A/N: I do not own Big Hero 6 or The Promised Neverland. All rights go to their respectful owners.
Hiro was starving. Of course, when you haven't eaten much except a piece of bread for breakfast, hunger will do that to you. As everyone flooded into the dining hall and grabbed a seat, Isabella walked in, carrying a one-year-old with her. Behind her trailed a dark-skinned woman with black frizzy hair. Her outfit consisted of the same clothing Isabella wore.
Hiro cocked his head. Who're they?
"Everyone," Isabella said. All eyes turned to her. "I would like you to meet Carol and Sister Krone. They will be joining us from now on."
Emma, Norman, and Ray tensed up at this, obviously worried about the new threat; meanwhile, Tadashi stood stiff at the back with an emotionless face. Hiro, however, wondered why Sister Krone was here, in Grace Field. Isabella had him, her own spy, so why did she ask for another caretaker? Did she think he'd betray her and try to escape with the others?
Isabella clapped her hands together, smiling. "Please wait right here while I go get Sister Krone settled into her room." And then they were gone, immediately walking out the door. Curious, and wanting to not loose tine, Hiro chased after the adults. The children called out to him, telling him to wait until after lunch, but the boy didn't listen.
Seeing them go up the stairs, Hiro slowed his pace as he walked. At the top, he saw Isabella talking to Sister Krone about how it was ¡lovely to have another adult in the house', Carol still in her arms. As he walked closer to them, the two adults turned their attention to the eleven-year-old.
"Ah, you must be Hiro; top scorer, correct?" Sister Krone said in a kind tone. "I've heard about how you and three others are always getting the best grades. It's Emma, Norman, and Ray, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Hiro replied, taken aback by how nonchalant the adult was. Didn't Isabella tell her about me being her spy? Or about how Emma and Norman know?
"Sister Krone, wouldn't you like to rest a bit?" Isabella asked, irritated with her questioning of top scorers. "After all, it was a… long ride here, correct?"
"Oh, no need, Isabella," Krone said, her gaze stuck on Hiro. Hiro began to feel uncomfortable. "It was a short trip here; besides, I'd like to play with the children after lunch, if that's all right with you."
"Of course." Isabella said. "I would like to talk to Hiro real quick, though, if that's all right with you." Krone nodded. Isabella turned to Hiro, and addressed him with: "Come on, Hiro; let's go see how your bruises from that fall are." Isabella started for the infirmary, Hiro following in pursuit.
Once they got to the desired room, Isabella shut the door and turned to face Hiro. Hiro got the feeling she wasn't going to 'check up' on him. He was right.
"Do not tell Sister Krone about you," Isabella started firmly, "and do not tell her about the other three."
"Wait, so you know?" Hiro asked, confused.
"Know what?"
"Ray." Hiro said. "Do you know about Ray knowing?"
Just then, Krone opened the door, her hands behind her back. She walked over to the adult and child, a smile etched on her face. "Who knowing what?"
Before Isabella could respond, Hiro stated, "You see, I haven't told everyone about my… my bruises yet." Krone's eyebrows raised, obviously suspicious. "I don't want them to worry about me," He added quickly. This seemed to satisfy her.
"Come on, Sister Krone!" A boy's voice rung from the hallway. "Let's go eat, and then play tag!"
"Coming!" Krone yelled back sweetly. "Would you like to join us for a game of tag later, Hiro? I'd like to see how good you are." How good I am? But why? Hiro obliged, said bye to Isabella, and started for the dining hall.
Unbeknownst to Hiro, Ray walked into the infirmary, a sly smirk placed on his lips. He asked Isabella, "Do you not trust her?"
Isabella was quiet for a second. Finally, she said, "…No."
—
Hiro walked out the back door and down the grassy hill. His sight was set ahead of him – the group of kids with Krone standing in front, watching the children, especially Emma, Norman, and Ray. An unsettling, eerie feeling churned in Hiro's stomach at the sight. He felt like there was something… off about Krone, but he couldn't place where.
"Okay children!" Krone said as Hiro joined them. "I'll be it, and you try to run from me!" She held up three fingers, counting down to one. As each finger went down, Hiro again felt as if something wasn't right. She wasn't just going to play tag, was she?
"One!" Krone shouted; everyone ran off, Hiro making a beeline for the dense part of the forest. She wanted to see how well the top-scorers did, huh? But why would she-?
And then gears locked onto one another in Hiro's mind. She's trying to figure out who went to the gate! If she does, then surely she'll try and report us, right? Wait, why was he thinking as if he was also going to escape? Gotta stay focused right now, Hiro!
Hiro jumped over a log, the bottom of his boots barely missing the rough bark. As he stopped for a breath, a leaf, with a star cut out in the middle of it, fell into view. Hiro cautiously picked it up, examining it.
"Found you!" Krone's voice said behind him. Hiro narrowly dodged her hands as he tripped over his boots and ran towards the small stream filled with rocks. He jumped hurriedly from one rock to another, swaying from side to side as Krone tried to grab onto his shirt. Adrenaline running through his veins, Hiro turned a sharp right, not pausing to catch his breath. His sight was in front of him – the strange rock formation in the middle of the forest. He could hear Krone's footsteps from behind, but he never glanced back. He kept his eyes on the prize, which would ultimately save him from being caught in this deadly game of tag.
As he neared his destination, Hiro ran straight to a tall, skinny pillar of rock. With ever fiber in his body, Hiro sprung up from the ground and clutched a pointed, bumpy ledge that protruded from the odd rock formation. Feet dangling in the air, Hiro pushed himself up onto the pillar's flat top. He rose to his feet, staring down at Krone with a fierce gaze. Krone looked back up at him, eyes wide with shock. He smirked, happy with the results, as Ray ran up to her and showed her the time limit was up.
Hiro jumped back down carefully, before heading back with them. As they neared the house, Ray ran to his two friends, while Hiro plummeted to the grass, exhausted. He grumbled something incoherent, before sitting up and seeing Krone spectating all the children, all the while in deep thought. Her gaze, previously on the three friends, Gilda, and Tadashi, landed on Hiro, who stared back at her. Seeming to think nothing suspicious of it, she let the 'staring contest' go, before finding something else to think about.
Without warning, the bell rung. Hiro grinned for the first time, as he was hungry. As he got up, Tadashi joined him, also exhausted from the intense game they had today. Silence surrounded the two as they entered the door. Finally, one spoke.
"That was an intense game, huh?" Tadashi asked, sitting down at the long, slender dinner table. After they gave thanks, he grabbed a roll and a banana.
"Yeah…" Hiro replied, exhaustion present in his voice.
"Hey, you seem a bit out of it; what's wrong?"
"Oh, it's, uh, nothing." Truthfully, it wasn't nothing. It was definitely something. "Just tired from today's game… Hey, do you notice anything odd about Sister Krone?"
"I mean, she is in the…" Tadashi asked, before stopping himself. Hiro looked at him quizzically, and asked him, "What do you mean 'she is in the'?"
"It's… It's nothing, Hiro." Tadashi went back to eating his food. The two said nothing more as they ate. Same as earlier, Hiro had the odd impression that Tadashi was keeping something from him. He wondered if the ten-year-old knew about the truth, and he tried to brush it aside, but it kept nagging at him until he figured it out. Finally, peace swept over the boy as he ate the food laid out before him.
After dinner, Isabella had told Hiro to take care of the dishes. Obviously, Hiro didn't resist the command, and started right after dinner. But as he was bringing plates to the pantry, Hiro heard whispers coming from one side of the room. He set down the plates on a shelf and peered from behind a movable metal shelf. Emma, Norman, and Ray were talking amongst themselves.
"You don't think…" Emma asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Norman confirmed, "there's someone working for Mama… A traitor."
Hiro squirmed at the statement. They turned in his direction, and Norman asked, "Hello? Anyone there?"
Eyes squeezed shut, Hiro didn't respond as footsteps walked in his direction. Come on Hiro! Move! You have to tell Mom! But he couldn't. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. Then they faded away as they went back over to Emma and Ray.
He slowly crept out of the pantry, before heading over to the sink to wash the dirty dishes. Out of the corner of his eye, as he scrubbed sauce from the plates, Hiro saw the trio of friends walk out of the pantry, each bidding them good night. Ray watched as they left, before heading into another room. Hiro stopped scrubbing and walked over to the room, entering it himself.
A few bookshelves, filled with books and medicines, sat on opposites sides of the room. Pushed in the left corner, a lone table stood, two metal chairs sitting next to the round piece of furniture. Isabella sat on one chair, Ray in the other. Both looked up at him.
"So," Ray finally said, "Hiro is the other spy you were talking about, Mama?"
"Yes, Ray, he is," Isabella started calmly. Hiro was dumbstruck, frozen in his spot, unable to move. Ray's working with Mom? …Guess that explains earlier, then.
"Ray, you say they think there's a traitor among the children?" Isabella asked. "Is this true, Hiro?"
"You don't trust me, Mama?" Ray spat, a bit irritated.
"No, I do." Isabella replied. "But it's… good to have more than one confirmation source. Now, Hiro, is it true they think there's a spy among the children?"
"Yes, Mom." Hiro said. The clocked in the room ticked some before Ray said, "I need to get going to bed; it's late."
Ray walked past Hiro and the door, leaving Isabella and the boy alone together. Isabella stood and sauntered over to him. She said, "Ray's right, Hiro; it's getting late, you should go to bed too."
"Yes, Mom," Hiro said, before turning to head to bed. As he walked up the stairs, he thought of what was just revealed. Why hadn't she told him about Ray, since he was working for her? Did she think he'd tell Emma and Norman? A small portion of himself had the feeling he would've. But now, he wouldn't, and couldn't for that matter; if he did, Mom would most likely have him shipped the same day.
Hiro tucked himself under the covers, looking up at the ceiling in thought. Today had been a handful, at the least: new members joined the house, Krone was trying to figure out who went to the gate that night, and Ray was revealed to be Mom's spy…
His thoughts drifted away though, as he finally gave into the looming darkness.
—
The sun shone brightly in the sky, pouring heat over the laughing and smiling children. It was after lunch, and Hiro sat on an outdoor, metal chair. For a second, Hiro felt what life was like before he saw the demons, before he saw their pale, dead bodies… But that moment soon flashed past him, as Norman sat down next to him. Now was his chance to join on in their little escape plan. Remember Hiro, you're only joining because Mom forced you too. But then why did he feel like he was doing it on his own free will? Hiro shook his head, discarding the thought.
"We told Ray." Norman told him calmly. "Surprisingly, he took it quite well."
I wonder why. Hiro smirked to himself before looking curiously at Norman. "How could he take it well?" Hiro lied; well, partially lied. He had been wondering how on earth Ray had taken the news when he had found out. "I mean… I became emotionally unstable and ran out!"
"Oh, yeah." Norman said. "What happened when you ran off? I heard someone trail after you, but couldn't see who it was."
"You see…" Hiro stumbled over his words, trying to come up with the perfect, reasonable lie. "You see, Mom ran after me…" Norman face contorted to shock and worry. "Oh, don't worry, Norman! She didn't catch me! And besides, I don't think she knew it was me!" He quickly added, hoping it would ease the platinum blonde's mind. It did.
"That means Mama doesn't know who knows, then," Norman thought aloud. A wave from Emma, and a serious stare from Ray – more like a glare to Hiro – reminded Norman of why he was there in the first place. He folded his arms, and looked onward at the children as he said, "Hey, Hiro? Me, Emma, and Ray were wondering if you could join us in the library in about thirty minutes."
"Sure," Hiro replied, "I don't see why not."
"Great!" Norman stood, pleased with the boy's answer. "Guess I'll see you later, Hiro," he added as he ran back over to his friends. Hiro watched them walk over to Don and Gilda, who were playing ball with some of the children. After a few moments, they went inside.
Thirty minutes later, Hiro climbed up the stairs to the library. As he got to the door, he could hear voices talking to each other. Then a third voice spoke, and Hiro's grip on the doorknob froze. Tadashi. Tadashi was there too. Why is Tadashi here too? Wait, why are Don and Gilda even here?! I thought they wanted to meet with just me.
Gears clicked into place in his mind. That's it! They're going to tell – wait, they're going to tell them the truth… Different scenarios ran through Hiro's mind, wondering how Don and Gilda will take it.
"Hello?" Tadashi asked, his voice faint. "Is anyone there?"
Deciding not to stand there like an idiot, Hiro slowly opened the door, not meeting the other childrens' gazes. Once he closed the door, however, he turned to look at them, taking in the sight before him. Ray casually sat on a ledge that was set above a bookshelf, a ladder laying against said object. Emma and Norman stood, Norman's back leaning on a bookshelf, while Emma stood in front of a table. Gilda sat next to Emma, and Don stood out in the open, arms crossed over his chest. Tadashi sat a few chairs down from Gilda, staring at the table as if it would jump up and bite him.
"Finally!" Don exclaimed, unfolding his arms. Hiro took a seat at another table, which sat across from Emma and Gilda. "We can begin whatever these guys called us for!"
Hiro stared at the table, unmoving. From above, Hiro heard Ray address him with, "You know why we're here, Hiro?"
"Yes." Hiro whispered softly.
"Good."
"What?" Don said ten minutes later. Emma had just told them the 'truth', which was no more than a half-truth. Hiro couldn't understand why she didn't tell them the full-on truth. Was it so that there wouldn't be a panic among them? "Human… trafficking?" Don questioned uneasily.
"Yeah…" Emma said with a touch of sadness. "Our siblings… They're being sold to really bad people."
There was a second, a tiny, minuscule second, of silence, before Don laughed. Laughed. Hiro's eyes widened, unable to think straight. He's… laughing about it? Can't he tell they're serious?! It seemed not, as Don asked, "Okay, what's the punch line here?"
Nothing.
"Eh?"
Still, nothing.
"Come on guys! What kind of prank is this?!" Don asked. Hiro stared at the smooth wooden table, his hands in his lap. "You're not saying it's true… are you?" Don added, now slightly panicky.
"It's true," Ray answered with a stare.
"Wait." Don said. "Then what about Mom?"
Emma's face saddened as she cocked her head downward, not wanting to meet his gaze. "She is the one… who's selling us to the bad people."
"W-What?" Don said, getting angry. "There's no way Mom would do that! Take it back Emma!" He added, grabbing her shoulders. Emma looked up at him reluctantly.
"Emma loves this house and Mom," Gilda suddenly spoke, earning both Don's and Emma's attention. "So, there's no way she would lie about it." Don's hands left Emma's shoulders, his face mixed with disbelief and horror.
But before Gilda could continue, Ray suddenly asked Tadashi in a suspicious manner, "Hey, Tadashi, why aren't you that affected by all this?"
Tadashi said nothing, ultimately proving Hiro's theory right.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Ray asked. "It's because you knew from the start, huh? When you and Hiro went to the gate that one time, right? You saw Fred… leave, didn't you? You let Hiro believe it was just a weird dream, didn't you? You-."
"Yes." Tadashi blurted. His chair scratched the floor as he stood, hands slamming onto the desk. Tears dropped from his eyes onto the table. "I heard his screams, begging for help that would never come. I made Hiro think it was all a big, scary dream. I know what I did. So just stop asking me questions like I'm a traitor or something!"
No one moved a muscle as they stared at the emotional boy who began to cry his heart out. In all the years he had spent with him, Hiro never saw Tadashi like this; it was always smiles and making happy memories that would last a lifetime. But who stood before him wasn't that same person. This Tadashi had kept the horrible, terrible truth locked away inside him, and acted as if everything was right with the world. Yes, it was similar to Ray's predicament, except for one thing: he was Mom's spy. Tadashi wasn't. Ray probably had the guarantee to live. Tadashi didn't.
When he was finished, he looked up at Hiro, whose eyes grew large, tears forming at the corners. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I-."
"It's alright," Norman comforted him. "Knowing something that long, but not telling anyone… it hurt you deep didn't it?"
"Yeah, it did…" Tadashi said, eyes still on Hiro. "…and something still does hurt inside me."
A nervous feeling wound it way through Hiro's body, making him freeze with fear. W-What? Why can't I move?!
"What are you talking about, Tadashi?" Emma and Norman simultaneously asked, both curious as to what he meant. Tadashi still didn't take his eyes off of Hiro. He narrowed them, before saying what Hiro thought was a secret from everyone (except Ray)…
"You're Mom's spy, aren't you, Hiro?"
A/N: I just love cliffhangers. don't you?
