Hello everyone! It's good to be back, and we're looking forward to posting more. Stress from the computer is also over with as well.
No content warnings for this one.
Link to the discord! https://discord.gg/Gbh2t4UpAt
How shall we spend this time?
Enjoy not having to be around everyone. And maybe give some time for everyone to cool down at school. But for now I'm going to lay here and enjoy this as best as I can.
Sounds good, but now might be a time to see if we can talk with Holly.
I crawled over to my phone and turned it on to a bunch of different alerts.
From Emma:
6:12 PM: Where are you? It's getting late.
From Holly:
6:27 PM: Did Robbie really use my spray on you!?
From Holly:
6:28 PM: I'm so sory! He promised he would only use it if you attaced him!!
Missed call from Emma: 6:30 PM
From: Emma:
6:32 PM: You there?
Missed call from Mom: 6:38 PM
Missed call from Emma: 6:40 PM
From Emma:
6:43 PM: Answer your fucking phone!
Missed call from Emma: 6:45 PM
Missed call from Emma: 6:47 PM
Missed call from Emma: 6:49 PM
From Holly:
7:03 PM: Please don't hate me…
Aside from Emma and Mom.
If what Holly said is true, then it's good to know that Holly still cares enough to check if we're okay.
Yeah. I was worried there for a bit.
To Holly:
8:04 AM: I'm fine. Robbie didn't do anything wrong. Don't worry.
I didn't expect a reply until lunch, but my phone dinged a few minutes after.
From Holly:
8:08 AM: But he used my spray on you. Are you sure you're fine? What happened in the alleyway? And why aren't you in school today?
I let the phone drop to my side with a sigh. Yeah I knew she'd want to know what happened, but this is my relaxing time for the first time in weeks.
Then we can tell her to ask Sophie.
We don't need to tell her directly.
Though it might help to make sure she understands that Robbie didn't do anything wrong.
Picking the phone back up, I started typing.
To Holly:
8:12 AM: I'm staying home because I can barely move. Some stuff happened that had nothing to do with Robbie or Sophie or anyone. Don't worry about me. Please.
And yeah, he used the spray but for more reasons that have nothing to do with Robbie or Sophie, I started a fight with some of Robbie's other friends because stuff.
Please don't be mad at Robbie. The last thing I want to do is be the reason he lost friends.
Now to hope she accepts that answer and doesn't decide to push.
Though Holly seems really respectful of not pushing.
We're pretty sure that'll be enough.
+++
Kendall literally just told Holly she started the fight, you fucking idiots.
+++
…
…
To Holly:
8:15 AM: I mean I did kind of start the fight but there's reasons for it!
To Holly:
8:15 AM: I mean good reasons.
To Holly:
8:15 AM: One of Robbie's friends was a really bad person that I knew years ago and he's really dangerous and I was trying to protect Robbie and Sophie but Robbie didn't know that so when I got into a fight he thought I was just being a bully again but his friend was a really bad person.
To Holly:
8:16 AM: I spent last night telling Robbie's Dad at his house because my sister drove me there because reasons and I covered for Robbie and Robbie covered for me what I did and I let Robbie hit me in the stomach because I wanted to show him that I was really sorry and that was the only way I could think of and if Sophie makes it out that Robbie is the bad guy in all of this then she's wrong so don't be mad at Robbie and tell Robbie I said I hope he's doing well.
To Holly:
8:17 AM: Again don't be mad at Robbie.
+++
Still as awkward as ever.
+++
No more awkward than Holly is thankfully.
I was expecting another response, but nothing after an hour or two. At that point, my stomach started to growl some more. So after a nice big stretch, I decided to crawl out of my room and set myself up in front of the fridge.
We can imagine our own house if we ever get one.
Not a place to sit in sight, and we just sit and lay on the floor.
I opened the fridge and pulled out the last of the leftover hamburgers and ate them on the spot.
That doesn't sound that bad actually. It'd free up a lot of space for me to work. Just imagine an entire house as a living room.
If someone comes over, then we should probably have a few chairs.
+++
Someone visiting you guys? That's hilarious! No one would come to visit except Emma.
+++
A week ago we probably would have agreed with that, but now we're not so sure.
Holly's someone we can picture coming over to spend time here.
…
+++
And now you've scared her. I have to wonder how you sometimes do a better job of throwing her off balance without even trying than I do when I try.
+++
We're just not used to it.
It's scary, yes.
But we believe we can handle the thought of Holly coming over in time.
Yeah. Totally…
Don't think too much of it.
That won't be for a long time.
For now just focus on relaxing.
Relaxing. Right.
With a deep breath in through the nose-
I am relaxed. I am relaxed. I am-
My chanting was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
I turned to the door and there was a guy standing outside. I shot to my feet as fast as I could and stumbled my way to my room, locked the door and beelined it for my phone.
To Emma:
9:03 AM: Some creepy guy is here help!
Moments later, my phone rang and I answered.
"What's going on?"
"Please come back," I said, "Someone's here and he looked creepy and I don't know what to do and I'm scared and-."
"Slow down. Tell me what's going on. Did they try to break in?"
"No. He just rang the doorbell."
+++
I hope you realize how pathetic you sound by saying that.
+++
"Was he in some kind of uniform or something?"
"I don't know. I locked myself in my room as soon as I saw him." I went to peek out of my window to see if he was still there, and he was. "A guy in a brown leather jacket looking at the house and talking on a radio. Why the fuck is he-"
I was cut off by more knocking from the back door. I closed my curtains and sat down against the door.
Whispering in a panic, "Now someone's knocking on the back door and please hurry."
"Stay there, I'll be there soon and don't move. Stay on the phone."
I held my phone to my chest and shut my eyes tight.
Emma will save me. She'll protect me. She'll-
+++
Be too late.
+++
Knocks on my window made me put my hands on my ears and brought me borderline crying. "They're knocking on my window please hurry."
"Kendall Mara. We're with the A.C.U. and we need to speak with you about your anima."
+++
Emma isn't here. They'd be free to do whatever they want to you all day if they get in.
+++
Esmer dragged herself over next to me and put her arms around me.
Stay hidden until Emma says it's safe.
"If they're not home, then do you know when they'll be back? We'd need to wait for them, but we're going to have to stick around until they do."
I kept my mouth shut until someone else called out.
"Kendall, this is Agent Roderick Werner. I'm a friend of your sister, Emma. We were just at your school and they said you were out sick."
Ask Emma what her friends name is.
"What's your friends name?" I whispered to Emma.
"Why?"
"Because he just said his name was Roderick something."
"Oh what the fuck. I'm so sorry about that. Did he say what he's doing there?"
"He…uhh…"
He knows about us and he knows Emma by name.
We couldn't think of any better way to make sure he's part of this A.C.U. thing and Emma's friend.
"Kendall?" Emma asked.
"I don't know why they're here."
+++
Another stupid lie.
+++
"Alright. Tell them that I'm going to be home soon, but stay inside."
Still clenching my phone tight, "Are you sure it's safe…?"
"I wouldn't be telling you to do it if I wasn't one hundred percent sure it was safe. Besides, you're going to need to learn to deal with people appearing out of the blue at times."
+++
She's right you know. You can't always be scared shitless of people your entire life if you ever want to live on your own.
Not like you'll ever get over that fear.
+++
It's going to be alright if Emma says it's safe.
Peek through the curtain and tell them that Emma's going to be here soon and they better not try anything.
…Okay. If you and Emma say it's safe, then I got this.
I stood up the best I could and moved over to the window.
I can do this. I can do this.
Yes we can.
We just need to say it.
Tarmon slid up and whispered next to my ear.
+++
The moment they hear you, they're going to break in and do unspeakable things to you.
+++
Clenching my fist, I took a deep breath in-
"My sister's going to be here soon and if you try anything then I'm calling the cops and kicking your ass!" The moment I said 'kicking' I was already rushing over to my weight room and closed myself in there. Sweat and goosebumps covered my body as my breathing went out of control. In the next moment, my legs gave out. Making me sit against the door.
Esmer appeared next to me.
That was an amazing job.
We're proud of us.
I heard them say something else, but it was just mumbles to me as I shut my eyes tight and listened for any signs of them breaking in.
+++
People don't need to make any sounds when they break in.
They could already be in your room.
They could know you're behind this door and they could be standing right outside it at this very moment.
+++
Tarmon sent another spike of adrenaline through my body as Esmer shot him her version of a stink eye.
And you could be completely wrong about all of that.
+++
Except I'm not, because they absolutely could be doing all of those things.
It doesn't matter if they are actually doing it or not.
They could be.
And that's all that matters.
+++
I know I've asked this a hundred times, but can you stop being a fucking asshole for just one moment?
+++
Never.
+++
"I'm heading home right now. I'll be there soon." I heard Emma from the phone.
"Okay. Thank you…"
We know he's just trying to scare us, because Emma says it's safe.
If we're seriously that worried, then crack open the door and look out.
The room will be empty.
Esmer was right. Emma says it's safe, so it's going to be safe.
I slid off to the side and grabbed hold of the door knob.
I'm going to open this door and there's not going to be anything wrong with it. Because it. Is. Safe.
With one last breath, I opened the door, and nobody was there.
See?
It's perfectly safe.
Now let's wait for Emma to get back here.
I closed the door and kept sitting there.
You're right. I just hope she doesn't take too long.
Depends on where she's working today.
I closed my eyes as I waited. Sitting there for minute after minute as my heart kept pumping just as hard. It took awhile, but my phone rang again and I almost jumped out of my skin when it went off. When I answered it, "Emma. Are you here yet?"
"I'm pulling up right now."
"Good. I'm hiding out in my weight room."
"Sorry about this."
We should be the one to apologize for taking her away from her busy work.
"Sorry for making you come home from work…"
"It's not your fault. Hanging up so I can talk to them."
Let's go and meet her at the door if we can get there.
I grabbed onto the door knob and lifted myself up by it. Opening the door, it was all quiet as I slowly made my way to my bedroom door, then to the kitchen, then to the front door. When I peeked out the window, Emma was talking to the two guys. One of them was a shorter guy in a white suit and black hair, and the other was about Emma's height and in this brown leather jacket with his hair slicked back. That's all I could make out, but Emma looked right at me through the window. A moment later, all of them walked up to the door, making me step back further into the house.
Emma looks like she knows now.
She stood there in the doorway and stared at me with a blank face. "When were you going to tell me?"
"I don't know, I just. I didn't know what you'd think…"
Emma stuck her head out the door. "Come in. We can talk about it." She walked them inside and Emma guided me to the kitchen table with her.
So much for a day of relaxing.
+++
You're going to get thrown in jail and it's going to be hilarious.
+++
No I won't because I just need to tell them the truth. Mr. Roland woke Esmer up and didn't tell me shit about me not waking up anyone else's.
Agreed.
We're not going to get in trouble for him.
