Traitor | Norray (Complete)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

--[Ray's POV]--

"The traitor was you, Ray."

I stared at Norman for a long minute. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn my heart had stopped. Maybe it's just a suspicion. Maybe Norman doesn't know. I can keep playing dumb. But I knew that Norman had already found out. He must have included me in the trap set for Don and Gilda.

"What are you talking about? What's wrong, Norman?" I asked.

When Norman finished explaining his trap, I threw myself back on a bed, surprising Norman.
I put an arm over my eyes, thinking for a second that I might cry from all the pent-up frustration.
Thoughts rushed through my mind. No! No, no, no! I'd been planning this for SIX YEARS! Nothing was supposed to happen this way. Norman and Emma weren't supposed to lose Conny's little bunny at the gate, and they weren't supposed to plan to take everyone else. Everyone else was a burden! It was just supposed to be Norman and Emma escaping on their own, without me or anyone else.
I held my breath, but all the mixed up feelings resorted in a burst of laughter, surprising my friend even more.
Or could I even call him my friend anymore? He has to hate me now, knowing I betrayed him.

--<Norman's POV>--

Ray threw himself back onto a bed, paused, then started laughing maniacally.
What the heck? I thought nervously. It's like a switch just flipped and he became a completely different person. Did that mean- all this time- he was faking? He wasn't ever friends with Emma or me to begin with? He wasn't ever who anyone thought he was at all?

"Damn it. I thought I was doing so well." Ray said, moving his arm off his face to look at me with wide eyes.

That look of his sent a shiver down my spine and throughout my whole body.
Ray continued and confessed to being Mom's informant, and we exchanged questions and answers for a while. He ended up agreeing to be a trump card*- under the condition I trick Emma.
We'd act like we were taking everyone else, and then ditch them in the last minute.
I had no choice, I had to agree. However, I knew that Ray was the one I was really going to trick. I wanted to take everyone and honor Emma's wishes. Why was this so important to Ray, anyway- leaving everyone else behind?
I brushed it off. Maybe there was still a chance I could convince Ray to let us take the others, so I wouldn't have to decieve him.

--[Ray's POV]--

Norman agreed to my condition. That was it then. I was his spy. I stood and left the room, warning Norman on the way out that he'd better keep his word.
I closed the door behind me, then almost immediately collapsed. My eyes filled with tears. I'd have lost my best friend if it wasn't for Emma's naivete, huh? If Norman didn't want to trust me like Emma wanted to, he'd have used me and then ditched me.
It wouldn't have mattered either way, I was going to make them leave without me if they didn't leave me themselves.
However, this was good. Norman agreed to ditch the others! He better keep true to his word. I'm not letting the other kids drag my friends down to their deaths.
I swear they'll live.
I smiled weakly. Slowly but surely, I was getting my plan straightened back out.
I stood up, wiped my eyes, and walked straight to the storage room to meet up with Mom. To lie to her.

I told her that nothing much had changed with Norman and Emma, and turned her focus onto her new assistant, Sister Krone.

"The bigger issue is your assistant. She's on the move AGAIN. You should be careful."

I held my smirk the entire time, before she finally stopped complaining about me being "a useless dog who couldn't keep watch" and let me go. I left and walked casually to the bathroom. Before going in, I looked around the hall to make sure no one was there. No one was.
I went inside, and quietly shut and locked the door before letting myself sink to the floor.
I let out a loud sigh, pulled my knees up to my chest, and folded my arms on top of them. This is hard. I don't know why it seems so hard now. It's been that way since I planned to leave Little Bunny in the dining room for Emma to find.
I have to get my friends out of here safely, no matter what. I won't let Mom, Sister Krone, or the other children get in the way of that.
I at least owe it to Norman and Emma to let them grow up. I hated this life, even before I found out the "orphanage" was a farm. I cherished the time I spent with my friends. Those moments were the only times I was happy.
I was pulled back into reality by seeing water soak into my sleeve. I realized I was crying. Wiping my eyes, I looked at the moisture on my hands, not remembering the last time I cried.

I jumped at a soft knock on the bathroom door. I stood up quickly and checked my appearance in the mirror.
Did it look like I'd been crying? Was Mom at the door? She would absolutely get suspicious if she saw me crying like this.

"Ray? Are you in there?"

Relief washed over me. It wasn't Mom. It was just Emma. I tensed again. I couldn't let Emma see me like this either!

"Uh, yeah." I replied, my voice breaking. I cleared my throat, "Yeah," I said again.

"Are you okay?!" she asked, rather loudly.

She must of heard it in my voice. I wasn't okay.

"I'm fine."

"Can I come in? Do you need me to get Norman?"

I got a nervous feeling in my stomach. No! I definitely couldn't let HIM see me like this!

"No!" I yelled back, a little too panicky. Too late. Emma's footsteps treaded away.

I groaned internally and wiped my eyes again, trying to adjust my bangs in a way that could hide my whole face without looking too obvious.

--*Emma's POV*--

I was walking down the hall, looking for Ray, when I heard a soft sniffle. I turned my head in the direction of the bathroom. Slowly, I approached the bathroom door and realized someone was crying. It couldn't be Ray, could it? It sounded like him.

"Ray? Are you in there?" I asked in a soft voice.

"Uh, yeah," Ray replied a minute later. His voice cracked. I could hear the sobs in his speech.

It WAS Ray! My heart dropped at the thought. Ray was always so serious. He never seemed sad. If he was crying, something horrible must have happened!

"Are you okay?!" I called, my voice laced with panic.

There was a pause, then Ray said he was fine. Of course he wouldn't tell me. But maybe he'd say something to Norman.

"Can I come in? Do you need me to get Norman?"

Without even waiting for a reply, I ran to get my friend.

--<Norman's POV>--

I was snuggled into my sheets, just about to go to sleep, when Emma rushed in and jumped on my bed.

"Emma!" I was going to scold her playfully, then I saw the worried look on her face.

"Norman, something's wrong with Ray. I think he's crying!"

When she said something was wrong, I thought for a second that Ray may have told her he wasn't going to help take everyone. But CRYING? I just saw him, and he was kind of upset, but nowhere close to tears. Did something happen? Maybe I really didn't know Ray.
No matter. Ray was still our friend. We still grew up together. I stood.

"What happened, Emma?"

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* trump card

In the English dub, they call Ray their "trump card," but in the sub version, they call Ray the "ace up their sleeve."