Shadows

19. Is this yours?

We all plop down on the couches, well, except Xander. His phone call had to be taken outside.
He's been on for about half an hour. I don't know what he was talking about, but he was perplexed about it. In his typical manner, he didn't show it, his expression was blank, tone firm, but he was clutching the phone too hard, occasionally running a hand through his hair and pulling at his scalp at the end. I was about to ask what's wrong a few times but decided against it. I don't want to be nosy.

"So.." Spencer looks at us, "now what?"

"I don't know," I shrug, "you wanna play hide and seek or something?" I ask jokingly.

Spencer's eyes light up.

-

"Oh common guys!" My voice echoes through the house, still, there was no reply.

I grumble under my breath, "how did Xander even agree to this?"

Spencer smirked, "and if we win, you have to do our homework for the next week."

I roll my eyes. Right.

I raised my eyebrows, "and what if I win?"

They all shrugged at the same time, "your choice."

I don't know why I chose what I chose, and how it even fit into context, but I just blurted out:

"You have to watch a full episode of Dora."

For a moment the three looked horrified, with the exception of blank face, but then their expressions quickly turned into ones of triumph. They boasted about how they would definitely win, that I will never be able to find them, that it would be years before I actually do, and I was probably horrible at hide and seek as a kid and they are the hide and seek champions.

I've already searched the living room, to no avail.

So, whistling to myself, I walk into the kitchen, look behind the door, under the table, inside the fridge. Nope. Nothing.
Wait.
I open the fridge again. The satisfyingly cold air hits my face as I spot something behind the milk jug.

My pen!

I internally congratulate myself. I knew I lost it somewhere. It has a pineapple deign, the top with green spikes and the body orange with the pineapple swirls and stuff.
Why do I have a pineapple pen?
SpongeBob.
If only I had an apple pen...

I sigh, staring at the food inside, man I really need to organize the- my eyes widen- organize!

I smirk to myself, imagining a lightbulb above my head. So out of the kitchen I walked, whistling a mellow tune as I tilted every painting as I went along the house.

I've gone into the living room, the dining room, the hallways, I went upstairs, finding every painting in the house, until I came to one with pot of flowers, I was about to reach for it when I'm picked up by the waist, letting out a yelp as Xander swings me over his shoulder.

I laugh triumphantly as he grumbles under his breath.

"I so got you!" I laugh, "the first one!" I pump my fist into the air.