The Things We Hide

Fifteen

"This is beautiful." I said in awe. Eli and I were by his tree house, in the clearing. He'd driven his car a little farther into the clearing so that we could star gaze. It was at this moment I was glad I began sobering up before we left the party, those there were still traces of my liquid courage. "I knew you'd like it." Eli smiled, looking over at me. We sat side by side, on top of his car, looking up at the sky.

"I love it." I corrected, looking directly in his eyes, "Can I tell you a secret?"

He nodded, taking my hand in his.

"When I was younger, I had an irrational fear of the dark. I used to have these dreams about something bad happening to me, and it would always appear from the dark." I wrapped my arms around my body, feeling a chill travel down my spine, "It always felt so real..." I trailed off thinking about the dreams I've been having recently. I didn't remember them, but I still woke up with marks. Much like what used to happen back then.

"My mom and my dad got tired of me sleeping with them every night, so they placed glow in the dark stars all over my room in hopes of keeping me in there." I closed my eyes, smiling, "They used to hide messages in the stars, and wanted me to find them and tell them, but I'd always gotten tired and ended up telling them the next morning."

I looked over at Eli, who was staring at me intently.

"Of course that's not the case anymore, I grew out of that, and my digital alarm clock lights the room up well enough."

Before he could say anything, there was movement somewhere nearby, in the tree line.

Eli sat up alert, and I looked around.

"What was that?" I asked, thinking about Kory and Myra's attack.

"I'm not sure, but we should head up now."

He made his way down from the car, and held his hands out for me to climb down into his arms.

I did, and we began to make our way to the tree house.

As we walked, I couldn't help but notice the silence in the night.

I mean there wasn't a lot of nightlife, but this was dead silent, it felt completely unnatural.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood, and I knew that someone was watching.

I looked around the clearing just before reaching the steps to the tree house, and saw icy blue eyes staring at me from across the clearing.

"Eli." I said, freezing.

Those icy blue eyes, the ones I saw before they aimed for my throat....

"Stay calm." Eli whispered in my ear, "Just climb up and we'll be fine."

I planned on Eli climbing up first since I was wearing a dress, but no longer cared for modesty.

I took the steps carefully, not wanting to entice the animal anymore than it probably already was.

When Eli made it in after me, and closed the latch, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"It's fine." Eli reassured me, "Everything is fine."

"Did you see what it was?" I asked Eli.

We just finished laying down the blanket pallet and pillows. "What what was?"

He asked, seeming to be genuinely confused. "That animal outside." I answered, thinking back to it. I could only see its eyes, and nothing else.

Come to think of it, what animal has bright blue eyes like that?