Peek-A-Boo

Sunday-27

I was sitting with the boy’s mom as we waited for the girls to get back from changing clothes and getting some food in them. Who knows how long it had been since they had last eaten. They had arrived back with shaking bodies and no words; no one would tell me what had happened.

"You said the guy who attacked them could potentially be a victim as well?" I asked making sure she had heard me right.

"Yes and both Solara and America tried to reason with him.”

I shivered, if they had found him on that property and the word had gotten out about the dead body… then how many more bodies were buried under that place?

Their mom looked up and saw Sonya peek her head out from behind the door.

"Come in sweetie," I said patting the bed beside me.

She hid behind the door and then jumped out calling, "peek a boo! I see you!"

The two of us said nothing and just looked at each other in fear, not again...

"Yes you see me sweetie, now come sit down okay?" I replied a little worried.

"I see you," she said and put her finger to her lips making a shushing sound.

“Bryce,” I said tensing up as their mom squeezed my hand gently, "it's okay Sunday, she just doesn't understand."

America walked in quietly with the guys and saw the two of us tense. She raised her eyebrows, "what's going on?"

Sonya raised her hands up to her eyes then dropped them yelling, "peek a boo!"

Mary jumped back against Grayson and held her hand to her mouth, "oh God no."

"Sonya stop this," Grayson said sternly and Sonya looked at him with a pout, "Gray?"

"We don't say that okay?" Bryce said gently.

"It's a game though," she whined and hid behind her dad’s legs.

"I know sweetie, but there are some games that we can't play okay," I tried again to explain in terms that would make sense but knowing it was futile.

"Sorry," she mumbled and clung to Bryce's legs.

"Don't be Sonya it’s okay," I replied, "now come sit on the bed with me and we can watch some cartoons. How does that sound?"

"Okay," she mumbled and streaked over to the bed, jumping onto the empty spot.

Of all the games, she chose to play it had to be that one... I guess we just can't ever play typical children's games with her for the sake of us to all move on in peace. Even the thought of playing hide and seek seemed too terrifying.

I looked back at America and saw she was off in her own world thinking of who knows what.

"Mary?" I said waving my hand in front of her face.

"Sorry," she blushed and looked back at me with a slight fear, "just worried."

"About?"

"When we were in the woods, we saw a man... not Baldy, but another. And, well I injured him with a stick... and then the dolls," she trailed and looked at me as I tried to understand where she was getting at. "What if the dolls were a figment of our imagination?"

"How could they be? We all saw them." Bryce replied and then back tracked, "wait you hurt someone?"

"Yea... but it was out of self-defense."

"I know that... but we found bodies America of his victims."

She shook her head, "even if he was a victim, he was coming after us. I tried to tell him that we were kidnapped and," she shuddered, “he called me a demon.”

"Wait what?” Bryce looked at her with a frown as he tried to connect the dots.

"Guys stop," I said gently and looked at my cousin, "it's aright Mary you’re not in trouble."

"It's not my fault I'm not fully here in every conversation that goes on around me. Try being deaf for a day, then come back and tell me what it's like," she said and stalked off as I just looked at everyone and back at the door. What the hell was that?

"Well... that was interesting," Grayson mused and ruffled Sonya's hair absentmindedly.

"Did I say something?" Bryce asked me, still amazed by her sudden outburst.

"No, she just gets like this sometimes. Usually she only voices this kind of stuff to me when we're alone," I shrugged, "guess she just got tired of people accusing her or something."

Which made sense, I could only imagine what was going on through her mind when she knew she would never be able to hear us unless she got hearing aids... which I highly doubt she would do.

Jeremy walked in and smiled when he saw Sonya sitting on the bed singing along with the characters on the television, "just wanted to let you know that the man is behind bars. He was indeed a victim of the former murderer and is now awaiting trial on numerous charges. You guys are safe.”

"Thank God," I whispered.