Luiskicks and punches the door of their room as hard as he can which leads to little success before he slumps against the door, exhausted. "Luis, give it up, please. We're not getting out of here anytime soon." Cloud lectures him as he sits with Kelsey who's leaning against him, exhausted with no more tears left to cry.
"Why would they lock us in here?" The two guys from Sam's team asked, looking up who are sitting on the other-side of the room, not too far away from Kelsey and Cloud. "Obviously because they're going to hurt us! Or something else!" Louis shouts at them before he stands up and starts kicking the door again.
"Luis, stop doing that! You will only hurt yourself. God, just sit down, we're goanna have to wait this out. There is no plan B, and what has gotten into you all of a sudden? Your behavior has been... erratic. You're heading down a slippery slope, one similar to what Valerie's been going through." Cloud scolds him.
"And we've been here for days since Valerie attempted to take her life! We don't know if she's okay or even alive. The leaders must be planning something if they locked us up in this tiny room after they separated us from, Valerie." Louis responds as the guys from Sam's team look around at the small, square claustrophobic room they've been in for days. No windows, a solid door that they can't hear anything outside of and a small light that only just illuminates the room on the roof.
Luis takes a seat, his stomach rumbling. "Do you think they will feed us soon?"
"Soon, I'd imagine. We've lost all track of time, but they have been feeding us before-hand though so why would they stop?" One of the guys pipe up. "What time do you think it is?" Louis responds, staring at the stupid light that's been on the whole time they've been locked up.
The guys shrug while Cloud doesn't say anything, hugging Kelsey closer to him who's been incredibly quiet, almost catatonic. "How's she doing?" Luis asks, turning to face his friend.
"Not good. She hasn't spoken a single word since we were thrown in here. You know that, Louis. I am really concerned about Kelsey's welfare right now, this isn't good. She's barely moved too. The most she does is eat and drink as she just stares blankly, but it's rather slowly." Cloud tells him.
"Kelsey?" Luis whispers gently, taking her hand in his palm, cupping his other hand over her hand that has started shaking. "Kelsey, are you in there?"
Only one small tear manages to find it's way and slides down her face from her eyes as she doesn't say a word back to him, only gently lowering her head as she leans onto Cloud's lap who lets her lay down and he gently presses a hand against her forehead.
"No fever." Cloud says. "Are you tired, Kelsey?"
She gives a weak nod and Louis removes his jumper off, draping it over her as a blanket because she's lightly shivering, their room with a mild tinge to it. "I... I..." She manages to croak out, her voice rather quiet. "You what?" Louis asks, moving to sit closer to her as he continues holding her shaking hand in his and begins to rub her knuckles comfortably with his thumb.
"I want to see, Valerie. Where is she?" She manages to ask, her eyes widening a little. Louis doesn't say anything, not knowing what to tell her and she gently pulls her hand out of his, bringing it to her chest. "Why don't you rest a-bit, Kelsey?" Cloud urges gently, playing with her long blonde pig-tails. She nods slowly and closes her eyes, taking a small breath in before breathing out as she falls asleep to the others relief. Food is shoved into their prison not long after through a small hatch in the bottom of the door which they all eat quietly.
Kelsey manages a few bites despite being woken up by them, she's a little grouchy and that's it before she rejects what Cloud is offering her, not wanting anymore. Hours pass and the food has since been devoured with the empty bowls and plastic utensils to prevent them hurting themselves sitting off the side when Luis lets out a half hearted scream, falling onto his back as he was sitting against the door, someone having fully opened it. He looks up, his vision blurring to see Ricky standing there, looking upside down.
"Sebastian and Rain are ready for you all. Come along."
They all stand up slowly, going with him. There rest of the other Guards are there also to prevent any of them escaping. "Is she okay?" Ricky asks, raising an eyebrow as he sees how slow Kelsey is walking, just taking tiny steps as Cloud practically supports her entire weight so she doesn't topple over as she's clinging to him, her hands shaking.
"No, of course not! hat do you think? Louis hisses at him, sarcastically which he just ignores before going back to escorting them all, outside into the cold, harsh winter world beyond the gates of the Community...
---
Shelby sits on the floor of her bedroom inside her tent, Declan beside her, curiously tilting his head as he watches her flip through a scrapbook of happy and sad memories documented by photographs and mementos.
"Declan?" She whispers, no longer bothering to turn the pages of it anymore. She tugs at a tutu like skirt she's wearing, scowls at the childish shirt she has on, pulls a necklace of plastic daisy shaped beads off of her neck and kicks the ballet flats shoes she's wearing off her feet and pulls the bright colorful elastics bunched around her pigtails out.
"Meow." Declan worries, looking up at her and she slowly strokes his ears with her hand.
"This feel alien to me." She tells him.
"Meow."
"Uh, allow me to elaborate... I... Don't belong here. This isn't my world. I don't know how it happened, but things here are different from what I last remember. Everything is like the total opposite almost of what should, I mean did happen and I'm...
Look at how I'm dressed, look at this room. This isn't my life, I'm not this me version of me. I don't recognize any of the stuff in this book. Who I am supposed to be? I've crossed dimensions somehow and I don't understand... I touched Valerie's hand and then, bam! I was awake, I was me.
If I try to tell Sebastian and Rain, they won't believe me."
"Meow?"
"They're not my real parents, Declan. They're just... Pretending they are, pretending I'm their real child. Everything they do is a game of pretend, although I guess they're not the only ones pretending right now and here."
"Meow..."
"You're a good listener you know? You always have been."
"Meow!"
"Aw, so cute! Who's a sooky cat that I love so much?" Shelby giggles and Declan crawls into her arms and snuggles into her chest. "That's right, you are!
Uh, anyway... I've been thinking... Valerie, Kelsey and Louis are just like 'Mother and Father' and... I resent them as well. They're evil, they're... Witches & Wizards? I don't know what they are and I'm younger than Brother and Sister was. I've always felt treated younger, not equal.
I don't know what's going on exactly, but I have a feeling this has Valerie written all over it. Actually..." She says, standing up hurriedly and heading to a mirror, looking at girly, doll-like appearance as opposed to her normal style, punky, maybe even a little spunky, edgy, gothic, tomboyish, grungy look just like Harriet. It's one of the things they had in common before, the same dress sense.
Someone she had and still does look up to even if she doesn't have it in her to tell Harriet that she still loves her like a Sister despite their past differences and difficulties in their relationship.
"I'm going to get revenge, I'm going to take Valerie down and I will correct this incorrect destiny. For I am Sherbert and I will do whatever it takes to succeed. I do not back down from obstacles!" She says confidently, wiping away a tear before it can fall and she picks up a hairbrush, then throwing it at the mirror, causing it to shatter.
Shelby turns around and strides straight to her bedroom door. They'll be in for a shock, but they have their powers so she'll never be at risk of harm or even death. "Mother, Father, I would like to talk!" She calls down the hall, leaving her room and more importantly, Declan behind.
"Julius, I hate you." He speaks up, his voice coming out human rather than in a series of meows.
"Feelings mutual, Declan, but may I remind you who's really in control here? Me and you're a pathetic cat." A voice says from thin air.
"Not always, Julius. Not always."
"Ha, I'd like to see that!"
"Then just you wait. There is more to a story than the meets the eye. Always."
"I'm waiting then. Surprise me, Declan! You have my full attention!" The voice laughs and Declan sprints out of the room on his four legs, going after his owner and one true love, Shelby.
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlohumH2BV
