Shane and I had finally gone up to bed at about three. We'd had a movie night and none of us wanted the night to end, especially me because part of me knew what would happen the next day.
Shane was sleeping with his arms tightly wrapped around me. I was dozing back off when a light knock sounded. I groaned but managed to weasel out of Shane's arm to slid the lock back and pulled the door open as quietly as a house this old could be.
"Good morning," Nikki said, her face lacking emotion.
"There's nothing good about it if you wake me up at seven in the morning when I'm sure you know we all stayed up late last night." I tried to whisper as quietly as I could but my anger got a better hold of me and I checked over my shoulder to make sure Shane was still asleep before I stepped out the door and shut it behind me.
"Claire, I told you we need to get this done, we can't let the crack open anymore." She said matching my volume.
"You promised I could go to class today. So I'm not going with you today." I wanted to put my foot down this time. I wasn't going to let them bully me into it.
"We got you excused and I'm sure you can make up the difference. They understood that it was urgent. Grant can be very persuasive. So get dressed we're leaving in ten minutes." She turned to walk down the hall but I grabbed her shoulder and she turned to face me still no emotion to be read.
"No I don't care if you me out of school and my professors are all okay, it's the principal of the matter. Going to school just part of the experience." I yelled not even caring if I woke anyone else up.
"Claire, I understand your concern, but I want you to understand that if you don't help there won't be a school to attend to but I'm afraid that this take precedence." She pulled her arm away, but when she turned Michael stood blocking her path with Eve jus behind him. "Michael, sorry for waking you but Claire and I must go."
"Sorry, but we're not going to let Claire go by herself."
Nikki sighed in exasperation and turned back to look at me. I saw her eyes flicker over my shoulder and I knew Shane had come out to join the party. When her eyes refocused I could see the same anger she held yesterday as she attacked me.
I took a step back and ran into Shane and he wrapped his arms around me. I felt a little better, until she took a step towards me. Shane tensed but just as I was about to say something Grant came up the stairs.
"Nikki, come on now. No need for this." Her red eyes swiveled towards Grant and I could see her head tilt like she was considering something. "Nikki, come on, snap out of it now." Nikki straightened and then nodded. She glanced back at me, her eyes back to normal before going back down the stairs.
"I thought you were the one having the trouble with managing the wrath sin, not her." Michael said seeming to relax once Nikki's steps had stopped echoing on the stairs.
"I am, but she's been trying to keep me under control, and by doing that she takes on so much more wrath it's really just not good for her. She can't seem to control herself. But at least she'll listen." Grant said as he effectively moved himself into the same spot Nikki had been. "Now back to business. Claire, I'm afraid that you must come with me. Last night we visited the door and noticed that it's ready to break. It will happen any day now."
"But you wanted the door to crack." Eve said speaking up.
"Well yeah, but we're not ready yet. We don't have anything prepared and they would overwhelm us and then we'd never get them back." Grant spoke quickly like he was ready get out of here.
"Well we're still at an impasse because I'm not going with you." I said again.
"Claire, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way, and besides if you willingly come with us your friends can come too. So what do you say?" I couldn't look him, not really instead I focused on Eve and Michael behind him. Eve looked like she rather be anywhere but here, Michael on the other hand was watching me. I knew he was waiting for me to answer but I really had no clue what to say.
"Come on Claire, nothing's going to happen to you please help us."
"You promise you won't hurt any of us?"
"We never were going to," he sounded sincere but honestly after everything I've been through I didn't trust them. "Come on now, everything will be okay."
"Fine the sooner we get this over with the sooner we can all return to a normal life."
"Excellent. Go get dressed, I'll be waiting for you downstairs." He left us alone and we all returned to our rooms to throw some clothes one. Shane and I didn't talk while we got dress and I minute I was finished I opened the door. Michael and Eve were dressed and waiting in the hall for us. We looked at each other for a moment before we headed down the stairs. Grant stood by the front door spinning a quarter around his knuckles but stuffed it into his pocket as we approached. I looked in the living room for Nikki, but she was nowhere to be found.
"I sent her on ahead. I thought it would be best to give her some time to cool down," Grant said knowing just what I was looking for. "She left the car so let's go." Grant opened the front door and we filed out. He went to the driver's door this time as Shane, Eve and I maneuvered ourselves into the non-existence backseat while Michael took shotgun.
Grant was a careful driver and made me feel a lot safer to be in the car than when Nikki was driving. He flipped on the radio to make the drive go by faster and when we pulled in front of the day house this time Grandma Day sat on her rocking chair.
"Morning Ms. Day," I called getting out of the car. She waved and smiled down to us.
"Well Claire it has been a long time. Hope nothing crawling out of the dark for you anymore."
"No ma'am, not right now," I smiled and we went about our way down the alleyway. I pulled the wood panels away and held it open as Michael, Eve, and Shane went first. Grant held the panel and waited for me to go first. I peeked my head in but I couldn't see any beyond the stairs it was still dark.
"I thought you said Nikki was here already," I said pulling my head back out.
"Oh she is, she just likes the dark better. Here I brought a flashlight this time." Grant said pulling a flashlight from his jacket pocket. I flipped it on and stepped in. Everyone waited carefully at the top layer and I led the way down with the flashlight. The minute we stepped onto the ground floor the flashlight began to flicker and dim.
I hit it a few times trying to rejuice the batteries but finally it flickered off.
"Grant, you didn't bring any batteries did you?" I asked the room, but I got no reply. "Grant," this time a little louder.
"Don't worry little Claire everything will be fine," I heard Nikki coo from behind me. I turned around just in time to feel something nice a cold slip into my neck. "Everything will be fine." Nikki said again right before I blacked out.
I'm sorry about the wait yet again. My hard drive on my computer crashed and I wasn't in the mood to type after it all got erased. But now that summer has come I think I can get more chapters done. Please, please, please review, it is much appreciated.