Something wasn't right.

Eight blocked out the wolf-whistles and cries of the crowd she was currently squashed in. Today, the year twos were training. Sixteen and another boy she had no clue about were sparring together, overseen by the diligent eye of Miss Heathershine. So far, the other boy seemed to be in the lead, boxing Sixteen down every time he managed to get a good hit in.

Sixteen was getting more and more frustrated. Being hit down yet again, she watched as the other boy pinned him, whooping in victory. Miss Heathershine raised her hands up, calling out the other boy as the winner.

Half the crowd went wild, the other half seemed upset. Sixteen shot a sharp glare at Miss Heathershine, to which she smiled warmly.

Where did that come from?

While it was true that she was unobservant, she paid extra attention when someone close to her was acting strange. Right now, Sixteen seemed bothered. Miss Heathershine, however, seemed as cheerful as always.

Something was amiss. Ever since they went to get her bandages yesterday, there was this underlying tension that followed them around, like a snake slowly constricting its prey.

Miss Heathershine whirled around and began walking away, and Sixteen trailed after her like an obedient dog.
The crowd was slowly dissipating. Should she follow them? Spying was bad, but if Sixteen wasn't going to come clean to her about his strange behaviour than she had to find out in other ways.

16. Caree.

The strange note came to mind. Assuming that the bird wasn't a coincidence, did that mean that she had to take care of Sixteen? It certainly made sense. Her decision made, she filtered out with the crowd, choosing to sit down on one of the benches that rested in the main square. She had a hunch that they'd be going to the library. After a good five minutes, she put her plan into motion.

Skirting over the orange mosaic tiles of the main square, she broke into a sprint as soon as her shoes hit grass. The library wouldn't be too far if she kept up at this pace.

She slowed down breathlessly as soon as the homey cottage came into view, her lungs burning and feet tingling. I have to be sneaky.

Tip toeing around the library, she settled for a window that just barely short enough to hide her body. Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly peaked into the room.

Eight didn't have to concentrate hard, as the voices were surprisingly loud enough to hear. Scratch that, one voice.

Sixteens' voice.

"No! No way!"

A quite mumbling ensued, and she had to strain her ears extra hard to hear what they were saying.

"Miss, you're not even sure if she is a True Mask yet-"

The sharp sound of something slapping on wood was heard, followed by a startled gasp from Sixteen. What is happening?

"Either way, I can't influence her decisions! She won't listen!"

By now, Miss Heatherhine's voice was slightly raised, just enough to make out bits and snippets of her sentence.

"Then you'll lose...."

Lose?

"One as well..."

One??

"The windows...interrupt signal...short time.."

Signal?

Both of their voices suddenly ceased.

"Well then, Zero-sixteen, that's your progress report. You should train more if you want to be in the top five next year," Miss Heathershine's voice rang out primly in the library, as if she didn't just talk about the most cryptic of things minutes before.

"Yes, Miss. I'll definitely improve. I-" he stuttered, "I'll work hard on upping my training." Sixteen's voice, one the other hand, gave away his nervousness. Something wasn't right.

Their conversation seemingly done, the steady clack of shoes signaled their retreat. She bolted from the window as fast as possible, her feet pounding the grass as she struggled to put as much distance between her and the odd duo - Miss Heathershine and Sixteen. It was many minutes later when she collapsed somewhere onto blazing hot grass, sweaty and exhausted.

Where am I?

The first tendrils of panic wrapped around her ankles, seeming to keep her rooted to the grass. You've ran too far out, you're lost, it seemed to snicker. She shouldn't have spied. Spying was wrong; Miss Heathershine taught her that when she was in Quarter D. Miles and miles of grass seemed to stretch around her, seperated only by odd trees splattered around. Did she run straight? If she did, maybe she could walk back. In her haste, she wasn't paying attention. Re-tracing her footsteps shouldn't be impossible. Afterall, the grass she ran on was sure to be squashed from her weight alone.

She turned around and resolutely began her treck back, inspecting the grass carefully for any indents.

Kssssssh!

She swiveled around quickly, arching her back as if something were going to attack her. What was that sound?

Krrrr!

She jumped again, tracking the sound with her ears. It sounded vaguely like something she's heard in her childhood. Like a machine with broken parts.

Krrr! Rr-rrrrr!

It was definitely a machine. A broken one, so far out the main square of Quarter A?

Finding it could help her return back to the main square. It could be something of Miss Heathershine's - one of her gadgets that went awry. Miss Heathershine would probably track it down, and while doing it finding her by accident. Then again, it could be someone else's. Yet the Caretaker of Quarter's B and C, Professor Burr, would never loose something so far away from where he was stationed. It was also be easier than having to attempt to track her steps backward. Maybe she'd even make it up to Miss Heathershine for spying by trying to fix it.

Decision made, she listened carefully for the sounds and began tracking them to the source. It didn't take long before it came into sight, snugly hidden underneath the shade of a tree.

A peacock.

Miss Heathershine's familiar?

The whirring sounds continued, and its eyes seemed to be bugging out. The peacocks turquoise wings were pinned to the grass by a large branch, its lovely head jerking up and down in pain. Its tail feathers barley twitched.

The poor thing! One half of her mind cried. The other half spotted an opportunity in all of this. Saving Miss Heathershine's familiar will definitely make her like me more. It could also be my atonement for spying.

In the end, she was undecided on which thought she preferred more. Suppressing them both, she tip-toed over towards the trapped bird, inspecting the large branch that seemed to have fallen ontop of it. It certainly looked painful. The bird continued its odd mechaical whirrs, and she decided to ignore that for now.

She wasn't strong enough to pick the whole thing off of the bird, that was for sure. Dragging it would no doubt cause it more injury, and rolling it over would crush him to death. It fell in a surprisingly convenient position, however. It was perfectly perpendicular to the trees base. Craning her neck up, she quickly pieced together the reason why. It fell from this very same tree.

She picked up as much as she could of one side of the branch and balanced it on the bark of the tree, effectively giving the peacock an arch to wiggle its way out of. Preparing for the scent of blood and a wild beak to assault her, she leaped back carefully. A hurt animal is a threatening one.

Nothing?

Its whirring sounds continued. He must've got hurt very badly if he didn't step up by now. She suddenly felt very stupid. Of course it was injured, it had a heavy branch land on it for Mudrosts' sake.

She advanced towards it, more confidently this time, and prepared to lug a peacock back to the main square.

Peeking under the archway she created, the sight of blood didn't greet her.

Wires did.

Exposed and broken, angry sparks flying everywhere as its whirring continued. Its head bopped up and down mechanically, lifeless eyes staring back at her.

The peacock is fake.

Suddenly, the peacocks entire face lifted, revealing a complicated looking set of wiring and lenses. A circular disk popped out.

A CD? Why is it mechanical? Was it recording us? Why was Miss Heathershine lying about her familiar? What did she and Sixteen talk about?

Questions whirled adound in her head, yet the one at the forefront was 'What is happening?'

Miss Heathershines' suspicious conversation with Sixteen came to mind with a raging intensity, tantalizing her curiosity even more. Miss Heathershine would never do anything bad to them, right? She loved them. They were all her children. Yet something deep inside of her seemed weary and suspicious, pushing her to find out the truth.

If Sixteen won't tell me what's happening, then I'll find out myself.

She gently pried the CD out of the peacocks head, pushing it back down down again carefully and clicking it into place. Lifting the branch, she let it fall back down onto the bird. The shudder it gave made her cringe, instantly feeling guilt about crushing it again.

It's a machine. It doesn't feel pain.

She tucked the CD into her waist band, resolutely beginning her journey back to the main square. It didn't matter how long it would take her, no one could know she was here.

What she failed to notice was that the branch that fell was cut much too cleanly, and the well-hidden white bird that watchd her with growing interest as she moved away.

------------------

Miss Heathershine strolled out of the library with Zero-sixteen nervously at her side, her heels suffocating the grass underneath. Her sharp eyes narrowed in on a unnaturally flat pattern on the grass, stretching all the way to behind the library. Footprints.

Suddenly, her palm beeped brightly, the small beacon of light warming her up. She's had many mechanical implants throughout the years, all to the credit of the Mask Force. My peacock was disabled too, huh?

A shark-like grin graced her face, and she only noticed Sixteen staring at her when he cleared his throat. The boy was terrified.

Don't worry, darling. You and your sister will be out of here soon. If that girl is capable of spying and getting rid of my mechanical drone, she's definitely a True Mask. A one-way ticket out of this hell.

"Dismissed. Keep an eye on her," she stated cooly, and the boy nodded shakily and trotted off. He was trying very hard not to run.

She cleared her throat, adjusted her skirt and began inspecting the sloppy footprints.

Miss Heathershine had a True Mask to catch.

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A/N: Enjoy this chapter. Much shorter than avergae but the mind games will kick in from here.