A/N: this one tugs on the heartstrings a little!

oOo

Nya is very pleased with herself.

Recently, she found a beautifully intricate bracelet, set with a smooth, red stone. It was sitting in the back of a drawer in her mom's old desk. Kai's eyes light up when he sees it.

"I remember that," he says. "Mom never took it off. She was always wearing it."

This, of course, means Nya is going to keep it for the rest of her life. She makes sure to give it the least dusty spot on her dresser, right next to a worn family photo that was taken before Nya was old enough to remember.

It's gratifying to have it. A tangible piece of the past.

Things at the shop get busy for a while, and business boosts a ton. This is great—but it means Nya doesn't visit Walter for three whole days. Normally she'd be okay with that, but . . .

She's been getting an ugly feeling recently. There's no coherent explanation, Nya just knows something isn't right and it's been twisting her stomach all night. She has to check. She's gotta make sure everything's okay—

Which it probably is, but Nya can't be sure.

Maybe it's something in the air, but Nya feels a dark mist hanging over her head. It can't mean anything good.

So, one morning, Nya breaks their carefully constructed routine and catches Kai in the forge.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to Walter's for a little bit," she says, already darting past him. Kai glances at her.

"Okay."

Then, evidently, his brain catches up to what she said.

"Hey, hey, wait!" He runs up to her, snagging her arm. "Already? It's early."

Nya shrugs. "I know, I just—I remembered I left my book there. Last time. I wanna go get it."

She's always been a terrible liar; they both know it. Kai looks torn, glancing at the winding road. Nya watches his protective brother and cool brother personalities battle one another.

Please say yes, please say yes, please say—

"Fine," Kai sighs. "But—be quick, okay?"

"Cool, I will."

Nya spins, trotting down the road at a speed she hopes isn't suspicious. Kai's eyes follow her until her head disappears over the hill.

A stronger sense of urgency washes over her, goosebumps prickling up her arms. Something's wrong, she knows it. Call her crazy, go right ahead, but there's a fragile stillness in the air that shouldn't be there. Uneasiness lingers over the whole road, clouding her thoughts as she picks up the pace.

Nya never knew she could run this much at once, she's never tried it. She sprints along the side of the road near the marshes, kicking up bits of dirt and pebbles as she goes. All the way, there's a voice in her head.

Faster, it says. Faster, faster, you're not fast enough—

Just before she reaches Walter's property, Nya catches sight of a tiny orange blob in the yard. She skids to a stop, realizing it's Allie.

Why is Allie outside? Nya raised her indoors.

She races forward, scooping the cat into her arms.

"What're you doing?" she asks quietly. "Something wrong, girl?"

Of course Allie can't answer her, but Nya wishes now more than ever that she could.

Walter is not outside. But his front door is slightly ajar, which is probably how Allie escaped from the house.

A sick feeling settles in Nya's stomach. She swallows.

Clutching Allie—she's not going in there alone—Nya cautiously approaches the porch steps. No noise from inside. The TV's not on.

The TV is always on, why isn't it on—

"Breathe," she tells herself. Her heart is currently trying to drill a hole through her chest. At this rate, it's going to leap right out at the slightest—

Creak.

Nya's soul drops from her body.

Just the steps creaking, you're fine, everything's fine—

There is, of course, the possibility that Walter just chose to sleep in today. Nya doesn't know his schedule, she visits him mostly at night. But if he's sleeping, why is the door open? Allie can't open doors; she's smart, but not velociraptor smart.

Nya creeps up to the door, peeking in.

The paneled entryway is dim, only lit from the outside. Muddy splotches cover the floorboards. Upon a closer look, Nya realizes they're—footprints.

She freezes.

Breathe. Breathe. Just keep breathing . . .

In a brief war of willpower, Nya evaluates her options. She could run home and get Kai—that's the obvious solution. But . . . he'd make her stay home and then she wouldn't know what's happening.

She could go home and call the police. But—what if they can't reach the police from way out here? What if they don't make it in time?

Town is miles away . . .

And she's a thirteen year old girl, standing here with a cat.

Take no shit, Nya reminds herself. She's strong, she's not scared. She can handle this.

Nya hauls Allie to the porch swing and deposits her there, whispering a strict "stay." With a final glance around, she steps carefully over to the entrance.

Still no noise from inside. Maybe . . . maybe that's a good sign? Maybe Walter's just out for a walk. Or maybe he went to town early. The possibilities are endless, but theorizing doesn't make Nya feel any better.

She swallows again and pushes the door open all the way. Peering through the darkness, Nya crouches to examine the footprints.

The mud . . .

It's not dry yet.

Uncle Liam loved horror movies, and this is starting to feel like one. Evil energy buzzes all around. Nya should really get out of here and hand the situation over to someone more qualified. Like—like the Ghostbusters, or a priest or something.

But if it all turns out to be nothing, Nya doesn't want to look foolish. She doesn't want to be the silly little girl who cried wolf.

This is fine. She can do it herself.

Casting one more glance outside (it might be her last look at the countryside, oh god), Nya slips into the house. She closes the door—but not all the way, duh, she knows what mistakes people make in the scary movies.

Her steps are light. Careful. Fearful. She's holding her breath. Only the whirring of the ceiling fan makes a peep.

The living room looks oddly abandoned, lacking its usual signs of life. Her designated pile of books is still where she left it a few days ago.

Nya's heart beats faster. Usually the kitchen is vibrant with sounds and the smell of home. A burning stove, open windows. But now it's dark, like everything else.

Spooky, Nya thinks.

This isn't right. It's not right at all.

Just as she reaches the staircase, an abrupt clattering stops Nya in her tracks. It's coming from upstairs.

Okay, now she's scared. Now she's having second thoughts.

But it's too late to turn back. She's already on the bottom step, she's already tiptoeing up the stairs because Nya is crazy. She's crazy like her brother and she's gonna get herself killed—

More clattering. A thud. Some soft grumbling—a voice.

Nya squeezes her eyes shut at that. This is so not what she signed up for.

Up she goes, treading in the corners so the steps don't squeak. The knot in her stomach pulls tighter, fingers twitching with the nerves she can't calm.

At the top, Nya pauses.

She's never been up here. Not that Walter didn't allow it, but Nya never had any desire to explore the upstairs. She knows there's a bedroom. A bathroom, probably. But that's it.

It's uncharted territory. Mysterious.

And from what she can tell, there's someone up here with her.

Nya pokes her head over the banister and glances around. A hallway and three doors. One door is open. And the muddy footprints lead straight into that room.

At this point in the horror film, there's usually some sort of jump scare.

Nya forces back the terror rising in her throat and emerges from the staircase. Standing in the hall, she's exposed and obvious. But maybe she's making a big deal out of it. She's overthinking, probably. Walter's—he's in his room, and she's just totally overreacting . . .

"Walter?"

It should've been quiet, but it echoes through the empty hallway—and now that she's paying attention, Nya notices it's not empty after all.

Everything's been tipped over, broken or messed up. Books are strewn over the floor, along with a wooden chair and a potted plant.

Instinctively, Nya grabs the pot, shaking the dirt off. If someone is in here, she wants a weapon. Always be able to defend yourself, that's what Kai taught her.

There's silence.

No one answers her call. An eerie hush falls over the house and Nya's pulse kicks into overdrive. She can't breathe—

If she breathes, they'll hear her—

Walter is definitely not here—

Then, a gravelly voice.

"Negative. It's not here."

Oh, hell no.

Nya decides she's done with this freaking haunted house. Someone else can deal with this, she's leaving.

The devastation of Watler's absence is tinting her vision red, undercut with a biting, fiery anxiety. She edges back to the staircase, eyes never leaving that open door. No jump scares today, she's always hated jump scares—

A face appears in the darkness. White and skeletal, eyes burning a deep, hungry red.

Nya screams. The creature growls. The flower pot crashes to the floor as Nya tears down the steps two at a time. She bolts through the entryway, glimpsing daylight, heart leaping in her aching chest—

"YAGH!" Nya falls flat on her stomach when something grabs her leg. She twists, catching sight of it. At first she thought it might be human, but—

No human looks like that.

The creature is unlike anything she's ever seen. Tall and loud, made of bones, just a skeleton—but not like the ones she knows from books or movies. This one is huge, with broad shoulders and some type of foreign armor plastered across its front.

Nya hardly spends a second looking at it. She just kicks and kicks, knocking the skeleton right below the bony jaw. It grunts, letting her go.

Panting, heart-in-throat, Nya scrambles up off the floor and flies out the door, snatching Allie and making a break for the road.

She runs faster than before, faster than ever.

Serene countryside passes in a nauseating blur, pavement skimming beneath her feet. Nya tosses a panicked look behind her, only to see the skeleton monster stomp outside and fix its glowing eyes on her.

She doesn't wait to see if it follows. Nya's over the hill and off the property in seconds, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

"Kai," she shrieks, chest heaving. "KAIII!"

He meets her halfway, which is impressive, 'cause he must've heard her from all the way down the road. But Nya doesn't stop. She just snatches his hand and zooms right by, dragging him along.

"Wha—hey!" he cries.

Nya knows she's crying, though she hopes Kai can't tell. A dark, looming fear has attached itself to her, whispering that this is far more serious than she wants to believe.

Walter . . .

She can't—what if—

What if she was too—

Too late—

Nya chokes on a sob and Kai hears that. He gives her a look, but she needs to keep going, she needs to get them both home—

Four Weapons is just ahead. The siblings skid through the door and Nya throws it shut.

"Close the shop," she hollers, taking off to close the windows and lock the door. Kai spins and his sister runs through the house.

"Nya, what happened? What—"

"JUST DO IT!"

Kai launches into motion, rushing into the forge. When Nya feels like the house is secure, she leaves her brother in the living room and flees to her own room. There, she collapses in a trembling heap, buried under every blanket she stole from Kai.

No amount of blankets can fix this. Kai can't fix this. Nya can't fix this and she hates herself for it.

"Should've gone yesterday," she whispers through her teeth. A fresh wave of angry tears barrels toward her.

This is her fault. Walter might be gone and it's because she waited too long—

She knows what happened. Nya's not a little kid anymore, she knows what death is. She knows the reality of it. The weight of it.

And she knows that freakish skeleton warriors don't intrude in someone's house for no reason. And they certainly wouldn't leave the resident alive. Not from what she saw. Not from what she heard.

It must've been looking for something, something in Walter's house, and when he tried to defend himself—

Her heart, which has held up alright till now, promptly fractures into millions of microscopic pieces.

Nya lets it.

She lets the tears come, lets them sting. It's the kind of crying that isn't so much crying as it is screaming. The sobs are fast and sharp. Sometimes they come in hiccups, sometimes in rage-filled wails that she doesn't have the strength to hide.

Kai's there, suddenly. To his credit, he doesn't ask questions. He knows better. Kai just sits next to her and reaches for her hand

Nya latches on and holds tight.

oOo

Later that night, when Nya has run out of tears to cry, she tells Kai what happened.

It takes quite a while, and she has to double back a few times to make sure she's not leaving out important details. Everything happened so fast, there are blank spots in her memory.

Kai hugs her afterward and says something, probably "I'm glad you're okay," but Nya doesn't really hear it. Something in Kai's expression is set in mild disbelief, as though . . . he's not sure Nya's story adds up. Not that she blames him, really—she hardly believes it herself. How often do skeleton monsters break into the neighbor's house?

But her brother's suspicion still stings a little.

All Nya can hear is Walter's gentle voice, telling her he's proud of her. Saying he believes in her.

Nya sinks lower. He believed in her, but when it mattered, she couldn't—

She wasn't—

She's gonna be sick.

Kai must be going through his own internal process right now, but he sticks close to Nya anyway. He keeps up light conversation, trying to distract her from what she knows will never change.

She never saw a body. Or blood, or any of those spooky, telltale horror scene giveaways.

But there's this feeling . . .

Nya thinks something terrible has happened. There's a darkness unlike anything she's ever felt.

Before they head to bed, Kai makes his final check-in.

"You okay to sleep in your room tonight?" he asks.

Nya forces a tiny smile. "Yeah."

"Okay. Knock if you need anything."

"I will. Are the windows closed?"

Kai raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, why?"

Nya curls into a tighter ball. "I think it's gonna rain."

This is Nya's strange gift. In the same way Kai never seems to get burned, Nya always knows when it's going to rain. She can't explain it; it's just a tingling, hair-raising sort of electricity. She just knows.

And, as usual, she's right.

That night, it rains. Like, really rains. It's a torrential downpour, heavier than any storm they've seen in months.

But there's no thunder. No lightning, either. Just hours of pelting droplets, pattering against the roof so loudly that Nya can't sleep.

So she listens, wishing the rain could wash away the uneasiness she feels spreading inside her.

oOo

A week goes by. Walter doesn't walk up to their house with a stack of books or any new tools for Nya to try.

As to not risk spiraling into despair, Nya lapses into denial. She sits by the window at all hours, watching for someone—anyone—to approach the house. A few times, she fools herself into believing it's really only been a couple days. Unfortunately, this method doesn't hold up.

Kai has to coax her away from the window every night.

"C'mon, Nya, you hafta sleep," he says.

"What if he comes back?" is Nya's reply. But does she mean Walter or the skeleton? It's unclear.

As it often does, the grief lessens over time and by the next week, Nya is mostly herself again.

Key word, mostly.

The fear never leaves her, but she sees Kai struggling to uphold the shop on his own, and she can't leave him like that. So, though she realizes it'll probably come back to bite her, Nya shoves that fear under the rug. Later, she promises. I'll deal with it later.

In town that week, Nya takes Allie in her bag, knowing what she has to do.

They can't afford to keep a cat in the house anymore, what with food expenses and other pet care. Allie needs a new, reliable home, and Nya knows just the person.

If she can find him, that is.

While Kai is busy haggling over prices again, Nya slips away and roams through the crowd. It's been a while since she's seen the boy she's looking for, but—it wasn't that long ago, right? Most townsfolk visit the market every week, he's gotta be here.

He probably looks the same. Boys don't grow that much in a few years, do they? Maybe he's just taller, and—

There he is!

That has to be him. His face is exactly the same, and he's got the same strawberry blond hair, though it's longer than Nya remembers.

He's leaning casually against a wall with two other boys, their parents chattering in a similar huddle nearby.

Oh, yikes. Nya's not great at . . . social stuff. Y'know, talking to other teeangers. Her "peers," if you will. Other teenagers are scary. Unpredictable. Will she be interrupting? She doesn't want to be rude . . .

Allie pokes her head out of Nya's backpack, mewing. Ugh, who is Nya kidding. She has to do this.

"Hey . . . Aiden?" she says, inching up to the group. His head turns to her. Everyone goes silent.

They're all looking. At her.

Nya clears her throat, shifting the bag's strap. "Uhm—hi. I'm Nya. You probably don't remember me. From—uh, that time in the alley—and the cat . . . ?"

Aiden frowns for a moment, looking confused. Nya stills, planning her escape, plotting a quick exit in the other direction. But then something like recognition dawns in Aiden's expression and he gives a burst of appreciative laughter.

"Oh, hey! You're the girl who beat up Sloane Olsen."

The other two boys' mouths drop open as their gazes turn impressed.

"Wait, seriously?"

"No way!"

Aiden grins at her. "Man, that was great. Haven't seen you in, what, three years now?"

"Something like that."

"You live around here?"

"Uh—a few miles west."

"Okay, cool. You're taller now."

"Thanks."

"Where've you been, what's up?"

Nya thinks back to the events of the past week. "Oh, ya know. Nothin' much." Before the conversation can get awkward, Nya pulls the bag from her shoulder. "I actually—I had a favor to ask."

Aiden's still smiling, but a little more subdued. "Okay."

Promptly, Allie's head peeks out again, and she lays her eyes on Aiden. Nya lifts her out of the bag and holds Allie in both arms.

"Well, uh . . . that kitten, from the alley? I—kinda kept her."

Aiden's eyes go wide. Something is shifting in his expression, like nostalgia but sadder.

"You—this is her?"

"Yeah. And um . . . well, we can't really take care of her anymore. So I was wondering—would you wanna, like, adopt her?" Hastily, Nya adds, "For free, obviously. Duh. I don't want, like, money or anything. I just—I want her to have a good home."

She's out of breath already, gosh. This socializing thing is hard work.

Nya searches Aiden's eyes, looking for a reaction. He seems shocked, but—not entirely opposed. Then he surprises Nya and gently takes Allie from her arms. The cat adapts easily, resting an orange paw right on Aiden's chest. He cracks a smile.

"I . . . wow. Thank you. Thanks for, like, remembering me and—and for everything."

Relieved, Nya nods. "Yeah! Yeah, of course. Thanks for—not being a jerk."

She's running out of things to say, so Nya turns to leave, seeing as her job is officially accomplished. But Aiden calls out her name, "Hey, wait!"

Nya turns back. "Yeah?"

The corner of the boy's mouth quirks up in a little half-smile. "I'll see you around?"

Her heart does a startled, jumpy thing. "Uh—yeah! See you around."

And she leaves feeling a tad lighter than before. She doesn't even think about Walter for the rest of the day. For a blissful moment, the ache disappears.

But it comes back, deep in her stomach, popping up when it's least convenient. Like late at night, when she's alone in the dark.

She sees faces of angry skeletons and hears Walter's voice—in the nightmares, he's never kind. He's angry and harsh, telling her she—

She failed.

Nya grows angry with the skeleton monster, whatever it is. She develops a festering, boiling hatred for it. And somewhere amongst the anger, there grows a hatred for herself, too.

She failed. She wasn't fast enough. She didn't listen to her instincts.

Not strong enough.

Not enough, period.

She still sees the monster's face in her mind's eye. But Nya is nothing if not curious.

With Kai hovering next to her, Nya soon returns to Walter's house, which has become cold and lifeless over the weeks. They're hesitant to enter, but this time it's truly empty.

Nya finds what she's looking for and anxiously emerges with a heavy, leather-bound book. The cover is adorned with the image of some—demonic-looking spider.

Not reassuring. But she knows what's in this book. Walter used to tell her to stay away from that one, it's full of dark things. Supernatural folklore and mystical stuff she shouldn't worry about.

Well. Now seems like a pretty good time to worry about them.

Skulkin. That's what they're called. But Nya can't decide what the creatures are.

The book has a single picture, hand-drawn. The image isn't half as scary as the real thing, and Nya slams the book shut frustratedly. Where'd the freaking monster come from anyway? The sewer? The circus?

And more importantly, where is it now?

"Are you sure that's what you saw?" Kai asks.

Nya nods gravely. "I'm positive."

After that, Kai doesn't like to talk about it. Every time Nya tries to bring up the Skulkin, her brother nervously changes the subject. He's got enough to think about, so Nya stops mentioning it.

But she's still curious. Still mad.

No, she's more than mad. She's downright enraged.

If she ever gets the chance—she'll show that ugly Skulkin just how upset she is.

As fate would have it, Nya doesn't have to wait very long.

If Nya knew what would happen just a handful of days later, she would've grabbed Kai by the elbow and dragged them both across the country.

It starts as a fairly average morning. Well—average by Nya's standards, anyhow. She wakes up to the sound of Kai clanking around in the forge, restocking for the day. As she yawns, rolling out of bed and struggling to fix her hair into some semblance of order, she hears a loud crash.

And an even louder curse from Kai.

Nya rolls her eyes. Hypocrite. He never lets her swear like that.

He knows he's not skilled in the whole making swords area, he should've just waited for her to wake up.

She oughta go help him out—before he burns the whole house down. Fire has a tendency to get out of control when Kai's around.

Nya drags a hand over her face, shuffling down the hall. She's tired and she wishes time would stop for a day. One day to relax, not worry about money or Walter or the future or—anything.

But that's not possible, is it? She's gotta keep going. For Kai, if not for herself. They need each other. Nya knows that much.

When she reaches the forge, Kai's entirely focused on his latest creation, hammering away. Morning sunlight streams through the open storefront.

It's nice out today, but the distant horizon is blurred with thick, black clouds. Huh. Weird. Nya doesn't sense the rain, like she normally does.

"Morning," Nya greets, swallowing another yawn.

Kai glances at her briefly. "Oh, hey. Came to watch the master at work, huh?"

Nya smiles dryly. "Right. I'm surprised you're up."

"Ah, you know. Early worm gets the dirt, or—however that saying goes."

"That's exactly how it goes," Nya teases. Kai reaches out to ruffle her hair as she passes.

"Aw, c'mon, I just brushed it," she exclaims, squirming away. "No respect in this house."

Yeah, she can complain all she wants, but Nya knows Kai is just trying to help. Her demeanor has been especially gloomy lately and serious situations reveal parts of her brother that she never knew existed.

Sometimes he handles things with an odd sort of tenderness, and sometimes he copes with humor. Nya understands. And she'd be thoroughly lost without him, so she's grateful that he's trying.

Even if its effect is only subpar.

"How'd you sleep?" asks Kai. His tone is casual, but Nya hears the tinge of concern lurking underneath.

"I dunno. Fine, I guess."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." A pause. Nya hangs her head. "Okay, maybe a little less than fine."

Kai's expression softens as he sighs, setting the hammer down. Nya can practically hear his gears turning.

"Well, hey. Why don't you come over and watch? You could learn a thing or two."

His sarcasm is pathetic, but refreshing. Nya shakes her head amusedly and steps closer. She gasps with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Oh Master of the Forge, please teach me your masterful ways."

"Observe," Kai instructs, holding the sword over the burning coals. He hammers it again, dramatically beginning his demonstration.

"I'm attentively observing."

"To forge the perfect weapon, you first need the right metal and plenty of heat."

He sticks the sword in a bucket of water and Nya winces at the sizzle. It's not supposed to sizzle. Her swords never do that.

"Cool it off. Aaaand . . . presto!"

Kai whips the sword out. His eyes go wide and he groans. The blade is mangled and twisted beyond belief, bent in a way only Kai could ever manage. Nya really tries not to laugh, but a giggle slips out anyway.

"You made it too quickly, Kai," she says, sobering up. "Be patient."

She thinks of what her dad wrote in his book, the one with all the designs in it.

"If Father were still here, he'd say—"

Groaning, Kai cuts her off. He's heard her say it a thousand times. "I know, 'No matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something you learn overnight.' That may work for you, Nya, but I'm gonna be a better blacksmith than Dad ever was."

Nya would really love to argue that point—and she almost does. But Kai's latest "sword" sorta debunks his statement on its own.

She has no doubt he'll improve in time. They have years ahead of them, it can only go up from here.

The morning comes alive with the distant chirping of crickets and sparrows, warm autumn sunshine weaving its way through red and orange leaves.

Fall in Ignacia is always the prettiest season, Nya thinks. It'd be a perfect morning, if not for the looming clouds in the distance.

"You think it's gonna storm?" Kai asks, resetting his tools.

Nya frowns at the clouds. "No . . ."

Kai blinks at her, surprised. "No? What's all that dark stuff, then?"

"I dunno." There's a dark, sick feeling rising in her throat again. An urgency to get far away.

Kai seems to notice the look on her face. "What?"

"Nothing. Just . . . d'you think we should go into town?"

"What?" Kai laughs. "How come?"

Nya shrugs. "Might be a bad storm."

"But you said—"

"I'm not a weather radar."

"True." Kai takes another look at the clouds. "Nah, we'll be fine. We'll just close shop if we have to."

Nya purses her lips. Those clouds sure look intimidating.

"Okay," she says at last.

But little do the siblings know, a supposed storm isn't the only thing on the way.

oOo

A/N: *pokes head in*

Please don't come for me to avenge Walter, I promise it's for Plot! Perhaps we'll see him again.

Anyway! We're about to transition into the pilot episodes and canon stuff, but it'll drop into headcanon again after that. I'm trying to focus on Nya and the moments we didn't see in the show ;) filling in holes and all that.

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo

Saturn