What Once was Broken

Chapter 19.... A Nome's Secrets

Charlie returned from the washroom, fully clothed, and looking a lot better than he did before! "How dashing you look, now that you're not all greasy and CAKED with dirt!" I complemented, checking to see if Leo's clothes were dry. Charlie shrugged, and replied, "I feel a lot lighter. Not so much weighed down by the grime! And it does feel a lot more cooler in here than it did before, now that I feel it. Say, Claire, what did you use to make my clothes smell like Lavender?" "My, you really WERE stuck on the Maw for a long time, haven't you?" "What do you mean?" I pulled up a small bottle of lilac and clover scented conditioner, and held the label up to Charlie so that he can read. "O-Oh.... It smells LOVELY either way!" Charlie replied, giving a bashful, crooked smile. I giggled, and said, "Silly boy. What took you and Leo? It felt like you two were in there FOREVER!" "Was it really THAT long?" Charlie asked, amazed. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was already nightfall." I replied, taking Leo's clothes off the make shift line that Petunia helped me set up. "Chett? Michael? Could you be a couple of dears for me, and bring Leo his clothing, please?" I asked, looking at two of the Nomes that stood at my feet. "Sure thing Miss LaBouvier!" Chett replied, and I set the now clean sweat shirt, underclothes, and trousers in a folded pile in their arms. Once I was done, they waddled away towards the washroom Leo was still in, and I turned back to Charlie, and asked, "So, about my question?" "Ah! Yes, well, you see, Leo and I were having a conversation between boys. He told me I wasn't aloud to tell you even if today was my last day on earth!" "Oh? Well I may need to mind my own business then, shouldn't I?" I replied with a wink. Charlie laughed, and said, "So, you've given names to the Nomes I see. Adorable!" "I know right?! And there's a particular Nome that had an ADORABLE little feisty side to her, so I named her tiger." I explained, mimicking my version of a scary tiger. "Oh please. You're MUCH too adorable to impersonate a mighty beast! You're more of a Hazel Dormouse." Charlie laughed, as I rolled my eyes to him playfully. "Well if you think you're so clever, why don't YOU make any noises to one up me?" I challenged. Charlie smirked, and very loudly let out an impressive "RROOAARRR!" Caught off gaurd, I blinked a few times before giggling a high pitched noise in cheer. Charlie began to giggle as well when Leo entered the room, smiling a weak smile as he asked, "What are the both of you going on about now?" "Charlie can sound like a mighty Tigresse, a Tiger!" I stated happily. Leo sighed happily, and replied, "It's cute, seeing you both so happy like you are. I hope this NEVER ends!" He locked eyes with Charlie, who only gave him a sweet, gentle smile in return. Petunia approached me, and said motherly, "Time for you to hop on into the pond as well cream pie." "Oh, very well. Leo?" I asked, his attention turning to me. "Hmmm? Oh, yeah!" He replied, taking the soap in his hand and handing it over to me. "Thank you." I replied, and Petunia began to lead me to the room the boys just left from. "W-Wait!" Leo called. I turned around at his abrupt calling, and he raced up to me, his satchel in hand. He popped it open, and dug deep into his bag, pulling out a VERY familiar outfit. "That's-" "Galina's dress. The one she gave you when you first entered the Hideaway! You two were awfully close, and I thought that you would be happy to have it again..." Leo explained, holding up the pink, blue ribboned and collared dress, with a pair of under clothing, and white stockings in his other arm. I took the dress in my hands, rubbing the soft material between my fingers and remembering the gentleness in her Russian accent, and the kindness of her sweet personality.... I missed her greatly, for she was the first friend I had really made in the Hideaway.... I wiped a tear from my face and looked up to Leo, feeling guilty. Leo's soft smile fell, and he akwardly rubbed his now bright, shining, fire red hair. "Look," he sighed, a guilty look forming in his face too, "It wasn't your fault. It never was! I was stupid, and blinded by rage that I just took out on you for no reason. THAT'S why I attacked you in the depths! It shouldn't have happened, especially after what you had went through already." He came closer to me, and softly pulled me into his embrace as he finished, "And I'm sorry for how selfish I've been.." I don't know why, but him saying that brought a feeling of closure to me as I hugged him back. "Her shoes," I began, remembering her pioneer shoes that she had given to me, "do you have those too?" "Unfortunately, I couldn't find them. Besides," Leo said, pulling away from me, "they looked silly with your outfit. I'd MUCH prefer you to have the shoes you have on now. They'd match better." I smiled, feeling a great weight lifting from my shoulders. I turned back to Petunia, and continued to follow her to the wash room. "It's a lovely dress indeed." She began, folding it neatly on the bank of the makeshift pond she lead me to alongside my stockings, underclothing, and my cloth, turquoise colored buckle flats. I threw off my red jumper, white, puff sleeve blouse, gray leggings, socks, and underclothes, handing each to a female Nome I had named Juniper. She skittered off with them to wash them, and I stepped into freezing water, barely filled with suds after the boys had left. I stayed near the bank because any further in the pond, and the water would cover me completely! The female Nomes gathered around as I took handfuls of water, and poured it into my sandy colored curls, and splashed my face, rubbing my rosy colored cheeks. "She's so delicate." One of them whispered. "Like a rose bloom in summer!" Another one added. "With a heart of gold, and a personality that's vanilla sweet." "And flawless skin that shines like a fresh powdered snow." "Whose voice is angelic in all forms." I felt uncomfortable about them saying their opinions in my ear range, but I didn't want to be rude, so I tried to ignore them. "So," Petunia began, dipping her tiny feet in the water, "you plan on going East once you're off the Maw." "That's correct." I replied, rubbing the bar of soap in my hair. "Can I lather your hair? Please?" A Nome I named Debra asked. I smiled, and replied kindly, "If you'd like. But how will you reach?" Debra waved over a couple more Nomes, and they stacked themselves one on top of the other. Debra began to rub her tiny hands through my hair, lathering it until it was nothing but bubbles. "How clever!" I breathed out, keeping still as to not knock them over. Petunia laughed, and said, "How would we survive if we weren't? We work as one to ensure safety and survival for each other. NO ONE strays from the pack once they're in." "Oh my. It must be difficult, trying to keep one another out of trouble!" "But we work our way through it nonetheless, sugar puff. So, why head East anyway? What lies Eastward for you?" Petunia asked, tilting her head sideways. "Well, when I was a little younger, I began to receive these dreams. These dreams would come to me only when I was unconscious, and every time I woke up in this mysterious building, or a city like setting, hearing the voice of some boy telling me to come to him." "Well, do you go to him?" Lana, another Nome, asked. "Oui. Yes. How could I not? His voice was so comforting, and sweet, and each time I heard it my heart fluttered like a bird who has left it's cage! He was the only one for years that had swept me off my feet, and none other." "Do you suppose he is a conjuration of what you desire? After all, you DID tell me that you were adopted and raised by monsters, and it's not like you can rear children with THEM now can you?" Petunia asked, kicking the water into the air. "No, I guess I can't, but I know he's real. I can feel it in my heart! After I get close to him though, this tall, lanky entity comes, and sucks me up into this void. I wake up to my chest glowing, and now that I'm persuing him, the glow's become brighter now each time I dream of him." I finished, placing my hand over my heart. "So you're heading East on account of a heartthrob boy? Sounds like suicide I say." Tiger scoffed. "Pardon?" "Well, dear," Blanche began, rubbing her hands together, "love in this world is more myth than it's EVER been since all this happened! Even the mere mention of it becomes a laughing stock." "As well as the mere fantasy of rearing a family. You're wasting your life away! Stepping into the unknown, in search for someone who doesn't either know you, share your feelings, or overall is a figment of your imagination! In shorter terms: SUICIDE." Tiger finished, sassily placing her hands on her tiny hips. I looked down, feeling embarrassed that I decided to talk about my plans period. "Don't crush her hopes! She's a young girl, like all of US were. You're only bitter because she's taking a chance to build up her future, something we'll NEVER have." Callie defended. ""Like all of US"? What does she mean?" I asked myself, thinking long and hard. I took the bar, stood up, and began to lather the soap all over my body. Debra rinsed her hands in the water, and said comfortingly, "It's alright hon, to be in love with someone. All the BEST people are worth your life for!" "Oh please!" Tiger argued, "She's a beautiful, young thing, that has a chance at living, and she's going to waste it on a BOY?! There's MANY of them out there! FREE ones may I add! THAT would be safer than going on this long, drawn out journey to recreate a future from scratch." "But it's still worth the effort, Tiger." Petunia said, a mysterious tone in her voice, like the Cheshire Cat when he speaks to that Alice girl in that one book my father read to me when I was five. "Petunia, What about-" "She'll be JUST fine. After all," she turned her gaze back to me, and what came out of her mouth sent chills up my spine, "He's always watching. Wether it be in the shadows, in her mind, OR in person, he'll be right there for her." And I could feel her shoot me a wink. The other Nomes, confused, turned to me for an explanation, but I knew that only Petunia and I would be the only ones to understand. I looked down at the reflective surface of the water, and quickly rinsed myself off. After I stepped out of the pond, Asmerelda handed me a towel to dry myself with. I quickly dabbed every part of me dry, and wrapped my hair up into the cloth as I threw on Galina's dress, my clean underclothes, and my stockings as well as my buckle flats. Before any of the Nomes could say anything, I walked out of the room, connecting what Petunia had told me, to what Bella had said to me in the Hideaway before being swallowed up by the Eel. "Th-This HAS to be some coencidence! There's no way they're talking about the same thing!" But I knew the only way to figure it out was to head East from the confines of my home on the Maw. I met up with the boys, who seemed to be having a blast with the other Nomes when they spotted me. "Hey! Nice hairdo Blondy!" Leo teased, pointing to the towel in my hair. "I thought those were only used for your body?" Charlie stated, looking on in curiosity. I sighed, and took my hair down from the towel, my curls turning into soft waves. "Aw, your hair looks cute like that!" Leo said, taking a peice, and holding it softly in his hand. "It'll become curls once it's dry." I replied, taking my hair from him. I put the soap back in it's container, and placed it into my cloak again after I finished tying it around my neck. Charlie seemed astonished as he looked on at me like a hero in full costume, and he said, "You look magnificent! Like a princess!" "Oh, it's nothing like what a REAL princess would wear." I replied bashfully, and I handed Charlie's rucksack to him. "Oh! You're other clothes are in my satchel, in case you're wondering." Leo said, smiling. I smiled back as I grabbed his satchel, and handed it over to him. "Thank you." Was the only thing I could say to him. "So we're heading out then?" Charlie asked. I looked back to the Nomes one final time, all gathered up in a mob. Each of them would hold us a thumbs up, or signal us to continue our journey, and I smiled graciously at them. I walked up to one up front, my cloak billowing out behind me like a pair of floor length angel wings, and kneeled down on the floor to hug it. "Thank ALL of you for EVERYTHING." I whispered, and gave it a kiss on the side of it's cone shaped head. "Wait! Claire!" Petunia called, coming out of the crowd of Nomes, and waddling up to me. "Here! I want you to have this, as a sign of our appreciation of your company and gratitude." She said, handing me a silver, jewel encrusted hairpin, with a tarnished, copper rose welded fittedly between two silver leaves. I took the pin, and gently placed it in my cloak as I thanked her. I got up, and walked back over to the boys, and asked, "So, how shall we get up there?" "We hop onto one of those coal carts there, and we ride upwards to the top floor." Charlie replied, pointing back to the pulley mechanism. "Then what are we doing just standing here? Let's go you two!" Leo said, and we all ran towards the pulley, and Charlie was the first to jump on. "C'mon you guys! All aboard the pulley express!" Charlie called. I giggled, and, like the gentleman he was, Leo held his hand out for me to take, and asked, "Shall I help you aboard milady?" "Only if we go aboard at the same time good sir." I replied, taking his hand tightly. We both sprinted as fast as we could, and leapt onto one of the many carts of coal going up, and up, and up. The Nomes went back to work, busily popping coal into the great furnace below, and my breath was taken away at the wonderous sight that beheld me. "It's beautiful up here." I sighed, peeking over the edge. "Just think, you'd be missing out on ALL of this if you had chose to remain with your family." Leo replied, criss crossing his legs on the coal bed beneath us. I looked at him, and smiled a genuinely happy smile as I said, "And I have YOU to thank for it, Leo." And I planted a small peck on the top of his head that made Leo grin widely. As we continued upward, we passed into another room completely, and Charlie waving for us to jump. I didn't notice why, but Leo figured it out automatically, for he picked me up in his arms, and jumped to the floor just as the coal we were on was incinerated instantly! "Owww." I said, sitting up to rub my back. Leo put his hand out, and helped me back up to my feet as Charlie ran into another room shouting, "This way! Hurry!" "Can you slow down a bit mate? Geez!" Leo called, but Charlie had already disappeared through the doorway. "Well I suppose we should follow him before he gets hurt." I said, dusting myself off. "Or CAUGHT, the crazy fool!" Leo scolded under his breath, and we both walked through the doorway to spot a hole in the wall over a box LITTERED with junk! "Do you need help getting up, or are you okay?" Leo asked. I went up to the box, and jumped up onto the ledge almost effortlessly, and turned back to Leo. "Hurry now, we'll lose him at this rate!" I said, crawling through the hole. Charlie shined his flashlight from the other end, and said, "I found another crawl space, but it's blocked by a suitcase that I can't move alone!" I emerged from the hole in the room Charlie stood in, and looked around for anything we needed to be careful for. "Leo's still in there, keep your light on him until he comes out." I commanded. We waited only a few seconds when a mess of shiny red hair poked it's way out of the hole, and Leo grabbed Charlie by the leg. "YOU sir," He scolded, "need to STOP getting ahead of us! Next time, I'll tie you to my belt loop." "S-Sorry, I just got excited, y'know? Our escape is nigh! And that means we won't have to be HERE anymore! We can kiss this wretched place goodbye!" Charlie cheered. I looked to the floor sadly, thinking about the home and people who took me in... The things I was about to leave behind... Leo took Charlie aside, and whispered something in his ear that made his smile fall. "O-Oh. I-I meant no disrespect, Claire. I've just been locked up here for so long, numbering my days that it just makes me happy that it's almost over!" "It's not your fault Charlie." I replied, "I'd WANT you to celebrate! It's my family I'm worried for. I've spent the whole time trying to get back to them, only to realize that now I may die just staying here! I feel cold even though it's rather warm in here... My HEART feels cold...." I explained, hugging my arms. Leo came over to me, and hugged me in his arms caringly. "No matter what, I'll keep you warm in this lonesome place kid. Just call me when you need a hug, or a pep talk to boost your spirits." He moved my bangs out of my eyes, and poked me lightly on the nose. I smiled a bit, and we turned our attention onto Charlie, who tried desperately to make a suitcase give way to another crawl space. "Leo, help me!" He called, continuing to push. Leo sighed, and came over to the suitcase to shove alongside Charlie. "Mother of pearl! What's IN this thing!?" Leo grunted, shoving with all his might. I ran over to aid the boys, but it was no use... The suitcase STILL wouldn't budge! "Oh, how will we get through?" I whined, weary from shoving. We heard a rustle, along with many familiar sounding noises that we knew immediately. Leo and I looked at each other, and said "The Nomes!" And a whole group of them toddled out of hiding, and around the suitcase. Charlie stepped back as the whole group managed to combine their strength to lift up, and move the heavy piece of luggage. "Wow! Stuffed I'll be!" Leo breathed in awe. "Simply brilliant!" Charlie added, and I recounted something Petunia had said while I was bathing. "We work as one to ensure safety and survival for each other. No one strays from the pack once they're in." I recited. Leo came up beside me, and asked, "Say, where'd you hear that from?" "A friend, that's all." I replied, taking his hand, and smiling. Charlie peered into the hole on the wall, and referenced a book that my father read to me YEARS ago, the one I had mentioned earlier that I couldn't remember the name of. "Be on your gaurd Alice, for Wonderland awaits you on the other side." "Ah, good ol' Lewis Carroll. All the little girls LOVED that story." Leo replied knowledgeably, and I stumbled back from him in surprise. "What? I haven't been here THAT long." Leo bragged, pushing me softly towards the hole in the wall. I took a deep breath, and entered the hole into another room: one that was just nothing but Nomes, warming themselves around the fire, but that's not what caught my eye though. "L-LEO! CHARLIE! YOU TWO NEED TO SEE THIS!" I yelled. Leo clambered his way through the hole, alarmed, and he jumped up into defense mode. "Wh-What!? What is it!?" Leo said, pushing me behind him. "Y-Yeah! Did you find something?!" Charlie asked, coming up beside me. "Well," I began, looking on in awe and terror, "It's really more of a someONE..." I pointed to where the Nomes stood in front of the fire, and when the boys discovered for themselves what I saw, their jaws dropped in utter surprise, and terror. Looking at them in physical forms, they were just cute little creatures, with cones for heads, and stubby appendages.... But when we looked at the shadows they casted on the floor, it wasn't a Nome at all.... "Are those-" "kids?" Leo gulped, finishing Charlie's sentence. I walked closer to a Nome that emmited a shadow of a little girl, and studied her as she stood there in the glow of the furnace. "Were they kids like us the WHOLE time?" I asked, kneeling down to touch the shadow. As if it felt what I was doing, the Nome emmiting the shadow turned around, staring at it's former self with great dispair.... Staring at the person it USED to be.... The only thing of her that remained, that was.... Charlie shined his flashlight at the other Nomes sitting away from the fire, and they, too, held shadows of the kids they once were, and my heart sank. "This is all that's left.... A shadow...." I said, heartbroken. Leo looked sickened, and I knew why... I walked up to one of the Nomes, and asked, "Who did this to you?" "I don't remember," he replied sadly, "but the world went black, and now this is all I have left of me." "Did it hurt?" "Very much... But no one TRULY remembers, do they?" A girl Nome asked, looking to her shadow. I stood up, heavy hearted, and walked over to where Leo stood. "A-Are you sure you want to eat one now?" I asked, pale. Leo's face turned a sickly shade of green, and he began to gag. "Good god....." Was all Charlie could say as we made our way across the depressed Nomes, reconnecting to who they once were. It was THEN that I knew what Petunia meant by, "One of US". We found a hole on top of one of the small cabinets in the room, and we began to climb, me going first, Charlie going second, and Leo bringing up the rear. Once on top, Charlie slipped inside, and waited for us at the opening as Leo and I stared out at them one last time, realizing the terrible fate of the kids who tried to escape. "Will they be okay?" I asked, looking up at Leo. Leo pulled me close to him as he replied, "They have each other. I'm positive they're just fine." "Leo?" I asked, hugging him. "Yes, Claire?" "Will WE be okay?" For this one, Leo went silent, and patted my back. "All we can do is hope, and pray." He replied, not sounding too sure of himself, which worried me greatly. We turned from the horrid sight, and followed Charlie into the hole. "It's best if we don't look back." Charlie said, and Leo nodded in agreement. The three of us made our way through the tunnel, and into an open area of another room, blacker than pitch. "Where are we now?" I asked, shaken. "Not in Kansas Dorothy, THAT'S for sure." Leo replied, equally worried. "Dorothy?" I asked, confused. "Don't worry yourself about it. Just a reference to something Naomi read to me when I was younger." "Where's the lights?" Charlie asked, entering behind us. He switched on his flashlight, and shined it onto two, gigantic, wheel like structures, and up to reveal a rope holding onto it. "W-Wait." Leo stammered, "A-Are we on-" "An elevator?" I finished. Once the word left my mouth, we heard a loud CLUNK! followed by a sharp, jerking motion as the walls started to accelerate passed us in an upward motion. "Well, here we are." Charlie said, sounding nervous. "The moment of truth.." Leo muttered, bringing me closer to him. The moment of truth it may be, but the struggle's not over..... Not JUST yet........