It's 2 AM...the following morning after the first chapter. Yeah, I'm pullin' nights again. It isn't overworking, it's just me not wanting to go to bed. I think Sandman has been falling back on dreamsand being sent to my house.

Anyway, here's another ditty for you all. Hope you like it :)

I found myself returning to the house these two girls lived in without the intention of doing so. You ever get that feeling you need to go somewhere and your feet automatically take you there, or at least your mind? That's what happened to me. I found myself standing in the front room, right across the open kitchen and watching Sadie's older sister wash dishes and scrub the counters with a pink sponge. She wore some sort of work uniform with her hair tied up with a dark green ribbon, to which I assumed was just part of the uniform itself.

"Fancy seeing you again." I stated, watching her for some reaction.

She just continued to scrub at the countertop, keen on removing hardened pasta sauce from the night before and chocolate stains.

"Typical." I muttered, pulling out the white country chair and sitting down on it.

Immediately, Alice whipped around, eyes wide open in fear. She looked around, and I could almost hear her nervous breath.

After a moment, she took a slow breath, laughed at herself and continued scrubbing at the counter, using her other hand to let the other rest.

An idea popped into my mind, making me grin. I moved the chair back so it scraped against the linoleum, and again, I got the same reaction from her. But this time, she was clutching the pink sponge frantically, and this time she didn't turn back. What, was she going to scrub me if she saw it was me making that noise? What a clever choice for a weapon. Note the sarcasm.

She cursed under her breath before calling out, "Sadie? Sadie, you better not be skipping school."

I waited, grinning widely. I haven't been this mischievous in quite a long time. Probably about fifty five years, give or take. Silently, I stood back up without making the chair scratch against the floor, and with careful fingers, closed an open drawer that was used for folded dish towels.

Again, same reaction. "Dammit, I'm going insane." Alice whimpered, and I could tell she was afraid.

I laughed for a while, enjoying the look of pure fear on her face before watching Alice again. Without turning back to the sink, she wiped her hands dry with a blue checkered towel, her eyes darting at everything in the front room and to the kitchen that overlooked the small living room with the view of the forest outside.

After a silence, she whispered, "Tap the table if you're a ghost."

I knew what she was doing. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. For someone so old, she sure was amusingly innocent and naive.

"Tap…"she gulped, afraid of the words that would come out of her mouth, "Tap the table if you...you know Sadie."

I knew what she meant. I smirked as I rapped my knuckles against the table, as if knocking on a door to enter. Alice heard the noise instantly, and whispered, "Oh, fucking God." under her breath as she held up her hands to her mouth.

"Tap if you're the Boogieman." she commanded, a bit loud due to her absolute fear.

I tapped again, and just like that, she screamed. That time, I was truly worried.

Her sparkling brown eyes directly looked straight into mine.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!" she chanted, her fingers tightly woven into her hair, pulling gently. The terror flashed brightly in her eyes, her mouth opening and closing in silent prayers to God from such fear writhing inside her. I could almost smell it.

I looked at her without blinking. It didn't click until now that she could see me.

"Holy shit." she breathed, covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide as gumballs.

"Watch your language. It can become a habit. Believe me." I said, still unaware that she could physically see me.

"I'm sorry! I just….oh God, you really do exist." Alice breathed, staring at me with both a wide mouth and wide eyes.

"You…" I gulped, "You can see me?" I blinked dumbly at her, and she slowly nodded, unsure how to really nod to that.

"How come I couldn't before? You were with Sadie last night." Alice breathed, cautiously lowering her hands, which were shaking furiously.

"You didn't believe in me. Am I right?" I raised a brow at her, and she shyly looked away, unsure how to respond once more.

"I...I'm sorry. What I said about you being a ghoul and all was really mean of me." she awkwardly rubbed her arm, her white button up sleeve bunching up to her elbow.

She looked quite shocked that I was laughing about it. I honestly was surprised, too, but it was still amusing in some sort of way. The way she just so timidly apologized and the blush from embarrassment was probably the cause of it.

"It was rather rude, but I forgive you." I nodded, the laughing smile still on my face.

She stared at me, her mouth parted in speechlessness. Her hands were clasped together and by the base of her throat, as if she was prepared to cover her mouth in shock if something were to happen again. Her dark chocolate eyes blinked rapidly before giving a small, shy smile. Not many humans have dared cast a smile in my general direction before. Clearly, this girl has strength hidden behind such frail arms and wide eyes.

"Please, sit, I'll make tea or something or...or, um, do you like coffee? I make a mean honey-roasted blend." she offered, frantically searching for a cup in one of the cabinets above the stove.

I held up my hand to refuse her offer, but she already started the kettle of water and the coffee machine, and even polished a mug painted dark blue with one single white stripe across the middle. She eagerly looked over at me, waiting for some sort of reply. How could I say no to her generosity? It's been so long since someone has really showed hospitality and kindness to me, I had to accept it with reluctantly open arms.

"I...well, coffee would do. Thank you." I mumbled, awkwardly sitting down. This girl was definitely strange.

"So what were you doing in my little sister's room last night? Were you planning to give her a nightmare?" she meant it as a joke, but something told me we both knew the answer to that.

"I'm...wait, you're her sister?!" I exclaimed, looking up at her with surprised eyes.

She raised a brow, shrugging at my behavior. "Yeah, I am. Why? What's wrong with that?"

"She's...how old is she? There must be a huge age difference." I breathed, running a hand through my dark hair. Really, if Sadie was as young as I thought and she was old as I thought, their parents were weird people.

But Alice simply smiled at that, understanding where I was coming from with that. "It's okay, Pitch. Sadie is nine, and I'm twenty one. My parents had me when they were in their early twenties, and they really weren't sure of having another kid until they decided twelve years later I was done being lonely. Or something like that." She halfheartedly shrugged, and turned back to the stove to turn off the boiling water.

I counted in my head, before saying aloud to myself, "So your parents were at least in their early thirties when they had Sadie…"

"Good math, pal. You're pretty bright!" Alice laughed at her little jab, setting the mug of coffee in front of me.

The smell was overwhelming, and not really in a bad way. I haven't tasted coffee in quite some time, and I'll admit it, I missed the flavor. Back in the past, I drank straight up black coffee, sometimes mixing whiskey in it if I was feeling like crap, but that old habit died pretty badly. I haven't touched a drop of coffee since then, so I was unsure whether to really drink this so called 'honey roasted' coffee. I hesitantly took a sip, the burning sensation not bothering me one bit. Alice's eyebrows rose up seeing that I didn't flinch at the intense heat. I was used to temperatures, even in extreme cases. It's just a natural spirit thing.

Damn. That is good coffee. Was that a hint of peppermint in there?

"Pretty good, right? I used to work at Starbucks, so I learned a few tricks." she proudly folded her arms before sitting down across from me as if I had amazing stories to tell.

All I could do was nod in agreement with her statement as I took another gulp of the coffee, not ready to let the sweet flavor come to an end. It was pretty satisfying, and I rarely thought that about food or drinks.

"Was I right saying that you were with Sadie, like she said?" she asked, this time the smile seemed bitter.

I slowly nodded, not sure whether I'll be hated for it or kicked out of the house. "Afraid so."

"Why?"

Ooh, she's a quick one. I like that. The question must have been just eagerly waiting on her tongue she couldn't wait to ask it. When I looked at her after another sip of coffee, she was very serious. She almost had a teacher glare when she looked at me, and it was something I have not seen on a woman in quite some time. Well, at least directed at me.

I really didn't want to get into that conversation just yet. It's best if we just avoided it at all cost for now. So that's what I told her.

Alice nodded slowly, looking at her hands on the table. It was silent for a while before she finally said quietly, "When I was little, my mother told me that the Boogieman knew everyone's fears. Is it true?"

I nodded, the words getting stuck in my throat. Why? Not even I knew.

"Prove it." she leaned back in her seat challengingly, as if I might be lying.

I rolled my eyes. Clearly this girl was naive, because no one this foolish would dare challenge a man like me. She doesn't understand that I could have potentially killed people by scaring them to death...Alright, if she insists.

"You're afraid of losing your little sister like you lost your parents. You're afraid of losing everything you love like when-"

"STOP IT!" she screamed, standing up and slamming her hands on the table, "Alright, I get it! Get out! Now!" she pointed to the door furiously.

I merely gave her a questioning look, and calmly said, "Now, dear Alice, why would you react like that when you asked in the first place?"

"Get out! Get the hell out!" she screamed, covering her face angrily, "You knew that would hurt me!"

"I swear to the Constellations above I didn't." I shook my head, but she merely pointed to the door again, her eyes shut tight to hold back angry tears.

I did indeed leave the premises of that house and wandered in the woods and beyond, but hesitantly. To be quite honest, I was angry that she would just explode like that even if she dared me to prove myself wrong. It was her own fault! She should have known what was to come. Maybe it was also part of my fault, since I touched something so fragile. I should know by now that mortals are very sensitive to death. Even the mere word makes them shudder in fear. I should have known how Alice felt about the loss of her parents, or at least remember my own pain I felt when my loved ones died.

But they died many centuries ago. And the last of my kin hates my very existence. At least, I like to think so. I have never seen her, but I know she is around. She could be watching me at that very moment, but that thought never crossed my mind. At that moment in my life, I wasn't concerned about trying to make amends with my daughter. I was more interested in this strange twenty one year old that could see me.

Grudgingly, I went back to the tiny house around dusk, and I saw the two sisters at the table, eating what looked like to be vegetable soup with meatballs floating in the broth like beach balls in a pool. Sadie poked her meat disgustedly, and Alice said something with a straight face that made Sadie grudgingly eat a meatball. I couldn't help but chuckle. That girl was highly amusing. Granted, both of them were interesting to a degree. Maybe Alice a little more than Sadie.

Deciding to be sneaky, I crept back into the house but hid in the shadows, blending in enough so that no one could detect my presence. The house was dark enough due to the time, only the light of the kitchen on and the hallway light, and it cast eerie shadows that I greatly enjoyed.

Sadie plopped another meatball into the soup before looking up at her older sister. Alice was sadly spooning some broth before taking a bite and drinking a sip of iced tea. I take it the broth was too watery. Healthy, but watery.

"You okay, Alice?" Sadie asked, to which her older sister shrugged slowly.

"Not really...I've been thinking about Mom and Dad again."

"Oh…" Sadie was quiet for a while before asking timidly, "May I be excused? I want to go play with Pitch before I go to bed." Sadie asked, looking up at her sister hopefully.

I couldn't help but smirk in victory as Alice looked forlornly at the door near the kitchen that led outside. Sadie followed her line of sight, and almost instinctively, drew in a sharp, angry breath.

"Did you chase him out?!" she demanded, causing her older sister to startle.

"What? No, I-!" she started, but Sadie stood up on the table and tearfully screamed.

"It's because you yelled at him, isn't it?! He knows about Mommy and Daddy and you're scared of him because you think he's evil! You're just stupid! You're stupidly afraid of trusting people!" Sadie burst.

"That's enough, Sadie!" her sister shouted, standing up abruptly, "I will not tolerate that tone of yours!"

"You don't tolerate anything, whatever that means! You're just mean to anyone that comes into our house!" Sadie stomped down the hallway angrily.

"GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

"I'm already IN my room!"

And cue the slamming of a bedroom door. Typical.

Clearly, this family is very dysfunctional due to the deaths of their parents. This hardly was a family anymore. Alice screamed a punishment of no television or dessert for a week, and Sadie responded with an angry, 'I hate you too!' before her bedroom door slammed shut again, making the house shake.

Alice stood there at the table, shaking in pure anger and at the tears that poured down her cheeks. Her sobs scratched at her throat as she took the bowls of soup and put them in a plastic bowl for leftovers, sniffing as she capped the container and put it in the creaky fridge. Crying a bit louder, she rubbed at her eyes like an immature child and leaned against the table, shaking terribly.

I felt bad. I truly did. Here I was, hiding in the shadows and just watching this unfold. I've seen families break apart that were driven by fear, but this was one of the worst cases. They were only sisters with no parents to guide them, barely something to call home and were struggling with their own selves. I pitied them...I knew what it was like to have everything dear to them taken away, left with almost nothing and with no hope.

I wish I could have come out of the shadows and just comfort Alice to just ease her crying. I didn't like how red her face got as she cried. It scared me. And I, the Nightmare King, was rarely scared.

Before I could follow through with my plan, Alice was already running down the hallway opposite of the east part of the house, and slammed her own bedroom door shut tightly, locking it for an extra measure. I could faintly hear her echoing cries as I stood in the center of the kitchen, unsure with what to do at that moment. I knew my option of comforting Alice would be prohibited, since she was in fact angry with me and thought I wasn't there. Sadie wanted to see me, so I might as well comfort her first.

Not like I was good at it or wanted to...

I carefully opened the fridge and got out a shiny, red apple before morphing through the shadows into Sadie's room, and noticed immediately that she sat on her quilted bed, rubbing her eyes stubbornly at tears that wanted to drip down. From the looks of it, she was refusing to even let that happen. I couldn't help but smile. I remembered when my daughter was like that when she was Sadie's age…

I knelt in front of her, and gently rested a hand on her arm to cease her sniffling. She opened her eyes, not grinning at the sight of me but surely happy I was there. She sniffed once more before bowing her head, her lower lip stuck out childishly.

"You didn't really finish your dinner, little one." I did a quick elbow trick with the apple, flipping it upside down before letting it slide, and then flipping it again into her open hands.

Sadie sadly smiled, and took a bite of the red apple, still sniffling a tiny bit. I sat next to her, watching her contentedly eat the apple I provided for her. I've never really given something to a kid that wasn't a nightmare before. Even if it was just something worthless like an apple, it felt nice giving something out of thought. I needed to do that more often.

"Sadie...what you said to your sister was mean." I finally said calmly, and I noticed Sadie's irritated sigh.

"It's her fault," Sadie said grumpily, "She blames everyone for Mommy and Daddy's death. She just...doesn't trust anyone. She's afraid to, and it makes her stupid."

"No it doesn't. Being afraid of something doesn't make anyone stupid. Believe me, I'm a professional in this sort of area." I tried cracking a joke, but it only made the little girl sadly smile.

"I just...she can see you now, right?" Sadie looked up at me, her big blue eyes were quite comical.

"Yes, she can. All thanks to you, little one." I said, awkwardly patting her head.

Sadie sighed again, not amused by the slightest, "And she yelled at you."

I was silent for a while. Sadie did have a valid point. But then again, I should have known that would happen. I'm not exactly idolized for spreading fear, so to speak.

"Well...you need to give your sister a little respect. She misses your parents. She misses them a lot. Don't you?" I asked.

Sadie plopped one of her other yarn dolls she has not yet introduced me to into my lap, but just played with her yarn doll Jenna in her own hands. She nodded, still not smiling, "Yeah, I miss them. But I can't remember them. I can't remember them enough like Alice does." she sadly admitted, brushing back loose red yarn from the doll's unblinking button eyed face.

"Your sister loves you, Sadie. She just wants to protect what she loves most, and that's you. The thing is, fear is what drives people to protect what they love in life. She already lost something dear to her, and she doesn't want to lose you the same way." I explained.

That's when Sadie's lower lip started quivering again. Her sniffling started up once more and she rubbed her cheek to get rid of dried up tears.

"I know, I love her, too. But it isn't fair how she got mad at you. So many people don't like you. I just want her to make friends, and I want you to be friends with her. You know?" she looked up at me, her blue eyes almost brimming with newly formed tears.

I couldn't help but chuckle, and then used the doll she gave me to wipe her eyes with it's little finger-less, brown hand. Sadie smiled and took a deep breath before beaming up at me, glad I was at least attempting to make her smile. She was the one kid I've met that I didn't like seeing cry. I guess Sadie was almost like how Jamie Bennett is to Jack Frost. They have a special connection as a first believer, as well as a feeling of brotherhood. Maybe Sadie could be someone I would consider like a daughter.

"Pitch, can I have a hug?" Sadie whimpered, crawling over to me.

"Boogiemen don't hug, little one." I shook my head, but I found myself forced to hold this nine year old in my arms as she hugged me, burying her head in my chest as she let out all the pent up sadness.

I didn't really know what to do at first. I haven't been the fatherly type for almost a thousand years, so the know-how of such things like this was almost lost to me. But still, something instinctively told me to pat her back and hold her tighter, promising her a feeling of security. I don't recall my own parents doing that for me when I was mortal way back in the past. But it felt nice comforting something so young. It brought back memories I had once cast aside as hopeless dreams.

"Alright. You had your hug." I tried plucking her off, but she clung on like a leech.

"Can I tell you what happened to Mommy and Daddy?" Sadie asked, not looking up at me but at her own hands.

"I believe that your sister has the right to tell me, little one, so you do not need to. I'll ask her when she's ready." I said after a moment's thought.

Sadie looked up at me, expressionless at first. For a minute I thought she was finally getting sleepy and would be going to bed soon, but she simply smiled and hugged me again. I couldn't help but stiffen once more.

"Why would Sandy call you evil?"