Change || The Promised Neverland

✼ Chapter Twelve: Behind ✼

<< Do you always keep your eyes behind you? >>

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[Name] walked into the library, maneuvering around the bookshelves to meet with the other three members of the Full Score Quartet. She knocked on the side of a bookshelf, drawing their attention.

"I figured out where the tracking devices are," she said. Norman's eyes widened, Emma shot up from her book, and even Ray looked up in shock. [Name] tapped behind her left ear. "I remember now. Whenever the new infants come in, they always have a little nick right here. Mother says it's for their blood tests, but I doubt that."

They immediately felt behind their ears, gasping as their fingers found some rectangle-like device. Norman furrowed his eyebrows.

"How'd you figure it out?" he asked interrogatingly. [Name] mentally sighed. Of course, he was still suspicious of her.

"I spend a lot of time with the babies, especially the newer ones," she explained. "I notice these kinds of things. I just remembered, and it seems I was correct."

"Oh," said Norman, visibly relaxing. [Name] tilted her head at him.

"Something wrong, Norman?" The albino shook his head, waving it off.

"No, I'm fine," he said. [Name] rose an eyebrow, but shrugged it off and walked to Emma.

"Nobody would notice this," Ray commented, feeling behind his ear. "It makes sense."

"Mama told me that these were from when they took our blood," Emma said.

"I've never heard about that," Norman said, pinching his ear. "And it disappears so quickly?"

"I didn't even suspect it this whole time," Emma said, looking ashamed. [Name] rubbed her shoulder.

"It's alright," she assured. She looked to the others. "How're things on your end?" she asked. Emma looked at Ray.

"Want to tell her?" Ray nodded, looking up.

"Since we can see that the sun rises from the south, we determined that we're somewhere in the northern hemisphere," he said. "We also have 4 seasons, so it should be safe to assume that we're closer to the equator."

[Name] traced her fingers on the map, pointing at three continents. "So we're either in the southern part of North America, the northern part of South America or in the northern part of Africa. I'm thinking we're in the North American part based on the trees."

"This map might not be accurate to what the world is like right now, so we can't depend on it," Ray cut her off. "It was published in 2010, and we don't know what happened in 35 years."

[Name] nodded. "Right. So we've checked for cameras, what's beyond the fence, got our 'ropes', and we now know the location of the tracking devices. Things have been moving pretty well for us so far. But we can't let our guard down."

Emma nodded. "Yeah. And now, we have to figure out..."

"How to break the devices," the four said in sync.

Norman tapped his chin. "What should we do?"

"If we cut our ears open to inspect it," [Name] muttered, "Mother will know if she combs through our hair."

"Just thinking about that is bad for my heart," said Emma, putting a hand on her heart. "But I guess that's why she always does it."

"Well," Ray said, "putting that aside, these devices aren't that functionally useful. They can't identify the individual. They also don't notify Mom if we go near the gate or wall."