The sky was dark. The Raposa Village was asleep. And no baki dared to disturb the silence. Polly couldn't sleep. The thought of finally escaping the village kept her awake. Her parents still were in their bed, and there was no hint of sunshine in the house. Hunter was hugging his pillow, dreaming away. Well, until someone tried to wake him up. Polly quietly got out of bed and walked over to him.
"Hunter." There wasn't a response. She poked him. "Hunter." He began to shift a little. She tried to shake him awake. "Hunter!" Hunter grumbled and squeezed his pillow tighter. "Hunter! Get! Up!"
He opened his eyes. He seemed grumpy. "What?" 'I was enjoying that dream!'
"Shh!!"
Hunter rolled his eyes. 'Out of all people to tell me to be quiet.' "Sorry..."
Polly began to jump up and down. "When are we going!?"
"Go...ing? Oh yeah. That. ...I don't know."
"Come oooon Hunter! I wanna see it!"
Hunter's head began to ache. "Soon."
"Soon?" Polly began to get excited. "...Does that mean what I think it does?!"
"Yeah. Sure. Just let me sleep first."
Polly squealed in excitement. "Thank you! When are we..." Hunter fell back asleep. He snored a little. Polly put her hands on her hips. "Hey! I didn't get to finish!" She sighed and went back to bed.
The next day, Polly was standing at the door jumping up and down. "Huuunteeerr! Come oooon!!! Let's go already!"
Hunter was rummaging through the kitchen. "Hang on a sec!" He grabbed a plate and began to pile cookies on top of it.
Nixie walked in on him. "What on earth are you doing?! Get your paws out of that jar!"
"But mom, we're hungry!"
"That is no excuse to take the whole jar! Here. Take these Kori fruits instead."
She poured the cookies back into the jar, and replaced them with Kori fruit. "There. Much better."
Hunter looked at the plate. He liked Kori fruit, but he really wanted cookies. "Thanks... Mom." He began to walk away, slowly.
Nixie began to feel bad. 'Bobby wouldn't let this happen... Oh, who am I kidding?' "Alright. I'll let you have a couple."
Hunter turned around with a smile on his face. "Really!?"
She nodded and placed two cookies on the plate. "There. A nice couple."
Polly walked up behind them. "Hey! Give us more!"
Nixie shook her head. "One for each of you is enough."
"Fiiine. We'll be back soon!" Hunter and Polly darted towards the door when their mother interrupted them.
"Where are you two off to?"
Hunter's throat felt like it was stuck. "Uh... We're gonna play hide and seek!"
Polly gave hunter a quick glare. 'Seriously? Hide and seek? THAT of all things is your excuse? ...I'm never going see this place am I?'
Nixie was shocked. The last time they claimed to be playing hide and seek, Hunter went missing and came back in tears. And with the shadow beginning to crawl into the village, she already had a good reason to worry. She was almost positive they weren't playing around, but she just couldn't prove it. "...Oh. Alright. Just be careful okay?"
"Oh. Okay mom."
"And please. Do not go up north! It's dangerous up there!"
"We'll be fine mom! We'll stay close by!"
Nixie let out a small sigh. "Thank you. Make sure you two come back in time for supper!"
"We will!" The two exited the building and went on their merry way.
Hunter and Polly walked to the Forest Gate, still in shock that they were even able to get out of the house.
"How did THAT work?"
"I dunno! It always does!"
They approached the gate.
"How does this thing even work?"
Hunter smiled. "Magic!"
"There's no way."
Hunter pushed open the door. The gate revealed a white glow. The magical light glistened on the grass and danced in the air. "How about now?"
"...Okay that's pretty cool!"
"Told you!"
"So... Um... What do I have to do?"
"Just take a deep breath, and think about where you want to go."
"Okay. I'll try." She deep breath and thought really hard.
"No! No! Don't think that hard! Just relax."
She nodded. 'Okay, okay. Relax... I think I can do this.' She took another deep breath and walked through the gate. Hunter quickly followed.
The gate opened to the lush purple forest known as the Twilite Wood. Polly looked up. "Woah." The trees didn't seem to have an end to them. They just kept going upward towards the swirling sky. "You weren't kidding about this."
Hunter smiled. "Come on. There's more to see."
"Wait. That's not it?"
"Nope!" Hunter revealed a secret pathway.
"A... Path?"
Hunter nodded. "Made it myself!"
"Looks messy. Are you sure we won't get lost?"
Hunter nervously laughed. "Hey, I never got lost in here!" 'Except for that one time or two...' "Just follow me okay?"
"Just because you're older doesn't mean I have to follow you around!" She looked around. As beautiful as this place was, she did not want to get lost in it. "...But okay fine. ...Just don't hold my hand."
"That's fair. Come on. This way." Hunter continued to follow the path, making sure Polly was never too far behind.
Not long into their walk, the two Raposa came across a stump. It was a little thicker than the surrounding trees, and had mushrooms and sprouts growing around it. Hunter approached the stump. He knew this stump since the very beginning. "Hey. I'm back again." He poked one of the mushrooms growing at the stump's base. "I brought someone. Polly, this is the stump."
Polly approached the stump. '...Is he? Talking to a stump?' "Uh... Hi."
"...Oh right! Uh...Remember when dad had to cut down that tree a year ago?"
Polly thought for a second. 'You mean that time he took you here and not me?' "Sounds familiar."
"Well, this is it."
"Really?"
Hunter nodded. "Yeah." He patted the stump and backed away from it. "...Its for good luck." He was about to move on when he remembered something. "...You wanna try?"
Polly looked at the stump and quickly tapped it. She smiled and caught up with Hunter. "Where are we going now?"
"Only the best place in the entire world! Come on!" Polly followed Hunter through the trees, eager to see what he was talking about.
It took a little longer, but they finally arrived at a small clearing in the forest. Hunter took a deep breath and sighed. "It's so good to be back..." Polly followed Hunter into the clearing and looked around.
"Woah..." The tiny clearing was relatively empty. It only had a handful of toys and a single wooden stool. "Hunter, what is this place?"
Hunter smiled. "Welcome to the hideout."
"...What do you do in a hideout?"
"Whatever I feel like!" Hunter took one of the fruit off the plate he was carrying and ate it. "Want any?"
"Sure..." Polly looked at the plate and grabbed one of the two cookies on the plate.
Hunter set the plate down on the stool. "Oh! Check this out!" He ran up to a line of bushes and sat in front of them. "Polly, come on!"
Polly took a bite out of her cookie, and walked over to Hunter. "What is it?"
"Look over these bushes."
"What?!"
"Just do it!"
Polly peered over the bushes. "Woah."
The view was amazing. The sparkling sky was much easier to see from here. It looked like someone swirled a bunch of paint and sprinkled glitter on top of it. Below, there was another clearing. This one was much more narrow than Hunter's. On this lower level, a few enemies walked around. Most of them were baki.
"This view is so cool!"
Hunter smiled. "I thought you'd like it! I know I do."
"This place has everything!"
"That's what I thought!"
Polly finished her cookie. "Hey Hunter, do you got any water?"
"...Oh! Uh...yeah! I do! At least I think I do... Hang on a sec." Hunter got up and went through the nearby trees. After a minute, he came back with a jug. "Tada! Water!"
Polly was shocked. "Where did you even GET that?"
Hunter plopped the jug on the ground. It seemed the jug was a little heavy for him. "Nearby river."
"That's gross! There could be Baki dung in it."
"It's not gross! It's water!" Hunter picked the jug back up and gulped some of the water from it. "You want any?"
Polly was a little disgusted. "I... I'm good."
"Are you sure?"
Polly nodded. "Trust me. I am NOT putting my mouth on that."
Hunter put the jug back down and shrugged. "Suit yourself." He sat back down next to Polly. "Oh Polly! Check this out!" Hunter reached into the bushes and pulled out a notebook. It was beaten and worn on the cover.
"A worn old book? What's so exciting about that?"
Hunter grinned. "This. This is my journal."
Polly giggled. "Oh! So you're letting me see your diary?"
Hunter's face blushed a little out of embarrassment. "What? No! That's not what this is!"
Polly chuckled some more. "I'm just kidding!" '...Partially.' "Come ooooon Hunter! Let me see!"
"Alright! But don't expect mushy gushy diary stuff." He opened the notebook and showed Polly. "See? No mushy stuff!"
Polly took the notebook from Hunter's hands and began to page through it. The notebook had seen better days. The pages were bent, worn and dirt covered. Hunter was right. The book wasn't a diary at all. Instead, it had a bunch of notes on creatures Hunter had come across in the Twilite Wood. The notes were very detailed and even contained a few stories. On top of this, each creature had a drawing next to the notes. The drawings were pretty bad, but anyone could still sense the heart that was put into them. One of the drawings had sharp pointy teeth.
"...Flying Nut Rat?"
"Oh yeah... Bad experience. ...Don't ask."
She continued to page through the notebook. "...Leaf Baki?"
"The smartest one!"
Polly shook her head. "Hunter, come on! Baki aren't smart! Baki are Baki! I know that you know that."
Hunter shook his head back at her. "Are you kidding? That was the baki that tricked the town! Heck, that baki showed me this place! They're smarter than you think!"
"Pfff! Yeah right."
Hunter flipped the page until it revealed a Baki riding a star. "Tell me they're dumb now!" Hunter crossed his arms and smirked, confident in his opinion.
Polly however, wasn't buying it. "There's no way that's even possible." Polly then looked up from the notebook and saw a baki riding a shooting star right past them. "What the?! How!!?? That was so cool!!"
"The smartest baki!"
Polly laughed before continuing to look through the notebook. "This is impressive. ...Very impressive."
"Huh? Oh uh... Thanks."
"It's a shame there isn't more here."
"Y...Yeah." Hunter really did want more in his journal, but he just couldn't find anything new to write about. "...Maybe you can find something I can write about?"
"Like what?"
"I dunno. Something."
Polly looked over the bushes to see if she could find anything noteworthy. "...I don't see anything."
Hunter sighed. 'Ah man... I was kinda hoping there was something new out there...'
Polly then jumped all of a sudden. "Woah! Wait a second!! What is that!?!?"
Hunter quickly peered over the bushes.
In front of them was a weird rabbit-like creature with long ears. It didn't seem to notice them.
Hunter's jaw dropped. "I don't know... I never saw that before..." He reached for his notebook and a nearby pencil. He opened it up to a blank page and began to draw the creature. "Polly! Make sure it doesn't leave your sight!"
"Got it!" Polly jumped up and stared at the creature.
The creature heard Polly's movement and turned towards her. It's face looked like someone sewed it on to the creature. However, it still had a real mouth. Polly smiled at the creature. "Aww.... It's so cute! Look Hunter! They're smiling at me!"
Hunter continued drawing, not looking up from his notebook. "That's nice Polly." Hunter finished the doodle and began to jot down notes on the creature. "What else?"
The creature hopped a little closer to Polly. "Aw... It hops around!" Polly looked into the creature's eyes. Like the rest of it's face, it looked like they were sewn on with purple string. In fact, aside from the mouth, the creature looked exactly like a doll. "Aw... It looks like one of my toys back home!" As Polly was staring at the creature's eyes, the creature looked back into hers. After making eye contact, the creature's eyes shimmered. It caused Polly to enter a trance. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't even think. The creature continued to hop even closer to her.
Hunter was still looking down at his notebook. His writing was sloppy as he excitedly wrote about the new mysterious rabbit. "A toy huh? Can you tell me anything else about it, Polly?"
Hunter waited for Polly's responce, but Polly didn't respond to him at all. Something wasn't right.
"Polly? Did you hear me?"
No response.
"Polly?"
All of a sudden, the creature jumped up over the bushes and attacked Polly with its long helicopter ears.
"Polly!!!" Hunter stood frozen in fear. He shook in his skin. He didn't know what to do. It took everything Hunter could to move his legs and back away from the scene. He rushed into the woods and snapped one of branches off of the trees. Holding the branch like a spear, Hunter rushed back into the hideout. He ran towards the creature, screaming at the top of his lungs. "AAAAA!!! GET AWAY FROM HER!!" The creature scared him so much, that Hunter couldn't even look at it. He began to flail the branch at the evil creature with his eyes closed.
It wasn't long until Hunter finally succeeded in hitting the creature. After letting out a cry of pain, the creature fled as far away from the Raposa as possible.
Still holding the branch, Hunter slowly opened his eyes. "Is.... Is it gone?" Hunter gasped for air as he looked around. It was gone. Despite the area now being safe, Hunter's heart was still pounding in his chest. He looked down to see his sister unconscious on the ground. "Polly... Polly!"
She didn't respond.
"Polly get up!!"
She didn't get up.
"If you're pranking me, this isn't funny!"
Polly didn't say anything.
"POLLY ANSWER ME!!!" Hunter's eyes were tearing up.
"..."
He fell to his knees and began to cry. "Polly... Please... Don't do this to me..."
Polly wasn't moving at all.
"I'm sorry... I knew this was a bad idea... I KNEW IT. *sniff* ...I should've protected you.... But I didn't..." Hunter couldn't even see through his eyes anymore. "Polly... Don't leave me... Please..." He put his face in his hands. "Creator... please don't take Polly away... she... she's the best friend I've ever had... she doesn't deserve this... please Creator... please........" He couldn't even speak anymore. All Hunter could do was sob. He thought Polly was gone forever, and he couldn't help but to blame himself. 'Polly... What am I going to do without Polly? What will Mom and Dad do without her? This... this isn't real. It can't be....'
After what seemed to be forever, Polly began to wake up. "Ugh... what happened?" She sat up and rubbed her head. She looked around her surroundings to see Hunter buried in his hands. "...Hunter?"
He didn't hear her.
"Hunter!"
Hunter ignored her. 'Oh rapo... Now I'm hearing her...'
"Hunter!!"
'Her voice is mad at me! She's a ghost, I knew it!'
"Hunter! What is wrong with you!?"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!! I didn't mean it to happen! Please forgive me! I'm sorry!"
"...Forgive you? What the rapo are you talking about!?"
"I'm sorry... I..." Hunter lifted his head from his hands. His eyes were filled with tears. It took him a while to realize what was happening. "P... Polly?"
"Who else would it be?"
Hunter hugged her and continued to cry. "Polly!! You're okay!"
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"...Don't you remember?"
Polly shook her head no. "...All I can think of is that thing."
Hunter shivered at the thought of the rabbit creature. "Th... 'THAT thing?!'"
"Yeah. It was kinda cute wasn't it?"
"C..cute?"
"Yeah! I think I should have one for my own!"
"W...What!?" 'She... Doesn't know!?'
"Yeah, you're right. Mom wouldn't like that... Maybe I can make one myself!"
Hunter's eyes widened. 'No! No! No!' "Are you serious?!"
"Yeah! Maybe I then won't have to bug you anymore!"
Hunter's heart sunk a little. "Oh..."
Polly got off the ground. "What are we waiting for!? Let's go home so I can make it!!" She happily skipped to the hidden pathway.
Hunter got off the ground and rushed after her. 'This isn't right...' "Polly! Wait! Are you sure you're okay? You're not hurt at all?"
"Nope! I'm fine!" She looked him. "...I'm not sure about you though. Are YOU okay?"
'What is she talking about? I'm not acting THAT crazy, am I?' "Y-yeah... I'm uh.. I'm okay. I think." 'I can't believe I let that happen to her... What is wrong with me? I... I hurt her...' Hunter sighed and followed the pathway. "Come on Polly. I'm ready to go home."
She followed him. "Same here! Can't WAIT to get started on my new friend!"
'New... friend?' "..."
"He'll be so nice, and sweet!"
Hunter looked away from her. 'Are you sure about that?' "..."
"And he'll have a BIIIIG smile!"
Hunter was tearing up. 'A smile that can't be unseen I bet.' "..."
"He'll understand EVERY word I say, and I'll understand him!"
Hunter was walking a little faster. 'Unlike me...' "..."
Polly caught up with him. "And he'll be my bestest friend ever!"
Hunter was crying. 'I DID lose her...' He walked even faster.
Polly caught up with him again. "Hey Hunter! Slow down! I know you want to meet him too, but wait for me!"
Hunter didn't slow down. 'Meet him? She doesn't get it... That's my worst nightmare.' The two siblings were getting close to the path's end. Hunter was still crying. 'I dont like this... I just wanna go home...' Hunter began to sprint to the Forest Gate.
Polly ran after him. "Hunter! Get back here!" Hunter opened the gate and went through it. Polly went through the gate after him. "Don't leave me here!"
Hunter ran out of the gate into the village. His heart was pounding, and his eyes were burning. Polly quickly followed behind. She did NOT look happy. "Hunter!!!" Hunter tried to outrun her, but he couldn't. Polly stopped Hunter and grabbed onto his shirt. "Hunter! What is your problem?!" She turned him around. Hunter was bawling.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just... I just wanted to go home! D...don't tell on me! Please!"
Polly raised an eyebrow. "What are you crying about!?!"
Hunter couldn't give a straight answer. His thoughts were swirling around in his head. "I.... I'm sorry..."
Polly let go of him. "'Sorry'? Sorry for what?! You didn't do anything!"
"W...what? I..." 'No! It's all my fault! I... I don't know what I did. I'm just scared...'
Polly shook her head and sighed. "You're a weird one, Hunter." She looked in the direction of their house. "Come on. Stop crying so we can go home."
Hunter tried as hard as he could, but no matter what he did, he couldn't stop the tears flowing from his eyes. Hunter shook his head. "...I can't. I can't!"
"Why not!?"
"I don't know... I...I... I'm scared...." It was true, Hunter was terrified and he couldn't put it into words. He felt like he was loosing the best friend he ever had, and that it was all his fault. 'I almost KILLED her... and now she's replacing me... And I can't even tell anyone about it...'
Polly however, had no clue what was wrong with him. For all she knew, Hunter was just being a crybaby. 'What is WRONG with him!? I know he's kind of a crybaby, but I never seen him act THIS bad! Ugh! I don't get it!! Why is he doing this?! ...He does NOT look good. ...It's kinda sad actually. ...Maybe Mom or Dad will know what to do. ...Besides, i need to get started on my new friend anyway...' "Hunter, I'm tired. Let's just go home."
Hunter tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. He didn't know what would happen when he would get home, but he didn't care. "Y...yeah. I'd like that." The two then walked back home.
Polly ran up to the front door and held it open. "After you!"
Hunter didn't want to go in first, but he accepted the kind gesture anyway. "...Thanks." Hunter stepped into the house and Polly soon followed. Their parents were busy preparing for dinner.
Nixie heard the door and smiled. 'Oh thank The Creator. They're fine.' "You kids are back already?" 'Not that I mind...'
Polly chirped. "Yup!"
Hunter tried not to face his parents. 'I can't let them see me like THIS!' "Uh huh..."
Bob nudged Nixie in her side. He spoke quietly so only Nixie could hear him. "See Nix? I told ya they'd be fine." He smiled. "So! Which one of ya two won?"
Polly and Hunter grew silent. 'Won? Won what?'
Bob shook his head. "Didn't ya play somethin? Seek or Hide? Somethin like that. ...Don't tell me ya forgot already!"
It took a while for Hunter and Polly to realize what he was talking about. 'Oh yeah... We said we were playing hide and seek again.'
Polly decided to break the silence. "Oh yeah! ..I don't know about Hunter, but I believe I was the winner!"
Hunter's eyes grew wide. 'Wait a minute. SHE is the winner of this fake game?' "You? Who decided that?"
"...I did."
"But you always win!"
"It's not my fault I deserved to win."
"But you didn't win anything!"
"Well you didn't win either!"
Nixie interrupted their argument. "Wait just a moment! Neither of you two won? ...How is that even possible?!" 'They weren't playing, were they?' Hunter and Polly grew quiet again. It seemed that they had been found out.
Hunter lowered his head. 'Now they'll know what I did.... I... I...' He began to tear up again. 'No... not now. Don't start crying, please!'
Nixie saw Hunter lower his head. '...He hasn't faced me since he walked in. Why is he acting so odd?' "...Hunter. Turn around and face me."
Tears were rolling down Hunter's face. 'No no no! Stop! I... I don't want to do this.'
Nixie walked closer to him. "Hunter. You have to face me Hunter. Do not make me turn you around."
Bob backed her up. "Hunter. ...Do what your mother says."
Hunter gulped for air and slowly turned around. He was shaking, and his head was low. Nixie was shocked. "Hunter! What happened to you!?"
Hunter mumbled. "...I was so scared.... I didn't mean to... I... I was too late..."
Nixie put her hands on Hunter's shoulders. "Hunter, please listen to me. I don't know what happened to you, but I do know that everything will be okay. Okay?"
Hunter lifted his head. His entire face was a light shade of red. "No... No it won't!" He lowered his head back down and rubbed his eyes.
Nixie sighed. "Hunter, look at me. Everything is okay. If you ever feel like it isn't, we will do everything in our power to make sure it is."
"...I know mom." Hunter gave her a hug. "I love you mom."
Nixie teared up a little. She loved to hear those words. "Haha... I love you too baby." They let go of each other. "Hey, why don't you change into your pajamas and we'll get supper started."
"Okay..." Hunter walked off to change into fresh pjs.
Polly sat down at the dining table. She tried to stray off topic. "So... what are we having?"
Nixie crossed her arms. "Polly. What were you doing today?"
"Playing hide and seek! We told you that before we left!"
Nixie was getting annoyed. "Well then what was that all about?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Polly, I know you have eyes. You know exactly what I am talking about!"
Polly knew Hunter was upset, but she just wasn't sure why. "..."
"Polly. What Happened?"
"I don't know."
"Polly!"
"I said I don't know!"
"I find that hard to believe."
"But it's true..."
"What on earth have you done to him?!"
"I didn't do anything!"
"Well, something must have happened to make him act like that."
"I don't know what happened to him!"
"Were you even WITH Hunter?"
"Of course I was!"
"How could you not be aware of your own brother?!"
"I don't know!!" Polly slammed her fist on the table and crossed her arms. "Hmph." 'Who does she think she is?! I don't know what's wrong with him! It'd be nice if I did though.'
Nixie was also getting frustrated. 'What happened?! I need to know what happens with my babies. Why won't she just tell me what's wrong!? She has to know. She has to!'
Bob looked at Polly and his wife. He knew what Nixie was going through, but he also couldn't shake the feeling that Polly was telling the truth. Unable to withstand the silence, Bob walked over to sit next to Polly. "Polly, I trust ya. Ya know dat right?"
Polly nodded. "Yes."
"Good. Now, I dunno what you know, so I gotta ask. What happened?"
"I told you. I don't know."
"I believe ya. Any idea what happened before?"
Polly thought for a moment... 'Last thing I remember before Hunter went nuts was that rabbit thing in the Twilite Wood. I don't know how that is related though... Its too cute. Besides, Hunter would be mad if I told about the hideout. ...But what can I tell them?' "We were playing hide and seek..."
Nixie was about to say Polly was lying, but Bob gave her a look that stopped her in her tracks.
Polly continued. "I... was hiding. Hunter was seeking. I hid in a very well hidden spot... A bit too well I guess. Hunter didn't find me... I waited for him, but he didn't show... So I left my spot... And I found him... He was upset..."
Nixie interrupted. "But why?"
Polly shook her head. "I don't know. My only guess is that he was scared he couldn't find me."
"Why do ya say dat?"
"When he saw me, he started to cry..."
"That is just terrible!"
"Yeah. I thought he was being nothing but a big fat crybaby."
"Polly!"
"What? It's not my fault he was being a wuss."
Hunter stood not too far behind. He heard everything they said. 'A crybaby wuss? ...Is that what they see me as?' "Ahem."
The three Raposa jumped a little at the sound of Hunter. Polly began to sweat. 'RAPO' "Oh... Hey.... Hunter... My brother! How are you....?"
"..."
Nixie nervously smiled. "Oh good. You look much more like yourself! ...Not that you looked awful! You're very handsome."
Bob didn't say anything. 'Hey, I didn't do nothin.' He simply got out of his chair and began to set supper on the table.
Hunter sat down at the table without saying a single word. His expression gave off a mix of sadness, anger, and disappointment. "..." The family ate in an awkward silence.
Hunter ate half of his food before setting it to the side. "...I'm kinda tired. Can I be excused?"
Nixie was confused. "Isnt it just a bit early to go to bed?"
Bob nodded. "Go ahead. Whatever's good."
Hunter got up and went to bed. It wasn't long until the rest of the family finished their meal.
Polly got up from her chair. She wasn't quite tired, but there was something she was itching to do for a while now. "Hey mom. I wanna try to make a doll!"
"Really? That sounds great! Just wait until I can get the materials from Isaac's, okay?"
Polly's heart began to pound. 'I can't wait until tomorrow! Nor the next day! Nor whenever mom'll be up to it. I need to start ASAP.' "But mom.... I wanna try NOW."
"Well I apologize for not keeping up with you. You'll have to wait."
"But...."
Bob was cleaning up the table. "Sorry pumpkin. Trust me. The time'll come before ya know it."
"Thanks dad..." 'But I NEED to get this done RIGHT NOW.'
Polly went to bed and waited for her parents to do the same. Once the light was scarce, Polly snuck out of bed. She raided the dressers and took the metal tin from under her parents bed. She went back to her bed and started creating a rabbit doll using the clothing she found around the house. Just as she was working, she heard Hunter.
"...I'm sorry.... Don't mean to... crybaby... Don't leave..... please...." He was talking in his sleep.
Polly sighed. She felt bad for being rude to him all day. "No.... I'M sorry." She continued to work on her new friend for the rest of the night.