Where They Go

Chapter Five: Playing and Doodling

Two weeks after that day in the park, Erin invited Zoey to her house for a sleepover.

Erin had barely finished tidying up her room when a knock was heard at the door.
"Erin! Zoey's here!" Carol hollered.
Erin went out into the living room and opened the door.

Erin led Zoey down the hallway to her bedroom.

The walls of Erin's room were light blue with one black accent wall. The floor was made of dark wood.

Small fairy lights were strung on the ceiling.
A loft bed was leaned against the black wall.
On the bed was a navy blue comforter with tiny white stars on it, as well as two big, white pillows.

A few throw pillows and one stuffed shark toy were displayed on the bed. A fuzzy gray blanket hung like a curtain over the railing of the loft bed.

At the foot of the bed was Erin's closet.
Next to the bed was a window, which had a white hanging chair hung in front of it.

Opposite the window sat a wooden television stand with an Xbox console and two controllers on the edge of the stand.
A white analog clock ticked above the television.

Finally, by the door was a wall, which was covered in posters of things that Erin loved and paintings of varying sizes.

The paintings on the wall were a variety of different things, such as landscapes, abstract pieces, and the seemingly random yet beautiful, nude women in beds of roses.

A wooden bookshelf was leaned against the wall and had many, many different books inside it.

Zoey sat her backpack by the door and went to the art-covered wall.
"Did you paint these?" She asked.
"Yep. I've been painting for a while." Erin replied.
"They're really good."
That comment brought a bright smile to Erin's face.

Zoey looked at the Xbox, asking,
"What games do you have?"
Erin thought for a brief second.
"Um, I have 'Minecraft'. We could play that, if you wanted to."
"Alright."
Erin spent a few minutes creating a new survival world.

An hour and a half had gone by and the two girls were very immersed in the game.
"There's a spider behind you!" Zoey shrieked.
"What- oh God!" Erin yelped.

Erin killed the spider hastily, which resulted in a joyful and proud, "Yes!" from Zoey.

They played for a bit longer, until Carol had called them into the kitchen for dinner.

About twenty minutes later. dinner was over as Erin and Zoey had gotten into their pajamas.

Zoey sat on bed next to Erin, as Erin jumped down, an excited glint in her eye.
"What're you doing?" Zoey asked curiously.
"Come here. I want to show you something."

Zoey slid off the bed, looking at Erin, who pulled back the gray blanket to reveal a little nook.

The nook had a big, fluffy white blanket, a few pillows, and stuffed animals in the corner. A black sketchbook, a package of markers, and a package of pencils laid on top of the blanket.

A large "N.A.S.A" sticker had been stuck onto the center of the sketchbook's cover.
Stickers of seemingly random stars and sharks covered the rest of the sketchbook.

A small, battery-operated light, which looked like a rocket ship, illuminated the nook.
"So this is what's under your bed?"
"Yep. Do you like it?" Erin asked.
"Yeah. It's really cool." Zoey replied, smiling.

Time went by as Zoey asked a question.
"Can I use one of your markers?"
"Sure." Erin answered, handing her the package of markers.

After a bit of time passed, Erin looked at Zoey, who was doodling on herself. She was drawing a bunch of hearts and stars up and down her left arm.

Sitting next to her, Erin had gotten a good look at Zoey.
Zoey had deep brown eyes and tiny brown freckles that were dotted all over her face.
Zoey Hill was a very pretty girl in Erin's eyes.

"Erin? Why're you staring at me like that?"
Erin blinked her eyes, stirring out of her thoughts.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just... spaced out, I guess."

Erin sat silently for a moment. Zoey was still doodling on her arm.
Once her arm had been completely covered, she turned towards Erin.
"This might sound weird, but can I draw something on your hand?" She asked.
Erin nodded her head.

Zoey gently held Erin's right hand in her left hand as she began to draw a small cluster of stars and the moon.
Erin watched her draw, as her mind focused on what she was feeling.

Zoey's hands were soft and warm, which was a nice contrast to Erin's perpetually cold hands. Erin felt very relaxed in this moment, she was relaxed and happy.