Unfamiliar

Chapter Five

--Anxiety's POV--

I woke up slowly, slightly dizzy after passing out. My eyes opened slowly, feeling as though bricks where tied to them, and I struggled to adjust to the change of light. Rubbing my sore eyes I cleared my vision, only to wish that I hadn't.

In front of me stood the people that I didn't want to see: Prince, Morality, Logic, and Thomas. I sucked in a panicked breath at seeing the four of them staring at me, but I quickly managed to get my breathing under control. I was not going to panic in front of them... again.

Oh no, I couldn't.. this.. no. I flinched after Prince had stepped towards me, stupidstupudstupid. But I couldn't panic, I kept my breathing under control by grounding myself - like Logan had helped me do when we first met.

"Anxiety, are you okay?" Thomas asked cautiously. I could see the worry on his face and I knew that wanted to approach me, but he was scared of how I would react.

I didn't know how to respond, no I wasn't okay, but could I tell them that? Would they care?

Luckily I was saved from having to answer - they clearly saw the anxiousness on my face - by Prince asking something different, "Why did you flinch when I aproched you? Does this have anything to do with why you where so afraid when we first met you?"

I wish I had just answered Thomas, but I couldn't possibly not answer the new questions. If I didn't answer would they hate me even more? I nodded to myself.

A small gasp of shock came from Morality, they must've thought that I was confirming their suspisons. Although, in a way I was.

"Could, could you tell us why you where so afraid, kiddo?" Morality asked through barely held back tears.

"I... I- uh... I was..." I stuttered out, unsure if I should tell them or not. They would probably hate me and tell me it was my fault, that I deserved it.

And I knew I did, I knew I deserved it, but having these people that I looked up to confirm my thoughts would devastate me. They would probably also use it against me.

But Thomas cared, and he was too kind to use it against me and maybe (it was such a small hope, hardly there at all) talking about it would make me feel slightly better.

"Hey, take your time, Kiddo," Morality said, his voice still choked by tears yet gentle and calm at the same time.

"I was so alone. A-and then He found me, and I wish he didn't and I know that's horrible and I'm horrible because I deserved it, really! But... but I wish for him to leave because I'm selfish, yet I was so scared of being alone." I babbled, my brain refusing to work as I spilled my life story out to people that hated me.

"Deserved what?" Thomas asked softly.

"The insults and the.. the beatings and and I'm sorry," My words where muted by unshead tears and silent panic. I radiated pure anxiety and I could see it being to effect the others and they wove their hands together nervously.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, it wasn't your fault and you certainly did not deserve it. You where a child; you hadn't done anything wrong!" Thomas said gently, pulling me into a hug. I tensed up slightly before relaxing into my hosts arms.

I looked around and saw the state the others where in. Morality was sobbing into one hand and clinging to Logics shirt with the other.

Logic look as unemotional as always to people that didn't know him well, but his eyes where wet with tears and his mouth pulled together in anger that wasn't directed towards myself.

Prince was the most shocking. Tears poured down his face, his hands pulling his suit sleeves anxiously and pure, undiluted, guilt on his face.

I felt dizzy and knew that I would pass out (again) any moment; I lent into Thomas as darkness engulfed my vision.

-- Prince POV ---

I stared at the young side, who had been through far too much for someone his age, as Thomas slowly lay him on the couch again. I wanted to say something to break the silence that surrounded us, but I didn't know what.

Anxiety had just confesed that he had been.... that he had been abused, and that he thought it was his fault! What could I possibly say in a situation like this, one I hadn't (and wouldn't) even considered in my dreams.

It seemed all of us where uncomfortable in this silence, yet none of us willing to break it. We where all thinking too much for that, trying to see the signs we had missed. There where so many of them, little things at the time that suddenly made so much sense now.

The way he would flinch when someone raised their voice at him, or the way he would constantly apologise after doing something wrong. The fear in his eyes when one of us approached him and...

"Oh god," I said to myself in a shaky breath and everyone turned to look at me, silently asking what had crossed my mind.

"We all look exactly like his abuser," I whispered, sadnes lacing my voice as I spoke to the others. I knew the thought hadn't crossed their minds by the horror that suddenly painted their features, making their faces look like how I felt like I did.

Thomas looked away sadly, before standing up to address us all.

"How old is he?" Was not the question I thought would pass his lips, yet it was. Somehow I knew that the obvious question would not be the one asked, and that it was not the one that needed to be asked.

"Sixteen," I replied, knowing that the other two where in no shape to speak. Morality looked dead on his feet and Logic seemed like he would cry at any second.

"Let him be a teenager then, don't moan at him for doing his job and start spending time with him. You isolating him and making him think you hate him doesn't help him at all," He said, covering Anxiety with the soft blue blanket once again before turning to leave.

"I'm making coffee, does anyone else want any?" Tiredness coated his voice, the emotional day that we had draining him of energy as he slowly walked towards the door.

"If you wouldn't mind," I said, rubbing my face and trying to stay awake. Negative emotions always tired me out.

I took a long gulp of coffee as soon as Thomas handed me it, noticing the lack of it burning my tongue. Thomas must have known that I wouldn't wait to drink it and stayed in the kitchen a little longer so that I wouldn't blister my tongue.

It was nice having someone that cared about you, and hopefully now we could show Anxiety that we cared about him.