***

There was confusion with a mix of surprise on Emma, Norman, and Alex's faces. He knew... From the start? What did he mean by that? How could he have known from the start? Alex had just assumed that he found out the same way they did when he was six... But it seemed now that it wasn't the case. Norman and Emma questioned him while Alex continued to stare at the boy with a puzzled expression.

"Do you three know about 'childhood amnesia?'" Ray suddenly asked them.

"Nope," Norman replied.

Alex crossed her arms and leaned her back against the headboard of the infirmary bed, "This is the first time I'm hearing about it." She's probably read about it before, but if she did then it was too long ago for her to remember.

"What is it?" Emma asked.

Ray sat down on the bed with his hands in his pockets, "How far back in your childhood can you three recall?" This part confused Alex a little more. What did this have to do with anything? Well... Now that she thought about it, it was called 'childhood amnesia.' It obviously had something to do with their childhood.

"My oldest memories must be from when I was three or four years old," Norman spoke. Alex nodded in agreement. Everything before that was just a blank slate. It was like she wasn't even in the world until she was three or four. Emma agreed as well.

"Thought so," Ray commented, "People naturally tend to forget all of their memories from when they were infants and toddlers. This is what is also known as 'childhood amnesia'. But apparently, there are incredibly rare cases where this phenomenon does not happen to some people."

"Ray... It can't be that..." Norman trailed off.

"I still remember things from back when I was an infant," Ray stated. The three looked at him with wide eyes. It was shocking to hear that he remembered back that far when they had no recollection of what happened in their infant years. "My very first memory is of being in the darkness, enveloped in a warm liquid. I remember hearing my mother's voice. I vaguely remember hearing parts of a lullaby. I never saw my parents. All I remember... Are the small pieces... That would eventually lead me to solving this puzzle. We were eventually split into groups of five. Later, I was brought here through a dark tunnel."

"You remember... About the entire year before you were brought here?!" Emma's voice rose to almost a yell. Alex had to give her a look to tell her to keep her voice down. They didn't want the younger kids or Mom walking in because they heard yelling from in here.

The reply they got from him was short, "Yeah." Ray stood up from the bed.

"So you never actually found out by seeing something like we did, but you've always known." Alex pieced together. It would make sense as to how they never really noticed a shift in his behavior in their younger years. There was an obvious shift in their behavior when they found out so it was easy to tell that something was up. Ray had always known so him knowing wouldn't be as obvious as it was when it came to them knowing.

"Wait, but that means that beyond those gates, what awaits us isn't the 'outside world,' but..." Norman started. It was the worst-case scenario. Alex didn't want to hear it... Although she knew she was going to anyway. Might as well go ahead and face the truth now rather than later.

"'Headquarters,'" Ray confirmed their fears. "I was always bothered by how my own memories didn't match up with the reality I was living. As soon as I became literate, I finally understood everything that was going on. My memories aren't made up. This is no mere orphanage. It was the reality we lived in... That was in fact all 'made up.' I finally decided to ask Mama on my sixth birthday. Mama looked shocked for a single moment... And in that moment, I knew that my hypothesis was correct. That's all there is to it," That had to suck. Remembering one thing, but experiencing something that was the opposite. Emma looked at him in surprise. "I was going to tell you either way when I figured that you would match everything within the criteria. And I'm sure you picked up from that story just now... That this 'Grace Field House...' Consists of the headquarters and its five separate branches. Crossing those gates won't get us any freedom. As soon as we emerge on the other side, we'll be greeted by countless adults and demons."

"Yeah, that sounds absolutely amazing!" The sarcasm in Alex's voice was clear. She grabbed her blankets in a tight grip. It was just another thing for them to worry about. Why was something always popping up exactly when they didn't want them to?

"Isn't that bad though?!" Emma inquired.

"No!" Ray exclaimed. Alex was taken back at his response. "This is precisely why the security here is so lax... And why it will continue to remain lax. That's why they can afford to make all of this work... And why I'm so confident that nothing about this will change," Ray pointed at Norman, "We've gone off on a tangent, but back to topic. Either way, you have no need to get freaked out. Just disable your tracker and hide yourself within the forest," He threw an object at Norman which the boy caught, "Use this."

Alex narrowed her eyes at the object, "A candy box?" It was a metal candy boy with a button on the side. It had two small needle-like things sticking out from one end of it.

"No, Alex," Ray sighed. He pointed to the back of his ear, "Just put it up against your ear and press the button. That should be able to disable your tracker," Oh! This was the device that Ray had been talking about making to help them escape. The device that would disable the trackers. "With this device, we can render the trackers useless without Mama getting notified."

Emma pointed at the device, "Did you make that out of the camera?"

"Not just the camera. I've gotten various parts of this device from all kinds of junk I've collected from Mama as 'rewards' for being good to her," Ray explained, "All I needed from that camera was the strobe."

"You've been preparing for quite a while then," Alex commented. It was crazy to think that he had been planning all of this for so long. He had been getting the pieces together long before they even knew about what this house really was.

"Also, right now, Don and Gilda are working on making a new rope for us," Ray said.

"With what?" Emma asked.

"The extra bedsheets. Now that Mama already knows our secret, we have nothing to hide," Even though Ray said that, Alex couldn't help herself from worrying. She had been so used to hiding these things from Mom that the idea of her finding out scared her. "I had Don swipe a few for us. I'm also working on the other details we have to work out for you to successfully lay low after your 'escape.' I'll let you in on the details later."

Norman smiled, "Thanks."

"In either case," Ray continued, "What's important is that you make your disappearance tomorrow. After that, we'll carry out the escape mission as soon as Alex's leg heals." The air in the room was a lot lighter than it was before. It was no longer full of tension, but instead of relief. Things seemed to be working out well for them as of right now.

"Got it." Norman nodded.

Alex grabbed the platinum blonde boy's hand, "Don't worry, Norman. We won't ever let you die."

Not long after, everyone had decided to join hands. Smiles spread across all of their faces. Emma was the first to speak up and break the blissful silence, "Let's all escape this place together!" Things were finally looking up for them and Alex couldn't be happier.

***

The time for Norman to fake his escape came quickly. It was the time where the kids were allowed outside to play. The younger kids played as they were completely unaware of what was to come. Alex sat under the tree with Ray. Her back was leaning against the trunk of the tree and her crutches laid close to her side. Alex quickly scanned her surroundings before she would close her eyes. Norman wasn't anywhere to be seen. The girl finally closed her eyes to rest them. A sigh came from her.

"Don't worry," Ray said to her, "Everything will go as planned."

"I hope so." Alex held her hands together with a tight grip. Please let everything go as planned for once...