Title: Under the Bed
Summary: Toris did not believe him; Eduard sought to deny what could not be proved without a microscope. In the end, Raivis is the only one who knows what happened.
Pairings: None intended
Disclaimer: Hetalia Axis Powers and the short stories of creepypasta dot net are the creations of Hidekaz Himaruya and an unknown author respectively. I am merely a writer taking creative liberties.
Every child fears under their bed. If they don't, they fear the closet, or maybe that little crack in the almost closed door.
Most adults accept that children are perceptive, they see things adults don't. They aren't yet tethered into only accepting what society wants them to accept. They see what is truly there.
They see the monsters.
If you were to borrow a child's eyes and see through them for a night, you would go insane. To be able to see what you only dimly remember, burrowing into your covers while wearing those train pajamas, hoping to a God you can barely comprehend that it doesn't see you back would drive an adult crazy. Because Adults forget the rules.
1) Cover yourself. If you can't see it, it can't see you. Even if it makes it harder to breathe.
2) Don't cry out. Don't make a sound.
3) Don't move. It attracts their attention.
4) Only light can make them go away. Bright light. Flashlights make it worse.
Teens are caught in the middle. They still feel what's there, but they cannot see and they forget the rules?
Why do you think there are so many insomniacs typing at their computers, subconsciously praying the light from their monitor will be enough to keep them away?
Why do you think so many teens run away from home? Or are assumed to have done so?
Raivis thought they would go away.
Raivis thought, hoped, prayed they would go away and just leave him alone. He tried telling the others. Toris had listened attentively, but he had smiled and ruffled his hair afterwards, telling him not to worry; that they would not bother him with Big Brother Toris and Eduard around. He could tell, however, from Toris' affectionate and sympathetic tone that he plainly did not believe his small, scared little brother.
Eduard had listened to him seriously, frowning slightly, eyes dark behind the wire-rimmed glasses he sported. When Raivis had finished, the teenager had shaken his head, smiled slightly, and reminded him that such things were not logical and therefore not true. That paranoia, perhaps even hallucinations, would account for all of his problems, and then some. Eduard had listed some instances and debunked them with hard fact, as a sort of demonstration.
As much as Raivis found Toris' maternal assurance comforting and Eduard's logic resistance solid, and enjoyed them as such, that did not prevent him from eyeing every crack and shadow nervously come nightfall, shivering even more violently, and trying to suppress his convulsions. He would pull the thin sheets covering him and his siblings over his head, and wish for something more substantial, all the while trying to keep his lips pressed tightly shut and wincing in fear every time he made a sound.
More often than not, he would wake to the sound of clicking keys and see Eduard busy at work, hunched over his self-assigned projects and jobs, a lamp flooding the desk and all nearby areas with light. Raivis became nervous at those times, eyes darting to every shadow cast by the lamp, until Eduard noticed him and shook his head, his lips pressed tightly together. Raivis would lie back, and close his eyes to the sounds of Eduard's frantic work. He could always be comforted by his brothers' company.
Until the day Eduard left.
He was simply gone, without taking any of his possessions with him. He left no note, and Toris and Raivis waited long into the night for the teenager's return. The next day passed in the same fashion, and the next. After a year, Toris had to give up hope.
Eduard had probably found somewhere that suited him, the young man commented mildly. He was probably happy and had no desire to return. Perhaps he had a steady job and respect. They should accept his actions and try to do so as well.
However, Raivis knew it was not true. It was not logical, and therefore not true. Eduard's disappearance and the lack of evidence did not match up.
He had not run away.
They had taken him.