Chapter 1: "A More Trusted Ally"

Kallie and Samatha made their way back to the place where the orphans live, Samatha flinching at every little noise while Kallie walked besides her, unafraid. Every now and then she would stop and look at some furniture or decoration for a bit. After what had to be the ninth time Kallie stopped, Samatha decided to ask her why she kept stopping.

"Hey, is there a trap?" Samatha asked, trying not to be rude and curious. Kallie was looking at a tall cabinet with a grandfather clock on it. Samatha had seen it plenty of times before and even used to climb all over it.

"No," Kallie told her, turning to look at Samatha, "it's just new."

"New?" Samatha echod, looking at the clock, "That's been there for seven years according to the staff and..."

Samatha broke off, looking down at her feet. Kallie knew that she was going to say older orphans. Of course, they wouldn't be around anymore. The orphanage usually take the old orphans first. The young can't quite fight back.

"Well, I've been in prison for most of my life. Trust me when I say that even the layout of this area is slightly different then how it was when I used to roam around here."

Samatha perked up at Kallie's words. When she used to roam here. That meant that Kallie was an orphan and was in the same situation that Samatha and her friends were in. It made sense though. Who said Samatha and the other orphans were the first to be experimented on? Kallie probably lost a lot of friends.

'No wonder she is like this. She's been through hell.'

"Hey Kallie, do you think this will end if we kill Aunt Ravean?" Samatha asked, remembering the question Kallie asked when she first met her.

"...No, not really...but that won't stop me from killing her," Kallie responded and started walking again. Samatha had to speed walk at first to catch up to Kallie. She was still tired from the sprint she did to reach the Vault so keeping up with Kallie's slow but even pace was a challenge. Luckily, when Kallie stopped to look at something, Samatha would have a small break.

"So, your goal is to kill Aunt Ravean then?" Samatha asked, though it was more of a statement.

"Mmm hmm," Kallie responded without slowing down.

"Say, Samatha, are you sure your name isn't Samantha?" Kallie asked, causing Samatha to let out a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, it is spelled without the n and is pronounced Sam-ah-thuh. I know it's weird," Samatha explained, rubbing the back of her head. She never liked having to talk about her name.

"Well, my name isn't Kaylee. Kallie is a weird name to have, especially when you realize that it is said as Kal-lie and not Kal-lee. We both have weird names."

Samatha paused briefly to take in what Kallie said before she raised an eyebrow.

"You introduced yourself as Kay-lee though," Samatha pointed out, running to catch up to her.

"That is how I greet myself to strangers...but since you saved me from the fall back in my prison and freed me, I consider you close. A more trusted ally," Kallie explained before she paused and looked over her shoulder.

"So call me Kal-lie."

With that, she kept walking. After two more minutes of walking and Kallie stopping once to look at another decoration, they two finally arrived at two big decorated gold and blue doors that seemed slightly out of place. The dark lighting of the orphanage helped blend the colors in at least, though they were still odd.

"They got rid of the bar on this side," Kallie noted.

"What do you mean?" Samatha asked. Kallie pointed at the two doors.

"You know in films featuring zombies the person knocks down a wooden plank over the handles? This door had something like that," Kallie explained.

'I can see why they got rid of it. If the doors to the place where I live had a way to be firmly locked on the outside I would be hesitant and suspicious.'

Of course, Samatha herself failed to notice the four locks on the two doors that blended in so well with the design. Many of the orphans didn't notice until it was too late.

"They left the doors unlocked," Kallie noted.

"How can you tell?" Samatha asked.

'Why do I feel like this is a pattern?' Samatha asked herself but still waited for Kallie's answer.

"...What? You can't tell the difference between a locked heavy door and an unlocked one? The door is slightly open due to its own weight."

'Why do I feel insulted?' Samatha asked herself but still tried to see what Kallie saw...but failed to do so.

"I-I can't," Samatha admitted after a while. Kallie raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I'll teach you later," Kallie told Samatha before turning and reaching for the door handle.

"Wait!" Samatha cried out, grabbing Kallie's hand.

"Don't just open it. Knock first," Samatha pleaded, recalling the time one orphan escaped and ran back and opened the door only to be bashed in the head with a pipe, the other orphans mistaking him for a guard.

Kallie met Samatha's eyes and stared at her for a bit before giving in and walking a couple of steps back.

"Then do the honor. If something comes flying at you, I gotcha. A save for a save after all," Kallie told Samatha.

Despite warning Kallie about opening the door, Samatha herself was still nervous. Sophie had improved her pipe since then and had added nails onto it. Samatha was sure she would die if Sophie swung at her and hit her in the head with her pipe. Still, Samatha had to return inside. So, she composed herself and knocked on the door four times. When she did so, the door cracked open slightly and just enough that Samatha could make out footsteps approaching the door.

Samatha let out a sigh and turned to look at Kallie only to realize that Kallie wasn't behind her anymore. Samatha started panicking and looked around for her. She spotted Kallie to her left, hiding in the shadows. Upon seeing that Samatha had spotted her, Kallie put a finger on her lips.

Before Samatha could respond, the door opened.

"Hello-"

Samatha turned to see a young girl wearing a grey shirt, dark grey shorts, and short straight black hair. Her name was Ava Yellow, one of the kid orphans here. Her eyes widened upon seeing Samatha there and she covered her mouth and took a couple of steps back in shock. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"S-Samatha?" Ava asked in a shocked choked voice, her voice barely above a whisper. Samatha nodded.

"Who is it?" A voice asked. Samatha recognized the voice belonging to Sophie.

Ava turned to face where the voice came from.

"I-it's Samatha! Sh-she's back!"

The moment she said that, Samatha could make out the sound of a bunch of people running over. Soon, almost every left was in front of the door, giving Samatha a look of shock, disbelief, and relief.

"H-hey guys. I'm back-" Samatha started but was interrupted when Sophie lunged forward and hugged Samatha.

"You big twat! D-do you know how worried we were?" Sophie asked. The others joined in on the hug too.

Samatha felt that she was close to crying. Some of the other orphans here were crying. She knew what she did was stupid and she knew she messed up but, she still couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

It was at this time that Kallie walked from where she was hiding, looking at the scene in front of her with vacant emotionless eyes. She never understood things such as this and she frankly wasn't interested in trying to understand. Ava, the girl who opened the door originally, spotted Kallie and, despite shivering when seeing her eyes, broke from the hug.

"Who are you?" Ava asked, causing the other orphans to freeze.

Sophie broke from the hug and spotted Kallie, whose eyes were no longer as dead as they were when seeing the group hug and when she studied Ava. Even if they weren't dead, Sophie rushed forward and attempted to pin Kallie against the wall using her pipe, alarmed at a sudden stranger's appearance. However, instead of pushing Kallie, Sophie found herself being held back. Kallie had stopped her by using the weird hilt of a weird metal comb...and using one hand to do so.

"Who are you!?" Sophie asked, stepping back. Kallie didn't answer but Sophie saw a flash of amusement in her eyes.

"Wait! She's not an enemy. She's a friend," Samatha cried out, hoping to diffuse things. Kallie flinched at her words but said nothing on the matter.

"Who is she?" Sidney, the tallest orphan here, asked. She trusted Samatha but knew that she could be a naive idiot at times.

Samatha met Kallie's eyes and opened her mouth but nothing came out. What could she tell them? That she ran to the Vault and broke the agreement she and the other orphans made? That Kallie herself is from the Vault and seems to be in the most reinforced cell? That she killed two guards with a spoon!?

....

...Samatha may be able to tell them that part but they probably wouldn't believe her. The other two things are out of the question.

"I..." Samatha started.

Luckily, Kallie decided to step in.

"Hi! My name is Kaylee. Nice to meet you," Kallie said, changing back to her bright and cheerful facade.

'She introduced herself as the other way to say her name.' Samatha noted.

"Samatha helped me out so I decided to help her out," Kallie said, stepping through the door and getting close to Samatha, "I know you can't trust me but I hope you'll learn..."

Kallie broke off, looking confused at something, before shaking her head.

"My bad. I know what you've gone through and I know you'll probably won't trust me. I can't trust any of you really. But, Samatha did save me so I am in debt to her so I hope we can work together."

The orphans were stunned. Even Samatha was. Kallie didn't try to butter herself up but just told them the truth. She doesn't trust them and they don't trust her. However, she also told them that she isn't trying to be their enemy, nor is she right now. It was such an effective speech that Samatha almost forgot that Kallie's true personality isn't like this, though she took some comfort knowing that Kallie probably...or hopefully meant what she said.

'Actually, what if this is what Kallie is like when she's not on edge? I think this is better than her normal cold and uncaring eyes and her mouth which seems to be on the border of frowning.'

"Alright, Kaylee. I'll trust you enough to let you in. Now come on and close the door. It's dangerous out there," Sophia told Kallie who did a small bow and went inside, closing the door behind her.

"So, where are you from?" Shira asked, grabbing Kallie's arm.

"I was in prison when Samatha saved me," Kallie told the cheerful little orphan.

"So, is everyone here female?" Kallie asked, noticing the six orphans who came to the door were all female. Kallie didn't have a perfect memory but she was sure that the orphanage was for all ages, races, and gender.

"The two boys are sleeping right now," Shira told her still cheerfully.

Kallie studied the tall yet very young looking girl, her smile never fading.

'She's an odd one.' Kallie thought to herself. She could tell there was something to Shira but, for now, it wasn't something for her to worry about.

Across the room, Sophie and Sidney pulled Samatha aside and were looking at Kallie, assessing her.

"Samatha, where did you find her?" Sophie asked, her eyes not leaving Kallie.

"I found her in a cell-" Samatha started but Sophie cut her off by turning around and shaking her head.

"I mean, where did you find her? I know she was in a cell but where?"

Luckily, at this time, Samatha had already made an excuse.

"When I was running, I stumbled upon one of those locked security doors that was open. I went inside and stumbled upon a locked door with a white padded room inside. The door was locked by the red and blue toy-like keys that were lying around in here. Seeing as we had no use to them I had carried them around with me as hairpins,"

'Typical Samatha.' Both Sidney and Sophie thought upon hearing that Samatha used the two keys that were lying around somewhat hidden in the place the orphans live.

"I unlocked the door and, inside was Kaylee. She was suspicious of me at first but, since I not only freed her but saved her from a nasty fall, she said she trusted me...or trusted me enough to follow me."

"What about the two guards that were chasing you?" Sidney asked. Samatha let out a sigh, dreading this.

"K-Kaylee killed them, saving me," Samatha admitted.

"How did she kill them?" Sophie asked, suspicious but also curious.

"She got the drop on them and...killed one of them with the knife the guards carry," Samatha said awkwardly. Her excuse didn't include this part.

"And how did she kill the other guard?" Sophie pressed.

"...With a spoon," Samatha whispered.

"Can you say that again? I didn't hear you," Sidney asked, leaning in.

"...She killed them with a spoon," Samatha admitted, her voice shaking.

"...Come again?" Sidney asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That fancy metal spoon I showed you about a year ago. She took it and used it to kill one of the guards and injure the other where she killed him with a knife taken from the guard's body."

"Then where is the knives?" Sophie asked.

"...Lost both of them," Samatha admitted, looking down at her feet.

Sidney and Sophie looked at each other before shrugging, They didn't have to believe Samatha but, one way or the other Samatha managed to escape from the two armed guards chasing them. Besides, as the natural leaders of the group, they were aware that the two keys were found three years ago, which meant that Kaylee was in a locked white room for a over three years if they are to believe she has been locked in the room with the two toy-like keys as the only way out, and being in a cell for that long changes people. Sophie also remembered when Kaylee stopped her shove without any effort. The look that flashed in her eyes was one of amusement, not fear or anger. She wasn't even surprised. Kaylee definitely isn't as simple as she appears to be.

'And Samatha isn't telling the whole truth either.' Sidney realized. Of course, neither of them were going to press on, for right now at least. They were glad that their best friend returned, and whether they like it or not, it was because of Kaylee that Samatha even made it. For now, they would keep an eye on Samatha and especially Kaylee, but ultimately letting them do what they want. Besides, if Samatha's story is true, and Kaylee is on their side, then Kaylee would be a great asset. With her, they may even be able to escape.

'But first thing's first. We need to survive a week without any of us being taken...and hope that Samatha freeing Kaylee doesn't anger the sickos running this whole operation too much.'