Were all MAD here

"C'mon!"

⚠️TW⚠️

—Feng—

Wren stepped outside of the building, looking gorgeous. She had a lovely dress and flawless hair and makeup. I felt like a clown standing next to her.
The Man figured that me and Charli weren't good enough to be given a makeover, so we had slept outside, in the same clothes we came in. The night had been long, as sleeping on the cold ground is much different than sleeping on an isolated tree. The person with red hair-who refused to tell me their name when I asked- had slept inside, and also gotten a nice new pair of clothes. Why did The Man hate me and Charli so much? I hadn't been able to afford a fresh pair of clothes in ages...
We all had our shackles and ropes off, and where able to move freely, but The beast continued to watch, and prowl around us with delight, waiting for us to make one wrong step so injuries would be pardoned.
Three houses stood in the distance, one was sleek royal blue in color, one blotchy and multicolored, with gorgeous flowers, and one pure white.
"Pick your poison, you'll visit all of them." The Man shrugged, indifferent. "Reckon only one of 'em will want you two though, not including the Queen of course." He gestured over at me and Charli. "I'll still let you try though, everyone could use servants in this trying time."
My face could melt metal. Why where we treated so differently? There where no similarities between us. Sure we both had short black hair, but different styles. She was probably a girl, I was a guy...Her bird perched on her shoulder, refusing to let go, I had ears and a tail...Animal haters? I wasn't fully Cat, and she was definitely human...
Nonetheless, Wren led us near the white house, glancing behind us feverishly every now and then as the man stayed at least five feet away at all times.
"I have a plan," She whispered with urgency. "If we aren't desirable, he'll send us to the Queen, right?" She rhetorically asked, sly grin creeping on her face.
I understood at once. It was a death wish, sure, but if I was going to help her catch the rabbit, I was going to have to be fine with whatever she proposed.
Charli stared at her.
"What the hell? I know this place can drive people insane but," She paused leaning in closer. That's suicide." She finished, grave look in her eyes.
"C'mon!" I shouted, kicking the air in front of me. "Has no one been told these things before?" I looked over at Charli and the red head. They might not have had parents like I did. A rush of guilt washed through me, drowning out my annoyance. "Just...trust us."
"Don't listen to cat-boy, I've been here millions of times. I know this place like the back of my hand." The red head piped up, voice surprisingly high for their rough exterior.
The Man creeped up behind us, tapping my shoulder and pulling our little huddle apart.
"Took to long, I'm deciding for you." He led us into the white residence, pulling out his gate key again, and unlocking the bleak white door.

A rush of cold air bit my ears, it seemed to be colder inside than it was out here, if that was even possible. When we walked in, it felt almost as cold as the pond I had been pushed into. I shuddered, partly from the cold, but mostly from the memory of Wren's first night here. If it had been better, would she have decided to stay?
"Alastair! Good to see you!" The Man exclaimed, with an obviously fake grin, while he gestured at the white rocking chair.
An old, graying man sat there—Alastair—with a poised position and a cup of blood red tea in his hands.
He eyed Wren up and down, staring extra long in spots, absorbing everything he could about her. It was revolting. I caught myself emitting strange throat rumblies, and in an effort to prevent them, I let out a fit of coughs.
Alastair turned his gaze to me, snarling slightly. He only started at Wren after that, until she felt quite awkward herself, and straightened her dress.
"Remember the plan." She whispered at me, leaning over while the stiff skirt followed her figure.
"This room is pretty small. What do you even do here? Also, it's fricking cold. Yeah unless you're trying to die an icy death—which I wouldn't blame you, at your age life must suck—get some ventilation." I blurted, trying my best to seem relaxed, like I would usually come into someone's house and mock their lifestyle. The Man blinked at me with a murderous look, but Alastair just chuckled.
"I'm sorry cat, but I'm not interested in you. But, since you seem to be curious about my living situation, I'll show you how the other ones live." He simply put it, still calm and composed with his cup of tea. Other ones? I shuddered.

Other People.

Other people that had been in the same situation.
I could see the burning curiosity in Wren's eyes. What had Alastair done to her fellow humans? Behind the door on the right, what horrors awaited?
We where led into the room, The Man slipping us an almost sympathetic look. Inside, kids around my age lined the wall—all female. They all had the same broken look on their pale faces. I would have thought they looked scared for us...but it didn't seem like they felt anything at all. Like all signs of life had been sucked out from them. Though they had different physical attributes, I could see Alastair looked for the same thing—a desirable female figure. We couldn't just leave them here, lined on the cold stone floor, shoulder to shoulder in skimpy dresses...it would have been better for him just to straight out murder them.
A flash of silver caught my eye. I examined it. A familiar silver bob followed, only it wasn't even a bob anymore, a knot of tangled hair.

Trisie

She had lost so much weight, her red dress was falling off of her. Her face was sunken hollow, and bruised.

My girlfriend.

My girlfriend.

She was all that mattered to me right now. Everyone else could wait. I jetted over to her, tripping over a disheveled girl, looked to be around thirteen, and flew straight into Trisie's arms. She caught me, confused look in her face. She still looked blank, like nothing had sparked when I touched her. I held my breath. I needed to help her.
She blinked out of her trance like state, squeezing me tight, breaths shuddering beneath my weight, eyes watering.
"What did he do to you." I whispered in her ear. I stood her back up. She didn't respond, still biting her dry lip.
"WHAT DID HE DO?" I screamed, calls echoed by the walls, mocking me. She crumpled down to the floor, broken look in her eyes. She got up and shook my shoulders, looking into my eyes.
"Where's Cooper?" I didn't answer, staring at my shoes. A sniff came out of Trisie, followed by a yelp.
"Where's my brother?" She asked, I could see her shaking, tears welling up.
A chuckle erupted from the other side of the room. Who dared chuckle? Who could do that? I turned around to face him. Alastair. Wren, and Trisie, the two most gorgeous, strong willed, perfect girls in my life. He took one, and I wasn't about to let him take the other.