Straight On Til Morning

Chapter One: Who is This Kid?

The party was in full swing, and it was going great. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, hanging out, and eating food. We had tried to keep the number under 10 people, but a few of our friends had brought their significant others and children, so it was a good sized crowd.  We were all having a great time catching up on each other’s lives.

But Harlan and I, both introverts, were getting tired of the crowd. We slipped away just for a moment to my bedroom. I opened up the window to let some fresh air in, and we collapsed on the queen sized bed. We cuddled close, and talked about how great it was to see the people from our college years. And when that topic dried up, we simply lay in silence, enjoying each other’s company. I closed my eyes just for a moment, until I heard a voice that wasn’t Harlan’s.

“Wendibird!” A strange voice piped up.

Harlan wrapped his arm around me, and we sat up to face the intruder. It was a young boy, with mischievously sparkling green eyes, and a shock of coppery  hair. I assumed he belonged to one of our guests.

“Play with me?” He asked, staring me dead in the eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. It was kind of creepy, the way the kid kept staring without blinking.

“Kid, you’re not supposed to be in here.” Harlan said from behind me.

“Play with me, Wendibird!”

The boy still hadn’t blinked. I found myself blinking more than normal, like I couldn’t help but blink for him. He had yet to look away from my eyes, even when Harlan spoke to him. I was still at ease from having escaped the party for a few moments, but I should have been on my guard, from the moment that I saw the strange boy.

“Let’s go find your mom, kiddo.” I spoke gently, still blinking furiously.

“You’re not gonna play with me?” He asked, starting to pout.

“Uh, no, I’m not going to play right now. You shouldn’t even be in here. Whose kid are you anyways?” I was starting to get freaked out and frustrated too.

His eyes narrowed, and gleamed black. “Fine then. I didn’t wanna play with you anyways.”

He walked over to my open window, and jumped out. I was concerned- one of my guest’s kids had seemingly jumped out my window. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far off the ground, but still.

“Think he was Dusty and Char’s kid? Jumping out a window seems like something Char would do.” I commented, before turning back to Harlan.

Harlan’s eyes were black, and his breathing was shallow.

“Harlan?? Harlan!” I shook him, as he stared blankly.

He blinked a couple times, and then his eyes cleared, back to their normal shade of sparkling green. Tears pooled in them as he pulled me closer to him to whisper in my ear.

“When I go, don’t look for me. Please- I need to know you’re safe.”

I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I pulled away and looked him in the eyes as I promised, “I will always find you.”

I leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed me back, cupping my face in his hands. When at last I pulled away, he slumped forward into my arms. His eyes were all pupil again, and that’s when he began to scream.