148 Hypocrite

Mrs. Cloud stared down at Juan with unpitying eyes. "Do you need me to cut up your ears or something? I doubt that would help with your actual hearing, but it will at least satisfy my overflowing need to make you feel just a bit of pain as of right now."

A tainted smile appeared on her face. "Would you like to give it a try?"

Juan edged away from Mrs. Cloud, making sure to keep a distance between her and the monster that could eat her up at any moment. Her hands, trembling in fear, were hidden away from Mrs. Cloud's line of vision. 

There was something about her gaze that was telling Juan to run. Something about it telling her to hide any sign of insecurity, any unfilled hole in her confidence. Her gaze had always been so piercing but it became painfully clear after she took a beating from her very delicate-looking hands.

Every physical trait of her was the complete opposite of what she was. Her smile, often angelic, was devilish in every way, her figure, slim, curvy, and tall showed a fragile, graceful figure but she was everything but fragile and weak. It held the strength of a bulldozer in one small body. It was frightening. 

Her violet eyes, like beautiful jewels, shone brightly but instead of beauty, their shine was filled with uncompromising power. A paralyzing stare and a gaze that could break down an entire army. 

She was the exact opposite of the features she was blessed with, using them as a disguise almost. She would wear them like a wolf in sheep's clothing, waiting for her chance to strike, for her chance to eat her prey alive. 

Juan couldn't dare to show that she was weak to a beast like that. At least not anymore as she knew her figure in Mrs. Cloud's eyes were far ruined and turned to that of a woman that cowered in her presence. 

Mrs. Cloud had already seen her trembling hands, she had already seen the fear in her eyes as she advanced and Juan stepped back, sheepishly. She was well aware of the power she had over the person she was looking over, well aware of how much fear she struck in her and how much anger was being pinned against her in the beady murky eyes of Juan. Yet she didn't care. 

She was far too immersed in her victim to care. She was intrigued. Her interest was never something one would want.

"P-please," Juan muttered. "Please no."

Mrs. Cloud pouted and gave a long sigh in reply. "Fineeee, I won't," Mrs. Cloud frowned, her frown soon switching to a slight smile, "as long as you keep your volume at 100 when you speak to me and as long as you talk and listen, then you'll be fine."

That was a lie of course. Being a good listener didn't always mean the person would carry out the task correctly.

Juan thought about it for a moment, her steady gaze wavering for a moment before regaining its steadiness. "Yea… ok," she replied. 

"Did you understand what I said? Or do I really need to follow through with the ear thing that it looks like you are dreading," Mrs. Cloud smirked. 

"I just want to know why," Juan asked, her eyes fiercely trying to look deeper into Mrs. Cloud's. They failed. 

"Want to know why? About what?" Mrs. Cloud asked. 

Juan looked up at her skeptically, wondering how she should phrase her sentence in a way that wouldn't end with her losing any of her body parts or losing more blood. 

"Why would you want to keep kick me out?" Juan asked boldly. 

Mrs. Cloud stared down at her like she was an idiot, a demeaning flash passing by in her eyes as she peered down at Juan. "Isn't it obvious?" Mrs. Cloud chuckled. "It doesn't take a genius to know why."

"Is it because of what I did now?" Juan asked. 

"So you aren't that dense," Mrs. Cloud grinned. 

Juan trembled, regretting every action she had made. 'What have I done to myself?' she thought as her eyes looked away from Mrs. Cloud. 

She was undoubtedly in a mess with the depth of that of the ocean. She had messed up. Ruined her chances of not even getting out of this place but even living. She didn't want to leave, she didn't want to see the outside. There was nothing waiting for her outside anyway. 

It was becoming more obvious how her fate was going to end as she stood in Mrs. Cloud's presence. There was nothing for her out there at least in terms of family. She didn't even know where she was and every building she would see out there would be nothing that she would remember, nothing she could recognize. 

She doubted the fact that she would even get to see her kids. There was no way someone who wanted to keep her trapped in prison for eternity would want her even CLOSE to her daughter. 

Juan let out a gasp and tears started to run down her cheeks. 

"Oh god no.. not the waterworks," Mrs. Cloud sighed, turning away from Juan. 

"Is there a way…" Juan muttered, "Is there a way that I can get to stay indoors?" Juan asked, "It doesn't even make sense. Just a second ago, you were trying to keep me with you, trying to keep me in that cell."

"Hm? Was I?" Mrs. Cloud asked. 

Juan paused her eyebrow rising and anger flaring up in her mind. "What do you mean you weren't trying to keep me in here?!" Juan screamed, her voice echoing off the walls of the building. 

"You ff-" Mrs. Cloud began turning to the building. There was no way nobody heard that. It was like a siren, ringing up in the air with the sole purpose to get attention. She hated sirens, she hated people like them. Her interest in Juan grew larger.

"Think about it Juan, was there ever a moment where something I did really prevented you from leaving?" Mrs. Cloud asked. 

Juan was fast to react, her body perking up at the question, her lips ready to spill out imaginary incidents. Ones that would incriminate her, show her the things that she did. 

It was a shame there was none. 

Mrs. Cloud glanced at Juan, a smile forming on her face, "Quick to jump the gun now, aren't we? Hopefully, you are quick to escape too," Mrs. Cloud smiled. She was teasing. She could tell by the waver in Juan's eyebrows that she had nothing. There was nothing in her memory that she could use against the monster that stood before her. 

'How amusing,' Mrs. Cloud thought to herself as he looked down at Juan. "Cat got your tongue, love?" Mrs. Cloud asked. She chuckled. 'Of course, it did.'

Juan made no response but stared at the ground d. She was searching desperately, looking for something, begging to find something, begging to find nothing. 

"I never wanted you to stay Juan," Mrs. Cloud smiled, "Just because I fought you, just because I seemed to take up some of my time dealing with something like you, just because I bent down to your level a few times to look you in the eyes, you thought I was trying to stop you?"

Juan's lips pressed against each other. She was unable to form a reply. 

"Sigh… what should be questioned is what your certain need to stay inside is," Mrs. Cloud asked, "did you realize something?"

Juan let out a sigh, her last tear falling down her cheeks. "I have nothing out there."

"Is that so?" Mrs. Cloud mocked, seemingly acting interested in Juan's incoming story. She couldn't care less.

"Outside there, I realized that I wouldn't know any of the cities, I wouldn't know the streets, the people, or even my family's location," Juan muttered. "I'd be walking around endlessly, searching for a group of people that have already moved on without me."

Mrs. Cloud cocked her head to the right and smiled. "Did you think we would take you in because it was our job, because you felt like this was somewhere you would come back to?"

Juan nodded her head slowly, much to Mrs. Cloud's dismay. 

"Yes… I thought something that held me for that many years would be able to provide me with the safety I need and also to look after me," Juan muttered with her volume in this half up, half down way, like she was saying something she didn't really want to admit but saying something that needed to be said to save herself.

Mrs. Cloud's interest in Juan plummeted multiple levels, her view on Juan close to how it started. Dripped in insignificance and a deep sense of disappointment. One was never to have her be disappointed in them. 

Juan had said too much for recovery.