Characters: Phobia, Remy, and a currently-unnamed-female-child Setting: Tuesday, February 20, 2018, evening, near the lighthouse then a safe house Summary: Finding a kid Rating: low
It was cold and rainy out, much like it always was on the island. But this was her first time outside. Ever. So cold and rain was something new. At first, when the tiny brunette climbed out of the ventilation grate of the Facility, and got her first taste of real fresh air, she ran. And she kept running, until she ran out of place to run. Standing at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the rushing waters below, the little girl was shaking and wet, her bare feet covered in mud. Glancing around with wide blue eyes, she thought she heard something, and ran to hide on the side of the big, pointy white building. A lighthouse.
Phobia was contemplating throwing his ID into the ocean. It seemed like a very good idea. It also seemed like a very bad idea. Still he wanted to do something. He knew things had to be quiet for a while. Zayne had been called in. Daryn had been called in. The government was watching them and they couldn’t show their hand right now. Or maybe it was all the more reason to show their hand. They would not be scared.
From the corner of his eye, Phobia saw something move. He turned quickly. Was that a child? There were no children on Destruction Island. That made him frown. He turned off his music and watched the child run to the lighthouse. This wasn’t run. A quietly as he could make it, he followed her to the lighthouse. It was a child. Argh. He had no idea how to deal with children. He had no idea how to make himself not scary. Where the hell was someone else? Thursday? Zayne? Anyone would be better.
“Hello?” he called out softly. “You okay?”
The little girl peered out cautiously but didn’t completely come out of hiding. Sniffling, she wiped her nose with her dirty sleeve, accidentally getting some mud on her face. Watching him carefully, she hesitated before speaking in a tiny whisper. “Hello?”
Ew. No. Don’t wipe your face with your sleeve. That was gross and it didn’t help, clearly. He took a hesitant step forward and said, “Hi there. What are you doing here?” Or why were you on the island? Or was it like an April, and was a fully grown adult who turned into a kid. Nope. Don’t wipe your nose on your sleeve.
“Hiding.” Well, trying to hide. Someone found her. At least this someone didn’t seem like he was going to make her go back. Not yet anyway. Sometimes people were nice but it was a trick. Staying partially hidden still, the child watching Phobia skeptically and then looked around to see if anyone else was with him.
“Why are we hiding?” Phobia asked. He had a feeling this was going to be like pulling teeth to get answers. See? He also did not have patience for children. Maybe he should call Ashe. And say what? I found a child? That’s weird. Okay. More information then find her mother or something.
“You’re hiding too?” It didn’t look like he was hiding. Maybe this was a trick. Looking around again, she crept out of hiding slowly, still shivering. “I don’t want to go back, so I am hiding. Why are you hiding?”
“Go back where?” Phobia asked. To her mother? Or something else? It was rude but he didn’t care as he reached to find out her fears. Wait. Those were familiar fears but not. He frowned slightly. “From people.” Maybe if he answered her questions, she’d feel safer with him. Weird thought.
Sneezing, she wiped her nose on her sleeve again. “Bad people? I don’t want to go back to that bad place.” Looking around, she could see the Facility in the distance and pointed at it.
Okay. Seriously. Stop doing that. If he had tissues he would have given them to her. He looked to where she pointed and his heart sank. Oh. Okay. That wasn’t good. She had been in the Facility? Wait. Why did they have children? He didn’t like where his mind jumped to next.
“I don’t think here is the best hiding place,” Phobia said, trying to think where she could hide. Stupid island, “But I know a few places.”
“You’re not gonna tell on me?” So far, her experience with grown ups hadn’t been great, for the most part. They would either trick you, or just be mean. He wasn’t mean yet, so this must be a trick. “Are you hiding from bad people?”
Phobia shook his head and said, “I won’t tell anyone. I don’t like bad people.” Was he hiding from bad people? He was hiding things from bad people. He offered her his hand. Argh. Please don’t be snotty. He should probably call Remy. That wasn’t a bad idea. He and the Coffee Fairy would probably love a kid.
Stepping closer carefully, she didn’t take his hand but seemed like she would go along with him. For now. “Where are we going?”
That? He had no idea. He dropped his hand since it didn’t seem like she wanted to take it. That’s fine. Add kid boogers to a list of his fears. Or at least to the list of things he didn’t want to touch.
“Somewhere that isn’t the Facility,” Phobia said. He looked at her, “I’m Oliver. What’s your name?” The girl didn’t know that that was what the bad place was called, but as long as they weren’t going back there it seemed like an okay idea. She stepped out and closer to him, looking around warily again, almost like she was ready to run if needed. Looking up to him, she shrugged. There was a sort of hospital bracelet on her little wrist but it only had serial numbers on it, no name. She pointed to the first two in the sequence, 5B, and shrugged. “They called me that, but that’s not a name. We figured that out.”
“Sounds like they were very close with you,” Phobia muttered. He frowned and looked at the kid again, “We? You aren’t alone?” He looked around and didn’t see any other kids. He reached out, trying to pick up similar fears as the kid’s. He couldn’t.
He began to lead her to one of the safe houses. It was away from most people so no one would see him walking around with a kid. He knew it wasn’t the prettiest places to be but until he knew what to with the kid, it was probably the safest place. He pulled his phone out, and trying to do it so the kid wouldn’t see, he sent a quick text to Remy to meet him there.
The girl didn’t understand what he meant by that first part, but she also learned that sometimes asking questions was bad. Following him a half-step behind, she kept an eye out for anyone else who came along. “There’s other kids there.”
Fuck. Shit. Other kids? Shit. He knew what this was. They had been looking for clues for a while now and it fell onto his lap. Almost literally. He looked to the kid, slowing his step so she could keep up with him.
“Did they get out too?”
She reluctantly fell into pace behind him. She was supposed to follow adults, but he seemed to want her to walk with him so she did. She shook her head no at the question. “I snuck out to find my mom and get help. Will… will you help them?”
“Yes,” Phobia said, sounding more certain than he had in the entire conversation, “I’ll do whatever I can to help them.” He wondered if he should ask her if she remembered the way in. Or wait until Remy was there to ask the question in the most-kid friendly way ever. Did that involve crayons? Probably.
“Who is your mom?” Phobia asked. That would be a great way to start things for her.
The girl shrugged. “I don’t know. She used to talk to me, but I don’t hear her so much anymore. But I think if I find her she will help.” She felt glad that Oliver would help, but since she didn’t know him too well she was still cautious. “Are there other people where we are going?”
“She used to talk to you? Do you know what she looks like?” If she talked to this kid, then she was probably a government worker and would not help her. Phobia kept that thought to himself.
“One person,” Phobia said, “A really good friend of mine and whom you can trust.” He was pretty sure that wouldn’t comfort her, “I promise it’s a safe person.” He kept her close to him as they walked through the streets and he quickly opened the door to the safe house. He looked around, “There may be food here. You hungry?”
Remy was surprised to get the text from Phobia but he didn’t question it. He would find out what was up when he got to the safe house. Since it was raining, like always, he slipped on shoes and a jacket. Tucking his phone into his pocket he kissed Zayne before pulling his hood up and heading out into the rain.
When he got to the safe house he didn’t knock. Stopping momentarily at the door Remy mentally checked to make sure it really was Phobia. It was but he wasn't alone. Who was with him? Remy froze in his tracks for a heartbeat before opening the door. “Phobia?”
Phobia debated giving a sarcastic answer but called out, “Yup. It’s me.” Who else would it be here after asking to meet here? Of course Remy would be careful because why would Phobia come with a kid? How did Phobia even find a kid? “Special cargo coming in.”
Remy stepped in and closed the door behind him he was just turning to address Phobia and ask who was with him when he saw the girl. The child. He blinked for a moment then looked over at Phobia. “What the hell is going on?”
“I’m pregnant,” Phobia replied before he could help himself. Now was not the time to be sarcastic. He looked to the kid and said, “This is my friend, Remy. He can help us with your friends in the Facility,” Hint hint. Nudge nudge, “He can also help us find your mom.”
The child just shrugged when Oliver asked her what her mother looked like. But at the offer of food, she nodded eagerly before hesitating. This place was new and she wasn’t sure if it was okay to take food or things. Looking around, she stayed by his side but didn’t really move from where she stood. “Is it eating time? We only get food at eating time.”
When the other man walked in, she took a half-step back, wary about a new person. After the introduction, she nodded a little. “What’s pregnant?”
Remy took off his coat and hung it up on a hook near the door. Stepping over he squatted down in front of the girl, but not too close, he didn’t want to scare her. “Hello. I’m Remy.” He smiled. “I’m friends with Oliver here, whom you’ve already met.” He tried not to laugh when she asked with pregnant was. “Pregnant means you have a child and since you’re with him I’d say he’s right.” He smiled.
Eying Remy carefully, the girl just nodded in understanding. She wasn’t really sure what to expect, but she didn’t think she needed to run and hide yet. “Is it eating time?” Oliver did ask if she was hungry, and she was. She was also cold and dirty, but food was offered.
Remy looked up at Phobia then back at the little girl. She was likely hungry and he could tell that she was cold and dirty. Could they really keep her at the safehouse? Where else could they take her? It wouldn’t be safe to have her at one of their houses. Maybe he could bring stuff here. “I think it IS eating time. Do you think you and Oliver can keep each other company while I go get food? And maybe some blankets? It’s a little chilly in here.” He pretended to shiver and rub his arms.
Remy was the right idea. He was good with kids and Phobia was just… awkward. He had no idea how to respond to asking about eating time except to say it was always eating time. That apparently was not the right response, if he watched Remy.
He nodded to Remy and said, “I think we can keep each other company. I can show her around the house…” aka to show her that it was safe here and no one was going to pop out. Or whatever.
The girl thought about it for a moment before nodding to Remy. They seemed okay so far, so she would hang around, if there was food coming. Looking to Oliver, she was curious now. “Is this your house?”
“No,” Phobia said, “but it’s a place I go to when I need to get away. Do you want me to show you around?” He wondered if he should point out the exits so she knew she could leave if she wanted to. Though that was probably a bad idea.
Remy smiled and stood back up. “Do either of you need anything else while I head out to get food?” He looked over at Phobia specifically. Text me if you need anything. I’ll be as quick as possible. Just try to keep her calm.” Grabbing his coat he pulled it on and smiled. “Have fun. I’ll be right back.” And he headed out.
The girl watched the two of them and then looked around curiously. “Whose house is this then?” She didn’t want to get into trouble for being somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be. Even if they said it was okay. Grown ups could be very tricky and this seemed tricky.
“Pizza?” Phobia proposed. Might as well get the kid some good food. Phobia tried not to make a face at Remy. He had been doing an okay job so far. He hadn’t lost her yet. He resisted it and kept his attention on the kid. She needed a name. That wasn’t letters or numbers.
“No one’s,” Phobia said honestly, “Which means this is the best hiding place because no one will think to look here.” “Why are there houses for no one?” Wandering around slowly, she was very cautious about where she went and what she touched. “What’s pizza?”
This kid had a million questions. Was that normal? He had no siblings; he had no experience with younger children. Remy really needed to come back.
“I guess they thought someone would live here and there is no one,” Phobia answered. At least that question was easy, “Food. Bread with cheese and tomato sauce and all sorts of good things,” he paused. Could he ask questions? Would it make it worse? “What sort of food did you eat?”
His answers made sense, so she didn’t ask more. She looked around a little bit more and then went to sit on the floor, legs tucked beneath her and looked up to Oliver. “Water, and vitamins and gross oatmeal and things. I never had pizza before.”
Phobia sat down next to her and said, “You can have pizza now. Assuming Remy brings us something else,” he hoped not. He basically promised it now. He looked to her, “What was it like? Where you were?”
She watched him carefully, not really knowing how to answer. “I don’t know? What is it like where you live? I didn’t like it. It was sometimes scary and I missed my mom. We all wanted to leave but they wouldn’t let us. So I snuck out.”
Okay. He needed to be more direct with his questions. Not good with children. He was adding that to his resume.
“I have my own room. I listen to a lot of music,” Phobia said, “So did you see your mom? How do you get in touch with her?” He had more questions. He told himself not to bombard her.
She was curious about his room and music, but she just shook her head no to his question and repeated what she said before. “She talked to me at night.” She was a smart kid, but she was still pretty little, definitely too young to understand what he was trying to get at. “I had my own bed in the wall.”
He didn’t get it. She talked to her at night? He didn’t know the questions to ask. He didn’t know what to say. Try again.
“Did you see her at night?” Phobia asked, “In the wall? Like a bunk bed?”
“No, she talked to me.” Talking was different from seeing. “Yeah, in the wall. We all had beds in the wall. What’s a bunk bed?”
“How did you talk to her if you didn’t see her?” Phobia asked, trying not to get frustrated. Where the hell was Remy? He was better at this. Maybe he should have gotten the food and left the kid with Remy. He hesitated, “It’s like a bed stacked on another bed but with space in between so you can sleep. Usually only two high.”
She shrugged, not knowing how to explain it better than she already did. “She talked to me, I didn’t talk to her.” Did that help? Picking some dried mud off of her hand, the little girl tried to picture want bunk beds looked like from his description. “In a wall or not in a wall? Why do people want that? It sounds high.”
That did not help. That confused him. Then he had a thought, “Can only you hear her?” He watched her pick at the mud and asked, “Want help washing that off?” There were no kid clothing in here but he might find something. He shrugged, “Not in a wall and I don’t know. People think it’s cool.”
“I don’t know, I didn’t ask anybody.” Maybe other people could hear too, but she wasn’t sure. She nodded to the offer and made a face. “We’re not supposed to get dirty. Am I going to get in trouble? Why is it cold?” That’s what cool meant, cold.
Remy came back armed with pizza and blankets and the smallest pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt he could get his hands on. It wasn’t like kids clothing was overly popular on the island. It took him a bit of shuffling to get the door open with his arms full but he managed. Stepping in he smiled seeing the two of them. “I’m back. And I have some good stuff.” He smiled and set everything down on the table.
Bringing the clothes over he squatted down to the little girl again. “I brought you something clean and dry to put on. They’re probably going to be a bit too big but I figured that was better than wet and muddy.” He smiled at her. “Do you dress yourself? Or do you think you’ll need help?”
When Remy came back, she looked warily to the door and stood up quickly. Looking to the clothes he offered, she nodded and reluctantly took them. “I can use these? I know how to dress myself. I can do it all by myself.” She smiled, proud of herself but unsure if she was really allowed to take the clothes. “Oliver told me what pizza is, I would like to try some please.”
Remy smiled when she took the clothes from him. “Wow, that’s great.” Remy smiled over at Phobia then turned his attention back to the girl. “Okay the bathroom is right over there.” He pointed. “Why don’t you change your clothes and wash your hands then we an all have pizza. It’s one of my favorite things so I hope that you will like it too.” He smiled easily.
Taking the clothes, she went off to the bathroom, checking the whole room out warily before closing the door to change and wash up.
Once she was in the bathroom Remy stood and went over to Phobia. “Have you learned anything from her? What the hell did she come from?” He asked in a soft voice.
Phobia had started to reply to the kid when Remy came in. Phobia shut his mouth, letting Remy take over. He was better with the kidlet anyway. He seemed to know how to talk to her and he was at a loss. It was better that Phobia kept quiet and let Remy interact with her.
He watched the kid leave and turned back to Remy. He gave a half shrug and said, “Her mom talks to her but she has never seen her and it’s only a night.” Phobia did not say his suspicions. He had nothing to back that up. “She’s from the Facility, Remy, and there are others like her.”
Remy frowned when Phobia mentioned the mom. He was trying to work his brain around those statements together when he heard the part about the Facility. “Seriously?” His eyes got huge and his mind started running a mile a minute. “Project Genesis?” He whispered. “Is it possible or am I making a huge ass leap fo no reason?”
“That’s what I thought too,” Phobia admitted, “She wants us to help the other kids. I told her I would.” He assumed Remy would want the Faction to get involved with this but if he deemed it too much of a risk, Phobia knew he would keep his word and help those kids no matter what. Firstly, they needed to figure out what to do with the kids after. Actually, there was a lot of firstlys that needed to be considered.
“Of course we’ll help them.” Remy said as if there weren’t even a question. “She seem smart. Hopefully she can help us figure out how.” He sighed softly and rubbed at his face. “Now we just have to figure out what to do with her in the meantime.” He ducked into the kitchen to grab plates and cups since he had brought soda with him as well. “But first we eat pizza.”
All cleaned up, for the most part, and dressed in the clean warm clothes, the little girl wandered back out to find Remy and Oliver, sniffing the air. “Is that what pizza smells like? It smells good.”
“I think she can,” Phobia said softly. He waited where he was for the kidlet to come back. He tried to put on a smile when she was sniffing the air, “It does.” He waited for Remy to return with the plates and put two slices on a plate, handing it to the kid. Wait. Did kids eat that much? He looked to Remy. I have no idea what I’m doing.
Remy reached over and squeezed Phobia’s shoulder. Relax. You’re doing fine. Granted I don’t really know what I’m doing either but she seems to like you and she’s calm. You’re doing something right. He gave him a wink then handed him a plate. “Get some pizza. I’ll pour glasses then find the thermostat. It’s freezing in here.”
Taking the plate with both hands, her eyes widened at all the food. She wasn’t sure how to even eat it, or where to sit or what to do, so she just watched the two of them and tried to follow what she saw. “Thank you.”
Remy smiled and gave her a nod. “You are so very welcome.” He looked over at Phobia. She likes you. Lead her over to the couch and sit with her and eat. “Why don’t you and Oliver go sit and eat and I’ll get drinks for all of us.”
Phobia served himself and then a plate for Remy. He handed it to the other man and nodded. He looked to the kidlet and said, “Come on. We don’t want to stand and eat.” He lead her to the couch and sat down. He gestured for her to join him. He smiled softly to her and said, “I like picking off the pepperoni first and eating it. But that’s not the normal way of eating pizza.”
Following, she put down the plate on the empty space and then climbed up onto the couch, moving the plate to her lap. She watched Oliver eat curiously and the mimicked what he did. “What is the normal way?”
Remy poured three glasses of soda then pulled over a chair to use as a coffee table. He set the glasses on it then grabbed his own plate and sat on the floor in front of the other two. “See that’s where Oliver is wrong. There is no such thing as a normal way to eat pizza. You can eat it any way you like it. Like this.” Remy picked his piece up and turned it around so he bit into the crust first with a grin. After finishing that bite he turned it back around. “But I suppose the closest to normal is just to eat it one bite at a time starting from the pointy end.”
Phobia pointed to Remy as he took a bit of his pizza and said to the kidlet, “That? Is the wrong way to eat pizza. Don’t eat pizza like that.” He picked it up and took a bit from the pointy end, “But he is right in some way. There is almost no wrong way to eat this.”
She had to use both hands to pick up one slice, but she tried eating it both ways, taking little bites from each end and laughing. “This tastes good. I like it a lot.” She tried not to make a mess, but was getting sauce and cheese on her face and hands.
Remy grinned at her. She seemed pretty comfortable making a mess with her pizza and trying it every way possible. That was good. Very good. Now the question was still what the hell did they do with her now? “I better go find us some napkins.” Remy grinned then got up off of the floor. “I’ll be right back. You two keep eating.” He headed into the kitchen then took a moment to check to see if the house was fully furnished and if there were any linens. Maybe they needed to start keeping track of that kind of thing.
They would definitely need napkins the way she was eating. Phobia finished what he had and looked to the kidlet, “Still hungry? Do you want a drink?” Remy had brought out drinks for them. Or should they clean her hands first? And what happened after this? Could they stay here? Take turns watching over her? How old was she anyway?
She had barely finished her first slice, so she shook her head no to the question about still being hungry. Her mouth still full, she nodded and carefully moved her plate to the side to have a drink. She made a face at the taste of soda, something also new to her. She wasn’t sure if she liked it. It was too sweet, and bubbly.
Remy came back a few minutes later with a roll of paper towel. That was better than napkins any day. “Napkins on a roll. That’s what my mother always called this.” He tore off some for the girl and Phobia, just in case, then found his spot on the floor again. “It looks like there are clean linens so I think we can stay here tonight. Then in the morning we can figure out what to next. Oh and i turned up the heat so it should start getting warmer in here.”
“Don’t like it?” Phobia asked, wondering what she did used to drink. Water? He wanted to get into that Facility right away and find answers. He nodded to Remy and wondered if the kidlet needed a stuffed animal. Kids slept with those, right?
“So sleepover tonight. Yay,” Phobia replied.
Finishing off the first piece of pizza, she was full but happy. Pizza was good. Taking a paper towel, she wiped her face and hands, getting most of it cleaned up. She looked to Remy curiously. “Is your mom here?”
Looking to Oliver, she shook her head no to his question. She didn’t think she liked the drink. “It has bubbles. What’s a sleepover?”
“No. My mom is not here. I have not seen her in a long time. A sleepover is when friends spend time together then sleep all together in the same house.” Remy smiled over at her. “I can get you a glass of water. Would that be better?”
Phobia was glad the kidlet didn’t ask him about his mom. He grabbed another paper towel to get the rest of the mess off of the kid. The kidlet didn’t like the bubbles? Didn’t all kids love bubbles? He wasn’t going to ask.
He looked to Remy and wondered if there was anything else he could be doing. Maybe he should just be quiet now.
The child nodded to Remy’s offer of water. “Yes, please, bubbles taste funny.” She squirmed a little but giggled, getting the rest of her mess cleaned up. She didn’t feel scared or cold or wet anymore, and she had pizza, so she was now in a very happy mood.
Remy ducked into the kitchen then came back with a glass of water for the girl. “It’s getting late. I’m going to go make up the bed and get everything ready.” He smiled seeing that Phobia had helped clean her up. “I think we have all had a long day.” Leaving the two alone again he went to the bedroom and got the bed all made up, making sure there were plenty of blankets then grabbed linens to make up the couch. They couldn’t leave the girl alone and at least clean sheets would help make sleeping on the couch a little better.
Phobia resisted from saying that bubbles did not have a tasty. They were just… bubbles. That probably wasn’t something he ought to get into an argument over with a kid. Phobia nodded to the mention of a long day. It probably was for her.
“Sleep sounds good,” Phobia agreed. He hadn’t meant to but the mention of sleep made him yawn.
Since yawning is contagious, the little one yawned as well, watching the two of them curiously. “You are going to stay here? The grown ups always went away and turned the lights off when we went to sleep in the wall.”
Remy blinked for a moment at her comment then looked over at Phobia. “One or both of us will be here, yes. I’m going to have to go home and tell my boyfriend where I am but I’ll be back. We’ll be out here while you’re in the bedroom though. So you’ll have your privacy.”
Phobia wondered if the kidlet wanted to stay with them or if she wanted a cuddle party. Hard no on that one. He did not cuddle. Or rather, he wasn’t drunk enough to cuddle and he wasn’t drinking about the kidlet.
Phobia stood up, “Why do I help you go to bed while Remy cleans up out here?”
Scooting down off the couch, the girl looked to both of them. She was sleepy, and she was curious about what sleeping in a bed would be like. “Thank you for the pizza and the bubbly drink and the water.”
Remy smiled. “You are very welcome. I hope you sleep well” He waited for Phobia to take her to the bedroom then set about cleaning everything up then making the couch into as much of a bed as possible. He was already trying to figure out what to do next and was coming up completely empty. They were definitely not ready for this. How could they have been?
Phobia led the kidlet to the bedroom and helped her up in bed. Did he make up a story or something? Why did he offer to do this? He looked to her and said, “Try to rest. Tomorrow we’ll deal with trying to find your mom and the other kids, okay?”
She went happily with Oliver and was super surprised to see a whole room for just a bed. Climbing up into it, it was soft and bouncier than the bed she was used to. And softer with more covers. Laying down and cuddling under the covers, she nodded a little. “Okay. Thank you for being nice and helping.”
Phobia tucked her in, wondering if it was too tight. Or not tight enough. Or he didn’t really know. He had no idea what he was doing. He didn’t even like kids, he thought. He nodded and said, “You’re welcome. If you need anything, just let me or Remy know, okay?” He hesitated for a moment before heading out of the room, turning out the light and rejoining Remy. He looked at the older man and went, “Well.”
Remy had flopped down on the couch once it was made. He had texted Zayne to tell him he was going to be really late and not to worry he would fill him in later. He had just laid his head back and closed his eyes to relax when he heard Phobia. Lifting his head he motioned for Phobia to join him if he wanted. “Well just about covers it.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m thinking we can take shifts tonight. At least one of us here. I don’t think we should leave her alone and I’m not quite ready to get anyone else involved yet.” He shifted so he was sitting forward. “Okay tell me what you know. What is this about a mom talking to her?”
“She’s a kid, I didn’t think kids could be left alone,” Phobia said, leaning against the wall. He glanced towards the bedroom. Was she asleep already? They found a kid. They found a kid from the Facility. This was huge.
“I have no idea. She said her mom talked to her at night but didn’t see her or anything. I wonder…” he trailed off. Was it crazy to ask if it was telepathic? Who else was telepathic on this island that could be a mother? Phobia filled Remy in on what else the kidlet told him about coming out of the Facility.
“You’re wondering if she’s telepathic.” Remy said almost absently. “I was thinking the same thing, actually.” Remy rubbed his hands over his face again. “Everything in her head matches what she told you. Not like I didn’t expect it to it was just confirmation.” He sighed softly trying to get his thoughts in order. “Man I know nothing about kids. We could really use Daryn right now.” He shook his head as if to push that way. She had enough going on and he just wanted her out safely. “Okay. We’ll need to get some real clothes for her in the morning and figure out where we want to keep her. It’s probably not safe to bring her home so here might be the best place. We’re going to need to get more people involved to make sure someone is here 24/7. I’m sure Zayne would help and Thursday and I’m assuming Ashe? Maybe we can work on shifts but we’ll have to be careful so we don’t scare her and I’m talking too much.”
Phobia was quiet as Remy talked it out. He nodded to what he came up with. That all seemed reasonable except they needed to get to the other kids.
“Did you see how many others there were?” Phobia asked, his voice quiet, “I think we need to go into the Facility, trace her steps back. I volunteer. I can go in as shadows and mist and find out what we are dealing with here. I’ll come back and we can plan a proper way to get in there and get those kids out.” Yes, they needed to watch the kidlet and he had no doubt that others could do that but they needed to get the others out too.
“There were 4 others that she saw a lot. But I doubt that was all of them. They might keep them in little groups.” Remy looked over at Phobia when he offered to go in. “Are you sure? If you get caught it could be really bad.” He watched him, reading his face and his mind as he waited for an answer.
“Absolutely,” Phobia said without hesitating, “If there are children in there? Like her? We can’t hesitate. We need to move right away in case they decide to do anything to those kids since kidlet left.” He almost wondered if he should go now while they had darkness on their side and people’s fears were up.
Remy nodded slowly. “Okay. Tomorrow we’ll make plans. I really don’t want you to go in alone but … it might be safer.” He shook his head at himself. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow. You did good.” He smiled. “I think she likes you.”