Nothing much to say today, except that I love ya. And if you like this please vote and comment? If you wish. 

Playlist

Fear of the Dark by Iron Maiden

Doubt By Twenty One Pilots 

Breathin' by Ariana Grande

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A scream of pure panic and pain fills our town early Sunday morning. I sit bolt right in bed, the early morning light streaming in through my window. The scream echoes off the hills and bounces in every direction, ending up rattling in my brain. My dad burst into my room, we exchange glances, then I jump out of bed. My mom has her arms around my brothers in the hallway.

"Diego, what the hell is going on?" She pushes herself with the boys back towards her room.

"I..." My dad looks from her to down the stairs. "I have no idea. You stay here with the boys, Thea, get your shoes on and come with me."

I turn into my room, sliding on a random pair of shoes, and jump out of my room, still in my sweats. I only glance back to my mom, who was whispering something to my brothers as she ushers them into her room, then I follow my dad down the stairs, and into the early morning. The sky was gray and the air chilly, a frost covered the grass as my dad rushed towards the gathering crowd. All eyes were looking at Sunset. Panic settles in my chest, I forgot my phone inside, but fear glues me to the spot I stand.

The screaming abruptly stops.

It didn't fade, it's off, like someone switches a switch. Voices of our neighbors fill the morning silence.

"What the hell are those people doing up there?" Mr. Lehmbeck asks, looking back at his neighbor Mr. Knapp.

"Satanic practices, I told you those people were up to no good." Mrs. Nunez screeches before anyone has a chance to throw out a more sensible reasoning. "She knows." Mrs. Nunez points a long boney finger at me. "She goes up there."

"Hey, come on Patty, do not put this on my daughter." My dad stands between her and me.

"Tell them, tell them about how they welcome Satan into their hearts and now they are paying for it, girl. Have you let Satan in?"

"Patty, seriously." Mr. Knapp laughs. "Leave the girl alone, she probably isn't aware of anything."

My dad looks at me, but I shake my head, I really know nothing. My dad sends me back inside, and I head up the stairs. I hear my mom in her room with my brother asking her if they can come out and see what is going on, but I turn into my room and grab my phone. Only Harper and Charlie sent texts, not anyone from up the hill. I call Nya, no answer so I text her to call me, I call Levi and nothing either. Then I make a call to Abe, but even he doesn't respond, still I get a sense that he's avoiding my calls.

Startled by sirens, I hurriedly descend the stairs and exit the house. Cop cars sat outside the gate, a few trying every button to call someone to let them in, I wonder what will happen if no one lets them in. My phone vibrates in my hand, and without looking, I answer.

"Are you okay?" It's Abe. "There was a screaming this morning."

"Yes," I sigh. "I think it was up the hill from where I live."

Abe is quiet for a second longer than necessary, then he recovers himself. "Damn, that's close, do you want me to come over?"

I gaze at my dad's back, he would be furious if a boy showed up. "No, I don't believe my parents would be pleased. My mom is hiding out with my brothers, and my dad is doing his dad duty."

Abe chuckles. "I get that." Gates opened, cops rushed back to cars, drove fast up the winding road. "Vidal? You there?"

"Why'd you leave early last night?" It becomes clear, I understand the reason, and I know he is aware that I understand the reason, but I desire for him to say it, to validate it for me, so that we can resolve it.

A moment goes by, and I'm certain he won't speak. "I wasn't feeling great, that's all."

"I'm sorry I invited them."

"No, it's okay. We have fun as friends, and I'm thankful for that."

I close my eyes and breathe in. "Abe. I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you are too, Thea. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." We hang up as my dad makes his way back up the driveway.

"Nothing to see right now, but I bet this has to do with the attacks around the other towns. Have you heard?"

I shake my head. "What do you mean?"

"The bigger towns around us have been having some issues with people getting attacked or even missing."

My body becomes icy, I shift my attention to my dad. "How long has this been going on?"

"I believe it was shortly before we moved here."

"So, you knew that this was going to happen?" My mom stands in the kitchen as we walk in.

"Syd..."

"No Diego, you moved our family here knowing very well our children could be in danger?"

"No, that is not what occurred, I was unaware until after we relocated here, and at that point, I didn't anticipate it would come here. It's only been in the bigger cities."

"We are not living here anymore, if you don't want to come, that's fine."

"Sydney."

"I shouldn't have ever left Santa Barbara, I should have refused, we had a good life there, we were happy."

"You're blowing this out of proportion."

"Me and the kids are moving back to Santa Barbara." My mom turns to her phone. "I'm going to call my sister, and we'll move back in into the old house as we sell this house. She only bought it for a vacation house, as long as we find a new place by the summer, we should be good."

"Sydney," My dad follows my mom. "honey, we're okay, we are safe." He takes her up in his arms, and I can see that she's shaking. "I promise we are safe; I won't let anything happen to the kids, or to us."

"You can't promise that." My mom sobs into his chest. "You can't swear that nothing bad is going to happen."

I sense arms encircling my waist, and look down at my brothers embracing me, I place my hands on each of their backs, and gently stroke. Not wanting them to witness anymore of this, I lead them into the backyard.

"Are Mom and Dad breaking up?" Aaron asks me.

"No. Mom is freaked out; she doesn't know what she's saying." I pull out a soccer ball from the shed.

"I don't want to have to move again." Caleb is next to me now. "I actually like it here."

"I don't think we're moving." I shift things around until I find two hula hoops. "Dad has a great job here; it makes more sense to stay."

"What if Mom leaves and we have to decide between Mom or Dad?" Aaron asks as I hand him a hula hoop, passing the other to Caleb. "Because even if it means we have to leave, Mom is a better cook."

"Do you really want to hula hoop right now?" Caleb looks as if he wanted to vomit.

"Mom isn't going anywhere, now one of you put one-on-one side of the yard and the other on the other side." I watch as they listen to me without question, then come back. "Okay, those are the goals, you two are a team against me. Winner gets ice cream." I drop the ball, and immediately Caleb kicks it away from me.

I let them team up against me, which of course they go hard on me, even having Aaron steal my hula hoop away, cueing a chase. Eventually, parents come out and form two teams. I sit out as the boys fight over our mom, in the end, she and Aaron were against our dad and Caleb. I watch as my family play, even laughs, as our mom and Aaron score, and our dad fumbles whenever he touches the ball.

A cop came from around the house and waves my dad down. They stop their game, my mom takes my brothers inside, as me and my dad go up to the cop. "Good morning, we're sorry about the disturbing wake up call."

"Are you aware of what happened?" My dad folds his arms across his chest.

"Some kids were pulling a prank, they got a recording of a cat in heat, and blasted it on speakers." The cop speaks with a glazed overlook on his face. "We got the kids, and we're finding their parents as we speak."

"Who were they?"

"We're not at liberty to disclose the information, they are underage. What we can say is that we caught them, and it won't happen again."

"That didn't sound like a recording or a cat. I've had cat's that's not what they sound like in heat."

"I'm sorry, sir, there's no more I can tell you. You and your family have a lovely day." He nods to my dad, then me.

We turn back towards the house. "This is bull, I am well aware of the sound a cat makes when in heat, and that wasn't it. Do you know anything? Your friends with a family up there, have they told you anything?"

"No, I don't know anything. I tried calling this morning, but no one answered."

"The cop seemed clueless, possibly under the influence. Did you notice the expression on his face? I'm going to call the station and talk to someone later today. I'll uncover the truth.

When we got inside, my dad relays the information to my mom, who visibly relaxes. "Thank goodness. I thought they were torturing someone." She pours pancake batter into a pan.

"But that doesn't make sense, Sydney."

"You heard how it cut off like that? Like they turned off the sound, you want there to be a mystery, with all the true crime crap you watch."

"Do you truly believe it was a cat in heat?"

"I believe that the cops have an understanding of what they are reporting. And," she cuts in quickly as my dad opens his mouth. "We should drop it. It's a small town, we'll soon have clarity on whether they were telling the truth or not."

"Fine." Pouting, my dad stalks off into his study.

My mom takes a seat at the table, putting her head in her hands. "I don't know about this place, Theodora. It's felt off since we got here. I can't even sleep for some nights. It gives off a sensation of being too dark, as though the sunlight is unable to reach us, do you know what I mean?"

"Sometimes, yes."

"Friday was the worst of it." She shivers. "I experienced a sense of being unable to find happiness, as if I couldn't catch my breath, overwhelmed by the weight of all the sorrow, frustration, and remorse that had ever consumed me. I never want to go through that ever again."

"Mom," I contemplate what I should share with her, the amount of the truth she can embrace, or even have faith in without the appropriate evidence. On the very slim possibility, she had faith in me, what would happen next? We move away? We do what she was begging my dad to do this morning? What if he refuses to go, would our family be separated? "I think the pancakes are burning."

"No more walking to town, okay? We'll drive you, or if you can get a ride, that's great too." She stands up, going to the stove to flip a smoking pancake, it's nearly completely black on its side.

"Okay, Mom." My phone vibrates in my hand. A message from Nya.

We're okay, I hope you are too. Talk soon, I promise.

Finally, no need to worry about this.