Chapter 23: It’s A Shame We’re Forced To Wait
October 29, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Notes:
It took several days for the end of the suspense. So, not to waste time, the co-lead characters keep waiting for the bird to finally tap on the window to bring them at least some news. And they also question the lead male character about what he is hiding from them and desperately trying to suppress within himself. In the end, even if it does not make him feel comfortable, the character eventually admits that he really feels like a part of him is missing, and his body seems to remember something and has lately been sending him some signs. The signs that it’s time. Time to understand why all his memories start with his teenage years. Besides, the unpleasant events he once told about in "The Secrets Hidden in the Scars" are just the tip of the iceberg. And the real darkness lies much deeper.
However, the character saves all of this for later after he finally gets a real chance to learn about the antagonist’s motives and save his beloved girl, who is barely alive after all the torture and violence she has been put through. On the one hand, he is thrilled that he can return to his normal life soon. But on the other hand… He must make a difficult choice: either he faces the antagonist alone and risks his own skin, or he takes his friends with him and puts several lives under great risk, including his own. What will the male lead character choose: to fight as a lonely wolf or ask his loyal pack for help? The answer is on the pages of the new chapter!
Nothing changes after five days have passed, and suspense and powerlessness are reasons for pulling out hair and losing hope for the good end of the story. So, there is just one way – to stay together not to let each other go crazy. But this kind of support does not help Peter, who is now accepting his friends at home. Although he is madly grateful to them for everything they do for him and admits that he finds some strength to hold on, just because they are always near and ready to listen to all his claims and tolerate all the hysterics that happen to him at times.
“Hope for the best is getting weaker every day,” Natalia says thoughtfully, sitting on the bed and embracing Anna and Raquelle. “It’s been more than one week, but we still know nothing.”
“Yeah, and that asshole Marcus sends me photos of Helene every fucking day,” Peter replies gloomily, standing in front of the window with his arms crossed over his chest and watching what’s happening behind his apartment. “And he tells me a lot about his people feeling good after every visit to her.”
“He’s trying to drive you crazy in this way,” Raquelle assumes, while her head rests on Natalia’s shoulder. “Putting you under psychological pressure.”
“And his henchmen started to record voice messages and tell me about their mockeries of her in all details. And one of them actually gets an orgasm in one of these records.”
“And sadly, you can’t hide from this,” Terrence adds thoughtfully, walking in circles around the whole room.
“Right. When I decided to add Marcus’s number to the black list on WhatsApp, he contacted me with another number. And then another when I blocked it. Then he actually started to text me two or three times per day and send me all those explicit photos and videos that make me wanna throw my phone against the wall.”
“Do you check those messages with the hope that Marcus will want to take some more determined measures and tell you to meet him?” Anna asks carefully.
“Yeah… I can’t stop hoping the case would move off the dead point. But this is just another provocation that drives me crazy.”
“The most important thing is not to blame Helene,” Edward insists, leaning on one of the walls with his back, as well as Daniel. “Because she is guilty of nothing.”
“I know, Edward. All my anger isn’t for her, it’s for Marcus and his gang. That must be crushed with a train.”
“By the way, folks, do ya know the police recently questioned Marcus’ neighbors and workmates?” Daniel asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Yeah, Mr. Johnson said,” Raquelle nods. “But they didn’t tell the police anything interesting. For them, Marcus is a decent, quiet, and shy worker who doesn’t tell anyone to treat him specially and does everything he is told.”
“Yeah, that asshole learned to pretend well,” Edward throws gloomily.
“Aha, so well that he hasn’t paid for any of his crimes!” Natalia exclaims.
“He didn’t leave any tracks and pretends to be good,” Anna adds.
“Mr. Johnson said there was just one person who considered Marcus suspicious,” Terrence notices. “A neighbor… But the others started to protest and said he kinda has mental issues. And like, he is on some drugs and talks some bullshit that surprises everyone.”
“Maybe that person knows something about his plans?” Peter frowns slightly.
“No, he knows nothing, but he said he wouldn’t be surprised if Marcus really did something bad,” Daniel replies.
“Oh, that man must know what that allegedly innocent and holy person did,” Natalia crosses her arms over her chest.
“That’s bad the police didn’t catch Marcus himself. He wasn’t at home at that moment. And the owner of the car, in which Helene was taken away, keeps hiding like a coward.”
“Hey, do you remember we asked ourselves what happened to his wife and where she disappeared?” Anna recalls. “As it turned out, she died a long time ago, and Marcus checks on her grave at the cemetery regularly.”
“Yes, yes, a certain old lady who checks on the grave of her late husband said it,” Terrence nods. “As she said, she often sees Marcus there. He always brings big bouquets of chrysanthemums to the grave and spends hours talking to her.”
“M-m-m, it’s so touching…” Peter notices ironically. “It’s so touching that I don’t wanna cry at all.”
“And Marcus refuses categorically to say why Julia died,” Edward adds. “Though we know that the woman died at the age of about thirty. Too early, as you can see.”
“It’s clear that he killed her! And in order to nobody thinks it’s his work, that bastard pretends to be a disconsolate widower and has to spend money on bouquets of flowers to put them on the grave of the one he doesn’t care about at all.”
“But it’s a benefit for him!” Raquelle exclaims. “Everyone pities the widower defeated by the grief, everyone loves him… And if he’s a good man, nobody even thinks he could commit a murder. Because all his thoughts are allegedly about his beloved wife, who tragically died.”
“Agree, Marcus isn’t such a stupid man,” Natalia nods confidently. “He knows how to avoid suspicion. And he doesn’t have to know many people, who would even order a grave at the cemetery for him and make documents for his death if he paid some money.”
“That’s bad!” Anna exclaims. “There’s a high chance that Marcus may avoid the punishment for getting rid of Helene and Peter. He can clean it all and cover all his tracks that you have no reason to reproach him for something, even if you really want to.”
“If the police don’t tame that asshole, I shall do this personally,” Peter says in a low, rude voice, leaning on the windowsill with his hands. “In case Helene dies, I shall have nothing to lose. No matter if I die or stay alive – I shall not care.”
“No, Pete, don’t say it,” Terrence protests. “Don’t think everything is over, and nothing can help Marshall so early.”
“Yeah, buddy, Mr. Johnson won’t let anyone close this case and handle anyone’s attempts to bribe him,” Daniel adds confidently. “Even if one week, one month, or one year has passed, he will get what he wants.”
“Open your eyes and be realists, guys!” Peter exclaims, turning sharply on his friends. “It’s been more than one week, but we haven’t moved off the dead point. And that bastard is now hiding and mocking me by sending tens of messages with photos and videos of my naked girlfriend who is raped by some assholes again and again.”
“You can be sure about one thing: Helene will not die until Marcus tells you to meet him and reveal all his plans,” Edward says quietly.
“Damn, this powerlessness kills me!”
Peter runs his hands over his face with a tired moan.
“I’d rather be put under torture again and again with the thought that I have a chance to save your beloved person than sit quietly and wait for something. It’s a shame we’re forced to sit and wait.”
“You’re not the only one to be killed by this, buddy,” Natalia sighs heavily. “We can’t calm down, either. And our families expressed their readiness to help us with everything they can.”
“I wonder how long that bastard is going to wait?” Daniel wonders. “When will he start to do something, not to send some provocative shit?”
“Yeah, I thought it wouldn’t last for too long,” Edward confesses. “At least two or three days.”
“He’s probably waiting for Helene to die herself,” Terrence throws gloomily. “When she’s super weak and unable to say a word. Not to spend too much time on her.”
“If those scums don’t give her food and water, beat her, and rape her, she won’t live like this for too long,” Anna expresses anxiety.
“Exactly!” Peter exclaims. “She will not! And we don’t know where those assholes are hiding her. There is no fucking clue! Maybe, Helene actually has to live with some living things. Who knows what those nasty bastards came up with.”
“We only have to hope that Marcus will show up by himself to agree on the meeting, or his accomplices will fail something,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully.
“Nope, those deadbeats will not risk like this now,” Terrence shakes his head. “Especially now, when Helene is their prisoner. They will be as quiet as mice and hiding in their holes.”
“If I met those scums somewhere in a desert place, I would hang them by the balls,” Peter replies gloomily. “But I’m not fucking lucky! Even if I meet them, I meet them where there are many people around.”
“You are lucky, buddy,” Anna notices. “If you met them where there was nobody, they would take you away for the second time and torture you freaking hard all day, all night.”
“It’s fine! They can even kill me! But they must keep Helene alive. And stop feeling her up with their dirty hands.”
“Anyway, if Marcus tells you to meet him, the guys and I must be aware,” Daniel replies confidently. “You can’t go there alone. No doubt that the day of your meeting is gonna be the last day of your life.”
“And Mr. Johnson must know it to plan the arrest of Marcus and his gang,” Terrence adds.
“Yeah, but he doesn’t have this wish yet!” Peter throws his hands up. “And nobody the fuck knows when he will get it.”
Peter comes to the office chair with a tired sign, sits on it, and leans back, spreading his legs slightly.
“So, I’ve gotta feel like on needles and be nervous…”
“Listen, you…” Edward pronounces hesitantly. “If you wanna say something, don’t be shy. Don’t keep your emotions inside.”
“Indeed, Pete, you’re sitting here kinda tense,” Natalia notices.
“Do you think I should smile widely and dance throughout the whole living room?” Peter surprises, looking at his friends gloomily. “Laugh so hard, while my girlfriend is in mortal danger?”
“No, of course!” Raquelle exclaims. “If you just wanna let some emotions out, do this. The guys and I can take it all.”
“Oh, I don’t have any emotions inside,” Peter sighs tiredly. “Everything has kinda died. I’m kinda dead inside.”
“Maybe, we should focus on you, while we can do nothing in the case of Helene?” Daniel suggests.
“What do you mean?”
“You definitely have something to say,” Terrence says quietly, coming to Edward and Daniel standing together. “You haven’t told the full story that made your mental health much worse.”
Peter says nothing and just swallows nervously, feeling that his whole body tenses strongly, getting a lump in his throat, and having every single muscle cramped by the unexplainable sense of unbearable pain.
“Erm, I…” Peter stutters, grabbing the armrests tightly.
“The guys told us you had a panic attack when they asked you about it,” Natalia confesses. “That’s how you confirmed there was something else.”
“We understand that talking about it makes you scared or ashamed,” Raquelle adds softly. “But you know well that none of us wishes you anything bad. You’re our close friend. We all love you so much. You mean a lot to us. And we do care about your problems, feelings, and emotions.”
“You can tell us anything,” Anna says confidently. “Whatever that is, nobody will judge you or laugh at you. Nobody will turn their backs on you even if we know you’re a robber or killer. I can’t imagine how it could happen, but still.”
“Nope, I robbed and killed nobody…” Peter protests tensely, starting to breathe a little heavily. “No…”
“But what bothers you, then?” Daniel wonders. “What’s wrong? What are you hiding? What are we doing wrong? Let us know so we can fix it!”
“You’re guilty of nothing, guys. Nothing.”
“Your behavior confirms the words of Mr. Johnson about you having some secrets. The secrets you don’t like to think about. The ones you preferred to forget. Because they are killing you much more.”
“If you want to get healed, help us solve this problem,” Raquelle says. “Our effort doesn’t make sense until we know which direction we should move.”
“It makes,” Peter pronounces in a quiet, low voice, twirling nervously on the chair, and grabs the armrests much tighter. “You’re doing so much for me. So much to… Not to let me go crazy.”
“But it’s not enough!” Natalia exclaims. “It doesn’t work as it should. Besides, you confess that you are not right.”
“I just need a little more time. It’s impossible to get rid of the trauma you’ve lived with for a big part of your life.”
“No, Peter, you don’t need time. You need to tell the other part of the story you hid from us.”
“I told you everything I could.”
“There are probably more reasons why you treat people with mistrust and still doubt what’s happening when you’re in a relationship with Helene,” Anna assumes. “Helene somehow complained that you were kinda close to her, but you were kinda far. Sometimes you literally step away and don’t let them get close.”
“What?” Peter rounds his eyes. “No, it’s not the truth! I don’t step away from Helene!”
“Remember your wild reaction to Marcus’ words about Helene’s betrayer,” Daniel crosses his arms over his chest. “Just a couple of words were enough for you. There was nothing more. Just words. And you believed them. You attacked the girl with charges and literally closed your ears when she denied everything and, crying bitterly, swore she was loyal to you.”
“Yes, I got excited, my fault! But I'm just afraid to lose her. I’m afraid to be betrayed again. I’m afraid that I will be showered with mud again. It’s too painful for me.”
“But agree, it’s kinda strange to ban yourself from falling in love after you were betrayed once,” Edward notices. “It would be logical if it happened several times. I would get it. But… When someone runs into a betrayer of their beloved person once, it’s not a reason to make the whole world your enemy.”
“There’s the meaning in your words about the world kinda going against you,” Terrence puts his hands on his hips. “You’ve been betrayed not just once. Many times. That’s why you called this world evil and withdrew into yourself. That’s why you started to look at everyone with suspicion. And you’re still thinking you’d have to be disappointed again.”
“Gosh, guys, why do you actually think so?” Peter asks, sighing tiredly and moving his eyes aside. “I’ve already said I stopped trusting people after the school bullying and the betrayal of Kristina Harper, whom I wasn’t lucky to fall in love with.”
“If the problem were only about it, you’d feel much better now,” Anna replies confidently. “Because we’ve talked about these things, and you’ve released everything.”
“And it means you still have some unsolved problems and things you haven’t said aloud,” Natalia adds. “You have something that keeps poisoning you. Something that’s gonna do this while you keep everything inside.”
“Do you think it’s easy to forget what people did to you for many years?” Peter asks surprisingly. “Do you think it’s easy to trust people again and stop thinking everyone wanna humiliate, insult, or even kill you?”
“Look at yourself, Pete,” Raquelle insists. “You got really nervous when we started talking about your secrets. You’re shaking again and breathing like after an exhausting run. It means you’re lying to us. You’re lying to yourself. You wanna pretend that everything really got better, but you can’t do this.”
“Listen, guys, let’s not talk about it. We shouldn’t think about it, we should think about how to help Helene.”
“Do you want her and you to have problems in the future?” Daniel surprises. “This kind of mistrust for people will be the reason you will attack Marshall every time she does something bad. You will think she stabs you in the back and wanna play with your feelings. Not just her. You will attack everyone. Even if nobody did anything bad to you.”
“Your problems with mistrust for people must be solved somehow,” Anna adds. “You can’t run away from it all your life. And one day, everything may go so far that you will turn everyone who loves you against you. Your fear of loneliness will come true. Because of the thought that you’re surrounded by the betrayals that wanna see you broken.”
“Say no more, please…” Peter says quietly, leaning on his knees with his elbows, doubling over, and covering his face with his hands. “Just say nothing.”
“And you believe Marcus, who is turning you against Helene with his provocations,” Terrence adds. “And it seems like he started to say some shit about us. And you believe it, obviously. You believe the sick stinker more than your close friends and beloved girlfriend. Is this normal?”
“Yeah, that asshole woke up what you managed to put to sleep somehow,” Edward notices. “Maybe it was clear to some extent before. But now the problem is as clear as never ever. It means that no matter how much you don’t want it, you will have to face your past. All your fears and worries. Everything you try to deny so hard.”
“Listen, I don’t have the strength and wish to fight with you,” Peter replies tiredly, looking at everyone with a gloomy glance. “Let’s close this topic and never come back to this.”
“Okay, we will!” Natalia exclaims. “But after you tell us what we don’t know yet. So, we have a real chance to help you start to live a normal life.”
Peter says nothing and just growls quietly, still closing his face with his hands and breathing heavily enough with the sense of the strong tension in his whole body.
“Don’t run away from this talk, Rose,” Anna advises. “You should’ve understood you’d have to come back to this early or late, even if it was super unpleasant and painful to you. You can’t be silent about your problem shut it down, you must confess it and talk about it. Analyze the emotions that it makes you feel.”
“We can’t help you if you keep being silent,” Daniel says confidently. “And the more you keep it inside, the more hysterics and breakdowns you’re gonna have. The more powerless we’ll be. Even if we wanna get you out of the pool again, we won’t do this. Because we won't know which side we should come to you from. You barely opened the door, but you closed it again. And we can’t get inside. We don’t have an opportunity to save you from the rapid destruction.”
“You can trust us, buddy,” Natalia says confidently. “You can tell us anything you’re worried about. If you want it, all your secrets will be known to the guys and me only. It will be just between us if you’re ashamed and afraid to tell others about it.”
“Starting something is always scary,” Edward notices. “It’s hard not to give up halfway. But every single step makes you feel better. You feel an incredible relief when you come to the finish line. And it doesn’t matter if you win or not. The important thing is that you challenge yourself and take this whole way.”
“Let us save you again,” Raquelle says softly. “Take the hand we’re giving you. We don’t wanna drown you much more. We wanna help you. Help you figure yourself out and find a way to let everything go and forget it.”
“Besides, we see you’re still mad at those who harmed you, deep inside,” Terrence adds. “You’re mad at your mother, who preferred drinks over you. Your father, who left you, nobody knows when. The girl who did a cruel thing to you and used your feelings. The guys from school, who bullied you for nothing. The adults, who saw everything clearly but could or wanted to do nothing. Everyone who doomed you to the loneliness and suffering one day.”
“Maybe you’re even mad at us. I mean, the men. You’re mad that they somehow laughed at your failures in your personal life. Talked a lot about being happy with their girls. You haven’t forgotten how Daniel called you an impotent. You haven’t forgotten the way he laughed at you. You were mad that people around you were happy, but you suffered. It seemed super unfair to you.”
‘If you still have some claims for us, we’re always ready to talk about them,” Daniel adds. “I’m sure we can agree on everything and find a solution to this problem. Don’t consider us your enemies. We’re your friends. Close friends, who can recognize their mistakes and apologize when they’re wrong.”
“The case is not about you, guys!” Peter exclaims, getting straight sharply. “You’re guilty of nothing. I know you don’t wish me anything bad. And I don’t keep any kind of offence against you. If you did something, you did it just because you knew nothing about me.”
“What bothers you then?” Anna throws her hands up. “What are you hiding? Why do you keep treating people with mistrust and falling into a stupor at some moments?”
“I don’t know!” Peter says desperately, a little louder. “I have no idea of what’s happening to me.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Natalia pronounces surprisingly.
“I don’t know…” Peter glances aside and swallows nervously. “I can’t remember…”
“You just don’t wanna tell us,” Raquelle replies.
“Damn… I would be happy to tell you everything! Really, guys! If I could, I would’ve done it a long time ago! But I don’t know what’s happening to me. I have no idea of the reason why I sometimes fall into a stupor and get panic attacks.”
“But your body betrays you!” Anna exclaims. “When we started talking about that, it squeezed.”
Peter says nothing for two seconds and looks at everyone with sad eyes, locking his shaking fingers tightly.
“Sometimes I don’t feel myself…” Peter confesses in a quieter, lower voice. “And I ask myself who I am. It seems like… It seems like I’m missing something important. A part of me. A part of my life. I get a feeling that I’m not the one you know. I… I don’t feel like Peter Rose. I… I don’t know what I feel like.”
“Nothing is clear yet, but everything tenses hard,” Daniel frowns slightly.
“I tried not to show it, but… I often felt some kind of anxiety. I didn’t feel kinda quiet. In a company of people. Especially strangers. When I’m surrounded by a crowd… I panic… I… Everything squeezes to the pain inside me, I can’t breathe, I feel dizzy, my heart beats like crazy, and its beat hits my brain freaking hard.”
“Do you mean you are horrified because of the crowd of people?” Raquelle specifies.
“Not quite… I… I fear strangers… I feel more or less great with my friends and good familiars, even if I still have some kind of anxiety. But the others… I don’t feel safe next to them.”
“Do you fear men and girls?”
“Unfamiliar girls make me stressed. But… I have my knees shaking when I’m in front of unfamiliar men. I forget how to breathe… I feel like a victim caught in a trap… I have such a wild panic that I wanna scream in fear. Run away, shouting, ‘Help, someone!’ I feel really scared…”
“So…” Daniel starts stroking his chin. “Do you wanna say you were running away from me not because I looked kinda terrifying when we just met? Because you were afraid of men at all?”
“Both… But I’ve already said I was waiting for you to do something terrible to me.”
“Are you afraid of men at any age or a specific one?” Natalia asks.
“Any age,” Peter pronounces in a low voice. “Teenagers, adults, and old people make me horrified.”
“It started at school?” Edward frowns slightly.
“Yup… Maybe… But… I ain’t sure…”
“Do you wanna say something happened before you went to school?” Terrence specifies.
“I dunno…” Peter glances aside. “Honestly, I can barely remember my childhood. I have more or less bright memories starting in high school. I’ve got a hole or just some flashes when I try to think about what was before.”
“Does it mean Mr. Johnson may be right…” Anna concludes, stroking her chin. “Such a terrible thing happened to you that you preferred to forget it.”
“Most likely, the root of the problem is in your childhood,” Daniel adds. “You’ve gotta find the answer there.”
“Yeah, but I remember nothing!” Peter throws his hands up. “And… I’m not even sure if the memories I have are real. That they are not distorted.”
“Do you have any assumptions about what could happen?” Terrence asks. “Maybe you remember some phrases, some faces, or something else?”
“Nothing… But I’m really surprised that I’m afraid of male people to death, I don’t understand why my body reacts like this. Why I feel like a little, unprotected child. I fall into a stupor and become speechless at these moments.”
Peter shakes with a shake, gets up from the chair, and starts walking slowly in circles throughout the entire room.
“I got an especially wild reaction when I woke up and found myself tied up. When Marcus and his pals showed up out of nowhere and started to beat me with no shame. I was fucking scared. Scared ‘cause I was all alone and helpless. My hands and feet were tied up. I could do nothing! I don’t know how I got the strength to push all those assholes aside and escape.”
“It means that the event is connected with some men,” Edward assumes thoughtfully. “They did something horrible to you. I dunno… Maybe they kidnapped you when you were a child. They drove you somewhere in the woods, tied you up, and mocked you, too.”
“Can’t say anything…” Peter shakes his head. “It’s like the first ten pages have been torn out of the book so that the story starts from the middle. And who the hell knows where to find the lost pages.”
“There’s just one way – to run into what you forgot,” Daniel puts his hands on his hips. “Find something that can help you restore the picture. When I lost my memory, I got it back thanks to the knife lost by Wainwright. And his stories made me kinda anxious.”
“How do I know how to help myself recall my childhood and the reason why I got a fear of men?”
“Maybe, you should visit the place where you were born,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “Most likely, something happened back then. No matter how hurtful you feel, you should go there, walk in your places, and try to find your neighbors or any other familiars.”
“I don’t know why, but I think that case wasn’t the only one.”
“Gosh, what could happen to you?” Anna horrifies. “Who brought you to this condition?”
“And… When I think about it, not only do I feel panic. My whole body starts feeling a strong pain. I… I feel the pain I don’t have. Nobody beats me, and I hit nothing, but it seems like… Like all my muscles are twirling. And it happens even when someone just raises their hand at me. Nobody hits me, but I already feel the power of that hit.”
“You say it like you were beaten literally to half-death when you were a child,” Terrence says thoughtfully.
“I don’t know, but that pain is too real…”
Peter wincing slightly grabs his stomach because the brain sends a signal of the strong pain in his abdomen.
“Just like now… Oh… My stomach suddenly hurts… I’ve got a strange feeling somewhere in my abdomen…”
“It’s clear your brain tries to help you remember what you forgot,” Natalia assumes. “That’s why it sends you all these signs you don’t understand yet.”
“I understand just one thing: I felt painful and scared to death. But I can’t understand why.”
“I somehow read that the brain blocks extremely traumatic memories on purpose to protect the person’s mental health,” Raquelle confesses. “And it even distorts their memories in some cases.”
“Yes, yes, I heard something like this, too,” Anna nods. “And they say the person can remember everything when they are ready for this. When they are able to accept any shocking events quietly.”
“Does it mean Peter will remember nothing until he’s ready?” Daniel concludes.
“His brain kinda protects his broken mental health,” Natalia replies. “Most likely, if he remembers this now, it will lead to catastrophic consequences.”
“But he will have to remember everything early or late!” Edward throws his hands up. “Otherwise, he’s gonna suffer from panic attacks and fear men until the last day of his life!”
“The girls are right, guys,” Peter replies thoughtfully. “I don’t feel I’m ready to remember everything. Can’t get rid of the thought that I may get much worse. I wouldn’t like to take a knife and get it deeply into my heart.”
“Listen, buddy, did you get the thoughts of the self-murder some time ago, when our band started its way, or much earlier?” Daniel specifies, frowning slightly.
“Yes, Pete, was it the first attempt?” Edward meddles. “Or did you try to kill yourself before?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it all started in my forgotten childhood,” Peter replies thoughtfully and stops sharply in the middle of the room. “Still… Marcus’s words about the world trying to get rid of me really have a certain meaning. I… I don’t feel I’m supposed to live in it. I don’t feel I came here with a certain mission. It seems like I should’ve never been here. Like I’m… I’m a mistake that showed up due to the system’s glitch.”
“Everyone comes to this world for a reason,” Raquelle says with a slight smile. “Even if we are just destined to make someone happy.”
“Maybe I made someone happy. But nobody wanna make me happy. Nobody can make me feel that this world needs me, after all.”
“Aren’t you happy even with Helene?” Anna surprises. “She can’t become the meaning of your life?”
“Helene helps me hold on and not to drown. She’s done a lot for me, and I’m grateful to her for that. But even her love could not heal me. It could not help me find a place in this cruel world. Though I don’t see the meaning in being here without her.”
“I’m sure things will get better if you know what happened to you in your childhood,” Natalia expresses hope. “Who had broken you down before your schoolmates and teachers destroyed you fully.”
“I don’t wanna remember anything,” Peter confesses hesitantly. “I don’t think it will give me pleasure. I think… It would be better if things remained the same.”
“If things remain the same, you’ll keep suffering your whole life,” Daniel protests. “Suppressing your memories is just a temporary thing that protects you in your childhood. But when you become an adult, it does bad things to you. You can fear dangerous criminals, but running away from every man and every girl and waiting for something bad from them is not normal.”
“I know, Daniel! But I’m not ready for this yet. And I don’t know when I am ready.”
“If you wanna live a normal life, you will have to do this,” Terrence replies confidently.
“Maybe, I won’t. Why the hell would I need it if Marcus killed Helene?”
“We get it, Pete, but you still have friends,” Natalia recalls softly, coming to Peter and putting her hand on his shoulder. “Do you understand how emotional we would be if we lost you? If we didn’t save you. And how unpleasant it would be if you rejected our help.”
“Sorry, guys, but I can’t… Can’t do anything to me. I’m not strong enough to take it all. This burden has been my company for twenty-seven years, and I’ve lost my hope of getting rid of it.”
“Everything is possible if you want it. If you tell yourself you must fight for one or another reason. And you don’t have to fight for someone. You can stay strong for yourself. You can love yourself and be loyal to your principles. People deeply respect someone like this type.”
“I’ve never lived for myself. I’m living for a little hope for the best. The belief that I can make my life a little better. And now the only thing that holds me in this cruel world is you, guys. I mean, my duties for every one of you.”
“Don’t tell us you’re just letting us be your friends and still considering us dangerous strangers,” Edward crosses his arms over his chest.
“No, guys!” Peter exclaims, turning on his friends. “You all mean a lot to me. Yes, I’m really afraid that you will betray me someday. But I’m really happy to have you in my life and make it a little better. And I highly value everything you’re doing for me.”
“Anyway, we aren’t your enemies.” Edward comes to Peter and puts a hand on his shoulder. “We aren’t those who wanna give you a strong pain. If you wanna say something or ask us about something, we will hear you and do what we should.”
“Just remember there’s no fault of yours in this situation. It’s my demons. The ones that have been living with me all my life.”
“You won't have to spend it alone,” Daniel replies confidently. “Maybe, you didn’t have anyone back then, but now you have us. Those you can trust completely.”
“Thanks a lot, guys,” Peter thanks with sadness in his eyes. “You make me feel a little better.”
“When you’re ready to remember everything and tell us about it, let us know,” Anna says amicably. “We’ll be near to support you.”
“Maybe it will happen someday. But now I’m not ready to get through what’s definitely gonna make me have an uncontrolled hysteria.”
“It’s okay, we won’t insist.”
Peter says nothing and just nods hesitantly. He thinks for two seconds and glances at the smartphone lying on the bedside table.
“Sorry, guys, I will go to the kitchen and drink some water. I’ve got a dry throat.”
With these words, Peter takes his phone and leaves the room, not closing the door, while his friends watch him until the very end.
“Gosh, what a twist…” Natalia exhales sharply.
“Anxiety related to men…” Raquelle frowns slightly. “What could happen and make him start to be afraid of them like fire?”
“I can’t think of anything except a kidnapping or a beating,” Terrence shrugs. “The first meeting with Marcus became the trigger that made him feel panic.”
“But I think it was something more awful,” Anna assumes. “Moreover, Peter was a child since the memories of his childhood, and something from his teenage years are gone. You know that children take everything much harder than adults, ‘cause they’ve got weak mental health.”
“Hey, Daniel, how long was Peter running from you like this?” Edward asks.
“A long enough time,” Daniel nods. “But I wasn’t the only one he was running from. Pete kept himself far from those we worked with. And Albert immediately noticed that he was too secretive and tense. He somehow tried to talk to him a little, but he gave up later ‘cause he thought about how to get as much money as possible.”
“But the fact that Rose started to talk to you one day didn’t mean he stopped seeing you as a threat?” Raquelle specifies.
“Honestly, I still can’t feel the wall between us is broken. I did my best to make it happen. I told him the story of my life. But… There was something missing about his story. I didn’t try to pay attention to this, though. Because… We were friends, we talked, everything was fine… We asked forgiveness for all the bad things, talked about all the problems.”
“Anyway, even if Peter befriends us, he still considers all of us a potential threat,” Terrence replies. “At least, you and me, men. Rose fears us to some extent.”
“Alas, guys, but we’re powerless while the blond wants to change nothing,” Edward shrugs. “We only have to be careful and watch everything we say and do.”
“At least, he contacts us quietly enough,” Raquelle notices. “He doesn’t ignore our words and doesn’t shake when we touch him. Vice versa, Pete wants this. He’s scared, but he wants. Because he understands he needs us.”
“The case when you’re really scared, but you really want,” Anna adds.
“Gosh, did Peter really deserve this punishment?” Natalia sighs heavily. “Why did so many things happen to him? Why is his whole life some kind of nightmare?”
“This is the question we will probably never find the answer to.”
And while his friends keep sitting in the room and talking about the situation, Peter really goes to the kitchen, takes a clean glass from the kitchen drawer, fills it with water from a little glassy jug with a cover, and drinks everything quickly. With the thought of the nice wetness in his throat, he leans on the counter with his elbows and starts checking out something on his phone after he gets a notification. Marcus sent him some provocative photos and messages to make Rose much madder, while the blond squeezes the glass of water tightly so that it’s about to be broken.
“Old bastard…” Peter blunts under his nose in a low voice. “When will you die? Along with your henchmen, whose fucking balls must be cut.”
At some moment, Peter wants to close the chat, drink water, and come back to the others, but his phone makes a short sound with an intense vibration. The man finds out that there is an icon with a number in the chat with Marcus’ messages. Which means he sent a new message. The blond opens it shortly, sees a long text, and starts reading it closely with the hope of finding out something interesting:
“So what, my boy, how are you doing there? I feel that you’re fretting and fuming because you cannot do anything. I read the news about your mental breakdown at one of the concerts and got it all. I understood that your thoughts were about just one thing – Helene Marshall. Who cannot stop thinking of you, too. She is waiting for you to come after her. She does not have the strength to run somewhere and resist someone. My boys even feel kind of bored that they do not have to catch her all together and be determined to finish their business.”
“I hate you, Marcus Longbottom…” Peter growls irritably. “I fucking hate you to death…”
“Well, why am I writing to you? I think it’s our time to meet and talk about the future of Helene and you. It’s been a long enough time, the girl is exhausted, and you are close to a nervous breakdown. A perfect moment, I guess. So, my dear Peter, come to my home somewhere at six o’clock in the evening. I shall send you the address in the next message. I don’t actually care if you come alone or with your friends. But remember one thing: those who will enter my house after you will regret it. They will not get out and keep living. Your friends can say goodbye to you, their girls, and everyone. If you don’t take them with you, alright, they can live. But you and I will talk about the fate of your sweetheart. I shall answer all your questions and open all my secrets. And I shall tell you what kind of pain I got because of your birth. Now I shall say nothing – we will talk about everything when we meet personally. So, see you tomorrow, my boy.”
To make sure that his eyes do not lie to him, Peter reads the last two lines from Marcus again, not believing that he finally got a long-awaited chance to find Helene and save her. While he does it, he gets another message with the address of the place where someone will be waiting for him tomorrow.
“Finally…” Peter exhales slowly with closed eyes. “Finally, this moment has come… Finally, I can save Helene… I will know where she is hiding and take her out… Finally…”
Peter puts his hand on his forehead with a heavy breath and glances at the screen of the phone that is still turned on, paying attention to the address.
“Hm, that old bastard lives far from here… It’s gonna take at least one hour to reach it in the car without traffic jams. And as far as I know, the neighborhood is very quiet. There are not so many houses there. Oh… But it’s okay, I shall solve it.”
Hearing the voices of his friends from afar, Peter glances aside first, then leaves the room, and comes to his room, but does not rush to enter it. He just watches sadly the anxious men take their girls barely holding down the tears in their strong hugs, and try to comfort them as they are talking about the current situation.
“I can’t risk like this…” Peter thinks with anxiety in his soul. “Can’t let the guys do this. If they run into Marcus and all those bastards, they will be dead, for sure. I will never forgive myself for that. I won’t forgive myself for not protecting them.”
Peter swallows nervously, squeezing his phone in his hand.
“I’m so sorry, guys. I understand I’m risking a lot, but it would be better if you knew nothing about my meeting with Marcus. Yes, I’ll tell them nothing. I will go alone. All alone. Otherwise, too many lives will be at stake. I am already responsible for Helene’s life. The responsibility for your lives would be too much for me. It would be too hard for me.”
Peter crosses his arms over his chest, exhaling slowly, with a shake.
“I’m scared… I’m afraid to deal with that asshole all alone. But I will have to get into this shit. For Helene. For the well-being of this girl. She has suffered a lot all this time. Since I have a real chance to save her, I will do this for sure. I will not stay aside like a coward and watch her die slowly. No way. And I will make Marcus tell me why he the fuck started it all and what he wanted from me. That bastard will show me all his cards. And he will pay me a lot if something happens to my girlfriend. If she dies. I shall kill that bastard. I shall strangle him with my own hands. So, he sees that Peter Rose is not so cowardly and weak when the case is about his close person. That he would put all his fears and doubts in his ass and act like a real man for them.”
Since his throat gets dry again due to the excitement, Peter comes back to the kitchen and drinks a glass of water. Then he tries to calm himself down a little by exhaling and inhaling slowly, and returns to the room where his friends are. However, they notice his excited condition and try to ask him about it. But the man himself keeps being silent about the meeting, being determined to go there all alone with the hope that he will save Helene and bring her to those who are praying so hard that she is alright.
***
The time she has to spend in captivity has negatively impacted the physical and mental condition of Helene, who does not even get up from bed and does not resist anything her offenders do to her. The girl is so exhausted that she does not have the strength to cry. Red, puffy eyes do not show any kind of emotions, and look into the distance, and any attempts to calm herself down stopped working a long time ago. Besides, she does not care about the flying and creeping insects that had her hysterical at first. She does not notice the bites of mosquitoes, and the pain from hits on her whole body has kinda gone. Nevertheless, Helene keeps believing that the door of this room will open one beautiful day, and Peter runs into this place as fast as the wind. She keeps dreaming of him not leaving her and finding a way to save her from this hell. Despite the nightmares with him that she keeps seeing at times. Nightmares, in which he blames the girl for betraying him and even tries to kill her. She really wants to believe that her nightmares will not come true, and the man will not succumb to the provocations she is well aware of thanks to Marcus himself and his accomplices. “Where are you, Peter?” Helene asks herself quietly, lying on her stomach and hugging the pillow tightly with both arms. “I need you so badly now… Like never before… I’m still holding on thanks to you. If not for you, I would kill myself. I wouldn’t let Marcus do it first. But I still believe you will come after me.” Helene sniffs quietly. “Please, sweetie, don’t leave me here… I can’t take this anymore… I’m so scared… But I don’t have the strength and can’t do anything. These walls drive me crazy. And I faint from starvation and feel bad even when I lie on the bed. A little bit before I die. If they decide to keep me for one week or two.” Helene moves her sad eyes to the empty box, in which the food was gone two days ago, and winces slightly when she gets a sharp stomach pain again. “I swear I will never torture myself with diets that include starvation. Grandma was right when she said it was really evil. The evil that drives me crazy more and more…” Helene turns onto her side slowly and presses her knees to her chest, embracing them with both arms. “You’re my last hope, Pete. I have nobody else to count on. If you don’t save me, I’m gonna be dead, for sure. Though I don’t wanna die… I don’t… I haven’t done so much. Please, sweetheart, help me. I helped you when you needed it. But now I need your help. Please, Peter, please… Take me out… Don’t give me to Marcus and his henchmen. I’d do anything for you if you saved me. Anything you want. But just save me from this hell. Please… For God’s sake…” Helene closes her eyes tightly, while tears get out of them slowly, feeling that her whole body shakes from coldness and tension. She would like to fall into a deep sleep and get some strength, but she is afraid to sleep because she may see an amazingly realistic nightmare with Peter, Marcus, and his accomplices, who would do something awful to her. Nevertheless, she sometimes has so little strength that she does not notice that she may fall asleep for some time. Moreover, this is the only thing she can do here to shorten the time and not to go crazy from boredom. Well… Not saying about the moments when she thinks about her close people, whom she misses so badly. For example, she is thinking of Peter now. The moments when they spent time together. When both of them felt so good. About how scared they were to reveal their feelings that could have put an end to their long-time friendship. The girl thinks about how it happened in the hospital room when the man woke up after his suicide attempt. The confession was unplanned, nobody was ready for this. But the risk was worth it all because their fear of having a one-sided love did not come true. And their first kiss still causes a nice tremble in the chest and became one of the brightest and most wonderful memories in her life. Just like her first meeting with Peter, who was introduced to her by their friend Jessica four years ago.***
Four years ago. Helene just spent a hard, long day at work, left the high glassy building that is located not far from her, and went to the bus stop to come back home. Nevertheless, the girl does not rush and enjoys the warm sunny evening, knocking the high heels of her black shoes against the asphalt and squeezing the handle of the bag she is holding on her shoulder. Despite the huge load, Marshall tries to be responsible for her work because she recently found something good related to her professional and her salary expectations. Several people of different ages are standing with her on the bus stop, not paying attention to her, and being busy with their thoughts and business. Helene would be happy to sit down because she feels pain in her legs after spending a whole day in a standing position. But she decides to stand shyly aside and let a couple of old people sit down after they barely come to the bench. The personal and common transport go by their eyes at full speed. Even if some buses stop, it’s not what the girl needs. Who tries to save some money for a cheap car after she managed to pass the exams successfully to get a driver’s license. At some moment, some people come to the bus stop, but Helene does not even look at them, thinking about something. But the short, young girl with a blonde bob with a packet in her hands looks at her carefully, not being sure if she knows her at first. But when her doubts are all gone, the blonde comes determinedly to Marshall, while a shy man at first sight, carrying a couple of big packets in his hands, follows her. “Helene?!” the blonde asks surprisingly. “Is that you?” After hearing someone call her, Helene glances at the blonde and smiles at her shyly. “Jessica?!” Helene recognizes the girl. “Hi!” “Hi, friend!” Jessica exclaims happily. “What happiness!” Jessica gives her packet to the blond-haired man, who accompanies her, and then takes Helene to an amicable hug. “I’m so happy to see you! I was thinking of you yesterday and thought it would be cool to meet somewhere.” “Oh, I don’t have time to have fun and go somewhere,” Helene sighs tiredly, putting her hand on her forehead. “I have to work super hard. The load is really wild.” “I was wondering why you were so pale and tired.” “I changed my job again and found the one I’d get much more money for. They accepted me with no problems, but they said they wanted their stuff to work like crazy.” “Would you stay?” “Yeah, I will be working here, but then I will see.” Helene sighs heavily. “Moreover, I need money so badly.” “So, did ya decide to leave the home of your grandfather and grandmother?” “I’d be happy to, honestly. I am so sick of them overprotecting me so hard.” Helene exhales sharply. “And they take all my salary.” “Come on?” Jessica rounds her eyes. “Your salary? Take?” “Yep, my grandfather hides it in his secret place. And when I ask him to give me some money, he refuses. And he wants me to tell him what I want to buy in all details. If he doesn’t approve of it, I can do anything, but they don’t let me buy it.” “God… Does your grandmother agree with it?” “Grandmother Scarlett is always for Grandfather Roger. She never goes against him and does everything he says. And if she dares to say something against him, he starts to turn his nose up and walks proudly, saying nothing. Until she apologizes and does what he wants.” “Yeah, you’re not lucky with your family.” “You’re right! Though I wanna go shopping and buy clothes, cosmetics, something else… I wanna finally wear something beautiful that would make me feel like a queen. Now I wear old lady’s old clothes that are the reason why everyone looks at me like I’m an idiot.” “Do they take all your money?” Jessica surprises. “To the last cent?” “They think they take everything. But I manage to hide the fact that I earn much more money. Thanks to this, I have just something.” “You’re doing this right.” “But honestly, I wanna earn money to rent a small apartment. I already have enough money. A little bit before I can pay for several months of rent.” Helene shrugs. “Maybe I can even save some money for a cheap car. These old people don’t even allow me to buy it – they make me use a bus. But sometimes Grandfather drives me to work like a child. Making me blush for my colleagues.” “Maybe you should get a loan for a car and apartment and pay for it little by little?” “No, Jess, no loans. I’ve never used them, and I’m not gonna do this. If I buy something, I buy it for the money I earn legally.” “Okay, it’s just my suggestion.” Jessica caresses Helene’s shoulder softly. “Anyway, hold on, friend. If you need some money, I can lend it to you. You can give it back when you can.” “Thank you so much, sweetie,” Helene smiles sadly. “I will get through this.” “I will solve my business now and visit you a little later. I haven’t visited you for ages, as I think.” “They recently asked why you hadn’t visited us for ages.” “Oh, I have too much to do!” Jessica waves her hand. “I am freaking sick of solving it all, honestly. I do wanna solve it all and relax.” “Let me ask you, what did you buy?” Helene crosses her arms over her chest. “There was so much in your packet, as I noticed.” “Oh, that’s half of what I need. That’s good I have a helper, who I wouldn’t do all of this without.” With these words, Jessica smiling slightly glances at the young man with blond hair, who has not said anything yet. “M-m-m, wow…” Helene smiles mysteriously. “Taylor… Did you, asshole, find a boyfriend but say nothing to me?” “What?” Jessica pronounces hesitantly, rounding her eyes. “Erm… Nah! You got it wrong! It’s not my boyfriend, it’s just my good friend. Who helps me in any critical situation.” “You say, a friend?” “Oh, let me introduce you to each other!” Jessica points at the man standing next to her. “So, Helene, this is Peter. Peter Rose. My loyal friend, whom I’ve known since the school years.” “Wow, school years?” Helene wonders surprisingly. “It’s correct,” Peter confirms shyly. “Jessica and I studied in the same school.” “That’s good you’re still friends,” Helene notices, folding her hands in front of herself. “And you, pretty boy, meet my friend Helene Marshall.” Jessica brings her face to Peter’s ear with a sly smile. “She is single, well-educated, and very smart, for your information. Though she’s got a problem with her family: her grandfather and grandmother overprotect her.” “Jess…” Peter pronounces shyly with a slight blush on his face. “Erm, nice to meet you, Mr. Rose,” Helene says amicably and gives her hand to Peter. “Me too…” Peter replies a little hesitantly and shakes Helene slightly by the hand. “Ms. Marshall…” “I was wondering who the guy, who was following my friend and waiting for her while we talked, was.” “She just asked me to help her buy something and drive her purchases to her home. Since I’m free today, why wouldn’t I help my friend.” “That’s good she’s got such a good friend.” “Oh, Pete is a gem!” Jessica says with her head proudly raised, clapping Peter on the shoulder. “The girl, who can make him fall in love with her, is gonna be so lucky.” “M-m-m, he’s single?” “He is! And trust me, if you wanna talk to him more, you will understand how cool he is.” “I don’t doubt your words.” Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Helene looks at Peter with a slight smile, finding him attractive and feeling a nice tremble inside. While the man himself tries to be gentle, he remains a little distracted and shy. However, Jessica notices that the guy has an interest in her friend and gets a slight blush on his cheeks. “Oh, listen, Helene, where are you gonna now?” Jessica asks. “Home,” Helene shrugs. “Waiting for my bus to come.” “We can drive you if you want.” “Huh?” “Pete is driving. His car is not too far from here. We’re gonna go there. And he can drive you home as fast as the wind.” “Erm, no, thanks, don’t need…” Helene tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, looking down shyly. “I will go home by myself. Moreover, it’s a very good weather now. I wanna walk a little and breathe in some air. So, I don’t see Grandfather and Grandmother as long as possible. Or they’re gonna keep educating me like a baby again.” “I don’t mind driving you home,” Peter replies amicably. “Sometimes buses don’t arrive on time, but you are probably tired after work.” “Yeah, I’m tired, but not so much.” “Join us, Ms.. Jessica and I would be happy to drive you.” “You are probably in a rush.” “We don’t rush at all! We’ve bought everything already.” “Oh, guys, what about going to my home and drinking a cup of coffee or tea?” Jessica suggests cheerfully. “The suggestion is pretty good, huh,” Helene smiles mysteriously. “Here’s another reason to feel free for a little longer.” “Agree then! What if you don’t meet for one thousand years again.” “Oh, alright…” Helene sighs with a slight smile. “I agree. Let’s spend time together. And I… Can get to know Mr. Rose much better.” “I would be happy if we managed to get along,” Peter replies. “Great. Moreover, I like meeting new people. Besides, Jessica somehow told me about you, even if I didn’t care about it a lot.” “But I’ve never heard of you, to be honest.” “I would be happy to answer all your questions.” “Okay, guys, let’s talk a little later,” Jessica suggests and takes one of the packets from Peter. “We should come to Rose’s car and put all of this in the truck.” “It’s not far, huh!” Peter exclaims. “Just a couple of miles.” “Don’t sleep, Marshall! Come with us! C’mon, c’mon, don’t sleep!” With these words, Jessica takes Helene under her arm and pulls her after herself and Peter to the side, where the man’s car is parked. They find it successfully some time later. And while the blond unlocks it with the key and puts all the packets in the truck so nothing breaks on the way, the girls go aside to whisper with each other. “M-m-m, so what, friend, how’s this creature?” Jessica smiles mysteriously, hugging Helene around the shoulders. “Sympathetic enough,” Helene replies shyly, feeling that her cheeks are burning. “And his eye color is so unusual. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” “He’s single, just saying.” “Jess!” “What? I don’t exclude that your grandfather and grandmother would 100% like this pretty boy!” “I don’t have time and wish to start a relationship with someone. I should make sure my job is permanent to earn money for my own car and apartment rent.” “One thing is not a barrier to another, beautiful. I highly advise you to take a close look at Peter. He’s the one you would always feel like you’re behind a brick wall.” “Even if I wanted it, something would hardly happen between us.” “Why do ya think so?” “That Peter seemed a little cold and distant to me. He acts normal and relaxed toward you, but it’s like I’ve already done something to him.” “Oh, don’t worry, Pete always behaves like this when he meets someone new,” Jessica waves her hand. “He spends a lot of time watching them and keeping them at a distance, but then he relaxes and becomes the sweetest man. I didn’t get along with him at first – we started to befriend each other in high school.” “I dunno… Of course, I can’t judge him, but I’m not sure if he liked me.” “Oh, no, girl, you are wrong!” Jessica exclaims, putting her arm around Helene’s neck. “Rose definitely liked you. His eyes shined so bright, and his eyes were burning!” “I… I didn’t notice that.” “But I saw you two being shy when shaking each other by the hand.” “Yeah, there’s something attractive about it…” “Anyway, don’t forget this creature. Yes, he’s got some money issues now, but he’s very smart, educated, shy, and caring. And he’s very loyal! If he gets attracted to you, it’s gonna be a friend that’s as loyal as a dog.” “Time will show, friend.” “So, girls, let’s go?” Peter meddles after he closes the truck. “I would be happy to talk to my new acquaintance a little.” “Let’s go, let’s go!” Jessica nods confidently and pushes Helene slightly to the back door. “Get in the car, friend, feel free!” “Wait for a second…” Peter goes around the car quickly, opens the back door, and makes a gesture that kind of suggests Helene sitting down. At first, she shares a little shy smile with him, but then she says amicably, “Thank you so much,” and sits on the soft seat that she literally drowns in. While she puts on the safety belt and puts her handbag on her laps, Jessica takes the man under his arm with a sly smile when he wants to come to the driver's door. “Don’t miss your chance, buddy,” Jessica insists. “A perfect candidature for the role of your girlfriend.” “What do you mean?” Peter frowns slightly. “By the way, that’s your favorite type: short, skinny, with dark hair. And let’s not forget about the brains, a high education, perfect manners, and a soft character.” “Yeah, I don’t deny that the girl is pretty sympathetic. But nothing will happen between us.” “Why would you say it in advance? You don’t know her at all!” “I dunno… And I’m not sure if we will keep talking.” “Ha! But why did you agree to spend time with her and me then?” “She’s your friend. It means I must at least show respect for her.” “By the way, if you had dark hair, you’d look like her grandfather in his younger years.” “Turn off the matcher mode, Jessica,” Peter insists. “Don’t match me with all the girls. I’ve already told you that I’m not ready to start a relationship yet.” “I think you will never be ready! And in the end, you will die as a virgin that’s never been kissed without a wife and children if you keep rejecting all girls and preventing their attempts to seduce you.” “It’s my destiny, then!” “Okay, boy, damn you! We’ll talk about it later. And now try not to scare my friend with your coldness that you are spreading.” “Don’t worry, I will be gentle to her.” “Thank you for that!” “Alright, jump in the car!” “Hey, don’t ya wanna open the door for me?” “Why?” Peter smiles innocently. “You’re the independent lady! You do everything by yourself!” “Just confess that you’ve got a crush on my friend.” “What? It’s not true! Not at all!” “You have! You are starting to drool over her! And you’ve already watered your t-shirt!” “It’s your fantasy!” Peter protests, pulling the collar of his t-shirt nervously. “Let’s bet you don’t even notice that you fall in love with Helene soon and can’t live without her!” “Don’t say stupid things!” “It’s not stupid things, dude!” “Hey, chatter, calm down and get in the car before I decide to leave you right here with everything you bought.” “Hey, Rose, I will kick your ass now!” With these words, Jessica claps Peter slightly on the head and hits his shoulder two times before he runs away from her with a loud laugh and gets into the driver’s seat very quickly. The girl exhales sharply, pulls down her simple oversized t-shirt, comes to the door of the passenger, and sits on the seat next to him. Even though the door is closed, Helene sitting in the car hears their talk clearly, which made her blush much more and upsetted her a little because of the words of the one she liked. Nevertheless, she says nothing about it and joins the talks of the friends, whom she did not plan to meet, as if nothing had happened.***
“I really fell in love…” Helene sighs with an exhausted smile. “I fell in love so strongly that I can’t imagine my life without Peter now. If not for him, I would’ve given up a long time ago. Because I know he needs me. No matter what.” Hugging the pillow tightly with both arms, Helene imagines that she is pressing herself to Peter instead. His hot body. She imagines his strong arms squeezing her in a tight embrace. How his warm, tender hands slide over her skin, warming it up slowly. Or his long, thin fingers run through her hair and touch the skin on her head. The thing she wants more than anything in the world is to be next to him. She would like to finally feel safe and become a little girl in the hugs of the big soft toy. Thinking about it, Helene does not notice that she starts to fall asleep at some moment. And she is seeing something quiet probably for the first time in her life. The strong hug of Peter full of love and warmth. The one she thought about before. The one that gives her some kind of bliss and peace… The lovers press themselves to each other as they are somewhere in the woods, in a picturesque place. Sitting on big stones and sharing tender looks, while the warm wind blows up their faces slightly, and the clothes, the shoots of the bright sun warm them up, and birds flying in the air please the ear with their sweet singing. Some time later, their lips connect in a tender, continuous kiss that makes their hearts beat stronger and makes them feel the goosebumps on their whole bodies. That’s why Helene starts moaning quietly and twirling in the bed, snuggling her nose in the pillow and aiming to embrace it much more tightly. The wave of burning heat is spreading rapidly throughout her whole body. The line between reality and imagination is gone, and all the touches and feelings are too real. Another hug with Peter gives her a much stronger sense of calm. Such a strong one that the girl no longer feels the pain in her stomach that was the reason why she had a nightmare of being, for example, being wounded in this area. She feels super easy, all the anxieties are gone, and her heart no longer squeezes in fear and horror. But when the door opens with a loud squeak, Helene shakes with a quiet ooh and opens her eyes sharply. After hearing another similar sound, she moves her eyes full of horror to the source of it and literally stops breathing, waiting for what’s going to happen next with anxiety. She thinks one of Marcus’s accomplices will come here, but instead, she sees Mr. Longbottom himself, on the face of whom she sees a wide, smug smile. And he looks incredibly proud, as if he has made the best deal of his life. “So what, beautiful, how are you doing here?” Marcus starts the talk, closing the door and entering the room. “Holding on yet?” Marcus comes to the bed and sits on the edge, while Helene keeps lying on her stomach and looks at him with dead, tear-stained eyes. “M-m-m, I see you feel too bad.” Marcus looks at Helene from head to foot. “So pale, so exhausted… The girl has lost much weight…” “Are you going to keep me here until I die?” Helene asks in a quiet, low voice. “Until I’m killed by starvation, or until I want to kill myself?” “If you ask me very well, I can let you make a choice and decide how you want to die. Quickly, with no pain, or slowly, with torture.” “Trust me, I will die earlier than you want this. Because I am going crazy from the starvation. These walls press on me. I’m about to get claustrophobic because of this. I want to break free. I want to see the light. I feel bad… I feel bad because I have to be in the dark all the time.” “As for the starvation, we warned you in the very beginning: if you decided to befriend us and do everything we said, we would feed and drink you. But you, girl, chose a different way. You tried to escape, you were rude to my people, you resisted them…” “So, do you think I should’ve been silent when they wanted to rape me?” Helene surprises truly. “When they wanted to use me to satisfy their needs?” “You are our prisoner. Prisoners must do what they are told. Since my people wanted to play with you, you had no right to protest.” “I didn’t want it… I did not!” “C’mon, sweetie, I don’t want many things, either,” Marcus throws his hands with an innocent smile. “For example, to get up early in the morning and go to work. I would rather stay home and do something. For example, reading books about phytotherapy. I have many of them. Because I love examining herbs, their properties, and all the ways I can use them for cures.” “That’s wrong. It should not happen.” “Listen, Helene, my guys are adult people who can decide what to do. I don’t want to and will not teach them and say what’s bad or what’s good. They decide what to do to you, when, and where. I only have one order – not to kill. And I don’t limit them to anything.” “No…” “You are a gift. The gift I gave them to thank them kindly for everything they have done for me. And I don’t just mean the help in destroying Peter Rose. They have helped me out many times before.” “Please, Mr. Longbottom, stop all of this,” Helene begs in despair and sniffs quietly. “I can’t take this anymore… I feel too bad here…” “M-m-m, do you, naive, girl, still believe I will let you go kindly, or someone will find this place and take out the poor, unhappy girl named Helene Marshall?” “I wanna go home… To my grandma…” “Your grandma has probably already died of worrying. Her organism is unable to take this stress. Well… Or she is alive yet, but she is one step away from the grave. She just must be pushed a little.” “No, not this…” “Que será, será, Helene. Accept this as fact. And stop counting on something.” “I will give up in just one case: if you do something to Peter. If he does because of you and your accomplices.” “So, are you holding on yet because of that boy?” “Yes! Until I know he’s alive and healthy, I have the reason to cling to any chance to survive in this hell.” “I doubt that Peter will appreciate it now. When he gets a whole connection of videos and photos from my people about them having fun with you and leaving this place happy.” “He won’t believe I wanted it. But even if he does, our friends will wake him up quickly and make him see things clearly.” “Don’t hope on this. I whispered something in his ear to make him doubt that his friends wished him the best.” “What?” Helene rounds her eyes. “Maybe, I will not even have to work hard to make him turn his back on his friends. Just some words will be enough. For example, about them making him suffer longer and not letting him make the mistake that was made twenty-seven years ago, and erase him from this world.” “Peter’s birth was not a mistake!” “It was, my girl, it was. It was the unplanned event. Yes, it could have been prevented, but sadly, nobody meddled in the process in time.” “God, why do you hate him so much?” Helene wonders and sits up. “What did Peter do to you? Why did you add him to your biggest enemies?” “Not sure if I want to satisfy your curiosity. But I will be happy to tell Peter everything he should know.” “Leave him alone! Stop doing what doesn’t make sense. You have a little time to live. Live your time quietly, without hate in your heart.” “When I deal with you and your sweetheart, I will be happy to fulfill your wish and enjoy the time I have.” “Please, Mr. Longbottom…” “I’ve been waiting for this revenge for several years and cannot miss a chance I was given.” “No person who wanted to take revenge on my friends or me for something has gotten away with it. All of them get what they deserve early or late.” “Just like you, my darling,” Marcus smiles slyly. “Do not call yourself holy.” “I regretted everything a long time ago.” “It’s not enough to make amends. You will do this through the ocean of tears, unbearable suffering, and a long, tormenting death.” “It’s an extremely high cost for the mistakes of the past.” “Think you can give a lesson to people. Show them what may happen to someone if they do bad tricks and cause pain to everyone.” “Alright…” Helen exhales sharply. “But what does Peter have to do with it? He is holy and innocent! That man has done nothing bad to anyone! But everyone wants to harm him, humiliate him, and provoke him to die.” “Sometimes even those loved by kind of everyone are wanted to be dead.” “Well, nobody loves you for sure. And you love nobody. You don’t know this feeling.” “How do you know this? How do you know who loves me, and who I love?” “If you loved someone, you wouldn’t be such a vengeful and bloodthirsty man.” “Sometimes people become heartless bastards because of love that may be extremely toxic and deeply unhappy. It may be associated with unbearable pain and endless suffering.” “What are you hinting at?” “Don’t find hints about my words.” “And you don’t blame Peter for all your problems. If your life is bad, that guy is not the one to blame, for sure. He doesn’t know you at all and has done nothing bad to you.” “Do you think I could stand in the way of any stranger and give them a pain?” Marcus arches his eyebrows surprisingly. “Do you think I chose Peter and you as my victims because you just stood in my way at a very bad time?” “But you killed more than a hundred people twenty years ago. Though they also did nothing bad to you and lived a quiet life.” “Trust me, Helene, I want to get rid of Peter for a real enough reason, and I’m not chasing him for nothing.” “You are crazy… Just crazy.” “I just cannot accept the fact that the man, who was the reason why I had to suffer a lot, still walks on the ground.” “Would you get better and forget everything if he did not walk on the ground?” “I would not forget, sadly, but I would feel a great relief at the thought that my enemy has paid for the pain I felt.” “Oh, it’s awful…” Helene sighs heavily, putting her hand on her forehead. “And yeah, I actually came to you to tell you the news that has to do with your sweetheart. Peter Rose will pay me for all my sufferings tomorrow.” “What?” “Yes, yes, shorty, it’s time to end all of this shit,” Marcus nods confidently with a sly smile. “No…” Helene getting sharply pale in horror swallows nervously with the thought that her heart starts beating much faster. “On the way here, I sent Peter another bunch of photos of the gorgeous you and told him how my guys fucked you by one yesterday. I also told him that I would be waiting for him at my home tomorrow. The place he will not leave alive.” “No…” “And it means you will be dead, too,” Marcus replies without emotions on his face. “Tomorrow, it will be the last day you spend here. Your next and final stop is the city cemetery. I mean… The self-made nameless grave in the furthest place in the woods.” Helene opens her eyes full of horror widely and literally stops breathing as she looks at Marcus being amazingly quiet and smiling. “And you will have to die first. Ladies first, as the etiquette says. First, my people will deal with you, and then they will do this to Peter. After I tell him why he should die. I shall tell him a little more about me and explain how that nasty boy made me really angry at him.” While tears get out of her eyes by themselves, Helene starts to understand that something is pressing on her chest and does not let her make a deep inhalation and exhale quietly. The burning pain in the stomach lets her know about itself, and her whole body squeezes with a much stronger tension. And the sense of helplessness and powerlessness possess her more and more, making her lose hope for salvation and making her give up and stop fighting even for Peter.
