Fear Garden: Five Petals

Chapter Two: Back To Square One

There was a huge fight.
That's all anyone could gather when Book and Bubble returned that night. The two women were beyond inconsolable, shaking and crying, gasping for air they couldn't take in. They kept saying something, but nobody could even decipher what.

But it was all Fanny needed to know.

She started screaming all kinds of profanities at Book, her screeches of rage never ending. Her fury knew no bounds. Instantly Flower and Ruby bit back, they screamed and pointed fingers, telling Fanny to be quiet, that she was making it worse. But Fanny could barely listen to them, the blood rushed through her head, it took everything in her power to not tackle the dictionary before her, to rip her to pieces in front of everyone else.

No. That's not right... that's not who I am...

It struck Fanny just how... violent she sounded in her head. She was hateful, yes, and definitely lashed out more than she needed to. But these thoughts of tearing the people around her apart scared her. These weren't her thoughts. They couldn't be. She wasn't like this, was she? No, it was just the situation getting to her, Flower was shrieking even worse things at Fanny herself.

A whisper from Bubble shook her from her trance.
"Fanny, please. Just stoip." Fanny turned to her, listening eagerly. Big fat tears rolls down Bubble's face, before she continued. "It's moi fault. Please, you're making things woirse."

You're making things worse...

Fanny felt the phrase echo to the depths of her mind, bouncing off the walls. Something about it coming from Bubble made her want to cry, just a little. But all she did was take a deep breath.
"You're... right. I'm sorry. Let's just get you to bed." Bubble continued to cry, but silently nodded. Fanny carefully wrapped her tail around her girlfriend, leading them to the bedroom.

She took one last glance at Book. It was very clear how much of a mess Book was, even compared to Bubble. She was on her knees, shaking, heaving and crying. She tugged relentlessly at her bookmark, while Flower and Ruby held onto her, a vain attempt to calm her down.

She looked up at Fanny, her eyes seemingly drowning in tears. But there was something else. Something...behind those shaken eyes. It scared Fanny. It scared her feeling like there was something else, seemingly watching her, watching them all, through the eyes of Book.

She's been through a lot. I'm overthinking. We're all stressed, aren't we?

Those were the last thoughts Fanny had, before she shut the door behind her.

"What happened?"

"What...?"

"Bubble, please. Can you tell me what happened? What did she do to you..." Bubble sniffed, trying to piece the words together. "I— I told you, it's moi fault. I started it." Fanny looked at her with pity, before inching slightly closer to Bubble, so she could gently lean on her for some support.

"I see... what was the fight about...if you're ok with telling me?" Fanny asked, her voice hushed to not scare Bubble. All she could do was shake her head, tears still streaming down her face. "It's ok... just get some sleep, alright?" She said, before gingerly placing the blanket over Bubble.

Fanny sat on the edge of the bed, thoughts of all kinds rushed through her mind. She inhaled.
She needed something to do. Soon.
"F—Fanny? Are you coming to bed?" Bubble asked quietly. She stopped crying, but her eyes were still wet from her breakdown. "Yeah, I am. Don't worry." Fanny gingerly crawled into bed, before softly laying down next to Bubble. The soap bubble gently lifted the blanket over the two of them, before looking fondly at her girlfriend.