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The Nightmare

The kids got up and got ready for school silently, trying not to wake Marnie. They made sure the Twins had breakfast, then filed out the door with worried faces. Jaz honestly considered staying home with the twins since Marnie still hadn't come out of the bedroom, but in the end- decided that she needed to go to school. Marnie would wake up soon, right?

The twins, however, ended up keeping each other company for the most part, and they were desperately hungry by the time the other kids got home from school.

Walking to the front door from school, Phoenix muttered something that made Jaz turn around angrily. "It's NOT my fault!" they gritted out. "I didn't make Dad leave. Take that back."

"Is TOO your fault. You and your stupid non-binary stuff is what started this whole thing in the first place!" Phoenix replied.

Furious, Jaz just turned around and went inside.

Dishes and dirty laundry were everywhere, and dust was starting to accumulate.

It was very clear that Marnie had never gotten out of bed for the day.

With a worried sigh, Jaz went to get some food for the twins, and spend some time playing with each of them. If this continued, there was no way Jaz felt they could leave the twins home "alone" the next day. School was just going to have to suffer. Myles and Phoenix didn't seem to think it was a problem, but Jaz just couldn't leave them alone again.

At the Social Services counter in the Municipal Center, Gemma waited her turn to talk to a teller.

When she was finally called, she wasted no time, and introduced herself so she could get right to the heart of the matter. "I'm very worried about a young client of mine who hasn't been to therapy for two weeks. Their family life has gone from just chaotic to bad, and I am honestly worried about them and their brothers. I tried to contact them and the family, but I've been getting no response. Their phones appear to be out."

"Family name?" asked the teller, pleasantly, typing on the computer absently.

"Malone." Gemma replied, hoping she was doing the right thing.

The teller gasped and threw her hands up. "That's the second time in two days I've heard that name. They're on my list to investigate. You just have to be patient."

"I don't think patient is going to work in this case, ... Kayla." Gemma replied, looking at the woman's name tag.

Startled, Kayla Bliss looked over the counter at Gemma, and wondered what she could possibly tell her. "Have the police been contacted?"

"Actually, yes, they have. I reported in to them last week about my concerns, and they said I need to talk to you folks here at Social Services." Gemma replied, reminiscing about her trip to the police department. "I think this is now on your shoulders, Kayla. If you need me to, I'll come with you, but I think a visit to their house is absolutely necessary."

Previously, at the police department:

Back at the Malone's house...

Jaz was trying to clean up and take care of the twins at the same time - doing two jobs that they should never have had put on their shoulders. By the end of the evening, the power was once again - out, and Jaz had to use a flashlight to get the twins to bed.

Consequently, the anti-monster lights weren't working. Jaz hadn't slept long when horrible sounds came from under their bed. Terrified, they crawled out of the bed and panicked, wondering who - if anyone - could help them.

Finally, taking a deep breath, Jaz decided to do some art. Maybe the monster would go away on it's own.

When that didn't work, Jaz decided reading under the covers was a good option. Maybe if the monster couldn't see them..?

Finally, with a deep sigh to gather all the bravery they could summon, Jaz sat down next to the tentacles, and prepared to tell it exactly why this wasn't a good household to haunt.

After several arguments, Jaz stood up, energized and victorious. Wondering how long they had until it was time to go to school, they crawled back into bed to get a little nap in.

OS: Day Twenty-Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Thirty