Safe and Sound

3. First Night

Chapter 3
First Night

    After the excitement of the news that Jodie coming was coming to live with us, dinner - guess who started the food fight - and watching Monsters Inc., everybody went to bed.

    The silence in the house lasted for a couple of hours before the padding of feet disrupted the quiet. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't already been awake, tossing and turning, worrying over what was probably nothing.

    It was quiet for a while after that, until I could just about make out somebody talking. I couldn't tell you what they were saying, but I could hear it.

    And then it stopped again. There was no sound what so ever.

    Who is it? And what are they doing? Is the first thought that went through my head, as I got up and out into the hall. It couldn't be the Terrible Two, cause they would be making a hell of a lot more noise then what I heard. Virgil would still be asleep. When he got to sleep, trying to wake him was like trying to wake up a hibernating bear. And Scott would just sit in his room and play games. John was the only one who would get up, but he'd normally go to the roof to stargaze.

    But there was Jodie to think about now as well. I didn't know about her sleeping habits. And she was in a new place, which might mess with everything she knows.

    Ever so slowly, I made my way down the stairs. I'd eliminate every room in this damn house to find the source of the noise, if I had to. I didn't care about the time, I'd do what I had to, to protect this family, dysfunctional as it was at the moment.

    The closer I got to the den, the clearer the voices got. They weren't the muffled talking's of anybody anymore. I could actually hear what was being said.

    "There's no way I'm Lydia. I read the basics of her character before we started, and just cause I'm a red-head, doesn't mean I'm her." The first voice said indignantly, "You're more like Lydia if anything."

    "What? How am I like her? And if you're not her, then who are you?" The second replied.

    Well there answers my earlier question of who did the voice belong to, or rather voices. John and Jodie were the culprits.

    "I'm Stiles, obviously. And Lydia is the smart one. Granted, you're not Queen Bee and all that, but you have her smarts." Jodie told John, "Now shush. I haven't seen this, and obviously you have."

    "But..."

    "I'm pressing play now, and if you don't want to watch the whole thing with subs, then you better be quiet. And don't ruin it for me."

    More sounds started coming through the closed door. I could hear barking, some chattering, and then some type of music.

    That's when I opened the door on the two friends; who were sitting on the couch, hugging and eating ice cream.

    And it was probably the worst time to do it.

    On the screen, there was a boy holding a baseball bat before, all of a sudden, somebody suddenly appeared, hanging upside down from the roof, in front of the boy, and they started screaming.

    It made me jump, which alerted them to my presence. I think it took all their will power not to scream like the two boys on screen.

    "What the hell, dad?"

    "I heard noises, so I came to investigate." I replied, watching as Jodie hit the pause button for the TV, "And I guessed that it might be you two, given the insomnia and how you stargaze, John. Figured that you would wake Jodie if you couldn't sleep, given how you acted at the hospital."