Curiosity {Joshler}

50. Achingly - Painfully; regretfully.

On the last night of August, Tyler blinked his eyes open and looked over to the clock.

His body had slowly learned to wake up around midnight, so Tyler wasn't surprised to see that it was 12:15 in the morning. Like every night, he listened for Jay, and like every night, he could hear his brother's snores from the bunk above.

Tyler quietly slipped out of bed and into his slippers, putting his jacket on over his pajamas. Josie, who had been asleep on his bed, got up and stretched. She and Tyler had bonded through Josh over the past few weeks, and now she slept on his bed, and followed him to the forest with little or no prompting.

After taking the sandwich he'd made earlier from the fridge, and grabbing a bottle of water from the counter, Tyler led the way out of the house, with Josie following.

He was achingly aware that tomorrow was his first day of school. It would be hard, he knew, to hide his bruises from everyone, and he'd be so tired. But he'd still get to see Josh, for as long as he could keep himself awake, and so it would be wholly worth it.

As he walked, Tyler remembered one time last week where he'd been particularly exhausted. He had worked hard on the farm, and had helped his mother with some chores in the house, too. He'd been so tired, in fact, that he'd fallen asleep talking with Josh, midsentence. He'd woken up a few seconds later, and apologized. Instead of getting hurt or mad, Josh cuddled close with Tyler and told him to sleep, promising to wake him once the moon went down.

Yes, Tyler had plenty of time to think as he walked, with Josie trotting along at his side.

But suddenly, there was an ubrupt shift in the air. A feeling Tyler knew from times when Josh had been calling for his parents with the transmitter, only this was much, much stronger. A feeling and sound he could only describe as...warped.

Tyler lifted his head, and a look of horror and terror dawned on his soft face as he realized an enormous vessel was descending from the sky, directly over the forest.

A/N: This book will be ending soon!