems.”       “Alas, you don’t hide from problems. When you solve one, you get another.”       “I wish we all focused on our business. Wedding, children… I wish you had kept working on your musical career, but I continued my modeling career. Or tried myself in something new.”       “You and I are like a family already. We’re living in the same house, buying something together, doing homework… I think nothing will change when we wear the wedding rings, but you have my surname in your documents.”       “Married or not, the most important thing is that we’re together. Now I can’t live without you. I just can’t imagine myself alone or someone else.”       “We’ll never break up, my queen.”       Terrence takes Raquelle in a strong hug and caresses her head tenderly, while she snuggles her nose in his shoulder.       “I will not let you go now. I want to get older with you by my side. With our children. With our grandchildren.”       “People are right when they say all in time,” Raquelle notices. “Sometimes we need to grow up a little to be ready to make one or another solution. There are things that cannot stand a rush.”       “I’ve grown up enough. I’ve grown up for what I wouldn’t have thought about two or three years ago.”       “If I didn’t have you by my side, I wouldn’t deal with even half of what has happened to me.”       Raquelle puts her head on Terrence’s shoulder and closes her eyes, while he runs his hands slowly over her back.       “I spent a lot of time pretending to be a strong and independent girl who feared nothing and nobody. But at some moment, I got enough courage to admit that I was actually weak and vulnerable.”       “No, sweetie, you’re not weak. You are actually strong enough.”       “I was pretending to be the one. But I’m actually different. I’m just a girl with broken wings. With a wounded soul, with tons of tears.”       “Some moments of your story are similar to the story of Peter. You both were broken by the stinkers, who thought the whole world bowed to them. The difference is that you were a little stronger to survive in this hell.”       “Likely, I ran away from it in time,” Raquelle sighs heavily. “If I’d stayed, I would’ve felt much worse than Peter. By deciding to study at home, I literally saved my mental health from much more shocking things. Love and support of my close people didn’t let me go crazy.”       “I’m sure Pete would’ve gotten through it if things had happened in the same way. He would’ve been a strong man if those cads hadn’t broken him down. The cads we’ve heard a lot about. The cads he forgot on purpose not to harm himself much more.”       “Now I’m not mad at anyone and don’t wanna take revenge for all my humiliations and insults. Maybe some people never wished me anything bad and were just afraid to become a target of the one who started the bullying. I don’t blame Ashley herself for anything. Her parents were always too busy people and didn’t give her attention. Deep inside, she felt lonely and unhappy, but she didn’t want to confess it. That girl took it out on someone else. Someone to be weak, someone not to be able, and not to want to stand up for themselves.”       “And you feel better?”       “Yup. After letting all my offences go, I finally found the strength to move on. And get success for myself, not for making someone mad. It’s one of the reasons why I easily agreed to give Helene a chance. I believed she was actually a good girl. Anna does know people well and wouldn’t talk to snakes. Yes, she didn’t like what she was doing, but it didn’t impact their friendship.”       “Probably, Peter should do the same to feel better. He should forgive everyone who’s ever hurt him: from his schoolmates to his mother. Judging by his words, he is still mad at them deep inside and has forgotten nothing yet.”       “His situation is worse than mine. And we probably know half of it. I’m afraid the other part of his story is much more awful than the one he told us.”       “And no matter how hurt he feels, Peter must remember what happened to him. He must release it before it poisons him to the roots.”       “You’re right… It’s gonna be unbearable, but if he wants to live a normal life, he will have to get through this.”       “Anyway, he should better do this later. Now we should pray that Helene is found soon. The more time goes by, the more we’re losing control of him. The lower our chance to hold him on the surface is.”       “You said we can do nothing.”       “Right. We only have to believe and wait. And stay together not to go crazy.”       “We will get through this, but it’s gonna be hard for Peter. And Mrs. Marshall. And Sammy.”       “It’s gonna be okay, my love,” Terrence calms down in a quiet, soft voice, caressing Raquelle’s cheek with both hands and kissing her sweetly on her forehead. “Don’t be desperate.”       “A few days before I lose any hope of seeing her alive.”       “No, we will see her alive! Obviously! Helene will come back home. Early or late.”       Raquelle says nothing for a few seconds and thinks about something, while Terrence caresses her head and wraps her tighter in the blanket that falls off the girl’s shoulders.       “You know, sweetheart…” Raquelle pronounces hesitantly and steps away from Terrence slowly. “I say Helene is not holy for the reason.”       “I know she was a part of the bullying of Natalia and you,” Terrence recalls. “We all know it.”       “Yeah, but…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly.       “The guys and you don’t know something about Helene. Something bad that… Can make you… Doubt her decency.”       “What?” Terrence frowns slightly. “What don’t the guys and I know about Helene?”       “She made many terrible things in the past that are the reason why… Natalia and I were the only ones to suffer…”       “What do you mean?”       “Several people became the victim of Helene, I mean, her actions. Someone solved this problem, but someone could do nothing. They will never do anything.”       “Wait, wait, Raquelle, what do you wanna say?” Terrence wonders. “Do I understand you right that Peter’s suspicions about Helene’s dishonesty are real enough?”       “Exactly! I don’t know how Marcus knows the secrets of Helene’s past, but…” Raquelle shrugs. “He doesn’t lie. That girl is really hiding something.”       “Does it mean… Do Edward, Daniel, and I protect Helene from Rose’s attacks so hard for nothing?”       “Yes, to some extent.”       “And he attacked Perkins on the day Marcus’ people tried to kidnap him for the reason?”       “Sadly.”       “But why?” Terrence opens his eyes surprisingly. “What did Helene do? Why do you say several people suffered because of her?”       “I can say just one thing: it doesn’t have to do with Peter. He can be absolutely quiet ‘cause Marshall will not do this to him.”       “Did she bully someone else from your school? Or did she seduce someone to be in love with her and leave them before the eyes of everyone?”       “Sorry, Terrence, but I can’t tell you that now,” Raquelle replies with sadness in her eyes.       “But why?”       “Natalia, Anna, and I promised to tell Daniel, Edward, and you nothing.”       “Does it mean the girls and you know what’s wrong? Do you know which secrets Marshall is hiding?”       “Always known.”       “Always? Even when…”       “We pitied you on the day when Peter brought Helene to us and introduced her as his girlfriend. We pitied you 'cause we didn’t tell you some part of the story. We told you just about how she helped Ashley support the bullying and ruin the lives of Natalia and me. But we said nothing about those people, who suffered because of her.”       “Oh, gosh…” Terrence horrifies.       “I'm really sorry about what happened. But honestly, we never thought we’d have to come back to this one day. And what was the meaning of it when the case was about the girls and me, even if we solved everything a long time ago?”       “Please, tell me what she did.”       “I can’t, Terrence, I’m really sorry,” Raquelle apologizes with sadness in her eyes. “The girls and I gave the promise. Yes, Helene didn’t ban us from speaking, but a promise is a promise. We can’t break it.”       “I promise I will not say anything to anyone and will keep this secret until Marshall explains it all.”       “No, sweetie… Don’t be mad, but Helene should better talk about that. And when she confesses everything, the guys and I can decide if she deserves to be forgiven.”       “So, wasn’t Helene gonna tell us anything before Marcus learned her secret somehow and gave Peter a hint at being not as innocent as it seemed?”       “I swear we told Helene she should’ve told Peter the truth. She should’ve given him what he asked about and confessed everything. But she did not want it.”       “Didn’t she understand she wouldn’t deceive Peter forever?”       “She did, but she was afraid he would turn his back on her.”       “Gosh, what did she do? I would’ve understood if Helene had harmed Peter personally. But since it doesn’t have to do with him, I don’t understand why he was supposed to turn his back on her.”       “Let’s say, he is not gonna like it. Pete met the sweet and innocent girl who does good things only and cries over his problems. But then he may have to know she’s a dark horse that has done too many bad things.”       “Damn, it seems like the guys and I really protected her for nothing…” Terrence exhales sharply. “We tried to whitewash Marshall for Peter, saying she was an innocent girl, for nothing.”       “Nevertheless, she can’t be called a bitch. Besides, Marshall regretted everything a long time ago. She is now madly ashamed to think of what she did.”       “Hey, give me just one hint at her secrets!”       “Just one hint: not only did people from school suffer because of her, but also someone else. And Helene had serious problems because of all those actions, and Mr. and Mrs. Marshall had to be blushed from shame for those who suffered.”       “You say it like she killed or robbed someone.”       “I hope she will confess everything if we find and save her.”       “Does it mean you’ll say nothing to me.”       “I’ve gotta keep a secret, honey.”       Raquelle grabs Terrence’s face and caresses his cheeks tenderly, fixing his hair a little at some moment.       “Just know that the girls and I are aware of Helene’s secret, but it doesn’t have to do with Peter, and he can stop being afraid to get a knife in the back from her.”       “Do the guys know it?”       “I dunno,” Raquelle shrugs. “Maybe, the girls said, maybe, they didn’t… I don’t ask them, but they say nothing.”       Terrence says nothing for two seconds and exhales slowly.       “Peter won’t like the fact that you’ve all been hiding this,” Terrence notices.       “I hope he’ll understand and forgive us,” Raquelle expresses hope. “And he’ll not leave Helene from fear of her doing something horrible to him.”       “Who knows, honey… However, yesterday, Peter said he didn’t care about what his girlfriend was hiding. He just wanted Helene to be found alive.”       “When she and I talked in the city before her kidnapping, Helene said she decided to tell Peter the truth.”       “Do you think she would’ve done it?”       “I wasn’t sure about it, but my friend sounded true enough. Though she was afraid to mess up everything. Because… Peter got a little softer toward her after he was kidnapped by Marcus’s people himself.”       “Yeah, that girl has done too much…” Terrence sighs tiredly, running his hands over his face. “I had a better opinion of her.”       “I get it. The guys and you met one person, but the girls and I knew a different one. I mean, we knew what she could do.”       “But… If she really did something horrible, how did you get the courage to forgive her so easily?”       “Time heals, Terrence. It’s been many years since everything happened. And I realized I didn’t wanna keep my offences with me.”       “I guess it wouldn’t have happened if Peter and Helene hadn’t fallen in love with each other.”       “Maybe.” Raquelle flashes a slight smile. “But now I can confidently say all the bad things stayed in the past. And I blame Helene for nothing, and I will not.”       “It’s a strong act, I think.”       “But it took a while to do this.”       “Better late than never.”       “Maybe…”       While Raquelle moves her eyes down with a shy smile, Terrence runs his thumb over her cheek.       “Okay, since you gave the promise, I will not make you tell me everything,” Terrence promises. “May Helene do this when she thinks it’s time.”       “Thanks for your understanding.”       “Besides, now it’s not the best time for these talks. We only must think about the person to be found alive and healthy, not about the secrets of her past.”       “Yeah…”       “And actually, let’s change the subject and not make our mood much worse.” Terrence takes Raquelle’s hands. “Otherwise, we can go crazy.”       “My mood got better shortly after I saw you,” Raquelle replies with a shy smile. “After you came and hugged me.”       “Then let’s think about how to spend the rest of this day together.”       “Now I only wanna lie somewhere and just look into the distance.”       “Sometimes it may be good. There are moments when I also wanna be in bed.”       “So, sorry, pretty boy, but let me be a seal tonight.”       “We can be seals together.”       “C’mon, don’t pay attention to me.” Raquelle caresses one of Terrence’s cheeks and kisses another sweetly. “Just because I'm in depression doesn’t mean you should suffer from it, too.”       “I can’t be happy when you feel bad. I need to know you’re okay and see the gloss in your eyes.”       “It’s temporary, don’t worry. I will come to myself soon and make you happy again.”       “Maybe there’s something I can do for you?” Terrence asks, caressing Raquelle’s head. “What would you want now?”       “Bury my head in the sand and hide from this world.”       “Maybe you want something tasty? Something sweet? We have so much!”       “No, sweetie, thanks.”       “Okay, then let’s just lie together. Even if you just wanna be silent, I will not say a word and will just hug you tightly.”       “You can go to do your business, but I will sit here for some time,” Raquelle suggests, caressing Terrence’s cheek. “Think, breathe in some air…”       “But it’s not so warm outside.”       “I’m wrapped in the blanket. So, I won’t get cold.”       “And you’ll go to the room then?”       “Of course, I will.” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Where else would I go?”       “Okay, agree. I will go to the kitchen and drink a cup of coffee. And then we can think about some kind of light dinner.”       “We’ll see, sweetheart.”       “When you feel bored and cold, go to the room.”       “Okay.”       Terrence kisses Raquelle on the cheek with an encouraging smile, gets up, turns around, and leaves the back of the house, while the girl watches him with tenderness. Then she sighs quietly, leans back on the chaise lounge, and sets her eyes full of sadness into the distance, wrapping herself tighter in the big, thick blanket that does not let her get cold. Now it’s one of the cases when she wants to do nothing but just lie and think of nothing. But it turns out to be not such an easy thing since dark thoughts come into her mind so hard and make her much sadder and depressed.       Raquelle looks closely up to the sky with the hope of seeing just a couple of little stars, but it’s covered with thick clouds, through which something can hardly get through. At some moment, the girl hears a loud hum of the helicopter that flies high, high above the territory where the house of Terrence and her is placed. And when it hides, she decides to look at the bright light of the street lamps that light up the back of the house, where she loves spending time with a book or a glass of something in her hands. She notices that the water shakes slightly in the big pool, depending on the strength and direction of the wind. And she can still hear the loud bark that dogs use to talk to each other somewhere far from here.       Raquelle spends some time lying on the chaise lounge with a reluctance to get out of the embrace of the fluffy blanket, and enjoying the moment when she can do nothing and stop being in a rush. And she falls into her dark thoughts so deeply that she does not notice that Terrence returns to the back of the house at some moment. Not with empty hands, with a big cup of recently made coffee and a plastic box with little zephyrs covered with chocolate. He comes to the girl determinedly and sits on the edge of the chaise lounge, while she looks at him and what he is holding in his hands a little surprisingly.       “I thought a little and decided that I didn’t wanna be in the room alone,” Terrence says confidently. “I can’t stay aside when you feel bad.”       “Everything ain’t so bad,” Raquelle shrugs. “I’m just sad because of what’s happening. Because we can do nothing.”       “That’s why I am determined to cheer you up and wanna make a company for my little girl.” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds. “Well… If she doesn’t mind, of course.”       “I don’t mind it if you want it,” Raquelle replies amicably.       “Maybe, you wanna drink some coffee?” Terrence gives Raquelle the cup, from which the steam rises. “I made it in the way you love: not too strong, with one spoon of sugar, and a little bit of milk.”       Raquelle says nothing at first and smiles shyly with a slight blush on her face, but then she takes the cup from Terrence and takes a couple of sips.       “M-m-m, it’s delicious…” Raquelle says.       “But be careful, it’s hot yet,” Terrence warns. “I didn’t boil the kettle ‘cause the water was already hot.”       “It’s okay, it’s good. That’s what I love.”       “And I found these zephyrs in the drawer with food.”       Terrence takes the box with sweet food, opens it, takes one zephyr, and sniffs it with pleasure.       “It seems magnificent,” Terrence notices with a slight smile. “Eat a couple of these. You know how tasty they are with coffee.”       “You think you can save me from depression with sweet food?” Raquelle chuckles kindly.       “It always cheers you up. And no matter how hard girls pretend to be lovers of healthy food, they love chocolate much more deep inside.”       “My job doesn’t let me eat too much sweet food. And I'm not too dependent on it.”       “But you can’t please yourself a little, you must do this.” Terrence gives the zephyr to Raquelle. “C’mon, Raquelle, eat one. Look how delicious it looks. I’m personally drooling already.”       “You’ve always loved eating something tasty.”       “Feel free, sweetheart, we should let ourselves relax a little. If you eat a couple of these, nothing bad will happen.”       Raquelle sighs resignedly, takes the zephyr offered by Terrence with a slight smile, and bites a little bit of it, feeling the best of sweet, very nice taste.       “It’s delicious, isn’t it?” Terrence smiles mysteriously.       “Very…” Raquelle agrees, eats the second half of the zephyr, and drinks a little bit of coffee. “And it’s much better with coffee.”       “Eat one more!”       Terrence takes the second zephyr from the box and brings it to the mouth of Raquelle, who eats the sweet thing right from her fiancé’s hand. And he eventually succumbs to the temptation to eat one thing that he likes a lot.       “Let’s eat this box together?” Raquelle suggests.       “With the greatest pleasure, my love,” Terrence nods confidently, eats one zephyr, gives another to Raquelle, and puts it in her mouth. “Yum, yum, yum…”       “Drink some coffee.”       Terrence drinks a little bit of coffee from the cup Raquelle gives him, while she looks at him with eyes full of tenderness and admiration. At some moment, she puts it carefully on the table near the chaise lounge and caresses the man’s cheeks with both hands, making him smile shyly at her.       “Thank you, Terrence,” Raquelle thanks truly. “Thank you so much. Everything you’re doing for me means a lot to me.”       “The moment when I’m the happiest man is when I see you healthy and happy,” Terrence replies in a much quieter and lower voice, caressing Raquelle’s head and wiping the corners of her mouth with his finger. “Can’t enjoy my life when you feel bad.”       Raquelle says nothing and shares a much wider smile with Terrence. Then she, still holding his face in her hands, brings her lips to his lips for a tender but confident and continuous kiss, which he answers with pleasure, feeling a nice warmth spreading throughout her whole body and filling every single cell of it, as well as she does. Then they share several short mutual kisses on the corners of the mouth and rub their noses against one another, laughing shyly at some moment. And then the lovers end up in a strong, touching hug, pressing themselves tightly to each other and noticing silently that their breath becomes the same, and their hearts beat together. While the girl runs her hands over the tough, wide back and buries her face in the curve of his neck, the man caresses her head and shoulders tenderly and leaves a few short kisses on her temples, cheekbones, cheeks, and the top of her head.       After stepping away some time later, Raquelle puts the blanket on the shoulders of Terrence rubbing his hands from coldness so both of them are wrapped in it. Then she takes the cup of coffee again and drinks a little along with the man, not forgetting about the box of zephyrs that the lovers empty rapidly. At this moment, they do not talk too much, but it does not prevent them from sharing a smile with each other and showing that they feel comfortable together and get a lot of pleasure from the time spent together. And they are madly happy to have the one who can make them feel happy even when they do not say a single word.       

***

      Anna and Daniel spend this evening together at home. Using the free time, the man decided to start working on restoring the walls in the living room and covering the holes that were left after the hard operation of the arrest of Julian and Norman Potter. He manages to cover multiple small holes, spending a little time on every single one and using not too much material for this. And while checking the whole living room, he also finds more problems that, as it turned out, should have been solved a long time ago and could have resulted in huge costs. The girl is not suffering from boredom and decides to sort out everything in the kitchen with a wish to distract herself from the bad thoughts: sorting out everything in the kitchen drawers, getting rid of the expired food, hiding something that has not been used for ages, and getting a list of what she needs to buy.       And by the end of the day, the living room gets full of dirt from whitewash and plaster. While Daniel goes to change his clothes and wash off everything in a shower, Anna starts cleaning it. But when he comes back, the man does not sit powerlessly on the sofa and orders to feed him a lot. He helps her do what she has not done yet with no problems.       “Oh, I think I did it…” Anna sighs tiredly, squeezing the handle of the mop and looking around the whole clean living room, where everything is in order. “It’s clean…”       “Many holes in the walls are covered, but there is still much work here,” Daniel replies thoughtfully, putting his hands on his hips. “I was surprised when I started to check every single corner of the house. I’ve gotta glue something, tweak something, fix something… In short, I have no time to be boring!”       “The important thing is that the repair has started. And then we will buy everything we need and do everything little by little.”       “No, I will not rush.” Daniel rubs his forehead with his hand. “I wanna do everything little by little when I have time and wish.”       “Oh, I have a lot of homework, too…” Anna tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and bends her back, which hurts a little. “I only had the strength to clean the kitchen today.”       “You and I are a good team, princess,” Daniel notices with his head proudly raised. “I think we’ve been awesome today.”       “Can’t disagree!” Anna exclaims and gives Daniel a five when he shows her a hand with his palm on her. “Though I’m literally falling from tiredness. I haven’t sat down or lied down yet.”       “Oh, my back hurts, too…” Daniel massages the small of his back with his fists, bending his back slightly, and makes circular movements with his shoulders. “And my arms…”       “Sorry, sweetheart, but I have no strength and wish to cook something,” Anna replies, putting the cleaning stuff in the right place. “The only thing I can do now is to put something in a microwave and press buttons.”       “It’s okay, honey, it’s okay. Don’t even think about it.”       Daniel takes Anna by the shoulders tenderly and kisses her tenderly on her temples, making her smile shyly and massaging her shoulder blades a little.       “I think we have something from yesterday’s dinner. So, we can warm it up. I’d be happy to eat it.”       “Wanna eat right now?”       “Erm… No, let’s do it a little later… Now I wanna sit or lie a little.”       With these words, Daniel comes to the sofa and sits on it powerlessly, leaning back and stretching himself nicely.       “I will have some rest, too,” Anna says confidently and sits down next to Daniel. “Oh, God… What a pleasure… Everything hurts…”       “That’s fine!” Daniel exclaims and puts his arms behind his head. “But we were busy with something and didn’t think of anything bad. We didn’t go crazy, lying on the sofa and falling into dark thoughts about what would happen next.”       “Oh, you shouldn't have reminded me of that…” Anna sighs heavily. “Reminded me of despair caused by the fact that we can do nothing.”       “Agree…” Daniel rolls her eyes blissfully when Anna starts massaging his back tenderly but strongly. “It’s been such a long time, but there are still no tracks of Helene.”       “I’m starting to get a stronger feeling that we will never see Helene alive. Marcus will get what he wants and kill her.”       “No, Anna, don’t say it. Don’t lose hope.”       “But it’s literally zero, Daniel! We don’t know where she is now, and all the efforts of the police are worthless.”       “The important thing is that they’re looking for her. Mr. Johnson keeps this case under his control.”       “I’m happy at least because Sammy has almost recovered, and those scums didn’t wound him to death. And Raquelle wasn’t caught by going aside at the right time.”       “They hardly needed Raquelle. Marcus doesn’t actually care about Natalia, she, and you. His main targets are Helene and Peter. He started it all to get rid of them.”       “Not just them,” Anna pronounces anxiously. “Terrence, Edward, and you aren’t safe, either.”       “That old bastard is super naive if he thinks we’ll leave our friends in trouble.”       “Aren’t you afraid Marcus may say something about you and the guys so that Peter believes it seriously and gets too mad at you?”       “He can say what he wants, but we will not leave Rose. Whatever he says, whatever he does.”       “But he already thinks you are torturing him by not letting him die quietly. And he is mad because of that.”       “I have to admit it’s the truth to some extent,” Daniel sighs tiredly. “Peter still has something to say to us. Something very important and horrible, Something that kills him much stronger than the situation of the school bullying and the betrayer of that girl.”       “Most likely, if you said he had something like a panic attack.”       “I’m remembering all of our hangouts and talks to find some clues and hints. But I can’t do this yet.”       “What do you think bothers him more: trust for people issues or the wounds he got after the girl he loved betrayed him?”       “I don’t know, Anna… I think these things are painful to them in the same way. One thing after another thing gave him a lot of pain.”       “And as I understand, it still bothers him,” Anna assumes. “Peter still feels uncomfortable when meeting new people and doesn’t open himself up to them fully. And he doesn’t trust Helene completely. Especially after Marcus’ charges for lying and betraying.”       “But he doesn’t pretend that he doesn’t feel nice. Pete is acting like nothing happened. Though the guys and I feel that he’s tense and insecure when talking to the band’s fans. Yes, the blond is always nice and friendly to him, but he doesn't look absolutely relaxed. Edward, who used to be afraid to say a word, seems much more confident now and talks literally much more than we three.”       “Does it happen that our efforts are worthless?” We don’t help Peter at all? He’s still not fine? He keeps thinking of killing himself?”       “I’m afraid it will happen until we know the main reason for all of this. But I have no idea how to do this.”       “Provoke that situation?”       “Not knowing where the trigger is hidden?”       “At least, Peter seems fine in other cases. He isn’t shy of his appearance, doesn’t criticize his skills, and he is not afraid of difficulties…”       “One thing is clear – there is a secret. Peter betrayed himself when he had a panic attack after our words about him having to remember what he forgot on purpose.”       “Maybe his brain doesn’t remember, but his body has forgotten nothing. It gives him a sign that something is not right.”       “But Peter doesn’t understand it or hides it so hard.”       “Why? What’s he afraid of? Judgement?”       “Good question. He does know we’ll never judge and always understand him. Even if we know Peter killed someone, it doesn’t mean he will stop being our friend. Rose meant a lot to us and will mean a lot to us. It will never change.”       “No, no, Pete hardly killed someone. He doesn’t look like a killer. And this guy would hardly live with this sin for many years, avoiding the punishment.”       “Anyway, something is definitely not clear…” Daniel replies thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “Either Pete did something, even if he didn’t probably want it. Or someone did something to him.”       “Maybe that’s why he hasn’t gone to the neighborhood where he was born and grew up when Mr. Johnson asked him about it?” Anna assumes. “What if the case is not just about the memories of his school years? What if something horrible happened there?”       “Listen, maybe you’re right… Peter doesn’t like this idea, even if it would be a great chance to know something about his mother and understand what she has to do with the situation with Marcus. But he tries to find excuses. And he even got mad when Mr. Johnson talked about it again.”       “Damn, it would be great to get the address of that neighborhood and go there since he doesn’t want to. Maybe, we could learn something interesting.”       “Peter would hardly give it.”       “That’s what I mean.”       “We only know that the neighborhood is disadvantaged. They got a so-called group of alcoholics, drug addicts, criminals, and bullies.”       “We can try to check out the maps. Peter was born and grew up here, in New York. It means the zone of the search is smaller.”       “Good idea. And there’s a chance that there are some articles about all the places in the city on the Internet. Anyone can create an account on a social network and break the keys on the keyboard of the laptop, publishing several articles per day.”       “So, there’s a high chance of finding the place where Peter was born. If we’re sure we hit the bullseye, we can get into the car and go there.”       “Or just give the police a hint so they question those who live there, and try to find Cornelia… It’s kinda the name of Peter’s mother…”       “Let’s do this then?” Anna suggests cheerfully. “Try to find out something?”       “Let’s do it tomorrow,” Daniel says tiredly. “I don’t have the strength today.”       “Don’t worry, sweetie, me too. But tomorrow, we can work on this. You don’t have anything to do.”       “Unless George suddenly calls and says the guys and I should come shortly and play a concert that he agreed on literally two hours ago.”       “Anything’s possible.”       “I’m joking. Our team usually agrees on shows a long time before the specific date, so that we have enough time to get ready. No spontaneous fan meetings and celebrity parties.”       “After the album’s released, your schedule is gonna be busy for weeks ahead. You’re gonna start the active stage of promoting it.”       “I know. And I really hope Helene will be found, but Marcus and his gang will go on trial by that time.”       “Remembering that it’s gonna be out soon, we can hardly count on a miracle. The chance of ending this story before is too small.”       “I barely hope, too. But on the contrary, it’s been too much time. Marcus will show up and wanna go further early or late.”       “God, poor Helene…” Anna sighs heavily. “She doesn’t deserve it all. She doesn’t deserve what those cads are doing to her.”       “It scares me, too. And judging by those photos, they not only do rape Marshall, but also beat her strongly. Did you see the bruises on her body?”       “I did…” Anna swallows nervously, putting her hand on her heart. “And I’m so scared… I’m scared because she may not take all of this.”       “I wanna believe she can get through this.”       Daniel hugs Anna around the shoulders tightly and presses her to himself as closely as possible.       “That the worst things won’t happen.”       “Is this her punishment for all the things she has done?” Anna asks herself quietly. “Does she have to get through this hell to pay?”       “Agree… That girl is really not holy, knowing everything the girls and you told us. But this kind of punishment is too much for her.”       “The problem is that the men and you don’t know everything.”       “Not everything?” Daniel frowns slightly. “What do you mean we don’t know everything?”       “Raquelle, Natalia, and I know something terrible about Helene,” Anna confesses hesitantly, looking at her hands. “We can tell you about other dirty tricks she did. They’re the reason why not only my friends suffered but also more people.”       “Don’t tell me that Marcus is right. That all these charges for Marshall are true enough.”       “Alas, Daniel, it’s the truth. Helene is really not quite honest with Peter. You. Edward. Terrence.”       “But what did she do? Is that so horrible?”       “I can only say that she had to run into the horrible consequences of her actions. Which were the reasons why her grandfather and grandmother burned with shame for those who suffered.”       “Oh, damn…” Daniel opens his eyes widely. “Does it happen that the guys and I protected her for nothing? It happens… Peter attacks her for the reason?”       “Anyway, it all has to do with her past and doesn’t have to do with the present. I mean, Peter can be quiet, Helene won’t harm him.”       “Please, Anna, tell me what she did,” Daniel says determinedly, taking Anna’s hands. “Maybe, we all have to apologize to Peter for protecting Helene so hard. Maybe, she isn’t actually good for our friend.”       “It’s gonna be a secret for now. The girls and I promised that we’d say nothing to anyone. Though we’ve persuaded her to confess everything to Peter many times to confirm Marcus’ charges partly.”       “I promise I’ll be silent and say nothing to anyone. Even Peter will know nothing until it’s time.”       “Sorry, sweetheart, but I can’t tell you more,” Anna refuses. “Just know that the girls and I know what the problem is. We know it’s not slander.”       “But how does Marcus know it then? He knows Marshall? He’s connected with her?”       “Can’t assume anything. Maybe Marcus was told by someone. Or maybe he knows nothing and actually bluffs. Maybe… It’s all just a coincidence: that man blamed Helene for lying and said he knew some of her secrets, but she really turned out not to be holy.”       “Does it mean Mrs. Marshall knows everything, too?”       “She’s madly ashamed to remember what that girl did in the past. She and Mr. Marshall educated her harshly, but they couldn’t watch her all the time.”       “Wow…”       “One day, after we found out about her real parents, that woman confessed that her husband and she were afraid to miss the moment and let their granddaughter repeat the fate of her mother. That’s why they tried to load her with something and banned her strictly from talking to boys.”       “She was a good girl or a rebel?”       “She wasn’t timid, that’s for sure. Helene was super active and fast when she was a child. She was often confronted with her grandfather and grandmother ‘cause they were overprotective, she didn’t listen to them… She studied well, but she wasn’t on the list of the best students. And she hated the math and literature lessons. First of all, because Mr. and Mrs. Marshall worked at her school and paid too much attention to these lessons.”       “That’s how…”       “It was madly hard for them to keep the situation under control, ‘cause her friendship with the school queen and her gang made Helene similar to them rapidly. Marshall dressed in the same way as they did, started to talk the way they did, and literally became stupid next to them. She pleased them and did all the orders of those bitches. Those girls are the reason why she started to lie to her family all the time and refused to end her friendship with them when they told her to do that.”       “No wonder, to be honest. People often become similar to those they talk a lot with.”       “At some moment, Helene’s grades got rapidly worse, and she started to get many complaints from the teachers during her lessons. And by the way, it happened some time before Marshall had to pay a lot for her dirty tricks that everyone knows about. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall started to work on this much harder and stopped being nice to her. And some time later, she came back to school as a different person. Not what she was before.”       “So, do you wanna say not only did her schoolmates suffer because of her?”       “Not just them. There were people whom she harmed a lot, outside the school.”       “Gosh…” Daniel horrifies. “What could the girl at a teenage age do? It seems like she spread some kind of drugs or robbed a bank or a supermarket.”       “No, no, sweetie, she didn’t spread any drugs.”       “But what’s wrong, then?”       “I promise, the guys and I will know everything when Helene wants to confess everything. We will be waiting for her to reveal it first.”       “But why did you say nothing if you knew everything well? On the day… When Helene and Peter pronounced themselves a couple. You knew much more than you told.”       “I’m really sorry, Daniel…” Anna apologizes shyly, putting her hand on Daniel’s hand. “But it happened so… We were just shocked… We forgot something… And we pitied you a little… By telling you the main things only.”       “Damn… We did insist that my friend date the wrong girl. We were sure Pete made the right choice and approved of it. But now it happens that… Are we wrong? We matched Rose with the girl who turned out not to be so holy?”       “She’d never harm him. I would say meeting him impacted her to some extent. At least, Marshall says it herself. She says her world literally turned upside down when her friend introduced them to each other.”       “But… Do the girls and you understand that you did kind of a bad thing to some extent?”       “We get it all, honey, but we seriously thought we wouldn’t have to come back to this. Helene proved to us that she’d really changed, and Peter was happy with her. Who would’ve thought there would be someone who decided to examine the old box and find something the owner of it wanted to get rid of so badly?”       “And don’t you wanna say Marshall was gonna hide the secrets of her past from Peter and all of us forever?”       “I’m afraid she did. Helene never expressed a wish to tell everything, and Raquelle, Natalia, and I didn’t talk a lot about it. But after Marcus started to press on Rose, we started to insist that she should’ve talked to her boyfriend. Let him know everything from her personally, not any third parties.”       “Oh, it’s all so complicated…” Daniel sighs tiredly, running his hands over his face and rubbing his forehead.       “Helene understands it all. But she’s terribly afraid that Pete will turn his back on her when he knows everything. She’s afraid that he will be disappointed in her. Because… He doesn’t know the past her. He knows the one he met in the present. They’re so different, huh.”       “Yeah? She wasn’t afraid to lie to my friend? She wasn’t afraid to give him much more pain?”       “Yes, sweetie, I agree with you. And I personally don’t wanna defend or excuse her, even if she’s my friend. Marshall doesn’t excuse herself, but she regrets the way she behaved in the past.”       “Okay, since the girls and you don’t wanna betray her, alright. But I ask you to answer just one question honestly. Don’t her secrets have to do with some men, whom she showered with mud? Didn’t she do the same thing that the so-called queen from Peter’s school did to him?”       “No, Daniel, I can assure you that nothing like that happened,” Anna replies confidently, putting her hand on Daniel’s knee. “Helene’s secrets don’t have to do with anything like that. Yes, boys fell in love with her often, but she never played on their feelings. And as I’ve said, her grandfather and grandmother didn’t allow her to start affairs. They were afraid she’d repeat the fate of her mother by giving birth to a child at the age of sixteen or seventeen. Or much earlier.”       “So, doesn’t she use my friend?”       “Nope, don’t worry. It won’t happen.”       “Sounds good.”       “I promise, sweetheart, when Helene is found and comes back home, the girls and I will persuade her to tell Peter the truth. And he will decide what to do.”       “Do you think he can understand and forgive her?”       “At least, he can try. The case doesn’t have to do with him, but she regretted and changed a long time ago.”       “Okay, my princess, let’s save this talk for later,” Daniel says quietly. “I don’t think it’s a good time to do this.”       “You’re right…” Anna nods with sadness in her eyes. “The most important thing is that Helene is found healthy and alive. That Marcus doesn’t do what he wants.”       “Since we can do nothing now, we will do what Mr. Johnson advised: focus on taking care of Peter, Sammy, and Mrs. Marshall. They need our support like never ever.”       “And trying to persuade Peter to tell us everything he is worried about.”       “It’s gonna be hard, huh.”       “I know. But I’m sure we can do this.”       Daniel takes Anna in a strong hug and kisses her sweetly on her forehead, while she puts her head on his shoulder and puts her arms around his waist.       “Together, we’re much stronger. While you’re next to me, I can even move the mountain.”       “You know I’m ready for anything for you,” Anna replies with a slight smile and kisses Daniel tenderly on the cheek. “You just need to ask me about something.”       “Being with you is enough for me.” Daniel puts his warm hand on Anna’s cheek. “You can even say nothing. You can already make me feel good.”       “And I just need to press myself to you tightly to feel good.” Anna sighs quietly with sadness in her eyes. “However, I feel very sad and anxious now due to Helene’s situation. And I wanna cry from despair.”       “Can I do something to make your mood better?” Daniel asks.       “Nothing. But just to be next to me. I don’t need a lot. I can be happy with the smallest things.”       “Aw, Anna, my little girl…”       Daniel presses Anna much tighter to himself and caresses her head very tenderly, hearing her a little heavy breath and feeling that she squeezes his white sleeveless shirt on the back.       “Alright, we’re done with homework today!” Daniel says determinedly. “Let’s get tons of something delicious and go to watch a movie.”       “Give me some time,” Anna says shyly, stepping away from Daniel and caressing his cheek, while her eyes look at him. “I will have some rest now and then warm up yesterday’s dinner. And I will even let you eat it in bed.”       “Don’t worry, princess, don’t do anything today. If I want, I can do this by myself.” Daniel chuckles kindly. “I can press buttons on the microwave.”       “Or maybe, I will have the strength to cook something new. Just-cooked food is more delicious than the one you can keep in your refrigerator for two or three days.”       “Listen, let’s better open the delivery food app and order a lot of unhealthy food. The delivery guy would bring it all here in half an hour or one hour, and we would eat it while watching a movie.”       “M-m-m, are you suggesting we are lazy pandas for the rest of this day?” Anna scratches Daniel under his chin with a sly smile. “To curse the men later when they take you to the gym class by the collar and make you work out a lot if they see your little belly.”       “I have a wonderful enough body to let myself eat a pack of French fries and a big burger with two fresh cutlets.”       “Wow, your appetite is really wild after doing the homework all day long.”       “Can’t disagree. And after this, I wanna relax in the company of my beloved baby, whom I forgot a little due to all these problems.”       With these words, Daniel caresses Anna’s cheek tenderly and leaves a couple of short kisses on it, making the girl smile shyly.       “Lie on the bed, watch a movie, talk… And when we start to fall asleep, we can cover ourselves with a blanket, embrace each other tightly, and travel to the kingdom of Morpheus.”       “I am very happy with this suggestion,” Anna purrs, runs her hands over Daniel’s hair, barely touches his lips with her lips, and caresses them very tenderly. “I am happy with any suggestion related to the pastime with my beloved man.”       “I wanna use any moment to spend it with the princess of my heart,” Daniel pronounces in a low, deep whisper. “With my beloved Anna…”       Daniel succumbs to the temptation to leave a couple of short kisses on the corners of Anna’s mouth and get her involved in a more continuous one. She answers it with pleasure, putting her arm around his neck, while he puts one hand on her cheek and another on the back of her head. And even this sweet and tender gesture already makes the heart tremble nicely in the chest, while every single muscle cramps from a slight shake. After breaking the kiss, the lovers lean on each other’s foreheads with a blissful smile, hugging each other tightly and looking into each other’s eyes.       “Let the night munchies begin!” Anna says funnily.       “The important thing is to stop in time, viewing tons of pictures of freaking delicious food and not to order all of that,” Daniel laughs.       “We can taste something we’ve never eaten and cooked before?”       “I personally love tasting new dishes. I discovered so many new ones when the guys and I participated in the show, where they offered us tons of delicious things from around the whole world.”       “If you show me the title of the dish and the recipe, I’ll be happy to try to cook it.”       “I will mean it. But we will probably find some of them on the app.”       “Stop teasing me, let’s order the food. The delivery guy won’t come to us at midnight.”       “Let’s go, babe, let’s go!”       When Daniel gets up from the sofa cheerfully, he takes Anna’s hands and pulls her onto himself. Then they come quickly to the stairs with a shy laugh, get up to the second floor, and go to their room. Lie on the bed, take their phones, and start examining the huge range offered by the delivery food app, spending a lot of time viewing some bright, fresh pictures that make them drool unconsciously and make their stomach torture them with its loud grumbling.