Truth Hurts

After dinner that night, Penny shuffled uneasily in her seat as she, Emma, Norman, and Ray faced Don and Gilda. Ray finally broke the silence. "Well?"

Don slightly lifted his glare. "We were just in....Mom's secret room okay?"

"What?!" Penny squeaked, surprised at the sudden confession.

"But how?!" Emma asked.

Gilda shifted in her seat, looking down guiltily. "You see, Don stole the key and..."

"He what?!"

Norman's eyes widened. "Wait. Did she..."

Gilda shook her head. "I don't think she noticed, and we already put it back, so..."

"That was a stupid move!" Ray snapped, causing Gilda to shift guiltily. Ray continued. "Did you not even stop to think that the room could've had a camera or an alarm? What would you have done then? If Mom or Krona found out, you two, no, we'd all be-"

"Tell us what would happen, Ray?" Don snapped, glaring at the raven-haired boy. He turned to Emma, who winced. Don's expression darkened. "Would we all be...killed? When we searched the secret room, we found Little Bunny." he pounded his fists on the table. "You kept us hopeful. Said we'd save them!" He stood abruptly, glaring at the four. "But we can't save them, can we? 'Cause they're all..." he shuddered. He glanced up, his eyes wide with horror. "Connie and the others are..."

Emma's eyes widened, and she stood up and leaned over the table pleadingly. "Look, I'm so sorry!"

Gilda's eyes widened. "Then...they're really..."

"You see, Gilda?" Don snapped. "They were lying to us after all!" He leaned over to Emma and hissed angrily. "What are you hiding?! Just tell us the truth!"

Penny backed up to Norman, quite scared of Don's sudden anger. She watched quietly as Norman shared a look with Emma, and Norman nodded. They told Don and Gilda everything.

Don's eyes widened in horror. "Demons? A farm?"

"You're saying..." Gilda shuddered fearfully. "Every one of us was raised to be eaten?"

"And Ray is...a spy?!" Don stuttered. "No way..."

"He did it for us." Norman said.

Penny stayed quiet the whole time, feeling guilty. She knew it was a bad idea from the start of not telling the whole truth to Don and Gilda. She knew from the start that this was what was going to happen. And she couldn't do anything about it because she was scared of what Don's reaction was going to be.

Don stood up, facing Ray. "Then...you knew what was going to happen to Connie that day, Ray? And Emma, Norman, Penny, you guys lied so we wouldn't know you were taking us in a world full of demons? And you, Penny, you followed them? You allowed them to let them lie to us?"

Penny stared at Don fearfully. "I...I..."

Don let out a deep breath, and then what burned Penny's heart was when Don started laughing madly. Penny's frame shook as she watched him, and her eyes widened on what Don did next...he punched Norman's face, and Norman grunted as he tumbled to the floor, cupping his cheek.

"Norman!" Penny cried, running up to the boy and helping him sit up. She turned to Don, her eyes wide with fear. "Don, what's gotten into you?!"

"SERIOUSLY???!!!!" Don screamed, raising his fist up at Penny, and the girl quickly covered herself with her arms, and let out a yelp of pain as he punched her painfully on her arm. Ray narrowed his eyes and quickly stood up, standing in front of Penny protectively. "Wait, Don, STOP!" The raven haired boy let out a yelp as Don punched him next. Penny's eyes shrunk as she watched Ray collapse to the ground, and she gasped as Don grabbed Emma by her shirt collar, his fist raised. Emma whimpered in his grip, squeezing her eyes tight.

Don sighed after a few tense moments, and released Emma.

"Don..." Gilda whispered, shocked.

"Are we that much of a burden?" Don breathed out, shaking. "Do you think Gilda and I are so weak and useless that we can't get by with you three protecting us?"

Emma's eyes widened.

"That time you asked us to help you, I thought you were actually relying on us." Don continued, tears pooling out of his eyes as he glanced at his older sister. "Is that a lie, Emma? I know we're not nearly as smart as you guys, but we're family." He glanced up at them, tears falling down his cheeks as he glanced at them. "Aren't we?!" he sobbed. "We're siblings, right? I just want you to have a little faith in us!"

Penny felt tears form at the edges of her eyes as she watched Don shake. "Sorry, I need to cool off. I'm going outside..." he turned heal and ran out the door.

"Don, wait..." Gilda gasped, hurrying after him.

Once they were gone, Ray glanced down at his little sister worriedly. "Penny, are you okay?"

Penny nodded, shuddering. "Yeah..." She held her arm and stood up, using her good arm to brush herself off. "I'm going to try and comfort him...."

Ray frowned, but decided to let this one go. He nodded. Penny smiled softly at him and ran out of the room towards the outside.

As soon as Penny left, Emma shuddered. "Did I...not have faith?"

Penny ran outside of the house, looking everywhere for Don and Gilda. She finally spotted them in a corner. She hurried up next to Gilda as Don started speaking. "Honestly...that was just me taking it out on them. I'm not mad that they treated us like we were weak, I have no reason to be." His shoulders shook as he sobbed. "I couldn't do anything for Connie and the others. I'm so ignorant and powerless!"

"Don..." Penny whimpered, close to crying herself.

"I'm frustrated because... I really am weak!" Don sobbed. "Darn it!"

Penny couldn't take it anymore. The ten year old ran up to Don and gave him a huge hug, tears threatening to fall as she felt Don wrap his arms around her, shuddering. "I hate this..." he sobbed, clinging to Penny as he fell to his knees, taking her with him. "I wanna be stronger...."

"Yeah..." Gilda said softly, crouching down behind Don and Penny, watching as her sister tried comforting her brother. "I know..."

"Don! Gilda! Penny!"

Penny glanced over Don's shoulder to see Emma, Norman, and Ray running up to the three. The lantern in Emma's hand clinked as she ran.

"Emma..." Gilda gasped.

Don turned around, gently releasing his grip on Penny as Emma ran up to them. "Look, I was way too naïve! I was ready for you to resent me. And not at all ready to believe in you!"

"I'd like to say sorry, too." Penny told Don gently.

"Same here." Norman said. He bowed. "Sorry."

Don winced. "Well, I... I shouldn't have punched you like that. Sorry." He turned to Penny. "Sorry that I punched you as well....I didn't mean it..."

"It's okay." Penny said softly, taking her older brother's hand gently in hers. Don glanced at Norman. "Are you okay? You're not, are you?"

Norman smiled gently, raising his hand. "I'll be alright."

Gilda looked down. "We realize that it was a bad idea to act on our own."

Don nodded. "Yeah. Ray had every right to get mad."

"Please, forgive us!" Don and Gilda said in sync, bowing at the three.

"Well." Norman turned to Ray. "Will you?"

Ray gritted his teeth, but sighed, putting a hand to his head. "Yeah, I forgive them...if the worst happens, I'll figure out how to deal with it..."

Don smiled happily.

Ray sighed. "I should, also apologize. Sorry." He muttered, bowing to the group.

Once apologies were over, Emma, Ray, Norman, and Penny glanced seriously at Don and Gilda. Emma spoke first. "Now that you two know the truth, I need to confirm something before we continue. The outside world is full of demons. If we mess up, we die." She narrowed her eyes. "Knowing that, will you still come with us?"

Don and Gilda glanced at each other, and turned back to Emma, Norman, Ray, and Penny with determined expressions. "Of course we will!"

They shook hands.

Something rustled in the bushes, and Ray turned around.

No one was there.