Lovers of Freedom

Chapter 3: No Time

AN:
Before the chapter starts I wanna thank my wonderful reviewers daisyroxsox, HxppyLxttleMC, XxRainbowRosesxX, minecraft_weirdo, ButteredPotato, MoonMist55, GeorgeTheUnigiraffe, bloxiegirl123, Akillercamel!!! You guys are wonderful, please keep up all the support! =)

Music tip:
House Rockerz ft. Tiemo Hauer – Schläfst du schon
(look at the beginning of the chapter!)

Lovers of Freedom

Chapter 3:
No Time

"How long?"

His voice broke and his free hand clenched his jeans. It just took Mr. Murphy a few seconds to reply, but to Mitch it felt like a whole lifetime. This was his life – everything. Since Jerome and he had begun to record videos for a living, Mitch always tried to do everything he could to keep the channel up and running. He earned money with it, money that he actually needed for his flat and food. While others went to college or started their career in another business, Mitch had continued to do videos. Up until now it had always worked out – but now the only thing that he had absolutely no control over suddenly seemed to ruin everything.

The hand of his father on his shoulder spent him comfort and in a desperate moment he grabbed it with his free hand. If he was really going down he could use every helping hand. As Mr. Murphy finally raised his voice again he expected the worst and didn't anticipate the following words at all.

"That actually depends on you, Mr. Hughes."

The unforeseen revelation hit Mitch completely unprepared and confused he simply replied, "What?!"
"You see," the smug voice began and Mitch could hear the armchair squeak in the background, as Murphy leaned back. "My bosses don't like to see gameplay videos on platforms like YouTube and now that Microsoft actually bought Minecraft you are sadly a thorn in their sides."

Up until now it sounded really bad.
As his father motioned Mitch to finally tell him what the call was about, he pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket and opened up the first thing he could think of. Twitter. As expected the side was overflowing with information. He gave the mobile phone to his father and listened, as Murphy continued, "But you are very famous nonetheless, as well as some other youtubers. So they decided to make a deal with you."

A deal.
It was not enough to give Mitch what he needed to know, but there was one thing he was certain of.
"Now let me guess what this deal is about: I have to upload what you want, I have to comment the way you prefer it and I have no right to have a say in it!" The anger was getting the better of him and to get rid of it he got up from his seat on the sofa. As he paced through the room he noticed his mother coming in, but before she could voice a question, his father waved her over and showed her the phone. Great.

"Exactly."
The reply made him laugh out loud, but his tone was filled with sarcasm when he answered, "Wonderful. And what in the world makes you think that I want to be your bitch?"
His aggressive answer wasn't taken as lightly as Mitch had thought and the superior and intimidating voice made him freeze on the spot.

"Because, Mr. Hughes, it's the only way for you to get your precious Team Crafted back together."

The minutes before had been nothing.
The shock hit him so hard that Mitch wasn't even able to think of what to say. The man had to be lying. No one could achieve something as impossible as a reunion of their precious group. Never. No one. The silence filled seconds passed by without a sound and for a moment Mitch forgot his parents in the room. His voice was barely audible, as he put his free hand over his eyes and finally answered, "You can't. Trust me."

Mr. Murphy's determination didn't waver for a second, when he continued, "Believe me, Mr. Hughes, they will come. They have no other choice – it's either that or nothing at all in an hour. And without the whole team – without you – every single one of them is ruined."
The threat was real, but what did Mitch expect? This was about a whole company, which was so much more powerful than the team could ever be. They could do nothing against them. For a moment Mitch saw it all as absolutely hopeless, until a certain thought stuck in his mind:

"...to get your precious Team Crafted back."
Murphy was so much better than Mitch had anticipated.
His only weak spot... the team. The guys. Their wonderful times together. Adam.
It wasn't the right way – not at all; he should fight back and resist him to set an example for everyone else out there. Nonetheless he couldn't bring himself to do the right thing and for a moment he felt as bad as back then, when he had made such a huge mistake as well. A mistake that had resulted in the end of Team Crafted.
But Murphy was his only chance to get a piece of his soul back that he was missing ever since.

Big raindrops began to fall and beat against the window to his right. His only chance. He had to grab it.
Slowly he took his hand from his eyes, glared at the floor and then put his hand on his neck, before he replied with an indescribable tone in his voice.
"What do I have to do?"

The answer of Mr. Murphy was unmistakable. A short glance at his watch told him that he had to leave now to make it on time.
Without ending the call properly Mitch threw the phone onto the couch, picked up his own mobile phone and ran out of the room. He had not thought about his parents' reaction though, who were at his heels immediately. "What the hell is going on? Mitch?" He reached his room a second later and opened the suitcase that was still lying on the ground beside his bed. "Don't you have guests right now?" he tried to get rid of them, but they were as persistent as Mitch.

"Your sisters can take care of them for a few minutes."
"What about the rain?"
"They'll manage tha- Why are you packing your things?!"

His mother stepped forward as Mitch threw a pair of shoes back into his suitcase, but before she could unpack his stuff again he closed the lid. "Can't talk about it," Mitch finally replied cryptically and avoided their gazes. "You actually know what it's about. Just let me go. I have to take care of that!"
His mother stayed silent and crossed her arms with a frown on her face. Mitch tried to escape the guilt and to flee through the door, but his father continued to stand persistently in the doorway. "Dad please," he began with a pleading tone and a sigh. His father didn't even blink. "You're not going anywhere. Explain everything. Now."

"I really can't!"
"What did he say to change your mind so abruptly?"
"Dad please, just leave it alone."
"Had it something to do with you being so different this morning? Or all those other days I'm not going to talk about?"

"Oh my fucking god, yes! Yes, exactly that's the reason, okay?! Are you satisfied now?"
All the questions finally made him explode and with a raised voice he screamed back at his father. His hands were shaking and he clenched his fists – the pent-in anger, built up over the last weeks and months, was released even though it hit the wrong persons. He couldn't stop, not now.
"They're going to ruin us all, if I'm not partaking in this and I'm not doing that to the guys! Not since I already-" Mitch stopped himself just at the right time, but the damage was already done. The sympathetic look in his father's eyes made the guilty feeling deep inside of him even worse and without looking back up, he pressed himself past his father and out of the room. "Mitch, please wait-" his mother started and they began to follow him again.

"You'll soon find out what's going on, trust me."
His voice sounded cold, but it didn't hide the fact that it was shaking horribly.
While he tried to collect his thoughts, he rushed down the stairs and to the front door.

"God, Mitch, we are your family, not your fans! Just talk to us, please!"
His father was desperate and it became harder for Mitch to continue his way. But he had to. Murphy had said so himself. "Oh, one last thing Mr. Hughes. No one is going to hear something about this, not even your family. Otherwise there'll be consequences for you and for them."

"I'm sorry. In this case it makes no difference."
The words reached their target and his parents stopped for a moment.
It was enough time for Mitch to throw his luggage in the back of his car, get onto the driver's seat and speed off.

Mitch would do everything to have just one happy day with his former friends again.
Even if he had to give himself up to the lions called Microsoft.