*Ring ring*

A floor below, Ashtrae sat in her dorm bedroom. It was dark, the only dim light being that of the salt lamp she got as a 'gift' a couple years ago, which sat on the table by the door on the other side of the room. She appeared as little more than a lump of shadow sitting on her memory foam mattress. That was fine by her. She'd much prefer staying in the shadows, never having to hear the whispered murmurs that always followed just behind those people. She knew those hateful glares and venomous remarks weren't meant for her, but they shadowed those 4 the same way she did, just out of earshot of the ones that really mattered, leaving her alone to absorb the unfiltered resentment.

Of course, if it was just that, it would be easily enough bearable. But that was far from the worst of her troubles. The worst part of her wretched life, the part that made her sick to her stomach? That was the very simple fact that she was theirs, that no matter what she was doing, the moment someone called her, she'd answer. It didn't matter when, it didn't matter why, it didn't matter whether or not she wanted to answer. That included now, as a simple ringtone- one of those basic ones, that came preloaded on every phone- quietly radiated from the phone on the table.

She wanted to ignore the sound, pretend it wasn't there. Being next to the salt lamp, so far away, it was a faint sound, easy enough for anyone else to just plug one's ears and reject the sound's existence. But that was not an option for Ashtrae. No, she knew that if she didn't pick up, it was only a matter of time before they would come up with some twisted punishment for her. She learned that lesson already, and she did not need a reminder. Once upon a time, she might've tried to delay the inevitable in any way she could, but that small desire to rebel had long since been quelled.

She hastily got up and picked up the phone. "Yes, ma'am," she opened, as she did every time one of those 4 called her. It was a routine that had been drilled into her years ago; she would say the line, listen to whatever they had to say, nodding her head all the while, and then do whatever they wanted her to do. Only, it wasn't one of those 4, as became apparent when a man's voice came through the speaker. Mack's. "Hey Ash, what's up?" She recognized his voice instantly. She knew it was him, but neither could nor would believe it. "M-Miss Stacy? Are you a-alright? You s-sound different."

"Nope, not quite," he responded, "It's me, Mack. Same roof, wrong person. You... do remember me, right?" She did remember him, just as well as she remembered how bad of an idea stealing Stacy's phone was. It was somewhat of an unspoken rule among the 4, and by extension everyone else, that their phones were by every means off-limits, even to each other. It was a matter of privacy and secrets that they made sure were kept hidden. Any of the 4 who tried to find out got scolded and/or slapped, and everyone else knew that there would be dire consequences for anyone else. For Mack to try, succeed, and take advantage meant that he would be the first to find out just what they would do.

"W-What are you doing on her phone?" she asked, panic starting to seep into her. "Y-You need to give it back b-before she finds out." The thought of him experiencing the true atrocities those 4 were capable of horrified her. He had been subject to foul play, but that was tame compared to what they used to do. Every since they made it to the 'big city', as they called it, they've had to hold back on the more appalling of their usual works. For a transgression such as this, however...

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he assured her. "She won't do anything. She can't hurt us anymore." He looked down at Stacy, still sleeping on the floor. He smirked as he fiddled with the watch. He wasn't entirely sure that Stacy would just stand idly by as he did whatever he wanted, at least not yet, but he was certain that he could deal with whatever any of the 4 tried.

"Wha-What? What do you mean s-she..." Ashtrae sat back down on her bed, beginning to shake. She didn't know what was going on, but every sign was telling her that it would end terribly.

Mack took the opportunity to make his claim. "Something interesting happened today. Something that I think you'll enjoy. Something that will change everything. Something that means that no one has to worry about those 4 ever again. I know that might sound weird, but trust me. This is something big. Now, it is going to sound utterly ridiculous if I try to explain it over the phone. So, how about I come over to your place and show you?" He knew it was a bold move to invite himself over to her dorm, but he also knew that a hypnotic golden watch was something out of a weirdo's fantasy. This had be seen to be believed.

She was only really half-listening to him, still panicking over the **** risk he didn't he was taking. At least, until that last sentence. At that, she froze. She stopped thinking, she stopped shaking, and for a moment, she stopped breathing too. Suddenly, the issue of Stacy's phone was trivial at best. Her mouth dropped and hung open for a second before the words tumbled out. "You want to come over? Now?"

"Well, yeah. If that's alright with you, of course." he replied. At the time, Mack was too laser-focused on the task at hand to worry about the full ramifications of such a bold move, and she didn't strike him as the type to let her house become all grimy, so he saw no particular issue with it. Ashtrae, on the other hand, had begun pacing in circles around her room trying to form any vague cluster of thoughts that could be considered a plan. The hundreds of things that needed be dealt with in the mere minutes that it would take him to get to her dorm flooded her mind. It was the first time he was going to see her dorm, and she could not make a bad impression.

She went to go open the door to start her rapidly growing list of chores, but when she reached out to the handle, she noticed the phone in her hand, realizing that she had completely forgotten to respond. "Y-Yeah, yeah, yeah its fine. Come on over w-whenever you want, the door's always unlocked," she said, hoping he would end the call soon.

"Okay, maybe don't leave the door unlocked, but I appreciate the sentiment. I'll see you soon then. Trust me Ash, you're in for a good suprise," he returned. Finally, he hung up. The instant she heard the cue, she stuffed her phone into her jacket's pocket and threw the door open. She run into the main area and rushed to get everything even vaguely presentable. A floor above, Mack was taking as much time as he felt like taking.