Candy Corn #10
Title: Disturbed Sleep
Flavor: Candy Corn #10 (boogeyman)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,708
Story: Changers
Summary: They've only been living there at the house for a week when Blaire has a nightmare.
Notes: New peeps! :) I've had these characters made for awhile, but I've never really known what to do with them. I was in a writing mood and thought it'd be fun to just go ahead and write something for them. This is me messing around the characters and their stories. This story only hints at what is happening to the gang, so I apologize ahead of time for any confusion that might be caused. More will get explained later. Also, yay I'm almost done with the candy corn flavor! :D
"Disturbed Sleep"
(Blaire's POV)
Darkness swallowed the room. Everywhere I looked there were shadows charging after me like rabid dogs let free off their leashes. I tried to scream, but there was only silence. There was just this overwhelming still that kept ringing and ringing. I was running, but I couldn't see where I was going. My heart was thunder in my ears as it raced. When I glanced down, I couldn't see myself. These shadows had wrapped around me like a python and squeezed. I tried to touch my chest where I felt my heart tightening, but my hand went right through where my chest was supposed to be. There was nothing there. It was like I didn't even exist. Where was I? Where was anything? Where was anyone?
I screamed, and this time it shook the room. I sprung upright in bed, gasping for breath as if I had been held underwater. My pupils were blown wide in terror. I was breathing heavily as my eyes darted about the room. It was still dark, but there was enough light to see where one shadow ended and the next began. My attention settled on the person sitting on the edge of my bed who was mirroring my wide-eyed stare. My mind recognized him instantly, and a part of me calmed.
"Jesus, Blaire," the man exhaled as his aqua blue eyes slipped closed. He was young like I was, barely an adult at eighteen. His chest heaved as he breathed in deeply to relax himself.
My mind focused on the feel of the other's hand curled around my shoulder. I tilted my head down to averted my gaze to it. I mumbled shakily, “Sorry.”
“Another nightmare,” the other prompted, but I didn't offer up an answer. I stared down at the sheets that were wrinkled over my waist and felt the hand on my shoulder tighten.
“No, don't do that,” the man stressed. “You don't get to clam up on this one.”
A tear dripped down onto the comforter, and I realized I was still shaking. My mind remained cluttered, so I choked out the first problem I was still having. “It's too dark.”
The man glanced about the room before leaning over to open the drawer by the nightstand. I realized he had pulled out a box of matches once fire hissed and sparked to life on top of one of the sticks he had pulled out and struck against the side of the box. The amber flame shrunk after the initial breath of life, and he leaned back over the nightstand to light the candle that sat there. He blew out the match and smoke danced through the air. The amber flame of the candle flickered and cast a dim glow through the room. As the man put away the box of matches and flicked the used match into the nearby trash bin, I noted the darker shades underneath his eyes. Those shadows were not caused by the fire's light. It seemed everything had to match between us, even our lack of sleep. This was my brother. No, this was my identical twin. There was no telling how long Rue would remain my brother...
Rue's eyes softened, but a smile didn't quite reach his face. “Better?”
I nodded, but I didn't smile either.
Rue would get impatient if I didn't say anything soon. I knew what the expression on his face meant and knew he wouldn't stop prodding me until I told him what was on my mind. This wasn't something Rue was going to let drop, but it wasn't as if I had a conflict with telling him. The fact that he was sitting here with me was soothing the knots inside of me. I tried not to think about all the things that had plagued me before bed and followed me to my dreams, but the thoughts came anyway. Everything was so twisted up. Then just when I thought I had found something solid and secure to hold onto in this confusing life, it was taken away from me again.
I sighed and curled my legs up underneath me. I leaned forward and let my fingers dig into the blanket that was still wrapped around my waist. My voice was barely audible when I admitted, “I miss Kim. We just moved here, and I just... I wish she was still here.”
Rue glanced over at the closed door in reflex as he reminded, “Kim is here. We're all here.”
I felt the tears coming this time as my hands tightened into fists. My voice was scratchy when I argued, “It's not the same. Four months, Rue. Kim didn't change once all summer. She was always just there. I got used to it, and I thought maybe-I thought...”
“You thought this would all just end,” Rue finished almost bitterly, his voice firm.
My mouth tightened into a frown, and my eyebrows pinched forward as my eyes closed. I swallowed and nodded weakly. “None of us have ever lasted that long. It gave me hope, and now we're here, and she's not. I'm scared, Rue. What if this doesn't work? What if we can't stay here?”
“It'll work,” Rue cut in. “There's twelve of us, and we all want this. We're all going to pitch in so we can stay here. I go in to work Monday, and you got a call back, right?”
“Yeah, I have a follow-up interview tomorrow afternoon.”
“It'll work,” Rue said again. “Now go back to sleep.”
Both of our attentions got redirected before Rue could move to his own bed when a quiet knock came from the door. It creaked open, and a man in his early thirties peeked into the room. His shoulders were raised, and his head was down. Black strands of hair fell into his eyes because of it. Dani smiled uneasily before explaining, “Casey woke up and was worried.”
When he stepped into the doorway completely, we could both see the small boy that was held in the man's arms. The boy's short, black hair was sticking up from sleep. The toddler's eyes and cheeks were red from earlier crying, but he held his head high. “You screamed,” Casey accused with a sniffle. “Why did you scream?”
It made the corners of my lips turn up in spite of myself. Even at four years old, Casey was still holding his head high and standing his ground. I apologized, “I'm sorry, Casey. I didn't mean to scare you.”
“Mm not scared,” the boy mumbled stubbornly. He repeated with a whine when I didn't say anything more, “Why?”
“I had a bad dream,” I told him as I raised my hands and gestured for Dani to come forward. I gently took Casey from his arms. The toddler's puffy, brown eyes were staring up at me intently, which kept the soft expression on my face in place. “I got scared. I didn't mean to wake you.”
“It's okay,” Casey reassured after wiping his hand onto his pajama shirt after wiping his nose.
Dani frowned at my explanation. “Blaire, are you all right?”
I hesitated but nodded. It occurred to me then that Casey doesn't room with Dani. Casey must have been up wandering around the hallway in an inner conflict before Dani found him. The thought warmed my heart. That's Casey, daring as always. I was thankful for this familiarity. I frowned though and wondered, “Dani, why are you still awake?”
“Oh, uh,” he fumbled sheepishly. He shifted his weight, and his head was dipped down again. “I was looking over more paperwork about the house. Just double checking everything.”
The Kim I had gotten used to wasn't here to take care of the house, but I could at least be relieved about Dani's presence. There was no doubt in my mind that he'd go over every little detail to make sure everything was okay about the new place. I glanced back over at the toddler who I was holding up in front of me. I felt my face warming in embarrassment, but I asked anyway, “Casey, do you want to sleep here with me, since you're not scared? You could fight any monsters that'd try to get me, can't you?”
A wide grin formed on Casey's face, puffing out his cheeks. “Of course. Superhero Casey to the rescue!”
The boy lifted his chin up and pumped a fist into the air. Laughter poured out of him the instant I tickled him, and he crumbled onto my bed. Rue removed himself from the bed to walk over to his own. Dani bid us good night as he departed, and Casey and I paused our tickling match to echo it. My fears had been pushed away as I played with Casey, and the four-year-old's smile reflected onto my face. It was only when Rue grumbled to us about being too loud that we finally settled into bed. Casey was asleep quickly. I was on the verge of sleep myself not long after that but was nudged awake when I heard Rue murmur my name from his bed.
“Yeah?” I prompted quietly as I cracked my eyes open.
I looked over to see him staring up at the ceiling with one arm tucked underneath his head and pillow. There was a grimace on his face, and he eventually gave a deep sigh. He turned his back to me and pulled the covers up. I thought he had changed his mind and chose to just sleep instead, but he confessed a minute later, “I miss Kim too.”
There was an ache in my chest, and the corner of my mouth twitched weakly into an almost smile. I had the feeling that Kim wasn't the only thing we'd miss. We had gone through so many changes recently because we all wanted to try for something more normal. It had been a week since we had moved here to this house in River Bluffs, Vermont. It was ironic how willing we were to go through with all of these changes since changes always led to... Well, this. The hollowness in my chest was the last thing I thought about before drifting off to sleep.
Flavor: Candy Corn #10 (boogeyman)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,708
Story: Changers
Summary: They've only been living there at the house for a week when Blaire has a nightmare.
Notes: New peeps! :) I've had these characters made for awhile, but I've never really known what to do with them. I was in a writing mood and thought it'd be fun to just go ahead and write something for them. This is me messing around the characters and their stories. This story only hints at what is happening to the gang, so I apologize ahead of time for any confusion that might be caused. More will get explained later. Also, yay I'm almost done with the candy corn flavor! :D
"Disturbed Sleep"
(Blaire's POV)
Darkness swallowed the room. Everywhere I looked there were shadows charging after me like rabid dogs let free off their leashes. I tried to scream, but there was only silence. There was just this overwhelming still that kept ringing and ringing. I was running, but I couldn't see where I was going. My heart was thunder in my ears as it raced. When I glanced down, I couldn't see myself. These shadows had wrapped around me like a python and squeezed. I tried to touch my chest where I felt my heart tightening, but my hand went right through where my chest was supposed to be. There was nothing there. It was like I didn't even exist. Where was I? Where was anything? Where was anyone?
I screamed, and this time it shook the room. I sprung upright in bed, gasping for breath as if I had been held underwater. My pupils were blown wide in terror. I was breathing heavily as my eyes darted about the room. It was still dark, but there was enough light to see where one shadow ended and the next began. My attention settled on the person sitting on the edge of my bed who was mirroring my wide-eyed stare. My mind recognized him instantly, and a part of me calmed.
"Jesus, Blaire," the man exhaled as his aqua blue eyes slipped closed. He was young like I was, barely an adult at eighteen. His chest heaved as he breathed in deeply to relax himself.
My mind focused on the feel of the other's hand curled around my shoulder. I tilted my head down to averted my gaze to it. I mumbled shakily, “Sorry.”
“Another nightmare,” the other prompted, but I didn't offer up an answer. I stared down at the sheets that were wrinkled over my waist and felt the hand on my shoulder tighten.
“No, don't do that,” the man stressed. “You don't get to clam up on this one.”
A tear dripped down onto the comforter, and I realized I was still shaking. My mind remained cluttered, so I choked out the first problem I was still having. “It's too dark.”
The man glanced about the room before leaning over to open the drawer by the nightstand. I realized he had pulled out a box of matches once fire hissed and sparked to life on top of one of the sticks he had pulled out and struck against the side of the box. The amber flame shrunk after the initial breath of life, and he leaned back over the nightstand to light the candle that sat there. He blew out the match and smoke danced through the air. The amber flame of the candle flickered and cast a dim glow through the room. As the man put away the box of matches and flicked the used match into the nearby trash bin, I noted the darker shades underneath his eyes. Those shadows were not caused by the fire's light. It seemed everything had to match between us, even our lack of sleep. This was my brother. No, this was my identical twin. There was no telling how long Rue would remain my brother...
Rue's eyes softened, but a smile didn't quite reach his face. “Better?”
I nodded, but I didn't smile either.
Rue would get impatient if I didn't say anything soon. I knew what the expression on his face meant and knew he wouldn't stop prodding me until I told him what was on my mind. This wasn't something Rue was going to let drop, but it wasn't as if I had a conflict with telling him. The fact that he was sitting here with me was soothing the knots inside of me. I tried not to think about all the things that had plagued me before bed and followed me to my dreams, but the thoughts came anyway. Everything was so twisted up. Then just when I thought I had found something solid and secure to hold onto in this confusing life, it was taken away from me again.
I sighed and curled my legs up underneath me. I leaned forward and let my fingers dig into the blanket that was still wrapped around my waist. My voice was barely audible when I admitted, “I miss Kim. We just moved here, and I just... I wish she was still here.”
Rue glanced over at the closed door in reflex as he reminded, “Kim is here. We're all here.”
I felt the tears coming this time as my hands tightened into fists. My voice was scratchy when I argued, “It's not the same. Four months, Rue. Kim didn't change once all summer. She was always just there. I got used to it, and I thought maybe-I thought...”
“You thought this would all just end,” Rue finished almost bitterly, his voice firm.
My mouth tightened into a frown, and my eyebrows pinched forward as my eyes closed. I swallowed and nodded weakly. “None of us have ever lasted that long. It gave me hope, and now we're here, and she's not. I'm scared, Rue. What if this doesn't work? What if we can't stay here?”
“It'll work,” Rue cut in. “There's twelve of us, and we all want this. We're all going to pitch in so we can stay here. I go in to work Monday, and you got a call back, right?”
“Yeah, I have a follow-up interview tomorrow afternoon.”
“It'll work,” Rue said again. “Now go back to sleep.”
Both of our attentions got redirected before Rue could move to his own bed when a quiet knock came from the door. It creaked open, and a man in his early thirties peeked into the room. His shoulders were raised, and his head was down. Black strands of hair fell into his eyes because of it. Dani smiled uneasily before explaining, “Casey woke up and was worried.”
When he stepped into the doorway completely, we could both see the small boy that was held in the man's arms. The boy's short, black hair was sticking up from sleep. The toddler's eyes and cheeks were red from earlier crying, but he held his head high. “You screamed,” Casey accused with a sniffle. “Why did you scream?”
It made the corners of my lips turn up in spite of myself. Even at four years old, Casey was still holding his head high and standing his ground. I apologized, “I'm sorry, Casey. I didn't mean to scare you.”
“Mm not scared,” the boy mumbled stubbornly. He repeated with a whine when I didn't say anything more, “Why?”
“I had a bad dream,” I told him as I raised my hands and gestured for Dani to come forward. I gently took Casey from his arms. The toddler's puffy, brown eyes were staring up at me intently, which kept the soft expression on my face in place. “I got scared. I didn't mean to wake you.”
“It's okay,” Casey reassured after wiping his hand onto his pajama shirt after wiping his nose.
Dani frowned at my explanation. “Blaire, are you all right?”
I hesitated but nodded. It occurred to me then that Casey doesn't room with Dani. Casey must have been up wandering around the hallway in an inner conflict before Dani found him. The thought warmed my heart. That's Casey, daring as always. I was thankful for this familiarity. I frowned though and wondered, “Dani, why are you still awake?”
“Oh, uh,” he fumbled sheepishly. He shifted his weight, and his head was dipped down again. “I was looking over more paperwork about the house. Just double checking everything.”
The Kim I had gotten used to wasn't here to take care of the house, but I could at least be relieved about Dani's presence. There was no doubt in my mind that he'd go over every little detail to make sure everything was okay about the new place. I glanced back over at the toddler who I was holding up in front of me. I felt my face warming in embarrassment, but I asked anyway, “Casey, do you want to sleep here with me, since you're not scared? You could fight any monsters that'd try to get me, can't you?”
A wide grin formed on Casey's face, puffing out his cheeks. “Of course. Superhero Casey to the rescue!”
The boy lifted his chin up and pumped a fist into the air. Laughter poured out of him the instant I tickled him, and he crumbled onto my bed. Rue removed himself from the bed to walk over to his own. Dani bid us good night as he departed, and Casey and I paused our tickling match to echo it. My fears had been pushed away as I played with Casey, and the four-year-old's smile reflected onto my face. It was only when Rue grumbled to us about being too loud that we finally settled into bed. Casey was asleep quickly. I was on the verge of sleep myself not long after that but was nudged awake when I heard Rue murmur my name from his bed.
“Yeah?” I prompted quietly as I cracked my eyes open.
I looked over to see him staring up at the ceiling with one arm tucked underneath his head and pillow. There was a grimace on his face, and he eventually gave a deep sigh. He turned his back to me and pulled the covers up. I thought he had changed his mind and chose to just sleep instead, but he confessed a minute later, “I miss Kim too.”
There was an ache in my chest, and the corner of my mouth twitched weakly into an almost smile. I had the feeling that Kim wasn't the only thing we'd miss. We had gone through so many changes recently because we all wanted to try for something more normal. It had been a week since we had moved here to this house in River Bluffs, Vermont. It was ironic how willing we were to go through with all of these changes since changes always led to... Well, this. The hollowness in my chest was the last thing I thought about before drifting off to sleep.