11:45 PM

At the dysfunctional Jacobs house, Zeke was telling Elizabeth ghost stories, which scared the shit out of her. So, Elizabeth slept on the floor in Chloe's room.

"You're not making this into a habit, I hope you know that," she grumbled.

"Of course not," Elizabeth replied sleepily. "After awhile you're sleeping on the floor and I get the bed."

11:52

Ren was curled up in bed, reading. It was ten minutes before she realized she didn't remember a word she'd read. She had been thinking about Chris. There was something beautiful about him, and she knew she loved him. But somehow, she also knew that he didn't feel as much for her as she did for him. On the walk home, she had asked why he hadn't told her about his plans for college, but he had just blown her off and changed the subject.

Didn't he want her to be a part of his future? Tears suddenly found her eyes as she wished that he would see deeper into her and want her for who she was. Maybe then he'd love her. Or maybe he'd be glad that he was leaving her behind.

12:17 AM

"Get off my face."

Chloe spat, "Oh, yeah, real smart, putting your face right where my feet go." She scoffed. "My sister the genius."

"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked. "Chloe, get off of me!"

"I'm going to the bathroom, or is that against your rules?"

"My rules are simple," Elizabeth snapped.

"Right," she laughed. "No snoring, no talking in my sleep, no killing you while you're asleep, no PLOTTING to kill you while you're asleep…"

She added, "No stepping on me when you get up to use the bathroom. Actually, no, no potty breaks for you. Go back to sleep."

"That's it," she grumbled, stealing her pillow and blanket. "Go see if Leah will take you in. No room at the inn for Elizabeth. Out, out, out."

12:32

"I can't sleeeep," Gordie groaned. He was dead tired but sleep refused to come to him. Staggering out of bed, he moved downstairs to watch TV.

The Monkees. That's perfect, he thought sarcastically. The Monkees would just entertain him, not put him to sleep. [AN: I don't think the Monkees TV show actually came out till like 1966 or '67, but I don't care, I like the Monkees]

12:44

Ryder stumbled into the kitchen to get some water. He turned on the light and jumped and shouted in surprise when he saw Ren sitting at the table, eating a muffin.

"Ryder," she hissed. "Please keep the squealing down to a minimal."

"What do you have against light?" he demanded. "You just sit in the darkness, waiting for unsuspecting victims to come along, don't you?"

"Yes, Ryder," she said tolerantly.

"God, you're scary."

Ren looked at him sweetly. "Muffin?"

"No thank you and don't look at me like that."

Shrugging, Ren took a bite. "What are you doing down here? It's almost one."

Ryder froze. "Your eyes just got a red glow in them."

"That's right, Ryder. Hurry along before I eat you too."

Shaking his head, he forgot about his water and went upstairs.

12:46

"Please? Chloe hates me."

From the other side of the door, Leah called, "Oh, yeah. Like I really want her leftovers."

"I'm your sister!"

"You annoy me too," she said. "Wow, you've got so much going for you."

"Where else am I going to sleep? The couch downstairs squeaks."

"See if Dad loves you," she suggested. "But don't be too disappointed.

12:54

Davy Jones, the little short guy from the Monkees, popped out of a bag of grain into the arms of a beautiful yet stupid hillbilly. [AN: I have that episode on TAPE hehehe) Gordie did a tired little dance, singing, "Davy's great, I can't sleep." He groaned and pounded his head on the coffee table to get the blood going. He turned off the TV and sauntered back to his room.

12:55

Mr. Jacobs answered the door, looking highly scary. "What?"

"No one will let me sleep with them."

Sighing, Mr. Jacobs told Elizabeth, "Honey, it's late. It's not the time for a human sexuality course."

"Father," she whined. "I mean, your son is a jerk and I'm scared of the dark and your daughters are evil and I have nowhere to sleep."

"Thank God, I was thinking, 'what, is my daughter a troll or something?'" He ran a hand through his short hair. "I'd say you could sleep in here, but I have company. You know Mrs. Peters, the librarian?"

"SICK!" she screamed, running away.

1:02

Gordie was so bored he did homework. How that he was through with that, he was even more bored, yet still wired. He bounced on his bed for a while, hoping that this would tire him out.

1:36

Chris lay awake, listening to Eyeball snore and his dad come home, ranting drunkenly and incoherently about something. Glass shattered. His mother cried out for a moment, but her voice was cut off.

Just tell him to leave, he wanted to yell at her. Tell him to get the hell out of your house.

But he knew she would never make it on her own. She needed a husband to make her feel of any importance. But when her husband wasn't around…that was the only time she was beautiful. And it disgusted Chris.

1:43

Zeke woke up from an excellent dream. He checked the clock. Knowing Elizabeth was due for a pee break sometime soon, he sat up in bed and waited. Hearing the floorboards of the old house moan, he sprang out of bed and watched the hallway from the crack in his door.

Dressed in God forbidden pajamas and rubbing groggily at her eyes, Elizabeth slowly passed by.

Zeke's timing was perfect. He pounced on her with flawless accuracy. Elizabeth's scream was blood curdling. She did a strange dance, hopping around in circles and waving her arms around.

"You son of a bitch!" she screeched, not caring who heard. Her father was romping on the town librarian, so he wouldn't be in any position to punish her for screaming obscenities.

Zeke was laughing hysterically. "Ooh, look at me, I'm Elizabeth and I hop around in circles like a peacock!"

Elizabeth lunged at him, her hands clasping around his throat. "First you tell me about the dead old woman who watches me sleep every night sucking the life from me with every breath I TAKE even though you KNOW I'm already scared of the dark, and then no one will let me sleep in their room so I've been wandering the halls and then you scare the bejeebus out of me and MOCK ME!"

"Sorry, you're just fun to scare because you get all pasty."

She roared at him. "I hate you! Remove yourself from my sight!"

"So your room is available?" he asked. "Great. I'm sleeping in there. My room smells like dead cheese."

2:01

Tossing a Hackey Sack up in the air and catching it, Gordie began to sing, 99 bottles of Flinstone Vitamins on the wall. He'd finished with 99 bottles of beer because he could never get passed 44 bottles on the wall without feeling intoxicated.

"Gordie!" his father yelled. "Would you knock it off, please?"

Gordie grumbled. Then he began to sing softly, "99 bottles of my foot up your ass…"

"GORDON!"

"SORRY!" He rolled his eyes. Lying quietly for a while, he swung his legs off his bed and shoved his feet into a pair of shoes, preparing to sneak out to go see Elizabeth.

2:11

Eli gently tapped on Chris and Eyeball's door. "Chris? You asleep?"

"Just about." He opened his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Mom's crying. And I'm scared of Dad when he's like this."

Chris groaned into his pillow. Eli was the quietest one of the family, and he felt things on a different, deeper level than the rest of them. He got scared and hurt easily but tried not to show it because he didn't want to look like a baby. Chris had always felt protective of him…he didn't want anyone to hurt his brother. He sighed and drew back his covers. "Come on. They'll stop fighting eventually."

A look of gratitude washed over his face. He let Chris put the blanket over him.

"You stay on that side of the bed. And don't attempt to steal my blankets."

"Your feet are cold," Eli told him.

"Don't touch me."

2:13

Ren was back in bed, but still unable to fall asleep. She felt too lonely to sleep, because she knew no one really cared if she woke up.

2:20

Eli was already asleep, and Chris watched him as he slept, his small hands pressed under his round cheek. Gentle light from the moon streamed in through the curtains and caressed his tiny face.

Chris wouldn't be able to sleep for awhile. He had been thinking about Ren. He had hurt her feelings that evening on the walk home, although she didn't say anything. But when he refused to talk about his college plans, she had looked down at the ground looking wounded. She thought that he didn't want her in his future. And that wasn't true. He cared about her; he thought she was beautiful and like no one else he'd ever imagined. And he didn't want her to get hurt. He supposed he did love her.

Which is why she couldn't be with him for much longer.

2:21

"AHHHHHH!!!!"

"AUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHH!!!"

"SHHHH!!!"

"HAIL MARY!!!!"

Gordie tried to run for the window but tripped over something. He had not expected to find Zeke sleeping in Elizabeth's bed.

And Zeke had not been expecting to wake up and see Gordie sitting next to him on his sister's bed

"What are you doing in here?" they demanded at the same time.

"What am I doing in here? What are YOU doing in here?" they demanded in unison again.

"My room smells like cheese! And Lizzy's too scared to sleep so she's wandering the halls!" Zeke cried. "Why did you sneak into my baby sister's room in the middle of the night, you sick demented pervert?!"

"I couldn't sleep and I just wanted to see her!"

Zeke gasped. "You have deflowered my innocent little sister! You sick, sick man!"

"I have not!"

Zeke clamped his hands over his ears and shouted, "I don't want to hear it! LALALALAALALALALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Zeke!" Gordie hissed. "Shut up! Shhhh! You're going to wake up the neighbourhood! I haven't done anything to your sister!"

"Sure! You're just lurking around her bedroom because you're the TOOTH FAIRY!!!"

The door swung open, and Elizabeth appeared in the doorway, bathed in the hall light. "Oh damn. I thought maybe the dead old woman got you, Zeke. Who's that in bed with you? Gordie?"


Morning eventually came. But no one was very bright-eyed and/or bushy tailed.