A/N The boys are going to be playing Sardines in this chapter, so if you don't know what it is it's basically a game where two or more people count to thirty or so (in this case, it's ten) and one person hides. When the counters are finished counting, they go separate ways to find the hider. When someone finds the hider, instead of making a big fuss, they hide with them in that spot. Usually the last person to find the hiders becomes the new hider for the next game. Hope this helps! :3 This chapter was an idea from Moongirl123. Thanks so much for curing me of the dreaded writer's block!

Chapter Six, Babysitting Part One

Darry- 10

Sodapop- 6

Ponyboy- 3 1/2

"Darry, are you sure you're ready to watch your brothers?" Mrs. Curtis asked her eldest son anxiously as she took her coat from the rack. "We don't have to go, you know. Your father and I are perfectly fine with not going out tonight."

"I'm sure!" Darry exclaimed, beaming up at his mother with a toothy grin. "How much am I gettin' paid?"

His mother let out a nervous laugh and said something like 'we'll talk about it later'. She apprehensively checked her watch and then called her husband, tapping her foot nervously on the hard floor. Mr. Curtis was over by the couch tickling Soda, while Ponyboy was sprawled out in front of the television, sucking his thumb, as the reflections of Looney Tunes danced in his eyes.

"All right, all right," Mr. Curtis said as his stood up, dusting off his jacket. Sodapop, eyes squeezed shut and gasping in laughter, rolled of the sofa and landed on the floor with a thump.

"Oh, dear," his mother said softly. "Darry, you know what the main emergency number is, right?" she asked.

"I do! I do!" yelled Soda from off the floor. "911! 911! 911!"

Satisfied, Mrs. Curtis nodded, hugged and kissed her boys, and followed her husband out the door, saying, "Have fun, boys. We love you!" At the sound of its closing, Ponyboy finally looked up from the television at his brothers.

"Where did they go?" he asked softly, eyes alert and somewhat tense.

"They've gone out to eat, Pony," Soda said gently, sitting down beside his little brother. He knew how Ponyboy handled situations like this. "But they're gonna be back soon. Here- how about we play a game? You wanna play Sardines?" Soda had always liked how intelligent his younger brother was; his sentences were very advanced, and the games he liked were brighter than other three-year-olds.

"Yes, yes, yes," Ponyboy returned. "Darry and you count to ten, and I will hide."

"Okay," Soda replied. "Sounds good." Ponyboy gleefully scrambled up from the floor as an enthusiastic Soda and a somewhat uninterested Darry began to count.

Pony scurried through the hall until he discovered what an excellent hiding place the bookshelf in his parents' room would be. After smooshing his chubby toddler limbs to fit the tight space, he waited. This was one of his favorite hiding places.

"Ready or not, here we come!" Soda's voice was muffled from inside the bookshelves. It was hard for Ponyboy not to let out at least a tiny giggle at this point, but what refrained him from doing so was an alarmingly human-like shadow lurking outside the window. The white curtain made its shadows even more lengthened and extreme. He gulped. Darry had told him chilling stories about aliens before, and from then on Ponyboy dreaded the mere thought of one of those horrifying, otherworldly creatures hiding in his closet.

But this alien wasn't in his closet. It was outside. And he was safe inside, right?

"Scoot over, Pony," whispered Soda, startling Ponyboy so much that he sat straight up and whacked his head on the bookshelf's hard hickory roof. "Oh, man, I'm sorry!" Soda said, then lowered his voice so as not to be heard from Darry, who was surely on to something now that Ponyboy had banged his head so loudly. "I didn't mean to scare ya-"

"Soda- there's an alien outside!" Pony hissed.

"Huh? What? Not right now, Pony. Darry's gonna find us before I've even hid with you. Now scoot over, will ya?"

"But- Soda!" Ponyboy whined as Soda squeezed in next to him.

"Tell me later, okay?" he whispered.

"But-"

CRASH!

The window to their right was impaled with something -a rock- that now clattered to the floor along with the remains of shattered glass fragments. Big, heavy boots thudded onto the carpet, grinding the little shards into dust. Sodapop's stomach flew to his chest, and dizziness overtook his body. He wrapped his arms tightly around his little brother, who was trembling profusely; images of spine-tingling aliens were most likely flashing through his mind. Aliens. Wasn't that what Pony had said? Yes. But this was no alien. Soda almost wished for one instead at this moment.

The footsteps were quick and hurried, despite their weighty and lumbering appearance. Dresser drawers were thrown open, and they thudded to the floor in a crashing heap.

Soda remembered a time when his teacher had mentioned to the class the safety precautions of dealing with bullies, free-candy trucks, and burglars. After school, Soda had raced home to tell his mother how well he knew about safety. "Very good!" she had said, feeding Ponyboy with a spoon. "You'll know exactly what to do in situations like those." Soda returned that of course he would, but nothing like that would ever happen. "Oh, Soda. Don't ever think like that," Mrs. Curtis warned. "Everything always happens."

And now, Sodapop realized how incredibly true her statement was. As Soda was frozen like a statue, his brother was quivering uncontrollably with terror. The hulking footfalls sounded menacing, and the heavy breathing of the alien made him want to shrink into his shoes.

After an interminable eternity, the intruder left; his boots echoing throughout the house like a giant's.

"Psst!" a voice hissed from beneath the bed. Darry.

"Darry!" Soda whispered back. Relief washed over every corner of his body, and he felt as if he could cry. "How did you get down there?!"

"I-"

The footsteps raced by the door, then faded.

"I followed you, Soda, as you came in. I was gonna jump out and scare ya'll."

"But how-"

"How did I know that Pony was gonna be hiding in the bookcase? Soda- he hides there every time."

'Oh' was all Soda could reply.

"Soda, we gotta get out of here," Darry whispered after a few seconds.

"The alien will know," Ponyboy interjected.

"Ponyboy-"

The boys fell silent. Because, after all, the trespasser had fallen silent, too.

A/N Haha sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger and another part two. I just really don't like going much over a thousand words. I hope to update sooner than the last time- sorry! I had a good reason ;) I am totally obsessed with all of you guys' ideas! I really hope to use lots of them. Once again, much thanks to Moongirl123 for the chapter idea. Also, thanks more than anything for your continuous support. Don't forget to leave a review! :)