Chapter 48

Happy Birthday Hushy, you're like 16? Wow, didn't know that this  story could almost last for two years! Anyways, Happy Birthday and you're like my favorite character in the whole story. ;-)

Btw, this chapter I wrote is so deep and ughhh—I feel so kaboom in my mind.

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Chapter 48: I was just a child

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3rd Person's P.O.V

The second day was apparently the worst time to be trapped as Leo mocked their goals of saving Emperia Mercilessly.

He just found fault in everything, including why that's the dumbest idea ever.

In this phase, Alpha couldn't get enough of his bantering so in dinner, he repeatedly kicked the whole meal Leo has prepared for everyone in the room. This made him severely mad at the scene and he wasn't cooking anymore, leaving the others stomach-empty as he slept.

"You shouldn't have kicked the meal!" Arcane complained.

"Don't you understand the situation, Arcane?! He's putting sleeping pills in every food he served!" Alpha yelled.

"That's true." Bluve muttered before hopelessly adjusting himself to sleep in uncomfortable position.

Everybody went silent from there as they all began to sleep with not much of ease.

The cell twisted their minds, since when did they become so hopeless? Are they unable to save the world? What will become of them—of Emperia?

The thought of suddenly being submitted into slavery set a tingle down Chloe's stomach. Thinking much of it wasn't pleasant, she thought that if they could have done something, something much more—they wouldn't be stuck in this situation now, would they?

There is something disturbing about this concrete box They're in. It has been engineered with absolute precision. The corners are sharp and straight, the window a perfect square with evenly spaced bars. It somehow feels like it was only made for them and no one else.

Someone designed this cell, they sat in a clean office under the glow of the natural sunrays and used their talents to create something so soulless as to constitute additional punishment. Apparently taking their liberty is not enough, keeping us from those we love is not enough, seizing our property to pay for our upkeep here in the "maze" is not enough.

This place is designed to take so much more than that. By the time an animalia has done even half their minimum sentence here in a jail cell especially of the most popular, Pynka's Jail Cell. They rarely recall their name and have lost most of their vocabulary. For the most part their sanity is shot, they swing between crying for the mothers and battling invisible demons.

Rumour has it that if a prisoner from White Kingdom doesn't deteriorate fast enough they get an injection to start the hallucinations...

Finally Chloe drifted to sleep in this situation even though normal Animalia's would have gone crazy thinking of a strategy to escape the a cell by this time.

On another side of the room, The room is dark. The curtains are drawn in a vain attempt to filter the orange glow of the moon illuminating the moon outside. Leo glance at the digital clock at the side of his bed, the numbers 2:37 am glowing in a bright green.

He sigh wearily. Unable to sleep, he sit upright on his bed, his legs outstretched and covered with his warm duvet. Nights like these are usually quiet, but it isn't today, because the pitter-patter of rain lingers in the background, like the heartbeat of a mother that cocoons the fetus in her womb.

It brings an odd sense of protection and safety along with it. It makes Leo feel somewhat less alone. Sometimes the rain goes pit-a-pat against the glass of his windows, often sounding like the gentle tapping of someone against it. Intrigued, He push a little bit of the heavy curtains and peek outside. Droplets of water streak down the window panes as it rains on. Odd, fluid shapes spiked at even odder angles that leave trails whenever they move downwards definitely are captivating sights for an insomniac at this time of the day. Through the rain I can make out the street outside. Everything is the same, only grayer and blurred with softer edges. Puddles of rain form in the potholes of the street, temporary homes for little creatures outside.

Upon this night, The only things he could recall was the death of his father. He hated how he was helpless, he blamed himself for being helpless—unable to save him.

The thoughts scurried in his heads like mere illusions and almost like in a cinematic manner has this flashback of his playing right outside in the pouring rain—right exactly the spot where his father died.

He died cause he walked out of the house, only crashing upon death. And he swore that if Leo could've stop him from stepping out of this small cabin it once was, then His father shouldn't have died. He shouldn't have...

His hands started fidgeting as he look away, there was nothing he could do than lose everyone dear, and right now. He would want to keep everyone he has come to love safe, here inside his house.

"Someday, you'll thank me for kidnapping you." He whispered, he knew no one could hear it except him.

"Who are you kidding?"

Leo turned to see, as his eyes met Meadow's. He rubbed his eyes to check if the figure that was standing right in front of him was real.

To his surprise—it was.

His eyes turned to look at his tableside where the key to unlock the chains in the ground floor are supposed to be but to no avail, it wasn't there.

When she speaks her voice trails slowly, like her words are unwilling to take flight. There is sadness in her eyes, the shade too glossy.

"Leo..." She whispered almost in a chilling manner—but there was more to it than a name that was called. "Tell me, are you afraid of something..?" Meadow ask slowly, choosing her words carefully.

He paused and sighed. "No... I'm not." His cast his gaze onto the ground and his eyes darkened. He glanced back up at Meadow. "Why?" His voice sounded more pained than anything.

A word did not come out from both their mouths as if it was willingly stuck in there, they wanted to say more of what they actually wanted but there was a limit, it was as if their mind was a prison—a prison filled with thoughts, feelings, thousands of words.

"Why are you doing this?" Her voice trails as it echoed inside of the room.

Leo looked down on his sweating palms. He was about to choke out all the words but, he couldn't. He just can't.

The sound of rain was illuminating the whole room as they both share glances, one with anger and other with pain.

"I can't believe you." She spat hatefully.

"I'm sorry." The guy muttered which made the other laugh.

"I don't know what you want from us, I don't even know what you'll gain after the whole Emperia falls into ruins in front of our eyes." She  looked at him with angry eyes. "You should've stop what you wanted to do while you still could."

Leo looked at her eyes as if his eyes was looking for familiarity. But only to be met with cold eyes. He realized that she would never remember everything, and he accepted that fact.

He would rather her took a knife to his skin that speak those words so cold. She speak to him as if He was a stranger when for the past few years they've been as close as it is possible for two animalias to be.

She strike out as if he have crossed some invisible line in the sand. She look into his eyes and say whatever will hurt the most, and knowing him as she did that isn't hard to come by.

"I hate you." She whispered.

Leo smiled at this.

"I know. I hate myself too." He admitted as if it just slipped out of his tongue.

The girl looked at her skeptically but quickly lost her gaze as she heard her name been called by Sky.

She hesitantly looked back at Leo who wasn't doing anything and by means he looked like he has no plan In stopping them.

"Go ahead." He stated.

The girl looked unsure for a mere second but soon rushed outside his bedroom, heading to the other direction of his house leading to the basement.

Leo chuckled wearily as he sat down in his side of the bed. He knew he was wrong, very wrong. He didn't know how it ended up like this but he knew how it started, he knew he was much more inside.

Much more if a better animalia, that he could clearly improve himself and make himself a better person—do things right.

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As he opened his eyes, The little two year old boy leaped out of his bed and immediately begin searching for his mother.

As he stepped from his nursery, he immediately headed to a familiar place, he have no sense of direction and he really didn't remember anything.

But the familiarity of the place and walking out of his nursery after waking up has become a habit for him.

Upon reaching a certain room, he pushed open the wooden door only to reveal a pregnant woman sitting in her rocking chair as the sun shines in the window hitting her face.

She turned to see her son and smiled while caressing her bulging stomach gently.

"Sorene..." She called out to him.

Sorene looked at her cluelessly, like a two years old would. But he waddled right in front of her as she continued rocking her chair.

After that, he stretched both his arms out in front if his mother, hoping she would get up and carry him. But instead, she just smiled at him and didn't grant him his request.

"This right here, Is your little sister..." His mother started.

"So try and be a good brother for her, alright?"

The little boy didn't know what she was talking about so he just tilted his head. The woman just looked at him but soon after hands him a bottle of milk which the kid gladly accepted.

The little boy didn't thought much of everything, he was still a baby and he have no other thoughts. No idea that his dad was away in Ruslan cause he have a small family business running in Pendilor.

He also have no idea that his mother was pregnant with another man's baby. Of course his father didn't know about it as well cause he has been away for almost a year.

Sorene just gulped down his milk as he was looking at his mother's direction.