Victorie plus N

Chapter 30: Don't Make Them Suspicious

(A/N: Thanks so much for 200 votes! Go back and read Chapter 16: Carter, Carter, Where are You, a chapter I edited in, please! I know, this is a mess, I'm planning to do a MAJOR rewrite come summer. Bye!)

"How are we supposed to get the people we need for the ten-day repeat period if no one comes?" I ask out loud to no one in particular. My voice is amplified in Lolita's massive library as I climb up the stairs, and I startle at its volume. I never knew my voice was that loud. It seems Ann-loud now. Maybe I'm just stressed.

"We'll find people somewhere," Teddy answers from behind me. Which isn't really an answer.

"Have you guys called anyone yet?" I ask him.

"Every day. They don't answer."

"How about I try calling them?"

Lolita scoffs as we approach the second floor. "If they won't listen to us, they definitely won't listen to you. You're the one who got us in this mess in the first place!"

"I-what?" I say, shocked. How is this my fault?

"Yes, exactly. If you hadn't been listening behind that door with Ann and Teddy talking inside you wouldn't have heard the thing about your grandfather, and the cat wouldn't have seen you hear that and, well, reported it to the N's!"

"How was I supposed to know the cat had a chip or something in it?"

"Well, you could have guessed! Didn't it give you strange vibes? You're lucky Teddy brought it back to the shelter and made up a whole backstory as to why he did it so he could get rid of it!"

I whip my head around to face him. "You did that?!"

"Well, I had to, I couldn't have it letting the Manipulator's spy through it to see what we were doing, could I."

I grit my teeth. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Teddy's voice quiets and he chews on his lip. "There's nothing to say sorry about, it's not like you knew you would hear something... you weren't supposed to hear and decided to hear it anyway."

"I- yeah. I just, I feel bad," I glance at Lolita. She gives a smug smile before turning back to the shelf she's checking. "Can I just have the phone numbers though to ask them?" I ask Teddy quietly as if I only want him to hear me and no one else.

"I guess. I'll text you their numbers during our lunch break," he replies.

"Thanks. "

"You're welcome."

He heads off to do his work and me mine. Kelly looks at me as I start shelving. Then she looks away. And then glances at me again.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing," she says too quickly for my liking.

"No really, what?" I sigh.

She looks down at the floor. After a few minutes, I'm tired of waiting for her to answer, and am about to say something when she says," They won't listen."

"It's worth trying," I reply.

"No, it's not."

"Well why are they so against it anyway?"

"They don't want to get caught," she says. "What we're doing," she waves her arms around, "It's unlawful. We could get trapped in a time loop for all we know if the N's found out. And we don't want that happening."

"So... they're afraid?"

"Yeah, basically."

"Wow, what a bunch of cowards."

Kelly takes a deep breath. "I guess they are. I mean, I would be scared too..."

"But you're here."

"Yeah."

"So you're not as scared as you think you are," I say firmly.

"I guess."

I roll my eyes. "I'll try, okay, that's doing my best, I'll try to contact them and get them involved. We need another boy, remember?"

"That's true. YOu know," she says, her voice wavering and still quiet but more... determined, "If trying is your best, then you keep on trying."

"But don't forget that you need to start doing, too," a voice says behind me.

I gasp and jump around. It's Teddy. "You scared me."

"Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you about the servants."

"Oh. Them. Yeah, what?" Kelly goes back to her work, and I open a journal and start flipping through it.

"Sarah asked about Ann the other day. I think they're getting suspicious."

"They've always been suspicious."

"I know, but... Sarah sounded really worried, I think they might call the police about Ann if they haven't already. They don't believe our story."

"Well, what are we supposed to do about it?" I ask him.

"I think we should tell them the truth. Or, at least Mrs. King and Leo at the least," he adds hastily, noticing my alarmed look.

"But they'll tell the Manipulators, won't they?" I ask him.

"They might not."

"You were the one who said they are more loyal to the N's than my family."

"Yeah, but I might be wrong."

"So, hold up. You want us to risk our lives telling someone the truth and risk other's people's lives too? Because that's what we'll be doing if we tell them."

He runs a hand through his hair. "I don't know, I just... I think I'm going to tell him."

I glare at him. Wow. All this work for nothing. The servants are going to tell the N's and we'll get stuck in a time loop. I can't believe Teddy.