Run and Hide

Chapter Two

My body jumped; I was completely covered in sweat. Relieved it was a nightmare, my heart stopped beating so fast. I sat up slowly, gently setting my feet on the floor. Collecting my thoughts, I slumped out of bed and headed downstairs. Mom was prepping lunch, Dane right by her side. "Can I help?" Mom turned around with a smile on her face, "it's okay, go relax for the day. I know how much you help while dad and I are away, you deserve a break."

I smiled back at her; happy she noticed how much I help with the kids. Exploring down the next hallway, I stumbled upon a small door on the wall. I was nervous, thinking of the book Coraline, and how a tiny door changed her life in an instant. I let the curiosity get to me, I opened the door. Cold wind rushed to my face, there was something behind the thick cobwebs.

As I pushed the cobwebs aside, I pulled out a stuffed animal. It was medium sized, a moose. I held the moose high; its features were nothing like I'd ever seen. It had an odd bright orange body, and dark blue antlers, a green triangle nose and one half broken eye. It was unique with its rough texture, I knew someone who would love and take care of it, no matter what it looked like.

"Nate, come see me." I yelled down the hall, tossing the moose behind my back. I heard the pitter patter of his feet; "What do you have behind your back?" He asked with confusion. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands." I set the moose in his hands; he opened his eyes wide, jumping up and down. "Thank you, sissy!" He squealed, running down the hall; he was going to introduce the moose to Wally.

I followed Nate up the stairs to peek in on Sophia, she was staring blankly at the wall. I heard her whispering to herself, it creeped me out. "Who are you talking to?" Sophia turned back at me with an annoyed expression on her face, "nobody; just my dolls." She turns back to the wall and continues whispering.

Slowly backing out of her room, I walked over to Dane's. He was sitting on the edge of the bed tuning his guitar. "Sophia is acting strange; do you think she's hiding something?" I explained what I saw, he just shrugged his shoulders. "Probably bored, why don't we start a game of Run and Hide?" I nodded, we started to gather everyone.

Dane sat everyone down to explain the rules in the new home. "Jail is in the dining room, and I'm it; better find somewhere sneaky!" Everyone scatters in different directions; I ended up in the laundry room.

"TEN, NINE, EIGHT..." Dane counts down slowly, giving everyone a chance to hide.

Hopping into a large laundry hamper, I cover myself with a few towels from the cabinet. I listened to the footsteps going up and down the hallways, Dane was on the prowl, and he was looking for his prey. "Who is in the office?" Dane yelled, letting everyone know where he was heading. He started opening doors on the way, hoping to spot one of us.

Dane was a great collaborator; he always gives us plenty of time to find the perfect hiding spot. Lily ran across the hall into the closet, Dane saw her seconds earlier. "Gotcha!" He yelled, playfully grabbing her. Setting her down on the chair in the dining room, he chuckled, "have fun in jail."

Dane cut the lights off, it was pitch black. Rummaging through the drawers in the dark, I came across a flashlight. I knew my hiding spot would be found soon enough, I needed somewhere new to go. Clicking on the light, I headed down an unfamiliar hall. I could hear footsteps coming down the hallway behind me, I needed to hide.

Creeping up a narrow staircase, I open the door and look around. As I rounded the corner of an old bed, I saw a body lying on the floor. "Nate!" I bent down and caressed him in my arms, "what happened?" I asked, holding him close. Nate held his head, he was whimpering.

"Dane, turn the lights on, someone's hurt." I yell at the top of my lungs. The lights turned on; I hurried him down the stairs to mom. "Oh, baby boy, what happened?" She strokes his hair, looking for the source of the blood on his shirt. "I tripped and hit my head against the table, the little girl in the room helped my head stop bleeding." He pulled out a damp, blue handkerchief, handing it to me.

"Little girl, there was no little girl, Nate." I said, holding the handkerchief. "Nina, she was really nice." I smiled at him, "why don't I go set up a movie in your room? I think some rest would be best for you." Picking Nate up in my arms, I carry him to his bed. "Alright, buddy, I'll check up you in a bit."

As I headed down the stairs, my mind started to wonder. I needed to explore, see if I could find any evidence of the little girl he saw in the attic. I checked in on everyone, they didn't need anything, so I packed a bag and headed back to investigate.

Turning on the lights, I glance around the room. In the corner there was a small red chest with a rusted lock on it, I yanked at the lock; it fell off with ease. Lifting the top, dust sat at the top of the chest. As I pulled children's clothing out of it, a small, wallet sized picture fell to the floor, looking at the back of it, I gasped.

The name 'Nina' was written in red marker on the back of the picture, she was young. She was petite, with long black hair, and a beautiful smile. I wondered what happened to her, and why she was visible to Nate.

As I headed back downstairs, mom grabbed me by the arm. "Dad will be home soon, want to wait with me?" I smiled, walking with her to the porch swing. We sat for a while, Dane brought out three hot cups of coca and sat down on the step. "It's peaceful tonight, the crickets aren't even making a sound." We all chatted, laughed, and eagerly waited for dad to come home.

A white truck drove up the driveway, the headlights shined in my eyes. As the truck door swung open, mom stood up quickly, running to dad. "Jack, we've missed you so much." She hugged him tightly, dad kissed her. "I've missed you so much, Renae."

Dad followed mom inside for a tour, Sophia and Lily jumped into his arms, they missed him dearly. "Where's your brother?" He asked, I pointed up the stairs. "Nate fell and got hurt, he's resting in his room." Dad immediately ran up the stairs, he sat next to Nate. "Daddy!" Nate said, wrapping his arms around him.

"I think your sister just got done making cookies, do you want to go hang out while they cool down?" He smiled, grabbing onto Dad's neck. As they all caught up in the living room, I set out all the decorations for Christmas cookies.

"Cookie time!" I yelled happily, everyone headed to the table to decorate. "Daddy, will you help me?" Nate asked, dad smiled. Handing everyone a butter knife, they chose the cookies to decorate. Trees, reindeer, ornaments, and stocking shaped cookies were placed in the center, ready to be iced. "I want this one, it's like my new stuffie!" Smiles fill the room, the joy of Christmas finally settled in.

Setting all the nicely decorated cookies around the table, Dad hopped up quickly. "I have something to get from outside." He raced out the door, coming back a few minutes later. "Let me help you," Dane says, pulling the Christmas tree inside. It was a real tree, perfect for our new home. It was at least eight feet tall and had plenty of space for the ornaments we had packed away.

As the family settled down on the couch, Charlie Brown Christmas was on, we watched it every year. As the credits from the end of the movie start, Nate and Lily drift off to sleep. Helping Dane carry them to sleep, I came back downstairs for a glass of water. "Nicole, why don't you get some much-needed rest?" I gave mom and dad a hug, "I'll be showering first," I smiled, heading to the bathroom.

Sitting down in the bathtub, the hot water ran down my back, it was calming. As I walked toward the mirror, steam built up and covered the glass. Wiping it off with my hand, I jump backward. I saw a little girl in the mirror. She had long black hair, light blue eyes, and a scar on her forehead. It had to be Nina.