**UNREFINED/TEST** TPN X READER

Chapter 3 (?)

Publishing this probably like a year later... I rediscovered this recently, and it's actually surprisingly good!

A little rough OFC, but I really like the concept...

So anyways, I might start rewriting this because I actually have motivation for it, unlike ritpn & the rewrite atm...

Anyways, enjoy this little old chap I never got around to publishing!!

-----

"Congrats, [Y/N], Norman! Both of you got full scores!" Isabella cheered exitedly, handing out the results once again. As [Y/N] picked up the paper she noticed, in small, barely legible printing, '8:00 pm' [Y/N] looked up to the woman and nodded in response before tucking the sheet into her pocket.

"Wow, Y/N!!" Emma exclaimed excitedly. "You should come study with us today!! I want to get better, after all!"

Yin hummed. "What was your score?" She asked curiously. Emma grinned.

"240!!"

"Hmm? You've improved considerably."

"But I still haven't caught up to you!"

[Y/N] smiled slightly. "You will in good time."

-----

"So, what should we play today-!!" Emma asked the quad of 4-year olds. "You'll play with us too, right Ray?"

The ravenhead paused, glancing down to the book in his hand. "...maybe." He responded.

"Then what do you think we should do, Emma?" Norman asked cheerfully.

The ginger girl hummed, tapping her chin. "You know-" She giggled excitedly, pulling out a bright blue ball from behind her. "I brought out a ball today! We should play with it!"

"Okay!" Norman agreed.

"...sure." Ray hummed, tucking his book under his arm.

"And [Y/N]?" The green eyed girl asked, turning towards [e/c] eyes expectantly.

"Okay." [Y/N] nodded.

"Alright!! Ready..." Emma hummed before kicking the ball away. "Let's go!"

As the other children began chasing the ball, [Y/N] turned back and met the purple eyes of the watching woman, before chasing after the others.

----

The air was humid and still as the four children crept quietly through the tall grass, brushing gently against their calves as four pairs of small, brown shoes trudged towards the forbidden place, although enticed by the otherworldly sight that lay in front of them, a blue ball forgotten a while away.

"This... what is it?" The curious green eyed ginger asked, eyes wide in curiosity as she gripped the tall metal bars that blocked their continued exploration of the unknown.

"It's a gate." The ravenette explained, [e/c] eyes glancing towards him as he spoke. "Something that connects the inside and outside." Ray spoke as if reciting from an encyclopedia.

"The outside, eh?" Emma asked curiously as [Y/N] crept a little closer, barely amused by the familiar sight. "We've never been there before." Emma hummed, her emerald eyes continuing to stare across to the other side of the gate, wondering what lie in wait on the other side, just past the darkness they couldn't see through. Could she find out one day?

"That's because we've been here ever since we were born." It was the softspoken white-haired boy's turn to speak now, his deep sapphire eyes meeting an [e/c] pair as he momentarily glanced towards [Y/N], who deliberately kept her expression blank.

"Oh yeah, Mama told us before, didn't she?" The cheerful ginger smiled as she leaned into the gate, as if she could reach the other side just by leaning in a little further. "Don't go near the gates or fences deep in the forest," Her eyebrows drew together in effort as she spoke, attempting to imitate the warning tone of their mother. "-they're dangerous."

"She's obviously lying to us." Ray stated as he stared into the gate, wearing a look that seemed as if he could see right past the darkness and straight into the darkness. Although his suspicious face was barely apparent under the appearance of uninterested, it did not go unnoticed by a certain [e/c] eyed girl.

"You think?" [Y/N] hummed, all eyes turning to her as she entered the conversation at last, her, [e/c] eyes trained onto the gate in front of her.

"Hey, [Y/N]-!!" Emma exclaimed, leaning towards the [h/c] girl. "What would you wanna do if you could go outside?"

The [e/c] eyed girl hummed, glancing up to the sky. "I'd... like to see my brother again, I think." She watched the black-haired boy's reaction from the corner of her eye, observing how his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What about you, Ray?" The ginger asked, oblivious to the barely-detectible tension in the air.

"No idea." The boy spoke in response, his gaze finally breaking from the [h/c] girls, who continued staring at the sky, processing her thoughts.

"What about you, Emma?" [Y/N] asked despite herself, breaking her gaze from the bright sky.

"I wanna ride a giraffe!" The ginger exclaimed exitedly, turning back to the gate.

Ray raised an eyebrow and turned away from the gate, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Good luck with that." he huffed, leaning against a bar.

There was a moment of silence before the blue eyed boy spoke once again, reaching up to grip onto the bars that lay in front of him. "I wonder... just what exactly this gate is protecting us from?"

[e/c] eyes glanced away from him and back towards the tall gate, not a single flash of curiosity on her face, as she already knew the contents of the outside world.

"...We should head back before mother starts worrying." [Y/N] spoke quietly, turning away from the gate.

"Yeah!" Emma cheered, skipping after her. "Maybe if we hurry, we can fit in a few more games of tag before dinner!"

[Y/N] glanced behind her as she picked up the bright blue ball, well aware of the two gazes that lay on her from the direction of the gate as the two boys watched her leave for a moment before following after. But [Y/N] bristled slightly, not because of their gaze. But because there was a 3rd pair once again.