Hi guys. I've had this idea for a while. I've wanted to read a story where Eddie is the one self-harming, and Patricia helps him, but all the stories I've seen, save for one, are the other way around. So, I decided to write my own. Depending on the response this gets, I'll keep writing it - I don't want to write something no one wants to read.

Now, onto the story. Eddie is going to be OOC at points. I've developed a backstory for him that has left him with anxiety and that means he'll be a little more fragile than you're used to reading. He's definitely going to have the rebellious streak he has on the show, but the anxiety is going to alter his personality quite a bit. That being said, this story is going to be triggering, and if you're triggered by anything I'm about to mention, I wouldn't advise reading this. I'll put trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter, just so you'll know.

Enough of me talking, enjoy. Trigger warnings - anxiety and panic attacks.

The school is fucking huge.

That's his first observation as his taxi pulls up in front of the main building. For a boarding school, this place is massive. He's seen a bunch in America, but nothing compared to this. Of course, residence halls make up a large part of the reason this place looks so big, but damn. He's gonna get lost for sure.

He pays the driver clumsily, struggling with the new form of currency and what it's dollar equivalent is. It's hard to get used to a new city, let alone a brand new country. Thank god for the language being the same, otherwise he'd be completely lost. "Sorry, I'm still figuring out this stuff."

"No problem at all," the taxi driver replies. "I'm sure you'll learn soon. I'd like to think it's considerably easier here than in America."

Eddie shrugs, and then takes a second to glance around. He's already lost. His head is spinning with the influx of new information and he's not sure where to begin. "Um…do you know where I go from here?"

The driver chuckles. "As a matter of fact, I do. You'll want to find your house first. There are four houses, Anubis, Isis, Hathor, and Mut. Once you're there, your housemother will help you through everything else. Don't worry. They're not going to leave you hanging."

"Alright, thanks." When his bags are unloaded, he grabs the duffel, settling it atop the suitcase, and begins to pull the suitcase forward. He pulls his paperwork from the pocket in his jacket and looks it over. "I'm in Anubis House, apparently."

"Ah, yes," the driver says. "Go straight, all the way until you get to the academic building, and then take a left. Follow the path all the way down, and it should be on your right. Can't miss it."

Finding his house seemed so much easier than it actually was. The taxi driver made it sound so simple, and yet, here he is, shaky and close to a panic attack. It's a miracle he's been able to hold out this long without having one.

The people here are fucking dicks. None of the students he came across were willing to help him and he couldn't find any teachers. He thought people were rude in America, but this is five times worse. It's most likely the accent; people know he's American from the time he opens his mouth. He knows some countries don't have a good view of America, but damn, he didn't realize England was one of them.

"Oh, hello sweetie!"

The term of endearment is innocent, but he barely manages to keep from flinching. She has no idea, but that's what the bullies used to call him. His last name is easily manipulated, and a lot of the terms of endearment many people use lightly are ruined because of it.

"Um, hi."

"I'm Trudy, I'm your housemother, and you must be Edison, am I right?"

"Eddie, please," he corrects, trying to keep his voice from wavering. She probably already knows everything, but at least he can try to act like he's not about to fall apart.

"Oh, of course, my mistake," she says quickly. "Your father already told me you prefer Eddie, I must've forgot."

"Did he tell you- y'know, everything?"

"He did, love." She puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. But you don't have to worry; none of your housemates will know, not unless you want them to. They're all very nice, I'm sure you'll feel very safe here."

"Thanks."

"Alright then, would you like to see your room? The other kids are all at school, so you have a couple hours to get adjusted without everyone here."

He nods, and she leads him down the hallway, past a common room and a kitchen, to a hallway with two doors.

"How many kids, um, live here?"

"There are ten of you," she replies. "Five boys and five girls. The girls' rooms are upstairs, and the boys' are down here." She opens one of the doors and lets him enter first.

He glances around, eyes widening. It's a pretty decent-sized room. One half is decorated with a few posters. There are a lot of books lying around, and the bedspread is a dark blue. There are some pictures on the nightstand and clothes folded on top of the bed.

"Your roommate's name is Fabian Rutter," Trudy informs him. "Your dad specifically requested him. He's the…calmest, probably the most understanding out of the boys."

"So my dad really told you everything," Eddie mutters, shaking his head. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Don't be angry with him, love. He told me so that I can help you. If you need anything, let me know, okay?"

"Wait, before you go, who are the other kids living here?"

"The other boys are Jerome, Mick, and Alfie, they share the other room, and the girls are Nina, Amber, Patricia, Mara, and Joy," Truly replies. "I'll let them introduce themselves. They're all really very nice kids."

"Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, your father wanted you to stop in his office tomorrow morning, before you go to your first class. Your uniform is in the closet." She smiles at him. "I'll leave you to get settled, alright? I've been cooking all day, so if you want a snack, feel free."

He nods, watching as she leaves, before slumping down on his bed closing his eyes. This is so fucking overwhelming. To go from a place where literally no one fucking cared about him to a place where he's being doted on is a big adjustment. It's funny, how his housemother has been more motherly in ten minutes than his mother was in his sixteen years of life.

Eddie pulls his earbuds out of his pocket and plugs them into his phone, sticking them in his ears while he looks for a song. Just as he's about to pick one, the door to the room opens and an unfamiliar guy walks in.

He's dressed in the school uniform with his bookbag slung over one shoulder, and he doesn't see Eddie at first, too busy rifling through papers on his desk. When he finally does look up, his eyes widen.

"You're Eddie, aren't you?" He asks, turning around fully to face him. "Trudy told me you were arriving today."

"Yeah," Eddie says. "You're Fabian?"

He nods. "I just came back to grab my French homework; it's our lunch period now."

"You're allowed to leave the school and come back?"

"Yeah," Fabian replies. "But if you're caught here and not at school, you have to deal with Victor."

"Who's that?"

"Housekeeper," Fabian says. "He can be a bit…difficult, for lack of a better word, at times. He's strict, and he doesn't take nonsense. But as long as you do what you're supposed to, you shouldn't have a problem with him."

Eddie shrugs. That shouldn't be too hard. All he has to do is keep his head down and slip by. And compared to what his life used to be, that's a definite one-up. This can't be that bad. Once he gets used to it, that is.

"I need to head back to school now." Fabian sounds regretful and Eddie rolls his eyes. How could he possibly be upset that this conversation is ending? It was awkward and going nowhere to begin with. "I'll see you in a few hours, then I can introduce you to everyone else."

Eddie swallows, forcing a smile onto his face as Fabian leaves. Meeting Fabian was hard enough; he can't imagine what it's going to be like to meet the other eight kids in the house.

"Fabian, a word?"

Fabian glances up, catching the eye of the headmaster. Mr. Sweet looks visibly nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and acting fidgety and out of sorts. It's worrying – there's no telling what Mr. Sweet is about to say.

Nina, Patricia, Joy, and Mick are looking at him in wonder. He's not sure what he's done wrong, and that's what's playing through his head; a reel of his actions since the term started, allowing him to think about anything he could've possibly done wrong. He rises to his feet and follows his headmaster to the corner of the room. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, of course not," Mr. Sweet answers. "Your grades are the highest they've ever been, and your school record is impeccable. I'd like to talk to you about your new roommate."

"Eddie?" Fabian looks at him in confusion. It's only Eddie's first day, what could Mr. Sweet already have to say about him? He doesn't think Eddie's even met the headmaster, and already he's in trouble?

"Edison is my son, Fabian," Mr. Sweet tells him. "Previously, he lived with his mother in America, but a neighbour called CPS on my...ex wife..." He spits the last two words out with distaste. "And he had to come here. His mother was abusive, and she'd been lying to me about it for years. Eddie's safe now, but he's developed PTSD and he has severe night terrors due to trauma, not to mention a slew of other mental illnesses. Because he's your roommate, I felt it pertinent that you know about this in case something happens while you're around him. And I'd ask you to please not share this with any of your friends. My goal, having Edison here, is to make sure he's as comfortable as possible, and I don't know how comfortable he'd feel having a bunch of strangers this privileged to information about his personal life."

He's taken aback by what Mr. Sweet said. When he first saw Eddie, nothing really struck him as off or unusual, but it's amazing what a person can hide. He knew it was odd that Eddie arrived after the term had already started, but he didn't think much of it until now. Now, everything is starting to make sense. Why Trudy picked him to be Eddie's roommate, her concerned, cautious tone when she told him about Eddie, everything. He finally understands.

"Of course, sir," Fabian responds. "I'll do whatever I can to help him and make this transition easier. You don't have to worry."

Thoughts? If you want to see more, please leave a review! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.