Thousand Man Pin [Made in Abyss Fanfiction]

Chapter 2

Nimi hid in her room, praying to the depths that she had got away. She waited to hear the gunshot that ended the Director. She waited for Ponhan to kick down her door and for Meleka to strangle her with those great big hands. She shouldn't have returned to her room. She should have ran into the town, or the slums, or her hideout in the woods. Far far away from those two. They were bad people. Dangerous people.

But the gunshot never came. And her door stayed closed. But they saw her, the Director saw her. But maybe she didn't recognize her. She had her hood up, and they mostly saw her back, with only a swinging glance at her face as she climbed the rope. She had dressed in a ragged grey shirt and brown pants - common clothes among the orphans. It could have been any one of them.

Still, she changed from into her favorite blue dress to be safe. She brushed her hair until it shown sleek and shiny, as if she had lain in bed all day after breakfast. Specks of blue ink covered her cloak and hands. She hid the cloak deep under her bed. Her hands were harder. She'd sneak over to the bathroom and washed up when things calmed down, but for now she put on her thick leather cave raiding gloves. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths.

Calm. You had to remain calm and level headed in the Abyss. Emergencies should have the same relaxed mindset as everyday life. That was how you survived and grew in rank and eventually became a white whistle. Nimi took deep breaths and counted, just like she was taught. She didn't even realize she had been sha ng until the flow of breath washed the tremors away.

Nimi opened her eyes. She sat on her bed with the box. It felt heavier now, saddled with the weight of her escape. The sandalwood smelled like the incense burned at funerals. She slid it open and found, lain in red velvet, a pin.

Scary. The word leapt into her mind. The top of the pin looked like a flat engraved metal diamond, only a bit bigger than her thumb. Three evil looking spikes jutted out, a big spiny one in the middle and two smaller hooked ones around it. Nimi expected a hairpin from what she heard, but it didn't seem the right shape to hold hair together. And if she used it as a pin for her clothes it would destroy them with those spikes. It reminded her of a fishhook, like something made to go into flesh and imprison it, never letting go.

Nimi shuddered and closed the box. A knock sounded at the door. Nimi slipped the box into her dress.

"Who is it?" she called, hoping her voice didn't sound too high.

"It's me, I need to ask you something." Leader's voice sounded from outside the door.

"One sec!" she called. Nimi slipped the box through the cut in her mattress. It nestled up against all her other small stolen things. Low grade relics, high grade equipment, a stray book and the Director's favorite bowl. Nimi opened the door.

"Yes?" she asked.

Leader stared down at her. Leader always looked like he knew you were up to not good and that no lie could convince him otherwise. Nimi could never tell if he was really suspicious or if that was just how his face looked.

"The Director's office has been broken into. Do you know anything about this?"

Nimi looked down. Did he already know she was there? Did the Director recognize Nimi and tell, despite her hood and the Director being sprawled on the floor? She steeled herself and gambled with false innocence.

"Whaaaaaat? It was broken into? When?"

"Just now, a few minutes ago. Did you see anything, or hear anything?"

Nimi shook her head. "No, I was in my room the entire time. Just laying on my bed." She kept her head down. It was easier to lie to Leader if she didn't have to look at him. She could sneak well enough to hide her presence. Hiding the truth was harder.