Polaroid camera.

"Buffoon?" Socorro chuckled at the nickname, "Matilda said earlier that she was going to her place, I'll ask someone to guide you there."

In a second, a maid approached the young doctor to guide him where Matilda is.

...Few Minutes Later...

"Thank you, you can go now." The doctor said, sending the maid away as he stood outside Matilda's door.

He knocked for the first time, but got no answer.

He knocked a second, again no answer.

A third knocked, and yet still, no answer.

Ned was too worried, he went for the door knob, twisting it and found the door to be unlocked, "Ugh! she still has this dangerous habit of leaving the door open? I get it you're a strong girl, but what the hell?!" he said angrily to himself.

Ned let himself inside the place, walking slowly as it turned out that what he thought would be just a room, was actually a mini apartment of its own "Niiiice! it's well furnished too! I wonder if my room is just like this." he said impressed.

But The lack of noises made Ned a little anxious, he expected to immediately see his apricot-orange hair best friend, she was not the Unnoticeable kind!

"Matilda are you in here?" he yelled out but heard nothing back.

He decided to check the rest of the apartment, but when passing by the bathroom door, Ned could hear the sound of the water running.

Assuming that Matilda is taking a shower and that's why she's not responding to him, Ned Calmed down a little.

But his relief didn't last for long, when he noticed that the bathroom door was slightly open, it was then when he realized something was absolutely wrong.

"Okay this bitch might be crazy to leave her house door open, but she's not going to let the bathroom door open too?!" he said as he pushed the door open.

Actually, Ned couldn't push it all the way as something was blocking the door from the other side, but he pushed it enough to allow his small body to get in.

So Ned wiggled to let himself inside the bathroom through that open little space he created, only to end up stumbling on a leg, Matilda's leg.

The tall and buff woman had half of her body barricading the door from the inside, As she laid unconscious on the ground, still wrapped up in her towel.

"MATILDA! HOLY SHIT!" Ned instantly jumped into doctor mode checking her body for signs of life, thankfully she was still breathing and her heart didn't seem to stop yet.

"Forgive me, I feel uncomfortable doing this even though we're close, but I still need to make sure you're okay."

Managing to pull her body in a seated position, Ned continued checking on her further.

However something made him stop briefly, he noticed something on her naked back, that something was a mark.

"A comb shaped mark?" he said wondering with curiosity, he knew exactly what that Mark meant, his friend has a mate.

Ned used to lie to Matilda all the time and say that he doesn't believe in the 'Destined Mates' legend, but it was just a lie.

He was more than anyone else, a believer in that legend as he witnessed it in real life, He had a personal reason to hate it too.

Taking a deep breath, Ned tried to pick Matilda up, but he was unable to move her body more than few seconds, since he wasn't that strong himself, but he still moved her enough to fully open the bathroom door.

"I don't know if you're hearing me but I'm going to call somebody to help me move you, stay still!" He said and quickly got up planning to go outside.

But a hand gripped his wrist tight, "You're such a drama queen, I'm fine Ned." Matilda spoke, waking up.

A sight of relief escaped Ned's lips, " OH FUCK YOU MATILDA! I nearly fainted seeing your body on the ground!"

"Heh, I'm fucking fine Ned! this shit been happening for a while now, I don't know the reason and I didn't have time to deal with it...or go to a the hospital.

Sorry to worry you."

"Seriously?!...there's a big ass mark on your back Mati, you probably haven't noticed it, but you've been mated."

Her orange eyes went wide open, "You serious?! there's a mark on my back? wait, of course I wouldn't notice it! it's on my back Smartass!" she said.

"You wouldn't have noticed it even if it was on your forehead! seriously Mati, next time you're having trouble, remember I'm your bestie okay?

Like we're supposed to help each other out, and of course I'm going to worry about your dumbass! you could've told me something was wrong when you came to escort me!" Ned replied angrily.

"Tch, meanie! That's why I don't tell you stuff! you're just gonna get angry...hold on a minute! does this mean you believe in the legend?" Matilda asked.

"Surprise bitch! I do!" Ned said unamused, "YOU MotherFucker! every single time I talked about this you say, *mockingly* it's a damn fairy tale, it's a bedtime story! blah blah blah?!" she replied furious.

"I just don't like it okay!... I guess it's about time you know why, but first is your ass feeling better? I can't tell you anything when you're like this."

"Stop worrying about me Ned and spill the tea! I can't believe as your best friend all this years, you haven't told me why you hate this legend so much!"

"Fine Mati, shit! wear something first!"

...Few minutes later...

"Okay, so you know how I met Muriel right, back then I didn't know he was the king when I teamed up with Garrick to save him."

Matilda nodded as she sat down in her living room couch next to Ned, "Well, Garrick was always there in the woods because he was playing in the woods, I was there for a whole different reason... until Garrick and I started playing together."

"Ah yeah! you told me your shitty ass father was having another one of His anger bursts, and you ran away to the woods to hide from him, so that how you've met Garrick."

"At that time, I mean that specific time...my father was more pissed off that usual, it was the anniversary of my mother leaving him."

"Wait don't tell me!"

"Yeah Mats, my mother left because she found her destined mate, he was a commoner as my father would describe it."

"That's why you avoided talking about both your parents and the Destined Mates legend? Oh Ned!"

"My father being a noble and having his noble wife abandoning him for a commoner man was a blow to his ego, a blow he tried to recover from, by abusing me.

And in return, I focused my hate on the 'Destined Mates' legend, shutting anyone down the moment they mention it."

"Ya know, when we first met as teenager in school, I always wondered why you wore long sleeves and had bandaged on your face most of the time.

I must be a complete idiot, since you fooled me by saying that you got those injuries from playing in the woods, despite how I felt like that was a total lie.

So your dad wasn't just An asshole, he beat you... didn't he?"

"I'm sorry Matilda, I've always wanted to tell you, I was the happiest when you asked me to move in with you after highschool."

"Don't worry Ned, I'm not mad at you for not telling me, I'm just a bit disappointed you didn't trust me enough to tell me after all this years.

I mean we know each other for at least 12 years now, I mean you know everything about me."

"You told me everything about you, that's different.

Even when I didn't ask for it, you talked Matilda."

After Ned said those words, there was this awkward silence between him and his best-friend.

Matilda felt like an idiot, while Ned was tripping in guilt, so the two sat there avoiding each other's gaze for a while.

... Few minutes later...

"Okay I can't keep this up! I am sorry for keeping this from you, I didn't know how to talk about my trauma." Ned broke the silence, " I'm sorry for pressuring you into telling me." Matilda replied.

"You're like a big sister to me rather than a friend, don't apologize... I'm the one who should."

" I'm an orphaned kid, you are my only family Ned...without you I'd be really lonely in world, you don't have to worry about this, I forgive you."

"I'm okay if you're still mad at me! please Matilda don't just forgive me just because you're afraid to lose me."

"Hahaha! Shut up you drama queen!" Matilda laughed, "I didn't forgive you because of that! of course I'm afraid to lose you but, I really don't want to be mad at anybody right now." she added.

"That's so you... at least you're not going to be lonely anymore, You found your mate! we just need to find out who she is and get you two together."

"Oh la-la! Ned is playing matchmaker now!

As a reward, get your gay ass up my couch and help yourself with something in my fridge, I got it stocked with drinks, You'll find something you like." Matilda said standing up from the couch, "Where you're going Mat?" Ned asked her as he got up as well.

"Gonna get my polaroid camera! I need you to take a picture of my mark, don't tell me what it is, I wanna see it for myself."

"Okay! " Ned replied, he went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, Matilda didn't lie when she said she had it stocked, infact Ned found all sorts of food in her fridge.

"Shit! niiiice! been a while since I've seen a fridge this full." Ned said grabbing two peppermint sodas and one orange soda then went back to the living room.

"Found it finally!" Matilda came back running to the living room, Ned had already drank one of his minted sodas.

"Ned Bro?! two soda?! wanna die early?" she said, he gave her a middle finger " The orange one is for you." he replied.

"How sweet! thank you for bringing me my own soda from my own fridge." Matilda replied teasing him.

"Haha! you're not funny."

Matilda scoffed at him,"Whatever dude! here! take." she said handing him the camera.

Sighing, "Okay..." Ned said receiving the camera in his hand, Matilda faced him with her back and lifted her shirt up.

"I didn't register it well early when you were knocked up and half naked in shower, since I was fucking worried about your ass, but Damn Mats, you've gotten bulkier than when you left to work here.

Your shoulders they make me want to start working out!"

"Thanks, I started to work out more often when I came here, a coping mechanism for the stress."

"Were you this stressed? look how detailed that back is! you can send someone to heaven with just a slap thanks to these muscles!" Ned joked snapping a picture of the mark, "Now we just gotta wait for the picture to be ready." Matilda said pulling her shirt down.

"Quick question, any idea who's your mate?"

"I have someone in mind, but I hope it's not Her."

"Why?"

"She's hates the 'Destined Mates' legend, she says it's a death sentence." Matilda spoke, "Oh shit! she's got a worse opinion than me...Hey! the picture is ready! look Mat." Ned said showing her the picture.

Matilda leaned in next to Ned to see the picture, her face turned pale the moment her eye landed on it

"It's her." she said fearfully.

"The comb mark is hers? the death sentence girl?"

"Socorro." Matilda replied, Ned's eyes went wide open, "WHAT?! Belmonte? the king's assistant?!"