Two

The Quarters: Part 4

"Where'd she go?!" I whispered somewhat frantically, releasing Ben and turning around myself. The room was all dark aside from the glow from the lighter in my hand. There was no way she could just vanish like that! Teleporting was an advanced skill that only powerful people were capable of. This HAD to mean she had an incredibly low number.

I could tell Ben was terrified because he was trembling beside me, clinging to my arm desperately as if his life depended on it. I wanted nothing more than to assure him that everything would be okay. That I had a plan for escape, but the truth was that I didn't. I was so confused, and there were too many questions filling my mind.

He quickly pulled out his notebook and wrote: We made her very very angry. She doesn't like when people see her face.

I nodded, then tried offering a reassuring smile, though it was strained. 

"It's okay. I'll get us out of here. I promise."

I grasped his hand sightly, then led him into the next room, where there were many dolls sitting along the wall. As we moved, I could see them sway and tremble, as if someone was quickly moving behind them. I tried breathing slowly to keep my heart rate down. 

I had to be brave. For Ben.

As she moved around the shadows, I held your lighter up. Yes, it only offered a small amount of light, but it still helped. My eyes continued darting around the room as she seemed to dart through the shadows. However, I couldn't hear footsteps. It was like she was a ghost or something.

But she wasn't a ghost. 

My heart beat quickly as I rushed into a room. The moon was no longer shining through the skylights. I actually missed it for once. I wanted light to fight the darkness away. I wanted to feel safe. I wanted you and Mario back.

As soon as the door was shut, Ben let go of my hand and took a shaky step back, bringing his hands up to his head and tangling his fingers in his blonde hair as if stressed. I had never seen him so terrified.

"Eighty-Eight, listen to me. I won't let anything happen to you," I assured him as he trembled. "I swear on my life-"

Just as soon as the word left my mouth, the lady appeared right between the two of us, looming over me. Her mask was back on, but I couldn't unsee what I had seen earlier. I knew what she looked like beneath that mask now.

She leaned over me, then waved her hand. It felt as if two invisible hands wrapped around me, lifting me into the air and bringing me to her eye level. Ben gasped and stumbled backward, tripping over himself as I looked into the woman's two black eyes which reminded me of empty voids.

I began to kick and squirm, but nothing made the invisible hands let go.

The lady then reached forward, grabbing ahold of my left wrist and reading my number. Her eyes softened for a brief moment, but I wasn't sure if I was just imagining it because the moment was so brief.

That was when I caught the number on her wrist. 5.

Oh Dear Grambi.

"You are a One?" She asked, her voice smooth and a little airy. It was sweet like honey. She had a thick french accent. If I hadn't seen her face earlier, I would have thought that it perfectly matched her elegance. 

"Let me go!" I demanded, still helplessly squirming like a worm on a fishhook. 

She didn't. She instead let go of my arm and poked my stomach. It was like she was observing me. Like I was some sort of animal on display. 

"I thought Ones were big and strong," she giggled. 

I began to nervously sweat as she laughed more and more. It was like me being weak was funny to her!