Meira looked down at the other teen, a look of mild annoyance gracing her features. Of course, she wasn’t annoyed with the boy, not anymore at least. She was annoyed with herself and her actions. The young teen never seemed to be able to control her anger, and the end result was always the same. Bloody and a pain to clean up.

Meira looked down at her blood stained clothing. None of the blood was her’s, of course. The male hadn’t even been able to land a single hit on the fairy, let alone draw blood.  She was pretty upset about her shirt, seeing as it was new and a pretty shade of lavender. Blood was a pain to get out of clothes.

The sun was starting to go down, dying the sky in fire, seeming to make the blood shine as it settled in small blobs on the ground. All Meira had been trying to do was walk home before the moon came out, and she couldn’t even do that without getting into a fight.

“You have quite the nasty habit, don’t you Meira?” A familiar male’s voice came from behind her, “Is he dead?” The male questioned, trying to peek over Meira’s shoulder to assess the damage the fairy had caused the human.

“No, he’s breathing.” Meira replied with a small shrug, “I didn’t even hit him that hard, but he still went down so quickly. He looked strong too, I thought I might be in for a good fight for once. Humans are so weak...” Meira sighed, shaking her head.

“Too bad. If you had killed him, it would have been easier to cover up for your parents. Maybe you should just finish the job.” A male stepped forward, standing beside her. “Or I could do it.” He offered, flashing a toothy grin, his green eyes shining with mischief from behind his raven bangs. Meira shook her head.

“No. I doubt he’ll mess with me again after this anyways. I don’t think he’ll even tell his parents what happend. After all, he got beaten up so badly by a girl less than half his size. He seemed pretty prideful too... Let’s just head home. It's getting late.” Meira turned around, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she started to walk.

“What was he even doing?” The male asked, starting to walk beside her.

“Catcalling me.” Meira replied, continuing to walk.

“Can’t blame him. You’re pretty hot.” The male smirked, moving to put an arm around Meira, but she simply sidestepped him. The male, however, just shrugged it off, used to that by now. “Way hotter then any of the human girls around here.”

“Because I’m not human.” Meira shrugged, “Humans love fair folk you know.”

“Because we’re the best.” The male shrugged, “And way more attractive than any of them. Actually, we’re better than all the other races combined.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Meira sighed, continuing to walk. “And you're only half faerie, so I don’t know why you're talking all big like that..”

“Come on, you’re our queen. You should think we’re the best too.” The male argued. “And my fae side comes out way more than my other side...”

“I’m not the queen of the fair folk Andrew.” Meira shook her head, making Andrew smirk.

“Not all of us yet. But, ‘Unseelie’ fair folk all see you as our queen.” Andrew replied, continuing to walk beside her.

“Human classifications of us are so stupid.” Meira sighed, shaking her head, “Seelie and Unseelie? Sounds stupid to me. They make it sound like one is so much worse than the other too. The only difference is how open we are about our killings. We both still kill humans, just...The other side doesn’t normally do it for fun.”

“Yeah, well you know humans. Everything is all black and white.” Andrew shrugged, “But, it's not like ‘the dark ones’ sounds much better.”

“Yeah, I know.” Meira sighed, “But, they call more then just us...Unseelie folk the dark ones. Those stuck up prudes in Pulchra Patria love lumping people together, don’t they?”

“Well, that doesn’t matter. Soon enough, you’re going to kill their little princess and we’ll finally have free range of it all. We won’t have to stick in the shadows anymore.” Andrew smirked, “And, we can finally go back to the home of our ancestors. It’ll be great.”

Meira smiled, nodding. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted to see Pulchra Patria.”

“Soon enough, you’ll rule it. You were born to after all.” Andrew replied, pulling out the worst attempt at a British accent anyone had ever heard. Meira let out a short snort of a laugh, shaking her head as Andrew continued in his usual voice. “And over the human world too. Then, you can beat up whoever you want without worrying about it being covered up...Speaking of, you know your parents are going to be super mad about that kid, right? That's the sixth one this month.”

“Like you said, nasty habit.” Meira shrugged, “I wouldn’t beat so many humans up if they wouldn’t make me so mad.”

“You have one hell of a temper for someone so pretty.” Andrew chuckled, “You look like a doll and punch like a pro.”

The two teenagers had reached a hill now, and they started to walk up it, sticking to the sidewalk. Not many people came up this way, considering everyone thought the houses on top were haunted. They weren’t too far off the mark, of course. At the top of the hill was a gated community full of dark beings that would gladly torture or kill any humans who dared trespass on their properties.

Or turn them of course.

“Anyways, I don’t plan on telling my parents.” Meira replied, “If the police call, then I’ll tell them. But, if nothing happens, no point in letting them get mad.”

“I guess.” Andrew shrugged, “Hey, mind if I come over? I don’t feel like going home yet.”

“I don’t care.” Meira replied as they reached the gates, walking to the guard station, “Just don’t freak your mom out so bad she comes over to get you again. That was creepy.”

“Sorry my moms a shadow witch.” Andrew shrugged, “Can’t exactly help that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Meira sighed,“Just...Text her or something that you’ll be at my place.”

“She doesn’t have a phone. Witches don’t like them too much...” Andrew sighed, “But yeah, I’ll let her know.”

Meira nodded, before looking at the guard, “Open the gate.” She ordered, standing with nothing but confidence like she had always been taught to do.  The spriggan looked at her with a sour look on his already twisted face. If a human saw him, they would just assume he was ugly not as magical.

He happened to be both ugly and magical.

The spriggan simply nodded, pressing a button, causing the gates to swing open for the teenagers. Meira simply gave a brief nod of thanks to the spriggan, walking in, Andrew following silently behind her. The gates slammed shut behind them, the noise echoing around the otherwise silent area.

The two teens walked down the sidewalk, neither paying much attention to the large houses that stood side by side, or the odd creatures that could be seen going about their nightly business. A hobgoblin hobbled down the other side of the street, grumbling loud profanities about the succubus woman down the street. Meira guessed she had teased him again, as she tended to do. There was a good reason she made sure to keep Andrew and her younger brother far away from her.

“Right, so when we get to my place, make sure to tell your mom what's up. Seriously, don’t freak her out.” Meira reminded Andrew, who just nodded.

“Yeah, I will. Geez, did she scare you that bad last time?” Andrew asked, walking beside her.

“She popped her head out of the wall, covered in blood, looking madder then I’ve ever seen her look.” Meira sighed, “It was scary dude.”

“You aren’t much of a Queen of Shadows are you?” Andrew laughed, walking ahead a bit. “You’re so jumpy.”

“No, I’m not. Just that one occasion...” Meira shrugged, “And it's not like I picked that title out, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. But it sounds pretty cool, don’t you think?” Andrew walked up a second hill, this time a mansion came into view.

“I guess. I’d prefer not to have a title or anything though.” Meira replied, catching up with him, “I mean, I think this whole thing is a little bullshit. How the hell does me killing some princess equate to us ruling the world?”

“Who knows.” Andrew shrugged, “But all the adults believe it, so why not? I mean, seeres said it would happen. And beyond that, it's not like you don’t have a motivation to kill her. They tried to kill you, remember?”

“No, I don’t. That's the point. The bastards really messed me up. I’m lucky dad came by when he did.” Meira replied bitterly. The attack that had happend when she was seven had given her almost total amnesia, not to mention a few scars.  Everything she knew about the attack came from her parents and brief flashes of memory.

“Yeah. Well, it wasn’t all bad though. You moved here.” Andrew smirked, “And I got my best friend, and future hot wife.”

Meira smiled a bit, “I would have moved here eventually either way.” She replied, “But yeah. Plus, it's just more motivation to end them.”

“That's the spirit.” Andrew smirked, “Let your rage consume you.”

“You know it always does.” Meira replied, walking up to her front door, “Like you said, I have a nasty habit of beating people who make me mad. And trust me, they’ve made me mad.”  She faced away from Andrew, digging her keys out of her pocket.

“And I’ll help you of course.” Andrew continued, “A two man army.”

“Thanks.” Meira nodded, unlocking her door, “But I think I can take some prissy, sheltered little princess out all on my own.”

“Yeah, but she probably has bodyguards.” Andrew replied, following Meira as she walked into her house. “And I can handle them.”

“By yourself? You're only one dude. Weak looking as hell too...Have you ever thrown a punch before?” Meira replied, looking around the dark entrance hall. It seemed like her parents weren’t home yet. That was probably for the better. Meira really didn’t like seeing her parents too much, they were just off putting to her, as weird as that was.

“Yeah, but I’m half fae, half...Well warlock? I’d be a warlock right?” Andrew paused for a minute to think, before shaking his head, “Anyways, I’m the kid of two super cool, super powerful magic users. I can handle anything...And I've totally punched people before. You just weren't there.”

“Alright, I won’t hold you to that though. If while you're beating up those guards, you need a hand, just let me know. I’m always down for a good fight. Besides that, if you went and got yourself killed, where would I be? Bored outta my mind while I sit on top of the world.” Meira flashed him a smile, “Anyways, I’m going to go change, you go let your mom know you’re here.”

“Right, I’ll meet you there in like five minutes.” Andrew nodded.

“Yeah, just make sure to knock.” Meira replied taking off her shoes, “Or I may kill you before any bodyguards get the chance.” She warned, before starting for the stairs, her hair bouncing in her ponytail as she did so.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to knock. It would be a shame for me to catch a glimpse of your rockin’ bod.” Andrew joked, walking passed her, flipping her hair over her face as he did. “Don’t worry, I’m a gentleman. I’ll knock before I enter. Really, if I wanted to peep on you, I could. I know some spells.”

Meira shot him a glare at that comment, “If I find out you’ve ever-” She started, but he cut her off.

“No worries, I haven’t. Not on you at least. I’m pretty good at the spells from all the practice I’ve gotten. I could tell you so many things about our neighbors. And some of them are so wrong.” Andrew smirked, “Spying may be morally wrong, but it's so fun. Then again, when has anyone around here ever cared about morals?”

Meira sighed, “Just be careful not to get caught. Not all our neighbors would find it funny.” She walked passed him again, “Hurry up and tell your mom.” She added as she started up the large staircase towards her room.

“Alright...Jeez you can be a buzzkill.” Andrew joked, walking up the stairs, “I’ll be borrowing your bathroom for a moment then.”

Meira nodded, “Alright, just no animals sacrificed.” She replied, heading away. Andrew simply rolled his eyes, heading toward the bathroom. He knew where almost everything in the house was, having been friends with Meira for the last eight years of their lives, and he came over often.

The two teens had become almost inseparable after meeting, as Andrew was one of the few “dark ones” Meira wasn't put off talking to. Even her adoptive parents were often hard to speak with normally, due to a mixture of their natural aura and their overbearing nature.  The dark elves made her uneasy, especially when she saw the large hole in her mother’s back. It had always shocked and scared the girl when she was younger, to see that her mother was hollow from behind.

Meira continued to walk to her room, suddenly feeling uneasy as she walked through the shadows, which was new for her. The fairy prefered the darkness. It made her feel safe normally. But at the moment, she felt as though someone was watching her. At first, she thought it was just Andrew, using one of his spells to mess with her, seeing as they were just talking about it.

However, Meira couldn’t feel the presence of Andrew’s magic, a presence she was very familiar with. The feeling around her was far too different for it to possibly be Andrew. Andrew's magic, even though they were always dark spells, put her at total ease.

She felt something malicious around her.

The girl picked up her pace a bit, walking quickly towards her room. Meira could sense the presence growing stronger as she started to hear footsteps a little ways behind her. She walked a bit faster, her room in sight. The footsteps sped up as well, causing Meira to sprint forward.

As soon as she reached her door, she threw it open, quickly going in and slamming it shut, turning the lock. She could hear the footsteps outside still, and she could hear them stop. Meira’s heart raced as she watched the door knob jiggle a bit, before it went still.

Quickly, Meira flicked on her lights, drowning the room in light. She had never been scared of the dark before, but somehow, the feeling that something could have been lurking within the shadows filled her with more fear then she had ever felt before.

Slowly, Meira went to her dresser, opening the drawers and getting out a change of clothes.  The presence had faded a bit, but she still felt it. It was just outside of the room.

Andrew could run into it.

That thought spurred her to take out her phone, quickly sending Andrew a text, praying that he checked his phone as soon as he got it.

Somethings outside of my room. Be careful.

Slowly, Meira set her phone down, starting to change. Soon enough, it buzzed again with a new message. Meira slipped her new shirt over her head, picking it up and checking it. It was from Andrew.

    what's out there?

    Meira sighed, replying as she changed her pants.

    Fuck if I know. I just felt something out there. I heard footsteps behind me and ran for it. I’m locked in my room right now, lights all on, freaking out. Hurry your ass up and get in here. But be careful, whatever it is is, it’s still out there. Meira replied quickly, noticing her hands were actually shaking. Yet another new thing.

    Alright. I just talked to my mom, I’ll be there in a second. I’m heading down the hall right now. I get what your talking about though, something feels even creepier than normal here. I don’t see anything though.

    Be. Careful. Meira warned again, scared for her friend’s safety, as well as her own. Within seconds, there was a knock at the door and she got another text.

    Alright, I’m here...Hurry and let me in. I still don’t see anything, and I don’t hear anything but it's creepy out here.

    Meira didn’t have to be asked twice. She slipped her pants on all the way, dashing towards the door, unlocking it, before quickly throwing it open and grabbing Andrew, pulling him inside, before slamming and locking the door.

    “Jeez, you’re seriously freaked, huh? I think you just gave me whiplash.” Andrew asked, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, “Can’t blame you though...It felt so weird out there...Were your parents doing dark magic or something earlier? The house gets like that when mom does sometimes...Though this felt stronger than normal. But your parents are stronger than my mom so...”

    “Don’t. Tell. Me. That.” Meira said, flopping down on her bed, “I’m already freaked. I don’t know if my parents were the cause or what, but I am not leaving this room until they get home, or whatever it is goes away.”

    “Yeah, gotta agree with you there...I don’t care if we are creatures of darkness, that was just too creepy for me.” Andrew sat on the bed next to her, “And I’m not even the one it was following.”

    “I know.That was me and my luck.” Meira replied, looking over at him, “Seriously, I’ve never been this scared in my life...I don't think I've ever been scared in my life actually.”

    Andrew nodded a bit, before letting loose a grin, “I’ll stay here with you until whatever it is is gone completely then. I’ll even stay the night if I have to.”

    “That sounds great.” Meira nodded in agreement, “You think your mom would be cool with it?”

    “Yeah, I asked her as soon as I got your first text.” Andrew nodded, “I could feel something creepy, even from the bathroom.”

    “Man, living in the shadows sucks sometimes. I think we’re both supposed to think these kinds of things are normal by now.” Meira sat up a bit. “I don’t think I’ll ever find this normal though. It's too freaky.”

    Andrew nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I know. Anyways, we’re both in agreement that leaving this room is a bad, bad idea?”

    “Yeah. Horrible, horror movie death flag mistake of an idea.” Meira agreed, “And if we do have to leave for any reason, we leave together, avoid doing the do, and the basement is off limits.”

    “Agreed.” Andrew sighed, laying back again, “But, let’s not have to leave for any reason.”

    “Oh trust me, very little will get me off this bed, let alone out of this room.” Meira replied, before the door started shaking violently, making both Andrew and herself jump, moving closer to each other. “Yeah, nothing will move me now. Fuck that.” She confirmed, watching as the door continued to shake violently as the doorknob struggled to turn against the lock.

    “Let me in.”

    Meira looked around when she heard a female’s voice speak softly, even more jumpy now as she saw Andrew doing the same, confirming it wasn’t just her imagination. The door started to shake more.

    “Let me in!”

    The voice echoed louder this time, and it sounded like it belonged to a child.

    “Let me in! Let me in! Let me in lemme in lemme in!” The voice was screaming furiously now as the door continued to shake violently, threatening to snap in half with just a little more stress, before it suddenly stopped.

    Andrew and Meira’s faces had drained of all color as they stared at the door with wide eyes.

    “Tell me you saw that.” Andrew said quietly.

    “Tell me you heard that.” Meira replied, her voice barely coming out.

    “Oh, trust me, I heard.” Andrew nodded, “And I don’t want to know what it was about.”

    Meira nodded, and the two of them went quiet. Not a sound came from behind the door, or anywhere else for several minutes as they waited for something else to happen. Both of them could still feel the malice in the air, so they knew whatever it was still hung around.

    Neither of them said another word, scared that doing so might spark the noises to start up again. Meira listened carefully for any sound, but only heard her own breathing and Andrew’s beside her. Still, she didn’t move. After a moment, she heard some movement coming from downstairs, but she knew what it was from. The kikimora her parents had brought into the mansion long before Meira was born.

    For a moment, Meira worried about the kikimora’s safety with whatever was running around the house out, but she quickly dismissed the feeling. After all, the creature could take care of herself, Meira was sure of that.  Kikimora were formidable creatures, even if they looked weak and did house work. Meira had found that out first hand on a few less than perfect occasions when she angered the spirit.

    Slowly, Meira slipped out of the bed, softly moving towards the door. She placed her ear against the wood, listening for any sounds.

    “Well?” Andrew spoke up from the bed, having not moved an inch.

    “You know the man should be the one to check out the situation in times like this.” Meira replied, stepping back from the door.

    “Well, the Queen of Shadows should have no fear.” Andrew shot back, standing up. “Be a leader.”

    “Be a man.” Meira shot back, before sighing, “I don’t hear anything out there, but I can still feel it.” She stepped back, “Somethings out there, but it can’t get in.”

    “Yeah, why is that?” Andrew questioned, standing up now, “I mean, it's just a door.”

    “No, it has runes to ward off malice. If someone has any bloodlust in them, they cannot enter.” Meira replied, “With the exception of myself. Even my parents can’t enter if their bloodlust is overwhelming.” She pointed over to the window, “I have some on there too.”

    “For real? Who put them there?” Andrew questioned, walking over, examining the door, trying to find the small markings.

    “I did. My parents don’t know about them...Actually, just you do.”  Meira replied, tucking her hair back, realizing part of it was still in a crown braid. Slowly, she reached back and tugged out the hair pins keeping it in place, before pulling out the ponytail holder, allowing the curls to bounce freely, if a little stiffly, around her face once again.

    “Huh. I don’t even see them.” Andrew replied, straightening himself out as Meira knelt down, running her hand along the bottom left corner.

    “There, right here. Runes don’t have to be large to work, you know.” Meira looked up at her friend, the moonlight reflecting off his features, creating sharp lines with the shadows. Meira had always loved looking at him in the moonlight like this. It always put her at ease, despite the clear speed up of her heart. The fairy wasn’t sure when exactly she had started to notice how attractive Andrew was, but she was sure it had to have been a time when she saw him in the moonlight.

Meira hadn’t recalled turning off the lights, however, and she suddenly became nervous. When did they shut off? Was it just now? Or had it happened a while ago?

“Andrew....” She spoke up once again, quickly standing, “Did you shut off the lights?”

“The lights?” Andrew frowned, looking around, “Um, they’re on, aren’t they?”

Meira blinked a bit, looking up. The lights were, in fact, still on. The moonlight wasn’t shining into the room either, it just barely brushed the window sill. But, just a second ago, it seemed as though they were off. “Just, what is going on tonight?” She sighed, before quickly jumping back as the door started to shake violently once again, the voice accompanying it.

“Let me in already! I want in!” The childish voice started to yell again, louder than the last times. “Sister, let me in!”

“Sister?” Andrew frowned as he backed up a bit more from the door, “What the hell...Do you have a dead sister I don’t know about?” He questioned, looking to Meira who shook her head.

“If I do, I don’t know about her either.” Meira sighed, “But, you know some spirits get confused in the afterlife. Remember that dead soldier we met when we took that trip to the old battle field?”

“Yeah, he still thought he was fighting in the war.” Andrew sighed, running a hand through his hair, “But, he couldn’t move things like this one can. He could barely make himself appear.”

“Spirits have different power levels.” Meira replied, “This one...It’s hella strong. If it's even a spirit. Either way, I’m just happy my runes are holding against it.”

“Yeah, I’m glad it is too.” Andrew said, watching as the door stopped shaking. “But for how long?”

“I don’t know...I’m exhausted though.” Meira sighed, “I’m just going to go to bed for now...Whatever this thing is, it didn't come out until the sun went down, so when it comes up, in theory, it should be gone.”

Andrew nodded, “I hope so. As much as I like you, I don’t think I could spend the rest of my life in a room with you.”

“Agreed.” Meira nodded, walking over to the bed, flopping down, “But, for tonight it's fine. Not like we haven't’ had a sleepover before. And we always slept in the same bed when we did as kids.”

“Yeah, but we were kids the last time.” Andrew replied, walking over and sitting next to her, “Before puberty.”

“Yeah, and? It’s not like puberty really changed either of us much in terms of outer appearance. I barely need a bra, and you still...Look the same as ever. You just got a little taller.” Meira sighed, shaking her head. Of course, she was lying. Andrew had really grown to look more mature over the last few years, even she noticed that. But, she knew if she said so, Andrew’s ego would only grow, and that was the last thing Meira wanted to deal with at the moment, even if she did like that side of him too.

“I guess.” Andrew shrugged, “Still though, people might find it...” He was interrupted once more by the noises echoing around the room as the door continued to shake and the girl continued to scream, getting louder.

“Inappropriate?” Meira finished once the noise died down a bit again.

“Yeah.” Andrew nodded, looking at the door.

“Who's going to see us though?” Meira sat up a bit, “The doors locked, the spirit can’t get in, we’re on the second floor so it's not like anyone can peek in. And we’re just sleeping. Nothing weird.”

Andrew chuckled a bit, leaning back a little. “I guess you’re right on that one. And I guess I don’t personally have an issue sharing a bed with you. Though, it's a bit odd for a knight to sleep with his queen, huh?”

“Sounds scandalous when you put it like that.” Meira laughed as well, sitting up fully. “Good thing you’re no knight, huh?”

“You won’t be saying that after I save your life.” Andrew smirked, laying back. “Anyways...Sounds like she’s gone again.” He sighed, referring to the still door and silence from the halls. Meira nodded, laying back as well.

“Yeah, we’d better take this chance to get some rest, huh?” Meira flipped herself so she was on the right side of the bed, just under the window and by the wall, “Who knows when she’ll start up again.”

Andrew nodded, moving so he was laying on the left side, taking care not to touch her as he did. “Yeah.” He smiled a bit, looking over at her, “And I won’t tease you too much if you cling to me in your sleep.”

Meira rolled her eyes, turning so she wasn’t facing him anymore, “Yeah, and I won’t mess with you for snoring...Though, who will be clinging to who? I’m not the one with nightmares.”

“You might after this whole ghost thing. Admit it, you’re scared.” Andrew smirked a bit, sitting up to poke Meira’s face.

“So what? I already said I was.” Meira half jokingly bit at his finger, which he quickly pulled away, the smirk not leaving his face. “And for how scared I am, it just lets me know you’re five times as scared. You’d better not wet my bed.”

“You’d better not wet your bed while I’m in it. I'm not into that shit.” Andrew shot back, chuckling as he laid down. “And for being so scared, you sure aren’t acting like it anymore.”

“That's because...” Meira started, before trailing off. Because you’re here.  She sighed, shaking her head, “If I continued to act scared, even in this situation, you’d make fun of me and tell a bunch of people. Even though you’re even more scared than I am.”

“You don’t know how scared I am, so that’s not a fair statement. Besides, you’re a girl, so I can’t really blame you for being scared in a situation like this.” Andrew sighed, before getting punched in the arm.

“Me being a girl has nothing to do with it!” Meira sat up a bit, narrowing her eyes. “Just because I’m a girl, that doesn’t mean that I’m automatically scared. That is sexist Andrew.”

“But you are scared.” Andrew sat up a bit as well, “And you are a girl. And that comment about a man checking the situation was sexist too.”

“Those two things don’t have any relation. You’re scared. And you’re a guy.” Meira leaned on the wall, ignoring his second statement.

“Well, people make fun of guys for being scared. They don’t normally make fun of girls, which is why I’m saying you’ll be okay even if people know.” Andrew replied, running a hand through his hair.

“The people around us will. I’m supposed to be brave all the time, ya know? Even when I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to say I was scared of anything...Though, I wasn’t scared of much but...” Meira sighed, flopping back down, folding her arms behind her head.

“Yeah, I remember your mom scolding you when you said you didn’t want to go to the dark wood.” Andrew nodded, laying back down as well, a little too close for Meira to be comfortable. She couldn’t move over either, already being against the wall. She wondered if Andrew noticed how fast her heart was starting to beat.

That sounded so cheesy, just the thought made Meira want to punch herself.

“Yeah...It gave me a really bad feeling.” Meira nodded, turning away, “So I really didn’t want to go in. I felt like something bad was going to happen there.”

“But nothing did.” Andrew replied, yawning a bit.

“It still gives me that feeling though. That place is not good at all.” Meira sighed, “Anyways, let’s just get some sleep for now.”

“Right.” Andrew nodded, flipping over himself, shaking the bed as he did, before going silent. Meira kept her eyes open, staring at the wall, painfully aware that Andrew’s back was  inches from her’s. It was making it rather hard to relax and sleep.

Even if they had done this often when they were younger, they hadn’t done it since entering middle school, let alone now that they were both about to finish high school. It was pretty annoying that Andrew didn’t seem to understand why it would be awkward for them to do this now.

It also didn’t help that the malicious feeling in the air only made her want to move closer to him. Even if she was put off by almost everyone else in her life, she had known for a long time that she could trust Andrew. Annoyingly and calmingly, she knew if she was in trouble, Andrew would come running. As much as she hated it, Andrew protected her. Even though she was stronger than him, and her abilities had progressed further than his had, he still saw her as someone who needed to be protected. It made her happy and mad at the same time.

Suddenly, she felt the room get very cold as the feeling of malice around her grew. However, the child didn’t start up again, at least for the moment, so Meira was only slightly relieved. She was still terrified that somehow whatever it was would manage to get pass her runes and inside the room. She could feel herself shaking a bit at the thought.

Slowly, Meira moved back a bit, pressing her back up against Andrew’s. Somehow, feeling his warmth against herself calmed her, if only a little. A small part of her wished he would put his arms around her, but the rest of her knew that wouldn’t help her sleep or calm down. In fact, all of her knew that it would only turn into a fight if he did that. Besides that, he seemed to be asleep anyways.

Meira closed her eyes, slowly trying to force herself to sleep despite everything. The day had started off so well, with just going to school and fighting afterwards. Everything was so normal until they got back.

    She hoped that when she woke up in the morning, things would be normal again. The whatever it was would be gone. She’d go to school. She’d pick a fight with one of her classmates. She’d win. Andrew and her would walk home, or maybe goof off a bit in town like they had today. He’d come over for a while to do some homework.

    Ah. Her homework. She’d forgotten to do it with the commotion. She hadn’t eaten dinner either. Or taken a bath. Meia hadn’t made hot chocolate like she normally did either. Not only that, but the sun had just gone down not that long ago, so why were they going to bed already? Sure, she was tired, and it wasn’t like she thought it was safe to leave the room or anything, but still she could have found something to do in the room.

    But, there wasn’t much use in worrying about any of that now though. She was already in bed, and Andrew was right when he said they should get rest in before the noise started up again. So, she kept her eyes closed, trying to make her mind blank so she could get to sleep easier.

    She could feel Andrew beside her, breathing slowly. Meira was sure he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had laid down. That was just the kind of person he was. If he could sleep, he did sleep.

    Meira tried to slow her breathing to match his, calming herself down. After a while, she found herself drifting off without further issue, not hearing the front doors open as her parents arrived home.

Meira looked down at the other teen, a look of mild annoyance gracing her features. Of course, she wasn’t annoyed with the boy, not anymore at least. She was annoyed with herself and her actions. The young teen never seemed to be able to control her anger, and the end result was always the same. Bloody and a pain to clean up.

Meira looked down at her blood stained clothing. None of the blood was her’s, of course. The male hadn’t even been able to land a single hit on the fairy, let alone draw blood.  She was pretty upset about her shirt, seeing as it was new and a pretty shade of lavender. Blood was a pain to get out of clothes.

The sun was starting to go down, dying the sky in fire, seeming to make the blood shine as it settled in small blobs on the ground. All Meira had been trying to do was walk home before the moon came out, and she couldn’t even do that without getting into a fight.

“You have quite the nasty habit, don’t you Meira?” A familiar male’s voice came from behind her, “Is he dead?” The male questioned, trying to peek over Meira’s shoulder to assess the damage the fairy had caused the human.

“No, he’s breathing.” Meira replied with a small shrug, “I didn’t even hit him that hard, but he still went down so quickly. He looked strong too, I thought I might be in for a good fight for once. Humans are so weak...” Meira sighed, shaking her head.

“Too bad. If you had killed him, it would have been easier to cover up for your parents. Maybe you should just finish the job.” A male stepped forward, standing beside her. “Or I could do it.” He offered, flashing a toothy grin, his green eyes shining with mischief from behind his raven bangs. Meira shook her head.

“No. I doubt he’ll mess with me again after this anyways. I don’t think he’ll even tell his parents what happend. After all, he got beaten up so badly by a girl less than half his size. He seemed pretty prideful too... Let’s just head home. It's getting late.” Meira turned around, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she started to walk.

“What was he even doing?” The male asked, starting to walk beside her.

“Catcalling me.” Meira replied, continuing to walk.

“Can’t blame him. You’re pretty hot.” The male smirked, moving to put an arm around Meira, but she simply sidestepped him. The male, however, just shrugged it off, used to that by now. “Way hotter then any of the human girls around here.”

“Because I’m not human.” Meira shrugged, “Humans love fair folk you know.”

“Because we’re the best.” The male shrugged, “And way more attractive than any of them. Actually, we’re better than all the other races combined.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Meira sighed, continuing to walk. “And you're only half faerie, so I don’t know why you're talking all big like that..”

“Come on, you’re our queen. You should think we’re the best too.” The male argued. “And my fae side comes out way more than my other side...”

“I’m not the queen of the fair folk Andrew.” Meira shook her head, making Andrew smirk.

“Not all of us yet. But, ‘Unseelie’ fair folk all see you as our queen.” Andrew replied, continuing to walk beside her.

“Human classifications of us are so stupid.” Meira sighed, shaking her head, “Seelie and Unseelie? Sounds stupid to me. They make it sound like one is so much worse than the other too. The only difference is how open we are about our killings. We both still kill humans, just...The other side doesn’t normally do it for fun.”

“Yeah, well you know humans. Everything is all black and white.” Andrew shrugged, “But, it's not like ‘the dark ones’ sounds much better.”

“Yeah, I know.” Meira sighed, “But, they call more then just us...Unseelie folk the dark ones. Those stuck up prudes in Pulchra Patria love lumping people together, don’t they?”

“Well, that doesn’t matter. Soon enough, you’re going to kill their little princess and we’ll finally have free range of it all. We won’t have to stick in the shadows anymore.” Andrew smirked, “And, we can finally go back to the home of our ancestors. It’ll be great.”

Meira smiled, nodding. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted to see Pulchra Patria.”

“Soon enough, you’ll rule it. You were born to after all.” Andrew replied, pulling out the worst attempt at a British accent anyone had ever heard. Meira let out a short snort of a laugh, shaking her head as Andrew continued in his usual voice. “And over the human world too. Then, you can beat up whoever you want without worrying about it being covered up...Speaking of, you know your parents are going to be super mad about that kid, right? That's the sixth one this month.”

“Like you said, nasty habit.” Meira shrugged, “I wouldn’t beat so many humans up if they wouldn’t make me so mad.”

“You have one hell of a temper for someone so pretty.” Andrew chuckled, “You look like a doll and punch like a pro.”

The two teenagers had reached a hill now, and they started to walk up it, sticking to the sidewalk. Not many people came up this way, considering everyone thought the houses on top were haunted. They weren’t too far off the mark, of course. At the top of the hill was a gated community full of dark beings that would gladly torture or kill any humans who dared trespass on their properties.

Or turn them of course.

“Anyways, I don’t plan on telling my parents.” Meira replied, “If the police call, then I’ll tell them. But, if nothing happens, no point in letting them get mad.”

“I guess.” Andrew shrugged, “Hey, mind if I come over? I don’t feel like going home yet.”

“I don’t care.” Meira replied as they reached the gates, walking to the guard station, “Just don’t freak your mom out so bad she comes over to get you again. That was creepy.”

“Sorry my moms a shadow witch.” Andrew shrugged, “Can’t exactly help that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Meira sighed,“Just...Text her or something that you’ll be at my place.”

“She doesn’t have a phone. Witches don’t like them too much...” Andrew sighed, “But yeah, I’ll let her know.”

Meira nodded, before looking at the guard, “Open the gate.” She ordered, standing with nothing but confidence like she had always been taught to do.  The spriggan looked at her with a sour look on his already twisted face. If a human saw him, they would just assume he was ugly not as magical.

He happened to be both ugly and magical.

The spriggan simply nodded, pressing a button, causing the gates to swing open for the teenagers. Meira simply gave a brief nod of thanks to the spriggan, walking in, Andrew following silently behind her. The gates slammed shut behind them, the noise echoing around the otherwise silent area.

The two teens walked down the sidewalk, neither paying much attention to the large houses that stood side by side, or the odd creatures that could be seen going about their nightly business. A hobgoblin hobbled down the other side of the street, grumbling loud profanities about the succubus woman down the street. Meira guessed she had teased him again, as she tended to do. There was a good reason she made sure to keep Andrew and her younger brother far away from her.

“Right, so when we get to my place, make sure to tell your mom what's up. Seriously, don’t freak her out.” Meira reminded Andrew, who just nodded.

“Yeah, I will. Geez, did she scare you that bad last time?” Andrew asked, walking beside her.

“She popped her head out of the wall, covered in blood, looking madder then I’ve ever seen her look.” Meira sighed, “It was scary dude.”

“You aren’t much of a Queen of Shadows are you?” Andrew laughed, walking ahead a bit. “You’re so jumpy.”

“No, I’m not. Just that one occasion...” Meira shrugged, “And it's not like I picked that title out, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. But it sounds pretty cool, don’t you think?” Andrew walked up a second hill, this time a mansion came into view.

“I guess. I’d prefer not to have a title or anything though.” Meira replied, catching up with him, “I mean, I think this whole thing is a little bullshit. How the hell does me killing some princess equate to us ruling the world?”

“Who knows.” Andrew shrugged, “But all the adults believe it, so why not? I mean, seeres said it would happen. And beyond that, it's not like you don’t have a motivation to kill her. They tried to kill you, remember?”

“No, I don’t. That's the point. The bastards really messed me up. I’m lucky dad came by when he did.” Meira replied bitterly. The attack that had happend when she was seven had given her almost total amnesia, not to mention a few scars.  Everything she knew about the attack came from her parents and brief flashes of memory.

“Yeah. Well, it wasn’t all bad though. You moved here.” Andrew smirked, “And I got my best friend, and future hot wife.”

Meira smiled a bit, “I would have moved here eventually either way.” She replied, “But yeah. Plus, it's just more motivation to end them.”

“That's the spirit.” Andrew smirked, “Let your rage consume you.”

“You know it always does.” Meira replied, walking up to her front door, “Like you said, I have a nasty habit of beating people who make me mad. And trust me, they’ve made me mad.”  She faced away from Andrew, digging her keys out of her pocket.

“And I’ll help you of course.” Andrew continued, “A two man army.”

“Thanks.” Meira nodded, unlocking her door, “But I think I can take some prissy, sheltered little princess out all on my own.”

“Yeah, but she probably has bodyguards.” Andrew replied, following Meira as she walked into her house. “And I can handle them.”

“By yourself? You're only one dude. Weak looking as hell too...Have you ever thrown a punch before?” Meira replied, looking around the dark entrance hall. It seemed like her parents weren’t home yet. That was probably for the better. Meira really didn’t like seeing her parents too much, they were just off putting to her, as weird as that was.

“Yeah, but I’m half fae, half...Well warlock? I’d be a warlock right?” Andrew paused for a minute to think, before shaking his head, “Anyways, I’m the kid of two super cool, super powerful magic users. I can handle anything...And I've totally punched people before. You just weren't there.”

“Alright, I won’t hold you to that though. If while you're beating up those guards, you need a hand, just let me know. I’m always down for a good fight. Besides that, if you went and got yourself killed, where would I be? Bored outta my mind while I sit on top of the world.” Meira flashed him a smile, “Anyways, I’m going to go change, you go let your mom know you’re here.”

“Right, I’ll meet you there in like five minutes.” Andrew nodded.

“Yeah, just make sure to knock.” Meira replied taking off her shoes, “Or I may kill you before any bodyguards get the chance.” She warned, before starting for the stairs, her hair bouncing in her ponytail as she did so.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to knock. It would be a shame for me to catch a glimpse of your rockin’ bod.” Andrew joked, walking passed her, flipping her hair over her face as he did. “Don’t worry, I’m a gentleman. I’ll knock before I enter. Really, if I wanted to peep on you, I could. I know some spells.”

Meira shot him a glare at that comment, “If I find out you’ve ever-” She started, but he cut her off.

“No worries, I haven’t. Not on you at least. I’m pretty good at the spells from all the practice I’ve gotten. I could tell you so many things about our neighbors. And some of them are so wrong.” Andrew smirked, “Spying may be morally wrong, but it's so fun. Then again, when has anyone around here ever cared about morals?”

Meira sighed, “Just be careful not to get caught. Not all our neighbors would find it funny.” She walked passed him again, “Hurry up and tell your mom.” She added as she started up the large staircase towards her room.

“Alright...Jeez you can be a buzzkill.” Andrew joked, walking up the stairs, “I’ll be borrowing your bathroom for a moment then.”

Meira nodded, “Alright, just no animals sacrificed.” She replied, heading away. Andrew simply rolled his eyes, heading toward the bathroom. He knew where almost everything in the house was, having been friends with Meira for the last eight years of their lives, and he came over often.

The two teens had become almost inseparable after meeting, as Andrew was one of the few “dark ones” Meira wasn't put off talking to. Even her adoptive parents were often hard to speak with normally, due to a mixture of their natural aura and their overbearing nature.  The dark elves made her uneasy, especially when she saw the large hole in her mother’s back. It had always shocked and scared the girl when she was younger, to see that her mother was hollow from behind.

Meira continued to walk to her room, suddenly feeling uneasy as she walked through the shadows, which was new for her. The fairy prefered the darkness. It made her feel safe normally. But at the moment, she felt as though someone was watching her. At first, she thought it was just Andrew, using one of his spells to mess with her, seeing as they were just talking about it.

However, Meira couldn’t feel the presence of Andrew’s magic, a presence she was very familiar with. The feeling around her was far too different for it to possibly be Andrew. Andrew's magic, even though they were always dark spells, put her at total ease.

She felt something malicious around her.

The girl picked up her pace a bit, walking quickly towards her room. Meira could sense the presence growing stronger as she started to hear footsteps a little ways behind her. She walked a bit faster, her room in sight. The footsteps sped up as well, causing Meira to sprint forward.

As soon as she reached her door, she threw it open, quickly going in and slamming it shut, turning the lock. She could hear the footsteps outside still, and she could hear them stop. Meira’s heart raced as she watched the door knob jiggle a bit, before it went still.

Quickly, Meira flicked on her lights, drowning the room in light. She had never been scared of the dark before, but somehow, the feeling that something could have been lurking within the shadows filled her with more fear then she had ever felt before.

Slowly, Meira went to her dresser, opening the drawers and getting out a change of clothes.  The presence had faded a bit, but she still felt it. It was just outside of the room.

Andrew could run into it.

That thought spurred her to take out her phone, quickly sending Andrew a text, praying that he checked his phone as soon as he got it.

Somethings outside of my room. Be careful.

Slowly, Meira set her phone down, starting to change. Soon enough, it buzzed again with a new message. Meira slipped her new shirt over her head, picking it up and checking it. It was from Andrew.

    what's out there?

    Meira sighed, replying as she changed her pants.

    Fuck if I know. I just felt something out there. I heard footsteps behind me and ran for it. I’m locked in my room right now, lights all on, freaking out. Hurry your ass up and get in here. But be careful, whatever it is is, it’s still out there. Meira replied quickly, noticing her hands were actually shaking. Yet another new thing.

    Alright. I just talked to my mom, I’ll be there in a second. I’m heading down the hall right now. I get what your talking about though, something feels even creepier than normal here. I don’t see anything though.

    Be. Careful. Meira warned again, scared for her friend’s safety, as well as her own. Within seconds, there was a knock at the door and she got another text.

    Alright, I’m here...Hurry and let me in. I still don’t see anything, and I don’t hear anything but it's creepy out here.

    Meira didn’t have to be asked twice. She slipped her pants on all the way, dashing towards the door, unlocking it, before quickly throwing it open and grabbing Andrew, pulling him inside, before slamming and locking the door.

    “Jeez, you’re seriously freaked, huh? I think you just gave me whiplash.” Andrew asked, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, “Can’t blame you though...It felt so weird out there...Were your parents doing dark magic or something earlier? The house gets like that when mom does sometimes...Though this felt stronger than normal. But your parents are stronger than my mom so...”

    “Don’t. Tell. Me. That.” Meira said, flopping down on her bed, “I’m already freaked. I don’t know if my parents were the cause or what, but I am not leaving this room until they get home, or whatever it is goes away.”

    “Yeah, gotta agree with you there...I don’t care if we are creatures of darkness, that was just too creepy for me.” Andrew sat on the bed next to her, “And I’m not even the one it was following.”

    “I know.That was me and my luck.” Meira replied, looking over at him, “Seriously, I’ve never been this scared in my life...I don't think I've ever been scared in my life actually.”

    Andrew nodded a bit, before letting loose a grin, “I’ll stay here with you until whatever it is is gone completely then. I’ll even stay the night if I have to.”

    “That sounds great.” Meira nodded in agreement, “You think your mom would be cool with it?”

    “Yeah, I asked her as soon as I got your first text.” Andrew nodded, “I could feel something creepy, even from the bathroom.”

    “Man, living in the shadows sucks sometimes. I think we’re both supposed to think these kinds of things are normal by now.” Meira sat up a bit. “I don’t think I’ll ever find this normal though. It's too freaky.”

    Andrew nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I know. Anyways, we’re both in agreement that leaving this room is a bad, bad idea?”

    “Yeah. Horrible, horror movie death flag mistake of an idea.” Meira agreed, “And if we do have to leave for any reason, we leave together, avoid doing the do, and the basement is off limits.”

    “Agreed.” Andrew sighed, laying back again, “But, let’s not have to leave for any reason.”

    “Oh trust me, very little will get me off this bed, let alone out of this room.” Meira replied, before the door started shaking violently, making both Andrew and herself jump, moving closer to each other. “Yeah, nothing will move me now. Fuck that.” She confirmed, watching as the door continued to shake violently as the doorknob struggled to turn against the lock.

    “Let me in.”

    Meira looked around when she heard a female’s voice speak softly, even more jumpy now as she saw Andrew doing the same, confirming it wasn’t just her imagination. The door started to shake more.

    “Let me in!”

    The voice echoed louder this time, and it sounded like it belonged to a child.

    “Let me in! Let me in! Let me in lemme in lemme in!” The voice was screaming furiously now as the door continued to shake violently, threatening to snap in half with just a little more stress, before it suddenly stopped.

    Andrew and Meira’s faces had drained of all color as they stared at the door with wide eyes.

    “Tell me you saw that.” Andrew said quietly.

    “Tell me you heard that.” Meira replied, her voice barely coming out.

    “Oh, trust me, I heard.” Andrew nodded, “And I don’t want to know what it was about.”

    Meira nodded, and the two of them went quiet. Not a sound came from behind the door, or anywhere else for several minutes as they waited for something else to happen. Both of them could still feel the malice in the air, so they knew whatever it was still hung around.

    Neither of them said another word, scared that doing so might spark the noises to start up again. Meira listened carefully for any sound, but only heard her own breathing and Andrew’s beside her. Still, she didn’t move. After a moment, she heard some movement coming from downstairs, but she knew what it was from. The kikimora her parents had brought into the mansion long before Meira was born.

    For a moment, Meira worried about the kikimora’s safety with whatever was running around the house out, but she quickly dismissed the feeling. After all, the creature could take care of herself, Meira was sure of that.  Kikimora were formidable creatures, even if they looked weak and did house work. Meira had found that out first hand on a few less than perfect occasions when she angered the spirit.

    Slowly, Meira slipped out of the bed, softly moving towards the door. She placed her ear against the wood, listening for any sounds.

    “Well?” Andrew spoke up from the bed, having not moved an inch.

    “You know the man should be the one to check out the situation in times like this.” Meira replied, stepping back from the door.

    “Well, the Queen of Shadows should have no fear.” Andrew shot back, standing up. “Be a leader.”

    “Be a man.” Meira shot back, before sighing, “I don’t hear anything out there, but I can still feel it.” She stepped back, “Somethings out there, but it can’t get in.”

    “Yeah, why is that?” Andrew questioned, standing up now, “I mean, it's just a door.”

    “No, it has runes to ward off malice. If someone has any bloodlust in them, they cannot enter.” Meira replied, “With the exception of myself. Even my parents can’t enter if their bloodlust is overwhelming.” She pointed over to the window, “I have some on there too.”

    “For real? Who put them there?” Andrew questioned, walking over, examining the door, trying to find the small markings.

    “I did. My parents don’t know about them...Actually, just you do.”  Meira replied, tucking her hair back, realizing part of it was still in a crown braid. Slowly, she reached back and tugged out the hair pins keeping it in place, before pulling out the ponytail holder, allowing the curls to bounce freely, if a little stiffly, around her face once again.

    “Huh. I don’t even see them.” Andrew replied, straightening himself out as Meira knelt down, running her hand along the bottom left corner.

    “There, right here. Runes don’t have to be large to work, you know.” Meira looked up at her friend, the moonlight reflecting off his features, creating sharp lines with the shadows. Meira had always loved looking at him in the moonlight like this. It always put her at ease, despite the clear speed up of her heart. The fairy wasn’t sure when exactly she had started to notice how attractive Andrew was, but she was sure it had to have been a time when she saw him in the moonlight.

Meira hadn’t recalled turning off the lights, however, and she suddenly became nervous. When did they shut off? Was it just now? Or had it happened a while ago?

“Andrew....” She spoke up once again, quickly standing, “Did you shut off the lights?”

“The lights?” Andrew frowned, looking around, “Um, they’re on, aren’t they?”

Meira blinked a bit, looking up. The lights were, in fact, still on. The moonlight wasn’t shining into the room either, it just barely brushed the window sill. But, just a second ago, it seemed as though they were off. “Just, what is going on tonight?” She sighed, before quickly jumping back as the door started to shake violently once again, the voice accompanying it.

“Let me in already! I want in!” The childish voice started to yell again, louder than the last times. “Sister, let me in!”

“Sister?” Andrew frowned as he backed up a bit more from the door, “What the hell...Do you have a dead sister I don’t know about?” He questioned, looking to Meira who shook her head.

“If I do, I don’t know about her either.” Meira sighed, “But, you know some spirits get confused in the afterlife. Remember that dead soldier we met when we took that trip to the old battle field?”

“Yeah, he still thought he was fighting in the war.” Andrew sighed, running a hand through his hair, “But, he couldn’t move things like this one can. He could barely make himself appear.”

“Spirits have different power levels.” Meira replied, “This one...It’s hella strong. If it's even a spirit. Either way, I’m just happy my runes are holding against it.”

“Yeah, I’m glad it is too.” Andrew said, watching as the door stopped shaking. “But for how long?”

“I don’t know...I’m exhausted though.” Meira sighed, “I’m just going to go to bed for now...Whatever this thing is, it didn't come out until the sun went down, so when it comes up, in theory, it should be gone.”

Andrew nodded, “I hope so. As much as I like you, I don’t think I could spend the rest of my life in a room with you.”

“Agreed.” Meira nodded, walking over to the bed, flopping down, “But, for tonight it's fine. Not like we haven't’ had a sleepover before. And we always slept in the same bed when we did as kids.”

“Yeah, but we were kids the last time.” Andrew replied, walking over and sitting next to her, “Before puberty.”

“Yeah, and? It’s not like puberty really changed either of us much in terms of outer appearance. I barely need a bra, and you still...Look the same as ever. You just got a little taller.” Meira sighed, shaking her head. Of course, she was lying. Andrew had really grown to look more mature over the last few years, even she noticed that. But, she knew if she said so, Andrew’s ego would only grow, and that was the last thing Meira wanted to deal with at the moment, even if she did like that side of him too.

“I guess.” Andrew shrugged, “Still though, people might find it...” He was interrupted once more by the noises echoing around the room as the door continued to shake and the girl continued to scream, getting louder.

“Inappropriate?” Meira finished once the noise died down a bit again.

“Yeah.” Andrew nodded, looking at the door.

“Who's going to see us though?” Meira sat up a bit, “The doors locked, the spirit can’t get in, we’re on the second floor so it's not like anyone can peek in. And we’re just sleeping. Nothing weird.”

Andrew chuckled a bit, leaning back a little. “I guess you’re right on that one. And I guess I don’t personally have an issue sharing a bed with you. Though, it's a bit odd for a knight to sleep with his queen, huh?”

“Sounds scandalous when you put it like that.” Meira laughed as well, sitting up fully. “Good thing you’re no knight, huh?”

“You won’t be saying that after I save your life.” Andrew smirked, laying back. “Anyways...Sounds like she’s gone again.” He sighed, referring to the still door and silence from the halls. Meira nodded, laying back as well.

“Yeah, we’d better take this chance to get some rest, huh?” Meira flipped herself so she was on the right side of the bed, just under the window and by the wall, “Who knows when she’ll start up again.”

Andrew nodded, moving so he was laying on the left side, taking care not to touch her as he did. “Yeah.” He smiled a bit, looking over at her, “And I won’t tease you too much if you cling to me in your sleep.”

Meira rolled her eyes, turning so she wasn’t facing him anymore, “Yeah, and I won’t mess with you for snoring...Though, who will be clinging to who? I’m not the one with nightmares.”

“You might after this whole ghost thing. Admit it, you’re scared.” Andrew smirked a bit, sitting up to poke Meira’s face.

“So what? I already said I was.” Meira half jokingly bit at his finger, which he quickly pulled away, the smirk not leaving his face. “And for how scared I am, it just lets me know you’re five times as scared. You’d better not wet my bed.”

“You’d better not wet your bed while I’m in it. I'm not into that shit.” Andrew shot back, chuckling as he laid down. “And for being so scared, you sure aren’t acting like it anymore.”

“That's because...” Meira started, before trailing off. Because you’re here.  She sighed, shaking her head, “If I continued to act scared, even in this situation, you’d make fun of me and tell a bunch of people. Even though you’re even more scared than I am.”

“You don’t know how scared I am, so that’s not a fair statement. Besides, you’re a girl, so I can’t really blame you for being scared in a situation like this.” Andrew sighed, before getting punched in the arm.

“Me being a girl has nothing to do with it!” Meira sat up a bit, narrowing her eyes. “Just because I’m a girl, that doesn’t mean that I’m automatically scared. That is sexist Andrew.”

“But you are scared.” Andrew sat up a bit as well, “And you are a girl. And that comment about a man checking the situation was sexist too.”

“Those two things don’t have any relation. You’re scared. And you’re a guy.” Meira leaned on the wall, ignoring his second statement.

“Well, people make fun of guys for being scared. They don’t normally make fun of girls, which is why I’m saying you’ll be okay even if people know.” Andrew replied, running a hand through his hair.

“The people around us will. I’m supposed to be brave all the time, ya know? Even when I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to say I was scared of anything...Though, I wasn’t scared of much but...” Meira sighed, flopping back down, folding her arms behind her head.

“Yeah, I remember your mom scolding you when you said you didn’t want to go to the dark wood.” Andrew nodded, laying back down as well, a little too close for Meira to be comfortable. She couldn’t move over either, already being against the wall. She wondered if Andrew noticed how fast her heart was starting to beat.

That sounded so cheesy, just the thought made Meira want to punch herself.

“Yeah...It gave me a really bad feeling.” Meira nodded, turning away, “So I really didn’t want to go in. I felt like something bad was going to happen there.”

“But nothing did.” Andrew replied, yawning a bit.

“It still gives me that feeling though. That place is not good at all.” Meira sighed, “Anyways, let’s just get some sleep for now.”

“Right.” Andrew nodded, flipping over himself, shaking the bed as he did, before going silent. Meira kept her eyes open, staring at the wall, painfully aware that Andrew’s back was  inches from her’s. It was making it rather hard to relax and sleep.

Even if they had done this often when they were younger, they hadn’t done it since entering middle school, let alone now that they were both about to finish high school. It was pretty annoying that Andrew didn’t seem to understand why it would be awkward for them to do this now.

It also didn’t help that the malicious feeling in the air only made her want to move closer to him. Even if she was put off by almost everyone else in her life, she had known for a long time that she could trust Andrew. Annoyingly and calmingly, she knew if she was in trouble, Andrew would come running. As much as she hated it, Andrew protected her. Even though she was stronger than him, and her abilities had progressed further than his had, he still saw her as someone who needed to be protected. It made her happy and mad at the same time.

Suddenly, she felt the room get very cold as the feeling of malice around her grew. However, the child didn’t start up again, at least for the moment, so Meira was only slightly relieved. She was still terrified that somehow whatever it was would manage to get pass her runes and inside the room. She could feel herself shaking a bit at the thought.

Slowly, Meira moved back a bit, pressing her back up against Andrew’s. Somehow, feeling his warmth against herself calmed her, if only a little. A small part of her wished he would put his arms around her, but the rest of her knew that wouldn’t help her sleep or calm down. In fact, all of her knew that it would only turn into a fight if he did that. Besides that, he seemed to be asleep anyways.

Meira closed her eyes, slowly trying to force herself to sleep despite everything. The day had started off so well, with just going to school and fighting afterwards. Everything was so normal until they got back.

    She hoped that when she woke up in the morning, things would be normal again. The whatever it was would be gone. She’d go to school. She’d pick a fight with one of her classmates. She’d win. Andrew and her would walk home, or maybe goof off a bit in town like they had today. He’d come over for a while to do some homework.

    Ah. Her homework. She’d forgotten to do it with the commotion. She hadn’t eaten dinner either. Or taken a bath. Meia hadn’t made hot chocolate like she normally did either. Not only that, but the sun had just gone down not that long ago, so why were they going to bed already? Sure, she was tired, and it wasn’t like she thought it was safe to leave the room or anything, but still she could have found something to do in the room.

    But, there wasn’t much use in worrying about any of that now though. She was already in bed, and Andrew was right when he said they should get rest in before the noise started up again. So, she kept her eyes closed, trying to make her mind blank so she could get to sleep easier.

    She could feel Andrew beside her, breathing slowly. Meira was sure he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had laid down. That was just the kind of person he was. If he could sleep, he did sleep.

    Meira tried to slow her breathing to match his, calming herself down. After a while, she found herself drifting off without further issue, not hearing the front doors open as her parents arrived home.