Iris' Point of View
"What's wrong Emma? You look so pale."
I heard Mama's voice.
"Now that I think about it, this morning, you weren't in your usual good spirit." she stated.
It may not be obvious for the others but one can notice if they are as good in observing as Mama. I've thought the same thing, but I guess I should give Emma and Norman some time to explain.
But now, I managed to hear them upstairs as I was about to call them for dinner.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking that I'd soon leave the house...and..." Emma answered.
Is her feet...shaking? "I'm gonna miss you."
I furrowed my eyebrows. Is this really the reason? Since that night, she only approach me and the others when she needed help, or talk about the usual things. Emma and Norman never brought the topic about last night.
"Do you like the house?" Mama asked.
"Of course! I love the house and I love you!" I felt her jump to Mama. "I wonder what Conny is up to now." Her voice sounded sad.
"You know, she said she wanted to became a great mother. Just like you once she grows up."
"Yeah I know," Mom then stood up. "I'm looking forward to that. I'm sure she'll become a fine adult, and a great mother as well."
Everything suddenly tensed up.
I can feel Norman's presence yet no one is moving. Even Emma didn't move nor flinch.
This might be a right time to show up, since I already reached the second floor.
I sounded the bell I'm holding and broke the silence.
"It's dinner time. Everything's prepared on the table, Mama."
The doors open and the children came out of the rooms. I guided them down the stairs, but I didn't join them on going to the dining room. I hid just behind the wall before the stairs to wait for them to go down. The two walk down the stairs but were stopped by Mama.
Then she asked an unexpected question, "Did you two go to the gate yesterday?"
!
How?
Oh yeah, the watch...
"No, we didn't. Those are the rules right?" Norman answered. "We were so into our game of tag yesterday."
"Right! Though we had a hard time finding you." Emma added, hiding the fact that we went near the fence.
It must be also because they went through beyond the fence a while ago...since I got curious and had a peek on where were they going.
"Why are you asking?" Norman asked.
They never said they gave Bernie to Mama. If Mama is asking now, they didn't tell her.
...Come to think of it, where's Bernie?
Why did they even have to lie...
...unless they found something they shouldn't have.
I took a peek on the stairs, noticing that their hands are shaking.
Yep, they have known something unpleasant. Or maybe something terrifying...
"No reason, don't worry about it," Mama then walks away from them. The two continue to walk down and suddenly, As they reach down the stairs, Emma suddenly fell on her knees. The thud was heard behind the wall I'm pressing my back into.
"I'm sorry, I'm so exhausted that I suddenly..." Emma panted as if catching her breathe. "It's like my heart only started beating right now."
"Can you stand?" Norman ask, reaching his hand in front of her, offering help.
"Norman, your hand...it's shaking."
"It must've been the nervousness and the tension." he simply said, then his voice changed into serious. "She's checking us out. She knows that her target is two people."
"But she doesn't yet know who they are. The transmitter can't identify us." Emma added and accepted the offering to stand. They soon walk away until they reach the room where the other kids are.
I stepped out from where I was hiding and walk pass the stairs, frowning.
"So you heard those too..." I look at the raven haired boy who stepped out below the stair case. "...Ray."
He look at me surprised but soon gained his composure and talk, "Yeah, they've been suspicious lately. They really are hiding something."
"It was you who gave me the bell to call for them. Could it be that you already know what they're talking about?" I ask and gave him a confused and suspicious look, looking straight into his eye.
He avoided my stare and sighs. "No. Let's go, we're going to be late for dinner."
Before he faces back and leave, I handed him the bell.
I look back to see Mama behind me, with her usual smile.
"What are you doing here, dear? The others are waiting." she started.
"I'm here to wait for you since you're not yet in the hall."
"Alright, let's go. Everyone's waiting."
I nodded. We proceeded entering the room. I sat near Phil where the empty chair is and Emma just behind me. Emma flinched when Mama entered.
When will I be able to have a chance to talk to them?
We prayed and started eating.
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3rd Person's POV
Iris woke up finding herself waking up at midnight. The image of Conny always showing up in her dreams.
First, a smiling ball of sunshine, and then the image turns into that same image she saw that night.
The first thing she heard was Emma sobbing, thinking she had a nightmare too. Iris slowly walk towards the girl's bed, trying to not wake anybody up.
"Emma?" she whispered. Said girl tried to wipe off her tears before looking towards the direction of the voice.
"Iris? I'm sorry for waking you up."
The worried girl put her hands over her sister's shoulder. She sat on the edge of the bed before asking, "You had a nightmare?"
Emma nods, not looking at the other anymore.
"It's alright. I'm here. You can tell me what the nightmare is all about." Iris said softly, comforting her sibling.
Emma first hesitated but decided to spill it out.
"It's about Conny. Her being pale, un-breathing, the look in her eyes is terrifying." Her voice started to crack. "I can't get myself to look somewhere else until someone...something is behind me." She started crying, pulling her legs in her chest and lowering her face into it. "I can't get over with the look in her face."
Iris froze. It's an odd coincidence, having Connie in both of their nightmares. "It's alright Emma, she's fine. Everything is fine." She tries to comfort Emma, and at the same time, herself. A bad feeling brewing on her stomach.
Emma's cry turned into sobs. She wanted to think that Conny is not yet...dead and Iris' words made it feel better. "I understand. You're close to her so it's natural for you to miss her."
Before silence fill the atmosphere, Iris hums a song, a song that always made her calm down and sleep. A lullaby she usually hears when she was a child.
The lullaby he always hums to her.
She lays Emma into her lap as she brushes her hair for comfort. "Goodnight Emma."
"Thank you Iris..." Emma said as she slowly drift into sleep, her sobs switch into sniffing. "Goodnight"
She soon also fell as sleep after Emma.
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The night fell and morning came. Iris pull Emma into a pillow before getting off the bed. She slowly covered the girl with a blanket to keep her warm.
She changed her pyjamas into regular ones as she look at the window, walking towards the door. Seeing that the outside is still dark, she woke up earlier than she thought. She pushed the door and went off the room, closing the door slowly.
Might as well do the breakfast. She thought as she made her way downstairs. Though it's pitch-dark, her eyes got used to it.
A hint of a familiar voice was heard from the kitchen. As she tilt her head into the room, a glow was moving around. The voice is humming a familiar song, more like a lullaby. She walks towards the room as she recognized the voice.
The humming stop as the door flew open. Stepping in, she saw a certain ravenette boy and met a pair of dark green orbs. He seems to be preparing for breakfast.
"Knew it," she thought, closing the door.
"Why are you up so early, Ray?" she asks walking towards the said boy.
"I could ask you the same thing." He said continuing what he's been doing.
"...It was nothing."
She walk towards the potatoes, and pick up a knife.
Mama usually never let them use any sharp tools but since they take care of their selves and know how to use them properly, she let them...only the older ones. She strictly told them to put it somewhere far from the younger kid's reach so that they won't hurt their selves.
"You know," she muttered. "Emma was having nightmares."
The ravenette paused in opening the second can he was working with to stare at her. "What sort?" he asked.
"It was about Conny."
She didn't notice how he frowned as he continue working.
After washing the potatoes, she started peeling one. Iris decided to not tell anything anymore so she focused with her work.
Not a minute later, a sudden blurred projection showed up in her vision: a picture of Conny's pale face but disappeared immediately, showing another picture of masked, large...weird creatures. Her vision turned blank but after a second, reality returned clearly. This caused Iris to make a silent gasp, almost cutting herself.
"Are you alright?" Ray asks as his eyes jerked into her hand in worry.
"...It's nothing. I'm fine...nothing's wrong," she muttered, not sure whom she's talking to: him or herself...
Since there was silence, her words was clear and was heard by him. "I guess I'm not yet fully awake."
"Why not just rest and I'll do the job?" he asks finishing the last can and putting it beside the ingredients they're about to use. He look into her direction and she continues on peeling the vegetables.
"No, it's alright," she said putting the last potato with the others on a large bowl. She raised her hand to reach the cutting board and started chopping the veggies into cubes. "Since I can't sleep, I just want to do something so that I won't get bored."
He sighed first as he open the oven, with 10 freshly baked bread he made a while ago. "Alright, you do the cooking and I do the baking."
He settled the breads along with the other 10 breads he made before.
"Fine," Iris answered focused in chopping the other vegetables other than potato, quick and nicely. For the dish today, it was what she read in the book called 'curry'. The dish has many types and she wants to make one herself.
"You're quite good with a knife," he complimented or somehow stated. 'Well, she's a good chef after all.'
"Thanks"
Ray focused in finishing and dividing the dough he made before, and put it inside the oven. He raised the temperature and leave it for a while.
Looking back to Iris, she's already mixing the ingredients along with the veggies and of course spices, in a large pot, enough for her to reach, and in a burning fire.
The whole time wasn't silent at all. Iris hums while she's cooking, causing Ray to sway his head while doing the baking. They both had a great time doing their work.
"This reminds me." Ray started leaning his back into a wall looking at her her direction. "Do you remember the time when we were cooking here together with Norman and Emma? When we were 6?"
Iris puts down the dipper she was using in cooking and look back at him, her eyes softening. "Yeah. Brings back memories. Back when it was our first time cooking and we insisted on not letting the others cook. They've guided us and watched. That was fun though..."
Ray hums. "Even though we messed up at first," his lips curled up slightly. "...you also started to improve your skills since that day. Especially when Emma accidentally added too much vinegar."
"It was simple. Just add the equal amount of soy sauce and add more ingredients, enough to not make it sour or salty." She responded. "And may I remind you, you're also talented in cooking, Ray."
"Just learned by the cook books I've read." he said checking the oven. "You're better than me."
She hums as she look at the fire that boils the dish, noting the warm conversation they have until Ray starts another topic,
"That day also, Emma, Norman, and I went to the gate."
The girl flinches when he spoke the word 'gate'.
That time again huh...
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So...yeah...
Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
Actually, I'm not good with dramatic scenes 'cause I'm not too much with romance and...
Sorry for the short chap!
So...yeah...
Guess that's it!
See you guys in the next chap!
^-^V