Traitor

Norman and Ray stared at each other as the clock ticked. After a few moments of uneasy silence, Ray smirked and glanced at Norman. "Are you serious? Cut it out."

"Ray..." Norman mumbled. "You've realized, right?"

Ray didn't answer, so Norman took that as a sign to continue. "I set a trap for three people. I told Don it was behind my bed. And Gilda was told it was in the second floor bathroom ceiling. At least, that's what I told you." Norman narrowed his eyes. "But I actually told Don the dining hall. And I told Gilda the library. The rope behind my bed ended up being gone. So what about the other two spots? Should we go over and check them out?"

Ray stared at Norman for a few minutes before lying down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The raven haired boy put a hand to his head, and a smirk formed his lips. A second later, he burst into fits of sporadic laughter.

301045

When he stopped, he glanced at Norman. "Aw, man, and here I thought I was doing so well." the raven-haired boy mumbled childishly. He sat up in a sitting position and glanced at Norman. "Yeah, you're right." He glanced at Norman and outstretched his hand. "I'm the one who's been spying for Mom. So, what gave it away?"

Norman walked up to Ray so he could face the raven-haired boy. "It was when Sister first came into the house." he explained, crossing his arms with a disgusted look drawn on his face. "I was disgusted with myself. I suspected you instantly. My own friend. It was really the worst case scenario." He frowned softly. "I wish that I have been wrong about it. Because you being the traitor will be quite problematic for us. But for the enemy, picking you was the obvious choice. You would be able to provide input to our plans, which would be perfect for keeping control of the situation. You were the best one for the job."

Ray smirked. "Can't get anything past you."

Norman just stared at him.

"How embarrassing, I walked right into your little trap." Ray said sarcastically.

"There's one more thing." Norman continued, crossing his arms and staring at his friend. "You see, I have the feeling this isn't the first time you've done this." He walked closer to Ray. "If one of us suddenly started giving Mom tips, I doubt she'd be so trusting." He kneeled in front of Ray so he could make eye contact with him. "Just how long have you been Mom's spy?"

"For a while now."

Norman gasped.

"I can't remember when I wasn't her spy." Ray continued. "Guess you could say that I'm a sheep dog for her shepherd."

"You knew about this and helped Mom out anyway?!" Norman hissed angrily, gritting his teeth.

"Yeah." Ray smirked.

Norman glared at him, shocked. "Everything we talked about...all the planning...it was nothing but a series of lies? How much have you been telling Mom? Can the trackers even be broken?"

"What are you going to do with that info? Gonna ditch me based on my answer?"

"No, I won't. I want you to stay close, like you always have been."

Ray frowned.

Norman grinned, clasping his hands together. "Isn't it great, Ray? You get to hide your mistake! You tried framing Don so you could keep spying on us, correct?"

"Just tell me what you want." Ray mumbled, not looking up.

Norman held up three fingers. "Three things. One. You will continue to stay with us, and promise to guarantee our safety. Two. I want you to share all the information you have. Three, flip to our side. And become a spy for our team instead."

Ray's eyes widened. "You're gonna use me as your trump card?"

Norman smiled in response.

"Are you an idiot?!" Ray snapped. "If that was your objective, then you should've kept quiet and used me! And when it was time to execute the plan, you could've cast me aside. It would've been easy!"

Norman's smile never left his face as he continued. "You're right about that, but...they both reminded me that we're family, so..." He walked over to the dresser and sat on it, staring at Ray. "That's what made me change my mind. I wanna believe in you, too. We're friends before enemies, right? After all, aren't you the one who hid Little Bunny? The night we went to the gate, if you hadn't told us we wouldn't have made it in time, we wouldn't have gone. You laid out the bread crumbs for us to find out the truth about this house for ourselves. You set this up, for the four of us to escape, didn't you? Why did you become Mom's sheepdog?"

"Why not?" Ray asked.

"If you were completely on Mom's side, then it wouldn't make sense to reveal the truth to us. You've been controlling our actions, about the trackers, the timing of our escape, and how quickly the plan moved forward." Norman explained. "That's why you didn't want us leaving ten days from now. But at the same time, you were also keeping Mom under control. You're actually not our enemy, are you?"

Ray smirked softly. "You still think that, huh? I volunteered."

Norman gasped.

Ray glanced down. "I guess....it's more like I sold myself, really." His head snapped up and he shot his head towards Norman. "AND ALL OF IT WAS TO PREPARE FOR THE ESCAPE WE'RE PLANING!"

Norman jumped slightly in his spot, surprised at the new turn of this conversation.

Ray continued. "If you're going to learn more about the enemy, it's best to do so from the inside. Which is why I ended up making a deal with Mom."

"That's risky..." Norman mumbled.

Ray shook his head. "Not really. I've one of the finest products she's raised here. She's done a lot for me, she wouldn't throw me away. That's how I saw it. She's someone who cares more about profit than rules. I made sure to ask for two things: first was not to get shipped out if I cooperated. The second was rewards in exchange for results."

"What kind of rewards?"

"Various junk. If it isn't in the house, she secures it for me."

Norman gasped.

Ray nodded. He glanced down at his hand. "My reason for doing it...was to check what I could and couldn't get, but also to research the outside. Turns out, as long as it was safe, she could get me lots of things. But everything she brings back is dated."

"So then...when you said you had an idea of breaking the trackers..."

"I've seen the real device." Ray said. "I did testing. It took me a few years, but I figured it out." He turned to Norman, wide-eyed. "It IS possible to break the tracking devices."

Norman's eyes widened.

"You get it?" Ray smirked. "Norman, I'm the strongest card you'll ever have. No one else compares! And I don't just have info about the tracking devices and Mom, you can't even begin to imagine how much I've learned over the years." The boy put a hand to his head. "From the moment I discovered the truth, I started preparing."

"Ray..."

"I had you, Penny, and Emma go to the gate without having anyone notice. All of this...just to make sure that you three don't DIE."

Norman's eyes widened.

"It's like you said, Norman." Ray continued. "I'm not exactly your enemy, but I'm not your ally either. Let's make a deal. If you agree, I'll become your trump card. I'll tell you everything I know, and bring false info to Mom. If you do one thing."

"What's that?" Norman asked uneasily.

"Trick Emma."

Norman's eyes widened.

"We'll pretend we're taking everyone, then ditch them later. But we can take Don, and Gilda too."

"Are you saying we should give up escaping with everyone?!"

"Yes."

"But the training helped them grow more than we expected. You even said that they had protentional. You meant it, didn't you? That all of us can...."

"Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that they're a huge burden."

Norman glared at Ray. "You said you were going to help us, didn't you, Ray?"

"What I'm doing now is helping." Ray stood up, glaring at his brother. "And if you don't like it, then you three can die here."

Norman narrowed his eyes. "But I thought you wanted me, Emma, and Penny to stay alive."

"Honestly, I'd rather you get shipped and die once we escape. So. Do we have a deal?"

Norman thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and stood up. "Fine, then."

Ray walked up and placed a hand on Norman's shoulder, whispering eerily in his ear. "Listen. If I find out you lied to me...."

Norman smiled. "Don't worry. I'll keep my word."

Ray smirked. He took his hand off Norman's shoulder and walked out. Norman sat on his bed, shaking of what he just witnessed. Man, he didn't know how he was going to tell Emma and Penny. They were both going to be shocked...especially Penny. He knew how close she was with Ray.

Norman narrowed his eyes and put a hand to his head, thinking.

After a few moments, the boy's eyes widened, and he had to stifle his gasp.

He now knew Ray's plan after careful thinking. Now he had to do something about it to put a stop to it.

But...how?