Lucas became surprisingly stern for the preparation.
The man's persona made a 180° degrees turn. The usual soft, calm demeanor disappeared like bubbles in the air, Lucas had the absolute order, sternly commanding children and such. Yet his endearing face betrays every firm, unforgiving ordains.
It was pleasant but odd, in a sense that whatever they were preparing was for someone childish, playful or someone who had somekind of unnamed metal illness.
Lucas ordered for an unoccupied room, wide, and lightless. A room of one windows and walls.
The children painted it white then out of nowhere, Lucas repainted it with glow-in-the-dark. That was pecular in all means, the room doesn't even have any source of lighting. Lucas smiled proudly when the paint dried, quite satisfied with himself.
Okay, that was understandable, perhaps. If it could get any weirder the second order took a step: A white carpet. It was wide and laid in the middle of the room.
The third was pillows. All colors available for pillows were bought into the room, they even had to dye most of it to make some sort of assortment of colors. It was arranged like a fort, some kind of comfort base. Yet, Norman didn't question.
A small table with a compartment is also bought into the room, on top of it are 2 empty notebooks, pen and pencil in a penholder, and a stack of paper.
Ray had quirked a curious brow.
"I don't seem to understand this preparation." Vincent voiced, after one day of working things out.
Lucas akwardly laughed. "Me neither, it's like the Boss was bringing some children with him or something." Lucas fluffed a pillow.
"Don't worry, we're almost done. Just one more thing on our checklist then thats it." Lucas reassures with a small smile.
Vincent made no reply.
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Two days passed and on the third day, Lucas was to make a feast but it was in no way any food is included.
"On the third day i'll come, You are to build two great poles parallel to eachother. Make it with the sturdiest material on the house, though i'd prefer it much more with the ancient trees like those of the foundation of the place."
Lucas shivered at the thought of disappointing the boss. This was not a request. When the boss said 'I'd prefer it', he meant he wanted it like that. He needed it like that, no room for retorts.
Hence, everything and everyone was put to work. The poles were done, it was as tall as the highest buildings known to the children, thanks to Adam's and Zazie's super human strength, it was standing on the ground.
"Will this be enough?" Gilda said, passing out towels for all those who were sweating waterfalls.
"I can't tell." Don replied, looking over Lucas who was chugging water on his throat.
Lucas was then taken to a conversation by Yuugo who frowned indignantly to the other man.
The two left, whispering aggressively to eachother. The children made no move to stop the two adults as they seemed to be in a heated debate.
"Did something went wrong?" Anna asked to no one in particular.
"The least we can do is hope that it is alright and nothing went shit." Ray answered, turning his back from his siblings and trudged inside their house.
"Thats not very reassuring... " Violet comments as she tucks a short lock behind her ears.
"Are they fighting?" Don says.
"No, they are flirting. Let's wait until it stops." Oliver nonchalantly said, wiping off his sweat.
"Oliver!" Gillian hissed. "This isn't the best time to joke!" She screeched.
"It's better than having everyone anxious about some old man being pissed!" The boy made a run to the house.
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"Isn't that enough?!" Lucas furrows his eyebrows, agitated.
"We need it perfect! We push our luck on this! Do we dare to defy him?!" Yuugo clenches his jaw, trying to control his voice.
"He wants everything we can offer, and this! This is what we can offer!" Lucas finally exclaims.
"But we can do better, we have to do him a favor here! We had to----"
Lucas slapped Yuugo across the face.
"Why are you so bothered about this?" Lucas murmurs, sighing deeply at his words.
"We... Owe him so much." Yuugo's voice almost breaks.
"He... He got you Alive, he made me survive. All children were safer, hidden from the demons eyes." Yuugo puts a hand over his chest and clenches it with his clothes.
"We had to pay him back!" The man bursts.
"We had to show him what we can do! We are no hindrance! We are humans, we can do what he does, and prove our worth!" Yuugo continues, pain oozing from every syllables of his words.
"He demands not a payment Yuugo, but a home." Lucas says in his comforting tone. Soothing Yuugo's back in the process.
"I've known him longer than you did, i knew what he will say." Lucas opens his arms to hug Yuugo.
"I don't want him to be a god Lucas." Yuugo says near the other male's ear.
"I don't want him to suffer worse than i did." Yuugo choked out.
Lucas knows they both don't get to decide that.
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The overdue arrival had finally come to a close in the most gruesome way possible.
It came with a heavy, dragging noise, as though something kept on scraping the nature floor harshly.
Everyone was all eyes and ears. They were frozen stiff and tense.
The boss was fast approaching.
But upon all surprise, they had to witness some gore.
A man with a white cape and demon mask walked inside the hide's entrance with a demon at hand.
Archduke Lewis??!!
The children from goldy pond gaped. The other children scurried away, turned their heels for their houses to take refuge. Hurrying on their pace, footing almost slipping in panick.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Ray demanded angrily, getting his gun and bullets ready.
A bunch of humans emerges from behind the assumed Boss. Two girls, one with an eye patch and dogs and the other carrying a bat with spikes. A boy was chewing on the insides of his cheeks walks beside the two girls.
The girl with the bat snarls at Ray and the Boss hushes her down.
"Relax Barbara." A high pitched voice chirps. "Ray is just wary of you."
The boss turned his head to Lucas who bows his head and Yuugo quickly dips his.
"Rope." The boss started, gaze never leaving the man.
"Y-yes!" Lucas jumped to his feet and gathered some rope.
Lucas handed the rope to the boss and all spectator watcged as the boss tied the demon on the pole.
Ray shuts his jaw and aims the gun towards boss.
"Why did you bring a demon here?" Ray asked, his tone dangerously low.
"It's dead." Barbara regretfully hungs her head low.
The boss laughs, taking everyone aback.
Lucas swears he never heard of the boss laugh, neither Yuugo.
"Oh! It all seems so real." The boss descended into chuckles.
So the boss removes his mask, white hair tips visible but the unmistakably familiar vibrant orange hair overlapped it's existence.
It was Emma.
The green eyes were lifeless but it was there, shining before them.
Norman felt his heart go cold and his eyes stung.
Ray's system crashed, his gun falling miserably on the ground.
Gilda made a voiceless gasp.
Anna teared up.
Don scrunched his nose and Nat trembled as he cried.
All the other kids trembled on their feet.
But that wasn't it, it may have been Emma but her smile was devoid of any emotion.
"Are they real?" Emma says to the girl with the eye patch excitedly.
The girl nods.
"Ehhhhhh!~" Emma slurs on her words.
Emma takes striding long steps to Norman and Ray while everyone was too stunned to react to anything. She pulled them to a hug.
"They were warm!" The girl giggles and hugs the two boys tighter.
"Emma...?" Norman said, breaking his stunned status.
"Whoa, whoa. Hold up!" Emma jerks away, shrieking.
"Ayshe!" She screamed.
"It's talking!" Emma exclaims, eyes wide in joy.
"Are they real? Are they real?!" Emma chants, louder each time.
Ayshe frowned and Barbara smiles nervously but neither of them tried to affirm with the question thrown at them, they knew better than to do so.
"It looks real... " Emma muttered, uncharacteristically quieting on her words. She poked Norman's hair and tried to move Ray's bangs.
Ray felt his tears flow out of his onyx orbs, he was being caressed by Emma but the touch was different, it wasn't loving. It looked like Emma was touching a cloud. Thin as mist and vanishing as she touches it.
Emma scowled.
She recoiled, but it was from pain.
"Ahhh... " She groans, holding her sides.
Blood splutters from her mouth, and she coughs it up.
Anna was fast to grab a hold of her.
"Emma!"
Emma shoves her away.
Anna stumbled backwards, confused, hurt and pained.
Emma undid the ribbon of her cape. She started stripping articles of her upper clothing.
"Wait! Emma!" Norman frantically reaches out to Emma but he was too, shut down when Emma slapped his hands away. She hissed at him.
Emma let out a strained groaned.
Emma removed herself from her green jacket and revealed a black tank tops.
Two holes were on her sides, blood gushed forth from it. Droplets painting the ground in vivid crimsom.
"Ah, it hurts." Emma curses. Attempting to put pressure on her wound.
"Ayshe! Get it!" Emma yells and Ayshe obliges in haste, handing over a syringe.
"Is my room ready?" Emma says to Lucas who had his eyes blown wide from all shock and unexplainable regret rippling on his system. He was hurt and pained.
Lucas nods his head vigorously.
Lucas leads Emma to her room. He watched her enter the room and got the door slammed to his face.
He didn't move back, he stared at the door in front of him.
He hears a series of painful shrieks, screeches and screams from the inside, it was followed by loud whimpers.
All children behind him, hearing the same horror.
What happened to Emma? Scratch that. What is happening to Emma?
Yuugo broke the door of the said room.
"Look whose dead." Another laugh fills the air.
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Early update to ya'all.
Surprise, no surprise. Ya'all can take a guess to what is happening to Emma.
I know ya'all probably expected her anyways.
Do leave a vote if you think this chapter is good enough.