[Y/N] - Your Name
[M/N] - Middle Name
[L/N] - Last Name
I
["Talking"]
["SCREAMING"]
["Whispering"]
["Thinking"]
* - Translated directly from Italian.

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

Glancing at the clock, Y/N's eyes followed the pointer.

He sat on the bed, legs crossed, back slouched and a serious glare on his face. Running his hand calmly through his neck, down to his leg, and taking in a deep, deep breath. Slowly making himself comfortable as the ticking continued to pass, his eyes closed as he faced at the ceiling. He could've seen the lights of the hallway peeking from underneath the door, catching his attention for just one small second.

A second which he immediately scoffed at and found himself back at closing his eyes. Trying his hardest to keep composure, inhaling and exhaling, feeling his body relax, his muscles calmly resting, and his exhaustion growing heavier with each time he would breathe in and out. A single eye opened, he looked at the wall again — 1 Minute. He directed his attention to his cellphone, unlocked and resting on a single picture.

Said picture displayed him smiling wildly, something surprising for those months ago. Not only that, but he was accompanied by two other figures, a blonde and a ginger. The former seemed to be nearly melting when trying to compete with Y/N in their DDR match, while the latter sipped from a water bottle, watching both unamusedly. Thinking back to the arcade, those were some really warm, comforting memories.

It had been a while since he smoked anything, and thinking back to the nicotine did make his body ache for a few more, but he pushed aside those thoughts. He also remembered the fight they got with that group of people that were bullying Logan and another kid, and then proceeded to get their asses beaten by Florentino, even if the entire group had tried to jump him. Maybe that memory wasn't so comforting...

His eyes directed themselves to the 9MM sitting on top of the counter, right by the side of his phone. He sighed, wishing he didn't need to use that as much as he thought he would need to — Glancing at the clock again, 30 seconds. Eyes shut, he rested calmly while thinking back to everything that had happened one more time. Everything. From start to finish, that bus trip, all the way to them being kidnapped.

The pain came like a burning needle.

His eyes immediately widened and he had to bite his tongue in order not to scream. Looking around, he saw nothing but a destroyed room, the ceiling destroyed and giving way to the Phantom World's reddened skies. With trembling eyes, Y/N put himself up amidst the rubble, feeling the sensation on his neck and leg increasing tenfold from when he was laying in bed comfortably just a few seconds ago.

He looked around with caution, trying to see if he would spot those giant caterpillar things. Nothing. He didn't know whether he should be glad or scared at the fact that he seemed to be completely alone with no Phantoms in sight. He made his way down the corridor, always keeping a knife aimed forward in a reverse grip on his right hand, using it as a crutch for the left, which rested with his finger right on the gun's trigger.

A basic flashlight was resting on his mouth, tightly kept in place by his teeth, and aimed forward with a slight tilt of his head to the side. He scouted down the hallways, always keeping an eye over his shoulder and around the place, particularly on the windows. He managed to make his way down to the entrance of the school, where he saw a duffel bag laying — It didn't take him 30 seconds to go, get it, and come back.

Finding himself in the first room he could, he made sure to check everything. Underneath every table, every locker in the room, even those too small for a regular Phantom, before he barricaded himself and closed the blinds. Setting down the bag, he zipped it open to find a myriad of things. Basic weaponry and ammunition, food, and even a few syringes filled with some light-green liquid resting inside of them.

He recalled Florentino's words telling him that he should sleep, and conveniently, it's also when his eyes spotted a sleeping bag cramped in the corner of the bag. He set it down, and sat on top of it, finding himself eating what had been supplied — Basic MRE's, an apocalyptic scenario, all alone and at death's door. Y/N snorted at the thought of how he probably looked like some sort of survivor in a horror manga.

As he finished eating and shoved his legs into the sleeping back, he reached for one of the needles. He inspected it for a few moments, giving it just a few flicks before removing the cap, taking in a long breath, and exhaling. He felt the muscles in his arm relax, and, thanks to his unusual condition, couldn't even feel the pain of the needle puncturing his skin, nor the morphine entering his body, or the needle being pulled.

As his eyes grew heavier thanks to the dose, he could only imagine the pain he would be feeling from his fucked leg and windpipe if his condition didn't aid him. As Y/N got himself comfortable, keeping a single eye open, inside the bag, his hand rested on a knife that was ready to spring at any moment — Laying on top of an arm that was outside the bag, his other hand clutched his handgun, finger not on the trigger.

All Y/N could do as he drifted off into sleep, was hope.

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Florentino: ["I think I know where they're being held"]

The man sat across from Elio on the living room as the butler poured them both a cup of tea. Florentino was quick to pick it up and drink it while it was still burning-hot. Not as if he could feel the pain anyways, while Elio took his time sitting down, getting himself comfortable before taking a single sip. As Florentino put down the cup, he reached for his phone and passed it onto Elio, who took a glance at it with a hum.

He looked at the heavily-fortified place. Massive satellite dishes on a central metal tower, surrounded by thick iron gates and concrete. He could tell from a glance that, whoever they were dealing with, and wherever this place was, neither of them was going to be something easy to handle — A small smile crept into his lips as he recalled his working days. Passing the phone back to Florentino, he continued.

Florentino: ["It's a government facility, so this'll be no easy task — My suspicion is that they have gone rogue. As I told Y/N, I know about their leader, and he knows about me"] Florentino leans back on the sofa, crossing a leg over the other and taking another sip from his drink ["But we had a deal of keeping each other's ways... Something that was clearly fucked up last night. Now, I don't much give a fuck about Y/N, but this could be good for me"] His smirk made Elio's spine crawl thanks to the malice that was on clear display, almost as if Florentino wanted it to be the spotlight in his grin ["So, a hand washes the other. Y/N is saved, and I get to further my intentions, so I have a plan"]

Elio looked down at the table as a few things slid on top of them. A pair of neatly-folded clothing, an employee badge, and a few walkie-talkies. He calmly reached forward for the employee badge and inspected it, his mind immediately clicking on what he needed to do, as a smile opened on his face while his eyes directed themselves from it to Florentino, whose smirk widened even further.

Florentino: ["First, we gotta make sure that the kids have a way of communication, so deliver those. After that, we'll devise a proper plan from the inside to break them out"] He glances at the staircase leading up to the rooms, particularly at the light coming from one of the hallways ["During the day, you and Y/N keep on training hard. You'll need it"] The man grabs his phone again, glancing at the screen and calmly dialing a number ["And when the time is right, I'll supply a proper distraction along one of the parents..."]

Elio: ["Do you mean that old gentleman who owns the flower shop? He did appear familiar"] A high-contrast with Florentino's silent aggression, Elio's tone remained calming and gentle as he sipped his drink ["As they have taken the parents as well, I'm under the assumption that we'll also need to break them out, yes? I can take them somewhere safe"]

Florentino: ["I'm not one bit worried about the parents, what has got me on attention is father. He is sure to show up if he so much catches wind of what happened"] He clicked his tongue with annoyance, sharply scratching his neck with a grunt ["The last thing we need is that bastard of all people to show up. So, for the time being, we'll remain quiet"]

Elio: ["Very well, it should be doable. I'll be doing it tomorrow morning first thing..."] He glances at the uniform for a moment before his eyes focus on the blonde ["I would need to know where the kids are being held — But I assume you already dealt with that?"]

Florentino: ["One of the many things about humanity is that, no matter the price, anyone and anything can be bought, so I have a mole that already told me everything"] He glances at his phone and taps a few more things before sliding it to Elio, showing a blueprint of the facility ["And just so I was sure he wasn't lying, I bought off a few more, simple"]

Elio: ["This is a very secure place... I'll have it memorized by the morning. It's been a while since I have done anything like this, takes me back to my prime days"] He sighs with nostalgia, inspecting the phone closely, and zooming in a few areas, his eyes scanning around with a scary amount of focus ["Shouldn't I just break them out?"]

Florentino: ["Too risky, especially since it would just be you and the kids... I suppose that we could help them break out themselves during the night, and move so far into the city that their bodies reset location"] He pondered the idea with an analytical glint to his eyes, tilting his head while staring at the table with a fist resting on his cheek ["But that is for later down the line, we'll burn that bridge when we cross it — For now, you know what to do"]

Elio: ["As you wish, sir..."]

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Aiden: ["Agh, shit..."]

Aiden clicked his tongue with a grunt and fell back down on the bed after figuring out that he would have no success in trying to pick the door's lock. The bland walls, everything white with little-to-no colors, reminded him of Y/N's room in which they crashed that one night after figuring out who he was. Huh, Y/N... The name brought a smile to Aiden's lips as he got himself comfortable with both hands behind his head.

With nothing better to do for the time being all that Aiden figured out he should was rest and think back to keep his mind going. Pushing away the darker thoughts that crept up on his mind, trying to devise some sort of plan or anything to keep his mind occupied and the boredom away. God-knows that being alone with himself was far scarier than being surrounded by a group of Phantoms in the best of the days.

Aiden: ["I should probably assume that they captured the others, too, including Y/N, as much as I don't want that to be the case"] His red eyes looked at the ceiling as he softly blinked, tilting his head with a pensive humming ["Though Y/N is one skillful dude, especially with his butler and that weird brother of his, so the chances of him not being here are high either — If that's the case, he is certainly coming up with a way to break us out, or find out what happened to us... Which means that he is putting in the effort, which means-"] He rests both hands on the bed, retracting his legs and kicked himself up to his feet, rolling his shoulders and walking towards the door ["I don't have time to be slacking!"]

Deep down he knew that he was just trying to keep himself from letting the thoughts takeover while fiddling with the lock a bit more, uncaring for the camera that stared directly at his back. A tongue stuck out and one eye closed so the other could focus, he kept on trying to fish into the lock, messing with it with his nails or anything he could get his hands on — All the while, his mind wandered off somewhere else.

Aiden: ["If I knew I would've ended up here I would've kissed his lips..."]

The sight of Y/N's smirks and Ashlyn's occasional smiles brought him a warm sensation, almost as if being hugged by warm blankets on a cold day, so much so that your body stops shivering altogether. Particularly thinking back to when they were at the hospital, his arms dropped. The words he said onto Ashlyn echoed off in his mind while he stared at the door, silently having his own voice bounce around in his mind.

"You love him too, don't you?"

Come to think of it, did that sound aggressive in any way? The last thing he would want is for his words to have been interpreted as, "I already got my eyes on him, so scram". Shit, did he make Ashlyn feel threatened in any way? Thinking back onto the night after the school ceiling crumbled onto him made a shiver run down his spine as he shot a glance over his shoulder — Just like all these nights ago, there it was.

Staring at him from the corner of the room, unmoving like a statue. Clad in so much darkness that it made that particular place completely dark. Darkened eyes and a smile impossibly-wide, all while it kept its eyes stuck into Aiden's back. The figure was like that of staring at yourself in a twisted mirror that showed off how your moving corpse would be like. Aiden just took his eyes away, and back towards the door.

That same night, in which Y/N slept in Ashlyn's house and they woke up from that nightmare, that night in which Y/N and Ashlyn both disappeared into the corridor and likely rested together. Was Aiden the one who had his dream in danger? His heart was beating so loudly that it practically screamed into his ears, the words that he so long tried to keep away from his mind, the echoing of those wishes and the warmth.

But maybe they were right? I mean, think about it — Ashlyn had a lot more to offer, didn't she? She was braver, more careful, analytic and daring. The way she rose to the occasion in order to protect the group, to take charge and lead them, was beyond just admirable. Thinking about it again, she was the one that blamed herself the most for what had happened that night in which Y/N had his neck broken. She really cared.

Y/N, too, was a daring and courageous person. The way he volunteered to stay back and ward off the Phantoms, even with a concussion, and came out alive in the end. The way he learned and taught them how to fight, the way he could so easily get illegal resources thanks to his family's connections! Hell, even the way he kept on fighting and going with his life, improving himself, in the face of everything else!

Aiden bit down onto his lip with enough force so that a thin line of red blood began pouring from the small wound. His fists clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white and his nails dug into his palms. He did his best to stop shaking, but no matter how much he tried, it never stopped, and the tears were already threatening to fall. Maybe the best course of action here was stepping back and letting them be happy?

Think about it. He was nothing short of a reckless idiot that already got Y/N hurt when he leaped from the graveyard's wall that one night they were going to retrieve the car. Maybe if he had found a better car that night, Y/N wouldn't have had to dive after Tyler and protect him. Maybe if Aiden had just kept his mouth shut and never even glanced at their direction, the group would be living the normal, and happy life of teenagers.

Maybe Ashlyn and Y/N could've been happy together instead of having been dragged into this hell where Aiden wasn't even sure if he was alive or not. Maybe everything was he fault, so why would Y/N turn to look at him when he had someone so much better like Ashlyn by his side? The feeling just kept on digging into the back of Aiden's head as he recalled that cheek kiss — Maybe the final nail in the coffin.

He could no longer hold the tears, nor the stinging sensation in his throat, and slammed his fist against the door, uncaring for the camera that watched, nor that twisted version of himself staring at him. Instead, all he did was push himself up and glance at the white ceiling, running the back of his hand over his eyes to dry off those tears. Sniffing and clearing his throat, Aiden collected himself after a few minutes.

Aiden: ["... One thing that I am certain is that neither of them would like it if I kept on acting like a pussy"] He thought to himself while still staring up, filling his lungs with air and then slowly exhaling it through his mouth ["... Fuck it. The moment we are out of here I am confessing. To both. So first, we need to break out, which is exactly what I'll be doing"] He glares over his shoulder at the figure staring at him, to which Aiden just scoffed at and presented his middle finger to ["And like Hell I'm going to let you stop me, bitch!"]

His attention on the door again, a confident smirk spread in his lips.

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Elio: ["Good night, sir! I believe you are my supervisor, yes?"]

The man smiled brightly. Hands behind his back, posture straight and a confident glint in his eyes. He donned the uniform of the facility, a plain, light-blue-colored shirt with a mask. Thankfully they allowed people to keep accessories, so a bit of makeup covered — most — of Elio's burning scars that were present on his face and chest. As the people came and went through the facility, the man in front of him hummed.

Supervisor: ["And you are Vittorio, yes? Welcome to the facility, I heard you are transferring over from Italy, is that right?"] Elio nodded along with both the lie and his false name, keeping that bright smile up ["I see. Well, then you should already know what to do, but let me give you a brief rundown just to be sure. The rooms of our patients are over on the North wing, whereas everything you should need to feed and care for them over on the East wing"] The man walked past Elio, motioning for him to follow along, to which the man did with glee, right behind the man as they made their way to the east side of the facility ["We need you to get started immediately with the shipment we just received and the other rooms you are being put in charge of cleaning — Just remember to report to me afterwards"]

Elio: ["Yes, sir! I'll get to it right away!"]

The man smiled at his tired supervisor that made his way away, likely to deal with another mediocre-paying, soul-crushing task. Elio turned to look at the shipment being delivered in the room, one of the workers in the delivery company giving him a firm nod while pulling down his cap. Amidst the boxes that had been delivered into the room, Elio found one particularly interesting, marked with the carving of a skull.

He immediately opened the box and whistled while reaching for the things contained inside, everything a usual caretaker should need. Food, cleaning supplies, a few boxes of disposable gloves and masks that he'd be going through every single day — And, of course, most importantly, and classic of any caretaking kit, a bunch of walkie-talkies smuggled inside the trash bags! Those were always his favorite part.

Elio put everything inside the box again and shot a sneaky glance at the camera in the room that stared at his back. He picked up the box, ready to move it off, but "accidentally" tripped and let everything fall and spill down, thankfully not dirtying anything. Amidst a curse in Italian, he glanced at the part of the box that had been ripped off during the accidental fall — The part marked with the skull carving.

All he did was put it in the trash before collecting the rest of the supplies, now taking everything and neatly organizing all the boxes in the storage room. Once done in just a couple of minutes, thanks to his skills acquired from years of being a butler, he readied himself up. Gloves, a mask, and the supplies in hand, all contained in a neat bag that just-so-happened to be the one with the many walkie-talkies inside of it.

Making his way through the corridor with his head held high and nodding at everyone with a friendly greeting as if nothing out of the ordinary had been going on, he made his way to the rooms he was directed at and that he needed to clean. He looked out the window and the clock in one of the walls, watching it mark 1 AM. Unlocking the first door and heading inside, Elio whistled while readying himself to clean it up.

As Ashlyn softly slept while turned to the wall, all the man did was follow along his duties. Dusting off the furniture, cleaning the floor, the bathroom, the walls and the ceiling. While he made sure that everything was neatly organized, he turned to glance at Ashlyn. Resting a hand on her forehead and checking her pulses, he covered the camera's sight of his hand sneaking one of the walkie-talkies below her pillow...

The same actions were repeated for all of the others. Their rooms were spotless, and their pillow held beneath them a surprise for when they woke up the next morning alongside a note left for all of them. As Elio wrapped up his duties, he walked off and glanced at another clock in another wall — 3 AM. He huffed while cleaning some sweat off his forehead, and turning to look at one of the windows, and up at the full moon.

Elio: ["I guess it's a good time for me to take a break..."]

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CRASH!

Y/N peeked inside the window he had just broken with a brick before reaching inside and unlocking the car, stepping inside as quickly as he could after unlocking it. He kept glancing around the place nonstop while doing what he could to hotwire the car, reminding himself of the lessons taught by both Elio and Florentino. The aggressive-red skies made his skin crawl, but he was too focused at the moment.

He pushed away the apprehension or the possibilities of Phantoms away and got to work as best as he could. After he managed to start the car, put himself up and store away the duffel bag, he shot one final glance at the school in which he slept the previous night. Running a hand through his neck and flexing his leg, Y/N kicked off the car in the road, eyes focused ahead while his fingers tightened around the wheel.

Y/N: ["I guess that Florentino was right. A single meal before I slept and after I woke up tonight, and a single night of sleep in this place and I already feel so much better"] He put a hand on his neck, cracking it and rolling it aside, huffing out the strain ["A bit stiff, but definitely better. Now I guess I should hope none of those huge fuckers show up..."] Looking over in the rearview mirror, he watched the school fading into the distance ["Alright, mind on the plan — Go to the same hotel that Florentino booked you a room at, and where you are resting in the real world, and we'll be spending our time in there"] Y/N's eyes narrowed while avoided the cars stopped in the room left and right ["It's not too far off from where the rest is being held up, so spending your nights close by scheming a escape route from the outside will do best, I doubt they expect their target to go to then"]

He looked at his phone being displayed with the same image from before. He stared at the eyes of Ashlyn and Aiden in the picture, narrowing his own and nodding in confidence. The silence was so loud that it felt deafening, especially with the tension crawling in his body and the shiver running down his spine. He could immediately tell that something was wrong, but run away and be a coward is the last thing he'd do.

As he heard the loud screeching echo through the woods and the heavy stomping coming after him, Y/N clicked his tongue in both anger and apprehension. He didn't hesitate, however, to stomp onto the gas and shoot off while glancing in the mirror. There it was, once again coming at him and screeching from the top of its mouth. The inverted head and the massive figure of the centipede monster trying to catch him.

Y/N: ["Not this time, you son a bitch"] Y/N's eyes closed for a moment as before glared over his shoulder afterwards ["You want to get me? Then come and earn it, shithead!"]

He immediately dashed through the empty roads while the centipede only got closer and closer. As they continued on the highway, the creature closed off the distance further and further, so much so that it was ready to stomp onto the car with its sharp claws. However, before it could do so, Y/N slammed the vehicle into the small concrete wall separating lanes in a perfect angle and speed to climb over it.

He held himself in place as tightly as he could while being thrashed around from the movement, having to put in the work and the muscle to get back control of the car after it switched lanes. The creature hissed again while catching up just as fast, only for Y/N to stomp on the brakes and avoid the claw crushing him, moving in the middle of the centipede's legs, and sticking out his arm while dropping out something.

A few seconds afterwards, the explosion of the grenade echoed in the middle of the night, and now every Phantom around was sure to know where Y/N was, but he would deal with that when the it came the time to do so. The centipede monster fell down clumsily after having some of its legs blown off, screeching out loudly once again. With the car spinning out in place, at the point of nearly burning out, Y/N jumped.

Not before he got his duffel bag or put down a brick on the pedal of the car, of course. He didn't even bother to stare at it before breaking the window of another one of the many cars stopped in the highway after jumping over to the other lane again, hotwiring it, and getting inside — He could only hear the explosion of the grenade inside the car, and the car itself that he had just crashed against the creature.

He was quick to bolt from the scene as fast as he could once the other car had been hotwired, glancing over his shoulder at the burning centipede. He just silently hoped that the rest of the travel would be quiet and without interruptions like those again. Every ticking second in the road seemed like an hour, every minute felt like a year. He kept constantly glancing on the mirrors to see if he could spot anything following.

The dark-red sky and the threatening-yellow moon glowing menacingly did little to aid even with its daylight-like shine. It wasn't until Y/N got back to the actual city that he found more, and actual Phantoms, those smile of theirs no longer making him feel apprehensive, especially not with the way he was running them over whenever they were on his path. Once he got to his destination, he needed to be quick again.

Letting the car speed off to drag attention as he ran towards the hotel his real body was staying at, breaking through the window and immediately rushing upstairs. As he did, he tackled one of the Phantoms inside to the wall before he could even react, stabbing its head and tossing the body down. He rapidly ran through the corridor, shooting any other Phantom with the silenced handgun he was carrying around.

Once in the room of his real-life self that he made sure to lock in the regular world, he picked the door open and shut himself inside, immediately barricading the door and setting down the duffel bag. Y/N let out a massive exhale, breathing heavily and sweating buckets from all the nonstop action and the adrenaline still coursing through his veins — But now, with the peace and quiet, he had some time to rest a little bit.

Huffing through tired grunts, Y/N put himself up. He dusted off his clothing, not bothering to check for the tears or cuts he had received from all the crazy shit he pulled, instead, remaining quiet as he set up one of those small telescopes in his room. As opposed to using it to view the stars or the moon, however, Y/N aimed it far on the distance, locking it right against the base that Florentino had mentioned.

Y/N's eyes narrowed and he sat down on the bed where his real life counterpart was resting at. Eyes narrowed, glancing at the weaponry-filled duffel bag, he inhaled, and exhaled, feeling the need to get his mind off of things. Normally he would've gone for a cigarette, but since the blonde had prohibited him from doing so, Y/N needed something else, so, to pass the time, he decided it was a good idea to lay down.

He kept close eye on the door and its barricade after he shut down the window and closed its binds as well. Having laid down, he looked at the walkie talkie he carried with him, tightly gripping it and narrowing his eyes. He rested the thing against his head, and shot one more look at the picture in his phone. Clutching it close to his chest, eyes closed, Y/N felt the tension and the adrenaline building up once again.

Silently, he begged for his plans to work.

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Though softly-blinking eyes, the girl sat up on the bed.

Rubbing the sleep away from herself, and yawning out loud, Ashlyn grumbled when fixing her posture. She never expected a room in this facility of all places to be comfortable, but something was really starting to piss her off. She dug around underneath her pillow until her hands touched something she hadn't felt in a while. Giving it soft tas, she could feel its shape and texture, knowing exactly what it was.

Not only that, but a piece of paper as well, that she sneakily took in her hands and opened, reading it in her head, "There's been one delivered in the room of everyone else. I'm fine and resting in a hotel not too far off where I'll be staying while we plot something. I had Elio drop these off, and he apparently is one of two caretakers that you'll have — Keep the walkie talkie hidden until tonight where we'll chat properly".

Every word that passed only brought the girl even more relief. She remained laying down, not letting her excitement and happiness show, let alone the letter as she hid away from the camera's view. She crumbled it and shoved it back under the pillow one more time before resting with her back on a better position, still keeping the walkie talkie from view. Her baggy eyes finally relaxed as she shut them off once again.

Letting out a long exhale, she felt as if she had been walking her entire life and only now did she ever sit down. Something brought her a warm feeling in her chest even amidst this chaos, and she knew exactly what it was — There was a way out. She wasn't sure after the first few days she had been stuck in here, but now, seeing that Y/N was not only well, not captured, but had Elio working here, she felt much better.

She still didn't know exactly what to make of this place, of what she had been told, aside from the fact that she thought all of it as bullshit. A fungus? Yeah, right. The one thing she knew for certain is that she wanted out with everybody, and now that path had been shown to her. She just hoped that everyone would manage to be sneaky with their respective notes and equipment, but knowing them, it wouldn't be a problem.

The girl remained laying down until a knock on the door was heard and a figure entered. At first, she expected the usual face she had to see with his brown, long hair and mask. Instead, only with the latter as accessories, a familiar face, if not coated in makeup, made its way into the room carrying with him a bag. He sat it on top of the table, and smiled, even if the girl could not see it. Ashlyn was quick to play along.

Elio: ["Good morning, Ms. Banner. I hope you had a good night. My name is Vittorio, and I will be your other caretaker."] She remained silent with an antagonistic face, not saying a word ["I understand your distrust, miss. I hope you rest well"]

Before leaving the room, a glance over his shoulder, he winked at the girl, who mimicked the motion quickly. She looked at the plastic bag that had been set, and pulled out the usual food, but this time, with another note attached to the styrofoam bowl of her food, already neatly placed in the opposite direction of the room's camera. As Ashlyn began to eat, she would occasionally glance down and read a little bit.

"I am planning a escape route from the outside. I can't say exactly what we'll do just yet, but tonight we should talk and figure something out. I also found out that if you sleep and eat in the Phantom World, you'll feel a lot better and heal quicker. I am almost completely over my broken neck and torn leg. As you're reading this, I am probably planning something — I will update you all once the shift happens".

She did not even care that the food tasted bland and boring, she still ate it all with glee, though having to force down her lips as to not smile widely. After she was done and Elio came back to clean her room, the girl sat on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a few more moments, letting her thoughts take over. It's not as if they could talk during the day, so she just laid down and/or walked around the room for a while.

The girl found her thoughts wandering in the distance, trying to come up with ideas to aid their escape, since Y/N was doing the same. Thinking back about it, or rather, about him, Ashlyn let out a tired sigh at being reminded there was something else she needed to figure out — What to say. How to say it. When to say it. Especially in this difficult of a situation, it was extremely hard for her to come up with anything at all.

Deciding that the best way to clear her head would be doing her usual stretching, the girl went back to her unique position, laying with her legs bent in an unusual way, much as she would do back home. But even in this routine she found amidst this situation, her thoughts decided to keep plaguing her. She had to admit to herself that she liked him, and by that, she knew exactly what she meant — The two of them.

The girl recalled back in the hospital to the words that Aiden told her. "You like him too, don't you?". It was obvious he was referring to himself as the other person in the conversation, and Ashlyn found her cheeks blushing red with both anxiety and embarrassment at the thought of that. She knew the three of them sucked with this sort of situation, but she had no idea if they felt the same way that she felt about them.

If anything, at the moment, the girl only kept the spark of this feeling alive because the three were forced together, because otherwise she would've stomped out that ember long ago, but she was also unsure if what this fire needed was more fuel. What if it burnt so much she had no control over it and ended up destroying everything around her? What if she burnt up this amazing fire, only for it to go unnoticed by either, then?

One thing she knew for sure, and it is that, if given the choice, they would most certainly choose one another. She had no idea where these thoughts of self-doubt were coming from, but as much as she tried to chalk it up to her being nervous, they never left. Like an invasive species of weed, the girl kept trimming it only for it to grow back again, and as much as she searched and searched, she never found the roots.

Feeling overly emotive about it would not help, so the girl decided to tackle things logically. She was never particularly big on interacting with people, and she knew that, so maybe this is why she thought that Y/N would go with Aiden and vice-versa? The two of them grew closer, and were a lot more in closer terms than she was with either of them. And, as broken out of his shell as he was, Y/N was sure to prefer him, right?

Sure, Aiden might've sucked at talking to people like the two of them, but he was at least more fun to be around. Outgoing, energetic, and certainly more capable of reciprocating most of what Y/N could do without freezing in place as it would certainly happen to her. With her gaze falling softly, Ashlyn rested her cheek on her knuckles, narrowing her eyes at the ceiling, feeling the apprehension building up in her chest.

Was she even doing a good job as the leader? She thought back to the night in the hospital again where she broke down in front of her father. She did not know why she had to step up and be the one to take lead in this situation, she didn't even know if she was doing a good job at it. Sure, Y/N was alive after the accident, but maybe she should've turned around and searched for him and Tyler when the two fell?

She didn't know if she was suited to be a leader, and the answer only got more obvious the more she thought about it — They had been captured while she was in charge. Whether she was directly responsible or not, it didn't matter, it still happened. So maybe she really wasn't fit for this role, nor the mantle she had bestowed upon herself. Especially not when much-more capable people were present in her group.

Resting her face against her pillow after laying down on the bed again, Ashlyn only got more and more lost in thought while she laid down. Her head was hurting from a splitting headache after finding herself in this place, and sharing the worries and theories alongside her insecurities that pretty much were grabbing her by the face, and screaming right into her head. She already felt as if she was going deaf.

But there was another alternative.

The girl raised her head from her pillow and narrowed her emerald eyes. She felt a strange sensation burning up inside of her, until a decision made itself clear amidst her dark thoughts — If she wasn't fit for the role of the leader, then she just needed to earn it. And she sure as hell would not earn it, let alone the feeling of both boys, by laying in this room and rotting away. She didn't even know why she cared so much!

This entire thing of love and relationships was new to her, something that Ashlyn thought about maybe once or twice before, but never paid much attention to. But one thing was certain, and that thing is that she would never be able to figure out how she truly feel unless they escape from this place, and this is exactly what she intended to do. She would stare at the clock 12 hours a day if need-be, but she would get out.

...

Ashlyn took a deep breath.
Aiden took a deep breath.
Y/N took a deep breath.

Ashlyn exhaled.
Aiden exhaled.
Y/N exhaled.

"Why is this love thing so difficult?!"
The three of them thought.

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

[Published in - 03/16/2025]
[Word Count - 7.240]

So, it took me basically a month to get another chapter down... Yikes. I promise that I'll be more consistent from now on, as it is my plan to finish the second season before June starts, since I have some ideas for writing on that specific month. That, and I've also been enjoying more writing now that I'm going to reset my profile — I wrote this entire chapter in a single, day, took! This is what I do when I'm motivated.

About the profile reset, it's something that I'm going to do because I feel pressured from so many stories, so I'll be getting rid of most of them. Now, rest assured that this story is NOT one of said stories. In fact, I'm only keeping up this story and the Coraline one that I'm updating, while making plans to start a new story soon alongside this one — I won't spoil much, so I hope that you all stay turned to see what I'll cook!

Speaking of, peep the new cover style.
I'm planning of every single cover from now on following this exact format.