Someone From The Dark

Chasing Ghosts

"Xena!"

Letting out a small yip in fright, i jolted up into a sitting position, practically gasping for air.

How did i get home?

My brother's face steadily came into focus. Not the face of Sean; but of my oldest and only other sibling, Steven. He had his own house in town with his wife and two kids, but we didn't get to see him very often.
I was the youngest child of my family, and my brothers had pretty much taught me everything i knew.

A raspy little chuckle emanated from my brother's bearded mouth.

"Hey kiddo, i didn't mean to scare you."
He laughed, his eyes squinted in amusement.

Steven was a kid at heart, always finding enjoyment in scaring people, immature jokes and being an overall mild nuisance, but regardless, i loved both of my brothers to death.

Relieved, i released the death grip i had on my bed sheets, finally allowing my muscles to relax.

"H-hey bro. What are you doing here?" I spoke up timidly, my vocal cords humming lowly as they tried to warm up.

"Well, it's Saturday and me and the kids have missed you guys, so we've come to steal you away for the weekend. Heather's going to meet up with us later. I was thinking we could take the kids to the mall, and then grab some ice cream and lunch. And maybe afterwards we could hang out at my house for some old-fashioned video-gaming and junk-food-consuming?"
As he finished, he began playfully raising and lowering one of his eyebrows.

Was last night another dream..?

I nodded, managing to plaster a subtle smile on my face while my heart continued to hammer away against my ribcage.

"Sweet!" My brother beamed, raising a fist in the air, as if he'd actually expected me to decline.
"Alright, get a quick shower and pack enough stuff to last you the weekend. Then we can get this party started!"

Laughing, i agreed and said i'd be ready in 20.
Looking down at my hands rested in my lap after i had heard my bedroom door creak closed behind my brother, brief moments of the previous night flashed through my head.
As i began to investigate further from my hands, down past my arms and to my legs, i let out a short, dark chuckle.
Bruises, dirt and small nicks were laced across my body, answering my question.
Thankfully, most of them had been covered by my blankets when Steven was in here, and the few that were exposed weren't bad enough to warrant an interrogation. Plus, Steven usually didn't pry unless he thought things were life-threatening, which ironically, might be the case...