Cast (#wattys2016)

Chapter Eleven

Days pass, or maybe it's weeks, I'm too irritated to care. Sometimes the silence is nice, I've needed a break from everything I've been through for a long time; but mostly the silence is lonely. No one is allowed to visit and even Doctor Periwinkle never comes in.

I know I'm not really a patient (if I was a nurse or doctor would have to come check on me sometimes), no, this is a cruel punishment from the Puppet Master. The question is, what has he found out? Sure, any of the snooping he found out I was doing would end me up in the position I'm in, but what did he find out and how? This is the question that keeps me up at night, this is the question that fills my silent hours with... Something. He couldn't have found out anything too incriminating, or else Calvin would've received another red slip of paper. Maybe he just thinks it's funny, maybe he just wants to see me squirm, that's probably it.

One day I'm sitting in my room (like I usually do, what else is there really to do?), when a piece of paper is slipped under my door. I smile at the arrival of some contact with the outside world. The note, of course, is from Henry.

Egiap, ereht ni kcul doog. Syaw ym evah I wonk ouy, ouy rof gniggid peek ll'I, etsaw ot gniog gnipoons ruoy lla tuoba yrrow t'nod dna, ho. Kcab reh evah ot taerg s'ti, niar htiw em gnitinuer rof sknaht. Ouy ot eton siht dnes ot dediced I os, ylenol ylbaborp er'uoy. Yrneh s'ti, ih.

I'm used to this song and dance by now, so it doesn't take me long to figure out that the solution is that each word and the whole note is backwards:

Hi, it's Henry. You're probably lonely, so I decided to send this note to you. Thanks for reuniting me with Rain, it's great to have her back. Oh, and don't worry about all your snooping going to waste, I'll keep digging for you, you know I have my ways. Good luck in there, Paige.

That's my boy. Is the first thing I think. I know Henry will be able to get me some good information without ever getting caught, somehow. He does have his ways. He sure does.

  ***

Having Henry as my spy is great and all, but I'm still stuck in my room day in and day out, so I find a way to spice things up:

Day 5

I've been undercover in Westin for 22 days now, so how am I even farther from any answers than when I started? I talked to Gwen again, but she was cold as ever. Rhys did give me something though, just a name, 'The Golden Lounge'. I questioned the manager of the place for a bit, but he said he didn't really know the guy; 'Alfie', would know better apparently. I don't know who this Alfie guy is and he wasn't around the lounge today. Hopefully tomorrow will be better,   I can't handle another useless day like this one.

Hey, I have to do something to pass the time.

***

Bored again. So bored. No more messages from Henry, no interest in writing; I'd actually completed a whole novel in my spare time. Why? No reason, I have no reason to do anything and all the reasons to do something. What am I mumbling about? I don't even know anymore.

***

Another lazy day. Another lazy day. Interrupted by... A click of the door. Wait, what?  Yeah, I definitely heard what I thought I heard. Has Doctor Periwinkle finally come for me? No, the person who walks through the door is Emily. "How did you get in here?" I have the urge to just burst out the door at that very moment, but I keep my cool because this question needs to be answered.
"Lucifer let me in, don't you notice him next to you?" I can't help but get goosebumps from her explanation, but I still manage to play along.
"Oh yeah, right." I say, looking beside me and nodding.
"So, I have some plans to tell you about." She says and I gulp.
"Um... What kind of plans?"
"Lucifer and I have finally figured out a way to get rid of the Puppet Master."
"Oh. H-how is that?" 
"We're going to need a little bit of help from everyone in the Sanctuary, if we all work together we can do it. So many people are just afraid of him, but when it's this many against 1, what's there to be afraid of?"
"You expect us to just run at him swinging at the air? How is that going to work?"
"No, no, I expect us the burn this place to the ground, Puppet Master included."
"You're going to burn the Puppet Master alive?!" I understand why she'd want to do that, but talk about cruel and unusual punishment.
"No, we're going to burn the Puppet Master alive. Too bad Ari's gone, she knows her way around a flame, but we'll manage."
"Are you sure this is the best idea?"
"Do you feel like arguing?" My stomach drops at her question.
"N-no, of course not." I plaster on a fake smile and she seems to approve.
"Good. I'll be back with more plans tomorrow, don't tell anyone I was here."
"That's pretty easy, I have no one to tell anyways."

So I've basically made a deal with the devil, guess I did that the second I agreed to help Emily the first time around.

It's day 553 in the room and I'm still waiting for communications from either my spy or my commander, neither come around. Ok, so it's actually only been like a week and I'm just bored. But I am still waiting for Henry or Emily to come around to tell me something. I am still waiting for something.

Then my door bursts open in a flair of anger from whoever opened it. Looks like it's your lucky day, you've got something. I think. It's the Puppet Master, and if looks could kill... Note to self, be careful what you wish for. "You delinquent! You thought you could sneak right under my nose, you thought I was stupid?! Well, it looks like we both underestimated each other." He screams at me and I hesitate with my answer. Come on dingledorf, say something! If I do that all that will come out is 'eh', he's scarier than I realized. Don't be a wuss, be an Advisor. Wow, that's encouraging. Oh, just say something not stupid!
"What did you find?" I ask without a hint of fake obliviousness and he looks surprised by my response.
"You're quite honest."
"Like you said, you're not stupid." Nice one, playing the polite traitor.
"Flattery is great and all, but it also doesn't work on me." Oh, bad one, Paige. Who told you that was a good idea? "What I did find though, is everything."
"That's quite the claim."
"You really haven't done as much digging as you give yourself credit for, Miss Paige."
"Oh?"
"Mhm. Henry knows more than you, he actually hasn't told you as much as you think he has. It was interesting that you got to my dairy before falling into my trap, but it's all the same now. Impressed yet? You may have your spies, but I have mine too." Wow, his definition of 'everything' is pretty thin; he didn't even mention anything about Rain, Doctor Periwinkle, Daisy and a host of other people I've associated myself with. I mean, he knows Henry's name, ooh good job. Can you please not right now?
"Who are your spies?" I inquire.
"Oh, wouldn't you just love to know?"
"Well, then what are you going to do with me?"
"You're the last person I'm dealing with, first I have to take care of all your confidants: Henry, his sister, Emily and Beckley and Finn just because their your friends and they probably helped you with something."
"And what are you going to do with them?" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out 5 red pieces of paper.
"I've got a few notes to send... To Calvin."
"You wouldn't."
"Why not? You're all my Puppets." I want to respond, but I just don't know how. He leaves, and I'm alone again. This time I'm not lonely though, I'm just scared.