Hidden Mysteries

The Night Things Changed

[Author's note: This one happens in real time! No journal entry for this one! Also quick TW for talk of blood and injuries near the ending. Just in case!]

Knock, knock, knock.

My journaling is interrupted by a series of quick, sharp knocks at the window. I jolt up, glancing over at the window and almost immediately nearly passing out.

It was Balloon, at my bedroom window. Oh my God.

"Balloon?!" I whisper shout, crawling over to the window and opening it so he can crawl into my room. Thankfully the window in mention was the one right next to my bed, so Balloon didn't potentially risk getting himself caught by anyone who heard strange footsteps coming from my bedroom. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be home?"

"I know, but...you left your science notebook behind. I figured you'd want it back, but since Mom was getting ready for bed I didn't want to bother her again, so I snuck out." Balloon's hands grasped the straps of his backpack. "I was just gonna knock, but...I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I swear, but from the sounds of things, you were super upset, and I just wanted to check on you."

"I am!" I fold my arms. "Nickel's just being a...I'm just gonna say it. He's being a bitch."

Balloon's eyes widen slightly, which is understandable. I don't really curse at all, unless you count the occasional 'hell' or 'damn', which don't really count as swears.

"Do you...wanna talk about it? Like...somewhere else?"

"You mean like...sneak out?" I glance at my bedroom door. I've never done anything really bad before. I've always been a really well-behaved kid my whole life. I mean, I've done the pretty cliche things that kids got in trouble for, like sneaking cookies from the cookie jar and accidentally breaking Baseball's office window with a soccer ball (that's the day Knife and Nickel found out I had very impressive lower body strength), but I've never done anything that was worth getting grounded or anything.

"I mean, we can talk here if you want to! I don't mean to pressure—"

"No, no, I..." I trail off, knowing what I wanted to say, but not knowing how to word it. "Just go wait at the side of the house, okay? I'll be out in a second."

He nodded quietly, scrambling his way out of my window. I quietly slip to my closet and grab the spare pillows I keep there, lifting up my covers and shoving them all underneath, trying to make it look as close to me as I could, even sticking one of my favorite stuffed animals underneath the blankets with their ears poking out to make it look convincing. With that taken care of, I grabbed my messenger bag, and carefully climb out the window, letting myself drop to the ground.

I can hear Nickel and Baseball talk quietly amongst themselves, but I don't pay attention to that. I slip to the side of the house, where Balloon is hiding.

"Oh! You're here," Balloon whispers. "C'mon, let's just head down to the park. Nobody'll be there but us, it's pretty late."

The park was a couple blocks away from the middle school, and it wasn't all that special for a town park. It had all the usual things that you'd find in a park in Ohio; a small enclosure with all the standard playground equipment, some benches and picnic tables, and a set of vending machines that you could easily get free stuff from (it was really just a matter of hitting it with the proper amount of force in the right place).

And of course, all around was the local woods.

The woods stretched out around...well, pretty much all of Hatchwood, which made sense considering its name. You could see parts of the woods everywhere in town, from the local schools to near the Thinker house. It was pretty much everywhere, with little to no escape from it.