The Nocturnal's

Hide and Seek

I opened the door to my cabin and almost get tackled to the ground. I let out a surprised gasp and catch myself and my little sister, Bethany, before either of us can fall down.

"You're finally home!" she screamed with delight, hugging my waist as tight as she could. "I missed you, you were gone the whole day! I read a whole book, too!"

"I missed you too, Little Bear," I bent down and picked her up in a hug. "What book did you read today?"

"It was a book about a big boat called the Titanic!" She chimed as I set her on her feet. I smiled up at me, her big blue eyes shining with wonder. "Did you know it was a really fancy boat that sank after hitting a iceberg?"

"An iceberg, honey," I corrected her, patting her on the head and chuckling at her. "When the word starts with a vowel, like 'i', the 'a' before it turns into 'an'. It sounds better."

"Oh, okay," Little Bear said, scrunching her face up like it would help her remember. She shook her head and looked up at me. "But did you know that about the boat?"

"I didn't, actually," I humored her, taking her hand and pulling her inside the cabin. I closed and locked the door behind us, keeping my attention on my little sister. "What else did you learn today?"

"I'll tell you if we can play hide and seek! I found the coolest hiding spot and I want to try it out!" She jumped up and down, giving me her biggest smile. "If you can find me, I'll tell you about the Titanic!"

I chuckled again and nod, shrugging off my jacket. "Sure, but after I find you, I'm going to need to start dinner."

"Okay, just close your eyes and start counting!" Bethany started running away from me, and I obliged, closing my eyes and counting to ten. After I was done counting, I started to search for my little sister, cooing softly to her to make her laugh.

Even though Bethany's only seven, she's very bright for her age. She understood about our parents, and how I'm not her mother, even if she acts like I am. She also knows about how outside is dangerous, unless she's with Vic or myself. I don't want her getting lost or getting taken by the Nocturnal's, so I told her the Boogeyman would come and get her if she ever went outside and too far away from either of us without our permission. I don't know how young girls have to be for the Nocturnal's to take them, but I don't want to risk it with Bethany. She's my only family left, and I can't afford to lose her.

After an hour of playing hide and seek with my Little Bear, she and I had stew in the dining room. I made sure to save a bowl for Vic, knowing he wouldn't be back until around ten at night. The sun had already set an hour ago, and keeping the lights off and the house quiet waiting for him to get back made me nervous.

"Do we have to stay in the dark, Kimmy?" Bethany asked eventually from beside me on my bed. "I'm not even tired, and I want to read." I sighed and sat up.

"I don't see why we can't have one lantern on," I commented, getting up from my bed and over to my dresser. I grabbed the lantern and turned the switch. Instantly, electric blue light illuminated the room, and I saw that Bethany already had a book in her hands. I laughed and shook my head, moving the lantern on the bed so she could have better light. "How did I know you'd already have a book with you?"

"You didn't, it was dark," Bethany answered bluntly, opening her book from the middle, looking at the pictures. I rolled my eyes and laid back down, staring at the patterns the lantern had emitted on the ceiling.

Eventually I closed my eyes, listening to Bethany turning to pages of her book and the slight hum from the lantern between us. I was enjoying the quiet, even though I would like it better if Vic were here.

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until Bethany was started frantically pushing on my shoulder.

"What is it?" I mumbled, opening my eyes slightly to look up at her. I opened them completely and sat up instantly when I saw the terror in my little sister's eyes. "What's wrong?" She shushed me, putting her finger up to my mouth to quiet me. Her hand was shaking, but her voice didn't shake when she spoke.

"The Boogeymen are here."