NPOV

I was determined to keep it together, to pick my pieces up and glue them in place.

"Where were you yesterday? I looked for you." Will asked, his eyes looking directly into mine. There was something in them I wasn't used to seeing.

But my response was cool and well rehearsed. I had repeated the lines in the mirror and on my way to school, learning the best story to tell. I practiced how to cover up what happened the previous day.

Of course, that won't mean anything unless Hazel stayed quiet. 

I tried not to think about that. 

"Mr. Brunner changed his mind last minute. He said I didn't have to do the check." I told him, sticking to my script.

"Oh. That's good, I guess. We normally meet up in the park after school.... I didn't see you there so-"

I interrupted, scrambling to apologize. "Shit, I'm so sorry, Will. I left early and forgot to let you know. I'm sorry."

After Hazel left, I had decided to skip the rest of the day. I didn't want to risk getting caught hiding again. It was easy to sneak out of the building, and I spent the time I should've been in school walking around town.

You left him wondering what happened to you. In a way, you stood him up. What type of boyfriend does that? 

He laughed a little, but the sound was missing it's usual melody. There was a sinking feeling in my chest, because I knew something was wrong. 

Will wasn't acting like his usual self.

I dropped my gaze to the table and studied the patterns in the wood. I was thankful for the silence, too afraid to break it. But, more than anything, I was afraid of what Will was going to say.

He made me feel so whole. All of my self-doubt and fear was still there, but his presence always managed to chase away the pain. I loved him. And right now there was uncertainty thick in the air. What if he finally realized what a lost cause I was? That I wasn't worth the trouble? 

I couldn't lose him.... I didn't want to be left alone anymore.

Feeling Will's fingertips trail across my cheek, I looked up to see him studying me with intensity. 

"Yes?" My voice was quiet.

"Are you okay?" He didn't seem comfortable, fiddling with his hands in a way that made me wonder if he knew what to do with them. "I mean, really okay?"

"I'm fine.... You ask me that question a lot, don't you?"

I meant for it to come out like a joke, but it ended up having the opposite effect. It sounded sorrowful, like a reminiscent of a tragic memory.

Will only nodded, throwing us back into silence. This time, it was only broken by the dismissal of the bell.

~

My entire day was spent avoiding conversation. Hazel tried to talk to me, multiple times, but I made up fast excuses to get away. I just couldn't face her.

But now, crowds of students were making their way out of the building. Will and I were walking hand-in-hand, to the park.

"Nico! Will! Wait up!" I heard a voice calling. I let go of Will's hand and turned, confusion overtaking me when I saw that it was Frank running towards us.

"What do you think he wants?" I asked Will, the slight smirk dissolving from my face at the seriousness of his expression.

"He wanted to ask you some questions."

"Oh."

Frank caught up to us. He was panting and trying to catch his breath. "Hey guys - are you going to the park? Just the two of you?"

"Yeah. Why do you care-"

"Wanna come along?" Will interjected me.

I shot him a glare. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I felt like Frank was invading the preciously small amount of time I had Will to myself. I made my annoyance clear, however, the other two were completely ignoring it.

"I'd love to. Thank you, Will." Frank said, sarcasm directed my way. We all started walking down the path together. 

It was a few minutes into the walk before Frank talked again. "Nico, I'm actually here to talk to you."

"Oh? Goody." I said. See? I can be sarcastic, too.

"Yeah, about your buddy Luke."

"What about him?" 

"Well, let's start with how he met Octavian...."

I stopped walking. So did everyone else. I stared Frank down, noticing for the first time how eager he looked. There were bags under his eyes. His whole demeanor was like he had a clear objective, one that he had been working to complete for a long time. 

And Frank stared at me, too. He seemed to be studying everything he could: my facial expression, my body language, my wide eyes. I felt incredibly exposed. I was cornered, a fly trapped in a web.

"W-What?" I asked, stupidly. It was the only thing I able to say.

"Frank, what are you talking about? Luke doesn't know Octavian. Let's just stick to the plan." Will spoke up, giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Except I wasn't reassured. At all.

"What plan?" I spun on Will, panic enveloping everything I said and the way I said it.

"Neeks...." He pushed a hand through his hair. I realized that he sounded like he was holding back tears. "Hazel told us everything. Frank and I - our parents are police officers, okay? We can help you...."

I took a few steps away from them both, so that I was out of their reach. I was filled with so much horror.

Hazel told them. Oh, why did she have to do that?

Now they know.

THEY KNOW.

DENY IT! The voice inside my head screamed. DENY EVERYTHING!  

"S-She lied. Y-Yeah, that's it. She made it up." 

Some part of me was aware of how delusional I was being. I thought I was clinging to the best option I had, in order to stay afloat. Though, in all actuality, I was just burying myself into an even deeper hole.

"Then prove it. Take the jacket off, Nico." Frank said simply. I marveled at his calmness.

"I can't! You don't understand!" 

My world was spinning. But I had made a promise to myself, to ensure I wouldn't fall apart. I took a deep breath and frantically wiped tears off my face.

I was crying, and I hated myself for it.

"Okay, fine. Then let me tell you what I spent all night doing." Frank pulled out a folder, a cheap, vanilla one. "Hazel told us about your brother hurting you. Will overheard Mr. Brunner say that your legal guardian was a guy named Octavian Anderson. I figured they were the same person, it's not unusual for siblings to take care of each other if the parents aren't up for the task."

I took another step away from both him and Will, grabbing at my hair. 

Keep it together. Keep it together.

"So, I plugged Octavian's name into the system, to see who we were dealing with. But an 'Octavian Anderson' wasn't popping up - at least, not for this county. That when I decided to only plug the first name in. I don't know why, call it a hunch."

Will was listening to Frank's story closely, in a way that told me that this was the first time he heard it. He kept looking back in forth between us.  They were both here to witness me fold in on myself.

"A few names popped up, one of which was an 'Octavian Augur'." Frank said. I winced at the truth, already knowing what that led him to find. "This guy has spent jail-time for fraud, theft, drug possession, and aggravated assault. He checked all the warning boxes. And that discovery had me wondering: What if 'Anderson' was an alias? What if there was more to this story, it wasn't one of just an abuse victim?"

"I am not a victim! Don't you dare call me that!" I yelled at Frank, desperate to shut him up. I stepped farther away from them both, wanting nothing more than to run.

But Will was looking at me now. I could see the realization and shock on his face, the sorrow there, too. I didn't want to see that. I didn't want his pity.

 Frank ripped something out of the folder. He needed me to listen to him, even though everyone already knew where this was going. He held up a picture. It was a print out of a mugshot, and I'd recognize the guy anywhere. 

The paleness of the eyes. The messiness of his hair. The smirk, something that I knew all too well. Octavian.  

"Seen him around?" 

"I-I don't-"

"Okay, what about these two?" 

Another photo, this one making me freeze. I had almost forgotten what Bianca looked like. Isn't that sad?

It was a picture of the two of us. It was taken right before we moved to America, before my mom died. That day was one of the best in my life, made up of smiles and pastries and games. It was a picture of home.

Seeing it flooded my senses with emotion. My body shook with sobs. Will moved towards me, but I darted away from his arms.

They think I'm pathetic. They're right. I'm so pathetic. 

Frank had me figured out. My reaction confirmed the truth. 

"Your real name is Nico di Angelo. Octavian Augur abducted you, and you've been missing since you were eight." Frank said the facts, sadness in his expression, in his tone. "Where have you been? Why haven't you talked to the police? Don't you want to go home?"

I didn't have a choice - not with Octavian's spy in the school. My lies kept people safe, people I loved. They kept Will safe.

Will's safety, or my own? It's a no-brainer.

I'll always choose Will's.

And I did what I had to do.

"You're wrong, Frank. You're unbelievably wrong. You have no idea what you're talking about, the accusation is so far-fetched. It doesn't make any sense." My voice cracked on the last sentence. 

My denial was unconvincing. The tears that streaked down my face contradicted my own words.

"Why are you still lying?" 

"I'M NOT! You're just trying to make connections to Bianca's murder that aren't there! You're too desperate for the approval of your dad, as if solving the case will prove something to him!"

Everyone was silent. I must've hit a sore spot. I couldn't bring myself to look at them.

Will said something then, and his words did me in. "I never told you a lot of details about the case.... How did you know Bianca's name?"

My chest tightened, panic seizing me. I didn't have an answer. 

"I-It doesn't matter." I said hurriedly.

"Yes, it does. Talk to me, Neeks."

He sounded so gentle, but I had to get out of there. I needed to escape. 

"No. Not right now. I have to get home - I'll see you on Monday." 

"Don't leave, please-" Will and Frank said this at the same time, but I wasn't going to listen to reason. 

I turned, sprinting down the path and running away. I had to keep them away from me. They needed to stay away.

I'm the biggest coward.

~

I ran all the way to the trailer, stopping occasionally to make sure they weren't following me. I struggled to catch my breath and wiped sweat from my brow. 

I didn't know what I was going to do the next time I saw them. But, I decided to focus on one problem at a time. The crisis from school can wait, now I had to deal with the weekend.

I pushed the door open, immediately regretting it.  

Stuffing was all over the floor, in the hall and overflowing from the other rooms. Some stuffed animals were haphazardly nailed to the walls. They were like carcasses displayed as trophies. It sent chills down my spine. 

Out of all the years I spent with Octavian, this was something I had never seen before. He's torn stuffed animals apart in the past, as some form of stress relief, but never to this extent. 

I was paralyzed in the doorway, fear freezing me in place. 

And that's when Octavian emerged. He had a bottle of alcohol in one hand, a knife in the other. His eyes were bloodshot and were characterized with madness.

"She broke up with me." He said simply, like the carnage was reasonable. He took another swig out of the bottle.

"W-What?"

"I SAID RACHEL BROKE UP WITH ME! SHE LEFT!"

His anger exploded. The bottle crashed against the wall next to me. 

A/N ~ How is everyone doing? Are you guys okay?

lol, everyone thought last chapter was a cliffhanger.... I have no excuse for such an angsty mess

(Sorry this update is so overdue, finals were super painful.)