Annabelle

What Have I Done?

As soon as the decepticon base left Optimus’ mirrors, I radioed for Ratchet. But, I was greeted with nothing. I was so mad, I probably called him fifteen times. But, I wasn’t getting anything. Finally, I started recognizing places. I must’ve been in Indiana, I thought as I drove into my town. I drove the rest of the thirty minute drive to the base in silence. It wasn’t fair to Optimus to be in this state. He was hurt bad, and I could feel him stir in his slumber.

When I finally reached the edge of the forest, I heard a familiar voice.

“They’re back!”

I was greeted by Bumblebee when I got the the hangar, but didn’t acknowledge him. I was diving.

“Optimus?” Ratchet asked as I climbed out, slamming the door shut.

“He’s in stasis,” I told Ratchet’s worrying look. “The decepticons didn’t want him knowing of their location so…” I put a hand on Prime’s grill. “Why didn’t you answer?”

“I never got a radio transmission?”

“I radioed you fifteen times,” I protested, my anger rising. “You’re damn lucky the decepticons didn’t decide to change their minds. We would’ve been dead.”

Ratchet seemed taken aback by the rage in my voice. I couldn’t help it, I was hurting all over, and I just drove all the back here. I was tired, I was in pain, and I was mad. I turned around, and stormed to my room. There, I grabbed my blade. I brought it to my arm, and sliced over the scar on my left side.

Blood immediately came running out, covering my hand in seconds. Pain shot up my forearm, into my nervous system, spreading throughout my whole boyd. It got really cold, and everything blurred together.

And that’s when I screamed,

!@#$%^&*(

The scream came from within the base. Ratchet had just got Optimus up and active when it spread fear into their sparks. Optimus looked in the scream’s direction, and took off towards it. He banged on Bells’ door.

“Annabelle?” he called. When he got nothing in response, he transformed, activated his holoform, and crashed through the locked door.

Ratchet following close behind, he heard sobbing coming from the bathroom. As they entered, they couldn’t look away.

A plain razor blade lay on Bells’ kitchen sink, which was covered in blood. There was puddle of blood on the ground, next to where Bells was laying. She was cuddled in a ball, one hand on her forearm, both completely drenched in blood.

Both war mechs acted immediately. Optimus went to her head, Ratchet went to her arm.

“Annabelle? Bells, what happened?” he called, cradling her head in his lap.

“Her arm has been reopened,” Ratchet explained, isolating her arm. “We need to get her into the med bay.”

Optimus nodded. He shoved Ratchet out of his way, picked her up, and started walking out of the room. Ratchet hurried behind, looking around her room. Who did this to her?

As they walked out of the room, they were met with the faces of the other autobots. When they saw Bells, they transformed and activated their holoforms, following closely behind Optimus.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“It’s her arm again,”

“I knew something wasn’t right about those cuts,”

“Who do you think did it?”

Ratchet silenced them as Optimus laid her down on the table in front of her. Ratchet ordered him out of the way but Optimus refused to move, grabbing her good hand.

“I have the proper human medical equipment now,” Ratchet explained, grabbing what seemed to be a needle and thread. “Instead of welding, they have stitches.”

Optimus watched the girl closely as Ratchet worked, wondering when she’d wake up.

!@#$%^&&*()

When I woke up, I met the neon blue eyes of Optimus Prime. He was still very blurry, and I couldn’t hear much, everything was muffled. But, she heard him call for someone. I closed my eyes for a minute more, then opened them to the entire autobot team looking at me. I smiled.

“Hey guys,” I laughed, sitting up. I looked down at my arm again, and saw that it was bandaged up again. “What happened?”

“That’s what we were going to ask you,” Ratchet said again.

I looked at my arm and tried to remember. My arm…

The decepticons. Ratchet. Optimus Prime. The blade.

Shit.

“Annabelle,” Optimus Prime said sternly. “Look at me,” I slowly raised my eyes to his concerned gaze. He was in his holoform mode, whilst everyone else stood around me as giant robots. “What happened?”

“I…” I couldn’t think of an excuse. I didn’t try to kill myself, why did it go this bad? Would they think I wanted too, because it’s exactly what I did the last time.

“I found multiple other scars up and down your forearm, Annabelle,” Ratchet said, concerned. “They were made from the same razor that reopened this cut, the same one found above you on your bathroom counter.”

“When I asked you to tell the truth, you fell silent,” Jazz spoke up. “Now’s not the time to be quiet, Annabelle.”

They were angry with me. God, I can’t ever do anything right. Why do I keep fucking things up? This isn’t fair.

I still said nothing, which seemed to aggravate them even more.

Optimus Prime, who didn’t show any emotions ever, angrily stood up and kicked the chair he was sitting on off. The holoform disappeared, and the truck below transformed. He stood next to me and looked down on me.

“This is the second time we’ve pulled you from the hands of death, Anabelle,” He yelled, scaring me into looking away. “No, you look at me.” I looked at his eyes, but I couldn’t help but cringe away from me. Even the other autobots looked at him cautiously. “Tell me what happened. Because there may not be a third time,”

I had already started crying, but the tears fell faster here. Optimus shook his head, backed away and walked out. One by one, the other autobots followed him. I sat there sobbing, watching them leave, wishing I could call them back, but knowing they wouldn’t. The last one who stood there was Bumblebee, who looked at the ground, holding something in his hand.

“Bee?..” I asked cautiously.

“I trusted you,” he said walking towards me. “When I saved you, I thought I was saving you from someone who was trying to hurt you,” he looked at me, dropping a single red rose on my lap. “I got this for you. Welcome home,” he met my eyes, then left.

I grabbed the rose, and held it to my face. Leaving it there, I curled my legs up into myself.

Oh, God, what have I done now?