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Chapter 6: Almost an Answer

Kori's POV
Trees surrounded me as did snow. Snow fell onto the ground, creating mound after mound as I trudged through it. I had no idea where I was going, yet knew I needed to meet up with someone somewhere in these mountains.

As I continued trudging through the snow, I heard a roar somewhere in front of me. I looked around, whipping my head to my right, left, and ahead of me, but saw nothing. When I heard the roar again, I began running towards the sound instead. Hearing it one more time made me run faster, and I stopped once I saw a scene in front of me. It looked like....like one of those wendigos and...wait a minute.

That's my MOM in front of it!

"Come on, I know who you are!" My Mom shouted at it.

"You gotta be kidding me. It's a monster."

"Don't make me do this! I know how to kill you! Come back to me, please!"

"Wait, what?!"

Next thing I know my eyes are open and I'm staring at the ceiling above me.

What was that about, and why? I guess this whole wendigo thing is messing with my head. The fact Mom knows about it amplified it, too.

Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and swung my legs to my right, placing my feet on the floor and reaching for my phone.

Not only did it say it just turned from 10:59 to 11 in the morning, I saw a text notification at the bottom of the screen, too.

I opened my phone and nearly immediately opened my contacts. I saw it was from Kira.

"Kori, have you been feeling any different lately?"

Sent at around 11 PM. I was asleep by then.

"No. Why? Something up?" I sent it to her, then set it down on my bed.

It would take her a while to respond since I sent it so late, so I decided to do something else and come back to my phone later. After getting dressed in a brown t-shirt and black pants, I walked out of my room and made my way into the kitchen.

"Hey, Akane." I said, noticing my sister already sitting down in the kitchen.

"Hey, big brother! Mom went to the grocery store. She should be back at any minute."

"Got it. Have you eaten yet?" I asked, walking into the kitchen and reaching towards a cupboard for a box of cereal.

"Not yet."

"Want some cereal?" I asked, opening the cupboard up and getting a box of Golden Grahams as well as two bowls.

"Yeah, that's fine with me."

I put the bowls down and poured the cereal into them followed by milk shortly after. I gave one to Akane and slid one across the counter next to her where I would sit, getting a spoon for both me and her. I sat down next to her, gave her one of the spoons, and began eating from my bowl.

"Did you have a dream about that monster you and Yuki were talking about a few days ago?" Akane asked, causing me to look up from my bowl and at her. There she was nonchalantly eating from her bowl.

"Why are you asking?"

"You look tired."

"Do I?"

"Yes you do. Bad dream?" Akane asked, returning to her bowl.

"You really want to know about this, don't you?" I asked, pushing my bowl away from me.

"Yes I do."

"Well....fine. It won't hurt." I started, lowering my head, and then raising it again.

"Akane, my dream had to do with that monster Yuki and I were talking about the other day, you're right. Besides me, someone else was also in the dream. Mom."

"Mom?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Why was she in there?" Akane asked, tilting her head to the side, raising a brow.

"I think it's because she knows about the monster. She's mentioned it before. In my dream she said she knew who it was, and she even said she knew how to kill it. In real life she's mentioned she knows about it. Her reaction when I tried to ask her about it the other night told me everything I needed to know." I responded, reaching over and pulling my cereal bowl back towards me.

"That's interesting. So will you tell Mom about it?"

"I should, but I don't know. She said she'd tell me when she's ready" I muttered, and began to eat my cereal. Akane did too, and once we finished, I took both of our bowls to the sink and washed them out, then set them down inside it.

I walked back up to my room, sat down on my bed, and picked up my phone, noticing I once again had a notification to answer. Unlocking the screen, I went to my contacts to reply to Kira.

"Neon said she hasn't been eating much lately." Was what she said.

"Huh? Why?"

"She says the food she's been trying to eat lately tastes weird."

"Weird how?"

"She says it's either awful or it's bland."

Bland...? Awful, huh? This could mean something. I was so engrossed in this I didn't hear the front door open and footsteps come into the house.

"That's strange." I texted her my reply and sent it to her.

"I know. I find it weird too. Has anything weird happened to you lately, Kori?"

"Last night I had a dream about my Mom and a wendigo. She said she knew who it was and how to kill it."

"Really? The other day I had a dream where I was being chased by one."

"Interesting. Mine was on a snowy mountain I didn't recognize."

"I think these mean something. I know your Mom knows something about the wendigo, Kori, and I'm gonna find out what."

"So am I, but is that a threat?"

"No. That's a promise."

And with nothing else to say, the conversation ended.

"Yeah, she's not the only one who's gonna get to the bottom of this." I muttered, setting my phone down on my bed and walking out of my room. I walked out of my room. Stopping in my tracks, I looked at the end of the hall towards my Mom's room.

If this whole situation is really happening, if we really are being hunted by one of those things, maybe she has something that can help us. I walked towards her room and opened the doors. Walking towards her beige nightstand, I opened one of the drawers and began looking inside.

Nothing out of the ordinary in that one. I pulled open the second drawer.

Again, nothing unusual. I put my hand on the third drawer and was about to open it when a voice screamed behind me.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, KORI!? DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

I turned around immediately to see my Mom standing in her doorway, arms crossed, not happy to see me in her room. I couldn't tell if she was mad, scared, or both.

"GET OUT!" She screamed, walking towards me, and grabbed my shirt collar. She dragged me to her doorway and pushed me out of her room, making me fall to the floor. I looked back at her as she closed her door.

"The heck was that reaction for? Must've nearly found something I shouldn't have..." I muttered, getting up and dusting myself off.

She knows something now. I'm sure of it.

I have to look in that third drawer as soon as possible. Will it be a few days from now? I don't know, but something is in that drawer.

Either she'll show me or I'll find it out myself.

End chapter