Chapter 1: Moving

Hi. My name is Jessica Pheonix. I live in Phoenicia, New York with my siblings: George, Hailey, Ivan, James, and Katherine.

George is the eldest; he's outgoing, and has lots of friends. He's quite hot-headed, but he's a nice person. George doesn't take things seriously, and likes to prank people. He likes to cook and bake, especially during occasions.

Hailey comes next. She's the most reserved one. She's bookish and smart, a typical nerd. Don't tell her that, though, because she has one hell of a temper. She's friendly, and a little vengeful, and all-in-all she's like a female version of George.

Ivan- believe it or not- is the mature one. He likes to play the guitar and read. He's always in his room, which has a permanent 'Do Not Disturb' sign and locked door. Don't let his quiet nature fool you, though, because he too has quite the temper.

Then there's James- my arrogant, stuck up, annoying twin brother. He's the one who plays computer games and eats a lot. James has lots of enemies, (you can say I'm one of them) and his best friend, David Alexander, likes to bug me.

Katherine is very noisy. Everyone often gets mad at her, because she was spoiled. Actually, everyone gets mad at anything these days. For example, the blender incident this morning. Hailey forgot to turn off the blender after making shakes, and George got angry and lectured all of us about the importance of conserving electricity.

George, you see, holds all the money, so he's practically the one who pays the bills. Where did we get the money, you ask? Firstly, from our parents' health insurance and bank accounts. Then sometimes we were sent money by our Uncle Bill in Manhattan, or our Aunt Christie in London. If you add in George, Hailey and Ivan's weekly salary from their jobs (George works in the post office, while Hailey and Ivan have part-time jobs at Sweet Sue's), then the sum is enough to sustain our needs.

I got a bit off topic, huh? Well, just imagine the scene right now:

It's a lazy Saturday evening for all of us. Hailey and Ivan retreated to the kitchen to prepare dinner, since we figured that George is working overtime. (He usually gets home at six, but when he works overtime he gets back at seven or eight- and it's already half past six) James is at the living room (miraculously) doing his homework, while Katherine was (thankfully) fast asleep in her room.

About twenty three to thirty minutes later, George Burnice Pheonix burst into the house with a huge smile on his face. "Hailey! Ivan!" He called, making a beeline for the kitchen- not even sparing us a glance. James glanced questioningly at me, and I just shrugged.

"Bugger," He muttered, before turning back to his homework. I continued surfing through the TV for a nice channel- but then Hailey called us. Honestly, with the racket they're making, I was surprised Katherine hadn't woken up yet.

James grinned and strode to the kitchen, me following closely behind. George and Ivan were bent over a piece of parchment, murmuring to each other.

"What's that?" James asked, a funny look on his face. Hailey shrugged. "I don't know. Ever since George arrived, Ivan took the letter and read it, then he asked me to call you two. Then Ivan said something to George then George sat beside him and they started... erm... 'discussing'."

I stared at her, an incredulous look on my face. "Okay, so I'll ignore the fact that George looks serious for the first time ever, and ask- just what, exactly, are they discussing?"

Hailey glared at me. "I don't KNOW, alright?" Did I ever mention Hailey gets irritated whenever someone knows something she doesn't?

James snickered, proceeding to approach his two older brothers. Just then, George looked up and grinned at the three of us. Ivan followed suit, handing the letter to a fuming Hailey. "Guess what?" George said, the smile on his face never wavering, "We're moving."

Silence was met with the statement, with Hailey reading the letter with wide eyes and me and James gaping at them. I mean, HELLO, after living here all of our lives George decides to MOVE?

Ivan smiled at me. "Don't worry, Jess, we're doing this for you guys. And besides, we have a pretty good reason as to why we're doing this. Right, George?" My eldest brother winked at me. "Right on."

As soon as we finished packing, all six of us gathered at the living room. Ivan was busy making calls, while George was surveying some papers. Hailey excused herself and went to the garage, (probably to load the bags and get the car out of the garage) dragging James along to help.

I was sitting on the couch, reading a random book from the bookshelf, while Katherine sat beside me, texting away on her phone. I called my friends earlier, and told them about the moving. They were upset, to say the least, but they bid me farewell and even joked about coming with me. So, basically, all's well.

A few minutes later, George instructed us to go to the car, while he and Ivan stayed behind doing who-knows-what.

I sat in the back seat, just staring out of the window. I just noticed how cold it is, and that it was raining. Not that rain or cold weather isn't normal in Phoenicia, thanks to the Catskills.

I heard the door at the very front open, just after James shouted "Shotgun!" and Katherine started whining about how unfair James is. Hailey climbed in beside me, muttering something about James and his childish behaviour.

Then I saw George and Ivan exit the house. George was locking the front door while Ivan was still talking into his old Blackberry. Then I heard a scream.

George, apparently, was startled, and he dropped the keys. Ivan's head whipped around to find the source of the voice. Hailey jumped, before squeezing beside me to look out of the window. Katherine and James stopped their quarrel momentarily, the two of them freezing in place.

"What-" George started, but was cut off by another scream. This one from a child. Hailey squinted her eyes, trying to see through the darkness and slight fog. And then she gasped.

"Μormo!" She whispered loudly. I furrowed my brows.

Mormo?

The older girl began gesturing for George and Ivan to get in the car, while she instructed me to fetch Katherine and James. My heart was beating loudly, and the look on their pale, pale faces-

There was another scream.

I scrambled out of the car, sprinting towards a bewildered James and a panicking Katherine. "Get in the car." I hissed. James furrowed his brows, while Katherine nodded and climbed into the car. James pursed his lips and climbed into the back seat. I climbed in beside him, and I closed the door before locking it. George was already in the driver's seat, while Katherine was sitting beside Ivan in front of us. Hailey transferred to the front, talking with George.

Everyone looked scared, especially after we sighted a cloaked figure not far away.