HOMEOSTASIS

Chapter XIV

"I'll be the magic story you've been told,
And you'll be safe under my control,
Just let me in (...)"

⦻⦻⦻

They arrived at her house forty minutes later. It was about two in the morning at that point, and everyone had already taken their showers. Both Kate and Tim did the same as soon as they arrived. Man, she almost melted under the hot water that tickled her naked skin. She forgot how good that felt. (The last time the four proxies took a shower, they grabbed a hose from the public park, and pressure-washed each other. In broad daylight. Somebody called the cops, but they fled just in time.)

Liu was awake already. Jane brought him some food they'd saved after stopping by the store, and she never mentioned the cocaine (he would probably turn that house upside down with rage, if he knew about it).

When Kate entered her room, she was met with a view she hasn't seen in quite a while. The whole place was clean, much like the rest of the house. The furniture had been moved to its respective spots, all windows were closed, any drawings or pages that could be scattered around were all cleaned up. It didn't even look like the house she remembers.

"You guys did all of this in so little time?"

Jack nodded, "Yeah, I found out that cleaning can be a good method of relaxation."

Ben chuckled, "What, you're gonna turn zen now?"

None of them questioned the lack of mask on her. They figured it was obvious, so no one pointed it out. Clockwork, for one, sat politely in the middle of the room's floor. Seeing Chaser's face with a smile was more than gratifying. She wouldn't know how good it is to enter a Hellish place that suddenly turned beautiful. "Let's sit down. We did say we were gonna have a sleepover!"

"Aren't you guys tired?"

"Nop. We slept on our way here anyways. Honestly, I miss having sleepovers. Makes me feel young."

"Besides, we have a week. We have time. But we should really try to come up with a plan for Sally."

"As long as we keep thinking about her, we're already in a good path." Masky finally arrived at the room after his shower, hair still wet and wild. It's not like they had shampoo or anything, so he took about two minutes to shower. He sat next to Hoodie on Kate's bed, pulling her to seat in front of him on the floor. "Also, I have a good idea of who it might be, but which one of you brought booze?"

Jeff shifted uncomfortably and whined like a kid throwing a tantrum. "You're no fun at all. What do you do when you're stressed?!"

"I have a hobby, like a normal person."

"A hobby? That's lame. What is it?"

He sighed.

Eh. Might as well.

"I keep a diary. Always liked to write and read."

"Ooh! A diary! Now that's mysterious."

Jack moved his mask just slightly, "It's ironic to think how all of us had dreams, at one point. I know I've always wanted to be a surgeon."

"Technically, you're half way there." Toby said, "What happened to you?"

They are having a good moment- the eleven of them. What worth would it be if they told their stories? It's true that they feel closer with each other than with anybody else, probably because they're not so different from one another. It's funny when they think of it. The people they should be protected from, became some sort of comfort. When the world didn't receive them with open arms, those four proxies did.