A/N: I'm so sorry, but for my own entertainment, I am going to be butchering the character of Bughuul :/ I was thinking about it, and there wasn't any way to keep his perfect scary, heartless image yet have my legend and the way this story is suppose to go fit. So, Bughuul won't be completely hiself from the films. If you don't like it, you can always make your own story. I would read it! Just bear with me on this story and let's see how it plays out, please :D

Chapter Nine:

Little Friends

There was a rhythmic beeping sound that seemed to sooth her thoughts as she slowly came back to consciousness. She felt her head first, noticing a few stitches closing up her sliced skin. Grogginess still lingered, but she was able to open her eyelids and take in her surroundings.

Isabelle felt a heavy weight on her left hand. She tried lifting her fingers, but it was difficult. Glancing down, she saw Ashley fast asleep with her cheek planted firmly on her hand. Slightly odd. Isabelle tried moving her other arm, but it felt achy and sore all over. In fact, her whole body felt like it had been kicked and punched repeatedly by a gang of body-builders.

She closed her eyes, scolding herself for trying to move more after figuring out how in pain she was.

"Are you doing alright?" a voice asked from the doorway. And just like that, little Ashley had disappeared, relieving her of the pressure on her hand.

Looking up, she saw Trevor walk into her hospital room with a chicken wrap and milk. "I figured you would be hungry after days of being fed with only liquid." He handed her the small meal. Surprisingly, she managed to say thank you.

"What happened?" Isabelle asked trying to recall the last time she was awake.

"You fell down some stairs. I'm thankful I was able to hear your scream and bothered checking up on you," he kind of chuckled, trying to make light of whatever situation Isabelle was in.

She remembered, though. She remembered trying to save a little girl from that figure. Where was that girl now?

"Di-" she breathed in, trying to find the energy to speak in long sentences, "Did you see a little girl when you went into my house? Or just now when you walked in?"

He gave her a questioning look, then a doctor a few nurses walked in, flocking around Isabelle. She was thankful that their questions were fairly quick. The only important thing they told her was that she could go home the next day after being examined for one night. Simple enough, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to be left alone at night. Especially when that meant she had all the time in the world to think about the events prior to the fall.

After the doctors left, Trevor sat back down in the chair next to her bed that Ashley had sat in earlier. Where did she disappear to?

"What was your sister like?" Isabelle asked.

"Why are you asking such strange and random questions? Maybe you fell too hard..."

"Just tell me about your sister, please," Isabelle said rashly. Her patience-especially since she was in pain-was wearing thin.

"Alright, alright... Well, she was cute. Some of the time, anyway. When she wasn't painting unicorns on the walls of our bedroom. When we did share a bedroom that is," he smiled. As he got more and more into Ashley and who she was, he seemed to float off into a far away place.

The way he described her was fitting with the little time she spent with the Ashley she had met. But her Ashley was more sad and frightened during that time.

Hours later, Trevor was still talking when the doctor came in to tell him visiting hours were over. It was now past ten and though she had been out for days, Isabelle was growing tired. At least, tired of having outsiders in the room. I.e. having people who knew nothing of what she was dealing with in the evenings at her home when nobody else was around.

After everybody scrambled out of her room, Ashley had appeared once more by the side of her bed. She looked a bit happier than she had ever seen her thus far and that warmed Isabelle a bit.

"How did you get in here?" Isabelle asked.

"I think you know the answer to that," she said, hopping up onto the bed right beside her thighs. She gave a closed, wide smile, "I'm no longer normal. I'm under the protection of the supernatural now."

"Protection? You were frightened! If you were protected, why be afraid?"

"Well, I haven't been with him that long. All I know for sure is that he protects us. I still haven't figured out his anger pattern...what makes him perform evil acts..." Ashley turned away in thought.

"Him. The figure at the top of the stairs?"

She nodded, "His name is Bughuul, but us children call him Mr. Boogie. It's better than calling him daddy." Ashley gave a half-hearted chuckle, probably remembering her own father from long ago.

"You were crying at the window. Why?"

The little girl frowned now. "My brother. I guess I haven't gotten over how I can't ever speak to him again. I just saw him reading in his bedroom, and I remember when my parents would read stories to him and I before bed. I wish I could hug him. I can't believe how handsome he's grown. Even if he still has that long, stringy hair," she laughed.

Isabelle smiled at Ashley's admiration for her older brother.

But what the child asked next surprised her. "Could you be my friend? I mean, there are other kids...even another girl my age, but I want somebody who is close to my brother, somebody on the outside."

"I would love to be your friend, but I'm not that close to your brother."

"I think he likes you."

Isabelle blinked a few times, "What?"

"He doesn't love you, but he definitely wants you as a friend. I can tell. I think it's because he doesn't get out much."

Issy laughed. That's what she meant. Isabelle did dislike how there were different forms of the word "like".

"Will you be his friend for me since I can't be there?" Ashley asked with desparation in her eyes.

"Of course I will," she answered, feeling sorry for the girl. How lonely she must have been living such a life. Where did she go when Isabelle couldn't see her then? Where did he go when she didn't see him?

Wait, was she now giving into the truth that there was a supernatural deity or whatever wandering the halls of her home and children trapped with him? It had to be the truth. After all, how does a little girl appear and disappear without anybody noticing?

Looking at the pale, small girl, Isabelle couldn't help but believe it all to be true. Everything thus far seemed to fit. Especially her diagnosis. There were far too many coincidences to simply pass Bughuul off as merely a legend. The legend had to be true.

"Thank you. I think I should go check on Mr. Boogie and the rest. I don't want to get into trouble. I will see you tomorrow, Issy," she smiled, walking out the door and vanishing.


The next day, Isabelle checked out of the hospital and hitched a ride from Trevor. She thanked him when they stopped in front of her house. Just as she was about to shut the car door, she turned back to him, "Would you like to have dinner at my house again tonight?"

Surprisingly, he didn't bother to find an excuse out of the invite, "Sure. What time?"

"Seven sounds good."

"I'll be at your house at seven then," he smiled, and then she shut the door, watching him drive back to his house.

Friends. She could do that for Ashley. Maybe if he was over she could see him... Maybe they would be able to converse. No, that was probably too far. She wasn't sure how the whole ordeal worked with Bughuul's world and theirs.

When she walked into the house, she noticed her phone was ringing on the kitchen counter. The ID read Mom.

"Hello?" Isabelle answered, walking up the stairs to her bedroom. She had the rest of the week off, so she planned on spending it in her comfortable clothes. There wasn't any time to waste.

"Oh goodness, sweetheart, we are so sorry! We were out of town when the doctors called us. I can't believe this happened and we missed the call! I'm so sorry we-"

"Mom, it's okay. It was a slight fall, but I'm alright now. It isn't that big of a deal."

"You went unconscious for a few days! Of course it's a big deal-oh your father wants to speak to you." There was a small crackling as the phone was handed over to her dad.

"Hey. How's my little girl after the fall? Still strong?"

Isabelle rolled her eyes, "Of course, Dad. Last time I checked, however, twenty-two wasn't little."

"You still have a few weeks to go before your twenty-two, so until then you are my little girl."

"Oh, so when I do, you will stop calling me that?"

"Hmm...nope."

She laughed, "Well, thanks for calling in, but I should probably get to work."

"Hey, now, don't exert yourself after that fall."

"Whatever you say, Dad. Goodbye now."

"I love you. No more falling down the stairs," he added before hanging up.

A chuckle escaped her lips before she finally switched out her uncomfortable clothes into her comfy ones. Sweats. There was no better man-made material than sweatpants.

After changing, she began heating up some fries from the freezer. While she waited, she reread Professor Jonas's article. He claimed to know so much about Bughuul, but there wasn't anything further on the legend she believed was true. He only went in-depth with the legend he believed was true, which clearly doesn't seem correct because if it was, Ashley looked pretty alive for a girl whose soul was being eaten by a deity. That was another thing: deity. Bughuul was not in any way shape or form a deity. If he was, he could have easily taken her anyway he wanted at any time without trouble, right? But he hasn't, so there must be limits. Deities don't have limits.

Sighing, she tossed the article aside. It was useless now. There wasn't anything to further her knowledge on how to be rid of Bughuul.

What if there was? Did that mean Ashley would have to leave too? What would happen to her? It wouldn't be fair to take her away from Trevor. God only knows what it's like to have been taken away from family with no hope or light. Just fear and darkness. Isabelle then wondered if there was anyway to free the children.

She chuckled to herself. She was becoming too obsessed with the whole ordeal.

The oven beeped, signaling that the fries were cooked and ready to eat. Isabelle pulled them out, blowing on one of the fries and stuffing it into her mouth, savoring the taste.

"Issy?"

Isabelle jumped at the sound of her name being spoken by Ashley. When she turned around she saw quite a few kids behind the little girl.

Ashley gave her a big smile, "We wanted to welcome you back home and tell you how happy we are that you are okay." Isabelle only stared at them wide-eyed while Ashley continued, "I should introduce you to the rest of us." Ashley pointed to each child and said their name. A few she recognized from the Super 8 films. The boy from 'Sleepy-Time' went by the name of Henry, the one from 'Pool Party' was named Jack, the boy with curly locks and darker skin than the rest of the children was named Michael, the blond little girl was Sarah, and last but not least was Stephanie, the little girl with a bright red ribbon in her hair and who was in 'Family Hanging Out'.

She shivered as she remembered the films she had watched. And she had connected the dots. It had been the children who killed their families. These innocent children who stood now in her kitchen had killed their families. But it hadn't been their fault. They were drawn into the darkness, manipulated, acting like puppets to do the dirty work for him...that creature.

"Will you play hide and go seek with us, Issy?" Henry asked.

Isabelle looked around, "Won't you guys get into trouble?"

"He isn't here right now. Hasn't been since he placed you in your bed after your fall," Ashley explained, her smile soft.

"I'm sorry, who did what now?"

The children giggled at her surprised expression.

"So will you play with us?" Jack asked impatiently and excitedly.

Her brain was no longer processing anything, so she simply nodded, watching the children jump up and down.

"We haven't had anybody else to play with us in ages!" Henry said. "How about you count first and come find us?"

"Okay then..." Isabelle turned around and began counting. She could hear the children scurrying out of the kitchen. There wasn't any point in being shocked. This was all some kind of supernatural dilemma. Right now, she should enjoy having company in her house. Now, it wasn't so lonely anymore.

After she counted to one-hundred, she scoured the house for the children. It was hard not to smile whenever she found one of them and they would laugh and say, "Darn it! She found me!"

Sadly enough, the fun ended when there was a sickening sound of shattering glass, a scream, and loud sobs.

Isabelle rushed to the ruckus, finding herself looking at tiny Stephanie sobbing on the ground with a bloody ankle. Stephanie tried to get up, continuously sobbing, but she just fell right back down in pain. Issy rushed to her side, taking the girl's ankle as gently as she could. Even so, Stephanie flinched and sobbed louder.

The rest of the children got out from their hiding spots and ran over to the scene. Not to far from Stephanie, the children saw a large rock with a wrinkled paper tied to it.

Michael picked it up and unraveled the paper. "It says: Suffer in hell, you kidnapper. Well, that isn't very nice."

Isabelle tilted her head and almost laughed. 'Killing your own family isn't nice either' was what she thought, but that sounded terrible. The last thing she wanted was to hurt the children's feelings and traumatize them all over again.

"Don't worry about that now, we have to take care of Stephanie," Ashley said. Her eyes were furrowed, appearing to hold back a flow of tears.

Isabelle got up, picking up Stephanie as if the little girl were her bride. She set the child on the edge of the sink and rinsed away the blood then wrapped it in a bandage. By now, Stephanie had ceased her sobs. She said a small thank you to Isabelle as she set the girl down at the dining table. The rest of the kids sat in their own chairs around the injured one. Issy herself sat at the head of the table.

"I'm sorry I can't bring you to a hospital. I'm sure you understand the chaos and questions that would errupt," Isabelle apologized.

Stephanie only nodded.

Michael spoke up, "I don't want you to get into trouble for the mishap with Stephanie..."

She was about to answer when Jack interrupted, "No, we will be the ones in trouble, Michael. Not Isabelle."

Henry shook his head, "Isabelle is the adult, though. He would blame her. He might get angry enough to kill her!"

"He won't harm her. Do you guys pay attention to how different he is when around her?" Ashley said quite perplexed at how blind the rest of her children friends were. Then again, they didn't take much interest in Isabelle like she did. And if it wasn't for Trevor taking an interest in Isabelle, Ashley wouldn't have bothered either. But seeing Mr. Boogie around her-especially in that incident a few nights prior to the fall-it was clear she was something other than a victim to him. "She is the one who can save us from the other world, from Mr. Boogie."

Jack laughed out loud, harder than she has ever seen a kid laugh. He started beating his fist on the table, saying, "No one can save us. We are already trapped forever, Ashley. Stop it with the fairytales."

"It's not a fairytale," Ashley frowned. "I heard a heartbeat in him." This clearly caught all their attentions. "I heard it. He has a heart, and it started beating."


The Bughuulies:

Thank you to all those who continue to read and review this piece of crap :D

dark angeltiger: I'm so glad you like this legend better :3 It makes me feel like I'm doing something slightly right! Your review was much appreciated!

Micky-Moo: I love bad guys too :P thanks for reviewing!

xLunaAngelWarriorx: I can't wait for the good stuff to start either! :D Thank you for reviewing!

MHZutaraFanGirl: Thank you so much for your long review! It was so interesting and lovely to read what questions you have!

Angel-Demon hybrid: thank you so much for your reviews and ideas you have PMd me! It means so much 3