Hush in The Bush

An Unknown Outsider

Just before she could disappear, the window had burst and the glass had splashed towards them too. Isabela dived directly into the ground, covering her head. She narrowed her radar and caught Catheryne doing the same thing from the other side. A pebble had suddenly landed, rolled a few steps and hit the heel of Catheryne’s shoe. It came from the outside.

“Who is it?” Isabela asked as she tried to peek from the window, but it was totally murky.

“If you’re going to fight, find another place.” Devian boringly said from the other room. She had heard it too, but she didn’t raise from her ground. She’s just listening to her surrounding attentively.

Catheryne begged Isabela to keep her voice as she carefully stood and tiptoed towards it. The window curtain had caressed on her as she arrived, only to find out no one is around. She verified those thin, obscured trees that looked like some thin men at her front, but there was no movement. The wind had suddenly touched on her arms, crippling behind her strands. It was shivering and she felt goosebumps. She had felt that someone is looking after them. A pinch was abruptly offered to her by Isabela on her leg as she crawled on the floor.

“Did you see something?”

“No.” She immediately pulled the curtains to close the view. Not thinking slow, she lugged Isabela to the other corner, away from it. “I didn’t see anything, but I heard those steps. Steps of someone who’s running away.”

“Where’s Mildred?”

“She’s just around here-”

Catheyne was stopped when Mildred had unexpectedly appeared outside the window with a grim, eyebrows locked. “What happened here?”

The two freaked out, holding their chest as their hearts thumped to surprise. "The hell are you doing there?!" Catheryne's voice raised.

Her cheeks have stiffed. Mildred wanted to have an answer but she was given a question back instead. "I heard something broke. I was just in the washing area to clean my hands, then I heard it." She glimpsed at the broken glass. "What a mess."

They have seen her changed her clothes already. She had stolen them from one of the Trinity in order for her to blend in with them. Her faded grey shirt with small patches was a lot bigger than her size. She's also trying to pull the garter of her checkered pants to hold on to her. Her shoes have been wet and cleaned. Mildred brushed her hair that was dumped through her hands as she rested her left arm on the side of the panel. "So, who did this?" She trailed her fingers on the sharp glass, ready to pierce her flesh.

"Someone might have thrown it to let us be aware that we're not the only ones here." Isabela spoke.

"There's no surveillance system here. Obviously, someone is up for a prank at this time." She rolled her eyes and left. The two were dubious by her disappearance, only to find out that she had moved around to the main door. She knocked slowly as she called then out. Isabela had decided to open it, holding the lighter still. Mildred rashly moved in and settles beside Catheryne as if they're comfortable with each other, not until she had given her a shrug.

"I've decided that I will rest here. Don't worry, I won't let myself get caught by those guys. I'll be off before the sun will rise." She ensured them.

A sigh was there from Catheryne. Her presence is exhausting her but at the same time she's thankful that she's now with them, back again in giving her headaches. "What will we do with this?" She pointed to the window.

"Just leave it like that. I'll be the one to clean this mess." The walls are too high for someone to pass it from the other side, unless that person knows the secret passage." She pointed out.

"This is draining me. I need to rest." She rubbed her forehead and put the paper inside her pocket. Passing by Mildred, she didn't give her the eye contact. She patted Isabela like a robot who was out of battery. "I'll see you by three in the morning together with her. Meet me in the laboratory. I'll tell George about it. He also needs to know this." Then, she took her things with her.

Isabela agreed as well like Mildred. Catherine is the first one to leave among them and went silently to the other building. As she stirred over the cold ground floor, her fingers kept tapping the paper that is inside her pocket. She's been itching to read it as her business is captivating her again. She moved and saw that the laboratory is still lighting. George might be doing his paperwork again and recording those results. That's what she had guessed. She doesn't want to bother him so she straightforwardly walked to her room. As soon as she arrived, she didn't mind to take off her clothes to change.

Slumping on her rest, she took the paper and read it carefully. She made sure that no word would be skipped and that she he understood it. As she was driven by the message, she didn't know that she was a catch already to someone's eyes from a distance. Catherine took at least five minutes to finish it completely and as soon as she had read the last sentence, she was left dumbfounded, slowly lowering her hands on her thighs.

"I-It can't be..." She whispered, trembling in alarm, but a smirk - a hint of please was arched on the lips of a man, slowly taking off his binoculars.

"A new message it is. He'll surely be glad to hear it." He let out a soft laugh, lifting himself from the ground. "I'll be rooting for the next days. This is getting interesting. I didn't know I would enjoy jut like what he told me. Well, I got to go home. My shift is over." He glanced back to Catheryne and gave a flying kiss. "I'll come back for you, darling." He took off his gum and threw it. It is his own mark to remind him of his target.