Not So Empty House (Part 7)

"H-Huh?"

I shiver as I notice that I can't move. I struggle and then realize Camille's glare pinned to mine. I widen my baffled eyes and gasp for air, Camille lets go of me of course, seeing that something's off. She takes her hands off me slowly and slides away from me and the couch, still looking at me, on guard and ready to do whatever her intentions were and are. As soon as Camille lets go, I quickly launch myself up with a twitch of one tense nerve. I start looking around in confusion, my heartbeat's quite fast. Just, what's happening?! Andy walks inside the room and approaches my place.

"H-hey, are you conscious yet?"

I perplexedly look at Camille, like if she could answer instead of me. Though all I got was a judgmental expression filled with unsure emotions. I gulp and close my eyes.

"O-of course, I- I don't know what.. what happened.. I'm confused!"

I yell out desperately. Camille remains silent and wipes the sweat off her brow and forehead. She takes a seat on an armchair next to me and exhales deeply - tiredly. Everyone sigh out in some kind of relief. Only I wonder in delusions. Bream lets out an awkward chuckle.

"Ahah- well"

She walks out from behind the bar's counter, hands on her hips and still obviously alarmed guise. Allen crawls from under the table and sits down, resting his head over a chair's back.

"What was that?"

He spits out in angst.

"I'm clueless! Is this some kind of prank? Really unfunny prank? Though I'm starting to think it's not because Bream hates them-"

Andy interrupts me back in his older form.

"Cherril, this' no prank. Don't you remember anything?"

I shake my head. Andy turns around exchaging informations with everyone in the room. Allen clears his throat and folds his palms together.

"I see.. well, the thing is- you've got out of hands-"

"What do you mean?"

I tilt my head, Bream but rushes in the middle of our conversation.

"Allen wants to say that, you as a Puppet type got under control of some unknown force being released by unidentified Puppeteer around in this area..."

I felt butterfly swarms suddenly pinging inside my stomach. My pupils compress and narrow themselves. Dread hastes through my entire body. Bream saddens and Allen points out.

"It's inexplicable. Puppeteers need direct contact with their vessels, there was no one in the house but us."

Fearful aura spread across the whole house, every each of us felt terrified to bones. Andy grabbed his head and sat down and mummbled; "unbelievable". Bream held her sweather in a clutch, looking at the ground. Everyone looked somehow, guilty. Allen continued in his hypothesis with glee on the other hand.. Is he enjoying the fear?

"None of us is a Puppeteer. Camille is a Comet, their skills aren't extended to the point of esperism, nor does Bream as a Guardian and I as a Shapeshifter.."

Wait. What was that again? I perk my ears and raise my head, 'till now, I was only spacing out, but no sooner than I realized and remembered my dream instead.

"You Andy-"

Said Allen as building on previous sentence. Andy turns around with pestered frown, they both expect the same thing from each other.

"You are the only one capable of supernatural powers such as forced mind enslavement."

Andy immediately palms on with his quick answer.

"You've gotta be kidding me, Aluminum.."

I'm swear, I could feel a slight deja vu from this.

"Sorry, just measuring and tapering who might be the culprit?"

Allen folds his arms... I'm sure I saw a little smirk in the corner of his lips for a second.

"What are you, a xenophobe? Well that's just freakin' ludicrous. You're only being absurd. 'Measuring and tapering'- what the heck? Why the fuck would I do that? Is was me who Cherril attacked in the first place, you know?!"

Animosity exudes from Andy like a big sudden wave. It hits me like a train- I finally caught the dream in my head, scattered pieces of my memory are glued together, forming its plot.

"G-guys! Wait!"

I stop Allen just before he can say anything.

"I finally got the hang of it!"

Each pierces me with curiosity, at least, I stopped an catastrophe. Therefore I speak up.

"I had a dream where I didn't know that you Allen- were a Shapeshifter. It almost felt like, an alternate universe where the opposite parael happened, you know, when we frist discovered you were a 'changer'! Instead of us ignoring the rules of the society and the Government, Andy and Camille decided that you were and actual threat-"

"That would explain why you suddenly punched me three yards across the living room.."

Adds Andy and strokes the bruise on his shoulder.

"I tried to tell you, Andy and Camille- that, that.. Allen wasn't at fault, but, the dream was getting out of control, in the end, I saw Allen transforming into a Krampus typ-"

"THAT'S WHY YOU YELLED KRAMPUS!"

Allen stands up in a hurry.

"So it wasn't doing of a Puppeteer?"

Bream runs through her thick rusty hair with a comb, thinking. Allen over the kitchen table in a bend.

"It might've been just a very vivid dream.."

"You should, investigate it, Allen."

Camille mumbles half through her tired unconscious state.

"I certainly will, something still isn't right. Cherril, just, how did you manage to punch Andy three yards across this room, put up with Camille to the point that she's exhausted as heck, and of course scare both me and Bream so much, that we had to hide?.. I'm sorry, I don't want to say that you're weak- but, Puppets possess no extraordinary powers except being a vessels to those of no physical forms.."

I shrug, piercing through everyone's eyes in disbelief and guilt. I'm so sorry, did I do all of that? That wasn't me.. just, how do I apologize? I'm so sorry!! Bream notices my inner reflection again, I'm still terribly petrified, the ometer of stress makes my thoughts compress.

"I.. I'm sorry, I still feel quite concerned since that chase.. My head is full of it, if it weren't for Allen, I'm sure that entity would certainly get me.."

Allen's eyes luster with the spark of a memory: "If I didn't meet with 'her' that day, I wouldn't bump into you being persecuted by that 'man', it's not my worthiness, Cherril.." (Meantime of Allen spent with Sagitta outside the story in 1st, 2nd and 3rd parts of the story -> Here)

"It's okay, I'd be scared too.. I'm glad the thing's away."

Adds Andy and pats my head, smiling. As he reaches his hand, I finally notice that Andy's left sleeve was completely torn away, a swollen wound is visible on his arm, it looks insidiously. I cover my mouth with my hands and look away, tearing up, pulling away from Andy friendly embrace.

"H-ho?"

He tilts his head and frowns.

"Oh this?" He points at the ugly wound. "That's nothing, I didn't feel anything, Observers don't feel pain at all, not to mentiom- that it was just a little mistake!"

He pulls me back to himself and hugs me this time. I mindlessly regret over my senseless actions. Allen after few seconds of staring in space yawns and stretches himself.

"Well, I guess I'll go investegate then!"

Says Allen and makes his over to the exit door.

"I'll go with you!"

Bream steps up from behind him enthusiastically. Allen declines with a smile.

"No thank you, I'll do it myself, you stay here and take care of Cherril and others, also, I have a job to do!~"

"Of course, as always. Don't be secretive, heed my words, teamwork is important."

Bream finishes, striking her usual sassy pose. Allen half opens the door and grins.

"Outlaws work alone, Breamie."

"You're no outlaw, you're a part of this family..."

"I didn't say that I'm not a member of this family, but have you watched TV recently? Numbers of my kind are decreasing, alleged criminals whom authorities wish to apprehend."

"You really believe that crap? You're just an average person, the only thing that differs each of us is our particular personalities, looks and skills. Quit pretending to be some kind of quilty sinner. Even if you were- then try to look less menacing, less Shapeshiftery, then you won't have to worry about the Government."

Allen's pupils sharpen and stab Bream in the back of her mind. She twitches at the his sudden movement. He lets out a silent growl.

"Naive humans like you will never understand, won't they?"

And just like that, he runs out of the house and disappears in the rows of houses and their thick gardens. Breams stands in the doorway, clutching the fabric on her chest, positioned at the place where her heart rapidly beat. His words hit her like a pristine shot of a gun. She clenched teeth in tries of stopping herself from tearing up.

"Jackass.. I'm just trying to help him with himself, distance him from his own demons.. This pain is.. is nothing, right?"

Bream closes the door and turns around hesitantly, whispering to herself in swirls of ache. She wipes the tears off with her hands and enters the living room again. "Camille's sleeping, good. Andy is comforting Cherril.. these two have obviously things to they need to talk about, I won't bother them then. I just, I'll start making lunch.."

To be continued