The room erupted into hushed whispers. Many people were confused, looking to Marlene and Eden for explanations. Charlie stared at Eden with watery eyes, pressing a hand to her chest. Nolan's jaw was practically on the ground. Even Liam let emotion seep into his features. Caleb placed a hand on my shoulder, knowing that I hated seeing Eden in pain.

That same elderly lady spoke up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I didn't only help Marlene write the book," Eden told her, although her eyes were trained on me. "The book is based on what happened to me." She sighed. "I realised that it's finally time to tell my story because the longer I suppress it, the more I hurt. This constant fear is keeping me from moving forward and I won't be able to until I acknowledge what happened."

I watched her sit down on the floor, her legs dangling off from the stage. She sent the audience a hesitant smile. "My name's Eden and the secret I've been harbouring for the past five years is that I'm also Penelope Smith - the protagonist in The Man In The Library. My best friend, Ruben," her breathing hitched, and I cursed softly, "well, Daisy Johnstone was based on him." The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

Marlene watched Eden with a proud smile, and so did Alex. I realised how painful it must've been for them to see Eden behave like a robot after Ruben's death. Charlie was sniffling to herself, probably because the pain was fresh in her memory as she'd read the book on the plane. I motioned for Nolan to swap seats with me and I sat down next to Charlie, binding my arm around her shoulder.

"When I was fourteen, I began lagging in English class because I was more focused on going on adventures," she began softly. I watched her closely, giving her my full attention because I needed to know what happened to her. "My mum got me a tutor. In the book, his name is Gary." Her eyes met mine. "In real life, he went by Peter Baylor." I recognised it as a name she mentioned when she had nightmares.

"Poor angel," Charlie whimpered, knowing the role Gary played in the book. Liam placed a hand on her thigh in comfort.

Eden gave Charlie a sympathetic smile before continuing. "Ruben was my best friend." There was a faraway look in her eyes. "We did everything together and rarely ever separated. So of course, he threw a tantrum when he realised we had to be separated for a few hours whilst I met my tutor." A sad laugh left her lips as she swung her legs back and forth. "He insisted he came with even though he was acing English." She sighed. "I should've said no. But I was selfish and I wanted him there."

A woman who introduced herself as Cassandra, raised her hand and urged, "was Peter as cruel as Gary was in the books?" Recognition flashed through Eden's eyes at the name for a second before it was gone. She considered Cassandra's words for a second, not knowing that this woman would soon change her life.

I waited for Eden's reply. It was whispered but still carried across the room because of the mic. "He was worse. In the book, Daisy was shot, but at least Penelope got to say goodbye to her. But that's not what really happened. Peter was the kindest man ever. He worked as a librarian and tutored during his free time. Ruben and I always showed up early at the library to read whilst Peter finished his shift. He had a wife and two kids and constantly talked about them. Every night, we had tea whilst we studied and then he dropped us at home-" Her voice broke and Charlie sniffled into her hands.

"Eden," Marlene muttered as she went to sit next to her. She rubbed a soothing hand over her back.

"One night, Ruben and I were exhausted because we'd had a long day," Eden told us, and I knew what was coming. Everyone who read the book knew. "We fell asleep. I was the first to wake up, and I was in an unfamiliar living room. Ruben was still asleep next to me on the couch. I left him to rest as I looked around the house. Peter was cooking dinner in the kitchen as if he didn't just kidnap us. I still remember what he was cooking. The entire house smelled like chicken curry."

Watching Eden, I apprehended that she didn't forget a single thing. The memory was so vivid in her mind that it wasn't surprising that she had nightmares. When Eden met my gaze, I winked, making her smile.

"My mum had been an orphan and never had a proper family. So when she had kids of her own, she became a helicopter parent, always checking on us. My sister, Mary, was twenty-one at the time and my other sister was still in the womb so my mum's full attention was on me. She made me wear a watch." Eden showed us her empty wrist to emphasise her point. "On the side, there'd been a button and when I pressed it, my parents would be alerted of my location immediately. Peter thought he was smart when he got rid of our phones, but he didn't know about my watch."

I had to give it to Tina Orlov- she was fucking smart. If it wasn't for her, Eden may have never been found. Eden stroked her wrist, no doubt thanking her mom in her head. Marlene pressed a kiss to the side of her head, reminding her she was safe and surrounded by people that loved her.

"Whilst he cooked dinner, we had a little conversation. It was impossible to fear Peter because he was so kind. I guess that's what made him dangerous," Eden spoke, mic shaking in her hands. "He told me about how his wife and two kids had died in a house fire. His wife had run away with their kids. The house they were staying in caught fire and he hated his wife for putting his kids in that situation. There was so much pain in his voice because he was hurting. I sympathised with him. Pain makes us do horrible things. It made Peter kidnap us so that he could live out his fantasy with his two kids. He wanted them back. And Ruben and I were the perfect replacements. Peter feared being alone. When grief and fear are partners, it does horrendous things."

Cassandra raised her hand again. "If he didn't shoot Ruben, what happened?" Everyone wanted to know the answer to that question. In the book, Gary shot Daisy because he panicked when the police showed up. Before he could get to Penelope, his door was broken down, and he got arrested.

Eden's lower lip quivered. "When I pressed my emergency button on my watch, my parents called the police. When they arrived, Peter panicked. He shoved me in a broom closet before bringing Ruben to me because he was still asleep. I gripped him. The only light came from a tiny lamp. I thought Peter was going to lie to the police, pretend that he didn't know where we were, but he locked himself in the closet with us." She began shaking wildly, and Marlene held her tighter. "He said that nobody could come between our family. At first, I was confused, but when he pulled out a gun, I realised he planned to kill us so we'd be together."

I clenched my jaw, wanting to murder Peter for putting Eden through that. Charlie cried into my shirt. Even Caleb's eyes were tearing up as he heard the raw pain in Eden's voice.

"He reached out to shoot me first, jumping towards me. But Ruben was in my arms and I didn't want him to get hurt," Eden whimpered, reliving the memory, and my heart banged against my chest. "I lunged for Peter because I wanted to protect Ruben. I didn't care if I died. All I wanted was for him to live," she lamented. "Peter ended up shooting at the light which surrounded us in darkness. He shot again, but I jumped on him, making him fall onto the gun, and he accidentally shot himself in the chest. I couldn't see the blood, but I could smell it. That's how the police found me, covered in a dead man's blood whilst holding tightly onto my best friend."

Her nightmares about blood suddenly made more sense. Charlie turned to me with swollen eyes, coming to a realisation. "When Ashley attacked her in the locker room-"

"She relived her darkest memory," I finished. We all wondered how tiny Eden could cause that much damage to someone, but when she was fighting Ashley, in her mind, she was fighting Peter Baylor.

Eden wiped her hands on her dress as if she could still feel the blood on them. "I remember my mum and papa breaking down when they saw me. I remember Aunt Jane, Ruben's mum, crying her heart out. I remember telling her that there was no need to cry because Ruben was only sleeping and the blood wasn't his." She let out a choked sob. "I remember them covering Ruben's body with a large cloth. I remember screaming that he was only sleeping. I remember a paramedic telling Aunt Jane that Ruben had an allergic reaction to the drug Peter put in our tea. I remember pushing my parents away, wanting nobody to touch me." She looked to the woman holding her, hiccupping. "I remember Marlene, the reporter on duty, that kept me company in the ambulance van."

Marlene kissed Eden's head again. "I understood what you were going through because you lost a friend just like how I once lost a sister. I remember a girl who was so strong after going through so much pain. You confided in me about your nightmares and in return, I confided in you about my pathetic dream of becoming an author. It was you who encouraged me to write your story."

Eden hugged Marlene tightly, and I spotted Alex wiping his wet face. My girlfriend turned back to the audience. "Ruben never woke up." There was so much anguish in her voice and it affected the audience deeply. Many were crying, either loudly or sniffling. "Unlike Penelope, I didn't get to say goodbye to my best friend. His last words were a pun because he was trying to explain the purpose of it to me." A sad laugh escaped her. "There wasn't a day that I didn't spend with Ruben, and then suddenly I had to get used to never seeing him again." She bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. "He was my best friend."

Nolan and Charlie shared a look. They couldn't imagine what it'd be like if they lost one another and in such a disturbing way too.

"My mum always told me that Heaven gained an angel. But what about me?" Eden asked rhetorically, pain dripping from her words. "I lost a friend, a brother. I'm jealous of the angels that get to dine with him, jealous of the fields he gets to roam through, going on adventures we were supposed to experience together. I'm jealous of the divine fruits he gets to pick with his hands, hands that once held me when I was scared, hands that I'll never get to hold again, to make pinkie promises with. I'll never get to see my best friend again because he's buried six feet under the very ground we used to race on - all because of a man who couldn't accept the reality of the death of a loved one." She looked at me, blinking away tears. "But isn't that exactly what I'm doing? Struggling to accept Ruben's death? Peter was scared to move forward after his kids' death. He became stuck. And so did I."

Alex stood with his hand pressed to his mouth, struggling to keep in his cries. I could feel his pain because he'd once known Ruben too. I may not have known the latter, but it was obvious that he played a prominent role in the Orlov family. No. He was part of the Orlov family. I watched Eden wipe her face, and I ached to hold her in my arms.

"I became a shell of a person because how could I live when Ruben couldn't?" She challenged no one in particular. "My story was a horrible one, and it had a terrible ending. But I realised, recently, that what happened that night was never my entire story. It was merely a prologue. My story began when I started living again, not only for myself but for Ruben as well." Someone in the audience whistled, and Eden choked out a laugh. "For so long, I've allowed fear to dictate my life. I allowed it to cloud my vision and only show the gruesomeness of the world. I was blind to the beauty of it. But I can see it now, thankfully. I've met some people who helped restore my vision."

Her last words were paired with a smile that she tossed our way. Charlie sniffled, wiping her snot and yelling, "We love you, Eden!" I glanced at my sister, spotting Cassandra sitting a few seats away from her. She was a sobbing mess and in her hands, she held a picture of Ruben and Eden.

Eden attempted a smile for Charlie. "My story started when I took a chance and travelled to California to play a sport that Ruben taught me how to play. I've learnt new things about myself all because I let go of my fear. I realised I could move forward without losing anything. If there's something you want to do - do it."

A young man who sat behind me raised his hand and asked Eden, "can I do you?"

I was out of my seat in less than a second and gripped his t-shirt, growling in his face. He squirmed in my grip and I smirked. Caleb pulled me away and pushed me back into my seat. My brother glared at the now shaking man before sitting down.

Everyone was staring at us and Eden blushed before saying, "that's my boyfriend and his brother." Everyone hummed in understanding. Eden cleared her throat. "As I was saying, fear is a liar. Fear keeps you rooted in the same spot, never allowing you to move forward. I know this because for five years - that was me. But I won't be like Peter. Because the longer you're stuck in fear, the quicker you'll sink into your grief." She caught my eye and smiled, easing my annoyance for the man behind me. "When I take my last breath and my story finally ends, I hope it becomes a survival guide and teaches you to never allow fear to become the distance between you and your future." She clutched her daisy pendant to her chest. "Thank you."

Everyone was up on their feet, applauding as Eden stood up and smiled bashfully to herself. For a second, I could see a tall man standing next to her. His skin was dark and smooth, stubble around his face and bright eyes looking down at her as he held her to his chest. He was no longer a boy - but rather a man. When I blinked, he was gone. But judging by the tearful smile on Eden's face, she felt Ruben's hug too.