Set in an alternate universe where Emma and Norman never find Connie's body or the secret of Gracefield house. Norman and Ray were "adopted" earlier in the year. Now it's Emma's turn. She is forced to become a Mama by Isabella. How will Emma survive in this unfair world?

Disclaimer: I don't own the promised neverland or any of it's characters

Chapter 1: Last day at Gracefield Part 1

The stars and moon shone against the dark night time sky. An old truck could barely be made out from the little light there was from the moon and stars. Emma stared at the truck in hopes of seeing her new adoptive parents. What were they like? Were they kind? Tall? Smart? Did they look like Emma? Emma tried to imagine. She heard the gate to Gracefield shut behind her. "Goodbye Emma." She heard Mama whisper. A cold gust of wind blew past Emma which caused her to shiver. Suddenly a figure appeared from the truck. "Hello?" Emma called out timidly.

Then she saw it. Not a sweet sight of loving parents but something horrendous. A monster appeared with its red eyes, sharp teeth and long sharp fingers reaching towards Emma. Emma screamed as she tried to run away but that gate was tightly shut. "Mama! Mama! Help me! Help me please!" Emma cried helplessly to no avail. She was plucked from the ground like an insect by the creature's long claws while her terrified screams filled the once eerily quiet night.

Suddenly Emma woke up in a cold sweat. It was just a nightmare she thought. Emma checked the date from the calendar on the wall across from her bed. It was March 15th 2046. Today Emma finally gets adopted into her new family and has to leave Gracefield orphanage. Her home for the last decade of her life. The only home she knew and family she had. Emma wondered why she had such a scary dream? Was it just because she was nervous about leaving Gracefield?Emma began her last day like she normally would she got up and made her bed. Emma then went to the bathroom to use the toilet, wash her hands and face. She attempted to comb her bright tangly red hair with a comb before giving up halfway through. She then went back to her dresser and grabbed and slowly put on her pristine white uniform which she knew was for the last time. The only thing the children were allowed to wear.

Emma sighed she always wished she could wear other clothes with other fabrics, textures and colours. Now she didn't feel like wearing anything else. She didn't want to admit she would miss her shirt and agile short skirt that allowed her to easily run around and play. After all they were just clothes. Wouldn't she get to wear so many and much better clothes on the outside?

She remembers the time her and the other children had discussed what kind of clothes they would like to try on the outside. "I would like to try a suit. Not the suit we wear when we get adopted. I want to wear a black business suit with a tie like the secret agent like in the books I read!" Emma exclaimed. Her answer took a lot of the other children by surprise. "What a suit? But don't you want to try a dress first. A long flowing green dress will look so beautiful on you and it will match with your eye colour." Gilda suggested "No! No! She should wear a pink dress! Emma would look so pretty in a pink dress!" Connie beamed, pink was her favourite colour.

"I think you would look great in a clown costume Emma. You have already got the hair down. You just need to put on the fake nose and the clown suit then you're good to go. You can work at a circus." Ray teased.

"Hey Ray, no fair!" Emma pouted angrily at him.

"Emma will look wonderful in whatever clothes she wants to wear. I think she will look very smart in a suit." Norman smiled supportively. "W-wow thanks Norman I think you would too!" Emma blushed and smiled back.

"EMMMAAAA!" The younger children in the orphanage came rushing towards their big sister giving her a hug. "Is this really your last day Emma, are you really going to leave us?" the children asked, led by Phill, a tiny bright, blue eyed four year old. Emma tried her best to keep a straight face. "Yes Phil but don't worry I'll be going to a new family And I'll write you all letters and visit whenever I can!" Emma reassured as she gave them all a hug. "Okay" Phil said as he muffled back tears. He accepted Emma's answer but deep down he wondered if she ever will. None of the other kids that had been adopted out had written or visited him or the other children. Phil hoped Emma would be different once she left Gracefield.

"Come on, together we can make today the best day filled with happy memories!" Emma plastered a grin on her face. "Starting with running away from Monster Emma!" She giggled as she crotched and bent her arms over her head like claws. The children laughed as they began to run away from Emma. "RAWRRR!" Emma did her best dinosaur impression as she chased after her younger siblings. Emma quickly caught Phill lifting him over her head giving him a piggyback ride while she went to catch her other siblings. They managed to outrun her to the breakfast table. Emma caught up to them then proceeded to capture her siblings with a bear hug, their laughter filling the dining room. Emma cherished this moment with them like she did any other moment with her siblings but even moreso. She was really going to miss waking up to this.

A chuckle was heard in the corner of the room. It was Mama Isabella wearing her usual uniform. A long black Victorian dress that covered her from up to her neck to her ankles with a white apron wrapped around her waist that covered her entire dress. Her long dark brown tied in a tight bun. She smiled at Emma admiringly while feeding some of the babies their bottles. Mama's beautiful violet eyes had dark eye bags under them from the stress of having to care for many babies.

"Oh Mama, let me help you!" Emma said quickly came over to assist her mother figure. "Thank you Emma. Why don't you try feeding Carol? She has been quite fussy lately." Emma nodded as she went to grab Carol. Carol was a one year old baby who came not long after Connie was adopted. Carol had bright red hair and similar facial features to Emma. Many of the other children had commented that Emma and Carol could be twins if they weren't more than a decade apart.

When Carol first arrived she was a quiet, happy and healthy baby except for the mark behind her ear and red rash from the number code tattooed on her neck. Emma noticed all the babies that had arrived at the orphanage previously had similar marks behind their ears. The mark was an easy to miss tiny red dot that looked like an insect bite which eventually faded away.

When Emma asked Mama about the marks. Mama simply replied "It is common for babies to get such marks for numerous reasons like insect bites, heat rash or they could be just regular birthmarks.'' Emma accepted that answer but was never satisfied with it. To Emma it didn't make any sense to her but she knew better than to keep questioning Mama. All the children including Emma also, had numbercodes tattooed on their necks. Emma's number code was '63194' while Phil's was '34394' and Carol's was '53494' Emma also asked mama why they all have these numbers tattooed on their necks and why they all end with the numbers '94'.

Mama answered "Well Emma it is for identification purposes. If any of you children go missing we can identify you by the number on your neck. As for why they all end in the numbers 94 is because that is the number of Gracefield's postal address. That's how authorities can identify that you are from Gracefield Orphanage and not some other orphanage."

Emma nodded and readily accepted that answer compared to the last. Just then Carol bursted into tears. Carol was quite moody as she was still teething. Emma began feeding Carol her breakfast consisting of mashed peas, potatoes and carrots. Carol was still stifling cries between her feeds. Emma tried to hush Carol to no avail. Mama helped Emma as she began humming a tune to Carol and the other babies. The tune was beautiful but melancholy and soothing at the same time. The tune helped calm the babies down including Carol.

Emma hadn't heard that song until Mama started teaching it to her ever since her friend Ray left the orphanage a couple of months ago. "One day you will sing that song Emma to your own children when you become a Mama." Mama Isabella said happily. Emma smiled back "Of course Mama it is a beautiful song! Where did you hear it from?" Emma asked cheerfully. Mama's face had looked sad for a moment then she plastered on a smile again. "It was composed by a very dear person to me long ago." "Oh." Emma nodded. She could tell that was a very personal subject for Mama despite her smiling. She chose not to press Mama on the subject any further.

After Emma finished helping Mama with the babies, she helped set up the breakfast table with Anna and Gilda. "I can't believe this is your last day Emma! I'm really going to miss you!" Gilda said with tears getting on her glasses which she quickly wiped with her shirt. "Me too!" Anna exclaimed, managing to hold her tears back.

"Oh hey don't worry I'll write to both of you. Once we all get adopted let's meet up and go shopping together! We can try new exquisite food." Emma reassured them. "Or pretty dresses!" Anna enthused. "Or books and artwork signed by our favourite artists." Gilda's entire face lit up as she said beamed at her two friend's positive change of mood. "That's the spirit guys! Come on let's all eat breakfast. I'm hungry." The other two girls nodded as the three of them finished setting up the table and helping the younger ones into their chairs.

Breakfast was filled with delicious food. Sweet Porridge with fresh fruit and honey. Pancakes that are as soft and fluffy as candy floss . Eggs that are white as the clouds and yokes gold as the sun. Bacon, toast and sausages cooked and krisp to perfection. Emma wondered if the food was so good inside the orphanage then the food must be top-class on the outside.

Emma's thoughts were quickly interrupted by Mama hushing and gathering all the children to say grace before they start eating breakfast. Mama closed her eyes, held her hands together and bowed her head . "Let's all express our gratitude that every one of us can enjoy such delicious food. Thank you for the food." "Thank you for the food" The children repeated after mama and then began eating. Emma didn't feel very hungry as she was thinking about her two best friends that were adopted out earlier.

Norman was the first to go. Emma remembered how handsome Norman looked in a suit. His white hair combed back and his white eyes shining hopefully.

Norman hugged and said his goodbyes to all the children in the orphanage. Before he left he gave Emma a handwritten letter in an envelope. "Don't read it until you leave Gracefield then come find me. You promise?" Norman instructed. Emma nodded with tears in her eyes. "I promise." Norman gave Emma a hug which she gladly returned. Ray watched the pair in frustration, successfully holding back tears and what he truly wanted to say.

"You okay Ray?" Emma asked him, concerned. "I'm fine." Ray lied unconvincingly. Norman smiled ruefully at Ray giving him a hug. "Everything is going to be okay.I'll see you soon alright Ray?" Ray tried to push back against Norman's hug but his arms went limp. Ray's head fell on Norman's shoulder. Now unable to hide his true emotions, Tears flood from Ray's eyes onto Norman's new leaving jacket. As he weeped loudly "I'm sorry" Ray whispered barely audibly.

Emma, Norman and the other children were confused at Ray's emotional outburst. He was known for being the most composed out of all the children. What was he apologising for? "Come on Norman it's time to go. Your new parents are waiting for you." Isabella said looking annoyed at Ray. Norman nodded as he pulled away from Ray which took all of his strength. Ray fell to the floor quietly sobbing.

Emma went to comfort him as Norman looked at both of his friends for the last time. "We will see each other again someday. Remember I lo- " "Norman let's get going we can't keep your new parents wanting any longer." Mama hushed, interrupting Norman's goodbye speech. Norman nodded and put on his hat. "Alright Mama I'm coming"

He waved a final goodbye to the rest of the children smiling as he left and the door to Gracefield shut behind him and Mama. But only Mama came back.

"Emma, what is wrong sweetie? Why aren't you eating breakfast?" Mama once again interrupted but this time it was Emma's flashback. Emma blinked suddenly and was taken out of her thoughts. "Oh, nothing mama I was just thinking." Mama smiled. "I know it is your last day and you are probably nervous about leaving Gracefield. But you still need to eat and keep your strength up. You have one last litany test you need to take before you leave. You need to eat all the food you can for brainpower.." Mama said encouragingly. Emma nodded now motivated to eat again. She grabbed some delicious pancakes and tucked into them heartingly.

After breakfast it was time for the Litany tests. The Litany tests were taken every day by children aged 4 and older to test their intelligence. Each test is based on the child's age. Children must sit a certain distance from each other to ensure there is no cheating taking place. They all wear headphones to listen to an automatic voice that reads out the questions. The children must answer the questions within ten seconds of the question being read out on a tablet in front of them. There are 300 questions in total. Mama, with the help of Emma, Anna and Gilda, put all the children under 4 in the playroom while the older children headed to their assigned seats in the Litany test room. Once the younger children had settled down in the playroom Anna and Gilda headed to the test room.

Emma followed behind them but was suddenly stopped by Mama, who placed a cold and firm hand on her shoulder.

"Emma I know this is your last day. But it is essential you take this final litany test so your new parents know which school to place you in that best accommodates your academic level. I want you to promise me that you will try your very best on this final test. Can you please do that for me?" Mama said with a wide grin on her face. Emma felt something was very off with Mama's demeanour. The hand Mama had placed on her shoulder was shaking. Her grin seemed very forced and her eyes and the tone of her voice when she asked Emma to do her best, it felt like Mama was almost pleading with her. Emma had never seen Mama so nervous before.

Emma in return put on her best grin in hopes of calming Mama. "Of course I promise Mama to do my very best on this test. I'll make you and my future parents proud!" She said determinedly. Mama quickly returned to her usual composed demeanour. "Wonderful, let's go now. We don't want to be late for your last test." Isabella headed for the test room with Emma following next to her. Once Emma and the rest of the children were settled in their seats and were ready to start the test. Mama smiled as she addressed the class. "Don't stress! All of you do your very best. I believe in each and everyone of you. Good luck my dear children." She then pressed a button on a remote device that switched all of the children's tablets on. The test had begun.

An automatic voice began to play through Emma's headset "Test subject: 63194, Age: 12, Sex: Female Current Location: Gracefield" The usual identifiers that were read out before each test.

"MSC Placement test loading…" Emma frowned that was new. What was the MSC Placement test? Was that the initials of the school Emma would be attending after she left Gracefield? She had no time to think any further of it as the questions started.

"Question one: According to Jean Piaget's theory of childhood stages of cognitive development: At what stage of development should a child be at from ages 12+?"

The tablet popped about with four answers ranging from A to D.

Preoperational stage

Concrete Operational stage

Formal Operational stage

Sensorimotor Stage

Emma knew the answer and marked the letter C with her tablet pen with 7 seconds still to spare. Emma thought to herself that now that she was almost 12 years old she would soon be at the Formal Operational Stage of her cognitive development. Emma read in a psychology book that it was at that stage of development that a child begins to use abstract and deductive thinking and logic on hypothetical problems and issues including ethical the 10 seconds were up the automatic voice read out the next question

"Question 2: What is the average duration of a woman's menstrual cycle?"

The question made Emma squeamish; she knew what a menstrual cycle was and was worried about getting hers soon and the thought of it made her feel uneasy. Again the tablet lit up with 4 answers ranging from A to D. Emma quickly used her tablet to mark answer D 28 days. The test continued to ask Emma similar questions ranging from Children's health and psychology, to parenting, sewing, and human anatomy, especially the reproductive system.

Emma thought this was very strange as normally the litany tests consist of solving puzzles or maths questions. Maybe these questions are to test me for the school I'm going to after I leave Gracefield? Mother was adamant that I do well on this test. Could this be a very prodigious school I'm going to? After the test was over Emma let out a big sigh and wiped a sweat off of her forehead. That was a very hard final test. Emma was unsure if she did well or not.

Once all the children had finished their tests. Mama collected all their tablets and pens Then waited for all their scores to be tallied up and shown to her on her device ready to readout the top scorers in class. Emma, Norman and Ray were normally the top scorers. But now with Norman and Ray gone and Emma soon to follow. Emma wondered if they would all go to the same school on the outside. If not, she hoped they could meet up and study together at a park or library.

Emma was also thinking that the next genius trio at Gracefield would be Gilda, Anna and Don. Since the three were the closest to their age and intelligence out of all the children. But Emma knew that the three would also take care of all the younger children and help them with their studies. Gracefield was in good hands; she didn't need to worry right?

"Alright everyone the results are in." Mama announced to class. Some children looked at her anxiously, others in anticipation that she would call out their results.

"You're scores all seemed to have improved tremendously! I'm so proud of you all. Now on to our top scorers. Don, and Gilda you got 90 percent right, excellent job!" Mama boosted proudly. Don puffed his chest out in pride. Gilda looked like she had a heavy weight taken off her chest.

"Anna, great improvement. 9 percent more than last time, well done!" Anna smiled happily.

"Nat Lani and Thoma you all had over half of them correct." Nat looked disappointed as he hoped he would be one of the top scorers. But Lani and Thoma were smiling as they high fived each other.

"Yvette, Sherry and Phill. I'm very impressed by your scores too considering how young you all are!" The three smiled happily and hugged each other.

"And Emma.."

Mama turned towards her with a mix of glee, pride and relief evident on her face. Emma almost gasped when Mama called out her name. She was getting nervous that Mama wasn't calling her name earlier; normally she was the first name Mama called out. " Oh Emma. My smart, sweet, wonderful Emma you got them nearly all correct 291/300 .It was the hardest level of the Litany test too! That is amazing congratulations! Now everyone give yourself all and especially Emma a big round of applause." The children all burst in loud rounds of claps. A couple of children called out "Go Emma!" "You're amazing!" Emma's face went slightly pink, she was slightly embarrassed by the sudden amount of attention she was getting. But she smiled and continued on clapping with the rest of the class.

After the litany test all the children are given some amount of free time to do what they like around the orphanage. Most of the children head outside to play after the stressful litany exam.

"Come on everyone let's go!" Emma cheered excitedly as she opened both the doors to the backyard. All the children ran outside onto the field. It was a beautiful sunny day. The sun's rays shined on the children and through the fields and the forests beyond. The clouds were dreamlike and full of different shapes. There was a nice breeze blowing too. Some of the children decided to use this as an opportunity to fly their new kites. The rest of the children decided to play the usual game of tag.

"Come on Emma you can be it!" Don exclaimed. Emma shook her head "No thanks you guys go ahead and have fun!" Don looked a bit concerned Emma only ever turned down a game of tag when she was sick or upset. Emma just seemed to be distracted just staring out at the trees. "Are you alright Emma?" Don asked. Emma turned to look at him and smile. "Of course Don! I'm just really tired after that final test. I think I am going to sit down for a bit. I'll join the next game." Emma reassured him. Don nodded satisfied with that answer. "Alright everybody I'm it you all better run!" He yelled as the other children began running from him.

In truth, Emma felt sad to play without her two best friends. It wouldn't be the same. Emma really missed them. Emma turned to look towards the trees again and looked under the shades out of habit for her friend Ray. But then she glumly remembered that he had to leave Gracefield two months ago. Gilda replaced Ray in his usual spot under the tree. Gilda was reading a book about early childhood care that Mama recommended her to read. Emma was also recommended that book by Mama a year ago which was a big help to her in the final test. Which made Emma ponder.

"Hey Gilda!" She called, which startled Gilda from her reading. "Oh hello, Emma." Gilda said politely as her face relaxed. "What are you reading there?" Emma asked inquisitively. "Oh, it's a book about early childhood. Mama gave it to me to read. She said I would find it interesting." Gilda answered and gestured for Emma to sit next to her, which Emma did. "That's funny Mama gave me the exact same book to read a year ago. It really helped me with this last litany test." Gilda looked puzzled. "What do you mean Emma?"

"Oh you know that last test had asked so many questions about childhood psychology and parenting. That book really saved my butt." Emma smiled. "Huh? There were no questions about childhood psychology or parenting in my test and I'm sure there weren't any in Don's either or else he would have mentioned it to me." Emma looked surprised. "What?" That is strange. But I guess it's for the new school I am going to once I leave Gracefield. Before the test started the automated voice for the test said that it was an 'MSC placement test' Do you have any idea what school that might be or what that might stand for?"

Gilda thought for quite a moment but then shook her head. "No idea. Sorry I don't know any names of schools on the outside besides old school ones, like Yale or Oxford. But those are universities, and usually those that attend them are adults 18+ over." she explained.

"I see." Emma remarked disappointedly. "Besides what school tests you on parenting? You are only 11 soon to be 12! It seems a little fishy if you ask me." Gilda added. Emma looked a little worried. "I agree. But maybe the test was a mistake? Maybe I was given the wrong one?" Gilda pondered on that for a moment. But then Emma just remembered something. "Oh that is right I wanted to give you something, wait right there!" Gilda looked surprised and Emma rushed inside Gracefield house.

Emma headed towards her room when she heard a hushed voice coming from Mama's room. Emma pressed her ear to the wall.

"Yes grandmother, she passed the MSC test and with my recommendation she will make a perfect candidate. "

Emma recognized that voice as Mama's. Was she talking about me? And who is grandmother? Emma thought.

"Understood. I will have her prepared for delivery this evening. I will see you soon." Emma heard the sound of a phone being placed back on it's dial. Then heard mama walk towards the door...

Emma quickly and quietly walked to her room as to be sure she wasn't seen to be eavesdropping by Mama. She rummaged through the dresser and quickly found what she was looking for…Her textbooks and study guide and on top of them she saw an envelope. Norman's letter. I must remember to pack it with me when I leave this evening. Emma thought as she closed the drawer and carried her books outside.

Before Norman left he gave Don his study guide and textbooks. Ray also gifted Anna his own, much to her surprise. Both were really grateful and helped them with their recent Litany tests. Now it was Emma's turn to give away hers now that she was leaving Gracefield.

Emma went back to Gilda. "Tada! You can have my old textbooks and study guides. Don't worry Mama said that my new parents will provide me with new stuff before I start school so I should be great!" Emma beamed, handing her books to Gilda. Gilda smiled, "That is so sweet! Thank you so much, this will help me a lot!" Gilda gratefully gave Emma a hug. "Of course I know you will take good care of them and use them well. Now you, Don and Anna can really be the next genius trio!" Emma encouraged and returned Gilda's hug. Emma continued sitting with Gilda helping her go over and study her old books until she heard the ringing of a bell.

It was Mama ringing the handbell signalling for all the children to stop playing and come inside for it was now class time. Once all the children were ushered inside. Isabella gave all the children their schoolwork. The schoolwork differed between each age group. The youngest ones, ages from 1-3 were given activities like toy puzzles to solve. They learned the alphabet by matching each toy with the corresponding letter. E.g. A for Apple, M for monkey, Z for Zebra. They also learnt to count with different toys as well

Mama fondly remembers when Emma, Norman and Ray were that little. Emma was the first to grab all the toys and quickly put them all next to different letters. She got a few of them wrong like putting the cat toy next to the K or the toy phone next to the F. She was also having trouble finding toys that matched with the V or X letter.

Mama congratulated Emma for doing an excellent job by giving her a big hug. She took away the toys that Emma got wrong. Now it was Norman's turn. He put new toys next to some of the letters. He moved the Cat toy next to the C. ``Huh but they both make the same sound." Emma said confused. Norman then looked at the phone toy and moved it to the P letter. "No dat's wong Norma phone makes a F sound not P. '' Emma argued with Norman with her baby talk..She had trouble pronouncing Norman's so she just called him "Norma" . Norman pointed to the p word on the word 'phone' written on the toy.

"It's just written differently, right Mama?" Norman asked. Mama nodded and smiled proudly "That's right Norman well done!" Emma huffed and crossed her arms annoyed that Norman got it right and she didn't. Ray was quietly observing them both. He grabbed a vampire plushie toy and put it next to the letter V. "What dat Eway?" Emma asked, pointing at the plushie. "It's a vampire Emma, they bite and drink your blood." Ray explained. Emma gasped in horror "That scarwy eway." she said frightened.

"It's okay Emma I will protect you." Norman said bravely. Emma gratefully hugged him. "Don't worry Emma Vampires hate sunlight and garlic. You will be fine." Ray reassured her.

Next was the puzzle. Emma was doing well but she was stuck on one particular piece. "You got it the wrong way Emma." Norman said, helping her turn the piece around and stick it into the puzzle. "Thank you Norma!" Emma smiled. "Come on Ray help us with the next piece." Norman said looking at Ray sitting alone. "Yeah, eway play with us!" Emma echoed Norman. "Well o-okay." Ray shyly joined them. The three of them quickly finished the puzzle together.

Mama remembers that was the day the trio really became best friends… and kept finding garlic by Emma's bed for weeks. The trio really helped each other to learn. It was no wonder why the three of them became the highest scorers in class. Emma may not believe it herself but Mama knew that Emma was smart enough to handle herself without Norman and Ray.

The next class age group was from ages three and half to six years old. Children from this are taught how to read and write. They learn addition and subtraction. They are also given more puzzles to solve like simple sudoku or crosswords. Emma was helping Mama teach the children since it was her last day.

Emma was practising with Phil on how to write his name. Ironically Phil began by writing his name starting with the letter F. A similar mistake to which Emma made as a baby. "No Phil your name starts with a P and h which makes the same sound as an F." Emma corrected Phil. "Can you show me please Emma?" Phil asked Emma shyly. Emma nodded. "Okay to write the letter P you start from the bottom of the line go up then draw half a circle on the top like this." Emma said showing Phil, which he copied.

Emma showed him how to draw the rest of the letters of his name which he copied perfectly. "I did it Emma, Emma I did it!" Phil cheered happily. Emma smiled "Yes you did Phil and you wrote it by yourself too!" Phil hugged Emma. "Thank you for helping me." He said gratefully. Mama looked over this and smiled sweetly.

From ages 6 and half to 9 years old they learn to read more complex words and books. Along with more complex puzzles, sudokus and crosswords They were also given daily riddles to solve to keep their minds thinking outside of the box. Today's riddle was visible on the board for the class to read: With pointed fangs I sit and wait; with piercing force I crunch out fate; grabbing victims, proclaiming might; physically joining with a single bite. What am I?

The children came up with multiple answers: "A vampire" Lani raised his hand, to which Mama smiled and shook her head. That wasn't the answer. "A flea," Thoma answered. That wasn't the answer either. "Human teeth." Attempted Anna. Still not it. Nat looked at Mama's teacher's desk. There was an object its teeth are used to stick paper together. "A stapler." Nat answered confidently. Mama smiled widely "Correct. Well done Nat." She said handing him a piece of chocolate as a reward much to his pride as he happily chewed into the sweet goodness.

And lastly, ages 9-12 this was the hardest level of learning that would be comparable to high school or college work from the outside world. At this level they do advanced reading and mathematics as well as Science such as Physics, Chemistry and Psychology. Along with complex puzzles and riddles. Gilda was struggling as of recently. But today she found classes much easier thanks to the notes and guide Emma gave her.

Once classes were finished it was lunch time. Which included fresh fruit, rice, hot cross buns, muffins and sandwiches. Emma was enjoying a tomato and cheese sandwich when she felt something tug at her skirt. It was Phil who was trying to get her attention. "Emma, look what I made you!" Phil handed her a piece of paper excitedly. Emma gently took the paper. It had a crayon stick figure drawing of both Emma and Phil outside of Gracefield house. Emma was drawn with her bright red hair and green eyes but instead of her uniform she was drawn wearing a black button up suit and tie. "In my picture you're a secret spy agent like you always wanted!" Phil boasted which caused Emma to smile.

"And in the picture I am wearing a suit and cape because I want to be a superhero." Phil exclaimed pointing at the smaller stick figure that was flying in the air. It had Phil's blue eyes, dark hair and tan skin but also included Phil wearing a blue light superhero suit with a giant red letter "P" in the middle and a dark blue flowing cape.

"That's amazing Phil! What would your superhero name be?" Emma asked. Phil paused for a moment to think. "I would be Phantasic boy. But with a Ph for Phil instead of an F." "I'm sure you will be the best superhero Phantasic boy and keep Gracefield safe while I'm gone!" Emma encouraged.

I will Emma I promise!" Phil hugged Emma. "Good. Thank you for the picture. I will bring it with me when I leave Gracefield. It will remind me of the good times we had together. I'll treasure it always, I promise." Emma said, hugging Phil back. They both continued to eat their lunch.

After lunch there were a few more classes to attend. Emma went to put Phil's drawing in her dresser for safe keeping. She took one last look at the picture then she noticed something strange. There was a drawing of a fence around the orphanage. The usual fence that keeps the children from going too far from the forests of Gracefield. But there were very few trees drawn and in its place was a giant grey wall. Even more unusual was that on top of the wall "4:30 pm" was written.

4:30pm? What's going to happen at 4:30pm? I hope Phil isn't getting up to any mischief! Emma thought worriedly. She quickly put the picture away in her dresser and continued going to class. Classes and study sessions normally finish at 4:00 pm. The children were free to do what they like until dinner time at 6pm.

Most of the children went outside again to play another game of tag, while a few of the children like Gilda decided to stay inside and continue studying. Emma decided to join in the game this time and she was 'it'. Normally Emma wouldn't be it since she is the best runner out of all the children and would catch all of them easily. But, since today is her last day at Gracefield the children let her be it. She gave them two minutes to run and hide in the forest then she would try to find them.

Once the watch timer stopped at two minutes. Emma handed the timer to one of the other children Alicia , who wanted to finish reading her book before the sun went down. "Ready or not here I come!" Emma yelled as she ran into the forest. Emma had 30 minutes to capture all the children and by doing so she would win the game. If she fails to capture all the children in 30 minutes the other children win.

Emma ran freely, taking in all the forest for the last time. The warm sun rays on her face and body. The wind blowing through her tangly red hair. The earthy smells. The rustling sounds of leaves which had led her to her first capture. Two of the children Heather and Lisa were hiding behind the trees and tried their best to be silent. But they were given away by the leaves under their feet. They tried to hush each other but were then captured by Emma with a big bear hug. "Found you!" Emma exclaimed. The three laughed. Heather and Lisa returned to Alicia

Emma returned to running. She saw four of the younger boys Rex, Mason, Eddy and Feng running ahead while Emma proceeded to scoop two of them in her arms carrying them on her back. Then captured the other two with their arms. The captured boys returned to Alicia. Emma had captured six of the children out of 34 within 5 minutes. The next two were harder to capture.

Lani and Toma had both climbed the same tree. Emma tried to climb the tree but stopped halfway when she realised it was too time consuming to climb all the way up the tree; she only had a limited amount of time to capture all of the children. Emma asked both of them nicely to climb down. Fortunately they obeyed and climbed down with Emma and went to Alicia.

Emma then kept running. She was a bit behind the kids because of their two minute head start and her climbing up a tree. But she quickly caught Rossi, Hans, Mark that were slower runners. She kept running and eventually caught most children; none of them were a match for her except for a few. Nat and Yvette had cleverly hid themselves in a bush out of everyone's sight. They might have succeeded with their plan if Emma didn't accidentally trip into the bush."Wahh!" Emma screamed as she fell into the bush after tripping over a pebble. "Ouch hey!" Nat yelled. "Whoops, sorry Nat!" Emma apologised. "Well that's our cover blown." Nat whined. "That was some amazing dumb luck Emma!" Yvette laughed.. "Yeah." Emma replied embarrassed, scratching the back of her head. Yvette and Nat begrudgingly made their way back to Alicia.

The hardest person Emma had to catch was Don as he was very athletic, but not as athletic as Emma. He managed to run all the way through the forest, cross the lake by balancing on a wooden log and climbed the tallest tree right before the gate where the children were all forbidden to cross. Emma was running out of time, only having a few minutes to catch him. Emma then remembered a trick that Norman pulled on her the day of Conny's adoption. Norman pretended to be injured so that Emma would help him so he could catch her easily. Emma didn't need to pretend or trick Don into thinking she was injured. Because she already had a bruise on her knee and a bleeding scratch on her leg. She stopped applying medicine leaves from a nearby bush to her injuries. Don noticed this. Concerned, he went to check on Emma's well being, not caring about losing or winning the game.

"Hey Emma! Are you okay? What happened to your leg?" Don asked Emma worriedly. Emma looked up relieved to see Don. "Yeah, I'm okay Don. I just tripped into a bush and fell on Nat and Yvette. I hope they're okay too." Don went to help Emma patch up her leg. After they were finished Emma smiled and grabbed Don's arm happily. "Tag I got you!" She frowned "Hey Emma no far!" But then his frown quickly turned into a smile and suddenly hugged her. "Well done Emma you caught me." Emma was taken by surprise by Don's sudden change of demeanour. "Th-Th-Thank you Don. I made you lose though because you went to check on me. I'm sorry." Emma apologised guilty. "Don't be sorry Emma I'm glad you won. I really miss running with Norman and Ray and I am going to miss running with you too. Tag just won't be the same anymore." Don said sadly. Emma put a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Don, one day we will meet up on the outside when we are adopted and play tag like before. Norman, Me, Conny, All of us will play again!" Emma said hopefully. Don smiled and nodded his head. "I think your 30 minutes should be up soon. Did you capture everyone?" Don asked. "I think so." Emma said with uncertainty. "We should head back, come on I'll help you." Don said as he helped walk Emma back to Alicia so that she didn't put too much pressure on her injured leg. Once Emma and Don reached Alicia she smiled at them "Just in time I was just about to come get you the timer finishes in a minute. I'm sorry Emma, you lost, the others have won." The other children cheered and celebrated happily.

Emma was confused; she thought she had captured everyone. She began counting the children's heads 1..2..3…4..29..30..31..32…32? She was supposed to capture 34 children but two of them were missing. Just then she remembered the drawing she received from Phil. The gate, the wall, the time 4:30 pm. Then it all clicked in Emma's mind

"Oh no Phil!" Emma exclaimed in horror as she took off running back into the forest. Don saw Emma running back into the forest. "Emma, wait your leg is still injured!" He yelled worriedly after her. Emma didn't care and even forgot about her injured leg; all she cared about was making sure Phil was safe.

"Phil!" "Phil!" "PHIL!" She screamed out desperately trying to find him. But she knew where he was. Emma quickly made it to the fence that the children were forbidden by Mama to cross and leaped over it without a second thought she needed to make sure Phil was safe. There was still no sign of Phil, just more forest and trees. "PHIL!" She screamed out frantically as she kept running until she finally reached it.

The giant grey wall that was shown in Phil's drawing. It was around 7 metres tall and made out of solid concrete. There she finally found Phil but he wasn't alone. He was also with Anna who was carrying a bag made of cloth on her back. "Phil! Anna! What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here." Phil then rushed towards Emma, hugging her. "Emma you made it! See Anna! I told you she would come if we drew the time on my drawing." He beamed.

Emma frowned confused. "You wanted me to come here? But why? If Mama finds us here we will all be in a lot of trouble! Come on let's go before she finds us." Emma began to walk away carrying Phil till she was stopped by Anna "Emma, wait! We need to find out what is on the other side of the wall." Anna pleaded. "Don't be silly Anna! Why do we need to see what's on the other side of the wall? The wall is designed to keep us in Gracefield safe from the dangers of the outside like the gate you trespassed on." Emma retorted the same excuses Mama gave her before when she was curious about the gate or why they couldn't leave Gracefield.

"Because Ray told me to!" Anna revealed.

Emma's eyes widened now that Anna had caught her attention. "Ray? What do you mean he told you too?" Emma asked, confused. "Ray told me to climb over the wall." Anna answered. "But why? When did he tell you?" Emma was becoming more and more the more Anna didn't explain to her what's going on. Anna sighed as she began to explain to Emma her and Phil's plan.

"Just before Ray…" Anna shudders at the memory then takes a deep breath before starting again. "He told me we need to leave Gracefield because it is not what it seems that we are unsafe here." Anna began to explain "Eh? Why would he say that? We are fine in Gracefield. We have our family and our Mama here. We eat good food and once we leave we get adopted into new loving families. What is there to worry about?" Emma said positively.

Anna stared intensely at Emma as if she was staring into her soul which made Emma very nervous. "But do we really though Emma? How do we know that? None of the children that leave Gracefield ever get adopted or write us letters. We never get to see the faces of the new parents until the very day you are adopted. I know you have thought these very same questions too Emma."

"Of course I have Anna but Mama says.." Emma began to explain but was cut off by Anna. "I know what Mama says Emma and I trust her. But Ray told me Mama is hiding something from all of us." "Like what?" Emma asked almost defensively. Emma had loved and trusted Mama with every fibre of her being. She didn't like hearing this distrust that supposedly came from one of her own best friends, Ray of all people!

"I don't know Emma. But Ray made me promise to look over the wall before I left to see what was out there in case we or any of the other children need to escape Gracefield." Anna explained. Phil grinned excitedly. "Yeah Emma come on I want to see what is over the wall! Don't you want to too before you leave!" Phil encouraged Emma. "I don't know Phil I-" Emma then stopped and thought it over. The memory that she successfully suppressed until now. The day of Ray's adoption.

End of chapter 1.

Author note: The names Lisa, Heather, Rex, Mason Feng are all OC names I gave the promised neverland characters seen in the anime without a name on the promised neverland Wikipedia page