Will's POV

I know everything. I know what Mark did. I know why Skye's acting this way. I know why I'm acting the way that I am. And it's all because of Mark, a person who calls himself human when everything he does is inhumane.

I wish I knew what to do about it. But if my anxiety has ever reached a peak, this is the top of the mountain. I try to force myself to sleep but what I heard keeps running through my head. It's a never-ending reel that keeps running over and over and there's no remote to turn it off.

I'm backstage, rearranging props when I hear it. Her voice. " No, you're just trying to destroy my life, and Mark, stop faking tears, I'm an actor, and let me just say your acting skills suck."

What the-. I think but my thought is cut off by the sound of Skye's back being forced into the brick wall. I inch closer to the door, ready to fly out at any moment and beat the crap out of Mark, but right when I reach for the handle I hear his voice. " you think you are smart don't you? You think you have it all together because you just figured me out? Well, you just fell into my trap, Skye Sparrow."

" Really? And how is that possible?" Skye's voice is laced with anger.

" Because, I planned that as soon as you figured out what was going on, I would put my plan into action."

" What plan exactly, oh I know, the plan to destroy my physical and mental state? Well, it didn't work."

" Oh, but it did. As soon as you realized that the person you loved was a player you shrunk into that shell of yourself and refused to come out." Skye has no words. All I can hear through the thin backstage door is heavy breathing. " and now I will make your life even more miserable."

In my mind's eye, I can almost see Skye crossing her arms, " you don't have the power to do that."

" You don't have any clue do you?"

" Yes, yes I do. Because even though I let you break my trust for Will the first time, I won't let you do it again."

"That's not what I'm planning on breaking this time." These words send shivers up and down my spine, I can only imagine what Skye is feeling at the moment. " I'm planning on breaking your whole world into pieces simply by using the threat of you losing the life of one person."

To my surprise, Skye snorts. " First of all, that was really cheesy, like a line from some horror movie or something and second of all, I'm guessing you're gonna threat me with killing off Will." Skye pauses to let that sink in, " but honest to goodness, he could smash you to pieces in three seconds, I mean have you seen his muscles? And-"

     I'm smiling now. My whole body is buzzing with excitement. She likes me! Or at least thinks I'm hot. You know what I don't know but the fact that Mark made her lose trust in me tells me enough.

       " I'm not going to touch Will. That will be your doing. And I do not sound cheesy."

     " Yes you do, and I would never hurt a hair on Wills's head."

     My smile grows wider. Goodness. Here Skye is in a desperate situation, I'm smiling and she is making jokes. The irony of the thing.

     " Just listen to me for once."

     " Fine. Just say what you want to say, I'm hungry."

     " You didn't have breakfast?"

     " Nope."

     This guy. He tries so hard to be a creep but gets distracted so easily.

     " Anyways. I know one person that could make you do anything."

     Skye snorts yet again. " No one can make me do anything."

     " What about Bet?" I freeze. " What if I put a death sentence over the little girl's head? What if, if you didn't do what I tell you to do next, her murder is in your hands."

     This conversation has taken a dark turn. I know that I'm supposed to go out there, supposed to beat Mark to a pulp, but my body refuses to move. Anxiety overwhelms and shackles my body.

     " You can't kill Bet." Skye is trying to sound resolute, but her facade is crumbling.

     " No not me, but I know some people who could."

     " How the heck do you have those kinds of contacts"

     " Like I can tell you that. Now, listen carefully, I'm going to tell you what to do, and if you don't listen to me..."

     I shove my head under my pillow. The voices of Mark and Skye keep bouncing around my head. The guilt of having no power to do anything washes over me in intermittent waves. Because I can't do anything. I don't know how powerful whoever Mark is working with is. I can't contact Bet's parents because the people he works for are sure to find out. I need a plan. And I need a good one.

                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My team has no idea what's coming for them. They have no idea that they are about to deal with a potential murderer. Or whatever he is.

Last night I stayed up late formulating plan after plan, and this was the only one that stuck. If I can get all five kids on my team to agree with me and help out Skye, by the end of the week, Mark will be gone.

" Why can't we eat our lunch outside?" Arthur groans, he's sitting on the nursery floor, digging into a paper bag laden with sandwiches.

" Because we need to discuss something, now where's Oliver?" I look around. Everyone was there except for the serious little boy.

" Last I saw him he was talking to Skye," Evelyn says, rolling her eyes.

I ignore her sass and get up to go find him. He's complaining to Skye about being a servant in our one-act, as I approach, I hear Skye, " Oliver, remember what Ava says? Every person has a very important rule in the show, if you weren't there, everything would be off!" She sees me as I walk over and falls silent. Both of us avoid eye contact. After yesterday, I wonder if anything will ever be the same between us.

" Oliver, our team is eating in the nursery, want to come to join us?" I ask.

" Ok, I usually eat there anyways, alone," Oliver says gloomily. I will never understand this kid. " Skye, you joining us?"

" Uh, no I'm going to talk to Ava, about some things." Skye picks at her nail polish and looks at the ground. I notice that she has new nail polish on, a deep red.

Oliver and I make our way back to the nursery. " You and Skye break up?" Oliver asks casually.

I choke. " We never dated."

" Oh, well you guys both seem to be in a disturbed mental state, especially when in the presence of each other."

" What are you, a therapist?" I laugh.

" My dad is a therapist."

Explains a lot of things. By now, we have reached the nursery. Oliver and I squeeze into the circle that the team has formed on the floor.

" Ok guys, I have a question for all of you." I start, suddenly nervous with five pairs of eyes trained on me.

" So? What's the question?" Evelyn asks, scooting a bit closer to Arthur. I don't fail to notice that Arthur seems pleased by this.

" What do you guys think of Mark?"

They all just blink at me. Oliver is the first to speak. " His body language suggests that most of the time he is uncomfortable with his surroundings."

    Evelyn laughs a high-pitched laugh that could break ice, " I don't know about that, but he is hot."

    " He hits on Skye a lot, so you better watch out man." Arthur waves his sandwich at me as a reference.

    " See? I wasn't the only one who thought that-" I cut off Oliver.

    " Caleb? Nolan? What is your opinion."

    Caleb pushes back his stringy black hair, " I honestly have no clue who you're talking about."

    I sigh, " Nolan?"

    " He can play basketball well, we played for a bit outside yesterday."

    These answers are giving me nothing.

    " Why do you need to know?" Evelyn asks, gingerly placing a piece of sushi on her tongue, trying not to smear her lipstick.

    " Because there's something off with him." I try to dodge the actual reason.

    " Just spit it out, that's not the real reason, is it?" Oliver stares deep into my soul.

    This kid gives me the creeps. " Ummmm,"

    " Just say what you need to say, both you and Skye have been acting totally weird lately, and I'm assuming it has to do with Mark?" Evelyn asks. I'm surprised she noticed, much less cared.

    " Do any of you guys get scared easily?" I ask, cringing at my own words. They all shake their heads solemnly, signaling me to go on. So I just spill. I tell them everything that led up to the conversation I overheard, and that Bet is in danger, and I keep telling them over and over not to breathe a word to anyone about this.

    After I finish telling the whole story, all the children start talking at once. Finally, Evelyn stands up and yells, " Guys, shut up! Stop freaking out, that's the last thing Will needs right now!" Everyone falls silent, " Now, Will, what do you advise we do with all this crap?"

    I'm still amazed at Evelyn's apparent power over the group but say, " I need every one of you guys' help."

    " How are we supposed to help with a murderer?" Nolan questions.

    " First, each of you is going to watch Mark," I say.

    " No kidding, after that story, none of us could keep our eyes off of him," Arthur says.

    " Then, throughout today and tomorrow, each of you will go to Ava and give her small complaints about him. For example, Oliver, since you are so good at deciphering how people are feeling, if Mark does anything sus, tell one of us, and we'll tell Ava. By the end of today and tomorrow, Ava will be so swamped with complaints about him, she'll be forced to ban him from the theater." I explain.

    " Why not just tell Ava, what you told us?" Caleb asks.

    "Too risky, Mark will know if the director knows, also, he cant just get banned from camp with that crazy of a story, it's not going to be believable enough. So, we gather enough believable evidence, then we go from there." Oliver rattles this off as if he's rattling off his lines.

    " Exactly, so, what do you all think?"

    " I'm in." Evelyn says, "I'm gonna die anyway, so why not kill myself now?"

    Even though Evelyn's words aren't even near comforting, all the other kids agree, " Good, but before we plan our first course of action, I need to make sure everyone believes me when I'm saying that what I just told you is true and that we are all in danger here. But Skye and that little girl are in way more danger than us. So, if you believe me and are willing to risk your lives, raise your hand." All five hands slip up.

    "As Evelyn said, we're all going to die anyway." Arthur grins.

    And we have a plan.

                                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

                           Third Person POV

                Little does Mark know that not only one, but two groups of people have their eyes on him.

    Authors note

    Hehehe.

    What do you guys think of the plan?

    Tell me in the comments.

                    - heavengrace55