𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓯 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓮 ||𝓣𝓟𝓝 𝔁 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏: 𝕬𝖇𝖑𝖆𝖟𝖊

A/N: And another update! I know it hasn't been long since I last updated but I wanted to quickly finish Part 1 before the end of the year and maybe get Part 2 up by next year.

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 11: Ablaze

Start...

It was the night of January 14, the night before Ray's scheduled shipment and birthday. For the past two months, all three of you never talked to each other. You didn't even see each other much except during meals and before bed.

You trudged down the dark hallways, the sound of your crutches hitting against the wooden floor filling the silence around you. The House was quiet like it usually was when night fell. You were probably the only one still awake but Emma's empty bed told you otherwise.

Slowly, you walked down the stairs and down the halls towards the dining hall. You passed by the row of sinks on the way and... the empty cup shelf.

They were already there, you could hear their voices through the door. Pushing on the handle, the door creaked open, revealing your two friends standing in the darkness of the dining hall with only the light from the moon.

Both of them turned to look at you in acknowledgement as you entered the dining hall. "(y/n)," Emma said, giving you a small nod which you returned. "I thought you were asleep."

You shook your head. 'You too,' you returned.

Both of them looked tired, it was evident from the lifeless eyes and dark bags under their eyes. But you probably didn't look any better either. These two months have truly been a stressful time for all three of you.

Ray slammed his book shut, getting your attention. He turned his head, his forest-green eyes staring at you and Emma. For the past two months, all he saw in his friends' eyes were despair and lifelessness, like you had given up. But he knew both of you better than that.

There was a small light, a light of hope that had been hidden from view, quietly burning under the lifeless cover. "Say, you two. You haven't given up, have you?" He asked, a dark look in his eyes.

Giving up, huh... At one point, you truly wanted to give up, to just accept your fate. But you just couldn't. You had promises to keep. And you knew that Emma wasn't willing to surrender either. 'Did you think I was going to give up', was what you saw from her expression. "What about you, Ray?" She asked.

Ray smirked, putting the book down on the table. "So we're always thinking the same thing in the end, aren't we?" He said amusedly. "Pretending to have given up while proceeding with the escape."

"Let's run away, Ray, (y/n)," Emma said. "That's what I came here to talk about." It truly seemed like you shared some kind of telepathetic connection, gathering together in the same place at the same time like this, and for the same reason too. "Perfect then. I wanted to talk to you too," Ray said.

Everything had been a cover. The lifelessness, the despair, pretending like you've given up... everything has been a cover to hide your true intentions, the true plan. Giving up is the last thing on your mind. You weren't going to let Norman's death be in vain.

But it was unfortunate that the three of you weren't able to communicate at all with Isabella constantly watching you but you made it work in your favor.

"Mama is very cautious. Even though we weren't doing anything, Mama never stopped watching us," Emma said before looking at you. "But we were able to use that against her. If she's watching us, that turns her attention away from the others."