Chapter 1: Don't Misbehave

“Ding dong

You can't keep me waiting

It's already too late

For you to try and run away

I see you through the window

Our eyes are locked together

I can sense your horror

Though I'd like to see it closer”

In a place where a span of oak woods surrounded the manor that was at the center, Sein was walking around those bushy corners in hope of finding his sister. Both agreed to play Hide and Seek, Eris had chosen this place as she thought that no one except her and her mom know the entrance and the exit of this place, even her father back then when three of them played hide and seek, her mother would have to look for the seeker instead of the seeker to look for them, he always gets lost.

And now, it was Sein’s turn to be in such a horrific experience in his entire life, this was his first-time playing hide and seek with Eris. Instead of having fun, he found himself lost in the middle of those tall woods and not having fun the slightest but still looking for his sister.

“Eri… where are you? I find this no longer fun, please come out I’m hungry” Sein hoped his sister would at least respond, he had been calling out ever since he felt like he will never find Eris.

Out of nervousness, he bit his thumb again and stayed quiet, just observing the whole place hoping his sister would come back to him. His tears were building up the moment he realized that Eris is never going to show up unless he found where she was hiding.

“Eri this isn’t fun anymore…please come back, “said Eris with a loud voice enough to set a chilly echo around the woodland. After waiting for about 10 minutes, his tears started to escape from his eyes as he walked again encouraging himself that he can still find her, this word is much easier if Sein didn’t go too far from their Manor, regretting the thought of going further inside the woods, he sat down on the ground.

“Don’t be a naughty boy Sese, Eri doesn’t like it”

Those words are forever printed on his mind, Sein from the past 3 weeks of being with the Reigo family was closer to Eris than the father. Although it’s understandable why Eros wasn’t around and they couldn’t bond well. So in those weeks, Eris and Sein had been playing around the house. To say it all, this should be his first time playing outside the manor. Clearly and as broad as the daylight, Sein has no experience in this place.

“Don’t get closer to that bungalow house okay? You are not allowed to even look at it”

This reminder that Eris told him before Eris started to find a hiding place, he took a mental note of it thinking that the house would be a very important place for his adoptive father. Though, because of exploring deeper in the woods, he had bumped into the Bungalow house, at first, he got startled when he had the first glance of it, but her sister wasn’t around right? So, he again looked at the Bungalow house that wasn’t too far from him.

From his observation, the house looks a bit old already and seemed like it got already abandoned, so he stood upon the ground in an attempt to break his sister’s words. But then just as he was about to take a step, he also remembered what her sister said

“If you ever set a foot near to that house…Eri will get mad and punish you…you wouldn’t want that right? “

Sein also remembered his promise to his sister to never lie and misbehave. But since the sun was about to set, Sein had one conclusion that his sister might be bluffing on him and that she was actually inside the house.

He kept quiet, trying to listen carefully to his surroundings hoping to hear at least her sister stepping in a twig. But he heard none, he still contemplated whether to move closer or keep walking in the other direction. Just as when he was about to walk away, he heard faint giggles coming from the house, those giggles were too familiar to him as he remembers who those giggles came from.

“You’re playing tricks on me Eri, I’m going there,” said Sein as his voice was clearly annoyed, marching his way to the house, those giggles that keep on getting louder as he gets closer suddenly stopped the moment he set afoot at the doorstep. The door was old and rusty looking already, making it look like this house was abandoned for many years now. Even the floor were all dirty and some long vines had almost swallowed whole the entire house.

Sein was halfway closer to twist the doorknob until a strong wind that set of as reminder of him not listening to his sister’s warning before the game started. He then bit his lower lip as he stepped back. But then, he heard those giggles but now louder and was making it clear that this came from Eris.

“Don’t misbehave okay? Are we clear?” again, those reminders that Eris left to him before the game rungs on his mind, but out of annoyance, he pushed through the thought of going in.

“Not funny Eri…. I’m going in” Sein twisted the doorknob and to his surprise, the door still functioned well and was opening it wide.

And then suddenly his knees dropped on the ground, heartbeat stopped, eyes widen with a glint of familiarity, shock and horrified.

There he saw a girl hanging upside-down on a thick wire all bloody, face was unrecognizable, but the clothes that the dead body wore were very familiar to him. Not only one dead body made his whole-body stiff, he saw a number of bones on the floor with its clean clothes, they were all placed perfectly and precisely. But the dead body of a young girl that was hanging were about 4 days of being locked up here and it was already smelling bad, the smell of the dead body made it more difficult for Sein to stand up and run and call for help about what he saw, but his knees were weak, his hands were shaking, as he breathes uncontrollably. He wanted to scream or even spit a word, but he found himself not being able to utter a word.

Sein then remembered the name of this girl who is hanging upside-down, Shekynah , same age as him, he met her on a family gathering that was held at Mr. Eros’s household.

Before they met, it was just Sein and Eris playing the game of tag as they share those cute giggles and keep on tapping each other. But then, Shekynah showed up asking if she could join them, Sein of course was happy to meet someone aside from his sister, but then of all the sudden Eris went quiet and was just staring at them busy introducing themselves, It turns out Shekynah was a 3rd degree cousin of Eris and that they actually know each other and would occasionally play around whenever they meet. But just this time, Eris had displayed something…unusual. Eris didn’t play tag games with Sein and Shekynah and just went to a nearby chair as her eyes never leaving on the girl who took Sein’s attention.

“Didn’t Eri told you not to set a foot in this house.”

A very familiar voice that Sein recognized very well said behind his back. The voice was indeed from Eris, but this tone of her voice sounded different from her usual gentle and playful voice. This voice didn’t come close to being playful, instead, it was the complete opposite of it.

“You’ve been a bad bad boy Sese…very bad…” it continues.

“You misbehaved.” And with that he felt a hand on his neck and strangle him until he started to choke and was desperate to break the grip around his neck.

---

Sitting up and gasping for air, Sein’s teary eyes roamed around his surroundings and found nothing but darkness, he looks around and saw every furniture that existed around the room as he had thought that he was on his room.

His eyes still wonder every corner in hopes of finding nothing but a bunch of expensive furniture and not the ones he saw on that dream. To his relief, there was no signs of a single bone nor even the features of that house.

“Wha—”

“Did you have a nightmare?” a female’s voice suddenly spoke before he even gets to finish his own, his head snapped towards his left side and saw Eris with a small grin. His mind shut down and he had a sudden complication of breathing as he remembers the last part of his dream that Eris was strangling him to death.

“What’s wrong, you most likely seem to have seen a ghost in your dreams” Eris’s question wasn’t as gentle and as playful as how she usually sounds, this tone of voice was the same on what Sein had dreamt of and was trying to move his body to distance himself away from her.

“What do you think you’re doing.” said Eris grabbing Sein by his arms pulling him closer to her with that face she had never once showed on Sein. A face that gives off the vibes like you were about to die horribly in the hands of a murderer.

“Stay awa—”

---

Desperate gasps of air, Sein woke up sweating cold and had complications of breathing, from his peripheral view, he saw a tall figure holding a ruler, he looks up and saw his teacher looking down at him.

“No sleeping in the class Mr. Reigo” The teacher said as she walked back to her desk as she continues the lectures that she stopped just to wake up a whimpering Sein Reigo on his desk.

“Sein, I keep on waking you up, but you didn’t budge” Andy, Sein’s seatmate said in a whisper. Sein looks at her, then to the whole class and lastly to the teacher.

“Sorry…” Sein spoke in a low tone voice. The teacher nodded his head and continue the lecture. Sein this time fix himself as he straightens his body posture. Although, as he tried to listen to the lecture his head had a sudden migraine. Not wanted to catch any more attention, he tried his best to mask the searing pain on his head.

“You okay?” whispered Andy, her voice wasn’t that loud enough to gather attention. Sein just shake his head as a response followed up with a small sentence is his lowest tone of voice.

“I’m good”

Just after he said those, the bell rang to indicate the subject has ended and it was lunchtime. Sein picked up his bag and was about to stand until he remembers that he forgot to bring his lunch.

“Let’s go bro!” a male voice excitedly approached the latter. Sein just smiled knowing one of his closest friends with whom he got along on his first day of school. This was Sein’s 2nd week in Junior High school as a freshman, he was glad he met a person whom his sister trusted and got along.

This new guy who arrived from the other section is named Dinmer, Dinmer is the younger brother of Eris’s best friend Dein Smith. When it was Sein’s first day of school, her sister in the lunch time dragged her best friend Dein who seems to drag her younger brother as well all the way to the cafeteria. The two boys clicked well just because of a game called Genshin Impact.

“Can I join??” Then again Andy spoke in hopes of getting accepted in the friendship those two boys have. Though it wasn’t only Dinmer and Sein, there were other two people as well.

“Heyyy lezgoo broduh” A sassy tone of voice spoke, Andy looks behind her and saw a girlish girl who wore all pink from head to toe.

“Don’t you have other clothes to wear dear sister? I’m getting bored of that color” Another male voice spoke following soon after that sassy girl.

“Shut up you Shay” The sassy one flipped her hair into the guy next to her purposely. The guy beside her slap away her hair and glared at her.

“Hopefully our Uniforms are done, I can’t wait to see Shayne not wearing pink” This guy whom the sassy girl just called Shay spoke in a mocking tone.

“I will still slay in that uniform brother, unlike you….” Shayne eyed her twin brother Shay up and down and then grinned.

“Low-quality uniform for a low-quality face,” Shayne said cockily as she fixed her well-formed eyebrows. This girl was naturally beautiful already, she didn’t even bother to put on light makeup to look more presentable and she knows it too well that she’s good-looking.

“Huh, then I guess you have a low-quality face as well, mind you we’re identical twins, my face is your face too. “Shay defended his side and Silver just had to look at him never stopping from fixing her eyebrows in a boring way.

“So, who is she?” Shayne changed the topic soon after she saw Andy standing awkwardly in silence. Silver eyes her from head to toe and nodded her head.

“Hmm not bad, you’re in the squad. My name is Shayne Morgan, this piece of a barnacle here is my twin brother.” Shayne introduced herself as well as her brother who just nodded.

“Hello, my name is Dinmer Smith, pleased to meet you…???” Dinmer introduce himself waiting for the girl who got surrounded by Sein’s group of friends.

“My name is Andy Williams, you guys can call me Anne” Andy said in a polite tone of voice.

“Great. Dee, it is” Shayne disregarded the nickname that Andy gave, she just cut short Andy’s name. For Shayne, it sounds more fashionable.

“Alright let’s go cause I’m hungry, so tell us more where you’re from Dee” Dinmer started as all of them altogether walk out of the room.

During the walk, all Sein could think of was that dream and why he always has those migraines after some of those strange dreams but then shrug it off trying to avoid any further ideas of what’s going on with his head. The only existing question on his head is, will he tell his father or sister about it? or he keeps it all to himself.