Secrets and the Love? "Ray x Oc"

13

P.O.V. Ayame

"I think there is a meaning behind it. Only one thing has no Morse code, pages were torn out, and the message with the 'promise,'" said Emma. I nodded in agreement.

"So you're saying that these two are special?" Norman asked.

"Yes. How can I say that..." Emma began.

"You could be an important signpost," I continued. Emma nodded this time.

"And why?" Ray asked.

"Intuition!" Emma said bluntly.

Ray made a strange face, which made me giggle.

"What's with the face?!" Emma asked.

Norman got up, and we all looked at him, though Emma and Ray were the main focus. I just stared at Ray and listened. I only caught snippets like "case," "closer," "should," and "investigate with."

"Ayame? Hey! Are you listening?!" Norman asked, snapping his hand in front of my face. Only then did I refocus on him.

Emma giggled, I turned red, Ray grinned, and Norman repeated himself.

"You can stare at Ray later. We should definitely examine them more closely," he and Emma nudged me. She received a gentle tap on the head and a slightly evil eye from me, but she couldn't stop giggling. I rolled my eyes and listened intently. I didn't notice Ray staring at me now.

"Mr. Minerva's book puzzle, I mean," Norman continued.

"It's not just our escape. Let's find him! That's how we get out of here alive," I said.

"Yes. We can do it. And survive!" said Norman.

"No matter what kind of world is waiting for us!" he added. Ray had shifted his gaze away from me, and now I was watching him. Hadn't he said anything about it yet? I looked back at Emma, who was smiling. Automatically, I found myself smiling too. Her smile is contagious.

We went downstairs together.

"But it's amazing. Even though you read books all day, Ray..." said Norman. I glanced at Ray questioningly, and he looked back at me, a faint red tint on his cheeks.

"That Emma noticed these bookmarks..." Ray began.

"I didn't notice them at all," Emma interrupted him. Confused, I looked at her.

"What? Then who found them?" I asked.

"Phil did. He told me about it," Emma explained.

"Phil?" I asked.

"Yes, Phil. He was flipping through a picture book by Mr. Minerva, and the story was about Morse code..." she trailed off as we entered the dining room. But I didn't notice and bumped into Ray, nearly falling. He caught my hand just in time.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry," I said, blushing.

"No problem," he said, smiling, which made me even redder.

Still hand in hand, we entered the dining room.

"What? Where are Don and Gilda?" I asked, a little panicked.

"They're not here either!" exclaimed Norman, looking towards the adjoining room.

"Are they..." Emma began, her voice trembling with panic. The shock was evident on our faces.

We heard footsteps and turned towards the hallway. Don and Gilda appeared. Gilda looked sad, and Don seemed angry.

"Don! Gilda! I'm so glad! I thought..." Emma started, relieved. Ray pulled me towards Don and Gilda, still holding my hand.