7:57 PM,
Sunday,
14th February 1988,
The Dalton's Estate,
Mooring Hills,
Babylonia, Novus Stellar
"Hey, there."
"Hi.." was all that Henry could muster from his lips.
"Whatcha' doin out here all alone? The party is in the opposite direction of where you're looking," said the boy in the green t-shirt with a rather stylish hairdo.
Henry was at lost for words. He did not anticipate any company at the moment.
"I..I guess I just don't feel like partying...that's all." He kept it short and straight to the point.
"That's ok, there's barely and kids of our age at this party anyway since it's my dad's birthday and not mine."
"Well, if it's your birthday party, probably even less people will turn up anyway," said the other kid.
"Well guess what? You won't be one of them! Who's the loser now, huh?"
As the two were trading meaningless banter, Henry realized that one of the kid was the host's own son.
"So, Mr. Dalton is your dad?" asked Henry.
"Not really, that's my grandpa's name, my dad is Greg Dalton." Both them then laughed.
"Sorry about that, I just can't help it, hehe, yeah I'm his kid. I'm Jeremy by the way, and this is Eddie."
"I'm Henry."
Eddie, in a black t-shirt and with thick glasses gave a quick wave while Henry would just trade the greetings with a smile.
"Hey, you wanna play a game? We could use another person," asked Jeremy.
"Sure, what do you guys have in mind?" replied Henry.
"Hide and seek sounds good to you?"
Eddie just shrugged while Henry just gave a nod.
"Terrific! Now let's just head back to the house first and we'll use the front door as a starting point!"
Without much hesitation, all three of them went back to the mansion and head straight for the main door but not before settling down their plates and glasses. There were already another five more children standing near the main door among the guests. Four boys and one girl who seemed to be older than the rest of them. She saw them coming and gave one of the most beautiful smile that Henry had ever seen in his life. In fact, it almost felt like she was smiling directly at him. Henry was about to ask Jeremy who the girl was but before he was able to gather up his courage, they were already in front of the door and the kids seemed like they're about to run and hide on a signal. Henry was standing right in front of the main door with his back towards it while while facing the other 5 kids in front of him.
"Ok, who wants to be the loser?" Jeremy laughs again.
To make the situation less awkward, Henry just laughs along with his fake laughs. He hopes that the game would be more interesting than the jokes themselves. Eddie, however, wasn't reacting to that question.
"Fine! I'll be the super seeker while you losers can go and hide!"
"I bet this kid don't really have many friends."
Eddie was probably so used to Jeremy's antics that he just seems immune to it.
"Ok, Jeremy, just try not to cheat this time, ok?" said Eddie.
"What cheating? Only losers cheat remember?..[Laughing].."
"Yes, Jeremy! I heard you for the bazillionth time! Your jokes are getting old you know!"
"These two probably have way too much history together." Meanwhile, Henry was thinking of a good place to hide.
"Whatever, you guys run along now and make it a good one! The first one I find will be doing my homework for a month!"
"Sure, whatever, super seeker!" said Eddie as he quickly ran towards the back of the mansion while Jeremy head towards the nearest wall, put his right elbow against it and buried his eyes on his arm. Just as expected, the other kids ran helter skelter all over the place.
"One..." counted Jeremy.
Given that he had never been at that place before or at least as far as he can remember, Henry guessed that any hiding spot would be just as good as the next one, or so he thought. He remembered seeing a bunch of boxes and barrels right near where the cars were parked. He immediately ran towards that direction and true enough, just between the barrels and boxes, there was just enough space for him to squeeze in and hide, and in absolute darkness as well seeing how the lights were not switched on. Surprisingly, unlike most kids, he's not afraid of the dark or being alone in the dark for that matter. Aside from the smell of oil and rubber, the spot was a rather good place for hiding. Henry sat there patiently, checking his watch from time to time to make sure that it won't take too long for Jeremy to give up on finding him. Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind on his face and a sudden chill in the air that came out of nowhere.
"Maybe it's going to rain, in that case I better find anoth..." His thoughts just stopped right there in the middle of that sentence.
His whole body temperature must have dropped to below zero because while he was sitting in the dark, he suddenly felt something or someone, touching his right shoulder. Unlike the chilly air, the touch was warm and soft. Someone else was there with him. Just when he thought that it was Jeremy that found him, the next thing he heard sent shiver down his spine, so much so, that he felt like running for his life. In a soft and feminine voice, he heard the whispers.
"Hey, Henry, guess you found my hiding spot."
YOU ARE READING
We Wait
Terror"It took him awhile to realize that those weren't red dots. They were eyes. Red eyes."
