Secret Ties and Prying Eyes

Chapter 7: True Colors

Here I was....standing in shock as I looked down at Wally below me. He was HERE. In the REAL WORLD.

"Neighbor, don't cut down your tree house!" Wally pleaded. "It means so much to you!"

"W-wally how--how're you here?!" I asked.

"I followed you, Eve," he explained. "When you ran back to your tree house, crying, I went to check on you and apologize for snapping at you. That's when I realized that you were going back...and I had to follow you. I managed to climb into the tree house unnoticed and traveled back with you.

But that's not what matters. What matters is I don't want you to cut down your tree house. It has a lot of sentimental value...I can tell..."

"I..." I hesitated. "I don't want to either...but it's the only way to protect you and the neighborhood from the So Below. I need to severe the tie so I can't let Trina possess you."

"It's not the tree house, Eve," Wally corrected. "...It's the Phone."

"The phone?" I repeated.

"The phone is what made me aware of the real world and connect with you," Wally explained, "When Katrina stole the phone from the set of Welcome Home, it made me truly self aware of the real world....and scared of what lies below...I wanted someone...someone...to get my messages...hoping someone would be able to prevent Trina and the So Below from possessing the neighborhood but no one listened to me...so I gave up.

I pretended that the phone was normal when Katrina stole it so that she would think it was like a normal phone....until you came around...then I was able to communicate with you. "

Wally sighed before continuing, "But, neighbor...I didn't want you to find out the truth...as long as I kept Trina and the So Below below Home and secured...as long as I kept Katrina from finding out that the phone was abnormal...everything was perfect...I could hang out with you forevermore without you going down to the So Below and getting hurt...plus I...didn't want you to think less of me...since I could interact with that website made about me...I just wanted things to be like the way they were..."

My face softened as he explained. So that's why he didn't want be going down there. "I-I'm sorry Wally...I was just curious about how I got here...plus I wasn't sure why it had to be me."

"There, there, neighbor..." Wally patted my arm. "It's alright. It's you because YOU are a relative of Katrina and YOU have a beautiful soul passionate for Welcome Home. *Sigh* But I suppose I can't keep the truth from you forever. Katrina will eventually find out the phone is still magical. You need to get it away from her."

"But- "

"Eeeeve! Dinner time!" I heard a familiar voice, and even though I didn't want to think Grandma was still the same, I needed to hide Wally.

"Coming, Grandma! Just a sec!" I called to her before turning to Wally. "Wally, you need to hide. C'mon. Let's grab the phone and take you to my room."

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I hid Wally in my room, keeping the phone with him for now as I ate dinner with my grandma. It was oddly quiet...since I now knew what her past was and why she was kicked out. 

"You've hardly touched your dinner, dear," Grandma stated. "Are you okay? I do know you've been spending a lot of time in that tree house of yours."

I took a deep breath, "Grandma...can I...ask you a question?"

"Of course! What is it?" Grandma wondered. 

"I....are you sure you got fired because you just wanted to make your own character?" I asked. "Maybe there was a...certain reason you did...?"