75- The Creel Family

Summary: In 1959, Alice Creel is trying to connect with her brother. Meanwhile, Victoria is starting to see her son for who he truly is while Victor just wants a perfect family/peace.

Requested by: 43

"Henry?" Alice called upwards, her voice echoing along the spiraling staircase.

Her brother had become more and more isolated since they moved into large house. Alice wanted to get to know him better, instead of the quiet, interesting boy she knew today.

"Henry?" Alice pushed open the door to the attic.

There he was, using a lantern for light, sitting at an old trunk with a jar on top.

"Henry? What are you doing?" she whispered.

Alice walked around him, finding his eyes closed.

She gently pushed his shoulder, but his eyes remained closed.

Alice went to poking him instead.

On the 13th poke, Henry's eye's snapped open.

Alice stumbled back, surprised.

"Yes?" her brother drawled out.

"Oh, uh, I just wanted to know what you were doing." Alice stammered out.

Henry peered at her for a moment, before pursing his lips.

"Would you like to join me?" he asked.

Alice felt her eyebrows shoot up her forehead.

She hesitated, not sure if it was a good idea.

Henry's face quickly contorted from curious to angry when Alice hesitated.

Alice realized this and raced to sit down. She wanted to get to know her brother better, what a better thing than an invitation to do so?

Alice expected Henry to speak, but he just stayed quiet, focusing on the jar in front of him. Alice tapped her fingers against the floorboards, trying to stay patient, but when Henry squinted it at the jar for the umpteenth time she sighed deeply.

"So," she spoke softly. "What exactly are you doing?"

Henry flicked his eyes up and turned the jar towards his sister.

Alice furrowed her eyebrows and gazed into the jar.

She gasped when she saw the spider.

It looked dead, Alice was pretty sure it was dead, but then it twitched and started to crawl around.

Alice's jaw dropped and she looked at Henry. She realized that he had his eyes closed again. The girl looked back down and saw that the spider suddenly was getting weak and fell down to the bottom of the jar once again.

Henry's eyes opened and looked towards his sister.

"Did you do that?" she whispered.

Henry just held her gaze, not saying a word.

Alice was going to ask again but their mother was shouting for them.

"Alice? Henry? Where are you?"

Alice begged with her eyes for Henry for to tell her but he simply turned to the cracked door.

"In the attic, mom! We'll be right there!" he called out.

And then, Henry stood up and walked out of the room, leaving a freaked-out Alice with a dead but not dead spider.

Virginia Creel was a smart woman.

So, when she started figuring out something was up with her son, she was not surprised.

It started with the "night terrors."

Everyone except Henry seemed to be having them.

And the general quietness of her son also set her off. Henry had always been on the shy side, but ever since moving into the house, he was a creepy kind of quiet.

But what really did it was the spiders.

Victor had taken the kids out of the house and Virginia was left alone to clean.

She was in Henry's room, folding his laundry, when she stepped back, and a floorboard creaked under the pressure.

Virginia frowned. Victor assured there weren't going to be any squeaky floorboards besides some on the stairs.

She knelt and felt the board. It felt loose.

Virginia pried the floorboard up and removed it.

Under it, she found 4 jars.

Virginia held one up and gasped when she saw a spider.

It was laying very still, and Virginia realized it was dead.

With shaky hands, the mother took each jar out, seeing the similarities of each one.

They all had dead spiders laying at the bottom.

"Honey?" a voice called.

Virginia jumped and almost sent the jar in her hands crashing to the floor.

The rest of the family were home. Including Henry.

"Coming!" Virginia called and quickly put the jars back with the floorboard and rushed down the stairs.

But the same thought lingered in her mind.

There was something wrong with her son.

Virginia was freshening her makeup when Victor walked in.

"Ready for dinner?" he asked.

"Just about." she answered, then paused, wondering is she should voice her worries about their son.

"Is something wrong?" Victor questioned.

Virginia slowly closed the top of her lipstick.

"Uh, nothing, really." she started. "I was just wondering, have you noticed anything strange going on with Henry?"

Victor wrinkled his nose in thought. "No, not that I've noticed."

Virginia sighed. "He just," she wanted to word this the right way, "He's been doing things. Like I found some dead spiders in his room and, and I think he's behind the night terrors."

Victor stared at his wife for a long moment. Then he scoffed.

"Honey, dead spiders? I mean, when I was his age, I was collecting all sorts of creatures. And how could Henry possibly be behind the night terrors?"

"I- I don't know, but have you noticed that he hasn't got them, not even once? And the spiders, they were in these jars and-"

Victor grabbed Virginia's shoulders. "Sweetheart, do you hear yourself? I mean, the night terrors, spiders in jars? He's 12. He's just exploring. It's fine. Our family is fine."

Virginia took a deep breath. She didn't believe her husband, but it was clear she wouldn't get through to him on this. At least not today. Maybe if she got more evidence.

But for now, she nodded and apologized quietly.

"Okay," Victor let go of her shoulders. "Ready for dinner?"

Virginia nodded.

The couple walked down to the dining room and sat down with their children.

Victor was about to toast his family when the radio suddenly turned on and started playing different channels.

Virginia shot Victor a glance and he got up to check it out.

He figured it was nothing.

But it definitely wasn't nothing.

AN: I hope you liked it, 43! Requests are open everyone!