Chapter Text
A warm glow filled a bedroom, the comforting orange illumination coming from a table lamp, showing off only a few feet around the room, the rest of the room shrouded in darkness, not gifted by the glow. Golden locks covered a young boy's eyes, the view stuttering between the locks, left arm feeling numb. With two figures in his hands, body weight was pressed hard against it. The paint rubbed away, showing the base plastic colors underneath. Bed creaking out whenever he’d shift his weight, trying to get his arm comfortable, the only other noise being random ‘swoosh’ and ‘pow’ noises popping and shushing out the boy's lips, giggling quietly to himself after one had fallen against the bed, ‘defeated’ in his mind.
A new noise broke through, thunderous stomps breaching the silence of the barren halls. Figures posed, bent out of shape slightly, small hands clenching tightly as the steps grew louder. They quickly grew quieter as they passed his door, sinking deeper into the halls. His grip loosened every so slightly on the toys in his hands, wooden frames creaking out once again as he tried to get comfortable. A loud boom howled through the halls as a door was slammed open.
‘What did you do?’
‘W-What? What's wrong?’
A slight hum played through the boy's mind, the melody inconsistent, the exact memory of how it went not entirely prevalent in his mind. It was an old song; He doesn’t quite remember where he heard it from.
‘Don’t you try and play dumb with me.’
Grabbing the figure, he began fidgeting with the articulation, curious to see how far back he could take the limbs. Bending the leg backward, crossing the arms over the chest, putting it in some sort of sitting pose. Now with a new question, he began his best to count the points of articulation. Is 9 points good or bad? 9 is a lot so surely it’s good. He gulped the excess saliva build up in his mouth.
‘I-I-I… I d-’
‘You speak when I ask a question! Now answer, what did you do!’
After sitting up for a moment, the boy grabbed the pillow under his head and rested under, taking a few moments to build up the ‘next scene.’ The figures seemed to tremble slightly as he grabbed them next.
‘I-I’m sorry! It was an accident. I-I swear.’
Oh no, I’m stuck! Someone please help!
A faux voice rang through the young boy's foggy mind, one of the figures now wedged underneath his pillow, the upper half of the figure sticking out the ‘debris.’ The second figure ‘flew down from the sky’ and landed next to the trapped one. It… slipped from his hands. Quick to pick it back up.
‘...I don’t think you are… Not until you truly learn the consequences of your actions.’
‘Wh-what are you-!? Wait, w-wait, please! No! I’m sorry, I-!’
What seems to be the problem?
A deeper voice spoke in the boy's mind; the figure began to blur, his vision growing slightly hazy... for some reason. Not able to make out the details quite as well.
I'm stuck! Oh please help, someone!
The ‘trapped civilian’ pleaded, a prideful laugh bumping through his mind as the figure walked over to the debris.
Fret not! I’m here to help! Don’t worry; soon enough you’ll be back home!
He exclaimed, his sight burning more and more by the second, his breath sputtering, his chest feeling to convulse with each passing moment, and his mind having trouble keeping concentration and staying on track with the current scene.
Don’t worry, you’ll be safe soon! I can promise that! You’ll be back in no time!
‘Promise ?’
His voice croaked out, hands shaky. Something moist streamed down his face.
Of course!
…
The figure gently bounced onto the floor, face down. The boy’s legs pulled to his chest, pillow soaked with tears while held tightly in his grip, face stuffed into the plush texture, muffled sobs filling the cold and empty room.
“Ugh, do I have to do this momma?” A young girl whined, both her eyes closed, world black. Only able to feel the gentle presses of a brush against her face, some powder-like substance being spread across. “Of course, dear, it’s a priority. How else are we to show your true beauty?” A more mature woman's voice hummed. After a minute, the constant tickles of the brush ended, and a faint metal squeak came from the chair she was sitting on, feeling it be moved. “Open your eyes now dear.” Doing as told, she opened her eyes and now faced her mirror. Upon seeing her reflection, a large smile graced her lips, eyes glowing like stars. “Is this not perfect?” Her mother hummed, gently tucking a few strands of her daughter's hair back as she leaned down. “I look as pretty as you, momma!” The young girl happily exclaimed, pointing to the mirror while looking up to her mom. As if to show off her own reflection. Too distracted by her new look to notice the grimace taking over Louisa's expression, hands gently tightening around her daughter's shoulders, enough to be noticeable to the girl, but not anything odd. “What did we say about manners, dear?” “Huh?” Tessa hummed aloud with curiosity, looking up at her mom, thinking for a minute before a light clicked above her head. “Oh! Right, sorry mama, it's mother!” She proudly corrected, the woman sighing to herself.
It's an improvement.
“Good. Now, remember your beauty; you must never be less. If you want to be taken seriously in this world, you must look the part. You must be perfect.” The girl nodded with a chipper ‘Okay!’ before returning her gaze to the mirror, still giddy with her makeover. Her mother leaned down, gently running her hands over the dress, smoothing out her daughter's sleeves, and gently pressing her hand against her back. “No slouching.” She was quick to follow the reminder. Her mother pressed a light kiss to her forehead after correcting the rest of her mistakes. “Now remember Tessa, you are perfect. Don’t act any less. And you best not let others see you as any less. You understand?” The mother gave a final bit of ‘advice,’ checking for confirmation that she was genuinely processing her words. “Got it! I’ll be perfect for all life! Just like you.” She happily exclaimed, looking up to her mother once again. “Good. Now, never forget this promise.” Her voice took a more stern tone, but once getting another nod of confirmation, she smiled fondly, standing up a moment after, leaving the bedroom. She had to attend to the previous task requiring her attention.
“Tag, you're it!” A young voice rang throughout the woods, sounding like a male, a second voice groaning as he stood up. “I tripped, that's not fair!” The blonde boy whined, his friend already running away. “Not my fault! All's fair in tag!” He called, the blonde boy groaning once again as he stood up, dirt kicking underneath his tattered sole as he chased after his friend.
The taller boy laughed out as he managed to dodge the blonde's attempts at tagging him. Stepping on his shoelace, the boy tripped, smacking face-first into the dirt. “Dah-!” The boy grunted, laughter coming from his side. “Ugh, stop laughing! This isn't funny, it hurt!” The boy whined, pushing himself up and rubbing at his arm. “Oh come on, don't be such a baby. It doesn't hurt that badly; stop crying.” The elder of the two chuckled; his age was that of an early teen. The blonde being near 6. “I'm not a baby. And I'm not crying!” He huffed with a pout, eyes watery. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Come on, I'm getting hungry.” He urged the young boy, walking away, back to the home. “Wh- hey! Don't leave me!” The boy shouted, ignoring the hissing pain as he stood up, running to catch up with his friend.
“Mama, we’re back!” The blond exclaimed, rushing to the back of the apartments where multiple other tenants had set up, unable to make out any specific conversation from the sea of noise, the smell of meats and sugar-filled soda infiltrating his senses, mouth watering already at the meat-filled aroma. The teen separated from the child and headed to his siblings, a cold soda already in his hands, not wasting a second to begin relaxing. “Hey, hey, is it almost ready!?” The boy eagerly questioned, hopping up and down and looking over the grill, eyes stuck on the searing sausage links and perfectly browned beef patties; the fact they weren’t already being plated seemed tortuous to the boy. “Not yet dear, besides shouldn't you be cleaning off? You look like you rolled through the dirt.” The woman chuckled in amusement, the child groaning exaggeratedly, practically falling to the ground. “But I don't wanna!” “Too bad, if you want food, you’ll wash your hands and change your shirt. I won't ask again.” She sternly spoke, motioning to the apartment complex.
“Uggghhhh, fiiiinnneee!” He groaned, pulling himself off the floor and rushing to the back entrance. “Don’t run-” She wasn’t able to complete her sentence before he was already out of earshot. “I don't think he heard you.” A voice came from behind, deeper than the others, broad arms wrapped around her waist, back pressed against her husband's chest, a warmth of comfort coating over. “He never does. Now I b- Hey!” Quickly, she smacked away at her husband's hand, dropping the cooked sausage. “It's not ready yet.” She scolded, her husband groaning as he leaned down, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Oh come on, I'm starving. I'm practically malnourished out here.” He spoke of his woes, Lucy rolling her eyes, raising a hand to pat his face. “Isn't that just a shame? Oh whatever shall you do except starve?” She mockingly hummed with fake sympathy.
“Well…” He trailed off, hugging his wife with a slightly firmer grip, gently kissing her neck. “I might have an idea on what I can eat instead…~" "Nuh-uh, not while there are kids out. And especially not when there are people here. Control yourself." She quickly shut him down, Charles kissing her gently. “Oh come on, you're being unreasonable.” Lucy chuckled, turning to face her husband and giving a small kiss on his lips. “How ‘bout this, you behave, and I'll give you a reward later. My treat~” she cooed, gently kissing his lips once again. “No promises.” The two shared a quick chuckle before the male was pushed away lightly. Shooing him away so she can focus on making the food.
Back inside the apartment building, Aiden finished trekking up the absurd flight of stairs, reaching apartment #4.07. Wondering to himself how long it takes to fix a darn elevator; it's been out of commission for nearly 3 months now! Aren't workers meant to be smart and good at their jobs? Why does it keep breaking down?
Ignoring these questions, Aiden grabbed the door handle as he pulled out his necklace, which held the key to the door, before jamming it against the lock and flipping it in his fingers multiple times, trying to figure out the correct way to put it in. Once the key was finally in, he pulled at the door handle towards himself to actually unlock the door properly. Stepping inside, he let the key drop against his chest as he dragged himself to the bathroom, light flickering on for a few seconds, a set of 5 being used to light the bathroom. 2 of the bulbs died, a third nearing so, only able to illuminate itself to light the exterior of the bulb, but it gave no true light. One of the last two truly remained flickering in and out as the boy reached over the sink, standing on his tiptoes, arm stretched out far, finger’s just barely grazing the cool metal of the knob. With one hop he managed to barely wrap his fingers around it, just enough to activate the faucet, laughing victoriously as water began shooting out.
The boy let his hands sit under the running water, idly looking up to the ceiling, counting to 15 two times in his head before deciding his hands were clean enough, hopping once to turn off the water, shaking his hands for a bit as he left to his room, whipping the rest of the water droplets off on his dirt-stained shirt. Taking off his shirt, the boy tossed it on the floor, looking through his drawers, putting on the first he could find before jogging out of the home and back to where the fun and food was, and not in some boring as heck apartment that was more disheveled than his grandma’s.
“Is it done yet!” He eagerly asked with a pep in his step, holding right in front of his mother, smiling hopefully. “Almost yes. Setting it u- Wha- Didn’t I tell you to wash your hands?” Lucy questioned, noting the boy's hands were still dirty. “But they are clean.” Quickly, he wiped his hands against his shirt, riding a bit more of the dirt and holding both up to his mom. “‘See, see! They’re clean!” He exclaimed, standing on his tiptoes as if to give his mom a better look. “I-... Go sit with your dad.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Yay! Thanks mama!” Quickly hugging her leg, he dashed off to his father's side. The man was talking with a few of his friends, pausing his sentence when he saw the small boy rushing over, nearly tripping over his untied shoelace, with Charles barely being able to stifle the chuckle that rose. “Oop, nearly fell there little man.” One of the others hummed with amusement as the boy hopped up to the chair, scooting around to get more comfy, legs dangling off the end. “Nuh uh, I was perfectly fine. I don’t trip. That’s lame, and I’m not lame.” His defense was quick and weak, with little scraps and bruises dusted over his body, some new, some old.
“Sure ya don’t. You should probably learn to tie your shoes, though.” One of the others suggested, taking a swig of his drink. “I don’t gotta learn; I got my mama and daddy to tie 'em for me. Why bother learning?” He questioned, a few laughing quietly under their breath at his logic. “Ooh, speaking of.” Turning in his chair, he held his leg out, shaking his foot slightly in his dad's direction. Rolling his eyes with a small smile, he set down his drink, patting his lap, and the boy resting his feet there. “Double knotted?” “Duh, or else they’ll come loose.” The boy explained, Charles, holding up his hands in faux defense. “Alright alright, no need to yell.” He joked, beginning to tie the boy's shoes. “It’s okay, I forgive you.” Aiden leaned over, patting his father's shoulder, or more accurately, his forearm, unable to reach high enough.
Once done, Aiden dangled his legs back, resting his chin against the table, kicking his legs bored out of his mind, not wanting to listen to what his father and friends were talking about, just knowing it was mind-numbingly dull. “All right! Food’s done; come make your plates!” Lucy exclaimed, putting out the fire on the grill and placing the meats on their own separate trays along with an array of other add-ons. Grabbing three plates, she walked over to the table and sat beside her husband before handing the two boys their plates. “Thanks mama.” The young boy cheered, not wasting a second before digging into the food. “Thanks love.” Charles hummed, giving his wife a kiss. “Ewww, you two are so gross.” Aiden groaned, covering his eyes with his hands. The two chuckled at his whining, amused as he moved his fingers slightly to peek through, making sure they stopped being gross before continuing to eat.
While eating, he noticed a different smell infiltrate his senses. He paused for a minute before sniffing the air once again and looking up to the sky. Black clouds were covering up the vibrant blues, noting the wind having picked up slightly. “Smells like rain.” His dad spoke up, taking a swig of his drink while looking at the sky. A large strike of thunder ripped out through the sky, the young boy nearly jumping out of his skin, frantically looking around for the source. “Hey, calm down bud, you're not in any danger. Just a little bit of lightning.” His dad tried calming the boy down, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and rubbing his arm. “Okay…..” looking away, he returned to try and eat, but not long after, a loud alarm began ringing throughout everyone's phones. One by one, everyone checked their cellphone, panicked chatter coming throughout the crowds as everyone stood up, Aiden confused as the chatter seemed to grow more erratic, parents ushering their kids to stop their eating and head inside. “W-What’s going on?” Aiden questioned, looking up to his parents, his father throwing on a nervous grin. “Nothing, just uh, let's head inside.” He tried to urge the boy, who wriggled out of his hold. “But it's not even done yet,” Aiden whined, looking down to his plate, a whole hamburger still on the side with a few chips dropped around the plate and table. “Eh you’re basically done. Come on you can have ice cream inside instead.” Charles waved off the boy’s complaints, lifting him from the chair and setting him down on the floor. “Only if I can have chocolate with it.” “Yeah of course, just go with mama now.” His voice became more demanding and stern, the boy huffing as his mom eased him inside, watching his father and a few others quickly and sloppily packing everything back into a nearby shed.
Before they were able to question further, Aiden was walking to one of the other tenants' rooms, looking around in confusion as they entered Ms. Olga’s home., an elder lady on the first floor, from what he could pick up she was friends with his parents and have helped out when they first moved. She had a lot of cats and was really nice, even giving him some butterscotch whenever he was dropped off there cause his parents were busy with work. “Why are we here?” The young boy questioned, noting a few others as well entering, maybe five or so people. “Well uh, we’re having a sleepover! Yeah, doesn’t that sound fun?” Lucy hummed in a faux joyful voice, as if trying to make him excited as well. “But it smells like fish in here…” He whined, looking around the room, curious about what the others were saying and why they were whispering.
‘What's going on?’
‘Is this a real alarm or just a practice test like a few months back?’
‘It seems real. Don’t think they do fake drills for a cat 5’
‘Is it safe here?’
“What's a cat 5?” The young boy mumbled to himself, worry beginning to build as the voices seemed to grow more frantic, seeming to make the oxygen in the air thinner almost. “Oh just uh, nothing it uh-” “Just the type of cats I have dear. Nothing more. Here.” Ms. Olga interrupted, holding out her hand with a candy, the boy eagerly accepting it, not wasting a second to pop it into his mouth. “Here, let’s go watch some cartoons.” “Really?!” He happily exclaimed, rushing off to the elder woman's main room. Lucy mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ as she went to wait by the door, and Ms. Olga watched over Aiden in the bedroom.
Halfway through the first episode playing the door opened up, waving to his father as he and Lucy entered. “Hey bud, ya having fun?” Charles hummed, sitting on the floor beside the boy with a nervous chuckle. “Yeah! Buuuuut, what’d be even more fun is that ice cream and chocolate.” He leaned over with a hum, awaiting his promised treats. “That would be fun, sucks we don’t have any.” He answered, Aiden’s face dropping with hurt. “Wah, you lied! You can’t do that! Lying is a bad, and mean.” The boy huffed, smacking his father's arm with the might of all the strength he could muster.
Charles stayed unaffected, but could at the least appreciate the effort.
While the cartoon kept playing, Aiden bounced along with the themes of the intros, ignoring the parents talking in the background. The boy sat in his mother's lap, her arms wrapped around him to help the boy from the startling and ever increasing thunder striking across the outside world, whenever voicing his worry, one of the parents pointed out something in the cartoon.
However, that little discretion tactic couldn't work forever, as with another strike the home fell into an empty pit of darkness. The boy screamed out in fear, accidentally jabbing his mother in the side as he flinched from the sudden act.
One by one, everyone pulled out their phones and turned on the flashlights. Aiden whining abo ut what happened, and where the weird, funny purple rabbit with overalls who was arguing with some human-sized doll that looked like it had twizzlers for her hair went. After a bit of trial and error, the screen wouldn’t turn on, the boy groaning at the denial of internet, sprawling himself out on the floor, face down, voice muffled against the carpet.
Eventually, they resorted to “story time” with one of the books Ms. Olga kept around. Aiden was not fully listening; he was more interested in petting the cat that lay in his lap.
The winds outside kept picking up, growing louder and louder by the second. Aiden was growing concerned as he could hear it through the walls, something sounding as if it were pelting against them. Once again, the nerve-wracking alarm screamed throughout everyone's phone, Aiden not getting a clear answer on what it was, worried as all the adults shared a look of concern, the room going mute. As if on cue, a window from the living room shattered, the howling growing ever louder.
By now, Aiden was getting increasingly worried, rain and thunder pelting the outside, curled up in his mom’s arms, and tears prickling against the corner of his eyes.
“What’s going on? I’m scared.” The boy cried, clutching his mother's shirt. The family had moved into the closet, the space cramped, and Charles ’ arms wrapped around his wife and child, gently rubbing his back. “Shh, it's okay sweetie. There’s nothing to be scared of. It’s just a bit of wind and rain. You’re a strong boy, there’s no need to be afraid.” His mother cooed in a gentle voice, giving a light kiss to his forehead. “You’re okay bud, just get some sleep. You’ll be okay, it’s nothing new.” Sniffing the boy nodded, shuffling in place a bit as he tried to get comfy, a blanket draped over him and his mother, Charles having a firm hold on the two as the boy eased out into unconsciousness, breathing soothing out, limbs loosening, finally falling asleep.
Rain gently pelted against the car windows, passengers lightly bouncing as the car drove over the rough road, the outside a black abyss, unable to make out anything through the windows, only sight coming from the bright headlights, shining against the now muddy pathed road. With light rock music playing through the speakers, Charles quieted as he focused on the road. In the passenger seat was Lucy, turning around in her seat and resting her hand on Aiden’s knee, the boy holding his legs up to his chest in the back seat, gripping a dirtied pillow, clothes being damp like the rest. “How are you holding up sweetie? Are you okay?” ‘I-I… Yeah?’ He stammered, not looking up from his seat, body tensing up whenever thunder struck through, the outside world visible for barely a second longer. “Where are we going?” He questioned, finally glancing up. “We’re going to see some old friends. We’ll be resting there for a bit.” She explained calmly, the boy not seeming happy with the answer. “But I wanna go home. Why can’t we just go home?” He begged for an answer, voice wavering as the words came out. Lucy’s heart broke seeing her child in such a state, gently running her thumb over his knee. “Don’t worry dear, we won't be there for long. Just for a little while, then we’ll go right back home.” “Promise?” He questioned, Lucy lifting her hand and holding out her pinkie only. “Promise.” She assured, smiling gently as Aiden hooked his pinkie around hers, locking the promise in.
Feeling the car come to a stop, Aiden rubbed his eyes, having passed out in the back seat, squinting at the giant blur in front of the vehicle. Quickly he was urged out of the car, his father holding an umbrella, ushering the two to the front doors, realizing now it was a mansion. Three harsh knocks banged against the door, and not even a minute later, it opened wide, with a worker drone standing in the frame. “What is your business h-” “Get James Elliot.” Charles interrupted, the drone standing there for a moment. “There does not seem to be any appoints for t-” “I don’t give a damn about appointments or schedules, get the man. Tell him it’s Charles Stockton.” He once again interrupted, the drone seeming annoyed with the second interruption, standing there for a minute before closing the door on the family. “Wha- Stupid machine!” Charles yelled, slamming his fist against the door once again. After a minute of nothing happening, he sighed in annoyance. “We sure he’ll actually answer?” Lucy questioned, concerned with the idea. “Yes, he has to. Just… Trust me.” He groaned, relief filled once the door opened once again, a familiar voice coming from the frame. “Ah, well it was true. Color me surprised. You seem… Well you’ve had better days I’m sure.” James mumbled, gently tapping his finger against the door and clicking his tongue as he eyed up the family's dirtied and damp clothing.
“Y-Yeah, it's just. Our apartment got hit, and we have nowhere to stay in the country. I would have called but my phone freaking fried out. Please, could we stay the night? I wouldn’t be asking if we had any other choice. The flights back to America are too expensive and no other hotels are nearby. Just a day or two so we can escape this weather.” He begged, James thinking for a moment, standing up straighter as he looked over the three. Head tilting to the side slightly, they could stay just as asked of, or just maybe… Hiring new workers has gotten very pricey, and their quality seems only to drop.
His gaze fixed on Charles, a twisted smile taking place. “Of course, but let’s not fret over simple things such as time limits. We have plenty of space for a friend.” He hummed, stepping aside. Charles and Lucy repeatedly thanked the man as they entered. “Ah, but please, the shoes.” He stopped them before they could walk too far in, motioning to the side of the door frame. “Ah, yea, of course.” While doing as asked, Aiden looked around, awe struck by the size, it was like what was in those fancy movies, but even more extensive. However, next to a pillar he noticed someone peaking around it. A girl with long black hair and forest green eyes connected with his own. He happily waved over to the girl, who flinched at the action being surprised she was spotted. She raised her hand and waved back after a second. “Now you shall be- what are you-..” James questioned, wondering what the boy was waving at, sighing in annoyance. “Tessa! What have we said about sneaking out after curfew?!” He exclaimed, voice stern, Tessa yelping out in shock. The girl quickly ducked behind the pillar, and soft footsteps were heard echoing down the halls shortly after.
“Cute kid.” Charles chuckled, James rolling his eyes. “A handful that one is. Swear I’ve grown 10 years with the stress alone… Anyways, it’s best if you all sleep now. It is quite late and we can save the catching up for tomorrow. Please escort them to the spare bedrooms.” James instructed the drone, who was standing idly by, giving a slight bow before stepping in front of the family. “Please, follow me.” The drone requested with a dull voice, already beginning to walk off. “Thank you, again. Honestly I don’t know what we’d do.” “Oh please, no need to be a broken record. While I’d love to keep chatting, it is late. We can talk of the years next morning. I’m quite intrigued as to why you’ve come to Australia.” James hummed, crossing his arms behind his back. “Really? Could have sworn I told you why before.” Charles mumbled, going over the memory. “Perhaps, the past few years have been very busy so there is the chance I simply forgot.” James came up with the excuse in a snap of his fingers, Charles nodding slightly. “Yeah, maybe… Well either way, I'm curious to see how you’ve been too. But yeah, I’ll just, I’ll go now.” Charles concluded before stepping away, jogging over to his family. “Night mister Jay!” Aiden called out before the left, the male's eye twitching with irritation, knuckles whitening. “It’s James dear.” Lucy corrected with a slight giggle. Aiden was confused for a moment before realizing his mistake, calling out once again, but using the correct name when they were out of earshot this time.
James grimaced at the sight of the floor, looking to the closest drone nearby. “You! Clean this now! And do whatever with… Those .” He waved off the shoes, disgusted by the sight of them, worn out and mud filled, not bothering to acknowledge the drone as he returned to his own room, climbing back in bed. “More brats trying to scam you?” Losuisa questioned, eyes closed as she laid back against her husband's chest, still unable to those dumb girl scouts that came by a while ago. “Thankfully no, but I have found a new employee.” He hummed, Lousia not caring to respond other than a simple ‘good for you’ before drifting back to sleep, James closing his eyes, slipping into sleep himself moments, quite eager for the upcoming days.