Chapter 7
It's been a week now. Emma was still grieving and Ray was… well you can guess. Scarlett was currently holding a meeting in the library. Far away from Ray though, who had taken to spending time in the library all day except when he needs to go to the bathroom, eat, or sleep. When she showed them her powers, there were different reactions as expected. All of them had felt awe and shock though.
Thoma and Lannion thought it was cool and epic while Anna saw how versatile it was and Nat just thought it looked bright and expressive. And commented offhandedly that he can make them pop out more if he had them. How narcissistic. But, that was a quality that she found that she didn't mind much.
Scarlett felt much more at ease when they accepted it quickly. Especially when she showed them her red eyes. Maybe she should have told them sooner. Then again, there wasn't really a point back then. There is now though.
She had also told them more about the plan to set the house on fire. Including the fact that Ray was going to sacrifice himself. They were even more mortified by that. But of course, all of them agreed that they won't let that happen.
Don had come up with the brilliant idea of using hangers as their way to zip across. It looks like even he comes up with good ideas at times. He was also chosen to be the one who will throw the rope across, with his long range.
"I don't know if I can do it," Don said nervously.
"Don't worry Don!" Lannion grinned at him. "We've almost got two months until the escape! You've got time!"
"He's right, Don," Scarlett murmured. She still was a bit uncomfortable with talking in front of this many people, but it's getting better. Slowly. She said a bit louder, "We all need to do our part in this. No slacking off or revealing anything. We have to all act as if we're normal."
"It's not easy," Thoma muttered. "Knowing that those demons want to eat us is just…"
"Don't say it out loud! We just had lunch!" Lannion shouted.
"It's hard keeping it to myself though!"
"Deal with it!"
Scarlett sighed at their behavior.
"Don't mind them," Anna said to her. "It's great that they're still their normal selves."
"I guess you're right," Scarlett muttered.
"What are our roles?" Nat asked Scarlett.
Scarlett closed her eyes. You can do this. Let the words flow out naturally. "We need to collect supplies. Medicine, food, clothing, anything that will help us on the outside. We should leave it to the younger kids that are five and six. It'll be the easiest job they can do. Make sure they are supervised though so that Mom doesn't catch them. We also don't want to take too much to let Mom notice or get any foods that are grown. Just foods that can last a while. If we have time, we'll get fresh grown food right before we leave. We'll stash all the supplies in the abandoned well."
The others nodded. "When should we tell them the secret?" Anna asked.
"Soon. I want to get this plan done as soon as possible. I'd like Dominic to be told first since he's the only six year old right now and therefore, is the one in most danger to be shipped other than Ray."
Don closed his eyes as he remembered Conny being the other one.
"We'll slowly descend to the five years olds," Scarlett said. "Once we tell Dominic, I say we tell Yvette and Chris next."
"What about us older kids?" Gilda questioned.
"Anna." The blonde girl turned to her. "I want you to study as much medicine as you can. When you're out there, you'll be our nurse."
Anna hesitated. "A-are you sure you can trust me with something like this?"
"Of course," Gilda said before Scarlett could respond. "You're the most knowledgeable about medicine right now. You're always helping Mom out in the infirmary as well. And you're kind, tender, and gentle, just like a real nurse!"
Anna slightly blushed at the compliment. "I-I'll do it!"
Scarlett nodded. "Good. Nat, I need you to distract the other kids. Mostly those of age four and younger."
"Sure, but why?"
"Right now, they'll get in the way. We need to be able to do this without interruptions."
Nat nodded. "Right!"
"Thoma. Lannion."
They both saluted. "Yes, Ma'am!"
Scarlett couldn't help but roll her eyes at their antics. She took out two devices she had been working on for the past week. Each were made from a water bottle, plastic to make it shaped like a rocket, and had a rope attached to each one.
"It's nothing like Ray would make," Scarlett protested embarrassingly when they all oohed and ahhed. "I don't even know how Ray makes some of the stuff he does. I had to look up the instructions in a book to even make this. Once we pump these up with water, and cover them with the cap, when we release the cap, they are gonna shoot up and forward."
"Cool! But why do we need these?" Lannion asked.
"We need to be efficient in our escape. We can do so by having multiple lines. Once we have the line that Don makes, one person can go across and tie the ropes to the other side. All we need to do is to get the ropes on the other side. That is your guys' job."
Thoma and Lannion nodded. "You can count on us!"
"Don, Gilda, you two are captains for the training," Scarlett ordered. "You guys already know some signals and how to separate into squads, but we need to teach you guys more. You guys also need to practice ziplining. We can easily make one to practice. If Mom sees it, she won't be suspicious. We'll just act like we've come up with a new game."
Don and Gilda Nodded, eyes determined.
"Also, Gilda, you're the best at knitting. Can you please make us some scarves and gloves? Most of the ones we have are pretty worn out."
Gilda smirked. "You got it!"
"Nat, while you're watching over the kids, can you bring Dominic to us?" Scarlett asked.
"No problem for someone like me!" Nat struck a pose.
The others deadpanned at him.
Scarlett took a deep breath. In all the books she read, the leader always says some sort of speech. Maybe she should say one here?
"I know you guys are all sad about our lost siblings. I am too. But now we know better. We know the truth. T-this isn't just for us." Scarlett started to stutter slightly at the end. "This is also for them. We c-can't save them, but we can make sure their deaths a-are not in vain. … Yeah?"
"Yeah!" They all cheered.
"Good. Everyone understand their roles?"
"Yes!" They all shouted.
Scarlett nodded. "You guys are dismissed."
Everyone left except for Gilda and Don. When everyone else left, Scarlett let herself give in and collapsed on a chair.
"Scarlett, Are you ok?!" Gilda asked.
"I'm fine," Scarlett murmured. "Just… kinda overwhelmed with all of this responsibility."
"That wasn't too bad," Don said, trying to make her feel better. "Your words got to everyone and your posture was almost perfect except for your knees shaking a bit the entire time."
"Let's just hope Emma gets better," Scarlett sighed. "She's way better at this then me."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Emma was still grieving. She layed in her bed at the infirmary as she slept, all alone, as she drifted off into her dreams.
Emma was in a dark empty space that seemed to go on forever. The ground rippled everytime she took a step. The wind was making her shiver and her teeth chatter a bit.
She paused when she heard another set of footprints walking. She quickly turned around to see Norman in his suit heading towards a door.
"Norman!" Emma started running towards him. "Don't go! Not again!"
Tears started to blind her vision, causing her to trip and fall face first on the floor. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. What did hurt was her heart though. "Why… why does this have to happen!"
She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Slowly she looked up to see Norman crouching in front of her, smiling.
"Norman…" Emma hugged him. "W-why? Why did you have to leave? Why didn't you run!"
"Emma… I did this for you guys. For you," Norman whispered.
"But you don't have to do everything yourself!" Emma cried. "Why couldn't we do something?"
"Because it was my time," Norman murmured. "Besides, that's now in the past. You cannot dwell on it. Or you can't grow. You need to focus on the future. How you and the others are gonna escape."
"B-but you're not here! How can we do this without you?"
"You don't need me to escape. You have our siblings. With you and them, I believe you can do it."
"I-.. I..."
"Emma. I may not be here anymore, but I'll always be with you. Because you remember me. Please, think about the others. Think about those who've already been shipped. Will you let their deaths be meaningless?"
Her eyes widened slightly. "O-of course not! I.. I still need…"
"What do you need to do, Emma?" Norman questioned her, his eyes serious.
Emma clenched her hands into fists. No. She can't keep acting like this. They needed her. This wasn't the time to mope around. Right now, her siblings needed her.
"Norman… I've been wasting time just sitting here. Now…" Emma looked up, a new fire in her eyes, "I need to act."
Norman smiled. "There's the Emma I know."
The landscape around them changed. Instead of the darkness, it was replaced with a bright blue sky with white clouds. The rippling ground was replaced with grass and flowers. Birds and other creatures roamed around.
"This is what you're aiming for, Emma. Freedom. Now, go get it," Norman whispered. He faded away.
Emma woke up, startled. She immediately sat up. She absently touched her cheek, which was wet due to tears. After taking a few breaths to calm down, she looked outside, the moon shining bright.
'It's time.'
When Scarlett called them for a meeting the next day, all of them were surprised to see Emma there.
Of course, Scarlett expected it soon. She smirked. "About time, Emma."
She smirked back. "Sorry about that. So, what's the plan?"
~0~0~0~0~0~
When Scarlett handed her Norman's note, plus the other stuff he left behind, Emma being shocked was an understatement. Dominic was there too and he also read the note.
"I can't believe… Norman…" Emma breathed out. "And Ray… he's going to do this?"
"Is t-this really true?" Dominic sniffled.
"Yes," Anna whispered. "But don't worry. That's not gonna happen to us. We're gonna escape."
"We'll use Ray's plan, but obviously cut out the him dying part. We will need some sort of substitute for a body," Scarlett explained.
"We can easily use meat from the pantry," Gilda suggested.
"That'll work," Scarlett agreed. "I also have an idea to make that burning flesh smell. I need some chemicals, but I should be able to access them easily enough. I'll cut my hair as well."
"Eh?" Nat leaned forward. "Why?"
"For the fake body," Scarlett responded.
"You don't need to do it," Anna said stubbornly. "I'll do it. You've already done so much for us. I want to do something more, even if it's not much."
"I'll need to cut my hair anyways," Scarlett protested. "It'll just get in the way when we escape."
"Then tie it up," Anna shrugged. "I know how much you care about your hair. You spend so long making sure it's nice and silky everyday."
It was true. Call her vain, but she prized her silky black hair a lot. It was one of the few characteristics about her that she liked.
Blushing slightly, Scarlett sighed, knowing she's not gonna win this. "Fine."
She then looked at Emma. "Now that you're done crying, you can take over now."
"Huh?!" Emma exclaimed. "R-really?"
"Why not?" Scarlett shrugged. "You're better at this than me."
"But I think you're pretty good at it!" Emma protested. "I think I'd be weird to suddenly change leadership."
"Then you guys should be co-leaders!" Don suggested.
"Huh?" Scarlett looked at him with wide eyes.
"I think that's a good idea!" Thoma agreed.
"Yeah!" Lannion yelled.
"Emma's the motivational and inspirational leader while Scarlett's the organized and straight forward leader," Anna added.
"That pretty much summarizes it," Gilda nodded.
"W-wait!" Scarlett had her hands out. "I think Emma would be a better leader!"
"Nope! We're not gonna let you say no, no matter what!" Thoma and Lannion grinned.
"Besides, isn't there a saying that the best leaders are usually the ones who don't want to lead?" Nat pointed out cheekily.
Scarlett groaned in exasperation. She was smiling ever so slightly though. Not like she would let anyone know how touched she was by their faith in her. "Fine."
"So… when should we have these meetings?" Nat asked.
"I don't think we can keep going into the library like this. Mom's bound to notice," Scarlett pointed out.
"So how then?" Dominic asked.
Scarlett looked at Emma. "You're not the best actor, but… can you pretend you're still depressed?"
"What?" Emma tilted her head to the side. "How's that going to help us?"
"We're gonna have our meetings in plain sight," Scarlett announced. "You'll hang out outside, looking depressed, letting Mom think you're still grieving. The others can just act like they're concerned about you. When instead, you can give out orders and exchange developments in secret. Besides, Mom's not gonna think Don, Gilda, and I are going to do anything. Even if I spoke out against her, she still thinks I'm all meek and shy. She'll keep her eye on you and Ray. With that, we can plan in secret."
Don gasped. "That's so smart!"
"Exactly what you'd expect from Scarlett!" Lannion grinned.
"A-anyone can think of that," Scarlett muttered. She looked at Dominic. "Dominic, can you gather supplies? We need food that lasts a long time like dried foods, nuts, canned stuff, that kind of stuff. We're also gonna need clothing and medical supplies. Make sure you don't take too much or let Mom know. Anna, help him while you're researching."
The two of them nodded.
"What about Ray?" Gilda asked.
"We're not gonna tell him anything. Not until we escape," Scarlett said, grimacing. "I know it's wrong, but we can't let him change anything of his plan."
Nat sighed. "Wish we could tell him though. I'd be way easier."
"We're just gonna have to deal with it. We need to start telling more people as well," Emma said.
"I suggested Yvette and Chris next," Scarlett added.
Emma nodded. "I agree. We'll tell them tomorrow I think."
"Sounds good to me," Don nodded.
"Now… there's one last thing I wish to discuss," Scarlett said. She brought out The Kung Fu Adventures of Ming Xao. "This book is by William Minerva."
Emma gasped while the others just looked confused.
After explaining to them about William Minerva, Scarlett continued. "This book has a lot of Kung Fu moves and techniques. I say we should try to learn them."
"Agreed," Nat said immediately. "I want to be somewhat prepared for those demons!"
"We'll add them to training. We can't exactly do it in the field though. We'll have to do it in the forest," Gilda pointed out.
"That's fine," Emma replied.
"This meeting is adjourned," Scarlett said. When everyone left, she had Emma stay.
"Emma, are you still willing to bring everyone with us?"
"Yes," Emma replied immediately.
"I know this may seem cold, but we need to think rationally at this. Some of them are babies. They require a lot of care and supplies that the rest of us don't need. Can we really take care of them? Not only that, but it's gonna be winter when we leave."
Emma hesitated. She knew the consequences… but couldn't help but feel wrong leaving some behind.
Scarlett noticed how conflicted Emma was. "We can talk about it later. Right now, we need to move on to some other things."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Things were going well. They recruited Yvette and Chris and they were now helping Dominic in gathering supplies. Mom hasn't suspected anything either. She was still keeping a close eye on Emma and Ray though. Jokes on her though, they weren't the ones she should be watching.
"Scarlett!" Yvette called out when they were training in the forest. "Can you make me fly?"
"Hm?" Scarlett wasn't expecting that. She shrugged. "Why not?"
"I want to fly too!" Dominic shouted.
"Yeah!" Chris cheered.
Scarlett managed to hold in a groan. Oh well. It's good training anyways. She glowed red and so did the three kids.
"Woah!" Yvette yelled.
"So cool!" Chris exclaimed.
Scarlet made them all fly through the trees at a reasonable pace, making sure that they don't go above the trees. They all laughed happily.
She suddenly had an idea. "You guys wanna help me with something?"
"Sure!" They all said happily.
Scarlett pointed to a pile of rocks. "Throw those at me."
"Eh?" Chris tilted his head slightly. "Why? We don't want to hurt you!"
"It's fine," Scarlett reassured them. "I need to train. And it's easier now that there's you guys to help me."
"Um… ok!" Dominic threw a rock at her suddenly.
Scarlett quickly activated her powers to catch it. "This should help me on reflexes. And it should help you guys on strength. The only things it does are beneficial."
The three kids threw more and more rocks at her. Most of them she managed to catched while a few managed to hit her. Luckily though, the kids weren't that strong so it felt sore for just a few seconds. She also created force fields as a shield.
After a while, they eventually stopped due to Scarlett not wanting to overuse her powers. That was the biggest workout she had ever had.
"Good job guys," Scarlett complimented them, panting slightly.
"That was tiring!" Yvette complained.
"But if we're tired, that's good isn't it?" Dominic pointed out.
Scarlett nodded. "That's right. It shows how hard you worked. Now, let's all go get some supplies."
When the four of them came out of the forest, they noticed Nalia acting strange near the tree at the house.
"Nalia?" Chris questioned. "What's wrong?"
She suddenly jerked. "Ahh!" She fell onto the ground and kept twitching faster, making choking sounds.
Scarlett's eyes widened. She may not be like Mom or Anna, but she can tell when someone's having a seizure. "Dominic! Get Mom, quickly!"
Dominic only hesitated a bit before nodded and sped towards the house.
"W-what do we do?!" Yvette cried.
Scarlett hesitated for a bit. Forcing her muscles to stop twitching, she quickly put Nalia on her side. That's how you clear someone's airway, isn't it? Oh, why couldn't Mom or Anna be here?
"S-should we hold her down?" Chris asked.
"No!" Scarlett said a bit too loudly, regretting it instantly. She lowered her voice down as she said, "You guys make sure there aren't any sharp objects around her while I make sure she stays on her side. But don't touch her!"
They nodded and started to look around her. They removed some rocks and branches that were in Nalia's proximity.
Scarlett heard footsteps with her enhanced hearing and saw Mom and Dominic heading towards them. Mom's face was filled with worry and a bit of anguish. The ravenette was a bit surprised at how genuine it looked.
"Scarlett, tell me what happened," Mom said briskly.
Scarlett set aside her feelings about Mom for now. After all, it's about Nalia now and nothing else. "Dominic, Chris, Yvette, and I were coming out of the forest when Nalia started twitching. It then intensified and she fell onto the ground. I then immediately told Dominic to come and get you while I put Nalia on her side to clear her airway and Chris and Yvette moved sharp objects away from her."
Mom nodded. "Good. Do you know when the seizure started?"
"I'm not sure about the exact time but it's been about a little over a minute." It honestly felt like an hour.
"Alright. Nalia's starting to calm down," Mom noticed, placing gentle hands on Nalia.
After about 30 more seconds, Nalia's seizure had stopped. She was barely conscious.
Mom gently picked her up. "I'll bring her to the infirmary."
Scarlett nodded. Inside her head though, she was suspicious and doubtful. Of her motives.
When she came back into the house, Don and Gilda immediately came towards her.
"What happened?" Don demanded. "Dominic suddenly burst in through the door calling for Mom and Mom came back in with Nalia."
"Nalia had a seizure," Scarlett replied lowly.
Gilda gasped. "Oh no! Is she all right?"
"She should be. The actual seizure is over. We don't know how long it's gonna take for her to recover though. It would take a day at most or instantly at least. But I think she's still feeling the aftermath of it. Plus trauma. Nalia's strong though. She'll be ok."
"Thank god," Gilda whispered. "I don't think I could bear it if we lost another sibling so soon after Norman."
Scarlett pressed her lips together tightly. She didn't expect for it to be this hard to keep it a secret from them. After all, she kept her powers a secret for the majority of her life. Why was it so hard now? Was it because she had an actual relationship with them?
She waved them goodbye and headed to the infirmary to spy on Mom. Peeking through the slightly opened door, she saw Mom tending to Nalia. Even after she was finished, Mom merely sat on a stool to wait for her to wake up.
Scarlett frowned at this. But she eventually left, having her own things to deal with.
Everyone was surprised when Mom didn't show up for dinner. Usually Mom would eat with them, even if someone's sick. Although, no one's condition was as critical as Nalia's so it does make sense.
Ray was the only one whose facial expression didn't change from its empty, meaningless one. Just looking at him made Scarlett irritated. Where was the snarky, arrogant, crude Ray they all grew up with? This new look really didn't suit him.
But it's just an act. It has to be. Either that or Norman was wrong about his plan, which was impossible to think of. Especially a plan as specific as that. Though if this was an act… well props to Ray.
After dinner, Scarlett peeked into the infirmary again. Mom was still there. Nalia hadn't woken up yet. Suddenly, Mom started humming a lullaby. Scarlett never heard it before. It was different from the others Mom had sung. It had a different feel to it. A different meaning. It was beautiful. She wondered why Mom never sang it to them though.
Another part of her though, was shocked at Mom and frustrated. Why was Mom so compassionate? Despite what her real job was? No… no she couldn't be. She's probably just being like this so that Nalia doesn't die! It'll be a waste of a product, right? That has to be it!
And yet, Scarlett didn't believe herself. Some things couldn't be faked, no matter how hard someone tries. All the tenderness and love for them was real. But why? Why give us all of this if you're working for those demons?
'Why am I so naive?' Scarlett asked herself in frustration, shutting her eyes. 'Why can't I hate her? She's the enemy! And yet… and yet… I just can't hate her. What would Norman think? Would he be hurt? Disgusted?'
She remembered that day Mom caught them beyond the fence. The day she announced Norman was getting shipped. How tired and weary her eyes were. How desperate she was to keep them here. It wasn't because it was her job. It was something more.
Hearing footsteps, Scarlett quickly turned around. She saw Phil turning the corner. Sighing, she quickly left to the bedroom to finish organizing her thoughts. She swears, that boy is something else. He may just be four years old, but his eyes have a sort of intellect. Childish intellect, but intellect nevertheless.
Back to the main topic, Scarlett frowned. "Every person has a different side and story to them," she murmured, quoting Sister Krone's words. She somewhat knew Krone's. But what about Mom? What was Isabella's story? What was she like before she became a Sister and then a Mom? As clueless and innocent as them?
"Mom. I can't find it in my heart to forgive you. But I don't hate you. I just can't. How can I, when you've been a better mom than any other mom could be. Maybe it's naive, but being naive… isn't so bad. It's Emma's strength and weakness. Her naiveness may make her seem weak, but it also allows her to push on. To see things they cannot.'
Scarlett got up from her bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for sleep.
~0~0~0~0~0~
It's been almost a month now. Everything was going smoothly. They had officially recruited all the kids five and above. Anna was learning more medicine, Nat does an excellent job at keeping Mom and the younger kids clueless, Thoma and Nat's aim was improving, Don's been able to throw the ball of rope past the tree he was practicing on more often now, and Ray hadn't caught whiff of their plan yet.
Scarlett had improved with her fighting skills, trying to match it by the book step by step. Her reflexes are also getting better and her powers are stronger. Being one of the leaders also gave her a great boost in confidence and social skills. She was practically normal when talking to all of them now.
There were still a few problems though. The biggest one being how they were going to take everyone.
Don, Gilda, and Scarlett were talking with Emma in the infirmary.
"We've gotten all of the five year olds involved," Gilda announced.
"Thanks guys," Emma replied. She then groaned. "I wish I could do more. My leg's almost healed but even then, I have to act all depressed."
"Sorry Emma," Scarlett apologized. "Just hang on all right? The escape's in less than a month."
"No it's fine," Emma reassured her. "It's all gonna pay off."
"The closer the escape's getting, the more nervous and excited I get," Don said.
"But we still have a problem," Scarlett reminded them. She looked pointedly at Emma. "If we're gonna take everyone."
"Of course! There's no question!" Don protested. "How can we leave everyone behind?"
"Yeah," Emma said quietly. She bit her lip. 'What would Norman do?'
Gilda fidgeted a bit in her seat. "Well…"
"What is it, Gilda?" Emma asked.
"What about the other farms?" Gilda questioned softly. "We're not the only farm. There's other farms out there filled with kids that are clueless about everything. Is it really ok to leave them behind too? We may not know them, but we're on the same boat."
Scarlett grimaced. "I feel bad for saying this, but for now, we need to focus on ourselves. We can't afford to help anyone else right now. But," she said when Emma was about to speak, "I'm not saying we forget them."
"F-forget I said anything!" Gilda said, shaking her head. "Scarlett's right. We can't save them now."
Emma was holding the pen with the message from William Minerva. She was looking at it intensely. The others waited for her to talk. When she finally raised her head, she said, "Get Phil for me."
They were confused, but they did so.
"What is it, Emma?" Phil asked her with a smile when they brought him.
"Phil," Emma whispered seriously to him. "I need to tell you something about the house and Mom."
Phil's smile disappeared.
After Emma explained, the others were surprised to find that Phil merely looked like he confirmed something. "So it's true then."
"You already knew?" Scarlett asked. She knew that there was something about Phil, but she hadn't expected this.
Phil nodded. "Emma and Norman were acting weirdly ever since Conny left. And I was wondering what that 'harvest' thing Sister was talking about when we played tag. I even saw her checking around Ray's bed and lying to me about it. The day Norman left, Emma looked so afraid of Mom. I see now." Phil smiled. His voice started cracking. "Norman got harvested." He then started to break apart. "Norman… Conny… everyone else too! That's why you..." He broke out into full tears.
Emma immediately hugged him.
"Why did you ask for him, Emma?" Don asked when Phil stopped crying.
"I just needed to confirm some things," Emma replied. "I'm really conflicted right now. Of course I want to save everyone here. I love all of you guys. But… thinking logically, it'd be almost impossible to take care of everyone. Especially since it's winter. And Norman's not here." She whispered the last sentence.
"Why don't we leave some here?" Scarlett suggested.
"Scarlett!" Gilda protested.
Scarlett held out a hand. "Hear me out. I think deep down, we all know that we're gonna return here someday. We'll save the rest of us then. After all, they're not actually in danger right now, right? We only get shipped if we're six or older. If we come back here in a little over a year, we can save them then. When we're stronger and have the resources to do so."
Emma, Don, and Gilda's eyes widened.
"That's true!" Don realized. "We're so worried about them that we forgot that they won't even get shipped cause they're too young."
"But it's also risky," Gilda pointed out. "If our estimation is wrong, one or more of them can be gone by then."
"There's that too," Scarlett muttered. "But I think it's better than bringing them. They're more likely to die out there I think."
Emma nodded. "I think so too." She looked at Phil, forgetting he was there. "A-are you ok with this?"
Phil nodded without hesitation. "Don't worry! I'll take care of everyone here! Don't worry about us. I don't want to hold you guys back."
"You know what you're getting into, right Phil?" Scarlett questioned him. "You know you cannot tell anyone else the secret. It's a hard burden to bear. Can you handle it?"
This time, Phil did hesitate. He thought for a moment before saying, "Yes! I want to help my family!"
Scarlett couldn't help but admire Phil. He really was a one of a kind.
Emma looked at him with serious eyes. "I promise, we'll be back for you guys."
When Phil left the infirmary, the four of them all looked at each other with determined expressions.
"Hey Scarlett, isn't your birthday coming up?" Don mentioned, trying to bring up the mood.
"Yeah," Scarlett muttered. "December 6th."
"I completely forgot!" Emma exclaimed. "Sorry, Scarlett."
"It's fine," Scarlett replied. "The escape's more important. Besides, it's just a birthday."
"It's not everyday you turn 11 though," Gilda pointed out.
Scarlett glared slightly at them. "Just drop it. It's not important. I need to check up with the others." She left the room with quick and quiet footsteps.
Emma, Don, and Gilda just looked at the closed door in confusion.
~0~0~0~0~0~
"Tch. Bringing up something irrelevant now?" Scarlett muttered annoyingly in the library. "We need to focus on the things that are actually important. Not something that can easily be skipped and forgotten."
She never understood why birthdays were so important. Sure, it's the day you started to exist, but nothing more. It certainly doesn't need a celebration. It doesn't even feel different. You still look and are the same.
And her birthday… was when she got her powers. Since that day, she had always thought her birthday was cursed or something. Maybe now, her powers are more of a blessing, but she wouldn't be surprised if they were intended as a curse in the first place.
Sure, powers seem cool and all but remember that her telekinesis and force fields aren't her only powers. She also had passive powers like enhanced senses. Since she couldn't turn them off, it was hard to focus on anything. They even sometimes give her headaches. It's another reason why she sleeps early and wakes up early. So she can actually have some peace and quiet.
You can't have everything. Pretty much all things have some sort of hindrance to make it equal and even. The enhanced eyesight, she can handle. In fact, in most cases, it's actually useful. The hearing felt more annoying and awful more instead of a gift. Now, it's actually quite useful but still annoying either way. Of course, her hearing distance could only hear about a small radius around the whole house. And since she hears all sorts of sounds, not just voices, it's hard to separate different sounds, making it hard to overhear separate conversations. The other senses were kinda whatever.
This was another reason why the library was one of her favorite places to go. It was the most quiet, even though she can still hear outside of it. At least it's a bit more distant.
Scarlett looked outside the window at the night sky. 'Did the world give me these powers to curse me… or to gift me?'
~0~0~0~0~0~
Scarlett wasn't stupid. She knew that the others were doing something. It was practically impossible to hide something from her. Unless you were Mom of course. She just didn't know what.
Waking up, something felt different. She couldn't figure it out though, no matter what. Everything seemed pretty normal. They all ate breakfast, took their daily test, got their results, had chores, and lunch. So what was it?
It wasn't Mom. She was being her usual self. Although, it was hard to see that anymore. She's definitely keeping a close eye on Emma, not Ray. She seems confident that Ray's not gonna try anything. Emma has really upped her acting game though, passing beyond Scarlett's expectations. When Emma really puts her mind to something, she comes up with exceptional results. It's why she's a top scorer. Not because she's smart, but because of how determined she is to work hard and show what she can do.
Leaning against the wall of the house, Scarlett was reading a book about different plants, good and bad, when she felt a tug on her skirt. She looked down to see Jemima looking up at her nervously.
"Um… Scarlett? Can you come with me?" Jemima almost whispered.
She was definitely nervous. Could it be her appearance? Scarlett hated how she looked so intimidating to the others. But no, she ruled that out. It looked as though she was nervous about something else.
"Sure," Scarlett shrugged.
She followed the five year old towards the forest. Scarlett frowned slightly. What could possibly need her out here?
They ended up in a small clearing a decent way deep into the woods. Scarlett could easily pick up rustling and when something made a popping sound, she instinctively used her telekinesis and quickly turned around.
She made a bunch of confetti float, making her confused.
"Aw man," someone whined. "You know, you're supposed to be showered in them."
Before Scarlett could do anything, everyone part of the escape, excluding Emma, jumped out of the bushes, throwing more confetti.
"Surprise!" They all shouted.
"Happy birthday, Scarlett!" The five year olds cheered.
Scarlett had completely forgotten it was her birthday today. She looked at all of them with wide eyes. "What? Why..? How?" She regained her posture. "What is this?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Thoma asked rhetorically. "We're celebrating your birthday!"
"I know that!" Scarlett snapped. "What I'm asking is why."
"Because it's your birthday," Anna replied simply.
"Didn't I already say I know?" Scarlett was getting annoyed.
"Yeah, but you clearly don't get it," Nat smirked arrogantly.
"Why do we need to celebrate it?" Scarlett demanded. "It's just a birthday. Shouldn't we be planning for… I don't know, the escape?"
"Careful, your snarky and sarcastic side is showing," Nat said cheekily, knowing very well that she likes to hide that side of her.
"All jokes and teases aside," Gilda stepped forward, "we want to celebrate your birthday, because it's important. You might think it's not, but we do. We've never celebrated it before. We want to cherish this memory."
"Life's not always about serious things," Anna whispered. "It's about the fun times too, isn't it?"
"You've done tons for us for the escape, now let us entertain you!" Lannion grinned.
Once again, they surprised her. Surprised her by doing all of this for her. Scarlett looked at all of them. She then closed her eyes, smiling. "Sigh. Fine."
"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.
"But after this, it's back to work, alright?" Scarlett said sternly.
"Yeah, yeah, that's later. Not now!" Thoma dismissed.
The party wasn't anything too big or special. All the confetti was handmade and most of her gifts were arts and crafts related. They did manage to bake a simple vanilla cake though with Mom's permission.
Everyone had fun and danced together and talked. The whole thing was just wholesome and fun altogether.
"I wish Emma could be here though," Mark complained.
"You know she can't," Gilda said. "If she did, Mom would be suspicious."
"We'll save her a slice of cake later," Don replied. "Anyways, I got Ray's camera! Let's take some pictures!"
"Guys," Scarlett whispered. Everyone turned to her. She turned a bit red as she looked away and said, "Thanks."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Scarlett went towards the infirmary to give Emma an update on what's going on. When she entered, Emma's depressed face instantly turned into a grin.
"So," Emma said cheekily, "how was it."
"Don't get all cheeky," Scarlett muttered as she sat down on a stool. "I knew you guys were planning something. I just didn't know what." She blushed when she said quickly, "It was nice. But don't expect me to let us slack off."
Emma laughed. "Of course not. You should let loose once in a while. You're way too stiff about this."
"With all that's happening right now, I say I have a right to," Scarlett fired back. "Anyways, did you expect less from me?"
"No. But before you go back to being your stuffy serious self again, let me get you your birthday gift."
"Y-you didn't have to get me one," Scarlett murmured, turning away.
"Of course I do! Here, it's in my drawer." She leaned over her bed and opened the drawer next to it. Inside, she pulled out a small box. Handing it over to her, she said, "Here."
Scarlett slowly took it and opened it. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw a pair of red gloves and a red ribbon that was lined with a dark blue, almost black. "Did you make these on your own?"
"Well… I had to get some help from Gilda. She's the best at knitting other than Mom and I obviously couldn't ask her," Emma replied sheepishly. "I felt like the gloves weren't enough, and I didn't have enough time to make you a scarf, so I also made a ribbon out of some silk. Gilda still made you a scarf though."
"Well to be honest, I'm not sure what to do with the ribbon… yet. I'll find a use for it. As for the gloves, thanks. They'll be useful for winter."
Emma grinned. "No problem! You don't mind them being red, right? I thought they would match your eyes. Well, at least when we escape. You won't need your contacts anymore."
"Yeah… I hadn't thought of that," Scarlett admitted. "But since everyone seems fine with my red eyes, I guess I can take off the contacts when we escape."
"Speaking of the escape, how's the training going?"
"Pretty good. Don's been doing good at throwing the rope and Thoma and Lannion have been improving their aim. The other kids also are doing good at the ziplining. It's fun for them. I'm just worried when they go across the real thing."
"Yeah, there's nothing much we can do for that," Emma sighed, biting her lip.
"If they can't do it, I'll carry them across, even if it means to use my powers," Scarlett said determinedly. "I'm not leaving a member of my family behind."
"I really like this new you. It's so different from before. You were so aloof and cold before. To be honest, you still kinda are, but you're opening up to us! Everyone really likes the sarcastic you."
Scarlett crossed her arms together. "I am getting more used to being around people. But, I feel like I'm not… absolutely used to it yet."
"That's fine," Emma dismissed. "Things like this take time. No one can blame you for being so shy and cold. You used to be selectively mute, remember?"
"Emma, do you have an idea about how I got these powers?"
"Sorry, I don't. It is strange though. You stopped being mute on your birthday and happened to have gotten your powers on the same day. Maybe they're connected?"
"I thought that too," Scarlett said. "I'm still missing tons of pieces though. I only have a few pieces of the puzzle now. I need to find more."
"We will," Emma replied. "When we come back here, maybe we can find out."
"Yeah…" Scarlett trailed off. "When. Not if."
"Never 'if'," Emma smirked.
'I told Norman to find anything that might point to the origin of my powers,' Scarlett thought. 'If he's alive. I'm sure he is though. Maybe I've placed too much on him though.' She started getting worried. 'Maybe I shouldn't have asked him for that favor. There's almost no way he can find out and he must be watched over 24/7.'
"Hey, Emma," Scarlett murmured. "What are we gonna do once we get outside?"
"First, find out what Minerva's code is," Emma replied, holding out the pen. "Once we get Ray into the plan, maybe he can decipher it."
"He's the best with codes and machines after all," Scarlett agreed. Scarlett was more of a science and math person. She's also decent at solving things, but this was something that she couldn't solve.
"Once we solve it, maybe we can find Mr. Minerva," Emma thought out loud.
"If he's alive that is. It's been at least 15 years since he wrote the books."
"Even if he's dead, he probably left at least something behind to help us."
"Yeah… from what I've seen from him, he seems pretty smart," Scarlett mused. "I'd better get going."
"Yeah, you should," Emma sighed. "See you later. And happy birthday."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Scarlett was laying on some sort of table, a bright light shining onto her. Her hands and feet were strapped to the table, preventing movement from her. She felt meek and weak.
"Stop!" She tried to say, but no words came out. She couldn't say anything, no matter what. When she tried to activate her powers, nothing happened.
Flashes of images were in front of her eyes.
Images of syringes with needles at the tip. Men with white coats. Something blood red at the corner of her eyes that zoomed by so fast, she wasn't sure if she imagined it.
The men were speaking words that she couldn't really make out.
"God… so twitchy," the man said annoyingly.
"So what? All... are like that," one of his colleagues said in reply.
"... Ratri…. Is he?" Another one said in a nervous tone.
"...brother betrayed us, nothing could... calm down. Especially after… group of... escaped soon..."
'What are they talking about?' Scarlett wondered, making her stop struggling for a moment. She wanted to hear more about this.
"Enough chatting!" The second one said. "Unless you want to lose your lives, then do it!"
'No! What are you doing?' Scarlett struggled even more, trying to get away from the syringe that's closing in on her arm.
'STOP!'
Scarlett quickly sat up, breathing heavily and lathered in cold sweat. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking and the ticking of the clock made it worse.
Once she finally calmed down at least a bit, she tried to remember why she was like this. What happened?
"What did I dream about?" Scarlett murmured. "I can't remember…" When she went back to sleep, everything she dreamt of was forgotten. Before her eyes drooped, she vaguely felt the prick of a needle on her right arm.
~0~0~0~0~0~
One week. One week until the escape. One week until their fates are decided.
They had just finished a session of combat. Scarlett was the best by far, but even then, she's still a bit stiff in her movements, wanting to copy the book step by step.
After Scarlett managed to judo throw Don to the ground, she stood up, panting a bit, and said, "We should wrap it up."
The rest agreed and left. As Scarlett was about to do too, she heard some rustling in the bushes. Going towards them, she then saw Phil's head pop up.
"Phil?" Scarlett said. "What are you doing here? Not that you're not allowed."
"I wanted to watch!" Phil said happily.
"You don't have to hide in the bushes though," Scarlett pointed out, confused.
"Yeah, but I also wanted to talk to you," Phil replied in a more somber voice.
"About what?"
"Everyone older than me seems to really hate or be wary of Mom. And now that the truth's come out, I can see why. But… I don't see that in you."
"Huh?" Scarlett jolted back slightly. How did he notice that?
"It's definitely different from before. Back then, you had an expression of almost no care. Now, it looks like pity or sadness," Phil said matter of factly.
This kid… Scarlett sighed. No point in trying to deny it now. "I admit, I don't quite hate her. I hate what she's doing but not herself. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, but why?" Phil inquired.
"Mom's in a situation not too different from ours. In fact, she used to be just like us at one point. She might have a choice to live unlike us, but her life is in the hands of those demons. She's not even allowed to leave the orphanage. And she also has to lead us to our deaths without having a say in it. When we escape, there's a big chance she'll be punished gravely for it since it was on her watch."
Phil's bottom lip started trembling.
"Sorry!" Scarlett quickly kneeled down to his level. She gave him an awkward hug along with what's supposed to be a comforting pat on the back. Hugs nor pats were definitely not her thing. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"No," Phil whispered. "You're right. We shouldn't assume that Mom's a willing participant in this. But are you willing to let her be like this?"
'He's right. But what can I do? There's nothing that would help her. And even though she might not want to do this, she's still the enemy.'
"I want to Phil, believe me I do. But right now, she's the enemy." Scarlett said this in a final tone.
Phil looked sad but accepting. "Ok."
That night, Scarlett laid awake in bed, deep in thought. 'Is there really nothing we can do for Mom? We can't take her with us since the tracker in her is impossible to remove without the right tools. It's not likely we can convince her to come anyways. She loves us, but she can't leave the younger kids alone.'
'But still… it feels wrong to do nothing for her. Once we escape, she'll be heartbroken and shocked for sure. And even if she's the best Mom to ever exist, she'll get a punishment. It only makes sense after all.'
'Is there a way to get her on our side? No. At least not now…'
Scarlett held in a gasp when an idea popped up in her head.
At breakfast the next day, Scarlett managed to sneakily talk to Phil.
"Phil, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Scarlett!" Phil replied willingly.
She slipped him an envelope with a note inside. "Don't open this. When we escape, can you give this to Mom?"
Author's Note: Thanks for all of the support! I know I may sound needy, but I would really like some reviews. I really want to know what I'm doing right and what should I change. Suggestions are great too. Sorry if it seems like I'm shoving this down your throats but I do need to know so that I can make this story even better.