Chapter Six

A young woman's life is consumed by terror and tension after encountering a spidery man hiding in the back of her closet.

Needless to say, I didn’t sleep in my bedroom after meeting that Spine character. And I didn’t sleep on the sofa, either. Instead, I curled up with Benjamin in his bed, holding him and watching him sleep. Spine’s remark about Bones had made me paranoid - in fact, just meeting Spine in general had made the paranoia worse a hundredfold. I felt the need to protect my little brother and the rest of my family. And even though Spine didn’t seem dangerous, he very well could be. I knew nothing about him, except that he was some kind of night guardian who lived in another world beyond my closet, and had been imprisoned for an unknown crime. And I wanted nothing to do with him. This sort of unreality did not deserve to be here in this household - not now, not ever.

The day after meeting Spine, I took a very long shower in the downstairs bathroom instead of my own. I lost myself to the warm droplets, feeling them collect in my hair and flood down the length of my body. I felt so cold, both inside and out, so I scrambled for the crystal knob and cranked the temperature up to its highest heat. But even when steam began to billow above the glass stall, dressing the mirror in white and sweeping through the air like clouds, I was still chilled to the bone. No amount of hot water could possibly melt the icy that had formed on my heart, my mind, and my physical body. I just stood there in the shower, watching water whisk itself down the drain while rethinking my encounter with Spine.

Jack made a breakfast of fresh fruit and French toast, but even though the food looked delicious, I just couldn’t eat anything. I managed only one bite of papaya before slipping out onto the deck. There I sat, staring silently out at the waves and wondering why this world truly wasn’t what it seemed. My family, sensing my want for solitude, did not bother me.

As it was Saturday, Jack took Benjamin to the docks to try out fishing while Micah drove out to larger surf spots with his friends. This left me alone in the house - something I wasn’t all too pleased about, but at least my family wasn’t near Spine. They were safe, for now. I didn’t know if the same could be said for me.

Later in the day I decided to venture into my room to gather some fresh clothes. I must have walked up to my bedroom door five times and turned back before I finally gathered the courage to step inside. My bedroom was in complete disarray. Clothes and black pieces of parchment were strewn all along the floor. The blankets on my bed were lying on the bathroom floor. All of the windows were wide open, inviting in a frigid, salty breeze that blew all the papers on my desk around.  I stood stock still, staring at the chaos, before I finally gave my head an angry shake and proceeded to clean up my room. The closet door was still closed shut, so I didn’t go in there - luckily, I kept my clothes in my armoire. When my room was back in its previous order, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and headed downstairs.

I sat in the window seat with my eyes angled towards the beach. The sound of the rain outside brought me a sense of tranquility despite everything that had recently come crashing down at my feet. When my family returned home later, Jack and Micah tried to engage me in conversation. Benjamin, too, wanted me to draw with him. Though I was quiet, I agreed to scribble out some sketches with my little brother. But by dinnertime, I opted for solitude again. I didn’t eat with my family but sat in the den instead, thinking about what I could possibly do to rid this house of the monster. There weren’t a lot of options, to tell the truth, and I was coming up short-handed.

The rain continued to pour well into dusk. Immersed in the fading light, the waves churned with green water and spat stones and seaweed on the shore. The sky became a strange indigo-gray color while cold gales whistled, their speed so startling that I wondered if the house would be swept into the sea. Lightning bleached everything outside, rumbling thunder following each silvering flash. I found the storm annoying, but only because it kept me from going for a run or walk on the beach - something I could really use at the moment. And that was when I remembered: I was supposed to run with Joe Pfeifer today. Meeting Spine had made me completely forget. Joe seemed like a dedicated runner, too, so I knew he most likely ran the trails in the rain. But still, I figured it would be better to stay inside my house for now, keeping an eye on my family and making sure the monster in the closet did not do anything that might harm them.

“That storm sure is nasty,” Jack commented during dinner. We sat at the kitchen table, the lamps above us flickering while the driving rain fell outside. “Jesus.”

“I don’t like lighting,” Benjamin said as he nibbled anxiously on a slice of bread. “It’s scary.”

“Aw, there’s nothing to be scared of,” I assured him. “The storm will pass soon, I bet.”

My little brother mumbled, “I hope.”

“Eh,” Jack said. “Don’t be surprised if it lasts a week or so. Rainstorms out here can be pretty brutal.”

“Oh. Great.” I glanced outside and felt a chill ripple down my spine when I saw the raging, foamy ocean. “The waves won’t get any bigger, will they?”

“Nah, they probably will. But no worries, they won’t reach us. We’re too high up on the cliff.”

“What about that staircase? Will the waves come up to there?”

“Yeah, I think so. Lucky for us, those stairs of mine are virtually indestructible.”

Micah snorted. “Yeah, right. Wood isn’t indestructible. You’re just saying that ‘cause you built them.”

“I’m only speaking the truth here.” Jack shrugged.

“Yeah, if truths were lies.”

It was my turn to clean up after dinner, so I spent the next half hour wiping down the kitchen counters and scrubbing dishes in the sink. Jack went off to his office to fill out paperwork while Micah waxed a couple of surfboards in the shed out back. Benjamin disappeared off somewhere, and it wasn’t until after I had loaded the dishwasher that I went looking for him. He wasn’t in his bedroom or the living room. Panic surged through my body like an electric jolt as I searched for him all through the first story, calling his name, but he was nowhere to be seen. I rushed up to the second story, shouting for his name, but stopped when I almost rammed into him. He was standing in the doorway of my bedroom, eyes on my closet.

“Benjamin!” I gasped. I squatted down so that I was eye level with him. He blinked at me. “B, what the-? Didn’t you hear me calling you? Why would you worry me like that? And what are you doing up here?”

“Bones wants me to meet somebody.”

My mind instantly thought of Spine, and I winced. I took hold of my little brother’s shoulders and said, “Benjamin. Bones doesn’t exist.”

“Does too,” Benjamin mumbled.

“No. He doesn’t.” I kept my voice firm. I couldn’t help but think of how much I sounded like Micah. Micah hadn’t believed me when I’d told him about the ghost; now Benjamin probably thought I didn’t believe that Bones was real. Which wasn’t true: I knew Bones existed, and that very notion was why I wanted to keep Benjamin away from him. Bones had to be another nocturna, another closet monster. How else would Spine know him?

“But he’s my best friend!” Benjamin protested.

“Benjamin…” I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh. “Look, you can’t be friends with him anymore. You’re not allowed to be. I’m sorry.”

Benjamin stuck out his lip and stormed down the stairs. I made to follow him but stopped in mid-step when I heard a low, unmistakable laugh. Its quiet clarity sounded from my closet; I stomped towards the sound, kicking aside shoes and the flashlight I’d left the previous night. Spine’s cupboard had disappeared again. I lowered myself onto my knees and pressed my ear against the cold plaster wall. But I could hear nothing. I rapped my knuckles against the hard surface. I whispered, “You won’t be around much longer, I swear to you that much. And tell this - this Bones to keep away from my brother.”

“Why are you talking to a wall?”

The voice came from behind me; it startled me so badly that I toppled over on my side. I looked up to see a shadowy shape detach itself from the darkness and move towards me. My heart went whirling as I crouched there in the tiny closet, limbs frosted, lips pressed together. A great pale face turned towards me, bearing a blindfold and ear-to-ear mouth. I saw the disheveled hair and languid appearance, and I knew at once this was the very last person - or thing - that I wanted to see.

“I’m not talking to a wall,” I snapped. “I was talking to you. Unfortunately,” I added with a roll of my eyes.

“Well I’m not a wall. In case you haven’t noticed.”

“I was talking to the wall because I thought you were behind it. Make sense?”

“I daresay it does, but I just like to mess around with you.” Spine lowered himself to the floor, sat cross-legged, and rested his chin on his knuckles. He removed a jet-black letter from his pocket and began to eat it with crisp, crackling noises.

I eyed him in disgust before saying, “Tell Bones to stay away from Benjamin.”

“But why? They’re having so much fun together.”

I stiffened. “Bones is like you, I presume? A nocturna?”

“Yes.”

“And is he a criminal as well?”

Spine shook his head. “Certainly not. Bones is a fine kid.”

“Why is he here? Why are you here?”

“Is it not obvious? We tire of our own home. Humans might be inescapable annoyances, but your world is interesting.”

“Then by all means, go out and see the world,” I said coldly. “Don’t stay here, in this house. Take Bones and go.”

“It’s not that simple,” Spine said.

“How can it not be simple? What business do you have here? Why were you even ‘imprisoned’ in the first place?”

“Why are you asking so many questions?” Spine drawled. “Good Lord, woman. Don’t you know? If I get asked too many questions, my amicability drops eighty percent.”

“You were never amicable to start with so, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

Spine ignored this. “So tell me, how have your nights on the sofa been? Why not sleep in your bed? I don’t bite.” His black fangs glittered as he smiled a malicious smile.

I narrowed my eyes at him in disbelief. Without another word, I sprang to my feet and started for the closet door. “Stay away from me, and tell your friend to stay away from my brother,” I said over my shoulder. I closed the door shut behind me. But it banged open again. Before I could turn around, a hand locked on both of my wrists. I felt Spine’s chin rest on my shoulder. Lips at my ear, he said quietly, “Don’t order me around, Miranda. Or I can assure you there will be consequences. Dire ones.” He released me and I stumbled away from him. I rubbed my sore wrists and shot him a glare.

“You’re pathetic,” I told him bluntly. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re not scary at all. You’re not even intimidating. You’re just a monster with an superiority complex and no place to go, who resorts to feeble threats and pitiful scare tactics.”

“That so,” Spine said indifferently. “Well, I’m glad you have me all worked out. I can tell we’re going to be close friends.”

I spat, “Don’t hold your breath.” And once again, I left the room.

I decided to find Benjamin. My poor little brother was sitting on the living room’s window seat, watching the slanted sheets of silvery rain.  There were tears in his dark blue eyes. I scrambled onto the plush seat and took him in my arms. He clung to me, pressing a face wet with snot and tears against my neck. “I’m sorry,” I apologized. “You know I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to make you sad. I only want to help you, Benjamin. And believe me, I’m helping you when I say that you shouldn’t be around Bones. He is nothing but trouble. I know this, Benjamin. Please, please, please trust me.”

“But we did all kinds a’ stuff together,” Benjamin whined.

Even though my skin prickled, I said, “I’m sure you did. But you can do other things with me, and Micah, and Grandpa. You don’t need someone like Bones. I know he seems like he’s your friend, but sometimes…people aren’t who they seem. Do you understand? They say that they’re one thing but they’re something a whole lot different.” I cocked my head to one side. “How did you meet Bones, anyways?”

“He came from the closet.”

“The closet?”

Benjamin nodded. “There was a door in the closet. It was small. He came out of it and talked to me. We talked a whole lot. And now- and now I can’t - I can’t talk to him anymore!” He let out a little wail and shook as I held him. I sighed miserably, trying with all my might to assure myself that what I was doing was for the best. Of course I had no way to truly make sure Benjamin and this Bones stayed apart - but Benjamin was very obedient; I knew he would respect my wishes no matter what.

In an effort to distract my little brother from his so-called imaginary friend, I taught him how to make origami. We made puppies, cranes, lizards, and stars out of the tiny paper sheets. Even though Benjamin had a difficult time folding his at first, he soon caught on and made the most beautiful cranes. After a little while, he wanted to stop. “Sissy,” he said. “My head hurts.” The words ‘I’m going to get you some medicine’ were just on the tip of my tongue when Benjamin leaned over and vomited on the floor.

“Benjamin!” I held his shoulders as he threw up again. “You’re okay. You’re okay. You’re okay.” I kept repeating those words over and over again. I managed to usher him to the bathroom where I helped him lean over the toilet bowl. His tiny body trembled with each heave. After awhile, I couldn’t take it anymore. Tears filled in my eyes and I let Jack and Micah take over. I ran off, tears in my eyes, when Micah told me they were considering taking Benjamin to the hospital. I was usually strong for my little brother. But whenever he showed these symptoms, my being was close to splintering.

I sat outside in the rain for a long, long time. I was upset about everything, even myself - upset that I couldn’t even be there for Benjamin when he needed me. I felt like I was failing him. But I was too scared. I cried into my hands as the cold rain pounded down upon me, destroying any last bit of warmth I might have held. And then I felt a hand on my shoulder.  At first I thought I imagined the light, almost tentative touch. But when I lowered my hands and turned my head slightly to the right, I saw a tall, dark figure standing beside me.

“He will be all right,” Spine said. His spidery fingers were draped over my shoulder in an inexplicable display of comfort. But I didn't respond to his words. Because I didn’t know what to say to a lie.

Spine sat with me for a little while. We were both silent, the rain roaring around us. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I caught pneumonia, but I was so dull with pain that the wet and the chill barely bothered me. About a half hour passed before I decided to return inside. I looked to my right, expecting to see Spine still sitting on the bench, but he had vanished. I jut shrugged and brought my sopping wet self inside. Everything was quiet. I went into the living room, wiping falling water from my eyes, and found Jack and Micah sitting on the sofa. They were conversing quietly but when they heard my footsteps, they looked up.

“There you are, Miranda,” Jack said. “Were you outside all this time?” he added, raising his eyebrows.

“Where’s Benjamin?” I asked immediately. How is he?”

“He’s sleeping right now and he’s fine.”

I fell silent. Water dripped from my clothes to the floor.

“We’re going to take him to the doctor’s tomorrow, just to be sure. Not the doctor in town, but the neurologist Benjamin usually sees in Seattle. We just want to make sure he’s healthy and then we’ll-”

“Healthy?” I found myself shouting into the quiet. I flung my finger in the direction of my little brother’s bedroom door. “He’s not healthy! Look at him! Did you see him?”

My brother and grandfather stared at me in shock; I rarely raised my voice, so they must have been very surprised. “Miranda,” Micah said quietly. “We know. Jack just wants to keep him healthy, just for now-”

“For now, yeah. Sure. And then what happens after that?”

“Miranda, what are you saying? The doctors are doing everything they can-”

“They’re not f*****g doing enough!”

My older brother rose quickly to his feet. “You’re being irrational. Calm down for a moment, Miranda. I’ll make you some tea.”

The sudden urge to jam my foot through the living room’s glass table rushed through my veins. Frustration and anger and sorrow were all banding together to crush me beneath the deepest, darkest tide. I closed my eyes and gave my head a single, sharp jerk. I had to do as Micah said; I had to calm down. I was being hysterical. Of course I had every right to be, but that didn’t mean I had to show it. My family was experiencing the same emotions and worries as I was - I certainly wasn’t alone. I looked from my grandfather - who sat on the sofa, watching me through narrowed green eyes - to my brother, who stood in the middle of the room, hands half-outstretched towards me. They knew exactly how I felt and they were coping as much as they could.

My head was spinning. I mumbled about taking a shower and went into the first floor bathroom. The hot water wasn’t much of a change from the freezing rain outside. I changed into some sweats and a t-shirt and then slipped inside Benjamin’s bedroom. I stared at the tiny bump beneath the sky-blue blankets. The top of his bald head was just barely visible, glowing blue from his ocean-themed nightlight. I crawled up next to him and gently kissed his sweaty forehead. He was breathing softly. I thought he was asleep, but then he whispered, “I’m sorry, sissy.”

“What for?” I stroked his head.

“I’m sorry for being sick.”

Something cold swept over me. “It’s not your fault,” I told him.

“But…”

“Benjamin. It’s not your fault, and you know that.”

“I don’t want my head to hurt all the time. I don’t want to get sick. I don’t want to go to the hospital. I don’t want to not have hair.”

“I know, baby.” My voice cracked. “I know. But don’t worry. You’re my brave little soldier. You fight this. You can fight anything.”

His eyes still closed, Benjamin snuggled his head into his pillow and breathed, “Sissy. Will you tell me the truth?”

“Yes.”

“No lies if I ask you something?”

“No lies.”

 Benjamin opened his eyes. In the dim blue light, I saw a couple tears fall down his cheeks. “Is everything going to be okay?”

His words cut me like glass. One day he’d have to know. But to have him looking forwards right now, and see nothing but his shortened life, was something I could not possibly stand by and let happen. I could not tell him the truth. I simply could not.

And so I leaned forward, kissed his forehead once again, and whispered, “Everything’s going to be all right.”

Author's Note

Awhile ago I self published this story, so I have a hardcover copy of it stored on my bookshelf.
It still makes me face palm. This updated version does too.

Reviews

[ღ.яαg..]

Oooooo!!! I am SO curious about Spine!!! I love this story, it's great xD So is the tone you use, it's consistent (from what I can see, though I'm not expert LoL) and does a great job setting and maintaining an eye-catching atmosphere. Very engrossing.
I found a few typos throughout, but not many and they're not that important so I'll just suffice to tell you they're there, I guess? There's also a part I found that sounded a little off, but again it may be just me...

"When my family returned home later, Jack and Micah tried to engage me in conversation. Benjamin, too, wanted me to draw with him."

It seems like it should be:
"Benjamin, too, wantING me to draw with him."
Otherwise it sort of sounds like Jack and Micah were also into drawing. But anyways, I loved reading this! Thanks for giving me the opportunity!!! ;D