Change || The Promised Neverland

✼ Chapter Fifteen: Connected ✼

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"E-Excuse me?" [Name] flinched back, nearly knocking Emma over. "Isn't that a bit soon? I'd understand if it was like three weeks, but ten days?!"

"Yeah!" Emma agreed. "I mean, it's alright, but-"

"It is not alright!" Ray snapped, bonking her on the head and pushing her out of the way. "Mom's objective is to control us. So if we don't make a move, she won't either. Wasn't the plan to carefully plan during the month and a half?"

"True, and that's exactly why I want to move quickly," Norman chirped. Ray growled.

"Please explain because I am five seconds away from strangling you."

"Ray..." [Name] scolded. She let out a sigh, looking at Norman. "But he's right. Could you explain so that we can follow your train of thought?"

"Of course," Norman chirped. "See, if it looks like we can wait to us, then that's how Mom sees it as well. I want to outwit her." He shrugged. "Well, even if it's not in ten days, I want to at least escape before winter. Mom isn't trying to hide the traitors. That means that making us think we have time is a trap."

"This is stupid," Ray muttered. Norman smiled.

"That's what you'd think, right?" he agreed. "That's why we're doing it. Besides, it's not like this is sudden. We prepared a lot of things in a short amount of time. We just have to take care of the important stuff in the next ten days."

"Alright." Emma nodded. "We'll talk to Don and Gilda tonight."

[Name] sighed as she climbed the stairs, right behind Ray. "I still think that we're being a bit too eager."

Norman shrugged. "If that's what you think, then that's what Mom thinks too. Which means she won't suspect us."

"What are you implying?" [Name] said lowly, a tick of annoyance in her voice. Norman rose his hands in surrender.

"It's not just you," he said hurriedly. "Mom's trained all of us to think that way, so she'll expect us to move slower. I'm not saying that you and Mom think alike."

[Name]'s glare dropped. "Oh."

Nice save, Ray thought. He rolled back his shoulders, recalling the previous conversation. "But she has a point. We're being reckless, moving this quickly. Do you think Don and Gilda could handle it?"

[Name] tilted her head. "Well, Norman said that we're not going to tell them the whole truth. Is that why?"

"I don't want to put them in danger," Emma said. "Mom isn't doing anything because we haven't shown her that we know. But if someone reveals that they do, she might ship that person out right away."

"Even if we fail," Norman added, "if they don't know the truth, they might be able to live."

"They can call me a liar," Emma looked down. "I don't care if they hate me later, saying that I tricked them. There's no point in telling them if Mom kills them first. Now isn't the time to tell them the truth."

[Name] bit her lip. "I understand where you're coming from but..." she sighed. "Okay. I'll play along."

"Thanks, [Name]," Emma smiled. She opened the door. "Thanks for waiting, you two."

"No problem," Don assured. "What did you want to talk about?"

[Name] climbed onto a ladder while Emma told them the fake story. She took careful note of Gilda's face. The olive-haired girl was perceptive, after all. There was no way that she didn't suspect anything.