Meta Perspective (6)
By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67
Warnings: Fear, not listening/being ignored, being trapped, crying, and panic
(Check the reblog for the links to any future chapters)
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Virgil exited the classroom with a sigh. Today had been a long day, more so knowing he had Amanda in his pocket, but now it was finally over. He waited by the car, knowing Patton would be out any minute.
He glanced around to make sure no one was around before sneakily taking a peek down in his pocket. “You doing okay?” He asked, eyes going from her to around him cautiously.
Amanda blinked, putting a hand up to block out the light after spending so many hours in the pocket. “I’m fine,” Amanda mumbled, feeling a bit tired.
Virgil let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Just hang tight, we’ll be home soon.” Virgil explained. He let the pocket close and as he did, Patton walked up to him.
“Ready to go! How’s Amanda doing?” He asked.
“She’s good but I think she’s itching to get home. I know I am.” Virgil said and then hopped into the car, Patton close behind. Virgil, in the driver’s seat, started the car and headed back to the apartment.
“Yeah, imagine that.” Amanda scoffed. The day was like one long heart attack with all the fear of human interaction, combined with the absolute boredom of sitting in the dark all day. Virgil didn’t even go to any interesting classes.
When they finally got home, Virgil very carefully lifted Amanda out of his pocket. Immediately, Patton went up to her. He gave her a kind smile. “How are you doing?” Patton asked.
Amanda gave him a weird look. “I’ve been stuffed in a pocket all day, how do you think I’m doing?”
Both humans winced. “I-I know, I’m sorry about that,” Patton said, sending a disapproving look towards Virgil. Virgil ducked his head slightly.
“Right, sorry. I just...didn’t want you trying to leave and hurting yourself even more.” Virgil tried to explain himself.
“I’m not stupid you know.” Amanda chided. “I wouldn’t do something like that.” Of course, she had been planning to do exactly that, but Patton and Virgil didn’t need to know.
“Well, how about I make us something to eat?” Patton suggested. It was a little late for lunch and dinner was right around the corner but they could have a little snack to munch on until then. “Have any ideas?” Patton asked, looking directly at Amanda.
“Me?” Amanda looked surprised to be included in such a decision. She never got to decide what to eat, except in terms of deciding what to borrow and that was limited to what humans made available.
“Of course! Name anything and I’ll go see if I have it.” Patton grinned. He had a feeling Amanda never really got this kind of food and wanted to give her as much of it as possible.
“I mean, I really like fruit,” Amanda admitted. It was delicious, but rare for her to get because it was often kept refrigerated and it spoiled quickly.
Patton hummed. “Fruit, got it! I know we have some strawberries in the fridge, definitely.” Patton smiled and went to go grab them. Meanwhile, Virgil was just now realizing he was still holding Amanda.
“Oh, right, you probably want to be put down.” He knows he would want to be, after spending so long not on solid ground. He set her down on the table.
“Right, thanks.” Amanda shifted, noting that the wooden surface of the table was a lot less comfy than Virgil’s palm. Of course, it was also a lot safer, so Amanda preferred the table.
Virgil nodded and Patton came back with a plate of strawberries cut in half. He set the plate down and sat, Virgil following suit. “There we go! This should hold us over until dinner.”
Virgil smiled at him. “Thanks, Pat.” He grabbed a strawberry and popped it into his mouth.
Amanda limped over to the plate, grabbing a half strawberry for herself. She took a big bite, smiling as a bit of juice ran down her face.
Patton chuckled. “Good?”
Virgil reached over and grabbed a paper towel, ripping off an edge and holding it out for Amanda wordlessly.
“Delicious.” Amanda ignored the paper towel, instead taking another large bite and looking Virgil in the eye as she made a further mess of herself.
Virgil couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He decided to just set the paper towel down near her. “Well, it’s there if you need it.” He said, taking another strawberry.
As Patton swallowed his bite, he looked between the two. “So! You guys have anything you want to do today? Virgil, do you have homework?”
Virgil shrugged. “I mean, yeah but it’s fine.”
“Virgil…” Patton said and Virgil sighed.
“I’ll get it done, don’t worry. But, for now, I’m down for not doing it.” He chuckled. Patton rolled his eyes playfully and turned back to Amanda.
“So? Any ideas for what to do today? Nothing too strenuous though, of course.” He said, looking Amanda and her injuries over.
Amanda kept her lips sealed, tactfully distracting herself with finally cleaning her face. After all, her preferred activity would be going home, but that didn’t look like it was gonna happen any time soon.
“...I’m kind of tired.” Amanda shrugged, hoping that if she were to nap the humans would leave her alone.
“Oh! Well, we could always set something up for you so you can take a nap.” Patton said. “Did you want to do that?”
“Oh, I’m definitely tired.” Amanda made a show of stretching her arms up, giving a yawn. “That sounds wonderful.”
“Cool! Where did you want us to set it up?” Patton asked. “I can offer my bedroom, or we could make it out here in the living room?”
Virgil shrugged. “My room is open.”
“I think your room would be best, Patton.” Amanda gave him her kindest smile. That bedroom was out of the way, with a fairly accessible hidden entrance. Not to mention, Patton seemed to be the less suspicious of the two humans.
“Sounds good!” Patton held out his hand for Amanda to climb on. “Virgil, could you go find that fluffy blanket? I think it’s up in the hall closet.”
Virgil nodded and went over to look.
In the meantime, Amanda situated herself into Patton’s hand.
Patton lifted his hand carefully and brought her into his room. He went over to his bed, figuring that would be the most comfortable, and set her down. Virgil came in a second later with the blanket. “Here you go, Pat.”
Patton took it with a grin. “Thanks, Virgil!” He turned back towards the bed and situated the blanket so it was a nest shape. “There we go. How does that work?” He asked Amanda.
Amanda ran her hands along the soft fabric, a slight pang of jealousy going through her. It really would be a comfy bed.
“It’s perfect.” Amanda thanked him, climbing into the center for show.
“Great! Then we’ll leave you alone until dinner is ready.” Patton turned to leave but Virgil stopped him. He was looking at Amanda warily.
“Pat, are you sure we should just...leave her out?” Virgil asked hesitantly. Patton frowned.
“Of course kiddo. She knows better than to try anything and risk hurting herself. Right, Amanda?” He turned back to her with a smile.
“Oh, of course.” Amanda batted her eyelashes for good measure, pulling the blanket around herself to appear even more small and innocent. “You’ve proved your point, I was just too stubborn to realize this is for my own good. Thank you both for doing my thinking for me.”
Virgil narrowed his eyes at her but Patton didn’t seem to notice the sarcastic undertone, despite Amanda trying to hide it. “See Virge! Nothing to worry about!” He started to push Virgil towards the door.
“We’ll leave you to your privacy now!” Patton called out. Virgil wanted to argue but knew it was no use. Instead, he gestures that he was watching Amanda before the door was shut.
Amanda breathed a small sigh of relief, grateful to have some privacy. Of course, as comfortable as this blanket was, she couldn’t stay here. Virgil was clearly suspicious, and Amanda had to take advantage of this time alone while she had it.
…
Okay, maybe a few more minutes in the blanket wouldn’t hurt.
Patton dragged Virgil over to the living room and sat him down to watch TV so he wouldn't bother Amanda. Honestly, he didn’t understand how Patton could trust Amanda so much. She was stubborn, after all. And she had been very adamant about leaving before. It was why he took her to school with him.
Patton just liked to see the best in people. But sometimes it blinded him. So Virgil waited a bit before sneaking off with the excuse to use the bathroom. Instead, he opened the door to Patton’s room to check to see how far Amanda had gotten in escaping.
To his surprise, she was still in the little nest and by the looks of things, maybe even asleep. Huh. Maybe Amanda realized it was better for her to stay here after all. Virgil took one last glance at her before shutting the door and heading back.
***
Allison sighed, head against the glass as she watched Logan hyper-focused on his studies. He had glanced over at her a few times but hadn’t said or done anything else since he had put her in here. She hated it but she was too nervous to try and say anything else. Besides, she highly doubted it would work.
She was dreading Roman coming home, knowing that was when they would all talk and her fate would be decided for her. But at the same time, she wanted something to happen already.
It was a long time yet before Roman entered through the front door, positively fuming.
“You forgot to pick me up!” Roman exclaimed, sulking into the kitchen.
“...oh, my apologies.” Logan had the decency to look sheepish. “It slipped my mind.”
“Oh, I’ll give you a piece of my own mind-!” Roman stopped mid-sentence, spotting Allison. “...why is Allison in a jar?”
Allison ducked her head, bringing her knees up to her chest. Oh gosh, she wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready to have her whole life taken from her.
“Well, she kept trying to run off.” Logan sunk further into his chair, noticing the way Roman glared at him.
“You could have just watched her.” Roman huffed, picking up the jar.
Allison heart rate picked up as Roman grabbed the entire jar, lifting it and her up. She glanced down for a moment before quickly taking her eyes away. She did not like being able to see the floor through the glass. Nope. No thank you.
“I attempted to do so but it proved futile!” Logan insisted.
“No, you just wanted to pay more attention to your books.” Roman rolled his eyes, tilting the jar upside-down and placing his palm beneath.
Allison's eyes widened but she had no time to brace herself as she tumbled down and into Roman’s hand. She groaned slightly but quickly sat up and glanced shyly up at Roman with a mix of nerves and fear. She found that she was trembling as well but she couldn’t stop it, no matter how much she wanted to.
“Aww, it’s okay.” Roman cooed. “Mean ol’ Logan won’t hurt you anymore.”
“I’m right here.” Logan deadpanned.
“How about you and I just spend some time together, hmm?” Roman suggested, heading to the living room. “That would be fun.”
Sure, Roman seemed like a good alternative to Logan right now but she still didn’t want to be alone with any human. She shook her head. “I-I want to go home.” She tried. Maybe Roman would listen better? Probably not, though.
“How about we watch a movie?” Roman said, ignoring her request. He sat down on the couch, leaning forwards to grab the remote. “Any suggestions?”
Allison squirmed, heart dropping lower in her chest. She was being ignored once again. “I...I don’t know.”
“Hmm….” Roman scrolled through the various films, wondering what Allison would like. His eyes lit up, spotting Lilo and Stitch. “Ooh, I think you’ll like this one.”
She probably would but she wasn’t sure if she could enjoy the movie in her current situation. She squirmed a little more. “P-Please...I just…” I just want to go home.
“Oh, come on Allison.” Roman set her down on the couch cushion next to him, giving her a sympathetic smile. “This will be fun, I promise.” He pressed play on the remote, leaning back into the couch.
Allison let out a little sigh, looking up to glance at the TV for a moment. Whatever was happening on screen was so fascinating. She just wished she could actually enjoy it. She glanced up at Roman, seeing how into the movie he was. Wait...this might be her chance.
With Roman distracted by the movie and Logan still in the kitchen, maybe she could actually escape!
...Well, probably not. But she had to at least try.
She carefully stood up, keeping one eye on Roman before heading to the edge and starting to climb down. She had to make sure she didn’t go to fast though, despite how much she wanted to. She didn’t have her hook and she didn’t want to fall.
“Now, see, this is where it gets really good,” Roman explained, leaning forwards with his eyes still glued to the screen. “Just wait, it’s coming up in a moment.”
Roman had looked at her yet. She still had a chance! She continued until her feet hit the floor. Her eyes lit up, was she actually going to make it.
“There!” Roman clapped his hands excitedly. “Did you see it?” Roman turned to gauge Allison’s reaction, but of course, Allison was not there. Roman’s eyes widened, quickly catching sight of Allison on the floor.
Allison’s eyes widened, looking up in time to catch Roman’s eye. She froze for a second but then booked it underneath the couch. She was so close!
“Wait!” Roman wasted no time diving to the floor, pressing his face up against the floor to see. It was dark underneath, and for an anxious minute, Roman found he was blindly flailing his arm around. He sighed in relief when he felt a living form, quickly curling his fingers around Allison.
Allison couldn’t help it. She screamed. “No! Let me go!” She cried, struggling within the grip. Tears escaped her eyes, she had been so close. Right next to her exit, in fact, when Roman was able to grab her. She just wanted to go home.
Roman became alarmed at her pleas, pulling Allison back into the light. “Allison, please, calm down!”
“No! I-I want to go...go home! Let me go!” Allison yelled, still crying. Her tears were coming out in waterfalls now, hot against her cheeks as they slid down her face.
“I...I…” Roman was at a loss of what to do, looking down at Allison with an almost panicked expression.
“What’s all the commotion?” A worried Logan asked, speed walking into the room. He crouched down, trying to gauge the situation. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything!” Roman insisted. “We were just watching a movie, and then she ran under the couch, and… oh Allison, please don’t cry…”
Her crying was full-on sobs now, she just couldn’t help it anymore. As soon as she saw Logan come in as well, she knew it was hopeless.
“Roman, stop restricting her!” Logan insisted.
Roman did as he demanded, looking just as worried as they stared at the sobbing mess of a girl resting in Roman’s palm.
“Allison, are you hurt?” Logan insisted, leaning closer.
Allison shook her head as she continued to cry. She was trying to calm down enough to speak but her emotions were overwhelming her right now. So much had happened in just a day, she was finally letting it all out.
“Allison…” Roman reached out to comfort her, but Logan stopped his hand.
“Set her down,” Logan explained. “Give her space.”
Roman nodded, setting Allison gently down on the couch cushion.
Allison was thankful when she was set down and she curled into herself to let the crying run its course. After a few more minutes her sobs quieted and the only sound coming from her was her shaking breaths.
The room slowly became quiet, the movie having been paused long ago. Roman and Logan looked at each other, unsure.
“How are you feeling?” Roman asked quietly, breaking the silence.
Allison didn’t look up as she shrugged. “I’d say fine but then I’d be lying.”
Logan let out a tense sigh. “Perhaps we have been a bit….brash.”
“Indeed.” Roman murmured. All he had wanted to do was spend some time hanging out with Allison, and yet even that had ended up with Allison in hysterics.
“Allison, perhaps we can come to an agreement.” Logan offered.
Her eyebrows furrowed at that and she glanced up at them. “An...agreement?”
“If you simply answer a few questions, we will let you leave,” Logan explained. “Is that fair?”
Allison groaned and looked back down. Yeah, she wanted to leave but not...not like that. She couldn’t reveal anything about the others. About Amanda. “It...depends on what you ask.” She ended up saying. Maybe they...wouldn’t ask about any of that?
Ha...Allison laughed at the thought.
“Fair enough.” Roman nodded. He was curious too, but he knew that though this might be his last chance to ever see a person like Allison, he wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping Allison around against her will.
“Do you want to go first?” Logan offered. “I need to go grab a notebook.”
“Oh, sure. Umm….” Roman pondered it a moment, waiting for Logan to come back. “Well, can you tell us what you are now, Allison?”
“I’m curious about that myself.” Logan murmured, opening to a clean page and pulling out a pen.
Allison bit her lip. She knew that was going to be a question. “I...I really shouldn’t…” It was against the rules, after all.
“Hmm.” Logan pondered this a moment. “Then perhaps we should start with what information can you share?”
Allison blinked. What could she share? “Um...well...m-my name is Allison but uh, yeah, of course, you knew that already um…” She couldn’t help but stutter as her nerves took over. “I-I live in the walls, have for some time now…” What else was there?
“...anything else?” Roman pressed.
“Um…humans aren’t supposed to see people like me. We’re supposed to stay hidden away for our...for our own safety.” Allison hugged herself. “I know now more than ever why that rule was put into place.” She said quietly.
“Apologies.” They both had the decency to look ashamed of themselves.
“Where are you going to go now?” Roman asked. “I mean, will we see you again?”
“No,” Allison said, knowing for sure that they wouldn't. She only realized after she said it, that it could affect them letting her go. Still, she continued on. “I’ve been seen...I have to move away now.” After she found Amanda, of course, they were both out of there.
“Where will you move?” Logan pressed. “Will it be dangerous?”
“Probably,” Allison admitted. “It’s...It’s always dangerous.” At least it wasn’t winter. But fall could still see snow and she hoped that didn’t happen. “As for where...well...me telling you kind of defeats the whole…point.”
“Oh, of course.” Logan looked a bit sheepish.
“Is there any way we can assist you?” Roman offered. “I know we’ve been terrible, but...I certainly don’t want you to get hurt because of us. I mean, you don’t have to move, do you? What if we just leave you alone?”
Allison clung to her own arm, looking down. “Would you really though? Be able to leave me alone?” Allison sighed. “I know you humans. You’d constantly be looking around for me to pop up. And if you actually saw me, would you be able to...to not do anything?” She asked and despite whatever they answered, she knew the real answer.
“Of course we would!” Roman insisted.
“If that is what you desire, I’m certain we can make those accommodations.” Logan agreed. “It may take a period of acclimation, granted.”
And that’s what she thought they would say. Of course, how could she trust them to uphold that? She shook her head. “I don’t have a choice.” She said. “It’s the rules. I have to leave.” She didn’t really want to leave but she also didn’t want to stay, knowing Roman and Logan knew about her and could potentially find and catch her again.
“Rules?” Logan seemed to become more interested. “What rules?”
She wasn’t thinking as she spoke. “Borrowers have these rules we have to follow. Like to not be seen, don’t talk to a human, and if you are, then you need to leave. Those are the main ones. The most important.” Allison explained.
“Borrowers?” Roman repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Meanwhile, Logan was frantically scribbling away in his notebook.
Allison’s eyes widened as she realized what she had just done. “No! I mean...I, no, I didn’t say that!” She tried desperately.
“Yes you did, approximately 43 seconds ago.” Logan reminded her, still focused on his writing.
Allison groaned, putting her head in her hands. “Would it be possible for you to pretend like you never heard that?” Allison asked, voice slightly muffled.
“Absolutely,” Roman assured her. “Our lips are sealed.” He made a zipping motion in front of his lips. When he saw that Logan wasn’t going to copy the motion, Roman leaned over and did it for him.
Allison laughed a bit at that but quickly covered it with a cough. “Anyway...is that...is that enough questions? Can I go now?” She had basically already revealed everything she wasn’t supposed to. She didn’t want them to somehow find out about Amanda too.
Logan and Roman looked at each other.
“...I have no further questions.” Logan announced. “At least, none that I believe you would be willing to disclose, and I will not pressure you further.”
“Same goes for me.” Roman sighed. “But...please consider the offer to stay. We really will leave you alone.”
Allison sighed. “I’ll...think about it.” She lied. She then turned to Logan. “Can I have my hook back, please?”
“Ah yes, of course.” Logan retrieved it, handing it over. “My apologies.”
Allison just nodded carefully taking the hook from Logan. She held it close to her, happy to have it back. She then went to the edge of the couch, as far as she could away from the humans and began to lower her hook and climb down it. Sending nervous glances towards the humans as she did. Just waiting for them to suddenly spring forward and stop her.
But neither human made a move, going so far as to avert their eyes to give her some privacy.
“...lovely weather we’re having.” Roman murmured.
Allison made it to the ground and quickly took her hook back, wrapping it up and hanging it on her belt. She then wasted no time in running under the couch. Without another word towards the humans, she went back into the walls.
“Indeed.” Logan sighed. “Now I do believe she has truly departed.”
“Do you think she’ll stick around?” Roman asked, daring to be hopeful despite his mood.
“Outlook doubtful,” Logan admitted, heading back to the kitchen.
Allison stopped for a minute a smile on her face as she realized she was free. It was the best feeling in the world.
Now, all she had to do was find Amanda and get the heck out of there.
