Hope (Enoch O'Connor x Reader)

Chapter 4: A whole new world, with only one thing here to see!

After breakfast, I walk out into the garden, following the laughter of the other children. Emma walks beside me, keen to show me the joys of her loop which she has seen on repeat for the last however-many years.   

We start off by playing tea parties with Claire. I guess for a little girl, pretending to have tea in plastic pink cups with the mute twins would be entertaining, but little girls grow up. Maybe not literally will Claire, or anyone here for that matter, actually grow up, but maybe, I don't know, get sick of playing tea parties and making flower crowns in the garden after a while. Although apparently not. Whatever floats her boat, it's a free country. More or less, a free island, whatever!

After a while, we leave Claire and the twins to and go see Horace, Hugh and Milliard. They are playing soccer using what appears to be a homemade goal. I wonder who would have made the goal to fill their endless day of sunshine.

"Do you guys want to play with us?" Asks Hugh, looking at Emma and I with hopeful expressions.

"Hmm. I don't know..." Says Emma with a cheeky smile.

"Oh come on, please?" Begs Milliard, looking at us with what I imagine would be a pleading look, but how would I know? He's invisible, for God's sake! "Horace won't play with us because he's afraid he'll rip his ugly-looking clothes!"

"I said I'd be the referee!" Horace defends. "Isn't that enough? And seriously? Still insulting my fabulous suit? You're just jealous because you can't fit into these beautiful masterpieces called fine clothes, Milliard! Just because you're invisible doesn't mean I can't see your fat ass!"

"Hey, I'm not fat! I run around and play soccer every day. Look, I'll prove it!" Milliard runs up to me. "Y/N, can you give me a hug to prove to Horace that I'm not fat?"

"How does that prove you're not fat, exactly?" I question.

"Um... ur... because... hmm... BECAUSE that means that you can fit your arms around me so that means I am not fat!!" Milliard says.

"You calling me short arms?" I say, pretending to be angry and offended.

"Um NO, whaaat, why did you think I did that—OHHH!" I cut him off and give him the hug he oh so desperately wanted. I think he even hugs me back a little.

"Okay." I say as I let go of Milliard. "Horace, we have just proven that Milliard is not fat, so his ass would fit into your 'beautiful masterpieces called fine clothes' by the results of our accurate scientific experiment. And yes, Emma and I will play soccer."

"I'll be on Hugh's team." Says Emma with a mischievous smile towards me. I give her a funny look and mouth, what? to her, but she ignores me and the game begins.

"First team to get a point wins!" Yells Horace. "GO!"

I run up and start to dribble the ball to the goals. Emma gets in front of me and I pass the ball to Milliard. He runs, shooting towards the goal. Surely nothing's gonna stop this kid! But Hugh opens his mouth and a small swarm of bees fly out and envelop Milliard, buzzing around his face, crawling all over his body. He slows down, trying to swat the little nuisances away, when Hugh kicks the ball away from Milliard and straight to Emma. "Stop cheating Hugh!" Milliard yells as Emma dribbles the ball towards our goal. I race to get to her but she kicks the ball straight into the goal.

"SCORE!!" She yells, looking to Horace for confirmation that her team won. Horace, however, hasn't been watching the game at all. Instead, he has been drawing new suit designs in a notebook.

"I didn't see the goal so no point is awarded." Horace states, very matter of factly.

"Well, maybe if you weren't drawing, you would have seen us smash them in the greatest game of soccer the world has ever seen!!" Hugh shouts.