Within You

Chapter 1

Y/n who was your average broke college student had gotten a call from her neighbor asking if she was able to babysit. Her neighbors, The Williams, were a nice family with their two kids. Their daughter Sarah was supposed to babysit like normal but she had lost track of time rehearsing a play in the park. She loved the performing arts and used it as an escape from her discontent life. They were unable to contract Sarah so y/n was their emergency option. Y/n used to babysit Sarah when she was in high school but once she grew up Sarah was able to watch herself. The Williams also used Sarah as their built-in babysitter so y/n hadn't babysat for the family in a while.

"Oh y/n I'm so sorry we called you last minute but Sarah hasn't gotten home yet." Mrs. Williams, Sarah's mother told her. They had dinner plans at nine and Sarah still wasn't home. They were about ready to leave before y/n had shown up to fulfill her duties.

"It is quite alright Mrs. Williams, I'm sure she'll be home soon, I'm just happy that I was available to help you out." She smiled, accepting the baby Toby into her arms. She bounced him around and the baby lit up with laughter.

"I'm sorry y/n but we really must be going. We'll be back later and thank you again." She said as she made her way out the door.

"Well Toby it's just you and me until Sarah gets home." Y/n told the baby before going off to play with him.

~

Sarah had been completely sucked into her play. So much so that she didn't realize the time or that the sun had gone down. She was running home, hoping her parents wouldn't be too mad at her for being late. It was about nine thirty when she actually made it through the door.

"I'm home- what are you doing here?" Sarah yelled in the house and her attitude changed when she saw y/n playing on the couch with Toby.

"Welcome home Sarah. I'm babysitting, how was the park?" Y/n asked with a polite tone. Sarah however was not pleased to see that her parents hired y/n for the night to be her sitter. She was sixteen years old and didn't need someone to watch her.

"Well you're not needed anymore so you can go home." She responded completely ignoring y/n's question. The twenty year old gave her concerned look and shook her head.

"Well I'm not going to do that cause your mom put me in charge. She didn't know if you forgot about tonight but they were running late and needed me."

Sarah scoffed at y/n before she stormed off into her room. Y/n flinched at the door when Sarah harshly slammed it. She knew Sarah was into theater but she was such a drama queen. Toby looked at his babysitter with teary eyes before the sobbing started.

'Great, thanks Sarah.' Y/n thought sarcastically. She started shushing Toby in an attempt to get him to calm down but it wasn't working.

"Okay little man, I think it's time for bed." She stood up from the couch and made her way over to his bedroom to put him down.

Sarah had been monologuing to herself as a way to express her feelings and frustrations about tonight. She stared at a shelf in her bedroom that housed all of her stuffed animals. Her face started twisting when she realized that her favorite bear, Launcelot, was missing. There was only one person in her house who would do that. Her brother.

~

Y/n in the other room had put Toby down in his crib. He stopped crying and was actually laying down as y/n watched from the rocking chair in the corner. But the silence didn't last long as an angry Sarah stormed into the room.

"Toby, I told you to stay out of my room!" She yelled and just like that the baby was up. Because of Sarah's yelling Toby began to cry again.

"Woah Sarah what's wrong." Y/n stood up from her seat and walked over to the kids.

"Toby took Launcelot, and I've come to get it back." Sarah said as she ripped the bear out of her brother's hands and his cries became louder.

"Sarah it's a bear, you could have gotten it back when he fell asleep." Y/n told her. Saying that Launcelot was 'just a bear' was a mistake on her part. She knew what that stupid bear meant to Sarah and her words made her even angier.

"It doesn't matter, he's mine and I want him back!" Sarah yelled.

"Sarah just relax and give it back and I'll get it from him later." Y/n said trying to deescalate the situation.

"No, because none of this would be happening if you weren't here." Toby's cries were becoming louder as Sarah went on. Y/n picked up the baby out of the crib and tried to calm him down but it was no use. Toby was screaming his head off. "Toby be quiet! I wish both of you would go away." She yelled before she remembered the lines from the play she read today. The guy from her play, The Goblin King, could do such a task for her. If only he were real. Even if he wasn't she thought the words from her play would make her feel better.

"Goblin Goblin King wherever you may be, take these two far away from me!" Sarah yelled as the lighting cracked outside. It wasn't even supposed to rain tonight. Y/n was unsurprisingly a little startled by Sarah's outburst but quickly regained herself.

"Sarah, that's not funny or nice. Take your bear and go back to your room. We'll talk once Toby goes down." Y/n said, Sarah turned her heel and walked out of the room. The door was again slammed shut by the angsty teen.

After that whole affair Toby had finally gone back to sleep. Y/n sighed because now she had to talk to Sarah about her outburst, and she was not looking forward to it. Y/n stood up from the rocking chair to exit the nursery but something caught her eye. From the corner of her eye it looked like a large rat that ran across the room. Instead of opening the door and walking out she turned around to face whatever was in the room.

But there was nothing.

'I must be imagining things." Y/n thought as she put a hand to her forehand. She closed her eyes for a moment to focus when a maniacal little laugh rang through the room and her eyes snapped open.

"Toby?" She asked out loud as she walked closer to the cradle. She gasped when she saw it was empty. Obviously babies don't disappear but she didn't hear him get up.

She turned back around to go get Sarah but she ran into something. No, not something... someone. A man. He was tall with dirty blonde hair, dramatic makeup, and he was dressed like a king from one of Sarah's plays. A Black cloak covered his whole attire giving him a mysterious vibe to him all together.

"Ouch- Wait who are you." Y/n stared at him and he looked down at her with a smirk.

"Hello my dear~" He said in a charming voice and a faint smile. His leather gloved hand reached up and dragged her arm.

"What are you doing-"

"Shhhhh I'm sorry but I have been requested to take you away from here. And for once I'm glad to do it." He shushed her from talking and she listened. But she was confused, why was he here? And who the hell was he?

"What?" She asked before he waved his cloak over them and the world went black.