The Game of Run and Hide

Chapter One: Home Sweet Home

Darting to the other side of the room, I had to think fast. Dane's countdown echoed against the walls, each number slower than the last. Run and Hide was about to start, my heart jumped. 

The seeker, or "lost soul," is designed to find others to join their team until everyone is found. 

Crouching behind the sofa, I held my breath. My eyes fixed on the coffee-colored backing, tracing the strange shapes in the patterns until they shifted under my gaze. 

A floorboard groaned as Nate attempted to tiptoe into the next room. His little feet were heavy as he stepped, they echoed longer than it should have. Because he was so young, we always pretended not to hear him. It was the only way Nate ever had a chance.

Silence stretched too long, they were done looking. As I rose from my hiding place, Sophia screamed. Her face had drained of color, her lips trembling. I smiled widely; I had won again. 

"I didn't mean to scare you," I giggled. Sophia's glare intensified, sharp and untrusting. "Why do you aways hide in the strangest places? You scare me every time." She wasn't wrong. She aways happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The aroma of sweet corn drifted down the stairs, "dinner in ten." Mom called, we scattered toward the dining room. Bowing our heads in prayer, Nate snuck a piece of chicken. His fingers coated in grease, the evidence on his shiny nose.

Clearing her throat, every head turned in unison. "Since I have everyone's attention..."

"We're moving." Silence filled the room.

I looked around and noticed boxes lining the corners. Tears sprung from my eyes like a leaky hose, not because we were leaving, but for the memories within the house. 

The odd, unreplaceable scent I couldn't name. The willow tree that brushed my window at night. The rustling of critters nestled on our porch to stay warm.

"That's wonderful, Mom," I choked, forcing a smile. She returned it too quickly, "a new start is what this family needs." Her words sounded rehearsed, almost as if she'd said them before.

That night, Dane and I laid out a pallet in the living room. Mom wanted everyone close tonight. The TV played quietly while eyes closed, this gave Dane and I time to finish packing.

"This is the last one." Dane said, wiping sweat from his forehead. We lay on the floor near the others until sleep took us too.

Sunlight slipped through the blinds; a rainbow bent across the wall. Dane squirmed as I nudged him. "Ready to get this train rolling?" He grunted, "after breakfast." Keys in hand, he left.

When the door shut, Nate sat up, hugging his giraffe. "Morning, Nicole." His soft voice said, eyes shimmering like glass catching light. Together we woke the others, their calm voices breaking the silence.

When Dane returned, the smell of chocolate and yeast filled the air. 

Movers arrived soon after, they didn't say much, it was strange. "Load up, kiddos!" Mom smiled, buckling them in. Lily glanced nervously at me when I told them to behave, they knew how I wanted them to act in the car.

 We left the only home we knew behind.

The new one rose through the trees, almost like it had been waiting. Stone walls covered lightly in moss; a balcony wrapped around it like a mandible. Glass windows shined light, bruised and deep. It was beautiful, like something out of a fairy tale.

Inside, the air was heavy. Dark- toned walls soaked up the rays of the sun, cherry floors creaked with every step, and the oak cabinets were dull, almost sorrowful. 

"Nicole, why don't you go find your room?" She smiled widely, too widely. 

Upstairs, the hallway stretched long. A sticky note with our favorite colors marked the doors. My name glowed faintly at the end. The crystal knob was cold, almost wet in my hand. 

Inside, fairy lights shimmered against forest green walls, a book nook crowded with horror books, their spines cracked as if they'd already been read. In the corner sat a wicker table, each drawer filled to the brim with supplies I'd never seen before. It was perfect. Too perfect.

Downstairs, Nate tugged at my jeans. "Explore with me?" His stuffed giraffe dangled beside him; I agreed with a gentle smile. 

We opened the first door into a library. Stacks of books leaned against each other; dust hung heavily in the air. In the closet, old board games slumped in piles, Nate pulled one loose- a Ouija board. My stomach dropped, I slipped it back into the piles. "Not this game," I sternly told him. "It's dangerous."

We left immediately.

Stepping outside, the back garden stretched wide and wild. Flower petals felt like silk between my fingers, their colors pretty and vibrant. A woman knelt among the flowers, whispering to them. She looked up and waved us over.

"Welcome home, loves," she said softly. "I'm Lilac, I tend to the garden, so nothing here dies."

Her hair was silver, her eyes impossibly emerald. She smiled with warmth, like a lit candle on a cold night. I tried to smile back, but she had already left before I could. Only the flowers swayed in the wind, whistling a tune.

Later, Lily came to me frantically. Her pink stuffed bunny, Binny, was missing. We searched until I found it half- way beneath the blankets, a small foot peeking out. Lily beamed with relief, though her bunny's stitched smile looked wider than before.

That night, the children fell asleep one by one. I drifted soon after.

A sound jolted me out of a deep sleep. Scratching. At my door, then a scream. My body moved before I thought, slipping to the hall.

A shadow lurked at the top of the stairs. Nate stood there, eyes closed, I reached for his hand.

"Come on, mouse. Let's go back to bed." 

He shoved me hard. My head cracked against the railing, vision spotty. A whisper I couldn't understand screeched through my ears, too close to my ears. 

When I blinked awake, Nate stood above me, giggling uncontrollably. "What's so funny, mouse?" I asked, trying to escape the fear. 

"Nate isn't here right now," a voice I hadn't heard said. "He's only a door. I stepped through."

My chest tightened. "Nate, I know you're in there. You'd never hurt me." For a moment, his blue eyes flickered, wet with tears. "I'm sorry, Nicole. She's inside me."

Then blackness spread across his gaze. His smile stretched too far. "Kill him." the voice hissed, "kill him and I'll leave."

I started sobbing, I couldn't do that. I loved my little brother. "Never." I started to pray loudly, hoping it would save Nate and me.

He laughed like a doll with a broken voice box. "Your prayers won't save you; they feed me."

He leaned close, I could feel his breath on my neck.

I covered my ears as he screamed, the sound rattling the walls.