Nico di Angelo...( An Asa Butterfield's horror secrets)

......what are you hiding from us?

We huddled ourselves together so close, I could barely breath. When I said "we", it's none other than me and my bolster. Can't sleep without it!! I heard Sonia softly snored beside me and giggled to myself. We had "magically!!!" ( thank god!!) made it to Asa's place yesterday early morning, although our clothes were wet and we looked like a snowman family, coming to say 'Bonjour'!

When we arrived, Morgan was up, Asa was up, his mom was up and even his sister was up, all looking terrified as they sat together, while Morgan started the fire in the Library. The main door was unlocked so it was no problem for us all getting in. I knew there was something going on when everyone had on their 'oh my gosh! What was that?' Looks on their faces and it seems that Asa had it the worst. We were being told that something scared the shit out of him!

"It was a rat!" Asa insisted then, his brother waving the statement away as if he truly believed that his younger brother was lying!

"It was!"

"Ace!" Morgan had took him by the shoulders, a stern look! "You screamed as if the devil sucked the soul out of you. Now tell me, what was it? What did frightened you? And the fire? How did it blow off suddenly?"

Asa looked so pale that his mother came to take him away to a corner where his mattress lay. "Not today Morgan! I probably think he had a nightmare", she had said while Annie and Danny helped with the fire, eager to feel its blazing heat. "Asa, just go to sleep, dear. Go to sleep".

While Sonia made a vigorous attempt to calm a going-to-cry Loxie, I had walked over to Asa who had threw an arm across his face to hide them. I knew he could see me. I sat on his mattress gently so as not to frighten him and the boy whom I had a crush on forever took off his arm and gazed at me with his beautiful eyes. He gave a croaked laugh!

"I know you must be thinking how cowardly I am, huh?"

I took his hand which was as cold as ice and squeezed it. "No. I'm afraid of rats too".

Asa had given me a lopsided smile and I remembered sitting there beside him, talking to him of our days back when we newly met, how we ventured the secret home of the Butterfields way across in Glasgow, Scotland until he fell asleep! It was a peculiar structure, jutting out there alone in a large common. A few meters away, there would be tall shady tree where it's bark was so thick, you need fifty people to hold hands and measure it's circumference.

Morgan never slept a wink after that, always keeping a watchful eye on his brother until a few hours after that when I suddenly woke up from a dream, seeing the older son asleep.

I bet it was already seven in the morning now when I heard a painful cry and all of us woke up at once. Sonia sat up straight and I saw Morgan dashed out of the library so fast, I didn't have time to ask him what has happened! Daniel and Anaya looked too sleepy and scared to make any movements while Jacqueline hugged Loxie, staring everywhere.

"Asa!!", I heard Morgan shout so loud, his voice cracked in the end. Jacqueline's eyes went as round as saucers. She hurriedly ran after Morgan while I followed behind. Sonia went over to sit with Loxie while Danny stood to join me.

I ran out of the library and into the corridor, reaching the main door where it was wide open. My hair flapped around me as the strong unsteady wind began its work to torment others oyside in the streets. Asa's mother was motionless by the doorway, hands clasped against her mouth to stifle a scream her eyes, big and unblinking. I followed her gaze and gasped!

Morgan was kneeling beside Asa.....who laid on the snow with nothing but his thin t-shirt and trek bottoms. I ran out without thinking until I reached the brothers, taking along a blanket. Morgan wrapped his brother up like a taco and carried him, bridal style back into the house, swearing and cursing under his breath! He placed him slowly on the couch while Asa groaned and groaned and scream. There were red blotches on his skin and he said it stinging him. His lips was blue and his face was a deathly powdery white.