Goodbye

Emma stared at Isabella as the woman panted hard, narrowing her eyes. Emma narrowed her eyes in return and glanced at Penny. "Go! Now!"

"Emma..." Penny gasped, her eyes never leaving the woman in front of them.

"Just go!" Emma yelled.

Penny winced and nodded. She quickly put the hanger over the zipline and zoomed down, and Ray caught her in his arms. The brown haired girl glanced over his shoulder in fright. "EMMA!"

Emma stared at the woman, and turned to the burning house. "Goodbye to our house. Goodbye to the home we all grew up in, and loved so much."

She glanced at the panting woman in front of her. "And of course...bye, Mom."

Isabella glanced at Emma pleadingly. "Please don't go, Emma. I don't want my darling children to leave!"

Emma narrowed her eyes and turned to the zipline, readying her hanger. Isabella let out a gasp as the eleven year old zoomed down. The woman watched as the ropes were cut. They wavered in the wind above her. She glanced over the cliff and watched as the children nodded at each other and ran off.

Isabella let out a heavy sigh as she undid her bun, letting her long black hair drift in the wind.

Just seeing them escape like that...it bought back memories of the older days.

She had been climbing a tree when she heard Leslie play a pretty song on his mandolin. She let out a wide grin and popped her head out from the trees, dangling beside him.

"Hey!"

Leslie let out a startled scream before glancing at the one who surprised him... Isabella.

"Isabella!" Leslie gasped, his heart pounding. He let out a heavy sigh and put his hand to his heart. "You scared me..."

Isabella grinned as she hopped from the tree branch she was hang on and landed beside him with a grin. "Sorry about that. I was climbing the tree when I heard a beautiful song playing, so..." she glanced at him curiously. "Is it an original?"

Leslie slightly blushed and looked down, hugging his instrument close. "Yeah..."

"It's a beautiful melody. Does it have a name?"

"Actually...it doesn't..."

"It's so good! Let me hear more of it!"

"Huh?"

Leslie turned to Isabella's excited face and smiled, cupping his hand over his mouth and whispering. "Fine, but don't tell anyone else, 'cause it's embarrassing!"

Isabella nodded happily. She could keep it a secret. All she wanted to hear was his playing. Once the two relaxed, Leslie pulled out his pluck and began strumming on the strings, a gentle melody floating through the air as Isabella relaxed, soaking in every note he played.

Isabella's memories drifted to Leslie's "adoption."

While all of the kids were giving him happy goodbyes, she clearly remembered struggling not to cry as she watched her mom put a hand on the boy's shoulder, telling him it was time to go.

Leslie glanced at the crowd one last time and gave Isabella a reassuring smile, and the girl's eyes widened as she watched him walk out the door.

She spent the rest of that night crying herself to sleep.

When winter came, a few days before her own shipment date, Isabella ran through the snow with a rope in her hand. She had to escape. She couldn't die like Leslie. When she climbed to the top of the wall, her eyes widened to see a cliff below her. The girl glanced over and saw her "mother" motioning her to come down.

Isabella's shipping date arrived, and when she walked into the gate, she let out a startled gasp at the sight of a demon in front of her, and her eyes widened in horror when she heard the choice she was given...aim to become a mom and live, or continue and die.

She narrowed her eyes, and accepted the mom position she was offered. She spent years training to be the best so she could survive. She remembered how she gave birth, just to survive longer than anyone.

Finally, she was given a mom position. She stood in front of the woman, listening the instructions she was given.

"Starting next year, I'm putting you in charge of Plant 3, Isabella."

"Yes." Isabella nodded. "I look forward to it."

She remembered the shock she felt when she heard five year old Ray hum a familiar lullaby. The woman stumbled towards him, wondering how in the world he knew that song.

Hearing her approach, Ray stopped humming and looked from his book.

"Ray..." Isabella stuttered softly. "How do you know...that song?"

The two stared at each other, and Isabella's hands moved to her stomach.

The little boy smiled at her gently, causing Isabella to gasp.

"Hey, Mom?" Ray asked softly. "Why'd you give birth to me?"

Isabella took a deep breath, and she smiled softly at Ray. "Well, Ray, I....did it to survive. Longer than anyone."

Isabella let out a soft sigh as she stood on the cliff, her hair wavering in the wind as she glanced down softly. "I guess...that's it, then." She closed her eyes tiredly. "It looks like I lost."

The woman walked slowly towards the ropes and grabbed them, pulling them towards her one by one. When they were collected, her thoughts turned to the children, and she let out a small smile. "Run, children. And be careful. I pray that you could one day find true happiness, and light."

She let out a soft wave and headed back to Phil and the other children, blankets in her hands. Phil stared at her with wide eyes. "You're back..."

Isabella stared at him with a soft smile. "Don't worry, Phil. They managed to escape safely."

Phil let out a gasp, and his eyes widened.

At the sight of Isabella, the children all around him ran over to her.

"Mom, I'm scared!"

She caressed each children with a soft, real smile. "I'm sorry, everyone. You must've been so cold and lonely."

Phil stared at her in shock.

Penny gasped as she ran through the forest, grasping Ray's hand as they ran. Emma's smile grew wide. "We did it." She sniffed, wiping tears that were falling down her cheeks. "We did it, Norman! We actually made it to the outside!"

She glanced over her shoulder at the other kids. "I'll go back to get the others as soon as I can. Today's a new beginning for us!"

They made it to the edge of a cliff and covered their eyes as the sun rose. Emma glanced at it with amazement, and Penny smiled widely at the sight of it.

"Our very first morning."