Eight months later...
"You are a real, pea-brained idiot, you know that!" Maia exclaimed, as she drove her red truck-or rather, her mom's big red Ford-through the dark of the freeway. Her kid brother was slouching in the front seat next to her, glaring out the window, silent. "I mean, what the hell, Kyle? You couldn't even be discreet about it, and not to mention from other people?!"
"That would kind of miss the point of the prank," mumbled Kyle. "All the guys thought it was funny-"
"Jeez, Kyle! That was supposed to be my night to celebrate! I got into Baylor, for Christ's sake! I've been waiting for this acceptance letter for freaking months, and I finally get it, am even willing to take you guys with me to the HoeDown fair, thought it would be fun! But noooo! I get screwed over by your buddies' evil firecrackers-Kyle!" Her brother flinched away from her barking outburst, slightly freaked out. He had been mimicking her lectures with his hand like a puppet and was caught.
"This is really typical of you!" groaned Maia. "Real mature! You're thirteen, for crying out loud!"
"Kind of has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Kyle said, trying to sound chipper. "C'mon, sis! Your prissy ex was all over you, and you know it! So in case you don't see the bigger picture, I chose that moment just to scare him off! And youthought it was funny, too!"
"I did not!"
"Yeah, you did! I saw you smile, admit it! You enjoyed watching him dance!"
Maia glared back at him, keeping her face angry, despite biting back the rising tide of giggles in her chest. "Did not!"
"Like Bugs Bunny in a bar brawl with Yosemite Sam!" he kept teasing.
Then Maia snorted at that, but quickly stopped when seeing Kyle brighten up. "Oh, shut up!" she protested, reaching over to smack his arm but missed. Kyle sniggered. "Jerk!"
"Stiff!"
"Punk-ass!"
"WATCH THE ROAD!" Kyle shouted suddenly, reaching over and grabbing the wheel. Startled, Maia looked up, cursing, and then screamed along with the boy as she swerved in a wide arc to avoid a large truck, which had stopped in suddenly in the middle of the freeway in front of them.
After a few seconds of wobbling, Maia straightened out. Both she and Kyle stared ahead, wide-eyed and white-faced, their breath lost. After a long, uncomfortable silence, Kyle stuttered out an outburst, twisting to look behind his seat, "ASS. HOLE!"
Maia flexed her tightened grip on the wheel, willing herself to relax her body and take a deep breath. Eyes on the road. Then the review mirror. From the reflection, her little sister Lori was staring back from her booster, now awake, clutching her teddy bear like a life preserver with her brown eyes wide, startled from her deep sleep. Her thumb remained in her mouth.
"S-sorry," Maia gasped. "I'm sorry."
"It was that moron's fault," Kyle assured her quietly, sounding just as shaken as she was.
"Still..." They were all thinking the same thing, even little Lori. Nighttime. Accident. Bloody, half-dead body of their mother. A terrible event that happened eight months ago, still imprinted in their minds like a scar, that had at times made them a little wary of driving ever since.
I'm an idiot! I'm a stupid, stupid, stupid, lame, pathetic, and careless human being! I'm such a crappy sister! The thoughts rolled over in her head like a fiery tantrum. Thoughts like these came when guilt started to take over, especially when concerning the well-being of her younger siblings, and she would use the words in her head to lecture her mind and body to get a grip, stay focused, and don't break in front of them. She was the big sister. She was in charge. She was responsible for them.
Maia, listen to me! No matter what happens, you have to look after your brother and sister. You're responsible for them.
"Anyway," Maia started, forcing a calm mask to replace her guilt and previous annoyance at her brother, "I was thinking that before we sleep over at Dad's ranch, we should stop be to see Mom."
"Really?" Lori piped up, looking happy.
"Really?" said Kyle, looking uneasy. "You sure visiting hours aren't over around this time?"
"Not for another half hour. We'll be there in a minute anyway. We'll just make it a quick stop, okay?"
"Mmph." Kyle grunted, and then was quiet until they arrived at the hospital.
The Dainsons have been to the hospital so frequently for almost a year that the kids got acquainted with the nurse at the front desk, Agatha, who was also in charge of the care of their hospitalized mother. Having recognized them instantly, Agatha gave them a gentle smile and gave them clearance without a second thought, but not without reminding them when visiting hours were over. Maia always thought the rules were ridiculous. She made a note to herself to put this in a debate when she starts her first year at college.
The Dainson siblings eventually reached the room their mother lay in. Everything remained the same, most especially their unconscious mother, except for the three baskets of mixed flowers surrounding the bed, along with a stack of books lined up on the side table near the heart monitor (Narnia, Harry Potter, and Jack Reacher), and a small speaker playing Pandora from their mother's iPhone, playing Reba McEntire's "The Greatest Man I Never Knew."
It was coincidental for two reasons: it was their parents' wedding song (McEntire was one of their mom's favorite singers) and it was the karaoke song Maia just recently sang at the HoeDown festival this evening without missing a word. Not too long before she joined the dance floor and then Kyle set off his firecrackers he and his "pals" somehow snuck in the place.
Laura Dainson always loved music, especially Country. She was a true Texas-Forever woman, being a horse trainer and painter all in one. The Dainson siblings and their grandparents had always made sure that music was playing in Laura's room, in case the woke up alone and needed to be calmed by certain melodies. They had even instructed the doctors and nurses to keep changing the soundtracks everyday when the family was not visiting.
This particular song was a favorite of Laura's because she said it always made her think of her husband. Because her husband, before and after they were married, had always been a mystery to her. A beautiful and terrifying mystery, but their mom always loved a good challenge.
Their father, Arthur Dainson, and the love of her life.
The man who also abandoned her and his children, a few years after Lori was born. The man who had presumedly been kidnapped eight months ago, two weeks after their mother's horrible car accident. Maia and Kyle had heard it happening over the phone, proof that their father had been attacked and taken against his will. Kyle had even claimed he heard the kidnapper breathing heavily in the receiver, making him believe that the culprit was definitely a big guy.
Besides the farm house being absolutely trashed and broken, stained with black substance that had been mistaken as tar or oil, but had later been identified as blood (the type of blood was still unknown), there had been no other clues of the disappearance of their father. To this day, the police were still searching, his disappearance having a few times been mentioned on the news, but there was still no luck.
Trying to push those dark thoughts away, Maia and her siblings walked up near the bed. "Hi, Mom," she said softly to the sedated woman. "It's us. Maia, Kyle, and Lori. Just us now. Sorry it's been a while."
"Hi, Mommy!" Lori jumped in. The little girl went on her tiptoes and took her mother's hand, also putting Teddy's paw on it. "Teddy's here, too. He wanted to see you, like us. He says you look beautiful, and that we hope you wake up soon."
Their mother was indeed beautiful. Even in her forties, she remained the same, save for a couple of laugh lines. She was an older version of Maia: curly carmel-brown hair, high cheek bones with a few freckles across her nose bridge, a gentle face that could switch to a blazing one if it wanted, pink lips, and had a slim figure with strong legs and arms from years of hard work and horseback riding.
There were few different features between Laura and Maia: Laura was a few inches taller while her daughter remained five foot two, had Lori's chocolate brown eyes while Maia's were blue-grey (like her dad and brother), and the eighteen year old's hair was also more wavy than curly, topping with some sun streaks that made her hair lighter and more golden.
Maia never really thought much on her own looks, but nor did she think herself ugly. She just always thought her mother the prettier of the two, even when taking comfort in the fact that looking like her helped a lot. Laura always seemed to have more strength and confidence, years of experience and independence shaping her character, while Maia at times felt shy and awkward, even when she tried not to be.
They stayed for the rest of the twenty minutes of visiting hours, sitting at Laura's bedside, either holding her hands or running fingers gently through her curls.
Lori was laying down beside her mother, her little head on her shoulder, legs curled up, and holding her bear close, while Maia started talking about her brand-new acceptance to Baylor University, the letter arriving this morning in the mail she went to fetch. She described how she held the envelope into the sunlight to read the letter through the envelope, how when she saw the first sentence, 'We are pleased to inform you,' she went crazy with excitement and ran all the way back to the house to show the family.
Afterwards, she decided that she wanted to celebrate by meeting her girlfriends at the HoeDown Festival, but then she remembered her promise to Lori that they were going to have a sleepover at their dad's now-empty farmhouse. Apparently the five year-old loved the place, even when it had been the place her daddy had 'disappeared,' but she always held on to the hope that he would someday 'reappear.' Just like she held onto the belief that their mom was listening to every word they said while in her coma (not that Maia didn't believe it, but she sometimes had her doubts, and so did Kyle).
So they decided to do both: go to the HoeDown and then go stay at the farmhouse for the night. Kyle came along, too, mostly through Grandma and Grandpa's insistence, pointing out that Kyle should 'get his head out of his video games and do something sociable.' If only they knew how sociable Kyle really was!
They stayed for two hours: Maia mostly on the dance floor, Lori riding ponies or in the petting zoo, and Kyle (after looking after Lori for a while) running into his friends who turned to be conspiring something.
Kyle then started talking, describing without hesitation his firecracker prank on the HoeDown dance floor. Maia rolled her eyes.
Kyle had long ago made it his goal to arouse his mother by telling her of all his mischief he would have recently caused. Be it firecrackers, throwing eggs at passing cars, spray painting any nearby architecture, spooking horses out of their stalls, driving the truck without permission, and even crashing into random football jockey parties from Maia's old high school (one time had unintentionally gotten drunk from a spiked punch bowl, in which made it a good thing one of Maia's friends was there to call her over and bring him straight home before he would get caught), Kyle was determined to get Laura Hayes-Dainson so angry that she would explode out of her coma and ground him for a year. Maybe even forever, given to the long-extended record of his troublemaking.
But, as usual, when he finished talking, she remained unmoved. Oblivious. Unconscious.
Kyle pressed his lips together, frowning, the disappointment so clear in hiss gray eyes, a sheen of unshed tears glazed. Maia swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling her heart breaking yet again. She could feel frustration radiating of him in vibes, connecting with her own. However ridiculous the ideas in her little brother's head could get, she sometimes did wish they would work. Even though Kyle could be annoying, hot-headed, and reckless, he was also carefree, openminded, strong, and kindhearted. The problem was that the thirteen year-old could not see it for himself, especially when both of his parents were not there to get him to see it.
When visiting hours were over, they hugged and kissed their mother good-bye in bed (Lori made her teddy bear kiss her mother's cheek goodnight before whispering, "Love you, Mommy!"), and then left the hospital in silence.
"This is stupid," grumbled Kyle, finally breaking through the hour of silence.
The Ford had left the city and entered more spacial areas in the county. In the night, it was pitch black with no street lights or building lights, but the headlights eventually revealed the pathway leading to the lone house in the middle of the grasslands, neighboring next to the empty horse farm in a hundred foot distance.
"You're the one who decided to come along," Maia pointed out, as she parked the truck in the driveway. She glanced in the review mirror to see their little sister's head hanging over her booster, still passed out in the backseat. "Besides, I promised Lori. She loves this place."
"No, she loved visiting Dad," retorted Kyle, his stored anger bubbling up, "and the horses! Neither of those are there anymore!"
"What is your problem?" Maia snapped. She turned off the truck and hopped out. "I'm not driving all the way back home for another two hours, if that's what you're thinking! Now will you shut up and wake up Lori!"
"Sure thing, Mom," sneered Kyle.
Seeing the hurt look on his sister's face, he immediately regretted it, but she slammed the door shut before he would open his mouth to apologize and he watched her practically stomp around to the truck's tailgate to pull out their bags.
Shaking his head, face still flaming from his previous attitude, he unbuckled his belt and turned to Lori. He almost laughed at the tangled position the five year-old put herself in, and was surprised that dang teddy bear was still trapped in her arms. Lori had a way of being a living tornado when she was awake, and a curled up kitten when she was asleep.
"Hey, monkey, up and at 'em!" Kyle shook her awake, while unbuckling her booster. "We're here!"
Lori was awake instantly and leapt happily out of the car like a little cricket. "Yay! Sleep-over at Daddy's house!" she sang in a squeaky voice.
"Or what's left of it," muttered Kyle, watching her run around to meet Maia at the tailgate's rear, who was gathering their bags.
When he grabbed his black backpack, Maia gave him a hard look that read We'll talk about this later. He nodded, as Lori picked up her backpack and instantly scampered to the front door. "Come on, come on, come on," she kept saying, bouncing at the door mat. "You guys are so slow!"
"Okay, okay, just a second, girl!" Maia was hastily shuffling her car keys to find the door key. Her purse was a large brown, baggy leather that was large enough to carry her sketchpad, pencils and pens, wallet, mint gum, Advil, sun glasses, pepper spray, bug spray, a miniature flashlight, lip gloss, a journal, and her iPhone with earplugs. His older sister always preferred big bags, being the pack-rat of the family. Even more than little Lori, who was the most adventurous of the siblings. Knowing Maia, in case she got bored or lost, she always would bring something to do to keep her distracted and tuning out her surroundings.
It was a wonder that Maia was always so reserved, quiet, and shy. She may have the spitting image of their mom, but there were times that Kyle always reminded her of their dad, who was also usually quiet and reserved, though he had more of a stoic presence like that of a seasoned soldier of war. Maia had his grey eyes, but they twinkled more softness and openness, showing that she held more innocence, confidence, and spirit that have yet to have the courage to reveal itself more often to the world.
Kyle knew her well enough to see that she was more like their mom than she realized. She just needed loosen up, he thought. Everyone always said that college was the first step to discovering a person's true self. When summer was over, Maia was going, and next year they will have to wait and see. Something that Kyle was not sure whether he should be looking forward to, or dreading. All he knew for certain was the twisted, empty feeling in his chest that churned at the thought of Maia moving away to Waco. It was only a few hours away from home. It could have been further away if it had been a different University in a different city or even a different state, but Maia wanted to be closer to home, remain in Texas, the state of rodeo, football, and Western beauty.
Nonetheless, both Kyle and Lori were going to miss their big sister, who was always the rock of the three, their protector, their driver, and their grown-up.
That was partly the reason why Kyle had lashed out. Not just because his mother won't wake up from his attempts for her to hear his causes for trouble again-that was part of it-but because everyone was leaving him. Dad. Mom. Now Maia. It was so unfair. It made him want to scream, to hit something, or someone. Sure, Kyle valued independence, but he hated being alone. He hated being ignored, looked down upon, and scorned for no apparent reason. Things like these were enough to spark something within Kyle that resembled the combustion of a fireball.
His grandparents, his mom, his father, and heck, even his junior high teachers and classmates, started calling him Spitfire, because clearly he wasn't the only one who was aware the frequent sear of feisty adrenaline that fueled his veins every now and then.
It constantly got him into trouble, but somehow, it seemed to always put a smile on his father's face, as if Kyle's wild behavior amused him in spite of scolding him.
His father. Ugh. For the past year, Kyle wanted nothing more than to hurt that bastard for abandoning them. Leaving without saying good-bye, without explanation, and without a single phone call for the first few weeks of his departure. For hurting their mom.
For betraying him. But if Arthur Dainson wasn't going to show up at any time for Kyle unleash his wrath and hatred that he had stored for his elder, the boy had decided instead to shun him. To ignore him, not speak about him, or have anything to do with the man.
It was the only way Kyle knew how to hurt him. That is, if his father cared enough to be hurt at all.
When they entered the house, the place dark and smelling strongly of sawdust from a longtime vacancy, Kyle felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. The dark thought he had toward his father were instantly overcome with one memory that scarred him for eight months since it had happened.
He was sprawled across the sofa, legs dangling over the arm as he, his sisters, and grandparents watched 'Back to the Future Part One.' Maia had her legs bunched up on the other end of the sofa, Lori laying across her lap. She was covered in her blue polar bears blanket, her dark hair tucked in, while holding her teddy bear and sucking her thumb, her brown eyes wide and entranced by the movie light. Grandma and Grandpa were in their own armchairs, though Grandpa had already passed out twenty minutes into the movie, snoring with an empty beer bottle in his lap.
Kyle must have been absorbed when he didn't realize how long ago his baby sister had gotten up and went to the kitchen, her blankets still wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. He had thought it was imagination that Lori was talking alone in the kitchen, but it was confirmed when Grandma asked Maia to go see what Lori was doing. In response, Maia's eyes lit up in surprise while peeking over and then had gotten up to go after the toddler.
"Lori! What are you doing?" demanded Maia, disbelief hinting her tone. "Who's that on the phone?"
Lori's on the phone? Kyle sat up and one quick glance behind him gave him proof. Who taught that kid how to dial?
"Daddy!" she answered cheerfully.
Oh, shit! Kyle felt himself tense up.
"He's gonna come home soon! He said so!"
Double shit!
"Wanna say hi?"
Maia knelt known at the child's level, took the phone while covering the receiver with one hand, before hissing at Lori, "Dad! Why did you call Dad? It's late, and you couldn't ask us about it first?"
"I miss him!" Lori protested. "I saw the parents in the movie and-and-and Daddy said we can call him any time we want! And he's gonna come home, Maia! He says he's gonna try!" Kyle felt sadness at Lori words, and bitterness toward his father's. It was one more reason to hate about his father: giving his youngest daughter false hope, especially when no one else had to the heart to take it away from her.
Maia sighed wearily, trying to find the right words to say without upsetting her sister. "Lori, Dad's hardly ever called us. He's hasn't even come to see us for months, not once! What he's doing right now...Look, Lori, I know you love Dad, but-"
"But what? Don't you love Daddy, too?" Her voice was quiet and small.
"No-I mean, yes! Of course I do, but that's not the point-"
"Can you just talk to him?" whimpered Lori, her voice trembling. "Please? Everybody's mad at him. I don't like it. I just want him to come home and not be scared that we're mad at him, 'cause I'm not!"
Of course you're not! You're four! Kyle huffed. Still, Lori was the sweetest and most loving of the three, even at her young age. He wondered, and secretly hoped, that she will never change that as she grows older.
"I-" Maia looked torn, and a little scared. Then she turned and noticed Kyle looking back at them. She gestured the phone at him, "Kyle, do you-"
Kyle frowned and rapidly shook his head. The answer was still the same, as it had been for seven months. He was not going to break. If Arthur Dainson wanted to talk to him, he had to come to him first and do it in person.
"Are you sure?" Maia's tone went up a notch, as she looked very uneasy.
"Will you just go ahead and talk to your father, honey?" Grandma called over to Maia. Her Texan accent was strong. "It'll do no good to ignore him forever."
"Thought you hated him?" scoffed Kyle.
"I hate what he did to you and your mother, my only daughter, but y'all best not jump to ugly conclusions, especially when he's the only parent awake at this time!" Grandma pointed out sternly. "Besides, I reckon we all be mature about this and decide that it's about time the man owes y'all an explanation. Am I right?"
Maia straightened up and reluctantly nodded. Then she nodded at Lori, whose face brightened as she was handed back the phone and spoke in it, "'Kay, I'm putting on Maia." She paused. "Daddy? Kyle keeps saying you won't come home 'cause you don't like us anymore."
Kyle winced. Actually, his specific words back then had been, "He doesn't care about us. Next time he calls, you can tell him I said, 'Go to hell!'" Not that Lori would tell Dad that. Maia probably tried to assure her that he didn't mean it. He probably didn't, but he was too stubborn to take it back.
"I know he's being mean, but...are ya really gonna come home?...You promise?" Lori sounded hopeful. The little girl was bouncing on her heels, and Kyle couldn't help a small smile. Then she stopped. "Yeah?" Then she smiled, so brightly it would melt even the iciest of hearts. "Okay, Daddy, I love you, too."
Lori had then handed the phone to Maia and scampered back in the living room. She leapt on the couch and started to curl up next to her brother, who had slumped back down and stared at the TV with glassy eyes. He blocked out Maia's voice talking to their dad in the kitchen. He heard Lori tell him, "Daddy says to tell you that he loves you," but he didn't move or say anything.
He didn't know what to think, or what to feel. He almost wished he didn't overhear the conversation, especially the part that made him learn that his father actually confessed his love directly, and Kyle still hadn't been there to hear. Lori was probably the first in her family to hear him say it. That was even more than their mom had ever gotten. There had been a time when Kyle and his family had just accepted that Arthur Dainson wasn't a man of words when it came to his emotions. It was shown through the tenderness in his eyes and smiles, reserved only for his wife and kids, his hugs, his teachings, his words (whether soothing or stern), his songs...through his actions, they knew him so well that he might as well say the words aloud, but was never actually said.
Kyle swallowed the hurt that lumped in his throat, his eyes misting with unshed tears. He felt so betrayed. It now felt like he didn't know the man at all. Why now, of all times? Why did Dad leave them and not even visit them once? Why?
"What was that?" Maia's voice suddenly rose an octave. Kyle and Lori sat up to look at her in the kitchen. "Dad-what? Are you at the farmhouse? That sounds like the farmhouse!" Maia's expression grew worried and suspicious, her fingers twitching nervously. "Look, Dad," she began, after hesitating before coming to a decision, "I'm going to drive over and-"
"NO! DO NOT COME OVER!" Maia, Kyle, and Lori jumped, startled. Arthur's voice was so loud from the speaker that everyone in the house could hear him...and it was completely overcome with fear and panic. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? DO NOT COME OVER!"
Kyle and Lori looked at each other, and then leapt off the couch to run into the kitchen. Even Grandma had gotten up, but went over to wake Grandpa.
"Dad? Dad!" Maia was now shouting, the phone still to her ear. Her breathing was quick as though she had been running, and her gray eyes were shifting with blindly fear and panic as she listened. They started to fill with tears. "Oh, my God! Dad!" Her voice became a high-pitched squeal. Lori had started crying when seeing her big sister in this much distress.
"What's going on?" Kyle burst out, just as Grandpa waddled into the kitchen, towed by Grandma, who said, "Maia, what's going on with your daddy? What's happening? Is he still on the phone?"
"No! I-I-I don't know-h-he didn't hang up, but he's not answering!" Maia stammered. Lori was still wailing and Kyle's limbs were frozen with terror, while Maia continued calling out to their father, tears now escaping her eyes, "Dad! Please, answer! Daddy!" She hadn't called him that since she was ten.
Grandpa had said something about calling the police and ordering the kids to keep the phone on speaker, when Kyle felt a rush of fire and ice searing his veins, his heart rate increasing with pure terror. Without thinking, he rushed forward and snatched the phone out of Maia's grasp.
"Dad!" his loud voice sounded hoarse. He tried to keep his breathing even, but failed miserably when hearing the airy silence from the receiver. "Dad, are you there?" he tried again. "Can you hear me? We're freaking out here, Dad, what's going on?"
Dead silence. Kyle snapped. "IS ANYONE THERE?" he screamed into the phone. Lori wailed louder, and Grandma picked her up, rocking and shushing her in the attempts to calm her.
A moment later, as Kyle listened for any signs of life-praying that the worst hasn't happened-he heard heavy breathing. Heavy, rough, growly breathing, as though it belonged to a grizzly bear.
"Hello?" Kyle demands, swallowing his fear. "Who is this?" Maia's eyes widened, mouthing 'Oh my God' in realized terror. "Where's my dad? Hello?"
The breathing continued. There was a small chuckle, low and menacing. It sent icy chills through Kyle. It was obvious that it wasn't Dad, and it most certainly wasn't a friend of his. Far from it, it seemed. It sounded like a really big dude. A big, scary dude...more like a monster than a man.
"Hey!" Kyle yelled into the phone, trying to sound brave and equally menacing, despite the childish crack in his voice. "I can hear you breathing, you creep! Where the hell is my father? I'm talking to you, you big-Hello? Hello?" The line went dead. Kyle redialed and waited, but it said the line was disconnected. He swore and started hyperventilating; he hadn't felt Maia wrap her arms around him, stroking his black hair to calm him, even though she herself was trembling.
Dad was dead. Dad was kidnapped. Dad was hurt. All the worst possibilities ran through Kyle's mind like a hurricane. Dad was truly gone.
In the other room, through Lori whimpering and the muffled pounding in his eardrums, he heard Grandpa calling the police.
"Great, lights are out!" Maia said, shaking Kyle out of his thoughts. She had been flipping the switch continuously, but without results. Lori whimpered. She was scared of the dark. Since the farmhouse was the only home within three miles of the country area, their electricity usually ran by the generator out back.
"Wait here, I have to turn on the generator," Maia announced, about to go.
"I'll do it," Kyle quickly said, beating her to the door. It was the least he could do to make up for snapping at her earlier...and ruining her time at the HoeDown. She had done nothing but try taking care of them, even when it should have been her night off, if not for her promise to Lori. Besides, he was the better mechanic. "I won't be long," he added, before running around the house outside.
His backpack was still hooked around his shoulders, so he reached into his side pocket to pull out his mini flashlight. Walking around back to the shed, he shivered. It shouldn't be cold outside. Far from it: it should be hot and humid, especially when it was the beginning of summer in Texas. Kyle was even wearing jeans and a red hoodie, covering his black T-shirt, along with black and white sneakers. All that should have had him sweating all day, despite his grandparents' warnings.
"Weird," he muttered. It didn't feel like it was going to rain soon, but even then, it would still be hot. A full moon was out.
Then he heard crunching noises...and gurgles. He frowned. Sometimes they got raccoons, or foxes. When he finally reached the shed, he pointed his flashlight on the backup generator-and then shined on two monsters. Two ghoulish, gray-skinned, apelike, yellow-eyed, scary as heck monsters!
They both turned toward him immediately, staring at him with gawking expressions. They had jagged fangs with their deformed jaws bathed in animal blood. Raccoon blood. Kyle let out a small noise, paralyzed where he stood, staring at these freaky gremlins like witnessing something out of a horror movie he once saw.
The ghouls stood up, their gray limbs all crooked and hunched over in their black-spike armor, as they edged toward him. In their hands were crooked-shaped black swords. One of them grinned horribly, the blood stains comparing it to a zombie. "Bad timin'?" it croaked.
Kyle swallowed his breath and straightened up, nodding. "You're telling me," he managed in a breathless, high-pitched voice––and then bolted.
Lori had her little flashlight on as she walked around the house, while Maia was texting Grandma to confirm they were in the farmhouse. It was not a very big place. There was no hallway, no stairs, two bedrooms, a small kitchen, a closet-sized office, and the living room with a couch, a basket full of toys for the kids (or just Lori now), a rocking chair, and a TV.
Hugging Teddy and her blanket, her little backpack still hooked to her shoulders, she went into Daddy's office. It was her favorite place, besides the horse farm (which was empty now), because Daddy had cool stuff in there.
He had a Microft computer he hardly used, letting his kids play games on it or do homework from time to time when they lived here, but what Lori really liked best about his office was the pictures and maps pinned on the wall.
They were pictures of New Zealand. The snowy mountains, the forests, the rivers, the lakes, the grasslands, the towns, the animals...everything Lori had ever dreamed of seeing. Her daddy was from New Zealand. He was a Kiwi. He had different accent and everything, but it had changed over the years when he moved to America with be with Mommy.
Both Mommy and Daddy had promised to take her there someday. The whole family. Daddy was going to show them the places where he grew up in. Ever since she was little, he had even taught her a code language that he made up himself when living there was a child. It wasn't a lot, but he had promised to teach her more when she was older.
Maia and Kyle had been taught before, but they soon gave up. Lori told herself over and over with determination that she will never give up. She loved stuff like this. Daddy also told her fairy tales about fairies, elves, dwarves, heroes, goblins, and wizards...though he never liked it when Maia and Kyle had played those fairy tale games when they were younger. Even movie and Kyle's video games seemed to upset Daddy, especially when the bad guys and monsters came up. She never knew why.
There were also drawings next to the photos. They had similar fashions of the New Zealand pictures, a few of Mommy in her cowgirl hat, a few of the kids as toddlers (Lori was a baby, laughing gleefully with her teddy bear just about the same size, Kyle about her age with messy black hair and wide eyes, and a nine year-old Maia, her hair beautiful as ever and face more childlike).
They were drawn years apart, obviously. Maia was thirteen years older and Kyle eight years older. Lori hugged her bear tighter. "Look, Teddy," she whispered. "I wanna go somewhere like that!" She pointed at the photos of the grassy hills containing tiny cottages and flowers. "It's so pretty!" That picture looked homey. Daddy had personally called it his 'shire,' whatever that meant.
Soft whispers answered with a slight ringing tune. She smiled. Sometimes it felt like Teddy was alive and listening to her.
"Hey, Lori," Maia called from the living room, making the little girl walk out of the office, "want to pick a movie?"
"Yeah!" She skipped over and jumped on the couch as Maia started digging in her bag, her purse still strapped across her chest.
"What is taking Kyle so long?" the young woman muttered under her breath.
As if right on cue, Kyle burst into the house and slammed the door so loudly the girls jumped in shock. The lock clicked. The boy was panting, his face drained with terror.
"Kyle, what are you-" demanded Maia, but was cut off by when Kyle sprinted across the room, grabbed the flashlights, and turned them all off.
"Kyle!" shrieked Lori in fear, as darkness surrounded her. She was about to scream even more when his larger hand slapped over her mouth, muffling her sound.
"Shut up!" he whispered frantically. Maia grabbed at his arm, but he violently shook her off and hissed at her, "Get down and be quiet!"
"Kyle, what the hell's the matter with you?"
"Okay, there's a monster out there-no, two monsters out there, and they were just chasing after me-there! There they are!" He pointed at the windows, which had been lit by moonlight but were now blocked by moving shadows.
Suddenly there was loud cracking thump on the door, as if hit by metal. The siblings fell silent, not even breathing. Lori was frozen with wide brown eyes underneath Kyle's hand. Maia was kneeling on the floor, staring wide-eyed as the door.
A gravely voice shrieked from the other side, like an animal. "We know yer in there, boy!" it bellowed. "There's nowhere t' hide!"
"Office," whispered Maia, gesturing at them urgently. "Into the office! Now!"
"What?" hissed Kyle. "It's freaking closet! We'll be trapped!"
"It's the only room in the house with a lock, okay?" Maia snapped, gathering them both up. They were still all wearing their bags. "Now keep your heads down and-"
The windows suddenly shattered. A dark creature with scary form jumped in, screeching loudly. Lori screamed loudly, Kyle joining her, and Maia shrieked while shoving her younger siblings away, "GO! GO, GO, GO!"
They were nearly at the office, Kyle carrying Lori, when the creature suddenly tripped over the basket of toys, crashing loudly while dropping its ugly sword. The squeaky toys mixed with the ghoul's continuos howling.
"GET IN! GET IN! CLOSE THE DOOR!" Kyle was shrieking as Maia started shoving the two in the office. The girl whipped around and started the pull the door closed, but then the ghoul lunged forward and his arm blocked the entrance.
The kids screamed loudly in panic as Maia struggled to close the door. Snarling, its clawed hand grabbed her carmel hair and started twisting it, causing Maia to shriek in pain.
"MAIA!" Kyle and Lori cried.
"C'mere, my pretty!" the ghoul spat, while Maia used one hand and her knee to hold the door and tried elbow it in the face with her other arm. Kyle rushed forward and leaned against the door, helping her hold it. Little Lori just froze wear she was, screaming at the horrifying struggle with tears running down her cheeks.
"Lori, do something!" shouted Kyle, as he struggled with the door.
"What?" screamed Lori.
"Pepper-spay...in my purse...NOW! ARG, LET ME GO!" Maia shrieked at the ghoul, who only laughed harshly in return as it kept grabbing at her hair.
Lori felt as though her worst nightmares had come to life, but her sister was in danger and it was real. Whimpering, she hurried over and dug her little hand in Maia's purse, which kept jerking back and forth from the struggles.
"Hold still!" shouted Lori, as she searched frantically in her sister's crazily enormous purse. "I can't find it!" Instead she pulled out a ballpoint pen.
Seeing it instantly, Kyle grabbed it, clicked it, and passed it Maia, who struggled to hold the pen in her fist and then instantly stabbed it in the ghoul's face. Right in the eye.
It shrieked with pain.
"HA! Pen's mightier than your crappy sword, freak!" called Kyle, sounding bolder.
Lori screamed along with the monster's screams and covered her eyes (which felt sensitive after watching), feeling sick. It was dark, but not dark enough for her not to remember that. How could Kyle stand it? It had to be those scary zombie games he plays!
It worked. The ghoul released Maia, shrieking from the pen stuck in its eye, and the girl front-kicked the thing in the chest out of the doorway before she and Kyle slammed it shut loudly. With shaking hands covered in black blood, Maia managed to double lock the door before followed another crashing thump on the other side. The whole office trembled with the pounding, dust falling from the ceiling.
Without the electricity, it was pitch black. Lori could not see her older siblings' faces, but she felt their bodies press around her as they huddled together, trembling and breathing hard with panic.
"It's the other monster!" gasped Kyle. "Maia, call someone! Grandma and Grandpa, the police, anyone!"
"Okay, okay-Oh, shit!"
"What?"
"I dropped it!"
"You what? You dropped what?"
"My phone! I dropped my damn phone! It's in the living room!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Kyle screamed. "We're about to be a killed by a psycho goblin and you drop your phone?"
"I was freaking out! I wasn't thinking!" Maia screamed back, as door started to crack.
"Okay, fine," panted Kyle, "you still have your pepper spray, and a few sharpened pencils, right?"
"We are not fighting that thing!"
"That thing is going to kill us if we don't do something! Besides, there's only one of him, right? Without Bert, there's no Ernie, right?"
"What?" With Maia's annoyed tone, Lori giggled and hiccuped through her tears at Kyle's sense of humor. "I can't believe you're joking in a time like this!" The door kept thumping and the ghoul kept growling viciously on the other side.
"You get what I mean! We can take that guy!"
"No!"
"Stop it!" sobbed Lori, and both stopped talking. The crashing continued and the little girl covered her ears. "Stop, stop, stop! I want my mommy! I want my daddy! I wanna go home! I'm scared!"
As she continued crying, she felt her big brother and sister both wrap their arms around her tiny, shaking body. Their bodies were tense, but warm and comforting. She sniffled, and buried her face in their arms. "I don't wanna die," she whispered.
"We're not going to die, L," whispered Maia, stroking her soft hair.
"We're going to be okay," said Kyle, though there a slight tremor in his voice. "We're going to be okay."
They stayed huddled close together, Maia having her arms around both of them, as they waited for the monster to crash down the door. Lori felt her heart pounding as she curled up in their laps, closed her eyes, and hugged her teddy bear, the object she cherished the most.
She kept praying in their mind that they would make it out. She really, really, really loved her brother and sister more than anything in the world. They were her favorite people, besides Mommy and Daddy.
She didn't want to die. She didn't want them to die. She wanted the three of them to be someplace else. Some place safer. Cheerier. Prettier. Their own, personal 'shire.'
We wanna be somewhere else, she prayed loudly over and over in her mind, from the deepest core of her heart. Take us away! Get us out of here! I wanna be somewhere else!
When the door finally down, the ghoul charging in with a screech, the children screaming in terror and covering their eyes...everything dissolved.
Blackness became sparks of flames like fireworks, the air thunderous with loud, incomprehensible noise. Everything was white, gold, red, like fire. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. She was on fire. She couldn't feel her brother and sister with her anymore. She tried to scream for them, but her voice was lost in all the roaring noise of the racing void.
She saw a mountain…..a lake...red scales…..fire and death….caves...desolation...a golden ring...and a white gem that shined like it contained a living galaxy...
The Heart of the Mountain...Home…..Maia….Kyle…..Lori...
...then came forth a large, flaming eye with a dark armored phantom in the center as the pupil. It overwhelmed her senses with such destructive power that scared her more than anything else. She screamed, waving her hands in front of her as if to fight off this monstrous force...
...then came a blinding white flash that popped like a firecracker, felt herself fall, and hit the ground below her with a choking gasp. The air became clean and silent, only filled a silent breeze and a soft birdsong. When she moved her fingers, they gripped the fresh blades of grass.
When Lori opened her tearful eyes, she saw green tree tops and the sun. When she slowly sat up, the little girl found herself surrounded by green hills, gravely pathways, flower fields, and a nearby forest. Nearby lay the unconscious forms of Kyle and Maia, along with their bags and Lori teddy bear.
When it finally sank in, she smiled, suddenly forgetting all her worries.
"We're here," she whispered. "We're at Daddy's 'shire.'"