It wasn't long before the police arrived. When the police begn to question her, Scout answered in short sentences.

She told them the story as she had told her mother: that she had overheard and seen them when she'd been comming

downstairs for a drink of water.

Yes, she had been able to identify them.

No, they hadn't spoken to her.

After a few more questions, the police left to attend to an accident that had just occured not even 3 miles away.

Something about a train wreck.

000000ooooo000000

Scout went back to bed; Ryuk was in her room waiting for her.

"So, did the police buy your story?"

Scout was silent. She crawled underneath her covers and curled up against her pillow. Ryuk walked over and sat on the

edge of her bed, "Well?"

"Ryuk, I wanna go to bed now..."

Ryuk had never heard her talk like that before. So....emotionless.

"Uh...ok...in the morning then?"

Scout just rolled over and closed her eyes.

"Huh...I wonder what's eating her..." Ryuk thought to himself.

Johnny woke up, feeling someone shake him. Instinctivly, his first thought was was Ray.

Not Ray. No, he's dead...

He opened his eyes and found his was looking into his sisters face. She looked like she'd been crying.

"Hey, what's wrong, kido?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"I had a bad dream..."

"Oh...about what?"

"Daddy..."

"Of course..." Johnny muttered bitterly under his breath. He looked down Tanya again, "So, what happened in the bad dream?"

Rekab, who had been standing in the corner, watching came over, he wanted to better hear the story.

"I was playing at the park, at the sandbox. And then Daddy came from nowhere and said I was a bad little girl who needed

to be taught a lesson."

Johnny narrowed his eyes. He'd heard those same word's come out his mouth when he threatened Tanya with his belt. Johnny

had never let Ray touch her, but he felt himself getting angry just thinking about it.

"Then what happened?" Rekab asked

"He said, 'Johnny can't help you here,' and took off his belt. I ran and ran, and he chased after me, and I tried to hide, but he

kept finding me and chasing me until I tripped and fell. He grabbed me and pulled my hair and... and...I woke up, right after that..."

Johnny pulled her into his lap, hugging her.

"Hey, it was just a bad dream...Ray's not here anymore, remember? And he's never ever comming back."

"I know, but...it was so scary..."

Johnny kissed her cheek, "Why don't you sleep with me tonight?"

"You mean it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll make sure no more bad dreams about Ray come," he said.

"Okay..." she said.

Johnny laid back down and made room for his sister. She snuggled up next to him

"Night, Johnny..."

"Night, Tanya," he saidpulling the blanket over them both. Tanya sat up for a minute.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Goodnight Rekab."

She pulled him down and kissed him on the cheek.

Rekab was pefectly still for a minute, he touched the spot where she'd kissed him.

"Goodnight..." he said as the little girl curled back up with her big brother, yawning sleepily. He whent back over to his corner,

comtemplative.

'Sweet kid...' he thought to himself, 'Little kid like her shouldn't have had such a bad father.'

Rekab thought of the Shinigami king. He was sort of a father figure to all shinigami...he had always gotten along with HIM...

Then again, the King of the Dead was pretty easy going.

He looked at Tanya and Johnny again.

"Guess I picked some good human's. "