Aunt Candy and the Mysteries

Twelve.

The drive back to the house is near to silent. The only noise we can hear is the engine revving and Aunt Candy's quickened breaths. She pulls into the driveway and almost gets out before we even come to a complete stop. While our Aunt might be the only one really showing her fear, the nervous tension between everyone else is nearly audible. We knew this was a bad idea.

We walk in to find her pacing in the living room, chewing on her thumbnail. I never realized how much fear she was hiding when we drove away earlier. We all send her pitiful glances as we head upstairs to our rooms. What I'll be doing is a lot of thinking. I still blame myself for not being able to run fast enough to save Luke, letting yet another person I couldn't save be taken away.

"Oh no!" Aunt Candy says, coming over and blocking us from the first step. "I'm not letting anybody out of my watch until this whole thing is sorted and you all are safe."
"Ok well, Candy we need to sleep somewhere." Birdie says, putting her hands on her hips.

"You'll... Sleep down here!" She says, looking around the living room.

We all give her skeptical looks.

"Aw come on, it'll be like a big sleepover! We'll have Etta and Peter go grab all the pillows and blankets, then we'll pull off the couch cushions and start a movie! It'll be fun!" Aunt Candy explains.

I sigh. "You know what guys, what the heck. If it's eases Aunt Candy's nerves then we should just do it. I mean it's not like she asking you to give her a lung."

Brooke looks at me as if she's still on edge. Birdie just straight up rolls her eyes. Thanks guys.

"You know what," Cedar says, taking a step closer to me. "I agree. Like Candy said: It'll be fun!"

"Cedar, I don't know. I'm sorry Peter, Etta, but I just don't trust you completely. If I'm in my shed, then at least I can lock the door." Brooke says, rubbing her arms nervously.

"Then let's use this as a sort of test." Peter says, stepping in. "If something happens tonight, then you know for certain that it's us. But when nothing happens, you'll see that you were wrong to blame us in the first place."

I look at Peter with wide eyes. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" I whisper "What if something does happen tonight?"

"Relax Etta, they wouldn't come after us two nights in a row."

Famous last words...

"You know what, fine." Birdie says, raising her hands in surrender and taking a seat on a couch.

"No risk no reward, right?" Brooke says, joining Birdie.

"Great!" Aunt Candy says, "Now will you two go get the pillows and blankets while we situate the couch cushions and pick a movie?" Aunt Candy asks, pointing to me and Peter: The only two who aren't in danger. We nod, then run upstairs.

I head to Birdie and Katchina's room first. What I see surprises me. The room looks like something out of a movie: Half of the room is painted a rosy pink color with a single decal of pointe shoes on the wall next to the door. The other half is painted a midnight black. The only other wall color being the wooden mouldings on the bottom and top of the wall. It looks like a scene out of a movie.

I walk over to Katchina's bed first. It has a cast iron frame with a beautiful design for the headboard and footboard, the covers a variation of white, pink and blue to complement the walls, with a single stuffed monkey nestled between the pillows. I grab off a faux wool blanket draped over the edge along with a blue pillow and that monkey. Now, Birdie's side of the room looks like it came out of vampire weekly. Her bed is made of metal and is very simply a bed. Her covers are black and red plaid with pillows of both colors. The only contrast of the theme is the yellow knitted blanket at the end of her bed. I grab it and a black pillow before going onto the landing and dropping it all down the stairs. I then go into my room and grab my own white blanket and yellow pillow before heading down the stairs myself.