This one is short but sweet. The next update's when the fun really starts. Also, for you crazed and neglected fans, Jonah will be making an appearance soon! :D I know, I'm excited too. I feel bad because he's been so non-existent so far. All in due time, though, all in due time.

Read, review, then read again! :]

The little devil's arrived right on time the following week. Nana and I had swept the house putting away all precious family heirlooms, breakables, and valuable items. We thought we were good to go when they showed up. We were desperately wrong.

They were dropped off in such a hast the we barely managed to snatch up their bags before Victoria was pulling out of the driveway with swift goodbyes to her satanic children. I glared after her mini-van and gathered their things. They had already disappeared into the house, squealing as they did so. Nana followed them, muttering obscenities under her breath. Across the street, I saw Billy and Mary running around the yard. Billy caught my eye, waved, smiled, and beckoned me over. I apologetically raised the suitcases, nodding toward the house. He seemed to understand and I waved goodbye before back-tracking inside.

Nana was sitting at the bar with Mallory. Mallory was chatting away aimlessly. Our grandmother appeared to be listening; I knew better. "Mallory," I called. Instantly, she whirled around. Excitedly, she bounced and hopped down off her stool. "Yes?"

"Where's your brother? Go find him and we'll make you guys some lunch," I offered. She nodded, silently, and shot off down the hallway. I cringed watching her retreating figure. Nana and I locked eyes. "She makes me nervous."

"She makes me suicidal," Nana mumbled. AS she turned from me and began to gather ingredients to make homemade chili, I peered down the hall waiting for the two kids to materialize. When they didn't, I began to grow anxious. Just as I moved down the hall, Mallory's scream filled the air, "Nana!"

"Oh shit," I spat, making a mad dash toward the scream. When I found them both, they were in my room…covered in paint. My easel had been knocked to the floor, paint dripping onto the carpet. Splatters of reds, blues, yellows, and blacks covered my floor, pillows, walls, and bed; as well as my idiot cousins. Taking a shaky, deep breath, I whispered, "Oh…my…God…"

In unison, the siblings went wide-eyed. Mallory quickly tossed her hands up in defense, shouting, "Nate did it!"

"I'm going…to kill you!" I bit off. Jumping out at them, I missed by a sliver, allowing them room to pass. With an angry scream, I chased them. Their frightful squeals met my enraged shouts and soon, I cornered them in the entry way. "You two are so dead-"

"Nicolette!" Nana snapped behind me. "What di-" but she stopped short. Her eyes trailed over their painted figures. "Oh dear God. Do you two have a death wish?"

"Apparently," I snorted lunging forward. Just then, the front door swing open, Matt strolling inside. With joyous, mocking laughter, the demonic children escaped. I glared at the eldest Campbell, lurching to the door. I stared them down as they raced across the front lawn. They were already next door and didn't look like they were going to slow down. I turned my glare, once again, to Matt. He stood, glancing around, a confused expression on his tired face. Sighing bitterly, I announced to my grandmother, "They're going to die before midnight."

I ignored any response she might have given, dragging Matt to the back porch. We sat at the round, umbrella table under a slight shade from the sun. "I would say we could go to my room but the paint probably isn't dry."

"Paint?"

"Paint."

"Then I'm guessing those kids were you cousins."

"They also go by 'Satan's Children' but yes, that's them," I sarcastically grinned. The eldest Campbell son mirrored me sympathetically. In the days following our minor make-out session Matt had dropped by frequently. Either he, Billy, or Wen was at our house or I was at their's. I'm pleased to say that his family had taken to me easily, and vice versa. Wendy and I would relax and exchange gossip, much like Nana and Mrs. Perkins; Billy would shanghai me into touch-games of football; and Sara would get recipes from my grandmother that Mary and I would help her prepare. "I'm working today. Do you want to come? They just got that new Sappho book you asked about."

"I can't. We're going to see Dr. Brooks," he mumbled, squinting from the sun. If I remember correctly, Dr. Brooks was the doctor Matt was receiving treatment from. He was the one running all the experimental tests that would hopefully help Matt's cancer disappear.

"Have you slept at all this past week?"

"Yeah, some," he replied. I could easily tell he was lying. These past two weeks he'd steadily been losing sleep. It had gotten so bad that often he'd look off into space like he was concentrating or looking at someone. I brushed it off as sleep depravation but it was starting to worry me. Straightening up, I spoke softly, "Matt…" I reached across the table. I took his hand in mine. "What's going on…? With you."

Instantly, he tensed. "Nothing. It's just the treatment. I'm tired."

"That's not what I mean."

"I'm fine, Nic."

"Matt…" The blonde boy starred at me with sad, pleading eyes. He looked so weak…fragile…helpless. Gradually, I nodded slowly. I kissed his cheek, gingerly, asking. "Are you hungry? Nana's making chili."

"Sure," Matt offered a small grin. Taking my hand, we embarked inside for lunch. After we ate, Matt went home and I got ready for work. Nana made the brats promise to have my room clean when I returned. I didn't have high expectations. Barnes and Noble was a fun place to work. It smelled like my two favorite things: coffee and books. New books at that. Today, business was slow and I simply stood behind the counter reading a collection Sufi poems by Rumi. With the slow pace of things, my shift seemed nearly non-existent and soon I was clocking out and making it home in record time. Sure enough, my room was spotless when I got there. I assumed my cousins had help.

"Hello?" I called out. I was met with silence. "Nana? Evil little bitches?" Still nothing, however. I made my way to the kitchen where a note sat on the bar. Grasping the paper, I read:

Nicolette,

I'm taking Nathanial and Mallory to Duke's. We'll be back soon. There is leftover lasagna in fridge. If you don't want that, call and order something at Duke's and I'll bring it home. Love you.

-Nana.

Snatching up the sheet, I crumpled it in my fist and tossed it in the waste bin. I moseyed up the stairs and changed out of my uniform. Out the window, the Campbell household caught my eye. My gaze held momentarily before I snapped myself out of my daze. Pulling on my high school sweatshirt, I grabbed my keys and headed out. Trekking across the street, I ambled down the dirt path and up the steps. I knocked twice on their door before Peter answered. "Oh, hello there. Natalie, right?"

"Nicolette," Sara corrected her husband. "Hi, sweetie, come in. We were just about to have dinner. Would you like to join us?"

Not twenty minutes later, I sat down to a dinner of shrimp and fish with the Campbell family. Settled in between Matt and Billy, I felt oddly at ease with this new family. Though I'd known them only weeks, though technically I'd known Billy for months, I found myself composed, relaxed. Once everyone was finished eating, Billy, Mary, and I helped clean and clear the kitchen. Wendy, Peter, and Matt migrated to the backyard. When we finished, we joined them. Wendy and I huddled together on the porch from the cold; the rest of the family hanging about the yard. I watched as Sara and Matt turned the jump rope for Mary. Matt was grinning, chatting away with his mother.

"I haven't seen him look so alive in a while," Wendy murmured, shivering slightly.

"I know…he's been so sick…but it's…it's like it's more than that."

"You've noticed it too?!" she shouted, alarmed. Catching herself, she lowered her tone, "Something has been bothering Matt. Badly."

"What do you mean?"

"He's going to kill me for telling you," Wendy muttered to herself before fixing her stare on me. "Last Friday at dinner…well, he kind of freaked out."

Cocking a brow, I echoed her, "Freaked out?"

"Yeah. We were saying grace and he just spazzed. He squeezed the life out of mine and Billy's hands and he was looking around like a madman. He kept ignoring us; like he couldn't hear us. And he was blinking and twitching. Then like, three minutes later he just stopped and looked at us. Then…well, he asked me if I 'saw it too?'. What does that mean?"

Listening to Wen's story, my eyes had grown wider. I felt my shoulders roll of in a shrug, "I have no idea…but I'm worried about him. He stares off in to space when he's with me too. It's just like he zones out. It's almost like-"

"Someone else is there?"

"Exactly!"

Wendy nodded vigorously, glancing at her cousin. "He does that a lot. And get this: the other day we were playing hide-and-seek, with Billy and Mary, you know? Matt volunteered to count and seek so I didn't have to play. I came out here and started to read while they played. Well suddenly I hear Matt just start screaming. He kept screaming and then he started to shout my name. Apparently he was in the basement, in that extended room-"

"The room left over from the morgue?"

"Yep. Disgusting, right?" she grimaced. "Billy and Mary followed me down there and Matt was flipping out again. But it was worse this time."

"How so?"

"He was sweating and he looked…panicked. Before he just looked confused but this time it was different. He looked scared. Almost as if something were after him. We tried to talk to him but he just ignored us. Like he couldn't hear us again. Then he starts shaking his head and mumbling to himself," Wendy's eyes shifted and she pivoted uncomfortably. "Billy was talking to him and Matt just shoved him and screamed, 'Leave me alone'. Billy looked like Matt had punched him."

"Oh God…" I gasped. My eyes trailed over to Matt. He and Peter we talking and laughing together, watching Sara try and wrestle the football away from the two youngest Campbells. He caught my eye and smiled brightly at me. I forced an awkward smile in response. "Wendy…something's not right."

"I know. But what could it be?"

"Honestly…I have no idea."

Silence fell over the two of us. Somber and quiet we watched her family frolic about the yard. I stayed until nightfall when I saw Nana pull into the driveway. I said my goodbyes, giving Billy a small hug, and showed myself to the door. Matt, unsurprisingly, wasn't too far behind. He shut the door behind us, catching my hip as I walked forward. "They really like you, Nic."

"Is that because I'm amazing? I bet it's because I'm amazing?" I grinned coyly, despite my churning insides. Matt grinned back, swiftly kissing my lips. His against mine, her murmured sweetly, enticingly, "Oh most definitely."

He continued to kiss me, tenderly and short. My fingertips traveled up his chest, resting on his neck. Matt's hands held my waist guiding me over to the four-by-four posts holding their porch up. My back pressed against the wood, our lips and bodies mashing together. As the kisses deepened, I felt my back arch, my body pressing harder against his. Matt, like a typical teenage boy, groaned and gripped me tighter. Not wanting to appear too prude-ish, I kept up the pace. I kissed back with a newfound fierceness, pulling on his neck to keep his face on mine. Abruptly, Matt gasped, writhing in pain, as his body jerked back.

"Uh…uh, I'm sorry?" I mumbled, my swollen lips frowning in alarm.

"No, you're fine," Matt rubbed his neck. My eyes studied the spot and I realized a rash had broken out. My eyes widened, "I did not do that. Oh my God, did I do that?"

"No," he shook his head. "It's from the treatment."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. My fault-"

"How?"

Matt raised his head, grinning wolfishly. "I got to fresh for you."

"Got to fresh for me…wow, I'm pretty sure my Nana has better game than that," I smirked at him. Matt snorted, "Does she now?"

Matt kissed me once more, his lips tantalizing. As his breath heated my cheeks and lips I felt my body shake and shiver. It was ridiculous. Putting a hand on the safe side of his neck, I pecked his cheek, "I need to go…"

"If you must."

"I must," I slid out of his hands and off the porch. Crossing the road, I spun, "Oh and Matt?! I know something's wrong. Something serious. And you can't avoid talking about it forever! I know it, Wendy knows it, and it's only a matter of time before your parents realize it too!"

What I said was true. Something was going on. Something dark was getting to Matt Campbell and it appeared to be more than his cancer; though that is plenty. The only question was, what? What exactly was causing this boy such distress? So much distress that he was distracted from a terminal illness. And, how exactly was I going to coax it out of him?