Continued warnings from last time:

Blood

Pain

Abuse

Fighting

Language

Mumbo helped Grian fix his wounds completely. They covered them well in bandages and wrapped them.

After that, they began to devise a plan and prepare themselves.

It wasn't much of a plan, it was sort of 'go in with hopes of communication and if that doesn't work resort to violence'.

Grian, followed by Mumbo, walked to his and Elise's usual meeting spot. He waited for her, completely ready. He wasn't going to fall today, she would be the one down on the ground, hoping he wouldn't cause her more pain.

Mumbo hid away, not to be seen by anyone. He was only there as a witness to everything as well as an emergency if Grian wasn't doing well.

Soon enough, Elise showed up. She seemed surprised that Grian was already there.

"Oh, you're just begging for it, aren't you? Do you enjoy what I do to you?"

"Shut the hell up, now! Elise, I'm sick of putting up with you! I'm fucking tired of your abuse! I can't do this anymore. You're the one enjoying every second of this. You have absolutely no idea the amount of pain you've caused me!" Grian screamed at her.

Elise wasn't phased, not even for a second.

Instead, she was just laughing. "You really think you can just come here, try to talk me down, and think you can get away with it?! Pathetic!"

She pushed him to the ground, his head hitting hard.

"Elise, seriously! Just fuck off already!"

Mumbo couldn't watch anymore. He jumped out, landing on top of Elise, beating her as hard as he could.

Mumbo caught her eye for just a second; she almost seemed like someone he'd known before.

"The ever famous Mumbo, am I right? So good to finally meet you!"

Elise held out her hand. Mumbo slapped her, brushing his thoughts away. "Not a big fan of meeting new people, are you?"

"How could you?! You have hurt Grian! And all because you liked him. You think it's hilarious, you psycho!"

They all heard a few voices coming close.

Xisuma, Bdubs, and Scar all showed up.

"Mumbo, what hell?!" Xisuma shouted, rushing over.

Elise started to fake cry. "Xisuma! Thank g-god you all showed up!" She let out a little sob.

Grian just stood there. "X, don't listen to her! She's faking things!"

"No, please, listen! Grian and Mumbo have been coming here for over three months, beating me senseless! I-I've been in so much pain! But they threatened to hurt me worse if I ever said anything!"

"Bdubs, Scar, you believe me right? Look what she's been doing to me!" Grian started pulling bandages off, showing bruises and wounds.

"For three months Elise has been threatening and abusing me because I'm gay and she liked me! I'm not lying, I swear!"

"Then how do you explain Mumbo?" Scar asked.

"I asked him to help me! Because Elise has been hurting me! I haven't told anyone until just yesterday! Because what Elise is saying is exactly what she has done to me! Really, who are you going to believe? The new girl or your friend?!"

"I see evidence by Mumbo and Elise's bloody face. Grian, I want to believe you, but I don't know."

"Did you not see the fucking bruises and cuts I have?! She did this to me!"

Xisuma came up behind him, Scar and Bdubs behind Mumbo. They took the two away from Elise, who just smirked as they walked away.

"Let us go, X! Please, we're innocent!"

"Grian hasn't been lying, X. He's telling the truth. There had been something wrong with him for three months, but he didn't tell me anything until yesterday."

"Will both of you just be quiet please? We're doing what we can. We're trying to get a hold of someone who knew Elise before, to see if she's had this kind of behaviour before. We're not sure if we can get a hold of them though, they've been missing for a few years."

{Out in the 'outside world'}

A phone in an old house was going off. If you had seen the house, you would've thought someone had died.

The house was run down; walls were cracked. Cupboards full of mice. Lights were out.

The phone continued to ring, but no one ever picked up. It stopped, and then started going off again a minute later.

{Back in the Hermit world}

"No answer."

"Try and see if there's another number or something, this is the only person we have!"

"Oh, I found another number."

Xisuma typed in the number.

Scar burst through the door. He had been out getting lunch.

"Did you get it yet?"

"No, not yet."

Scar handed everyone a lunch, and before Xisuma tried to call again, he ate first.

Grian and Mumbo were holding each other in great fear of what would happen. They knew the truth, but no one else seemed to believe them. Grian was crying, leaving Mumbo's top to have tear stains.

Once everyone and finished eating, X went to go and try the number.

Suddenly, as soon as Xisuma hit the talk button, Mumbo's phone started to go off.

Coincidence?

"Uhm... Sorry. I'll turn my phone off."

Mumbo declined the call, and the phone X had disconnected.

"Mumbo, I'm going to call the number again. If your phone rings, pick it up. There's no way that was a coincidence."

Xisuma typed in the number again, and sure enough, Mumbo's phone was going off.

Mumbo answered the call.

The same sounds in the room echoed between the two phones.

"Mumbo, did you know Elise before you joined us?"

"I... I don't have many memories before I joined..."

Xisuma took a deep breath. "This hasn't happened before."

A couple hours later, Mumbo found himself lying next to a sitting Grian, hooked up to an crazy machine.

"Wh-whats going on?"

"We're going to try and trigger your memory to see if you do remember Elise. Maybe you don't remember her as Elise."

"Bdubs, go ahead and start up the machine."

Bdubs turned on the contraption. Mumbo felt odd.

Memories of his life flooded back to him.

"Mumbo, these will only be temporary. You'll only remember them for a day or two and they'll go away again."

Mumbo saw himself in stores, walking along streets, visiting people, hanging out with his friends, being in high school, college, and that's where he saw her.

Merylin Jennifer Calister.

She looked exactly the same as Elise did.

He saw himself spending time with Merylin, hanging out with her all the time.

He noticed they got closer and closer, but Merylin wanted to be more than friends.

Mumbo vividly remembered himself saying he wasn't interested in her, not romantically.

For weeks, they distanced, but when they were together, it wasn't pretty.

She would smoke and drink, she would call him terrible names, she hurt him often...

Mumbo remembered everything.

"That's why I got so pissed when she even got near Grian. I knew what she was doing. Gri, I'm so sorry I wasn't there and noticed sooner."

"It's alright Mumbo, it's not your fault."

Grian reached for Mumbo's hand, and Xisuma began taking all the pieces Mumbo was hooked up to off of him. Bdubs shut off the machine, and Scar smiled; all of them were happy to know that their friends were telling the truth.

---

"Elise, open up now!" Xisuma banged on her door.

"I- I can't right now, I'm, uh, a little busy!"

"I'm not afraid to break this door, you can do this the easy way or the hard way!"

The door opened slowly.

"Smart girl."

Xisuma, Scar, Grian, Bdubs, and Mumbo walked in.

"Merylin, you've been banned from the Hermit world for abuse, hatred, and previous behaviours." Xisuma said sternly.

"What? You can't do that!"

"Actually, I can."

Xisuma pulled out a sword, and went after her.

It didn't take long to kill her. She was fairly weak.

"She's not really dead. She's just been returned home, to the outside world."

Xisuma freed Grian and Mumbo, and they were free to go home.

"I was so scared Mumbo..."

"I know, Gri. But, we got out of it together. And I'm so glad I had you there the entire time."

"Me too... I love you."

"Love you too, Gri."

HIIIIIII

I'm sorry this was sad chapter

I swear there will be happy ones again coming up!!

Again, back to that A/N, I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST POC'S!!! It's just a character, I swear it's not supposed to be racist or anything!!! I hope I haven't made it worse by pointing that out now. I just thought that was very important for people to know!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stick around for chapter 16 soon, I swear it'll be happier!

Thanks!!!!! Byeeee!!