Escaping to the valley

(Chapter 11: "The blood of the covenant...")

(The next day)

So far, I was able to avoid my family, and go to the luau. One part of me was hoping that they had gone back to the city, but another part kept making me look over my shoulder, just in case they were still around somewhere.

The fact that everyone in town was at the beach made me nervous, knowing that my mom or brother could sneak up on me from just about anywhere.

Luckily, Sam and Abi were with me, helping to keep me in a good mood. Though, the only thing I really enjoyed about this event was the food. There wasn't really much to do other than eat, dance, or watch the mayor being the Governor's personal boot licker. So, I just sat under a shady tree, nibbling on some food, and knowing that if I stayed out in the sun too long, I'd burn to a crisp. To my surprise, no one wanted to go in the water, even though this could have been a perfect day for swimming.

"Why couldn't I just stay inside all day?" I thought, as I only partially listened to whatever it was Sam and Abi were talking about. That is, until the two went quiet, as someone else joined the group.

"There you are." Someone said in a menacing tone.

"Wait... I know that voice..." I thought, looking at the new person.

"No..." I whispered quietly, looking at my brother, who was standing right in front of me.

In a panic, I looked at Sam and Abi, who both nodded at me, before I bolted towards home, while they kept my brother distracted.

"Okay, I can't go home. That would be too obvious. I can't go to Seb's, since he's got enough going on with his broken hand... Where can I-... Aha! Krobus!" I thought, running to the sewer entrance, opening it, and climbing down the ladder.

I hated the smell of the sewer, but it was either this, or the city, and I'd rather this.

"Oh! Hello, human. What are you doing here?" Krubus said, seeming surprised, but happy to see me nonetheless. "Hi, Krobus. I came down here to get away from someone." I said, scratching the back of my head.

"Oh, you're hiding? Okay. I understand. Stay as long as you'd like." Krobus said with a smile.

"Willow! Where are you?!" My brother's voice echoed from above.

"Who's that?" Krobus whispered, looking up towards the sewer entrance.

"My brother. One of the people I'm hiding from." I said, sitting next to the shadow.

"You're hiding from your own family? Huh... I guess we both have a similar reason for staying down here." Krobus said, resting their head on my arm.

"Really?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Yeah. I'm hiding from other shadow people... And... Just... other monsters in general... And you're hiding from your family. So, we're both hiding from our own kind for one reason or another. I hide from the other shadow people because they may judge me for being nice to humans, and you're hiding from your family because...?" Krobus paused for a moment, before I said "Because they judge me for a lot of reasons. Whether it be my sexuality, my religion, or... Lack thereof, or even just the fact that I may mess up on certain things. And they try to beg me for respect, even though they hardly give me any in return." I said, resting my head in my hands.

"Wow. That's... A lot..." Krobus said, hugging my arm with their little hand nubs.

"Sorry if I said too much. Once I start talking, it's hard for me to shut up sometimes."I said awkwardly.

"It's okay. If I wasn't in the mood to listen, I would let you know." Krobus said with a small nod.

"Thanks, little dude." I said with a chuckle.