Ruby (Now Completed!)

[Chapter 8]

Teto froze, feeling the edge of the knife pressed against the skin of her throat. When she didn't reply the first time, the boy holding the knife asked her again.

"Well? Who the hell are you?"

Teto tried to squeak out the words, but she could barely speak. She took a deep breath, swallowed, and tried again.

"M-my name is R-ruby, I-i'm sorry for t-trespassing-"

She was cut off by a snort from the boy.

"Hmph. You don't sound like one of them, I suppose I'll let you live."

He took the knife away from her throat, and she was able to get a good look at him. He was slender and short, and his brilliant red eyes shone even in the darkness. This contrasted his hair, which was a shade of baby blue, but Teto noticed parts of it were white as snow.

"Name's Matsudappoiyo, call me Mat. What are you doing around here? Did you escape too?"

Teto was startled by how quickly and easily he softened toward her, it seemed suspicious. However, she didn't want to seem wary. She was already withholding her name from him.

"I did, actually. My partner, Piko, and I are trying to find a way to the surface before they find us."

Piko, who was listening from below, wondered what Teto meant when she said "partner". Teto herself wasn't even sure.

Mat gave Teto something that crossed between a smirk and a fake smile.

"Well, miss, you happen to have stumbled upon the right guy. I know the only way to the surface in this entire ventilation system."

Mat watched as Teto's entire face lit up. Her eyes widened, her jaw even dropped a little.

"Really?" She gasped, "That's great! Can you give us directions?"

Mat chuckled, but it was an almost evil kind of chuckle.

"Aw, sweetie, you wish it were that easy."

Teto's face changed from excited to enraged in a fraction of a second.

"What do you mean, you wish?! What right do you have to withhold this from us?! I'll-"

She was about to swing at him when Mat suddenly whipped out his knife again and pressed it to her chin.

"You better hush it, or we're both as good as dead. Of course I'm not making this easy for you, after all, you're the one trespassing here. Before I show you the exit, you're gonna get something for me. You and your partner follow me, and don't even think about taking a swing at me again."

Mat turned around and started crawling the other direction. Cursing under her breath, Teto quickly scrambled up to the next level, helping Piko climb up as well. They both hurried to catch up to Mat.

They crawled only a short way and ended up in a large tin room similar to Len's safe haven, but instead of looking comfortable and safe, the place was littered with maps and plans. Lots of them seemed to be scribbled out or crumpled up.

"What is this place?" Teto asked, standing up.

Mat gave her another fake smile.

"Welcome to my... ah... lair, so to speak. I'd give you a tour, but I've got more pressing matters to attend to. Come over here."

Mat led them to the very far corner of the room, where a few papers were plastered on the wall. All of them were maps, with lines that seemed to indicate routes drawn on them. Teto recognized that the maps were of the Project headquarters in its entirety.