NIGHT CHASER ---- original ---- HIATUS

A Plan

RING, RING!

Elena rushed to the door and flung it open. Her two best friends stood on the doorstep, huddled together against the cold.

"Come on in!" she invited them out of the chilly air. Some of the wind still snuck inside anyway, cooling the house down by about ten degrees in Elena's opinion. Yamilia shrugged her purple coat off and threw it on top of the yellow chair in the living room beside the entryway. Evan carefully pulled his red jacket off and hung it on the coat rack beside the door.

Elena ushered them up to her room, trying not to bother her mom. She led her friends through the white door, and into her sparse, simple bedroom. She patted the huge gray beanbag in the corner and flopped down on top of it. She then scooted over to make room for Evan and Yamilia.

"Come, sit!" she said, laughing. Evan sat down on the bean bag, taking up as little space as possible, while Yamilia plopped right in the middle of the beanbag. She spread her body out on any space the other two weren't occupying.

"So," Yamilia said in what was a whisper for her. For anyone else, it was a loud speaking voice. "What's going on?"

"Well, Evan and I told you about the Tag thing. On the way to the bus." Elena answered.

"Yeah. I know." Yamilia replied. She was rather calm. Her shoulder length dark hair swished back and forth as she fidgeted.

"We need to figure out what is going on." Elena faced her friends. Her eyes were determined.

"But, Elena, the police will figure it out. How can some random kids figure out what is going on?" Evan protested. He sunk back in the beanbag.

"We will collect evidence for the police. Besides, our police force is made up of volunteer workers. I already have an idea. We could be the EYE of the Mountain. You know, since our names start with E, Y, and E."

"That is so cheesy, but sure." Evan still seemed a bit skeptical. What could they do to stop it? Elena had no idea.

"I love it! It's the perfect name!" Yamilia cried. "But we should call it Shiny EYE of the Mountain! Or Golden EYE of the Mountain!"

Elena sighed. Yamilia loved the color gold. She was obsessed and would always wear gold sequined shirts. In fact, she was wearing one today.

"What's going on up there?" Elena's mom shouted. Yamilia had escalated her volume up to a yell.

Again.

"Yamilia, you have to keep it down. This has to be a secret." Evan chastised her. He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Please. No one can find out." Elena had no idea why she suddenly felt so angry. But Evan let go of Yamilia and the feeling passed.

Yamilia agreed with Evan, and the conversation continued.

"So, what would we do? What evidence would we collect?" Evan inquired. He looked at Elena meaningfully, and Elena felt a flutter in her heart. That soft gaze was for her, looking to her for what to do. Elena stared, until Evan asked, "Um, why are you staring at me?"

Elena snapped out of her dreamy trance.

"Um, no reason, I was just thinking."

"Well, what's your plan?" Evan asked.

"Ooh, we should go to the lady that disintigrated's house, and ask her family some questions." Yamilia exclaimed. She sat straight up, and her eyes went wide, like she had just experienced a huge revelation. "Didn't you say her name was Marva? I know Marva, and she has a husband that she never separates from!" Yamilia got up from the bean bag and jumped up and down, clapping her hands with joy. She loved to help her friends and this was huge! Evan and Elena looked at Yamilia in awe. This was genius. They could talk to Marva's husband. Even crazier was that Yamilia came up with the idea. She normally came up with the outrageous ideas like blasting off into a rocket ship that used glitter as fuel and interrogating everyone in the world until they found someone who knew what was going on. And then either Elena or Evan would come up with a less insane idea from Yamilias that didn't involve rocket ships that ran on glitter. Or interrogating every single person alive.

"That's perfect! We should go ask Marva's husband a couple of questions." Elena stood up, making as if to leave. She walked purposefully toward the door, and Yamilia followed. Elena stopped in her tracks and turned around when she realized that Evan wasn't coming.

"Evan, come on! Let's go."

Evan brushed his hair out of his eyes, and frowned. The corners of his mouth curved downward in contemplation.

"Elena, we still have to come up with a solid plan." he told her. Elena smiled and laughed.

"You always were the careful one!" she teased. But she sat down anyway, and motioned for Yamilia to do the same. "So, what do you think we should do?" she asked respectfully.

"Well, first of all, the name EYE of the Mountain is to never be used. That is so cheesy. But I agree, we should definitely try to figure out what is going on. I mean, it couldn't hurt, even if we don't figure it out. Maybe we could go out at night to take a look around as well."

"But that could be dangerous!" Elena protested.

"I laugh in the face of danger! MWAHAHAHAHA!" Yamilia yelled so loudly, Elena could feel the bean bag shake. Her mom yelled up again to make sure nothing was going on, and Elena assured her that all was well.

"I also laugh - well, maybe not laugh, but you get what I mean - in the face of danger. We have to do what it takes to save the mountain folk. The culture here is too rich to be forgotten. We have to save it, and defeat this Tag thing." Evan chuckled at himself. Elena giggled along with him. The two burst into a laughing fit, doubling over and gasping to get air. Evan and Elena collapsed onto the bean bag and laughed until they cried. Whenever they met each other's eyes, they burst into a new fit of giggling.

"I also laugh," Elena gasped. "Well, maybe not laugh!" Elena rolled over and crashed into Yamilia. Yamilia tumbled off of the bean bag. She stood up, and stuck her hands on her hips.

"Why are you guys laughing? Are you okay? Oh, wait, you're never okay. Ha!"

Elena and Evan laughed until the giggles slowly faded out. They sat up, and got sort of serious again, but the laughter hadn't completely left.

"Okay, let's go talk to Marva's husband." Elena announced.