Looks of shock and surprise appear on the faces of the people in the area because the tone Charles used was packed with emotions, something they were never used to hearing him do.

But one person in the room; Nero sighs, then says, “Charles if a bunch of humans escape what do you think will happen to the beastkin responsible? If you consider how prideful they are it is all but guaranteed that the people who let such insignificant beings escape would be killed.”

Charles says, “So then you knew Dónal would be killed if we tried to escape.”

Getting up, I face Charles and say, “Of course I did. Now please tell me what’s wrong with it?”

Confused Charles says, “Dónal will die!”

“Why would that be any of my business?”

“Because he is our friend!”

“I HAVE NEVER ONCE CONSIDERED HIM A FRIEND!” I shout a Charles bringing him to silence.

His hands shake a bit, so I continue, “Nero for the last four years I have been only even talking to that man to get information to help our escape. The truth of the matter is that whenever we had to be close to him my skin was crawling each second of it. He is not my friend, nor is he yours.”

“YES HE IS. He is always nice to me, and happy to see me. He has a nice smile like every one of you. He raised me when no one else would.”

“Charles the beastkin killed your parents. You’re mother and father who were crazy enough to betray their people just for you were done in by the beastkin.”

“But he is my father.”

“NO HE IS NOT. His people took the chance away from you to grow up to be a normal kid, and it is because of those people that you got beat every day, that you never had any nice clothes, that you can’t bath when you want, that you can’t eat enough for a normal person, that you’re future is to work till you die.

SINCE THE MOMENT YOU WERE BORN YOU HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN A FUCKING HORRIBLE CAGE, ALL HE HAS DONE IS MAKE THAT CAGE LOOK BETTER BUT STILL, NEVERTHELESS, HE HAS KEPT YOU IN IT!

He doesn’t give a shit about you, all you are is his pet. He keeps you around to stave off his fucking loneliness because no one wants to be around him. But since you can’t think for yourself, because nothing is going on up there, you don’t understand this simple fact!”

Charles in front of me starts to cry and snorts trying to bull up what seems to be snot. He tries to clean his eyes of the tears but they won’t stop. In this moment it feels like I am bullying a child.

But regardless of my feelings, this has to be done. Allowing him to continue to live in a delusion would be the worst thing I could do for Charles. So I simply tighten my fist and watch.

Charles still in this state says, “DÓNAL IS MY FRIEND, HE IS MY FAMILY. I KNOW THOSE TEARS HE CRIES ARE REAL, I KNOW THAT HE TRULY CARES FOR ME I HAVE SEEN SUCH RECENTLY. I AM NOT STUPID OR FOOLISH. I REMEMBER HIS TOUCH, THE HAND THAT USED TO HUG ME WHEN I WAS A KID!”

As Charles something goes off in Mariana’s head, which causes her to say, “Charles what do you mean you have seen such recently?”

“A week ago I celebrated his birthday, and told him kind words like he always does for me.”

In the room, almost everyone but Charles can to a realization of what happened.

Looking directly at Charles, Pluso says, “Do you realise what you have done?”

Confused, he says, “What do you mean?”

Nora then says, “The reason everything has gotten worse on the campsite is because of what you said to Dónal.”

Rolo says, “You’re words seem to have made him clean up his act and now we are paying the consequences of that. All the beatings and all the bullying is because of this.”

Pluso putting his hands on Charles's shoulders says, “Because of what you said to him Sandra and Jupio almost got hurt Charles, they both could have died!”

Charles realizing this looks away, then says, “I am sorry. I didn’t know.”

Seeing him in his current position, I say, “See Charles this is what happens when you start acting like the beastkin are truly you’re friends. No matter how they act, or what they say they will always pick to hurt others. Statilia lying unconscious in her hut evidence of that.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“No, they won’t it was a mistake. I am sure that with Dónal, not with everyone we can be friends!”

Charles looks around the room, but all of the pity that existed because they trusted him, and because of his current state had vanished and only contempt remained.

Seeing this Charles started to breathe in and out heavily until he couldn’t handle it anymore and ran away.

As he runs Nero lets out a deep breath, then Edward says, “Maybe you were a bit too harsh.”

“Maybe but if that made Charles realize just a little bit faster it was completely worth it. Though I didn’t expect Charles to be like that, still he needs to grow up and handle himself better.”

Mariana pulls on my clothes, then says, “Nero, the reason Charles is sad is not because of what you said, but because he sensed dishonesty.”

“I can assure you that everything I said is how I felt.”

“Nero, if there is one thing I know for certain more than the existence of god, it is that no one is more attuned to whether you tell the truth or not than Charles.”

“Mariana, you’re being annoying leave me alone.”

She suddenly puffs up her cheeks, then walks out saying, “OK be like that you bully. I am going to comfort Charles!”

Sighing, I say, “I guess I should go and clean up after myself as well.”

-Break-

Inside their hut, Charles with tears running down his face is held by Mariana who says, “It will be ok. Nero is just a big meanie head.”

“Yeah.”

“He is a stupid coward.”

“Yeah.”

“He keeps running away from me instead of responding to what I said.”

“Yeah.”

“BECAUSE HE IS A BRAT!”

“YEAH!”

Appearing in front of the entrance to the hut, Nero says, “Hey stop bad-mouthing me.”

“Look who finally arrived after two hours.”

“I needed to ready myself.”

Getting up and walking past me out of the hut, Mariana says, “Well he is all yours.”

As she walks past me I move away, out of fear of touching her. And when she sees this, she stomps out and says, “Idiotic fool!”

Being close to her really isn’t good for my heart, but that issue can wait because the main one is the child in front of me. Walking close, I say, “Charles.”

But he turns around so that only his back faces me.

He is angrier than I thought, this is really going to be a pain. I guess I have no choice.

Grabbing Charles I try to make him face me, but he struggles back against me stopping me from even moving him a bit. “FACE ME YOU COWARD!”

But he ignores me and keeps resisting. “Fine then ok I will allow you to keep being a baby,” I say as I sit with my back facing against his.

“Nero you’re a fool.”

“Often, but not in this case. And you need to understand that you baby.”

Charles pushes his back against mine. “So that’s how you want to play!” That is what I say before I start to push mine against his.

We struggle but then he overpowers me, “I yield, I yield.” But he doesn’t stop and my spine starts to compress.

“Charles stop, please! Charles, CHARLES!”

Moments later Charles stopped and I lay on my belly with my face to the ground. “You feel better now.”

“Bad job.”

“Can you stop being a baby, and just tell me why you're angry?”

“Because you’re a mean lying bully.”

“I didn’t lie about how I felt, I told the truth.”

“Ok then, I am not angry.”

“That’s a lie.”

“No, it isn’t I told the truth.”

Sometimes I feel like he was easier to handle when he didn’t have a personality. Sitting with my back against his, I say, “As you have said I am an idiot, I won’t be able to understand unless you talk to me.”

Charles remains silent, then after a few moments he asks, “Do you really only feel hatred for Dónal?”

I take a deep breath in and out, and say, “No that wouldn’t be true. The way he looks at you, and feels about you, it does remind me of my parents. So to say I feel nothing for him even after all these years would be a lie.”

“Then why are you ok with him dying Nero?”

“Because despite knowing how we feel, despite having the same emotions as us, he still chooses to look down on us. I think on some level we are all the same, and we could even be friends but despite all that the beastkin simply sees us as insects, slaves and as long as that continues I can never truly care for them. That is simply the way I feel about all beastkin.”

“Bu-.”

Cutting him off, I say, “Or so I would like to say. But in all honesty, hatred fades rather quickly, the reason I do this is simply because I just want to get you and everyone out of here.

You’re right I don’t hate Dónal enough to do all this just for his death, but I do love you all enough for that. So beyond all my hatred I just want you and Jupio and everyone to be able to sleep without fear, laugh without fear, and play every day while getting to eat your fill.”

“But does Dónal have to die for this?”

“It is simply a consequence of getting such a result. It might not be guaranteed but there is a high probability.”

“Isn’t there some other way Nero? If we put all of our heads together we should be able to do something about it?”

“There is another way.”

Shocked, Charles says, “Then let’s try it.”

“The other way would be for you to kill all of the beastkin except for Dónal, and let us all escape while kidnapping him.”

Over the years Charles has grown rather strong, it seems time has increased the power of his flowy stuff. So I would even say he is stronger than the average beastkin, but still, he has a single weakness.

Charles with a trembling voice, says, “I-I can’t do that.”

He can’t take a life. Even when he fought that beastkin, he broke all of their bones cleanly, and thanks to the information we got from Dónal they should grow back without any issues. He hurt them because knew he wouldn’t kill them.

“And that’s fine Charles because you are a kind person, someone whose kindness saved me.”

“Give me time Nero, I will be able to find another way.”

Getting I turn around and force Charles to face me as well, then I say, “Charles you have grown up so much. You’re even able to fully speak your mind, something I never thought you would be able to do, so I won’t treat you like a child and will simply say it clearly.

It is either Dónal life or mine, Mariana's, Jupio's, and everyone else, those are the only options in front of you. No matter what we say or do, those are our options so Charles I need you to choose.”

With his tears increasing, he says, “That is too cruel.”

“I know it is, but it is also the reality of the situation, so Charles chooses.”

“I can’t.”

“You must.”

“Please.”

“I believe in you,” I say staring right into his arms.

He opens his mouth then closes it, and then moments later he says, “I don’t want everyone to die.”

Charles hugs me still crying, and a hug him back. “Good job, you will definitely become a good man.”