Chapter 1
Hiding beneath the craggy ledge that was Raven's Drop, Aurelie shivered as she huddled closer to her little brother, Terkas. Their ragged blanket did little to shield them from the frigid night air that seeped through the numerous holes in their threadbare blanket. Aurelie stared out of a window-like hole in a cliff nearby, almost perfectly framing the waning moon. Terkas was snuggled up next to her, fast asleep. She had to keep awake, no matter what. It was only necessary. It was for protection from them.
Aurelie sighed and stretched her arm behind her to reach for her bag. It was a ripped-up backpack, with what probably used to be a floral pattern of some sort, but it had mostly faded and was greatly yellowed from years of use. She had had it as long as she could remember, and she had no idea how she got it. Nevertheless, it was incredibly useful and Aurelie wouldn't abandon it for the world. She unzipped the main compartment and rummaged around for her flashlight. She knew it was risky, but she wanted to keep herself awake at all costs. She couldn't find it. Sighing frustratedly, she zipped it up, flung it around behind her, and flopped back restlessly against it, but then flinched when she realized how loud she was and hoped she didn't disturb Terkas. She would have to go to the Sebrub tommorow to get another flashlight, but hopefully she still had it. At any rate, maybe there she could get some sleep.
Terkas finally woke up the next morning. "I had a dream with you in it!" he said excitedly. "Cool" Aurelie replied, somewhat disinterested. "You stay around here, I'm going to sleep awhile. You can get some food from the bag, but only ONE thing. Once I wake up again, we're going to the Sebrub." she told her brother. "Ok!" he replied, staring to dig through the bag.
What nobody knew was that it didn't matter who was asleep or not. Everyone except one person in a group could be awake, and they could still get that person, without anybody noticing, even if the group members were staring at the sleeping being the whole time, they would not notice it. Until they woke up, that is.
What is everyone so scared of? Nobody knows for sure.
