The first promo for House of Anubis was sometime in December 2010. I was 11. My first impression was not a good one; I thought it looked stupid, and said to myself, "What kind of name is Anubis?" I had no intention of watching the show. I even remember my mother, at the dinner table, asking me and my brother if we were going to watch that new Nickelodeon show. I said I wasn't.

The first season premiered, but I wasn't watching it. I saw a promo for House of Drama/House of Codes sometime in January as the season went on, and I remember thinking "Oh, so a character went missing now?"

It wasn't until January 28th, 2011, that there was nothing interesting on at the moment. I was scrolling through the channels, looking for something, when I saw that House of Anubis was currently airing on Nickelodeon. I said to myself, "Well, there's nothing else on, so why not? Let's see what's happening."

In the show, Amber and Nina were walking to the warehouse to look for Patricia. I had no idea who these characters were, but I did think it was going to be like Degrassi in the sense that they had a million and one main characters. Apparently, a girl named Patricia of whom I had no idea what she looked like, had gone missing, and two girls were looking for her.

It peaked my interest.

I went straight to Nickelodeon's website and went onto the Anubis section. After finding the episodes, and trying to sort them in order by looking on Answers (dot com), I watched the premiere all the way up to the episode that had premiered (the one I watched) in one weekend.

I was too caught up in the mystery to even realize Fabian and Nina had a thing going on, haha. It wasn't until I went on the House of Anubis message boards, where everyone was talking about how cute 'Fina' was, that I actually realized their blooming romance.

The following Monday, I watched the newest episode. On Friday, the promo for the episode after House of Yesterday premiered, where Nina was telling the gang that "the only person who could help us in any way is now gone". At first, I thought she meant Fabian. I watched the promo again and gasped, then thinking she meant Victor. I only realized she was talking about Sarah when I went on the Anubis message boards again, where some fans said that Sarah died about this time in the season in Het Huis Anubis. Regretfully, I was disappointed. For some reason, I wanted Victor to die. No idea why.

I also remember: The Washroom Theory, Jerina, and the Fabicia shippers going crazy because Prom. I have a lot of fond memories of this season.

However, I didn't start planning for Don't Be Afraid until April 2011.

After season 1 ended, I tried to find anything related to House of Anubis and a possible second season. I looked at everything except Twitter (because I thought that was "stalking"). I found the House of Anubis Wikia, with a page dedicated to fanfictions. I clicked on one of the links, which led me to my very first House of Anubis fanfic, Never Planned For.

After that, I started to read fanfics of all kind. Many got a high number of reviews, and I thought to myself, "I'm going to be one of those authors". I created my first ffn account on April 3rd, 2011.

I could have published Don't Be Afraid back in May 2011, but I never had the inspiration to. I planned it all out in my head, down to the very last detail, thinking it was going to get oh-so-many reviews, follows, and favorites, that I was going to be a famous author in the Het Huis Anubis/House of Anubis fanfiction archive.

It wasn't until I was in 7th grade, in October 2011, that I actually finished the first chapter. I had abandoned my first account to make Smiley612, completely dedicated to publishing Don't Be Afraid. It took two days, but the 17th finally came; I was so excited as I pressed publish. As it turns out, though, the story ended up right underneath another story that was calling out the archive's bullshit, saying how "bad the stories were nowadays". I was afraid people wouldn't read my story because that story was right above it. After crying for a few minutes, I deleted it.

I published it right back up in the morning though, on October 18th 2011. It got 2 reviews. Both from signed in members! It was good enough for me.

Then, something happened, and I didn't update with the second chapter until February 2012. It wasn't necessarily writer's block; to be honest, I can't remember what went wrong. All I know is that I didn't update with chapter 2 until 4 months later, which I shouldn't have done.

Other people reviewed after that. Don't Be Afraid steadily got more reviews.

I reached 100 reviews on chapter 18, in summer 2012. I think it was the day after I arrived in Florida for vacation!

I reached 200 reviews on chapter 32, on April 1st, 2013. I had come home from school, only to dance around in my den. I was so excited.

I reached 300 reviews on chapter 40, on July 1st, 2013. I was even more excited than I was when I reached 200. I was over my friend's house, and I grabbed her and we jumped around the living room, singing and dancing. I laughed and sang "I have 300 reviews!"

I reached 400 reviews on chapter 47, on January 19th, 2014.

Now, I have 481 reviews, and I was kind of hoping to reach 500. I don't think it'll happen unless I receive 19 reviews for this chapter alone, but hey, who knows? Maybe all my lovely readers will pull through and do me this one last favor.

Don't Be Afraid has been a ride. If I went and explained all that happened between chapter 1 and 57, we'd be here forever. This silly story has played a humongous part of my life, as well as all the people who've read it. I could not be more thankful. You should all know that there won't be a day that goes by that I didn't think of Don't Be Afraid, or some part of it. It'll feel strange not writing this story anymore, but it was time to move on, and I'm thankful for all that's happened.

Now, let's got on the actual acknowledgements, shall we?

Mentions:

izzie08: You were my very first reviewer, and I highly doubt you're even reading this, but you made my day when I saw "reviews (1)".

BELLA X STARFIRE7745231: This is going to sound so pathetically lame. I think your first review was on chapter 2 or 3, and it's a miracle you stuck by Don't Be Afraid this long. You were one of the only people who reviewed almost every chapter. Between chapters 20 and 30 I had a dry spot where I wasn't receiving many reviews, and at the time I was young and desperately wanted reviews so I knew people were reading the chapter. Even though I barely received any, I could almost always count on you to review with one word: "Awesome!". I was a little iffy at first, wondering if that's all you thought, but eventually I grew thankful. I don't think I've ever truly had a conversation with you, but thank you for your reviews! They truly meant a lot to me.

wolfienjhoanfdwar: I don't think I ever talked to you, even though you reviewed a great number of times! You always left a thorough review and called me by my name, which made me feel appreciated. You truly did seem to enjoy the story, enough to leave long reviews on the chapters you chose to write them, and I always enjoyed reading them. Thank you so much for making me feel appreciated! We should talk sometime.

Courageous Dreamer: Hi, Kimberly! We haven't talked in over a year, if I remember correctly. Your first review was on chapter 23, and you said you read the whole thing up to the current chapter. It blew my mind, so I had to PM you to thank you. We were never the best of friends, but I'd like to hold a conversation with you again! Hit me up. :-*

sinfullysarcastic: Hiii! You're not around anymore, but I remember you were a popular author on the archive. I was jealous, lol. It wasn't until chapter 29, I believe, that you actually reviewed and said you read the entire story! I was too much of a coward to reply with a PM, but after chapter 40, I took a seven-week break. Then I posted on my profile that chapter 41 would be up soon, and you PM'd me first! I felt awesome. We held a conversation for months and months, even though there weren't many replies, as I was very lazy. You didn't review very often either, but when you did, it made me smile. I almost felt honored to have someone who was so popular on the archive, not to mention one of the most talented authors, read and review my work. Hey, if you ever read this, PM me okay? I'd love to talk to you again.

PurpleDuck5: I...talked to you once. I think. I also can't remember the first chapter you reviewed on, and I feel lame. And ashamed. You, as well, didn't review very often but it made my day when you did. We also talked once! (There seems to be an reoccurring theme here.) Overall, thank you for reviewing!

Bionic Egypt: Okay, you awesome person, you made a trailer for this story. A FREAKING TRAILER. It wasn't Oscar-worthy, no, but damn, I can't believe someone actually liked this dumb story enough to make a trailer! I think I harassed you too much about it, lol, but I was so ecstatic. For the final time, you didn't review much, but it made me happy when you did. You weren't here from the beginning, but thank you.

I still can't believe it. YOU MADE A FREAKING TRAILER!

OTHER PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED:
(There are A LOT of them, and they're not in alphabetical order; but try to find your name!)

I love Andy Biersack
name here please
MysteryWriter98
1065482801109701
DeathlyHallowsschoolgirl
Clove15
MartyMurray
My-Darling-Clara-Oswald
Soaking in the Reign
Leeshy-Bee
Sibunafan4life
Zayniallarryouisiam (Hi Kristina)
JessIsTheBest
Ishy415
Welcome to My Mad House
pond-tastic
Beauty And The Trxgedy
PeaceTreaty1123 (Hi Tara)
drama4lifexoxo
Sandstorm1216
HoAFreak3
oseto29
Whisper and Friends
dapennylane
The one who understands
NJ7009
piperholly7
houseofanubisfan2
golferbabe
Math Robot 13 (Hi Christina)
anabethooo121513
alloftheabove2013
vibrantblueeyes
Nornichica
The Throne
Cherryx3Cat
Seddielover945
artsoccer
Angel Delight 88
AshleyMaeLuv
Sibunaismylife
She'sMajestic-I'mNoOne
Descending
littlemisschatterbox13
xx-SibunaForever-xx

HOAfan219
PaperHouses
Alex The Rayquaza
CALYPSAJACKSON
FNRutterHoa
IWantToRemainNameless
NeddiePeddiefan
A Poet's Diary
Violinrocker12
dandelion657
DumDum40
keenwriter123
Hugz Kissez
GeekyNat
HHer-PitchSlap-HOA
Destiny's Flower
MadelynStilisnki24
LiveLoveLaugh79
InloveyouElejah14
Hoa4eva
hisssweetkinxoxox
Coming To A Sharp Turn
LoveLikeYouMeanIt
CatnipGirlOnFire
sibuna2000
unknownfangirl10
crackingthecode89
Finchelette
BookGoddess13

Honorable mentions:

1. LunaSibuna: Hi, Luna! *waves* I know your real name now, but you'll always be Luna to me.

Your first review was on chapter 3, all the way back in February 2012. You said the story was amazing, and to keep updating. I was only 12 at the time (but nearing age 13), so I felt like I had to respond with a PM. We talked for a little while, discussing Don't Be Afraid (which I later felt guilty about after you disappeared off the face of the planet, lol).

You know, I still remember this. It was April 15th, 2012. We were PMing early in the morning, and you told me it was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. I said "I knew it was this year, but I didn't know it was today!" Later that day, I logged on to Facebook and one of my friends posted a status, asking if anyone had seen Titanic, as it had been re-released in theaters. I then watched the trailer and talked to my mom about seeing it in theaters, because she told me it was a really good movie. So I saw it.

And then my life was ruined forever.

Lol, I'm just kidding. We were both very young when we started PMing (both 12 years old), and now we're both 15. We sometimes try to hold a conversation over tumblr, but it never works out, and I really want it to. You were my first BAF (Best Author Friend), and you played a big role in DBA's development. I miss talking to you sometimes.

X

2. duetmonsterz/BigBieberRhinosaur/likestarlight: Amber. The loser who has the same first name as Amber Millington.

Oh, man, you only reviewed a few times, but I recognized your name from your story, Will We Ever Get a Break. I can't even remember what you said anymore! I never read WWEGAB, but I knew you liked Big Time Rush. So when I saw that Big Time Surprise was premiering on September 22nd, 2012, I knew I had to tell you.

We didn't talk for very long over PM, though. I think you stopped responding around November 2012, sometime after Red released. We messaged each other once or twice after that, about season 3 of Anubis, but it wasn't until May 2013 that we really started going again. I PM'd you and said "Are we still fangirl buddies?!"

Soon after, we moved to Kik. We talked occasionally during the summer, but there would be long periods where I wouldn't talk to you. Then I wanted to organize a FaceTime, because Paige (mentioned at the bottom) and I did it all the time. We only FaceTimed once, haha. But we never really felt the need to.

Afterwards, we iMessaged. You texted me on your thirteenth birthday saying "I'm thirteen !". But we didn't really start talking daily until January 2014.

And we're still talking now. In fact, we're talking about how our days are as I'm writing this at this very moment (October 9th 2014, 7:48 PM).

You didn't play a very big part in Don't Be Afraid, but you did play a very big part in my life, so thank you :)

X

3. slcswimmer14/clarksonwriter17: Ah, Paige. Paige Paige Paige. Your first (signed in) review was on chapter 19, the only review for that chapter. I PM'd you to thank you, because your review meant a lot to me, saying that "of course people still read your story, silly goose!" or something like that. We PM'd for quite a long time (from August 2012 to March 2013) until I told you we should move to Kik. That was when we first came up with Edlly!

The first Austin and Ally episode after a long hiatus premiered in May 2013. You wanted to FaceTime.

You knew I was nervous about that, but you REALLY wanted to video chat with me, so you persisted, and I'm so so so glad you did. We watched the episode together, shared opinions afterwards, and talked for about two hours in total. Then, two or three days later, you iMessaged me. That was the start of something amazing.

We texted and FaceTimed multiple times a week. Our longest video call was four hours, I believe, starting at 10 PM and ending at 2 in the morning. We stayed up to the wee hours of the night, calling each other, talking about our co-write, Bruises. The summer of 2013 was a great period, full of laughs. Then you had to go and leave me for college.

We still talk occasionally, but not as much as we did that summer, regretfully. Call me again, yeah? I miss you.

Anyway, you always let me rant about Don't Be Afraid to you. You called me evil when I told you that I was killing off Nina, then said "Oh good, I don't hate you anymore" when I told you she wasn't truly dead. You got me into Auslly in 2013, and Caskett in 2014, and I got you into Percabeth and J/R. We shipped Edlly together and cried about Forever & Always. You played a big part in Don't Be Afraid, even saying "I can't believe a 14-year-old writes better than me", ha.

We're three years apart, me currently being 15 and you being 18, but it never mattered to us. We were always such good friends.

And that's how we'll always be.

So...that's it, then.

This is my final goodbye.

I figured a story that's been around for 3 years deserved a chapter dedicated to acknowledgements, especially one that has 481 reviews (sooo close to 500), and an author who doesn't want to say goodbye.

I still can't believe it's been three years since I published Don't Be Afraid. It doesn't feel real. I feel like I'm sending a child off to school, a mother unwilling to let go of her baby. This was my first story,one that took me much longer to finish than it should have. Overall, however, I'm grateful for everything.

I'm grateful for you, reading this right now.

Don't Be Afraid may be over now, but I'll never, ever, delete it. I'd lose too many memories if I did that. The first 20 chapters are cringe-worthy, but bring back so many memories and thoughts. Chapter 6 is a special one to me, as everyone freaked out because "They found Nina's body" was the cliffhanger, and it was the last chapter before Titanic ruined my life (I'm just kidding, of course...not really).

Maybe one day you'll revisit this story, and relive all of YOUR memories, as you, of course, have your own to share.

I met my best friend through this story. I found my favorite movie. I found a way to watch my favorite season of my favorite show again. I found a person whom I'm literally talking to right now. I found so many things.

I also found myself, in a way.

As my final goodbye, I want to say thank you. To all the people who had Don't Be Afraid on story alert. To all the people who liked it enough to add it to their favorite stories. To all the people who reviewed. To all the people who read it silently, never reviewing, but always reading. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you again. I love you, and I'm thankful.

I had the time of my life having you guys on my side.

Long live Don't Be Afraid.