━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Chapter 6 ━☂

╰┈➤ ❝ [Ally] ❞

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┊┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫┊ ┊ ✧ ˚.

┊ ⊹ ✽ ⋆ ┊ . ˚

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The vehement clang of the calling bell ringed inside (Y/n) ears, her (e/c) eyes scanning around as she discovered they were four lost children, two of them being Norman and Emma. Glancing over to examine Isabella, (Y/n) secretly smirked as she saw how indifferently content she looked, but if you searched further into her eyes, you would see something definitely strange; suspicion to the highest degree.

Hurriedly looking away from Isabella, (Y/n) stared over as she saw both Emma and Norman exasperatedly rushing towards them, sweat rolling down their faces and into their clean, white clothes.

Looking up to see the gathered group of adolescents, Emma beamed merrily when she saw (Y/n) staring over at her, her tender eyes delivering a pleasant excitement up to her cheeks. Panting heavily, Emma rushed her running as she eventually reached (Y/n), hugging her immediately; and securely.

Wrapping her arms around Emma as well (Y/n) chuckled, beaming down at the girl as she used her right arm to caress Emma's ginger hair. "Why so thrilled to see me?" (Y/n) queried in a teasing humor, this causing Emma to puff her cheeks playfully as she reared her head high to look at (Y/n). "'Cause, you're my Sister! Duh!" Pressing her face onto (Y/n) chest, Emma let out a muffled, content sigh.

Continuing on hugging the clingy Emma, (Y/n) glanced over to where Norman stood, his expression dark as he remained observing the interaction between the two without noticing that he's been spotted. Patting Emma's fluffy hair formerly more, (Y/n) let go of Emma and tenderly nudged her away.

Peering over at (Y/n) in bewilderment, Emma inclined her head, puzzled why her Sister no longer wished to hug her. Sending Emma a cheering smile (Y/n) gestured towards the others. "Go on now, I realize my siblings are a little too energized, and I need someone to pacify them down for me. Will you do that, Em?" Using her nickname, (Y/n) stepped closer towards Emma and offered her best pleading eyes. Seeing this, Emma promptly surrendered and dashed away, already yelling at the minors to come and jump with her.

Letting out a heavy sigh (Y/n) looked over towards Norman, only to see him no longer there, but now beside her. Looking aside from Norman, (Y/n) face shifted as a sour expression passed over her features. 'I understand, so he could estimate something out.' Facing back over at Norman, (Y/n) showed him her signature smile.

"Norman, is there something you wish to discuss? You seem to have a lot on your shoulders, my valuable sibling, so rest some of your burdens on me." (Y/n) requested, shifting her body to face Norman. Nibbling on his lip, Norman tightly grasped (Y/n) hand and led her away from the others and into an arrangement of bushes, sheltering behind them. Norman instructed (Y/n) to do the same as both he and (Y/n) crouched down, making sure that no one could detect them.

Staring at (Y/n) with a serious expression, Norman let go of his lip as he went on speaking in a hushed tone. "Listen, we have little time. I have to be hasty about this, so you have to listen attentively, understood?" Nodding her head at his question, (Y/n) didn't ask questions, as Norman only nodded shortly in approval.

"Now," Pulling (Y/n) closer to his body, Norman leaned his mouth closer towards her ear. "we are in a plantation." Norman exposed as he withdrew away from (Y/n) to look at her reaction, only to get a small smile in response. "What kind of frivolous words have the children reported to you about now? I knew I shouldn't have let Ray tell them bedtime stories, him and his speeches." Chuckling mildly, (Y/n) sobered down as Norman clutched her shoulders securely, a critical look on his face as his pupils dilated.

"You don't understand, Sister! Whenever one of us is shipped out to face our supposedly new family, instead of what we expected it would be, we get murdered! Sold to human flesh-eating demons who preserve our dead bodies and sell us! Mom is working with them, too! They did it to Conny, to Hoa, to Sadie, to everyone! I saw it, and so did Emma!"

"Now, I and Emma are plotting to flee the House along with all other older children and see the unfamiliar world! Sister, all that we need is your-"

"Norman, enough." Forcefully pulling away Norman's hands—which were squeezing too strongly on her shoulders—(Y/n) squinted beyond the bush to see that Mom was gone, the others huddling around a younger child who was sobbing. Getting up from her spot (Y/n) also raised Norman up and drew him along with her as they walked back to the group.

Peeking over at (Y/n) with a baffled expression Norman scanned around, undoubtedly finding Momma no longer with the children to be rather odd. "Sister, why did you silence me?" Norman asked, only for no answer to be given to him as (Y/n) remained silent. Now reaching the other children (Y/n) let go of his hand and went over to the other children who circled her, her iconic smile back on her adolescent face.

Seeing as (Y/n) nodded along to what the children were informing her about one of them going missing, Norman cringed as he heard Emma loudly yelling in his ear his name, her voice serious. "Mom, mom is using tracking devices on us! The pocket watch, it's not that! It's informing her of where we are. Mom purposely presented it to me. It's like she's saying, "No matter who you are, I won't let you escape"!" Emma confided in his ear, the news disturbing Norman.

Both of them froze in slight fear as they saw their Momma and siblings walk past them, their expressions blissful. Putting on phony smiles, they swiftly let it down once Momma was away from them, their expressions mentally distressed.

"Mom is..."

"... an enemy."

Holding a sleepy child in her arms (Y/n) chuckled, her heart racing in excitement as she looked up towards the inhabited window as she saw the figure of none other than Ray. Smiling up at him, (Y/n) delivered him a sly wink as purple thunder struck down, dividing a tree in half.

'Two sides of a different storm clashing against one another. The long-awaited battle for survival and freedom, one of which I've been craving to see ever since a child.' Licking her lips, (Y/n) entered the building as she hugged the child closer, her smile turning sadistic as her (e/c) eyes turned blood red, glowing in the shadowy hallway.

'May thunder be your last judge.'

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

Inside of the House, both Emma and Norman stood at the end of a stairway conversing alone with their only source of light being put a dingy candle at the top corner of the wall. Nightfall could already be seen past the window, as most of the children were already preparing for bed, their minds full of childhood bliss.

"First, let's get our hands on some rope. I have an idea where they might be. I'll see you tonight at 10 in the hallway." Norman briefed her as the both of them started walking up the staircase, only for Emma to seize his arm, halting him in his tracks. "Wait! They have tracking devices on us, so what if they have other stuff; like cameras or listening devices?" Emma disputed in a whisper voice, letting go of his arm as she stared worriedly at Norman.

Norman seemed to be in a sort of stupor as he only shook his head, his eyes never going towards Emma's. "It's alright. I looked around a bit, and there was nothing like that here." Norman assured her, though his voice didn't sound too convincing as it sounded rather ominous. Stunned by what Norman had said, Emma dismissed his eccentric demeanor.

"When did you do that?" Emma asked him, though Norman dismissed her question. Turning away from Emma, a rare expression appeared on his face, as he seemed bitter. "But I should have known. The security measures aren't on the building, but on us." Norman observed as they began walking up the stairs, turning a right as they headed towards their shared room.

"Do you think Mom knows already? That we went all the way to the wall..." Emma questioned him, faltering off at the end as she stared down at her hands, somewhat afraid about what Mom might do to them, and probably on what she might do to her Sister.

"I don't think so. I mean, she didn't know about the other time, either, when we went to deliver Little Bunny." Norman declared, both of them stopped walking in the hallway where Momma and Sister would stick up all of their drawings, ruined and all.

"That's true." Emma agreed quickly, facing Norman as his own body was facing her. "It's not like Mom always knows where we are at all times. She'll know our location only when she checks. Besides, that shouldn't be our current concern as of the moment." Norman revealed this, making Emma stiffen.

"What do you mean-"

"Hey, Norman!" Hastily looking over at who called his name, both Norman and Emma softened as they saw it was only Donny. "Do you have a second? The clock isn't quite working properly." Donny notified him.

"Okay, I'll take a look." Lifting his hands towards Donny, Norman remained on maintaining his eyes on Donny. "It'll be okay, Emma." Norman quickly consoled her, walking past her as he quickly headed with Donny to help him with the clock. Smiling faintly towards Norman, her gaze dropped to the ground as she raised her hand to the place where Conny's picture was hanged, the picture no longer there as the only thing now covering that vacant spot was her plump hand.

"Conny..."

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

After helping the others with their broken clock, Norman walked down the desolate hallway with a practiced smile drawn across his face, his stride brisk. Heels clicked against the wooden-tiled floors as his path was dark; little to no light lighting up the hall.

Reaching the end of the hallway Norman turned a corner, about to call out for Emma's name who has been expecting for him only to pause as she saw who Emma was with; Isabella. Quickly sheltering behind the wall, beads of sweat popped up on his face as a grim expression took over his gentle one, red flags crying out inside of his mind.

Isabella's face was dangerous, eerie, and menacing compared to the ordinary one that she wears regularly. Momma's eyes were dilated, her expression overshadowed by the reduction of light as she pent down to Emma's level, the ginger-haired girl's expression paralyzed as her skin tone turned pale.

"What's wrong, Emma? You look pale." Isabella interviewed, her face rigid. "Which reminds me, you weren't so cheerful this morning." Bringing a hand to Ema's ear, Isabella placed her hand behind it as she stroked it. "That's not..." A moment of excessive silence hovered over the room as Isabella remained looking at her with such eyes, Norman becoming increasingly apprehensive and timid of something stumbling out because of Emma.

Suddenly Emma's expression changed as she flashed her Mom a smile, closing her eyes. "It's nothing. I just got a little sad thinking I'll leave the House soon, too." Emma replied, looking down as she experimented with her fingers, her current expression looking innocent.

Relaxing her face, Isabella's affectionate eyes returned, her friendly smile back on her face as she let go of Emma's ear. "Do you like it here at the House?" Isabella questioned, only to receive an unexpected hug in return. "I love the House and you, Mom! I wonder what Conny's doing right now?" Emma thought to herself, Isabella's cat-like eyes returning.

Hopping away from Momma, Emma stated, "Conny said she wanted to be a mother like you when she grew up." Emma commented, both her and Isabella's expressions soft and warm. "Yes, I know. I'm sure Conny will become a lovely adult, and a good mother-"

"What about a Sister? I suppose little Conny will just have to see what the future sets out for her!" The voice of (Y/n) snapped them out of their staring contest, the pleasant female walking in the middle of them and picking up Emma with a lighthearted smile. "Dinner's ready! Come on, Emma! You know what I said about eating very little, that's why you've been so pale! After this, I'll make sure that you eat lots of food!" (Y/n) chastised her in a playful tone, nudging her nose to her as she looked over towards Isabella and smiled.

"Isabella, your children are waiting for you. Don't disappoint them." (Y/n) declared, the kids eagerly rushing out of their rooms as they hurried towards the dining table. Walking away from Isabella, (Y/n) met up with Norman as all three of them walked down the stairs and headed towards the dining room.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs with no more words coming from Isabella, (Y/n) freed her hand from the mentally exhausted Emma and used it to bring Norman closer to her body, giving him a side-hug.

"Breath, breath Em... it's over, just take deep breaths, alright? I got you, I always got you." (Y/n) whispered in Emma's ear, her eyes concerned as she delicately rocked Emma. Silence followed soon after as (Y/n) grasped Norman's hand, giving him a firm nod. Seeing this, Norman quickly lit up with happiness.

They had a new ally.

Walking away from the stair landing (Y/n) glanced over her shoulder as she saw Ray walking out of his hiding spot, both of their eyes meeting before she gave him a soft smile, looking away soon after. 

𑁍┊𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐀 ˎˊ˗

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⠀⠀┊ ┊ ┊

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⠀⠀┊ ┊ ✫

⠀⠀┊ ⊹ ⋆

⠀⠀┊. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

⠀⠀✧ ⠀

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ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴅᴀʏ/ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇꜱ!

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