Our Life - Beginnings And Always - Yandere Cove 3 Steps

Step One: Ghost.

     It's late at night. What time specifically, I'm not sure. All I know, is that it's past my bedtime. Why am I up so late? Well, there's a noise. A shrieking noise, grating against my window. I checked the window a few times, yanking the curtain back and peeking outside, but it was always the same as always. Shaking under my covers, I decided there was only one solution to this. Hunt it out myself. I whip off my blanket, grab a flashlight and a stuffed animal, and slowly turn the doorknob to the hallway.
     Tip-toeing downstairs, I peek into the living room. My moms are both cuddling, watching a movie with their eyelids fluttering. I creep past sneakily. Creaking the front door open, I place a foot onto the cold concrete. Oops. I probably should've put on shoes. Suddenly, I become aware of my surroundings. The neighborhood is much creepier at night. The cool summer breeze is uncomfortably cold in the dark. Houses loom over me. I start to turn back around, but -
     "Zoey?" I hear a whisper. I whip back around. I feel a surge of relief. Cove.
     "Are you okay? Why are you - " Before he can continue, I run towards him, with watery eyes and shaking limbs, throwing my arms around him. Cove instantly freezes up under my touch. He's warm, and stable.
...
     "Did you hear a noise?" He mutters into my shoulder, after a few seconds pass. Woah. How did he know?
     "Yeah? Did you too?" I ask, stepping out of the sudden hug.
"I did."
...
     I suddenly feel better. Having Cove here gives me a sense of closure. Familiarity, comfort.
     "Do you wanna look?" He interrupts my thoughts.
     "Look?" I tilt your head.
     "Look. For the noise." He elaborates.
     "Oh! Yeah, sure." I agree. I take his hand first, even though it's usually the other way around. He smiles comfortingly at me. I feel butterflies in my stomach. Together, we head down the road.

     I hadn't exactly thought about where we were going, but apparently Cove knew. I realized the change in setting when I felt the sand squish beneath my feet. The sounds of the lonely waves washing up and down on the beach echo through the night. Cove starts to glance around. Suddenly, the noise returns. Wailing, screeching. A gust of wind blows harshly. I instinctively jump behind Cove. He turns around, startled. His face burns red under the pale moonlight.
     "Sorry..." I say, sheepishly. But I don't remove my hands from his sweater. The fiber feels soft underneath my fingers. I think my face is burning, too.
     "It's cool." He smiles again.
     "You heard that, too?" I ask.
      "Yup. Do you... do you think it's a ghost?" He whispers. I shudder.
      "I hope not. I respond, slowly removing my hands from his sweater, trying to play it off and act cool. We continue down the beach, one step at a time. Eventually we reach the playground. It looks really creepy at night. Cove keeps going. I follow after him, refusing to be without company. It seems he found something in the sand. He bends over and picks it up. It glistens in the moonlight. It's a silver chain with a charm of the initial "K" attached.
     "Silver!" He exclaims.
     "Huh? Silver?" I tilt my head.
     "Silver! To scare off vampires. I've seen movies. So if a vampire comes..."
     "We can scare him off with the silver!" I finish his sentence. I suddenly feel a lot stronger.
     "Yeah!" Cove giggles and grins. I giggle too. We continue to walk around the neighborhood, more confidently now. Cove and I are having so much fun, we forget why we're out here in the first place. Eventually, we find ourselves back behind my house again, on the hill peppered by poppies. You both sit down, sighing sleepily but contentedly.
     "Hey, Zoey..." Cove whispers.
     "Yeah?" I say, half awake.
     "The noise is gone." He whispers again. My eyes shoot open.
      "Oh! Oh! Oh my god! I didn't even notice! I bet it was the silver!" I exclaim. I feel so proud, successfully hunting down and exorcising a monster. Me and Cove laugh in relief, flopping down into the grass. My fatigue catches up to me again, especially now that I can rest easy, knowing the monster has been dealt with, whatever it was. I subconsciously nuzzle closer to Cove, and he cuddles back. The last thing I remember is hearing him whisper -
     "Good-night, Zoey..."

      The sun bleeds through my eyelids, and noise jostles me back awake.
     "Pam! I can't wake them up! They look so cute!" I hear Mommy laugh.
     "This is the second time Cove has brought Zoey into his shenanigans!" Mom argues, more playfully than normal. My eyes slowly open, to see both Mom and Mommy looking at me and Cove.
     "Oh, look at what you've done!" Mommy playfully shoves Mom. Mom rolls her eyes.
     "Zoey, what happened here?" She asks, ignoring Mommy.
     "Uh, guh..." I mutter. My brain is still fuzzy. Mommy bursts out laughing.
     "Let's bring them inside, and give Mr. Holden a call." She suggests. I take this as an invitation to go back to sleep.
     The next time I wake up, I'm in my bed. It takes a few seconds for me to gather my bearings and remember what happened. Oh! I shoot up out of bed, glancing around for Cove. He's not in my room. In my frantic Cove-search, I notice something shining on the nightstand. The silver chain, with a "K" charm. I pick it up, and smile. I decide to attach it around my neck, and dash downstairs.
     In the kitchen, Mom and Mommy are talking with Cove at the center island and Mr. Holden sitting in the living room looking unsure on what to do with himself. He looks... embarrassed? But the good news is that moms don't look mad. I take that as an invitation to go the rest of the way down the stairs. Mommy turns around and spots me first.
     "Good morning, sleepy-head. Oh, do I wonder why you're so tired." She jokes. Mom turns around and rolls her eyes.
     "I'm sorry, Mommy." I mutter, not knowing what to do.
     "It's okay, Zoey. But we do need to talk. Sneaking out is not a good thing. This can't become a habit. When you're older, you can go out after dark. But right now, that's very bad, and disrespectful to us." She continues to lecture me, but in the end I never get a real punishment. I'm guessing neither does Cove, because the very next day, he's back over at our house to hang out with me.
     As for the "K" chain, me and Cove decided I'll keep it in-case the monster comes back. Cove insists that he has garlic at his house, so he'll be fine. He was very stubborn about it, but eventually I agreed. I wear it every-time I go outside and dress up. I think it's pretty. And, that night with Cove was unforgettable.