Chapter 5
What was he thinking? the question once more crossed 7's mind as she sat down in the locked room. Why would he do this to me all of a sudden? What does he expect from me? Does he think I'm going to understand what he's doing or even thank him? If he does he's wrong.
7 glared at the barred door as if any moment 1 would open it and step into the room. That was highly unlikely but she couldn't take any chances. He could do that just to gloat or justify his actions. But there was justifing this. Nothing would. This was unforgiveable.
If he had decided to enter the room at that moment...
Go ahead, she mentally challenged the eldest stitchpunk. Come to me. Make up excuses. I know you want to. Why don't you just get this over with? What do you want to tell me? What do you intend to tell me?
She pounded her fist on the door, even though she knew nobody would hear her. The sound echoed back at her, mockingly. "What are you waiting for?" she shouted. "Come and face me, you coward!"
What are you doing? He's not coming. Forget about it.
No, I won't forget about it, she shot back. I want to hear what he has to say. I want to find out what excuses he intends to use. Becuase he always has excuses. He never takes the blame for anything and I know he'll try to shift the blame on me.
And just when you thought things were starting to change between you and him.
"I knew it wouldn't last." she sighed and slid down onto the floor, resting her back against the door. "What did I want from him anyway? It was foolish of me to expect him to suddenly become civil toward me. He'll never change..."
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside the room. She quickly scrambled to her feet and started pounding on the door. "Hey!" she shouted. "1, is that you? Let me out of here!"
But whoever it was that was walking outside didn't even any attention to her. The footsteps went right past the door as if she hadn't spoken a single word and faded as they moved away. 7 stopped pounding on the door and stepped away from it, a horrible feeling washing over her.
She wasn't going to get out of here.
Absently she placed her hand on the seam 1 had fixed but when she realized what she was doing, she dropped her hand and clenched her fists. That one good deed meant nothing now. 1 had taken away the only chance he had by doing this to her.
0000
1 had heard 7 screaming and pounding on the locked door but chose to ignore it even though a large part of him wanted to open that door and let her out. But he pushed down the feeling and ignored her. She would quiete down eventually, either by giving up or losing her voice from screaming.
He'd gone down to the floor where 8 had taken her, partly to make sure 8 had taken her to where he'd ordered him to and also partly to make sure she hadn't broken out. It's for her own good, he kept telling himself. One day she will thank me.
"1!" he heard her shout from inside that room. "Let me out! You can't keep me here!"
He nearly went back to the room at her tone but forced himself to move on. It wouldn't be wise to try explaning himself to her. She would never understand.
So then why did you come up here to begin with? What did you want to do anyhow?
He was honest. I don't know. Maybe I just wanted to make sure 8 did what I asked of him. There can be no other reason.
But he somehow felt as if that was a lie, that he was making up excuses. There was another reason for this but he would never admit it to anyone, especially 7. He actually had gone up to see her. he had wanted to go into the room and explain himself to her but he knew she would not believe him and his pride kept him from entering.
Why should he tell her anything? It wasn't like she'd bother to listen anyway. She'd probably cut him off and tell him what she thought was true without bothering to give him a chance to explain. Or she might get violent and punch him out or something. 1 didn't know about the others but he wasn't a fan of pain.
Of course she would. That's how she is. That fool girl thinks she knows everything about me.
Of course some of her assumptions about her were right but the rest were wrong. There was no way she could ever know everything about him and how he thought and felt. If she ever bothered to care she'd realize there was more to him than she thought. A lot more...
He sighed and climbed the stairs up to his throne room. Once there he walked to the throne, made from a broken communion glass, and sat down in it.
His gaze wandered absently around the room until they fell onto the shadowy corner where 6 usually lurked and worked on those fool drawings of his. He knew for a fact the seer wasn't in his usual place at the moment because he'd seen him take the elevator down to the first floor. So the room was empty except for all those fool drawings.
Before he even knew what he was doing 1 got to his feet and walked over to the corner. The eldest stitchpunk usually never gave the corner much thought or payed any attention to its occupant unless he was having him punished for something. He definately didn't consider 6's art all that important anyway, he chalked it up to madness or boredom. Even if 6 insisted they images meant something 1 doubted the trueth of that but at least his work kept him from trying other things, like causing a whole lot of trouble. Unlike certain stitchpunks..
1 stepped into the shadows and stared at all the images 6 had put down on paper. Most were of the same thing. The circle and the three symbols but some were different. Some showed past events and others showed current situations. 1 would never admit it to anyone but 6's drawing made him uncomfortalble. They always seemed to be telling him the black and white stitchunk knew something he didn't and he couldn't have that.
He'd always thought of 6's actions down to madness but a part of him seemed to know otherwise. 6 was trying to tell them something. Something important.
Bah, that's nonsense. He's mad, that is all. Nothing he's drawn means anything. It's all just wishful thinking. He started to head out of the space when his optics fell on another image.
He paused for a moment, his face filling with terror. It was a crudely drawn thing, almost as if 6 had been doodling it with his eyes closed. It had arms and a triangular shape. In the center was a glowing red eye. 1 didn't know where 6 got the ink for the red and didn't want to think about it. he stared at the image, transfixed. Something about the thing seemed familiar but he couldn't place where he'd seen it before. The longer he stared the more it seemed to be drawing him in.
His soul lurched inside him, breaking the spell. He stumbled and fell backward, tripping over a bottle of ink. Yelping in surprise, he scrambled to his feet and bolted out of the room but not before ripping that picture off the wall and tearing it to pieces. Once he could no longer see the image, he calmed down and the pulsing in his head stopped. He pulled himself back onto his throne and slumped in it, suddenly feeling drained.
What was that thing and why did it make him feel so strange? He would have to question 6 about it later. Hopefully the fool would make some sense for once.
000
8 would not allow 2 and 5 to use the elevator. When they requested a lift he merely shook his head and informed them he was under orders not to allow anyone access to it. Neither stitchpunk was happy about this, as the two were the ones who had built the lift in the first place. It did not seem right or fair that they would not be allowed to use their own invention.
"Nevermind," 2 said to 5 when he tried to argue. "We'll use the stairs."
5 did not seem all that happy. Using the stairs took a much longer amount of time which was why they had built the elevator. With the elevator it took one tenth of the time to reach the top floor than it took using the stairs. 5 dreaded climbing up those things again. But, seeing as they had no other choice, he nodded and followed 2 to the staircase without a word. 8 watched them go. He knew what they intended to do but didn't bother trying to stop them. By the time they got upstairs things, might change.
The big stitchpunk honeslty hoped it would. He felt bad for what he did to 7. Even though he knew it was for her own good he still didn't feel it was right but of course he didn't tell this to 1. If he did 1 might think he was getting as bad as the others and it wasn't like 1 was hurting 7 anyway. He could have ordered 8 to beat 7 up or worse but instead he's merely ordered him to put her in a room for now. That wasn't so bad. The eldest stitchpunk wasn't planning on keeping her there forever, just for a bit.
Until she saw things his way for once.
When 2 and 5 reached the foot of the stairs 5 said in a voice that held a hint of a whine. "This isn't fair."
"I know," 2 replied quietly. "But we don't have much of a choice."
"No, not about the elevator," 5 corrected. "I'm talking about what happened to 7. Why does 1 always have to single her out for everything?"
"Maybe it's because she's the one who usually questions everything he does," 2 suggested, looking at the stitchpunk he thought of as a son. "She was never happy that 1 became the leader. We all know this. 1 doesn't like having his leadership questioned. He also doesn't like being asked questions." 2 remembered an aincident that had happened between himself and the older stitchpunk a few months back.
He'd merely mentined that maybe there was more to 6's odd behavior than madness. Of course 1 had brushed it off as foolishness. When 2 had mentioned the strange drawings and the fact that 6 knew about the beasts before anyone else had 1 had lost his temper, telling him it was mere coincidence.
2 had tried to push the issue but that only served to anger 1 further. He'd actually struck out at the other elder, catching his right arm at the elbow with his staff and tearing the fabric. 2 had cried out and 1 had shoved him over, telling him the next time he asked him about it he'd do more than just rip his arm.
The incident didn't really change anything between them, though it served as a reminder to 2 that 1 was violent and didn't like having his actions questioned. Though he could have felt bitter and angry about the incident 2 merely felt sad that his brother was acting so cold. Maybe that was why he had been wishing this incident between him and 7 would change things...
"I know," 5 told him. "But that doesn't make it right."
2 absently touched the spot on his right arm where 1 had torn it. "I know," he consented.
For a moment nether moved or spoke, each stitchpunk lost in his own thoughts. Finally 2 said. "Come on, the sooner we start, the sooner we get there."
5 nodded. "You're right."
He and 2 began to climb the stairs.
000
7 once more studied the layout of the room she was being held in. It was rather small, as if it hadn't ever been used by humans at all but had been added after she and the others moved in. Had 1 had the room created just in case something like this happened? Was this the purpose of the space from the beginning? to lock the rest of them up when they got out of line? Or had it merely been set up for her incase 1 decided to do soemthing drastic to make her compliant? She did not know or care.
7 ran her hands over the walls, trying to locate a weakness in any of them. All four walls seemed solid with no soft spots. She cursed under her breath and turned her attention back to the small hole in the back wall that looked out over the church courtyard. She gently placed her hand in the hole and gripped the wood, pulling lightly on it. The wood didn't even give.
She sighed and gave up. If she wanted to get out that way she would have to put a lot of work into making that hole bigger and that wasn't likely to happen without tools.
Of course he'd make sure the room didn't have any ways of getting out easily, she thought. Especially if he's planning on locking me away in here for a long time. 1 might be a coward but he's not stupid.
No, that was obvious. Being over protective and controlling and a coward did not make one stupid. If he was stupid he wouldn't be in the position he was. Idiots didn't make very good leaders, but neither did people who knew a lot.
Well what does it matter how smart he is? she asked herself. It doesn't get me out of here.
So when does he plan on letting me out anyway? the question jumped into her mind. Surely he can't be planning on keeping me in here forever.
Or maybe he was. Maybe he never intended to let her out of there.
Don't be ridiculous, 7, she chided herself, pushing the thought away before she started to feel panicky. Of course he is. Once he thinks you've actually learned your lesson he'll let you out. He just wants to have his way and he wants you to give it to him for once.
7 had no intention of letting him win. No matter how long he kept her in there there was no way on earth she was going to break. She would not give him the satisfaction.
"So let's just see who cracks first then," she said out loud to nobody. "Will I ask for you first or will you eventually come to me?"
The female stitchpunk headed back to the door. She tried it once more, though she knew nothing could have changed in only a few minutes. Still solid. Just as she has suspected. But it will, she decided. Before long that coward will open it and when he does...
What will you do?
I will tell him exactly how I feel.
0000
A loud banging noise woke 1 from a dozing state. He had't even realized he'd fallen asleep until he heard the noise. The stitchpunk jumped, startled, and looked around himself searching for the source of the sound.
The cause at been a large book propped up against the wall falling over. He stared at the tome, wondering who and what had caused it to fall. Nobody else was in the room that he could see. Or at least they shouldn't have been since he'd ordered 8 to keep the others from using the elevator. So what had caused the book to fall over? Gravity?
1 got off his throne and walked over to the book. It lay on it's back, the faded cover exposed. He couln't read the title, as it had been rubbed off.
Sighing the stitchpunk reached down and attempted to lift the book. He grunted in excertation but didn't accomplish what he wanted. The book could not be lifted. Sighing in annoyance he let the book go and walked away from it, deciding it was fine where it was.
"1!"
The voice startled the eldest stitchpunk and he jumped. Grasping his staff tightly, he looked toward the old staircase that the dolls used to climb before 5 and 2 had built the elevator, half expecting the speaker to come out of there. He saw nobody there. "Hello?" he called.
"1, I'll get you for this!" the voice screamed.
That's when he realized it was coming from below, from the room where 8 had locked the female. Her voice was so loud he could hear her from all the way up in the throne room.
"1, come down here and face me, you coward!" she screamed.
He ignored the voice. The female would quiet down eventually, one way or another. He headed back to his throne and sat down in it.
The voice seemed to be louder from there and he realized the room must be directly under where his throne was set up. He bashed his staff against the floor, as if doing so would quiet her down. "Silence down there!" he yelled.
His orders only seemed to spurr her on. "1, get down here anbd face me, you coward!" the female stitchpunk screamed once more. "You can't keep me locked in this room forever! I'll get out one way or another!"
He did not doubt that but for now he knew she was stuck. Unless she'd somehow managed to smuggle tools to break down doors when 8 had taken her, she was going to stay where she was.
She'll calm down eventually.
How do you know that?
I just do.
Maybe you should have just let her alone. She wasn't hurting anyone and I do believe she was actually starting to think differently about you. This only set that kind of thinking back.
There's nothing I can do about that.
You could have let it go. Why are you doing this to her anyway all of a sudden?
He didn't have an answer. The one he always gave seemed so fake now. Maybe because the excuse he had wasn't the actual reason...
He sighed. Maybe he should go down there and speak with her.
No, it's too soon. I need to give it more time. I have to wait for her to calm down, wait for her spirit to break.
Like that would ever happen...
000000000000
"2, why do you think 1 suddenly decided to have her confined?" 5 asked.
2 looked up at the other stitchpunk. They'd been climbing the stairs for an hour and until then 5 hadn't spoken much. The older stitchpunk had no answer right away. He had to think of just the right words to say that wouldn't come out wrong to 5.
"I think I know," 5 stated before the older stitchpunk could form his reply.
2 looked at him curiously.
"He's trying to break her will," 5 told the other stitchpunk. He clenched his shaking fists at his sides as he looked off into the distance as if he was watching a movie image. "He thinks if he locks her up her spirit will break and she'll be more submissive."
That did sound like something 1 would do and they both knew it, but even though that was true, 2 felt as if 1 might have had another reason for what he did to her. But the older stitchpunk didn't tell 5 his own theory. 5 wouldn't believe him anyway and if he did tell him 5 might think 2 was taking 1's side and probably wouldn't speak to him again.
"If we get to talk to him maybe we can prevent that from happening," 2 said instead.
5 sighed. "What's the use," he muttered. "Nothing we do will change his mind."
"Then why are we trying?" 2 asked him. "Do you want to just forget about it, 5, and let him have his way?"
"No.." 5 looked down at him. 2 was on the store below him. "If we do that 7 might think we abandoned her."
2 looked away. "Let's just keep going," he said. "Maybe we can convince him to at least let us see her if he doesn't agree to let her out of wherever she was taken."
That was betetr than nothing. 5 nodded and reached down. 2 grabbs his wrist and the younger doll pulled him up.
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7 kicked out at the door in hopes of breaking it off its hinges. The slab of wood standing between her and freedom stayed stubbornly closed, not giving an inch. She cursed under her breath and rested once more, having worn herself out kicking at the door. That's when she realized it was getting dark in the room. She moved over to the tiny hole in the wall and saw the sun was setting. Pretty soon she would be left in total darkness. Once it got dark she wouldn't be able to see what she was doing or make any kind of attempt to break out, as if doing so in the light was any better.
Sighing, the female stitchpunk slumpt onto the floor, resting her head on her knees. "Great," she muttered. "He's going to make me spend the night in here."
Yes, he would do that to her just to make a point. He didn't care if she went crazy in the dark as long as he got what he wanted. Well she wasn't going to allow that to happen. Even if she had to spend a year in there she wouldn't break.
7 rested her head against the wall and shuttered her optics. If she didn't want to see the darkness when it took over the room, she figured it would be best if she just went to sleep while it was still light out. Yes, that was a good idea.
Hopefully things would be better tomorrow.
A/N
Something about this chapter seems like filler. Ugh. I hate filler. I'll try to get something done next time and seriously, a little help would be appriciated.
