Revenance

Chapter 11

"There's something in the woods!" Hayden cried, waking up the entire house.

But not Mira. Mira was already awake, staring out the window in her bedroom and wrapped up in fantasies. When she heard her brother shout from the hallways, she didn't know how to feel. Maybe it was Tajo. Or maybe it wasn't. She desperately hoped it was him, but she didn't want the others to know about him.

Mira climbed out of bed and pulled her cloak over her shoulders. Upon peering into the hallway, she saw Hayden, with a lantern in hand, and her mother standing there. Oskar was also peering out from his bedroom, likely just as terrified as Hayden.

"What did you see?" their mother asked. She just appeared tired and uninterested in whatever was going on.

"There was a ... a MONSTER! It was out there! In the woods! I saw it!"

She held out her hand. "Give me the lantern, I'll go see it for myself."

Hayden handed her the lantern. "Just ... just be careful."

Mira quickly pulled on her boots and followed her mother as she went outside. The light mist hit her nose and the mud made squelching noises beneath her boots. It was cold. Mira clutched her cloak tightly and was thankful for it.

Mira's mother held up the lantern. The light shone against the pale trees, revealing nothing out of the ordinary. A brief feeling of disappointment hit Mira, before she turned her head to see Tajo standing on the other side of the fence, behind the chicken coop.

She sucked in a sharp breath and quickly covered her mouth, but her mother heard her anyway.

"What is it, Mira—" She stopped when she turned around and caught sight of the tall, slim creature in a deer skull mask standing against the trees.

She gripped Mira's shoulders and slowly pulled her back inside. Neither of them said anything as the door shut behind them.

Her mother set the lantern down and blew out the light before turning to Hayden and Oskar, who'd been waiting in the corridor.

"Did you... did you see it?" Oskar asked.

After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head. "No. Go back to bed, and don't go out at night again, you understand?"

They both nodded quickly, while Mira glanced back at the door. Her mother grabbed Mira's shoulder as soon as her brothers were gone.

"Mira, are you listening to me?"

She looked up. "What is it?"

"Don't go back into those woods. Ever."

Mira glanced towards the door and then back at her mother. Slowly, she nodded. "Alright. I won't." Though both of them knew that wasn't true, they pretended it was.

Her mother let go of her and returned to her room, and Mira did the same. When she arrived, her window was slightly open, the curtains rustling in the breeze. There was another flower on her pillow.