It may have taken a full month to happen, but just as Amber feared, Ruby’s resilience broke.

Up until now, Ruby had been Opuntia’s premier model of good behavior. She would eat all of her food, no matter how bad it was, she would keep her room sparkling clean, she would speak politely, and did everything else that was expected of her. And it worked. A day didn’t go by when Opuntia wasn’t praising Ruby’s “good manners” while berating the other children about how they ‘couldn’t just be more like Ruby’.

Amber, however, had a very different opinion of the situation. She could plainly see that Ruby was terrified. After seeing what Opuntia did to Yarrow that time, she had been acting incredibly stiff, and tried to do everything perfect. However, it was clear that her effort was costing her a lot of energy. Every night before they slept, Amber could hear Ruby breathing heavily, or worse, crying into her pillow. She was trying so hard to be perfect, and while she managed to avoid being punished by Opuntia, Amber wondered if what she was doing to herself would prove to be worse than any cruel punishment inflicted upon her.

Unfortunately, today proved to be the breaking point. In many ways, it wasn’t even Ruby’s fault.

When Amber woke up, Ruby had already left the room. While it was easy to assume she had just gone to breakfast early like usual, when Amber arrived at the table, Ruby was missing. She wasn’t late or anything, as only Ginger and Prun had already reached the table, but normally it was the first place she would go after waking up.

“Hey guys,” Amber greeted the two, “Have you seen my sister?”

“She had already woken up when we came out here,” Prun noted, “But she wasn’t here.”

Ginger nodded in agreement.

“It’s strange not to see Ruby out here before us. I can’t remember the last time it happened.”

Amber hung her head, worry beginning to overtake her.

“Thanks, I guess,” Amber murmured, “I’ll go look for her, then.”

“Want any help?” Prun offered.

Amber shook her head.

“No, it’s okay. It’s probably only a matter of time before I find her.”

After that brief conversation, Amber went looking for Ruby. Sure enough, her sister was cooped up in the bathroom. Since Ruby left the door open, Amber was able to enter without too much trouble.

“Are you okay?” Amber asked, stunned by Ruby’s condition.

Ruby had been leaning over the makeshift toilet, her face pale. Amber could immediately tell she was sick, and likely had been vomiting just minutes ago.

“Feeling pretty bad today,” Ruby admitted, “But I think I’ll be fine.”

“No, no,” Amber denied, “I’ll tell Oppie, she’ll understand if you skip breakfast this morning.”

“I can’t,” Ruby immediately replied, “If I do, she’ll…”

Amber tried to respond but had nothing. If Ruby was this determined to try, there was nothing Amber could do to stop her.

“Still, I’m worried about you,” Amber admitted, “What do you think it was? Food poisoning?”

“Knowing Oppie’s cooking, it’s certainly possible,” Ruby whispered, “I haven’t been feeling particularly bad until this morning. But no one else got sick from it, so I’m not sure if that’s the problem.”

“Could be really bad allergies,” Amber pointed out.

Ruby nodded, grimacing.

“Never had those before,” she murmured.

“Well, I’ll leave you be,” Amber offered.

“Please don’t tell anyone about this,” Ruby pleaded, “I can push through it myself.”

“You don’t have to be perfect, Ruby,” Amber explained, “I haven’t been, and nothing’s happened to me.”

“Yes, I do,” Ruby insisted, “It’s too late for me not to be.”

Amber left with no more words. While she desperately wanted to stop Ruby, she couldn’t turn her down. She knew her sister was trying her best and didn’t want to deny her the opportunity. Amber knew deep down that she would ask the same thing of Ruby if their positions were switched.

She returned to the breakfast table, noticing that more of the group had assembled. At this point, the only ones she noticed missing were Yarrow, Lily, and Ruby.

“I guess you found her, then,” Prun stated.

Amber nodded, forcing a smile.

“Just in the bathroom,” Amber explained, her smile never wavering.

“Are you okay, Amber?” Mullein asked, “You’re acting a little strange.”

“I’m fine,” Amber forcibly stated, nodding her head, “Don’t worry about me.”

Mullein recoiled a little at her tone but didn’t press the issue.

A few minutes later, which saw Lily and Yarrow arrive, Opuntia entered the room and took attendance.

“Oh dear,” she declared in her normal sweet tone, “It isn’t like Ruby to be late.”

“I’m right here.”

Ruby’s voice came from behind Opuntia, drawing everyone’s attention.

She seemed to be feeling slightly better than earlier. While her face was still quite pale, and Amber could see beads of sweat around her hairline, she was standing upright without swaying, implying her balance was strong enough.

The twins’ eyes met, and Amber silently pleaded with Ruby not to go through with this. Ruby nodded, declaring her determination, and proceeded to take her seat next to Amber.

The food was quickly served, and as usual, it was the bland eggs that Amber had long since learned to tolerate. She couldn’t bring herself to enjoy the flavor, but at the very least she could eat it all in a reasonable amount of time without any trouble.

However, Amber quickly noticed something strange. While Ruby was usually the first to finish her food, she seemed to be taking her time much more than usual. When Amber reached the halfway point, Ruby still seemed to be picking around the edges, all the while looking even more ill than she had when walking in. She seemed to be holding herself back, and it put Amber on edge just to look at her.

“Ruby?” Opuntia called, “Are you going to eat your food?”

Amber froze, realizing the implications of Opuntia’s question. Ruby’s entire reason for being out here was to eat her food without Opuntia realizing anything was wrong. If Ruby then failed to finish, her worst fears would be realized.

Ruby didn’t respond but instead started to shake. Her eyes seemed to be stuck on a single point, on the plate.

“Ruby, I asked you a question,” Opuntia stated, her smile beginning to fade.

Ruby still remained static.

“Ruby?” Amber asked, shaking her sister.

At that moment, Ruby stood up, and her face contorted into one of extreme discomfort.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, then started running.

Once she reached the nearest trash can, she began retching uncontrollably.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The entire table erupted in noise.

“What’s going on?”

“Is Ruby sick?”

“I thought she looked bad, but this…”

“Hah! She’s in for it now!”

Various voices were being thrown around the room as Amber began to tear up. She knew this was going to happen when she found Ruby in the bathroom.

“Amber!” Prun yelled over the voices, “Did you know about this?”

Amber looked at Prun, nodding.

“I’m sorry,” Amber offered through her tears, “She told me to let her try eating, and I couldn’t…”

Of course, Opuntia was not at all amused by this turn of events.

“Everyone, calm down!” she shouted, silencing the children, “I will handle this.”

The caretaker walked over to Ruby, who was still hunched over the trash can.

“Now, do you have something to say to me and everyone who worked to put that food on your plate, young lady?”

Ruby, who was still panting from the terrible experience, put her hands together.

“I’m so sorry!” she got out, as tears began to run freely down her face.

“Sorry isn’t going to cut it, young lady,” Opuntia lectured, crossing her arms, “What you just did was incredibly rude to all of us. No one here wanted to see you barf in this can. You’ve ruined breakfast for everyone.”

Ruby sunk to her knees and put her head in her hands, completely defeated. Amber, who was watching, couldn’t bring herself to get up and go help. What right did she have to go help her sister when it was her fault she was in that situation?

“Now, Ruby,” Opuntia ordered, “You’re coming with me for a little talk.”

If Ruby’s face wasn’t already white, it would have just from those words alone.

“Oppie, come on!” Amber angrily shouted, standing up.

“Sit down, Amber,” Opuntia coldly replied, “I’m not done here.”

“This isn’t fair!” Amber yelled back, “Ruby’s trying her hardest!”

“Do you want to join us? I’m sure Ruby would love the company.”

Amber was about to continue, but Ruby spoke first.

“Amber, don’t.”

Amber froze and looked at Ruby’s face. All she saw was a look of utter defeat and resignation.

“Please,” Ruby beckoned, “Don’t do this.”

Amber stood for a second, then sat down and buried her face in her hands. She could vaguely hear Opuntia say something along the lines of ‘don’t forget your breakfast’, but at this point she had completely detached from the situation at hand. Her worst fears for the past month, which Ruby had tried so hard to avert, had happened in the worst way possible.

She felt a nudge in her side, and she turned to see Rubus giving her a worried look.

“You should finish your breakfast,” he quietly recommended, “You don’t want to run into the same problem that she did.”

Amber nodded numbly and continued eating. In a sense, she figured her emotional state was a blessing, as it overshadowed the poor taste of the eggs. Along with the others, she finished her breakfast without too much trouble. Before anyone else could talk to her, she robotically walked back to her room.

Upon entrance, she immediately made her way over to her bed and laid on it. Her mind was completely blank from the events that had transpired that day. And now, there was nothing she could do about it except wait and hope Ruby could make it through whatever was going on.

An hour passed before Ruby returned to her room, and one look at her betrayed the distress she was still undergoing. Her face still looked incredibly pale, but what was even more noticeable was how her face looked. Her eyelids were only partially open, and her facial muscles were incredibly relaxed, to the point where she almost looked inebriated. Her mouth was half open, though no drool was present, and her walking speed was incredibly slow. It seemed to take an eternity for her to reach her bed.

“Ruby?” Amber called out, “Are you okay?”

No response came from the other bed. In fact, no movement could be heard at all. It was as if Ruby didn’t even know she spoke. Amber decided to try again.

“Ruby?” she asked, “How are you doing?”

Still no response. Amber turned her head, and saw Ruby with her head in her pillow, muffling sobs. Whatever she had just gone through, it was clearly incredibly difficult. Amber wanted to encourage her, but there was nothing she could think of to do. As she was about to ask Ruby one more time, the girl’s head raised slightly.

“Amber?” Ruby asked, “Can we just run away?”

“Run away?” Amber replied, “You mean from here?”

Ruby nodded slightly.

“I just want to get as far from here as possible,” she admitted, “I’m scared of what will happen if I stay.”

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous?” Amber asked, her voice not betraying any emotions, “You never know what’s out there.”

“Anywhere would be better than here!” Ruby suddenly yelled, her head raising to look Amber in the eyes, “Every minute I stay here is torture! I don’t want to be here anymore! I just want to leave!”

Amber paused, seeing the raw emotion that had suddenly appeared in Ruby’s face. The trails of dried tears running down her face combined with the glare that her gaze held spoke volumes of her seriousness, and as usual, Amber couldn’t help but see it her way.

“I don’t know what happened to you,” Amber admitted, sitting up, “But if that’s how you feel, then I’ll help you make it happen. We’ll leave as soon as you are feeling better.”

Amber got off her bed and walked over to Ruby to examine her. Her head wasn’t particularly warm, which meant that even if she had a fever earlier, it had clearly disappeared, and color was slowly beginning to return to her face. It was possible they would be able to leave as soon as that night. However, Amber did have one more question.

“Should we bring the others with us?”

She was fully expecting her somewhat reticent sister to deny it, and say it would be easier if it was just them. However, Ruby’s response surprised her.

“I think we have to,” she answered, “We don’t know where we would go, and the more help we can get if we run into danger, the better. Plus, I don’t want to leave any of them behind.”

Amber laughed at this.

“Not even Yarrow?”

“Okay, maybe Yarrow,” Ruby laughed weakly, “But let’s bring him anyway.”

Since Ruby was still sick, Amber decided that she would be the one to broach the topic with the other children. Knowing Mullein was the de-facto leader, she decided to seek him out first. Luckily, he was simply hanging out with the others in the common area.

“Excuse me, Mullein,” Amber approached.

The older boy turned to her with a questioning look.

“What’s up, Amber?” he asked.

“Can I talk to you alone?” she requested.

Mullein nodded and walked with Amber to the meal room, which was empty. She explained what she and Ruby had talked about, and at the end, she could see him nodding in thought.

“So if you two are planning on running away,” he summarized, “Do you have a place in mind to go?”

Amber shook her head.

“We were brought here from the Empire, apparently,” Amber mentioned, “I don’t know anything about places to go in Aurem.”

“Firstly, we need to get out of Sage Port,” Mullein explained, “Oppie would be pretty mad if we just ran off, so we need to get out of her range. The closest cities to here are Clove City and Thyme.”

“Wait, you’re not going to complain about us running?” Amber asked in surprise, “I thought you would try to dissuade us.”

“After earlier today, all of us are having our doubts,” Mullein admitted, avoiding eye contact, “Ruby was clearly not well, and her actions at the table weren’t her fault, no matter how you look at it. Besides, it’s not the first time any of us have thought about running away. It’s safe living here, of course, but it can be hard.”

“Does everyone want to come with us?” Amber inquired, “We thought it would be better if we stayed as a group.”

Mullein paced around the room in thought for a moment.

“Well, if it was just me, I’d join you in an instant. The problem is, I can’t leave the group. As the oldest, I’m responsible for them,” he declared, “But if everyone else joins us, then I’d be happy to join you.”

“Can you help convince them?”

“Of course.”

Having finished their conversation, Mullein left the room to fetch everyone else. Before Amber knew it, the entire room was full of the other children. Ruby was the only one absent, due to her condition.

“So what’s this about a secret conversation?” Cloud asked, somewhat loudly, “I’m in!”

“Quiet down, Cloud,” Mullein commanded, “Oppie is not to know of this.”

“You think we’d get in trouble if she found out?” Yarrow quipped with a smirk.

Mullein shot Yarrow a glare, then turned to Amber. The girl in question took a deep breath, then began.

“Ruby and I are planning on running away,” Amber explained, “Does anyone want to come with us?”

Silence followed the question. A few moments passed, then Ribes raised her hand.

“I want to come!”

Everyone turned their head toward the young girl.

“I’m scared of Oppie. I’ve been wanting to leave for a long time, but I don’t want to leave alone. Can I come with you?”

Amber smiled, before Rubus stood up.

“If Ribes is coming, then so am I,” he declared, “I don’t want to stick around either, and I certainly don’t want to let Ribes go off on her own.”

Amber tried to respond, but Prun beat her to it.

“Are you sure this is such a good idea?” she questioned, “It’s dangerous out there.”

“But after what happened this morning,” Amber complained, before Prun cut her off.

“I know what happened this morning,” Prun replied, exasperated, “I hate it as much as you do. But is it such a good idea to run away to who-knows-where rather than deal with it here?”

“This is what my sister wants,” Amber replied, “I’m not backing down.”

“I want to come!”

The voice that came next surprised everyone. Amber turned her head to see Lily standing up.

“Lily, you can’t be serious,” Prun responded.

“I want to leave,” Lily repeated, “I don’t like Oppie, or what she did to Ruby. I want to stay with Amber and Ruby!”

While Prun clearly wanted to object, everyone knew there was no changing Lily’s mind when it was made up.

“If Lily’s going, I guess I have no choice,” Prun accepted, “I’ll come with you guys.”

In the end, it didn’t take much longer to get Ginger, Cloud and Yarrow on board, which meant all ten of them would be leaving together. The next step, however, was formulating a plan.

“I talked about this with Amber earlier, but we’re going to need to leave the city,” Mullein explained, “Our two options are Clove City, the capital, and Thyme. I personally think Clove City is the better option.”

“Why is that?” Amber asked.

“Thyme is farther east, and thus it is closer to the warfront,” Mullein answered, “Plus, it will be easier to find another place to stay in Clove City. Thyme is much smaller than either Clove City or here.”

“That makes sense,” Amber conceded, “Do you know how to get to Clove City?”

Mullein gave a half nod, half shrug gesture.

“It’s pretty far along the Sage Mainway, which is well-traveled,” he admitted, “Unfortunately, any roads outside of towns run the risk of wild animals attacking. The Mainway is pretty well kept, though, so we shouldn’t run into anything our magic can’t scare away.”

“So we just take the Sage Mainway road until we reach Clove City?” Amber asked, “I’m sure you can get us to the Mainway, then?”

Mullein nodded.

“I know where that entrance is,” he affirmed.

“Then, can we leave tonight?” Amber asked, “I’m not sure Ruby will be feeling much better by then, but I don’t want a repeat of today if she’s not.”

“Let’s do that. The less time between now and when we leave, the lower the chance Oppie finds out.”

Everyone agreed with the plan, and the discussion ended, with Amber returning to the bedroom to explain the plan to Ruby.

That night, they put their plan into motion, and left Opuntia’s Sanctuary for good.