Chapter 21: Intrusion

After Elli explained Nathan's plan, Poppy told her to stick to the plan for now. Poppy assured Elli that she would prevent Nathan from doing anything foolish that might jeopardize himself. Though Elli was secretly unsure of what Poppy would do to prevent that. But Elli chose to trust Poppy and quickly entered Home Sweet Home before Kissy Missy noticed she was missing from the group of kids that just came back from the Game Station.

"Where did you go?" Nathan asked Elli. "Did you talk to Poppy again?"

Elli looked surprised. "What gave you that idea?"

"Rez told me about your little meeting with Poppy this morning. She told you to dispose of the tracking devices on the train tracks, right?"

"Yeah."

"So what did she tell you this time?"

"I just told her about your plan, and she said she would help you."

"Did she say how?"

"No."

"Then how can you trust that she'll protect me?"

"Because I just do!"

Nathan groaned. "You're an even bigger idiot than I thought."

Insulted, Elli snapped. "What did you call me?"

"Are you deaf? How can you trust a toy that you've only started talking with recently, let alone know nothing about?"

Unsure of what to say, Elli ran up to the bedroom and cried on the bed. She hugged her DogDay plushie and its soothing vanilla scent washed over her.

"Is something the matter, Elli?"

Recognizing that high-pitched voice, Elli looked up from her pillow and saw Mommy Long Legs standing over her.

Elli quickly dried her tear-stained eyes and sat up. "It's nothing, Mommy."

Mommy didn't seem convinced. "You've never been a good liar, Elli. Why can't you tell Mommy what's wrong?"

Pausing, Elli tried to think of a good excuse.

"Nathan said something mean to me," Elli fibbed. "He made fun of these dark lines under my eyes, which I've never had until now."

"You mean the bags under your eyes?" Mommy reached out her gloved hands and examined Elli's face. "Have you not been getting enough sleep, Elli?"

"Lately, no," Elli admitted and used the excuse Nathan suggested. "I've been staying up late trying to do homework, since my grades haven't been the greatest."

"That's too bad! It's important to be diligent in one's studies, but you should also remember to take care of yourself."

"Right, Mommy."

"Let Mommy bring your DogDay plushie to the toymaker at the Toy Shop and see if he can give you a new one with a stronger scent. That'll help you sleep better."

Before Elli could protest, Mommy took her DogDay plushie away and walked out of the bedroom. Though she didn't like what Mommy did, Elli thought back to Nathan's plan and went to find Rez. She found him outside Home Sweet Home talking to DogDay at the Playhouse while helping him keep an eye on the toddlers.

So Elli went back into the house to check the vent in the bedroom to see if the GrabPack was still there. After not seeing it, she assumed Nathan had already left for the School. Then she went to look for Kissy and found a door on the first floor that was partially open. Inside was a two-bedroom room with Kissy looking at a photograph.

"Hi, Kissy," Elli said, trying to sound casual. "You need any help?"

Kissy didn't seem to hear Elli as she kept staring at the photograph in her yellow mitten hands.

"Who is that?" Elli asked, noticing the photograph depicted a dark-haired girl with a nervous-looking face.

Using one mitten hand, Kissy pointed at the photograph and then at herself.

"You knew her?" When Kissy nodded, Elli said, "Does she live in this house currently?"

Kissy nodded again.

"Can you tell me who she is?"

Instead of answering, Kissy made the same motion of pointing at the photograph and herself with stronger emphasis. Elli didn't understand this gesture, until she remembered the files she found on the Bigger Bodies Initiative.

"Are you saying you are this girl?" Elli guessed, pointing at the photograph.

Before Kissy could make another gesture, a large shadow loomed against the wall. Elli looked back and was surprised to see Mommy standing in the doorway to the bedroom.

"Kissy Missy," Mommy said in a scolding tone. "What are you doing here? Get back to work!"

Lowering her head in embarrassment, Kissy put the photograph down and walked past Elli and Mommy out of the bedroom.

"You didn't have to shout at Kissy," Elli protested. "She wasn't doing anything wrong."

"She's supposed to be watching the kids until their parent-teacher conferences, including you," Mommy said, narrowing her green eyes at Elli. "Now how did you get in here?"

"The door was slightly open, so I let myself in," Elli answered honestly.

"You shouldn't do stuff like that," Mommy warned. "Unless someone lets you in, you should leave them alone, Elli. And there are some places you're better off not getting into."

"Why? Because I might get hurt?"

"Not just that, Elli dear!" Mommy's elastic arm reached around Elli and wrapped her up in a tight binding which immobilized Elli's arms completely. "It's also rude to intrude upon another person's privacy. Now, will you promise Mommy you'll never do it again?"

Feeling Mommy's stretchy arm squeezing her tightly, Elli had no choice but to nod. "I promise."

"Very good! Now let's go to your parent-teacher conference, Elli."

Mommy then dragged Elli out of the bedroom using her arm as a leash. But upon seeing a few children in the living room area, Mommy unwrapped her arm from Elli immediately. While Mommy smiled to the children she walked past, her gloved hand tightly squeezed Elli's shoulder to keep her moving out of the house and up to the School. Inside, they visited several Miss Delight sisters and discussed Elli's grades in each class.

"Her scores have been above-average as usual," said the Miss Delight of Elli's Homeroom Class. "But lately, they have been slipping while her friends Nathan and Rez have gained extra credit for their recent projects that have boosted their grades exponentially."

"Mommy has heard about this too, but why do you think Elli is struggling recently?" Mommy asked. "Could it have something to do with her missing Kayla?"

To be continued…