people and their wicked ways

Hello....old friend.

"To remember what"? I ask.
We were all in the living room. Jeff was sitting in the lazy boy with his feet hanging over the arm rest. Toby was sitting on the couch criss cross Apple sauce on the couch and I on the floor trying not to fall asleep.

" we c-can't remember a-anything before we t-turned into this". Toby said playing with his sleeves as a shudder traveled through his body. "Um,are you okay"? He looked like he might have a seizure. "It happens". He shrugged. "So,what does all this have to do with me"?

"Your the only thing we can remember from before,so you must know something about us". Jeff stared at me like I was the cheat sheet to a very complex test paper.

Before I could say anything there was a knock on the door. "Who the heck is at my door at 12:00am,this is insane"! I lazily get up from my spot on the floor head to the door. I look through the peep hole and see nothing but a mess of wet blonde hair. I open the door to find some kid standing on my porch." M-mipsy". His teeth were audibly chattering as he spoke. I feel like I'm running a half-way house for criminals.

"Alright,who invited the deadly keebler elf to my house". This one had pointed ears, blonde hair, black pits for eyes that held red orbs and had blood leaking from them. He sported a sword with a green Peter pan looking outfit.

" I've never seen him before in my life". Jeff sighed sounding bored. " I d-don't know him". Toby said cracking his neck. "I'm not an elf,pip"!  I looked at him like he just killed a puppy. " How in the hell do you know my nickname"?                                              
" Its me,Ben". It couldn't possibly be him he looks way different then the Ben I seen only a few hours ago. "What happened to you"? Ben looked at me, his eyes widening slightly. "what do you mean"? "pass me a mirror" he stuck out his hand and I handed him a hand held mirror that was lying on the coffee table. He took one look and started touching his face then let out a startled scream.

Seconds after my brother was up whimpering and crying. "ughhhh,I'm coming baby bear"! I shouted up the steps. I look back at the two unwelcome guest and my supposed friend Ben. "stay".

"woof" Jeff said sarcastically.

I roll my eyes as I walk up the steps to my brother. I pick him up to see his little bottom lip sticking out as he stared at me with tears flooding his eyes. " I'm sorry we woke you,Gabe". I say wiping the tears from his eyes. I take him downstairs cause once he's up,he's awake the rest of the night. "c'mon let's go beat up bean for waking you up".

"bean"? He says looking up at me smiling the best he could with no teeth.

He couldn't pronounce Ben's name right and ended dubing him bean,a name he is stuck with for all eternity...or at least until Gabe gets his name right.

I take Gabe downstairs and let him crawl around on the carpet. It wasn't till he sat in the middle of the room that he got a good look around,  and saw that we weren't the only ones in the house. Everyone just sat and watched as he crawled into my lap. With a perplexed look he tapped my shoulder and pointed at the strangers that seem to be all over the house.

" I wish I knew bear,  I wish I knew". I look at him and shake my head. I looked at Ben and remembered that he was in trouble.

"Hey, look who's here Gabe. It's Ben AND he was the one who woke you up".  I pointed at him accusingly.

" Go get him". Gabe crawls out of my lap and over to his. Once he was in his lap MY baby bear sat there arms crossed with his lips poked out in the cutest little pout found in this part of the south.

"Hey, big guy". Gabe kept his composure.

" Aw, c'mon...your not really mad at me are you"?  Ben asked smile faltering.

" Ba Bean"! He shouted making the troublsome twosome laugh.

"Well,  isn't he quite the brat". Jeff chuckled.

" I'm sorry, your right. It was very mean of me to wake you up like that". Ben had a look of mock shame on his face.

"Is kay bean". Gabe said, giving the cutest smile ever seen. He pats his head and makes his way back over to me. He placed himself in my lap and began playing with the string from my pajama pants. That's when I heard soft snoring coming from the lazy boy. Jeff had fallen asleep which was the creepiest thing ever. Apparently,  he sleeps with his eyes open and that smile....that painfully wide smile that seems to go from ear to ear never left his face. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was staring at the ceiling, but i could here his snoring as clear as day and I could his chest slowly rising and falling. His lips twitched and i could have sworn that he was attempting to frown. Thats when I saw a stray tear run down his cheek as he whispered his brother name " Lou, I'm so sorry".

Toby was laying on the floor curled up into a ball. His body jerking and limbs twitching more often then they did when he was awake. His voice seemed  to echo in my head. He was whimpering and whining in his sleep.  It reminded me of that of a child being haunted by bad dreams. I wanted to help him, to shake him awake and tell him that he was ok but something stopped me. Something told me that whatever monsters Toby was fight were the ones that couldn't be warded off by words alone. No, they were something beyond me.

Ben was still sitting upright with his head up against the armrest of the couch. His face was scrunched up in this confused look and his mouth was turned up into a frown. His hands moved around a bit like he was searching for something to grab hold to. He began to speak but closed his mouth. The lights in the house began to surge until he opened his mouth again and the lights went out. I felt sorry for my friend. I didn't know what to do. I was tired, it had been a long day.

I layed down on my side with my brother curled up against my chest and fall into a deep sleep. Oblivious to the fact that the monster in side of me....was going to be unleashed.