Abridged Ties (Gilbert x OC)

Negdügeer

Gilbert eagerly awoke early in the morning and quickly prepared two meals.  He made sure that he still had the small silver key in his pocket and set off towards the isolated girl's room. He quietly unlocked the old blue door and went inside of the peculiar white room.

The young girl sat upright when he arrived and blinked in surprise.  "It's you again..." She said, almost astonished at the fact that he brought her food again.

"Good morning."  The boy smiled and sat both trays of food on the small white table.  "Do you mind if I join you this morning?"

She looked at the small clock sitting on the table, almost as if she had to assure herself that it was morning.  "Of course..." She trailed with an element of confusion in her small voice.

"You sounded unsure of yourself.  I can leave if you want me to."

"Oh, no!" She shook her head, allowing her thick curls to bounce around her shoulders.  "I wasn't exactly sure if it was morning or not.  I haven't seen the sun or moon in two years."

Gilbert felt sympathy for her, pitying that she hadn't left the room for that long of a time. The two then became silent as they began to eat.

For another hour, Gilbert and the unnamed girl made idle conversation.  The young boy tried stifled his curiosity, understanding that the girl may have not been comfortable with all of the questions, yet he still had a few more that he couldn't refrain from asking.

"Why do you remain locked in here? Why don't you just leave?"  While his questions could have been perceived rather harshly, he spoke with a kind softness.

The girl sighed in defeat.  "Even if I knew how to get out, I promised I'd stay here.  The previous Glen said it was very important."  She then smiled, but her wide grin wasn't joyful as she tried to hide her tears.  "I'll only be around for a little while longer anyway."

Gilbert responded with an 'oh' as he didn't want to pry further into her pain.  Reluctantly, he then left her room.

And he returned later that afternoon to share another meal with her.  Her smile was beaming when she saw that it was him at the door again.  Again, the two chatted over their food until Gilbert was sparked with an idea that could potentially change both of their lives.

"Hey, do you want to come see the sunset?"  He asked excitedly.

The girl's violet eyes widened with eagerness, but soon, they were overcome with depression.  "I can't leave, though."

"We won't leave, we'll just go outside for a bit.  Glen won't find out."  Gilbert grasped onto her hand tightly, beginning to pull her from the white room.  But her heals were dug into the ground, preventing her from being pulled. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared." She answered honestly, the fear clearly presented in her eyes.

"You don't need to be scared.  I'll keep you safe." The boy assured with an eager smile.  "I promise."

With that, the girl allowed him to lead her outside.  The reached one of the many magnificent gardens of the Baskerville mansion just as pink, orange, and yellow hues began to appear in the colors of the sky.  The sun had become a fiery orange ball that was sinking lower and lower, just until the horizon began to appear like a blanket being folded over the light.

The amazed young girl sat on the grass beside Gilbert, who lazily lied down and watched the sky.  While it was exciting and exhilarating for the girl, he found it calming and peaceful. Yet in that moment, he became more determined than ever to succeed Glen. Once that happened, he could save this suffering girl from her isolation and loneliness.

"Thank you so much, Gilbert." She said happily.  "For everything."

"Everything?" He questioned, unsure of exactly how much he had influenced the girl.  "What do you mean?"

"For bringing me food, keeping me company, and showing me the sunset..." She lied down beside him, now watching each of the stars become visible in the dark, velvety sky.

"Do you like my company?"

The girl nodded.  "I haven't spoken to anyone since the previous Glen..." Her voice trailed.  "So, thank you very much!"

The night hid Gilbert's blush effectively as the two of them laid there for another hour or so.  After, he led her back to the isolated white room, only to continue visiting her the next day.

And that continued for the next few months: Gilbert would visit the girl when he brought meals.  He would eat with her and they would sneak out to watch the sunset.

Until they were caught.

"Why did you leave?! Why did you disobey me?!" The Oswald 'Glen' demanded an answer as he effortlessly tossed her into her lonesome room.

"Glen, please stop!" Gilbert cried from behind him as the older man approached the young girl again.  "She didn't do anything wrong! She wasn't leaving!" He tried to defend.

The girl's eyes were focused on the ground, desperately trying to avoid meeting the man's angry purple gaze. She also tried to stifle the tears in front of the man.

"Leave, Gilbert.  This has nothing to do with you." He growled.

"It has everything to do with me! I'm the one who took her to the garden in the first place! Don't be angry at her, please!" The boy cried as he tried to intervene.  But Glen raised a strong arm to keep the smaller boy from passing in front of him.

In a seemingly gentle manner, Glen lifted the girl's pale face between his thin fingers and looked into her watery violet eyes.  She anxiously held her breath, but as soon as she breathed out, his hand collided with her cheek harshly, the force pushing her down the tiled floor.

"No!" Gilbert screeched, finally stepping in front of the crippled girl, who still refused to shed a tear.

"Let us go, Gilbert." Glen said in a low, disapproving voice.

The boy hesitated, looking down at the young girl.  Yet, he slowly followed Glen out of the white room with a sorrowful walk when he received an almost deadly glare.

When Gilbert retired to his bedroom, he wasn't able to bring himself to sleep.  In the early hours of the morning when surely no one would be awake in the Baskerville manor, he ventured to the isolated hallway yet again. After all, he was the one that held the key to the girl's room.

He found her curled into a small ball on the rough white sheets of her thin bed.  She sounded as though she were asleep, but he knew the girl well enough to know that she wasn't sleeping.

She jerked upright when she heard the sound of his footsteps, meeting him with scared eyes.  Slowly, her demeanor softened.  He sat on the bed beside her with a sad expression.  "I'm sorry." He murmured softly.

Even in the dim light, he could see the tears that began to slip down her cheeks, where one was still reddened from the impact of Glen's hand.  And then, she cried.

The girl fell onto Gilbert's shoulder with defeat, trying to keep her crying as quiet as possible.  Slowly but surely, the boy hugged her and stroked her thick, dark locks.

"I'll save you from this.  I promise." He assured just before her body relaxed and fell into a much needed sleep.

For a few more weeks, Gilbert visited the girl for meals in secrecy.  They had decided that for the time being it would be safer to stay inside of the room, not leaving to see the sun or moon again.

Until one particular morning that Gilbert brought her breakfast.  He unlocked the door, wearing a smile to greet her.  Yet when he entered the room, she wasn't there.

It was as if any presence of her was gone.  She couldn't have left because the door was still locked.

She had just... disappeared.