Haunted Souls

Chapter 6

Despite that having been the scare of his life, nothing happened to Nico for months after that. He and Will got their own room, they could both sleep soundly throughout the night. Bianca's room was close by, along with the room that Ethan and Maria shared. The only one that had trouble sleeping through the night was Maria, but that was normal for a baby her age. It was one of the reasons why parents never got any sleep.

This peace didn't last, however. Six months after they moved in, all Hell broke loose. Literally.

That morning had started like any other. As Will got ready to drive the five miles to work, Nico made breakfast in the cold kitchen. It was a large enough kitchen with what seemed to be a breakfast nook, but it was underground and cold enough to leave perishables out in the open. Whenever he cooked, he came prepared with a hoodie and sometimes even gloves, depending on what he was cooking. The kids always came in the same getup.

"Dad." Ethan walked into the kitchen with a winter hat on along with the hoodie and gloves. His eyes were watering, but not from the cold. "I'm scared."

"What happened?" Nico abandoned what he was cooking to go comfort his son. "Eth, what happened?"

Ethan's small arms wrapped around Nico as soon as he was within reach. "Ghost! He's going to eat me!"

Nico sighed. "Ghosts don't eat people... What do you mean you saw a ghost?"

Ethan's small hands clenched onto Nico's shirt as if that was the only thing keeping him safe and alive. Tears poured from his eyes, spilling onto the floor, a twisted form of a waterfall. As he spoke, his sobs escaped his throat with utter fear. "Saw...saw the ghost...I'm scared...I'm gonna get eated."

"Eaten." Nico corrected. "What did you see? What did the ghost look like?"

Ethan's eyes widened. "Dark..."

Nico frowned. "Dark?"

Ethan nodded. "Dark." He pointed to Nico's shadow. "Like that. Dark."

Nico thought back to their first night there, thought back to what he saw in that beam of light...that shadow he couldn't make sense of. "Shit..."

Instead of correcting his language, Ethan buried himself deeper into Nico. "Do you believe me...? Dad didn't."

"I believe you." Nico felt his heart drop. "I believe you... Just stay with me, okay? You're safe with me."

"Is there a ghost?" Ethan asked. "Are they real?"

"I'm...I'm not sure what it is yet," Nico admitted. "But I'll figure it out. Don't you worry... How about you help me cook?"

Ethan shrugged a little. "Can I have hot chocolate? It's cold in here."

"Course." Nico picked him up before walking to the cupboards. "With milk or water?"

"Milk." Ethan didn't let go of Nico but started to calm, his tears mostly stopping. "Water is disgusting in hot chocolate."

"Agreed." Nico began to make the drink, his body tense in the dark kitchen. What shadow was going to jump out next? Who would it scare? Could it hurt them? He made sure to listen to the baby monitor at every second, made sure to listen for a scream or curse. None came, but the atmosphere never calmed.

Bianca was next to enter the kitchen, her face pale. As soon as she saw Nico she ran to him, her face buried in his shoulder as soon as she was close enough. "Dad..."

Nico closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at Bianca. "What happened?"

"I saw... I don't know..." her body shook with fear. "A shadow person...? I don't know..."

Nico sighed. "That's what Ethan said..."

Bianca glanced at Ethan who now sat on the counter, sipping his hot chocolate. "You, too?"

Ethan nodded, his eyes still red from crying. "Scary..."

"Where did you see it?" Nico asked. "Were you in the good part of the castle?"

Bianca nodded. "My room... It was in my room."

Nico wrapped an arm around her as he felt a surge of protectiveness. "Ethan, what about you?"

"Above Maria's crib..." Ethan's hands started to shake. "It climbed up the wall...scary... I thought it was gonna eat Maria."

"Maria..." Nico took off, his feet pounding against the floor. He needed to get to Maria. He didn't know why, but he had a horrible feeling. A feeling so deep it was almost instinctual. A feeling that turned out to be right.