Poppy's fork clattered to the table and she paled. Nina took notice of this and kept speaking, a smile on her face. 

"Her adoption day will be on January 14th, so it's still a while away," Y/n paled visibly as Nina continued speaking, trying to keep her hands from trembling. 

"But I was so exited for her I had to let you all know early!" 

The kids around the 8 rebels died down into congratulatory speaking as they all crowded around the 11 year old. Some were a bit sad, others looked ecstatic. Poppy kept up her smile and spoke to them cheerfully, smiling at their congratulations and thanking them. She calmed down one of the girls who were crying and Y/n gulped a frog in her throat back down. 

Poppy's shipment date was the day before Ray's birthday. A few hours before the Grace Field kids escape. 

How could she fix this?

They could get Poppy to run and hide in the forest a few minutes before their escape... but then Nina would call into base before Isabella...! It could potentially completely ruin Emma, Norman, and Ray's escape, which Y/n couldn't do! But she couldn't leave Poppy behind... 

After breakfast they walked into the testing room together, a dark and tense air around them. None of them spoke as they sat down. 

The test was completed and the perfect scores were announced. No one but Y/n got perfect. She felt awful for getting a perfect score- something she never thought would happen. She worried that maybe she wasn't as upset by Poppy's shipment as the others...

Nina asked them what was wrong and they all cheerfully answered their own version of; "we're so exited for Poppy we got distracted!" 

After all of the kids exited the house, the 8 children met up in their usual place in the woods.
No one spoke for 10 minutes until Hayato broke the silence. "January 14... that's the day of the planned escape." Y/n nodded her head glumly. 

"Can we escape earlier?!" Hannah interjected. 

Y/n hesitated before answering. "We can't. It would jeopardize the other plant's escape. They would increase security once we left." She answered.

Hannah's anger boiled and she shouted. "What the hell?! How can you prioritize the escape of children you don't know over Poppy's life?!"

Y/n looked to the ground. They were right. This was supposed to be her family now. They were the ones she was supposed to love. But Emma, Norman and Ray... not only if they don't escape will it completely ruin the timeline, Emma could never make the promise... Y/n had a thought for a moment that made her feel awful. 'What if I could do it instead? I know the timeline, how to do everything..." but she immediately regretted ever thinking it. 

'This isn't my world. I don't belong here. I would be unfairly changing everything. Hell, I've already messed up the timeline more than enough.' Y/n glumly sighed. What was the use of having a genius brain if she couldn't find the solution. 

Reina was the next to speak. "Why do you care so much about their escape?" She asked. Y/n shut her eyes. She couldn't tell them. But what can she say? All of these children were supposed to die. Every, single, one. They were never supposed to even know about Grace Field house. If she never intervened with their fate, they would've lived a happy life until they were shipped, at least. She wouldn't have put them at risk of being shipped early. They all would've lived until at least 10 years old- likely 11 or 12. But... she couldn't just leave them behind... Y/n took a deep breath. 

Poppy began to tell them that it was okay and she didn't want to jeopardize the plan, but Y/n interrupted her, the plan formulating deep inside her brain rising to the surface.

"Escape the 14th as close as possible to your shipment time. We'll hide rope in the bathroom. Say you're getting ready...then climb out...We have enough time. We can make one long enough. Reina will go in to help you because you are taking so long. She'll shout and draw Nina's attention, then we..."

Y/n continued formulating her plan while in the other plant, a similar conversation about escape was occurring.

- - -

"I don't trust her." Ray said, flat out stated. Norman smiled and scratched his head. 

"I thought so..."  he said nervously. 

"But can you trust me?" He looked at the other two with his warm blue eyes and they both sighed. 

"Okay, Norman."

- - -
-time skip-

Reina knocked on the bathroom door. When she noticed it wasn't locked she pushed it open, poking her head inside. 

"Mama!" She shouted. Nina came running and entered the bathroom, flinging the door open.
"She's gone!" Reina shouted. Nina ran to the windowsill and peeked down, seeing the rope made of old tablecloths tied to the windowsill. She paled and looked over the edge before running downstairs and all the way outside. She ran and looked around the empty field for her daughter, but she was nowhere to be seen. 

"The bridge..." she muttered, pulling out her pocket watch. It revealed a small glowing dot along the wall and in the direction of the bridge. She closed it quickly, running back inside. "I have to report to headquarters." 

She dashed back inside and and entered her secret room before running to the communication device, only to find that it wasn't there. She huffed angrily and and tried not to scream, reaching for the door handle to go and find the portable device. But the door handle didn't budge. Nina's eyes widened as she jiggled it again. She checked her pocket for her key and tried to stick it into the door but it wouldn't fit. Something was broken off inside. She took a deep breath. She could kick the door down.

But when she tried, she found that it wouldn't budge. She kicked it again but there was no movement. Someone put something heavy in front of it. 

She angrily yelled and rammed into it, feeling it budge. She then remembered about the bathroom exit and dashed to the opposite door. She jiggled the door handle and pushed against it to find herself in a predicament. All of a sudden she heard a young voice coming from the other side of her bedroom door.

"Mama?" The voice called. "Are you in there?!" Nina glanced up before running to the other door.

"Y/n?!" She asked.

"I didn't know there was a room here!" Y/n shouted. "Mama, are you okay? There's a desk in the way of the door!" Y/n shouted worriedly. 

"Can you move it?!" Nina asked. Y/n threw her weight against the desk. 

"I can't! I need some help! I'll go get someone! Wait here!" Y/n ran out into the hall and caught up to the smiling strawberry-blonde girl waiting for her. 

"Ready?" Poppy asked.

"Of course." Y/n responded.

//earlier//

Y/n waited outside the hallway as her mama dashed out of her bedroom. She entered inside the older woman's room quietly. She would have to be quick. 

She picked the secret door's lock as fast as she could and it clicked open. Y/n smiled as she met eyes with the girl on the other side of the door. Poppy grinned at her and they hid under mama's desk sheer moments before Nina came barreling in. In her frenzy, Nina got careless in checking the room and realizing the door was already unlocked. She ran to the basement and Y/n and Poppy quickly stood up. Y/n re-locked the door before placing a skinny rock inside of the lock and breaking it off by smashing another rock against it. Reina came into the room along with Hayato, who helped them pick up their mother's desk so as to not make a sound. They placed it as close to the door as possible when there was a sudden thud against it. Niko, Hannah, and Chris suddenly stopped in the doorway, giving them a thumbs up. They succeeded in blocking the other door. Hannah held the rope dangling from her hand. 

The eight kids dashed downstairs together and saw all of the other kids looking up worriedly.
"Is everything okay?" They asked. All of the 8 older cattle children's heart hurt. What could they say. They're were about to leave them all behind to die. Y/n shooed the other 7 out the door and told them to start grabbing supplies and to push the communication device into the well. 

The 7 kids smiled nervously and went outside. Y/n inhaled a deep breath before pulling aside the oldest they were going to leave behind. His name was Shinra. She put her hands on the 9 year old's shoulders, her eyes wide and serious. 

"Listen, Shinra. Make sure everyone here studies extra hard, okay? Never let them do poorly. And, trust your gut. If you ever think there's something wrong..." she left the end hanging as she lacked the words. 

"Y/n nee-san? Why do you speak like you're leaving?" His eyes were full of tears. Y/n patted his head.

"I'm sorry Shinra." She got up and left the room, leaving all the young children behind her. Then, quickly, hoping their mother was still waiting for Y/n to get help and not trying to escape, they dashed into the forest, Y/n receiving her pack from Chris. 

The grandfather clock in the house behind her tolled 11. 

The eight children were sprinting into the woods. Y/n bit her lip. They're were a bit later then expected. Hopefully Don would still be there... 

They dashed up the wall, helping each-other up one-by-one. Y/n looked into the distance at the Gracefield house farm they were leaving behind. And all the children inside it. Eyes blurring with tears, they continued running towards the crossing point. It was closer to plant 4 then plant 2, meaning they had quite a run ahed of them. 

Hayato and Poppy started lagging behind as they were carrying all the extra gear. Y/n was about to lighten Hayato's burden when Chris intervened, grabbing it from him. Y/n sometimes forgot that Chris was not the tiny child he seemed... She turned to Poppy as Reina lightened her burden somewhat. She then looked to Hannah who was also taking some extra from Niko, who, aside from Daisy, was the least physically fit in the group. Y/n then walked up to Daisy and fit some of her pack's contents into her own. They shared a smile before running at a slightly slower pace then before. 

It would be close. 

Y/n arrived at the meeting point for the two plants and Poppy, Hayato, and Chris jumped off the wall before helping the rest down. Y/n dashed ahed quickly and caught sight of a familiar figure. They needed to destroy their tracking device as quickly as possible- Nina could be checking it any minute now. 

She ran up to Don and tapped his shoulder, who turned around and paled.

"Jesus!" He shouted. "I thought you were Norman's ghost for a second!" 

Y/n smiled and fingered her shorter hair. It had become a long, messy, nuisance recently so she'd cut it short. It wasn't as short as Norman's, however, but it certainly made her look more like him. Y/n nodded before holding out her hand for the disabler. Without hesitation Don gave it to her, and Y/n nodded her thanks, running back to the wall. Y/n caught up with the others and quickly disabled their tracking devices. She arrived at Hayato before remembering the missing chunk of ear. Y/n looked to the ground sadly.

"Sorry, Hayato. It should've been me. It was my plan after all..." Hayato smiled.

"It should've been me." Poppy interjected. "You guys had to change the plan for my shipment date." Reina rolled her eyes.

"Nina was watching you like a hawk. You would've had no chance. Plus, Hayato is the fastest one of the least suspected, and his hair is long enough to easily cover the missing piece- unlike Chris. No one else could've placed it on the wall as quickly and remained unnoticed." Reina concluded. The others all nodded glumly in agreement.

The 8 kids turned back around as the clock tolled 12. The real bargain was beginning.