~Little Tooth~
Chapter 21
"I've got to go help Ken with his computer." Cry sighed, walking across the TV room, heading towards his shoes and motorcycle keys.
"Be back soon." Marzia said, sitting close to Felix on the couch.
"If it takes any longer then a few hours i'll be sure to call." Cry answered back, knowing it would be a good idea so they don't start worrying about him too.
The three had come back to the apartment last night with no luck. They had had no contact with Jackson or the others, but figured they had no luck as well. They would have gone back out to look, or at least visit poor Jackson, but Marzia came down with a bad cold and Felix felt like he might have one too. Cry felt uneasy with their silence, but he understood. He grabbed his keys and helmet and went out the door.
Baby Tooth had fallen asleep again, only to wake up in the same place. It must have rained, for Baby Tooth noticed leaks of water crawling from cracks in the walls and ceiling. She was a smart girl, and rested her tied up hands into one of the better puddles. This weakened the fabric bounding her and she was able to take rip it off. She un-gaged herself and stood up, taking in a deep breath.
"You're very observant," A voice made her jump. "However, i've been sitting here for the past half hour and yet you have not yet laid eyes on me."
Baby Tooth focused her eyes upon the sight of a woman, sitting in an old chair in the other corner of the room. Her heart beat faster as the woman stood up, walking over to a light switch. The light flickered on and the woman, looking to be in the late 30s, had and voice and face that Baby Tooth recognized. It was Mrs. Overland. She had aged, but not much. Her hair was still brown and in a bun, only a bit more unkempt and unprofessional looking.
Baby Tooth wasn't sure if she should speak or not.
Mrs. Overland chuckled. "Toothiana Time, if my memories continues to aid me. You're probably wondering why you are here."
"He was right..." Baby Tooth narrowed her eyes, talking to herself.
"Hm?" Mrs. Overland tilted her head.
Baby Tooth knew being no less the a teen wouldn't help her. She had to stand up to Mrs. Overland, just like she did to the men who hurt Jackson.
"What do you want with me?!" Baby Tooth hissed.
Baby Tooth wasn't the type to get angry and stand up to anything, but that all changed when Pitch came. And, well, truth be told she never really liked those mice in the European division.
"You've grown up to be big and strong huh?" Mrs. Overland laughed. "You're so amusing."
"I don't understand why you do this."
Mrs. Overland laughed, taking a step closer to the girl. She grinned. "Children are so selfish. What a rotten little teen you've been raised to be."
Baby Tooth was really confused. Mrs. Overland was being so creepy, sarcastic, rude, mean. All her memories in Little Apple said Mrs. Overland was a child-loving, careful and trusting woman. Was this really Mrs. Overland?
"You aren't answering me." Baby Tooth growled.
"Well well..." Mrs. Overland placed her finger on her lip. "I wanted to ask you a few things."
Baby Tooth was caught off guard. "What?"
Mrs. Overland walked closer, and Baby Tooth backed into the wall.
"Why does he think you are so special?" Mrs. Overland spoke in a bland tone. "I just don't see what he sees."
Baby Tooth pushed Mrs. Overland's hand away as the woman got closer.
"Who?"
"Jackson." Mrs. Overland sighed. "I know he still cares for you , even when he hadn't seen you for years. Even when I'm sure you had forgotten him."
Baby Tooth gulped back her anger. "I'd never forget him!"
Mrs. Overland turned away. "I wish you would. If only you had."
"What does that mean?" Baby Tooth took the chance to run to the other side of the room, farther from the woman.
"That child...Jackson." Mrs. Overland watched the girl. "Lets just say he...he is very special."
"That doesn't explain anything to me."
Mrs. Overland crossed her arms. "Well, I'd explain it all before I must take drastic measures but that would just be me wasting breath."
"Drastic measures?" Baby Tooth watched the woman carefully.
Mrs. Overland cracked a devilish smile and walked towards Baby Tooth.
"Now stand still."
Baby Tooth's heart jumped. She ran at the woman to push her down, but Mrs. Overland stepped to the side and grabbed Baby Tooth's arm. Baby Tooth gasped, almost falling down. She yanked her arm back from the woman and turned to stare at her.
"You didn't hear a word I said, hm?" Mrs. Overland growled.
Mrs. Overland launched at the girl, grabbing her hair just as the girl ran to the side. Pulling on the group of strands, Baby Tooth screamed. Baby Tooth looked at Mrs. Overland, whom had a killer grin and a knife in her other hand. The knife was swung at her, but Baby Tooth grabbed the arm that held it, getting cut a bit in doing so. Mrs. Overland pulled the girl's hair more, but Baby Tooth latched onto the woman's wrist with her teeth, digging them into her skin.
"GET OFF OF ME!"
Mrs. Overland overpowered the girl and threw her against the cold hard ground, her nails leaving open, bleeding scars in Baby Tooth's cheek. Baby Tooth gasped as she hit the cold ground. She tired to get up, but Mrs. Overland pinned her down. The knife being raised in the air, The light reflected off the blade. Baby Tooth's heart raced more. Baby Tooth pulled one of her hands out from Mrs. Overland's grip and blindly grabbed for the knife. She didn't get stabbed, but she was given a long cut on her hand. The pain was overwhelming.
"Brave, arn't you!?" Mrs. Overland was getting tired of this fighting back.
Baby Tooth, who still held force against Mrs. Overland, sunk her shaking fingers into the woman's wound from the bite she gave a few moments ago. The woman gasped as Baby Tooth forced herself to tear apart the small wound. Mrs. Overland dropped the knife and grabbed at her wound, blood dripping out of it. Baby Tooth stood up quickly and picked up the knife.
Running to the door, Baby tooth wasn't sure what she should do. She knew she could do farther damage to Mrs. Overland, she surely the woman deserved it, but Baby Tooth wasn't a murderer. She had been so innocent most of her life so she wasn't herself even now. She ran through the door, welding the knife. The bright light of a small kitchen hit her eyes and she was blinded for a second. When her eyes adjusted, she saw Mr. Auditore sitting at the old, weak table. On the floor, passed out, was Mr. Kirkland and Ms. Elizabeth, and a bunch of alcohol bottles broken or just laying on the floor. It smelled disgusting.
"H-Hey!"
Baby Tooth dodged Mr. Auditore and ran for the open doorway. Her foot stepped on a broken glass piece of an alcohol bottle and she screamed, falling to the floor. Mr. Auditore grabbed her arm and pulled her up, but not without bruising her arm and leaving a red print. Knowing he had not noticed her knife yet, Baby Tooth did the only thing that she could. She shoved the knife into his side, hearing a crunching sound and then pulling it back out. Blood covered the knife and Baby Tooth's head felt light. Mr. Auditore yelpt and let go of her. She slipped to the floor, only to push herself back up and run into another room, the glass still in her foot.
"What the!?"
Turning, Baby Tooth say Mr. Frosten sitting on a couch. He was extremely skinny compared to the last time she saw him.
"GET HER!" Mrs. Overland screamed from the other room.
As Mrs. Overland and Mr. Auditore struggled to get after Baby Tooth, due to their painful wounds, Mr. Frosten paused before realizing what he was told to do. He ran after Baby Tooth, who had picked the glass out of her stinging wound and was running towards the door. Baby Tooth didn't want this to last any longer then it had to, so she gathered all her strength, turned around to face Mr. Frosten, and held out her knife. The man did not notice it and ran into it, the knife lodging itself into his lower stomach. It didn't seem to be deadly, but it looked extremely painful.
Unable to pull the knife back out, Baby Tooth slammed the door open, ran through it, and slammed it behind her. She struggled to run away from the house, down the street. She saw that she was in a run down, small neighborhood. All the houses looked old and hardly standing. Some were even trailer park houses. However, she looked up to see that, a few blocks down, there was a highway. She gulped and ran faster, not looking back. She didn't want to know if anyone was chasing after her.
The shock of what just happened and the pain mixed together made her tear up, and then cry. She felt the three nail scratches sting more, her hand bushing against it only to find that the blood had dried up. Her breath was loud in her ears. She was tired, she was hungry, and she wanted to be home.
She had stopped running. They hadn't run after her, she was sure of it. Her body was sore, but all her bleeding cuts were dried up. Her eyelids felt heavy, but she couldn't let herself fall asleep. Not on the side of the highway. It was dark and the only light was from the sky and the street lights. A few cars drove by now and then, but it was deserted. She had stopped crying, but had the edge to cry every few minutes. She just kept walking on, not even sure if she was heading towards home at all. She didn't know where she was at all.
She walked slow, her eyes starring at the cuts on her hands. If she focused on something, she might not fall to the ground for sleep. She didn't hear at all the sound of a motorcycle. If she had, she'd ignore it. It would pass by anyway, right? She stopped walking, well actually It seemed her body stopped on it's own, when the sound of the motorcycle came a bit to close. The sound stopped and Baby Tooth turned her attention to see a man getting off of the thing, only a few feet away from her.
"Hey, it's almost midnight, are you ok-"
The man stopped when he saw her condition. No, he stopped when he saw who it was. Baby Tooth didn't realize she knew the man, but knew he'd help her. It was Cry, heading back home from helping his friend Ken. The man ran over to her, putting his helmet on her.
"Oh my god." His voice showed concern. "I don't know what happened, but come on."
Baby Tooth was pulled onto the motorcycle, and Cry, knowing she probably didn't have the strength to hold onto him, Sat with her in front. He would have trouble, but he could do it. He drove down to a gas station and stopped there, Letting Baby Tooth sit on the curve of the sidewalk outside the gas station store. Cry handed the girl his cell phone.
"While I get a few things from inside, I want you to at least try to call your father and Jackson." Cry sighed. "But if you can't, that's okay."
Baby Tooth was a little bit more awake due to the rush of air hitting her face, so she was able to nod her head and do as told. It took a little for her to remember the phone numbers, but she dialed in Oliver's first.
"Hello?" Oliver knew Cry, but didn't exactly have the guy's phone number. "Who is this?"
Baby Tooth almost couldn't speak. She clenched the phone, scared he'd hang up.
"D-Daddy."
Baby Tooth almost never called Oliver "father" or "dad" or "daddy". She wasn't used to it. However, when she was emotional or just couldn't find her words properly, she had said the words before.
"B-BABY TOOTH!" Oliver gasped. "Where are you!?"
"C-Cry...w-with Cry." She smiled when she heard his voice.
"Where is Cry?" Oliver asked.
"At...at a gas station...he...he found me..." She answered.
"Which gas station. I'm coming for you."
Baby Tooth paused. "I...I don't know..."
"Can you hand the phone to him?" Oliver asked.
Baby Tooth looked around only to remember he went inside.
"Cry is inside the gas station..g-getting me stuff... I donno."
Oliver was about to says something, but Baby Tooth stopped him.
"Oh! There he is."
Baby Tooth watched as Cry and a worker walked out, walking towards her. Baby Tooth handed Cry the phone and Cry gave Baby Tooth a bag. Looking inside the bag, she found a few things to eat and drink. She pulled out a water and rice cake, taking big gulps of water and then scarfing down the rice cake.
"An ambulance will be here soon to help your injuries" the worker, a young female, said in a soothing voice. "But, can you show me your injuries?"
Baby Tooth did as told and the woman wrapped her hands and arms with some sort of medical cloth. The woman then cared to the girl's scars on her cheek and then went back inside. Cry, by then, just put his phone away.
"Your father and Jackson are on their way. I remember the woman inside calling for professional help."
Cry sat down next to the girl, taking out a lemon-flavored small snack cake and unwrapping it, then handing it over to Baby Tooth. Being still hungry, the girl took it and bit down into it. Pulling out a coca-cola, Cry had nothing to eat. They sat there in silence, the stars glowing in the dark sky. After a few minutes, Cry went to go put gas in his motorcycle before coming back to sit down.
The ambulance and police arrived first, but when informed that more family were on their way, they understood. Inside the back of the ambulance, the workers took proper care of Baby Tooth's injuries. Outside, Cry was asked a few questions about the situation.
Oliver was next to arrive, getting out of his car and running over to the police and Cry.
"Where is she?" He asked.
"She's in the ambulance getting looked at." Cry pointed to the area he was looking for. He then turned to the police. "That's her father."
Oliver ran over to the ambulance, being let inside to sit next to his daughter. She rested his head against him, being happy to be with him again. Oliver could only feel horrified. He could see the cars and bruises, and they looked bad. He didn't feel the courage to ask her what happened.
After awhile, the workers asked for Baby Tooth to stand up and walked around a little, saying it would keep her awake a little bit longer and help her mussels heal. She did, walking around the open parking lot. As Oliver and Cry stood to the side, talking to the workers, The adults would watch her as she walked and skipped around. She couldn't quite jump well, but she tried. She was at least entertaining herself.
"BABY TOOTH!"
Suddenly Baby Tooth turned to see Jackson. He ran up to her and pulled her into a hug, his grip lifting her off the ground for a few seconds. When she was set down, she hugged him back. She realized that he was crying.
"I'm so happy you are okay." He whispered. "I was so scared. So very, very scared."
Baby Tooth didn't reply. She felt bad now. He took forever to finally let go of her, but she didn't mind being in his warm embrace. Baby Tooth, knowing it would make him feel better, stood by his side as they walked over to the sidewalk where Oliver and Cry were. After watching them talk a bit more with the police, the ambulance was told to leave and Cry left on his motorcycle, off to inform Felix and Marzia. Things had quieted down.
"Young girl." One of the police said. "We'd like to talk with you about what happened, although if you'd like to wait until tomorrow or talk without an audience, that would be okay."
Baby Tooth was being treated kind of like a child, but she didn't care at all. Her tiredness did make her come off that way and she knew that. They didn't expect her to reply, but she sat down on the side walk, looking up at Jackson, Oliver, and the only few policemen left. When she held up her right hand, the one covered in bandages due to the long scar below, they all turned to her.
"Jackson was right." She spoke, yawned afterwords.
"Hm?" Oliver asked and the adults looked at her curiously.
"I saw them...I saw all the Little Apple employees." She then shook her head. "No. I didn't see Mrs. Hamilton. But There was Mrs. Overland. She acted strange. And Mr. Auditore. He seemed more masculine and far more mean. Mr. Frosten was skinnier and looked unhealthy. Ms. Elizabeth and Mr. Kirkland were both passed out on the kitchen floor."
The police were intrigued, but it was Jackson and Oliver that stared at the girl in horror. Jackson clenched his fists, looking up at Oliver.
"I'm taking them to court. I won't wait any longer." He growled.
"Right behind you." Oliver nodded his head.
"We can schedule a meeting tomorrow." One of the officers said. "Any time, you call it."
Baby Tooth felt herself start to tear up again. This was really happening. She gulped, shaking herself awake more.
"Jackson." She spoke again, trying not to shed a tear.
"What is it?" Jackson sat next to her on his knees, speaking in a worried voice.
Baby Tooth looked down at her feet. Tears hit the pavement below.
"I know...t-that they deserved it...and I know that if I hadn't, I could be dead...but..." She covered her mouth with her hands. "but why do I feel so guilty...for having to stab them to get away?"
The answer to that was simple. She wanted to believe so badly that this was only a nightmare, and the nice, caring adults that took care of her were not monsters that tried to kill her. Her mind wanted her to believe it was all made up, and she stabbed poor old mister Frosten for no good reason. That Mrs. Overland and Mr. Auditore were not after her, and that she hurt them, why? Her childish hormones gained the best of her. Jackson took a breath in and out, having almost no knowledge of what happened to her.
"Baby Tooth..." He pulled her to his side. "You had to do what you had to do. Don't feel bad for it."
"Come on." Oliver sighed. "It's about time we all got some sleep."
Baby Tooth fell asleep in the car that night.
"So...she's okay?" Sophie asked Jamie.
Jamie nodded his head, but didn't say anything. Sophie paused, playing with the button of her Pjs. Jamie was informed that Baby Tooth was in fact, back with Oliver. He told his mother, and then went to tell Sophie.
"Hey Jamie..." Sophie began.
"Yes, Sophie?" Jamie asked, leaning on the side of the doorway to her room.
"...I miss Jack...I miss Bunny." She sniffled. "When are we going to see them again?"
Jamie didn't expect that kind of question.
"I don't know...but we will...and we'll get Baby Tooth home..." Jamie said softly.
"Are you sure?" Sophie looked up at her older brother.
Jamie paused.
"I'm positive, Soph."
note:
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"And, well, truth be told she never really liked those mice in the European division."
Please tell me you guys remember that part of the movie. When Baby Tooth beat up the European mice tooth collector and Tooth was all like "Stop it, they are our friends" and Baby Tooth glared at the mouse.
Don't tell me Baby Tooth is OOC when she's angry in this story.
I think I'm sure I know what i 'm doing.