Scars - A PJO/HOO Soulmates AU

35.

Helllllloooooo! I'm sorry if this chapter is kinda short, but I have finals so I have an excuse :)

Also, I'm not sure if I said this in this story yet but THE CARMEN FIC IS PUBLISHED, GO CHECK IT OUT :D\

Now I'll leave you to your peaceful reading. 

Chapter 34 - Sleepless Nights

Well, Frank found the box again.

It was one of the creepiest experiences of his life. Last night, Frank couldn't sleep, his instincts were telling him to stay awake. He tossed and turned until finally, he gave up and decided to go downstairs for water.

Frank yawned just for the hell of it, and trudged down the stairs, making sure to hold the railing to make sure he won't miss a step and fall down the stairs. That wouldn't not be a very fun conversation to have with Will the doctor.

The entire first floor was dark, but Frank wasn't scared of the dark anymore, so it was fine. Frank remembered his immense phobia of the dark, one that used to keep him awake at night back in Canada.

He remembered his grandmother, who used to come into his room with her hands on her hips and her lips pressed tightly in a line. She would reprimand him for crying about monsters under his bed, but then stayed by his side until he was asleep.

"It is not like our family to be scared of the dark Fai," his grandmother admonished, "Your mother was not this afraid when she was your age."

Frank missed her. Even with her disappointed sighs and her frustrated glares, Grandmother was his family. She was kind and just, and Frank would've preferred her to take care of him than Mars.

Then, he had a thought. Why couldn't his grandmother take care of him? Frank wanted to see her again, after years of being apart. Also, he needed a guardian after Mars took off, leaving Frank with the news that his mom was murdered by his dad. Frank would run out of the food and money that Mars left behind fast.

As the idea became more appealing to him, Frank got more confident. He would find his grandmother in Canada. He would find her and he would bring her to New York and-

A rustling noise jarred Frank, and he didn't get to finish his thought. He whirled around to face the area where the noise had come from, eyes wide. His heart had spiked up in fear, but was calming down as he realized there was nothing there.

Frank didn't go back to his thoughts, instead keeping an eye out as he walked into the darkness of the kitchen. Scrape. Frank's head snapped to the place where the scraping had come from, and he wished he had turned on the lights when coming into the room.

Inching back towards the table, Frank grabbed a knife from the holster in the kitchen, brandishing it. Frank used to go to these private karate classes when he was younger, and he was a bit rusty, but he never forgot the moves. He didn't know how to use it, but if there was a serial killer in his house, it was more likely that they had a weapon, so kicking and punching would be useless.

"Who- who's there?" Frank asked into the darkness, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice, "Show yourself."

There was complete suffocating silence. Frank held his breath, his brain telling him that there was someone else in the room. He could hear heavy breathing coming from somewhere in front of him.

All at once, numerous crashes that sounded like pots and pans clanging arose, and Frank yelped, accidentally whipping the knife back and nicking his own ear. He cursed as he felt the warm blood drip down his ear, and he steadied the arm holding the knife.