Eleanor left Isaiah on the couch, but she kissed his forehead before she left. But there was no time to wait now. She went back up the stairs to help. While they didn't have too much, it was at least enough.
When she got to the front yard, she saw Naomi standing there, staring up at the window. "Naomi, what are you doing?" Eleanor asked. Naomi didn't say anything. Eleanor looked into the window and saw multiple eyes looking down at them.
"Who is that?" A voice asked. "I do not know. New neighbors?" another suggested. "They seem to be moving in downstairs." One inquired. "Will that become a problem?" The first asked. "No, as long as they keep their distance, we'll be fine." The second replied. And with that, the entities walked away.
It didn't take too long, but they were done. …Not that they had much anyway, it was just spent mostly outside. Naomi kept staring up into the window of their neighbors upstairs. But soon, they went down.
Ironically, they had forgotten to turn the light on when they got down there the first time with Isaiah, who was still sleeping soundly on the couch. Eleanor simply fell next to him, mentally exhausted. "Well, at least we're away," Eleanor whispered. Mark nodded, sitting in a chair nearby. But Naomi was clearly still on high alert. She didn't trust this place. It made sense, but still, they were safe for the time being. It wasn't much, but it worked. "Mark, should we check around for any windows?" Naomi asked. Mark nodded, getting up from the chair. "Eleanor, stay here with Isaiah. We'll be right back." Eleanor gave a thumbs-up as Mark and Naomi walked away.
Eleanor looked at Isaiah, who was still sleeping soundly. For some reason, an odd feeling came over her. She never felt this before, but for some reason, she felt the need to guard him. Yes, it was just them down here, but she felt the need to protect him, like how an animal would guard an injured mate. So, that's what she did. She gently crawled on him and curled up like a cat. Luckily, she wasn't too heavy, so he was completely safe. She listened to his heartbeat. It was slow and rhythmic, just as she liked it. It made her Purr, something she didn't realize she was doing. But she didn't care. She was content.
When Mark checked the basement, there weren't many windows. There was a weird one in the room that was to become a bedroom—maybe just Mark and Naomi, or Eleanor and Isaiah. But it wasn't high enough to let in any light. Still, to be safe, Mark covered it. Next was the kitchen. There was one small window that Naomi quickly covered up. "Are you ok?" Mark asked. Naomi froze before she simply sighed. "No, not really. Everything just… moved so fast. What am I going to tell the force? What am I going to do with Isaiah? Wha-" But Naomi was stopped when Mark hugged her. "Don't worry about it. I would say just be thankful that we're safe for the time being. We'll figure it all out later. After all, tomorrow is the weekend." Mark whispered. Naomi let go, for once that night, she understood. "Alright, let's just move on and after get some rest, I'm feeling tired."
"Hey Mark, we forgot one in the liv-" But Naomi stopped. The light was off now, and she spotted Eleanor staring at her, her eyes glowing. She was still purring, and she was still curled on top of Isaiah. "Does… Does Eleanor usually do that?" Naomi asked. Mark walked in. "No, I never saw her do that. Ellie, are you ok?" But Eleanor didn't say anything and just stared at them. Mark walked up to her when Eleanor began growling. Her eyes zeroed in on him as she growled. Mark quickly backed away, and Eleanor stopped growling, resuming her purring. "Why is she doing that?" Naomi whispered. "I don't know, I think she's guarding him," Mark whispered back. Eleanor's ears twitched slightly as she kept staring. "Let me try," Naomi whispered. Naomi walked towards her. "Eleanor-" But she was cut off when Eleanor growled again, this time even louder, baring her fangs. She was warning them to stay away. Naomi looked at the small window in the living room. "Mark, we need to cover that. Let's try to go around her." Naomi suggested. "Yeah, good idea," Mark replied. The two walked around Eleanor as she continued to glare at them, growling again, but it was quieter. As fast as they could, they blocked up the window. "Let's just get some sleep, I saw a mattress in the bedroom," Mark suggested. "Will they be ok?" Naomi asked, pointing at Eleanor and Isaiah. "...Hopefully," Mark admitted.
4:09 AM.
"Come on, Jesse, it wouldn't hurt to take a peek!" A voice called. The boy ran down the stairs as the girl stood there. "Ronny, I will say it again: you are a bloody idiot," Jessie said bluntly. "Come on, don't be a sour puss! Besides, I wanna know why they moved in at 10 pm!" Ronny explained. Jessie sighed. "Fine. But if we get into trouble, I'm feeding you to Yarnaby." Jessie replied. Ronny chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, come on, look!" Ronny said, pointing at the white door that sat in front of him. Jessie rolled her eyes as she walked down the stairs. "There. We're here. Can we go now?" Jessie asked. Ronny tried the doorknob. It wasn't locked. "Ronny. No." Jessie ordered. But Ronny didn't listen and opened the door with a creak. But before he could get a good look at what's inside. "What the hell are you guys doing?" a voice echoed. Ronny leaped up in the air, as Jessie didn't move. Looking up at the stairs, Cameron stood. "Oh, hi, Cameron! We're just checking out the new guys, wanna join?" Ronny suggested. "No. Step away from the door. You're breaking and entering." Cameron said. "Pot calling the kettle black?" Jessie asked, her voice actually tinged with amusement. Cameron's face turned red, you could practically see steam coming from her ears. "Shut it." She replied. Ronny sighed and closed the door back. "Fine. We can meet them in the morning, I guess, but that's just.. Boring!" Ronny exclaimed. "Keep it down, they'll hear you." Jessie snapped. Cameron shook her head. "Just get back up here." And with that, she walked away. "...Man, you showed her!" Ronny exclaimed. Jessie elbowed Ronny in the side. "Shut it. Let's just go back to bed." Ronny sighed in pain. "I thought we agreed no pain spots-" Ronny whispered. "We did, I hit you in the side," Jessie remarked as she went back up the stairs. "...Smart ass," Ronny whispered.
9:10 AM.
Isaiah woke up to hearing a dog bark nearby. As he stirred, he noticed that Eleanor was curled up on him. She looked over, and her eyes almost immediately went back to normal. "Morning.." Eleanor whispered, her voice low and soothing. Isaiah smiled, attempting to sit up. Eleanor noticed and shifted off of him, sitting beside him. "Sleep well?" Eleanor asked. "Y-Yeah. Were you up all night?" Isaiah asked. "Yeah, I… I felt the need to protect you, so I watched over you all night. I don't know what came over me, but I wanted to keep you safe." Eleanor explained. Isaiah chuckled. "Thanks. What day is it again? I forgot.." Isaiah admitted. Eleanor checked her phone, which sat on the floor. "Saturday. I didn't even realize yesterday was Friday." Eleanor admitted. Isaiah stretched, still feeling the warmth of where Eleanor had curled up on him all night. He blinked away his drowsiness and rubbed his face. "So, uh... what now?" he asked, glancing around the dimly lit basement. Eleanor tilted her head slightly as if she were thinking. "Dad and Naomi should be getting up soon." Eleanor yawned. "Aren't you tired?" Isaiah asked. "I'm a vampire, remember? I'll be fine. I'm just.. Not used to staying up all night…" Eleanor admitted. Before they could say anything else, footsteps echoed from the hallway. Naomi and Mark emerged, both looking exhausted. "Morning," Naomi muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Hey," Isaiah greeted. "Did you guys sleep okay?" Eleanor's ears perked slightly at that. "What do you mean?"
Naomi folded her arms. "I mean that I kept hearing sounds. Like someone moving upstairs, but not in the usual way. Like it was right above us. Sometimes it sounded like whispering." A chill ran down Isaiah's spine. "Could've been the neighbors." Naomi shook her head. "It wasn't them. These weren't normal footsteps. They were… lighter. Almost like they weren't fully there." Eleanor stared for a bit before finally bringing it up. "Well, I was guarding Isaiah last night, and I heard voices outside the door. It was a bit muffled, but it sounded like a boy and a girl. One of them opened the door, but they got stopped by someone else, I think. The door got pulled closed, and they left." Mark frowned, but he looked more annoyed. "Someone came down here?!" Mark asked, his voice rising. Eleanor shook a bit, hearing her father's voice rise, but it was nothing new. Everyone was stressed.
"Y-Yeah. But it was just a crack. T-They didn't step in. I think one of them said something about wanting to see the new guys. Probably meaning us." Naomi's expression darkened. "That's… not comforting." Mark sighed. "Alright, there's nothing much to be done right now. I'm gonna see if we can collect any of our old furniture, the rest of you stay here." Before anyone could say anything, Mark left. Naomi sighed. "Well, I need to call the force and find out what I can do without giving too much away. I'll probably take a while, just… don't go upstairs until nightfall." Naomi warned. The two children nodded as Naomi walked into the opposite room.
7:48 PM.
Isaiah opened the door to the backyard. It was a bit cold, but not too cold. Getting a better look at the yard, it didn't look too bad. But still, he was cautious. Walking further, he saw a trampoline sitting near the shed. Maybe this place was normal after all. Isaiah sat on it, taking in the fresh air for once. It was a nice, calm night. He was so distracted, he didn't hear something land nearby. The being walked up behind him, before standing there, eerily quiet. "Hey," he said. Isaiah leaped up into the air in fear. Turning around, stood an African American boy in a jean jacket, wearing glasses and a Mario hat. His shoes were black, and his pants were grey. "Dude, you scared me!" Isaiah shouted. The boy glared, growling a bit, before he shook it off. "Sorry. What are you doing here?" The boy asked. "I live here," Isaiah said. The boy tilted his head, his brown eyes turning green briefly, before turning back to brown. He seemed to be processing what was said before he realized it. "Ooooh! You moved in downstairs! In the basement! I live upstairs with my Dad and dogs!" The boy said. Isaiah nodded. "Yeah, me and my family did," Isaiah explained. "...Why did you move in so late?" the boy asked bluntly. Isaiah took a little offense to this before he noticed little icks about the boy, such as him wiggling out of nowhere, and tapping his foot quietly. "Uh, my mom and my friend have a skin condition." Isaiah lied. The boy squinted at him, tilting his head again. "...Hey, I hope you don't mind me asking, but… are you autistic?" Isaiah asked. The boy stared for a second, a bit confused by the question, before he lifted off his hat and scratched his head. "Yeah, what gave it away?" The boy asked. Isaiah shrugged. "Just a hunch." The boy nodded. "...My name is Adam, by the way, what's your name?" Adam asked. "Isaiah, how old are you?" Isaiah asked. "14, you?" Adam asked. "13. Turned 13 In September." Isaiah explained. Adam smiled. "No way? No way! I turned 14 in September!" Adam exclaimed. Isaiah flinched, surprised by the burst of energy. "Oh! Well, that's cool." Isaiah said. "...Hey, uh, do you want to be friends?" Adam asked. Isaiah thought about it, then shrugged. "Sure. Oh, by the way, I didn't hear you coming." Isaiah remarked. Adam chuckled. "Sorry, I can be really quiet sometimes," Adam admitted. Before Isaiah could say something, Adam perked up, standing on his toes and looking around, like a Meerkat sensing danger. "What's that?" Isaiah asked. Adam looked down before sitting back on his feet. "Sorry, I thought I heard something," Adam replied. Isaiah nodded and stared at Adam. He was a nice kid, but something felt a bit off. "Oh right, I gotta do the laundry, I'll be back in a minute if you're still out here," Adam explained. Isaiah nodded. "Don't worry, I don't mind." Adam gave a thumbs-up. "Alright, sweet. Be back in a flash!" And with that, Adam ran off.
After a bit, Adam brought his laundry to the washroom downstairs. The room was a MESS, but there was a clear path to get to the washer. Dad's old weight set sat down there, surprised that he hadn't gotten rid of it yet. Adam opened the washing machine and began to place his laundry in it when Eleanor walked in. She had never seen Adam before, and she wasn't in the best mental state at the moment. Her eyes were glowing, as if she were feral. She began to walk towards him, her fangs growing. But before she could attack, Adam slammed the washer door shut, making a loud noise and snapping Eleanor out of her trance. "Huh? Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Adam said. Eleanor shook her head. "No, it's fine. Do you live upstairs?" Eleanor asked. Adam nodded. "Yeah, I'm Adam, what's yours?" "Eleanor, have you met-" "Isaiah? Yeah. Do you want to be friends?" Adam asked. Eleanor nodded. "Sure! Sounds fun!" Adam smiled.