Secrets and the Love? "Ray x Oc"

3

POV Ayame

I couldn't fall asleep, but somehow I managed to get through the night, tossing and turning countless times.

Finally, I heard the bell that woke us up like every morning. I got up and waited for Emma, as usual, to wake us up loudly. But it didn't happen. I could tell she was feeling down, but if she didn't act as usual, Mother would definitely get suspicious. I quickly got dressed and then combed my hair.

"Good morning," Phil chirped cheerfully as always, bouncing around. Emma looked serious, thoughtful, and quiet as she set the plates on the table.

"Hey, Phil! Slow down, you shouldn't run!" I scolded the little one.

Emma turned around in shock, glancing towards Mother.

"Please divide the plates, Mark," she said.

"Yes, Mother!" he replied promptly.

Mother smiled kindly. I was impressed by her acting skills.

However, Emma seemed deeply disturbed. Then she glanced at the door. Norman entered with two children in tow, smiling. Good, at least he understood. If Emma didn't act as quickly as usual, Mother would definitely notice.

"Good morning, Emma! Oh, Ayame. I'm sorry. Good morning to you too, of course," he said, apologizing to me for initially overlooking me. Emma put on a pained expression, on the verge of tears again. Norman came over and whispered "Smile, Emma," in her ear.

Then we all sat down to breakfast. Luckily, there were no tests after we finished eating.

I asked Norman to talk to Emma. She needed to act normally. Mother wasn't clueless at all. On the contrary, she was one of the smartest people I knew. Okay, I only knew Norman, Ray, and Emma. Not that Emma was dumb, no. But compared to them, Ray and Norman were truly geniuses.

Emma and Norman left the dining room. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ray approaching me.

"Ayame. We need to talk," he said seriously. Without waiting for a response, he motioned for me to follow him to the rooms.

"Uh, Ray? What's up?" I asked nervously.

He paused, then sat down on his bed and pulled me onto his lap. I blushed instantly.

"What happened at the gate yesterday? Tell me exactly what happened and what you saw."

"Well, they were talking about harvesting the full score soon. And that Mother should prepare everything. And what we saw... were Conny's body and the monsters," I recounted quickly. Ray wiped away my tears.

"Okay. So apparently, we're next to be harvested. Until Emma and Norman tell me otherwise, everything stays between us. Plus, we'll start planning. Norman and Emma aren't stupid either."

"Ray?"

"Yes?"

"Emma wants to escape with everyone. Please tell me we can do it!" I cried. Ray pulled me closer to him.

"I don't know."

"How do you know about all this? About the monsters and everything?" I asked. Ray hesitated.

"As you grow older, you gradually lose your memories of your early childhood. But I didn't lose them. I can still remember the time before we came to Grace Field House," he explained.

"Okay. So it's like a form of amnesia?"

"Yes, exactly. You got it."

I stood up and pulled Ray outside with me.

I had planned to sit under the tree, but Ray had other ideas. He urged me on. Then we started moving faster. After a while, we reached the fence.

"Ray, we shouldn't go any further. You know what Mother says," I reminded him.

"I know all too well. But Norman and Emma are at the wall. They have to inform us. Or rather, me. Listen, pretend you didn't tell me anything. And keep the memory thing to yourself too. Got it?" he said seriously. Of course, I didn't mind. I agreed. I would do anything for Ray.

"Yes, I understand."

"Let's go."

Ray and I took a few steps back to gain momentum. With one swift move, we leaped over the fence.

We ran and jumped over various obstacles. At one point, we even climbed a tree. From there, we swung from tree to tree.

"There are Emma and Norman," I pointed out to Ray. He nodded. We reached the spot. Emma and Norman were discussing something and looking at the wall.

I tapped Ray and gestured at my watch. He understood and checked the time. Then he closed it. Together, we made our way back to the orphanage even faster than before.

"We'll confront Emma and Norman now. There's no time left," he said.

Just then, the bell rang.

We had to hurry so that Emma and Norman wouldn't see us following them.

We arrived and sat together under the tree. Soon, Emma and Norman arrived, panting. The other children were standing with Mom.

"Huh? Two are missing," Gilda remarked.

"MOTHER!" one of the children shouted.

"Mark," Mom said, sounding worried.

"What happened?" she asked.

Little Mark was in tears.

"What am I going to do? Naila and I got lost in the woods!" he sobbed.

Mother understood and pulled out a device that looked like a watch. Ray scrutinized it and took my hand. We moved a little closer to the other children. Mother smiled. I stalled.

"Don't worry. Everyone stay here," Mother said and stood up. Purposefully, she walked towards a certain point in the forest.

It didn't take long for Phil to point out two figures. It was Mother and Naila. The children ran to her. Ray and I stayed put. I looked at Ray in shock. Norman and Emma were a little further away from us, but I could see that they were just as stunned.

How did Mother know where Naila was? Oh no, a thought occurred to me. What if they implanted a tracking device in us before we came to the farm? I needed to discuss this urgently with Ray. But also with Norman and Emma.

Norman and Emma needed to meet with Ray urgently. And we needed to come up with a plan as soon as possible to get out of here alive. I didn't want to leave anyone behind. But we were 37 orphans. And more than half of them were babies.