2009-10-28: Breaking the Home

Starring:

Cam_V4icon.png Charlotte_V4icon.png Emily_V4icon.png Micah_V4icon.png

Date: October 28, 2009

Summary:

Under the stress of lies and serial killers, the home finally breaks.


"Breaking the Home"

Germany

Previously, on Voices In My Head

Focusing the thoughts on Micah Sanders starts to being about that tingling feeling again. "Oh myyyyy…." Charlotte says, having just enough time to snatch ahold of Emily's body before she fades away. This is…unexpected. Unexpected but welcome, as it seems that Charlotte's protestations were to hide another part of her ability: to find and relocated to anyone's position knowing only their name. Of course, the landing is once again rough.

Thousands of miles away, Charlotte (with Emily's body in tow) winds up reappearing in the orphanage, this time in the closet of the boys' room. There's a thumping a bumping as the two women reappear in a heap inside the tight, dark space, on top of clothes, toys, and shoes. No doubt the boys can hear thumping and bumping in there, like the boogey monster or something, which is strange, since there definitely wasn't anything alive in there this morning! It's probably when the handle on the door turns that things get strange.

When the door swings open, Charlotte's body steps through, blinking, taking in the room, the beds, both boys. She looks each of them over in turn, before focusing on Micah, sitting down, cell phone in hand. A smile reappears on her lips, something…not-quite-predatory, but not exactly nice. "You're Micah Sanders, I presume.

Eyebrows are raised as noise comes from Cam and Micah's makeshift closet. Micah sideglances the door, and then turns wide-eyed as 'Charlotte' steps out of the closet. He swallows hard before he examines the woman he normally trusts. Her expression isn't Charlotte. Charlotte had kind eyes towards himAfter swallowing again, he moistens his dry lips and mutters, "Emily," before swallowing again. She's here. And there's nothing he can do about it.

Emily's attempts to keep Charlotte quiet are not in vain, but they are also not entirely able to stop the woman screaming from protecting the children …. especially Micah and Cam … like she might her own. Get away from him! Don't touch him, please! I told you I'd do whatever you needed just…don't talk to him, don't speak to him just….. Her train of thought (haha) slows a bit as Micah seems to know who she really is. A nonverbal sigh of relief is exhaled from within.

Striding from the closet, Emily closes on Micah, looking him over. Charlotte, of course, is still in all the clothing she was when she first teleported in to the escapees, while

Emily's own abandoned body is still in the makeshift clothes she found in that vacationing family's home. "You're the one Charlotte wanted to protect so much, huh? What do you have there, though?" She's looking at the phone in his hand, grinning, stretching out to snatch it from him and look at what sort of things he's got in progress.

Micah isn't fast enough to hold onto his phone. "Give it back! That's mine!" he demands. Fortunately, no notes are in progress. In fact, there's no obvious contacts on the phone, it seems empty. It's just phone. "And yeah, I'm Micah." He stares at Emily several moments before asking, "Is she still in there?" He swallows.

Leave him ALONE! Charlotte roars inside of her own mind, amazed at how she can scream so loudly, but no sound can actually be heard. It's with amazing mental strength that she tries to get her lips to form words, to scream. Run, Micah! RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN! She claws, trying to force her way back in for just that purpose. She's a fighter, and such a fighter that even she wouldn't recognize. RUN MICAH!

The volume of the mental scream is enough to cause a physical reaction; Emily winces a little, but other than that, nothing happens. "This is useless!" she says, about the blanked phone. Nothing incriminating on it at all. "This is useless…what do I care about this kid beyond him getting me here?" She throws her hands up in exasperation, content for the moment to use this place to rest and recooperate before finding out who is responsible for capturing her.

That being said, Emily finds that the time has arrived to end the possession. Chartlotte feels the pressure in her head gradually lessening, until eventually, it fades away for good, the other person inside her head now gone, Charlotte once again able to feel and control her body. From the closet, additional rustling is heard, as a wobbly-looking blonde women steps out, dressed in boys jeans, a football t-shirt, and boys sneakers.

Micah's mouth hangs open in a still-shocked expressions, eyes wide. And it's at this moment his phone buzzes in Charlotte's hand. Should she decide to open it, shell see a text for Rebel from Matt: SOME OF US ARE READY TO PROCEED. Micah gets instant butterflies at the notion of someone reading his messages and he reaches for his phone, and then turns to Emily, "Th-thank you for giving Charlotte back… i-is there something I can give you?" He furrows his eyebrows.

There's a feeling. A real feeling, something she can touch. Looking down, Charlotte - now alone in her mind - sees the buzzing phone. Her fingers flip it open just before Micah takes it, and she gets a glance at it. And then other sensations are suddenly aware. Charlotte is unsteady on her own feet. She wobbles, grasping Micah's bed for support as she finds herself suddenly having to stand again. And then there's Micah. And she can move. Falling to her knees, she reaches out to grab the boy - and probably nearly yank his arm out of it's socket in the process to pull him into a protective Den Mother hug. She sits still, yanking the boy close if she can, looking up at Emily with tears in her eyes. "Go away, please. Just leave us alone."

"You know the terms of the deal. I'm staying around long enough to plan my next move, then you're taking me where I need to go." Holding her temples and blinking, she turns for the doorway in the bedroom, turning her back on those two as she starts to wander away, wanting something to eat and drink, as well as a nice shower and some clothes that fit well, and the ability to wander around in Germany much more freely than in America. "Oh, and it goes without saying that you won't be going and retrieving any of the escapees and bringing them here until I'm gone."

"Just, please don't hurt anyone else. Please," Micah virtually begs Emily. "I can help you get whatever you want, just please don't hurt the others." He turns back to Charlotte, "Charlotte, are you okay? What can I do? Did she hurt you?" His eyebrows furrow with deep concern.

Charlotte glances over her shoulder, clinging to Micah enough to probably squeeze the boy uncomfortably. Once Emily seems to have walked out of the room, she looks back to Micah. She's scared, tear-stained, but determined. "Sweetheart," she says softly, cupping the boy's face. "Listen very carefully. I need you to get all of the children, Frauline Beeches, and Ndugu. Get everyone, okay? And do it quietly. Take them into the storage shed down by the pond, through the field, okay?" She's whispering, quickly. Another glance over her shoulder to make sure Emily isn't there. "Bring blankets, it'll be cold. Can you do that for me?"

"I … okay," Micah responds rather warily. "But… Charlotte, you can't take us all somewhere. Not like this! It'll break you—there's too many of us, and you just got your body back." He shakes his head as he holds his phone to text anyone within the orphanage who has one. Synchronously they receive this message: STRANGE BLONDE GIRL ON LOOSE. WE ARE ALL TO HEAD TO SHED - CHARLOTTE'S INSTRUCTIONS. BRING BLANKETS. —MICAH. And then, after sideglancing Charlotte, he opens it and pretends to text the usual way.

Charlotte's smile is a proud one, and she pets Micah's hair. She feels it, she never thought how nice it would be to feel the kid's hair. But the fact that her fingers touch it when she wants them to, and there's a feeling there in responese - it's perfect. And he's such a good boy. "I'll be fine," she promises. "I'm not taking all of you anywhere. I just need a few minutes where she can't hurt anyone, alright?" She looks down at the cell phone and gives him a smirk. "And you and I are going to talk about this later."
An eyebrow is arched at Charlotte, "There's nothing to talk about." That Micah wants to talk about. "I imagine you need us to get to the shed too, right?" He glances at the door. "Were you there the whole time she was in your mind? Or did you like… fade away?"

"I'll decide that," Charlotte intones, letting him know that she's in charge and that, for now, the subject is dropped. "I need you to get to the shed. I'm staying here." A soft sigh escpaes her lips, a few locks of hair falling from the sweatered hat/net she was wearing when her body was taken. "I was there, I heard everything, I saw everything. But I'm back now, alright? So don't worry about it anymore."

"You're not saying here alone are you? She's still here! And we're not all going to live in the shed for who-knows-how-long she sticks around," Micah rolls his eyes as he stands to his feet to check the house for any leftover children. With a groan he walks to the door and pads down the hall in search of his peers.

Charlotte chuckles. Children, they think they know everything. Standing, she too makes her way someplace - up the stairs and to the left, to her own bedroom. If Micah wants to play texty-text? She can do it too. She takes her own phone out of her pocket, and texts him a message. TXT WHEN ALL ARE OUT. PLZ SOON. Charlotte's cool and hip with the lingo!

Wandering through the house, Emily makes her way to the kitchen, cognizant of the fact that it's been quite some time since she's eaten. Even on the lam, she ate very little, as the ability to go shopping for supplies was mostly limited to convenience stores instead of grocery stores proper. This kitchen though, it seems like it has everything! Multiple tables, lots of counterspace, a big refrigerator…plenty of stuff to find in here!

Rooting through the fridge, she pulls out some lunchmeats and what have you, standing with her back to the rest of the room as she pokes and noses around for utensils, making herself a sandwich. From the back, most people would see that blonde mane first, and little else, if they were to just wander in, unawares of who she is.

Getting the text from Micah, Cam acted quickly. Moving from room to room, passing on the message to other kids and making sure they're on the way before moving on. So it is he enters the kitchen, looking for further kids that might not have got the message. When he spots Emily, not that he's exactly positive who she is, he stops and starts to quietly step back from the room.

Sandwich on a plate, plate in hand, she spins around to take a seat and have the first bit of food she's had in a while. "Uh…hello," she says, looking at Cam. He's the first person other than Charlotte or Micah she's run into in this whole orphanage so far.

Though it's unlikely she knows any of these people, her brain is always cranking, trying to match faces with places and names. A little shock of realization runs up her spine as she places the face…not with a name, but a power. Crazy wedding, Central Park…little straggly looking kid who frosted up his glass when his drink was warm. "You uh…want a sandwich or anything?" she says, attempting to yes, bribe him into chatting and not being scared with the prospects of a sandwich and chips and all.

If he continues out now, Cam knows attention will be brought to everybody escaping to the shed. So, he hides his nervousness with all the skill of a lifetime of training under his con artist father, and steps forward again, back further into the kitchen. "Sure, thanks. So, um, who are you? Some new assistant or something?"

"Yeah…you could say that I guess. Don't know how long I'll be here though." Assistant…that's a perfect title, since she is here to get assistance in planning her next move. In order to placate Cam first off, she passes over the plate she's already made up, setting it down for him at one of the kitchen tables. "I'm Emily…who're you shortstuff?" she asks, with a smile (fake or not, impossible to say!) as she begins to make up another sandwich for herself.

Cam steps forward to take the offered sandwich, "Thanks." He takes a bite. After swallowing, he says, "Nice to meet you, I'm Cam." He keeps up the act, seeming totally trusting, even though he now knows exactly who she is, and what she can do.
After he'd managed to examine the entire upstairs of the orphanage and clear it out, Micah steps down the stairs lightly, and down towards the kitchen to find Emily and Cam talking. "Um… Cam…?" He swallows as he inches into the room a bit hesitantly, but then he just walks in. "Hi Emily," he manages before glancing around the kitchen. The orphanage is relatively empty now aside from the three of them (and Charlotte upstairs). "Good sandwich?"

Emily spins around for her place at the counter, looking at them. "Sheesh, am I making one for you too, or what?" She's said it before to Charlotte, but maybe it bears repeated, but her plan isn't to hurt kids at all. There's villainy, then there's heinous terror and hurting kids. When she asks Micah if she has to make one for him too, she's standing with one hand on the counter, one hand on a hip, grinning a little. It's not really forced or anything…she's the youngest of five, so she's used to an older sibling taking care of her quite a bit. To say she's completely devoid of human emotion is a lie.

Cam looks up to Micah and gives him a wave, "Hey. Yeah, it is. She makes good sandwiches. Everything ok?" He asks it casually, takes another bite and glances up to Emily again.

"Actually I'm not hungry, but thanks," Micah smiles easily. There's something reassuring about a villain offering to make him a sandwich. No bad will there. "Yeah… everything's fine," he responds easily to Cam before turning back to Emily, "Look, I can help you if you need it and want it. Charlotte doesn't trust you, but we need to look out for each other right now." Of course, Micah doesn't explain the kind of help he can give, just that he can give help.

"Yeah…I've told Charlotte that, a number of times. She doesn't believe me. I'm not here for the kids…I'm here to rest and recharge, plan my next move then get the he..heck out of here," she says with a smile, catching herself there based on the age of the crowd. OPPORTUNITY! she thinks, taking sandwich version 2.0 to the table herself, sitting kitty-corner to Cam and chowing down. "I'm out for the heads of the bast…people who kidnapped me, not this orphanage. I just couldn't do it with all those other escapees dragging me down. Easier to operate more secretly on your own."

Cam blinks, so to cover his earlier questions, "Oh, you're *that* Emily?" Then he shrugs a bit, taking another bite of sandwich, and after swallowing says, "You can hardly blame her for being suspicious, you stole her body. People get suspicious of you if you steal five dollars from them, let alone their whole body."

Micah nods a bit before sitting down next to Emily, "I'm out for them too, in a different way. It's important that they're stopped from hurting all of us, and we can't just hide! Hiding won't keep them from kidnapping more of us and drugging us into nothing. That's why I told Matt. That's why I helped with the rescue. And that's why I continue to do what I can." There's a silent pause as he turns to face her, "I can help you. I can rewrite your identity. Give you a new passport, papers, money… whatever you need." He swallows.

Charlotte, were she any other woman, would beat Micah and Cam senseless. She's just around the coerner, out of sight, but she got a glance of the whole party. What part of shed is equivelant to sitting and eating? She can't text him again, in case Emily sees. So she waits, nails digging into her sides enough to scratch through her own skin. If she goes in there, Emily's going to hurt, kidnap, or kill one of the boys. Why can't childrne just listen?

Emily turns to focus her gaze at Micah, narrowing her eyes a bit. "You…helped with the rescue? How'd you manage that, huh? Wasn't it past your bedtime?" She smirks a little, reaching out to ruffle his hair, but not to possess him. "And yeah…that might work. Can't say I want to meet back up with all the other escapees, but maybe…I saw an opportunity…I took it. That's how I work. And! I gave her back her body once I got here, just like I promised I would. And nobody got hurt, also like I said. So…you know…" she trails off.

Cam adds, to Micah's words, "And I protect him. I can't do much to help, but I do what I can." He finishes the last of his sandwich, and then says, "So what are you going to do now? How're you going to get at the ones who took you?" He's very curious.

Micah cringes slightly as Emily ruffles his hair, but they have a goal in common now. "Yeah, waaaay passed my bedtime," he coughs as he rolls his eyes. "Okay, it's decided then. I'll help you get even with the government goons any way I can." He drums his fingers on the table. "And yeah, Cam's great! Always looks for me! We're brothers, you know. Well, kind of."

And that's the last straw. Charlotte can't stand watching this anymore - or listening - for a multitude of reasons. She pauses long enough to strip off her sweater and a cap she's wearing - revealing black pants and a long, blue long-sleeved shirt, tucked in. Hair everywhere, she marches right into the kitchen, reaching for each of the boy's. "Get up." Her tone is one they've never heard before - an order, something they should dare to question. She's already helping them rise with the hands on them, but she's being very careful not to hurt them. Emily is pointly ignored. "Get up," she urges again.

"Hey! We're just talking! No harm, no foul. I held up my end of the bargain…why are you being so obstinate about your end?" Emily doesn't do anything, content to just sit there, and let Chartlotte do all the work for her. For the uninitiated, it's clear that, in the minds of the kids at least, Emily is manipulating Charlotte into the villain…but letting Charlotte do allllll the work herself. It's a wonderful feeling…it makes Emily warm deep down in the pit of her stomach as she smiles sweetly and continues to munch innocently on her sandwich.

While he's been sitting there, Cam's been readying himself in case Emily should turn out to be tricking them and try to posess him. He's been holding his power ready to go off should anybody make a grab for him. Which, of course, he wasn't expecting Charlotte to be the one to do. The power flashes out, and though as soon as he registers it's not Emily touching him he tries to pull it back, it may just go through.

Quickly, he says, "I'm sorry!" Emily and Micah probably would have no clue why he's saying it as he's being pulled to his feet. Charlotte likely feels the cold, though, even if he manages to pull it back enough not to give her frostbite.

Charlotte is given a side-glance. "But Charlotte! Emily's not hurting anyone - she made Cam a sandwich!" Like the sandwich is evidence of her good will towards mankind. Micah frowns as Charlotte pulls him to his feet. "She's one of us and she still needs help! And she didn't even hurt you!" Eyes are narrowed as Cam apologizes. "Well I'm not sorry. We were just talking," he mutters.

Charlotte flinches, but her anger allows her to pull through that. "Be quiet," she snaps at Micah. Emily gets a personal glare. "You do not speak to them. You do not look at them. You eat. You sleep. You leave." With that, she starts to haul both children out the hallway and to the other side of the house. Yes, she's willing to haul them by their shirts.
Once there, she pushes them both toward the door. "Get to the shed like you were told." She doesn't explain ehrself, but there's a fire and brimstone in her the likes of which the children - indeed, anyone - has ever seen in her. "Do not ask questions. Just do it. If I don't come down and get you before dark, bring everyone back. Do you understand me this time?" Micah gets a specific look. She's keeping her voice very low, and checked several times to make sure that Emily wasn't close enough to hear.

Emily just sits at the table, totally innocent in all of this. She even waves and gives the boys a sympathetic look as Charlotte practically snatches by the ears and drags them off. It's like every cliche of old-timey childhood discipline…but things are going SO damn well. She can't even describe what that warmth in her belly, rising up and sinking down to warm her to the very tips of her fingers and toes is, but it's wonderful…and she's not even making Charlotte do this!

Cam just blinks again as they're dragged out of the room, "Hey, I.." How can he argue when he just maybe froze Charlotte's hand? So, he's quiet, stumbling along until she lets go of them. He doesn't answer her instructions, though, except to give a tiny nod, and looks to Micah.

Ubelievable! "You're not my mom!" Micah mutters back as he steps outside. "I get it. I stopped to get Cam," he mutters again as he steps outside towards the shed, Cam in tow. His cellphone has been returned to his pocket, and he's bundled up to go outside.
But when Charlotte is out of earshot he turns to Cam, "I'm not going to the shed. I know she can find us, but right now I don't even care." That said, just as he reaches the shed, he changes direction. Towards the town.

Once the boys have behaved, Charlotte's tactics come into play. She'll worry about the boys later - wherever they are, it's not here. That's all that matters. Still making sure Emily can't see or hear her, Charlotte picks up the items she discared. A black sweater. A black ski mask/cap? Long gloves tucked under her sleeves? What's this? Why it's the outfit she was assigned during the initial kidnap Emily Caufield plan. And now, it's being put into effect. She keeps an eye on the hallway, and an ear, and stands well out of the way of being seen while she does this.

Cam, of course, turns to follow after Micah with a fast nod. He's still feeling guilty, but this doesn't require him to say anything to Charlotte's face, so he's quite happy to go along. After a little while, he says to Micah, "Think we can make it to the States to rescue Peter before she notices we're gone? If she's busy with Emily, she might not come for us for days."

In the kitchen, Emily finishes up her sandwich, standing up, and taking it to the sink. Like a good houseguest, she rinses, then slides it on into the dishwasher. Same thing goes for all the utensils she used, and of course, the stuff from the fridge is all replaced. Heck! She even wipes off the counters and tables and all, since that's just polite. With those sneakers on, she can move pretty silently across the kitchen floor, and while Charlotte is changing out of sight out of mind, Emily slips out onto the back porch for a breath of fresh, cool air.

And now it's time. Charlotte's skin is covered, layered, head to toe. She takes a deep breath. This is it. Now is the time. Closing her eyes, Charlotte thinks about Emily Caufield. Silently, she dissapears from the foyer. She'll appear, well-aimed, just behind Emily, with no sound to herald her arrival. It's not ideal, but as Charlotte's body finally forms a solid, she's already reaching for Emily, placing a hard two-handed shove against her back. Mid-motion, both will start to feel that tingle….

The tingling will take over, but for Emily it will be extremely weird. Because as she's shoved forward, suddenly everything stops as, for that brief second, seh ceases to exist. A few seconds later, however, she has sensations. Darkness. Dampness. Coolness. And gravity. AS her body reforms, she continues to fall forward in what apepars to be stone-laid underground cellar, dank and old, toward the dirt floor and the masoned walls.

Charlotte, in the meantime, is right there with Emily. As soon as they begin to appear in teh new location, she's jumping back, rushing for the far side of the room, waiting the few seconds needed to fully materialize in order for her to teleport away again. Less than a handful of seconds - that's all it'll take.

"Well I got our papers all ready just in case…" Micah nods a bit. "I'll call us a cab to meet us in town and then we'll head to the airport. The paperwork's in a lock box in town. We can get the cab to meet us there." He dials the number for a cab, "Hi… we need a ride to the airport…"

Cam nods quickly to Micah and says, "Yeah." He glances back towards the house as they walk, but keeps beside Micah. He's quiet while the other boy calls to arrange the trip to the airport, and then once he's off the phone asks, "Do you know where they've got Peter?"

Emily falls forward through space, groaning as she tips forward and lands on her arms on the stone floor. She's disoriented, and rightfully so, but she's well aware of what happened, given the sudden disappearance and reappearance. With a speed that she hasn't show before, she's rolling onto her back, spotting Charlotte. Coiling her body, she lunges out toward Charlotte, stretching every inch of those long legs out. A savage, animal scream issues forth from her mouth as she tries to just get a toe on Charlotte's leg before she disappears again. Her arms tense and flex as she uses the to propel herself, scratching the palms up on the stone floor.

"Well they're holding everyone someplace called Building 26," Micah clears his throat as they reach his lock box. He pulls out a manila envelope containing two European Union passports. He opens one and tosses it towards Cam, "Here you go, Charlie Frost." He grins. He takes his own from the envelope, "And I'm Nicholas Hawk." And then he smirks, "Call me Nick."

Cam grins at the name he's given, catching his passport and looking at it, "Awesome, I love that movie." Then he nods quickly again and looks up to Micah as he stuffs the passport into a pocket, grinning, "Ok, Nick."

"Excellent! I thought the name was fitting," Micah smirks as a cab pulls up. Presumably their cab. The driver looks at the two kids and lifts a single eyebrow, "Nicholas Hawk?" Micah pipes, "That's me! Come on Charlie, we've got a plane to catch!" He opens one of the rear passenger doors and hops into the cab. "The airport, please." He forces a grin. The driver seems mildly confused that the boys have no luggage or anything to speak of, but just shrugs. A fare is a fare.

Cam's grin isn't forced, as he climbs into the cab. He settles into his seat as the taxi starts to move. He glances around as they start to move. A quick glance for any sign of Charlotte appearing to take them back. With no such appearance, he relaxes back to wait to arrive at the airport.

Someplace…else….

Something feels…strange. It must be that Charlotte's newly back in her body, and long-range teleporting often takes finesse. But she sees Emily coming at her. By that time, however, she's already on teh retreat. Just as Emily reaches her…there are only a few particles of dust left, and then nothing at all. Charlotte is gone, and Emily is…somewhere. But where? And why?

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