Haunted

Disclaimer- I own nothing,

I rolled over, underneath Soda's warming arm and pulled the covers higher to my chest. I shrived slightly even though I wasn't cold. I looked around the dark room and spotted the clock sitting on the dresser, it was midnight making it October eighth and I was just laying there next to my loving and reckless older brother, before he went off to the war, the war that threatened to pull our family apart. I sighed trying to push thoughts and worries about the next year Sodapop would have to face out of my head. I leaned my head down and rested it on his still tanned shoulder. I just laid there staring up to the plain white of our ceiling.

I was almost asleep when I heard the slight call of my name, I turned my head to Sodapop expecting him to be awake or just talking in his sleep, but his movie-star face was turned the other way, no sign of his lips moving at all as I heard it again. Trying to calm myself down, I sat up in my bed and just started at the wall, only letting my mind focus on that. I let my mind drift slightly imagining the next day, the first day that I would have to go back to school, knowing that Soda would be in 'Nam in a few days. I attempted to push the thoughts out of my mind again, and all the thoughts of Soda's safety disappeared from my mind as I heard it again. The faint calling of my name, in not one voice but two.

I moved my eyes from the wall and turned to the door. When I laid my eyes on what was calling my name, I almost screamed. Standing there in the doorway of the now open door, was the ghost of my parents. I blinked and rubbed my eyes but when I opened them back up they were standing there smiling at me.

The ghost of my mother came and sat down next to me on the bed, placing an icy hand on my shoulder she looked me in the eyes and said, "Pony, honey, we know that your worried about Sodapop, but baby, we won't let a thing touch him."

I nodded my head, believing her, my eyes water up slightly. Some from the joy of my mom speaking, and touching me again. The joy of seeing my father standing in the doorway like he always did while my mother said goodnight, before he came and attacked us, tickling us into mercy, but most of the tears that welled up in my eyes were from the fact that, I missed them. The fact that I would never be able to run home and play football with my dad and brothers, while mom watched out the kitchen window. Thoughts of the memories we used to share pushed the tears over the edge and my mother wrapped her slim, pale, ghost arms around me. My dad walked over and wrapped his slightly husky arms around me and my mother both, Pulling us into a group hug, a group hug that threatened to make me cry more.

I don't know how long we sat there for but eventually we had to break apart. I smiled at them both before they turned and walked back out of my bedroom door, leaving me to fall asleep, still feeling their arms around me.

I sat bolt right up in my bed the next morning, realizing that I was alone in my bed, I hopped out and quickly got dress, determined to spend as much time as possible with Soda, I ran out of my room and into the kitchen. Where I found Soda cooking a breakfast of what looked like green eggs. I smiled to myself as I went to our small icebox and pulled out the chocolate cake, almost dropping it on the way to the table.

"Careful Pone," Soda laughed as I tripped over my feet.

I smiled to myself as the thoughts of last might came rushing back to me and I felt a bit better about Soda getting drafted to 'Nam, that maybe this war wouldn't tear out family apart.