The Quest For Eternal Happiness

Chapter Two

Falling asleep isn't an easy thing for me when I actually need to – like five hours before I have to get up for school. Whenever I find myself all alone, with no one around to keep me stimulated, my mind takes over, devolving into thoughts of the past – awkward, embarrassing things I've done that no one else remembers except for me, and traumatic memories I wish I could forget. Is it a curse, that we're the only ones who get the gift of remembering the worst parts of our existence?

On the flip side, napping isn't difficult at all. It's so easy to just, flop down on my bed after school, and waste three hours just lying there. It's awesome, really; three hours I don't have to worry about anything. Well, usually.

I felt wind grazing over my skin and running through my hair. The sun was offensively bright, even though it was starting to go down, and I seemed a lot shorter than I usually do. I was looking for someone in a mulch covered playground, and when I peeked my head into one of the metal tunnel slides, I saw Skye – well, a younger and snotty nosed Skye, in a fetal position with her hand over her mouth.

"Found you!" I exclaimed.

"You're no fair!" She pouted. "I didn't get enough time to hide."

"You did too." I said, "I gave you thirty seconds."

"Fine." She crawled her way out the tunnel, smiling. "I'll find you even faster then!"

"No way!" I said. "I always find the best hiding spots."

"We'll see about that." She jeered. "Are you ready?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Ok, get ready! One..."

I immediately dashed away. I could have found a place somewhere in the playground to hide, but that would've been way too obvious. We both agreed the bushy area next to the swing set, with benches and trees was free reign, so while Skye had her eyes covered, I ran into the hollow.

It was dark, damp, and musky, even more musky than it usually gets during the summer. I decided to get on my knees, and crawled around in the dirt. There was a large bush that was hidden behind a tree, which was perfect. Skye would never find me there – I was almost guaranteed to keep my title as hide and seek king.

I squatted down in the dirt, hidden between the bush and the tree. I heard Skye's muffled voice from a ways away.

"...twenty-nine...thirty! Ready or not, here I come!"

I heard her footsteps, but it seemed like she was going to look through the playground first. I scooted my knees up to my chest and laid my head on the back of the tree, feeling clever. And that's when I saw it.

Peeking out from just behind the large bush, was a hand. Like, a human hand. It looked to be pale and wrinkly, with loose skin and visible veins. I felt a cold chill run down my spine.

"Should I go look?" I thought to myself, "but if I move now, I might just blow my cover..."

"It's fine." I thought, "Skye is sooo far away. Let me just... check it out..."

I got up, apprehensively, and dusted the dirt off my pants. Slowly, I moved around, my head low, to the other side of the bush. As I poked my head over the other side, I froze in horror at what I saw.

I screamed. It was a shriek more than anything else, a sound I didn't even know I was capable of making. Skye must've heard me.

"Silas, was that you?" She yelled. "You little baby, I know where you are now!"

She ran towards me, as I scurried away from the bush, my breathing hard. She came up behind me.

"Don't tell me some beetle ran up your leg agai-" She gave out an ear-splitting shriek before covering her face in an attempt to stop herself from vomiting.