Mommy, Who's the Bogeyman?

Chapter 18

Morgan's P.O.V

I had never heard that name fall off someone else's lips. 

Yes, occasionally a mother would call it out, scolding her son for touching something he wasn't suppose to. Of course movies had it snuck into the script.

Of course my heart fluttered every time I heard it. Of course it would break.

I looked at myself in the mirror, my shoulders slumped. Dark circles encased my eyes. My icy blue iris' stuck out from my pale face. My dull, blonde hair covered my small ears and I turned away.

My body ached, my throat seemingly full of cotton. A tear rolled down my cheek.

Of course it could have been a coincidence, right?

I swallowed hard, my chapped lips burning, much like my lungs.

I bit my lip and opened the bathroom door. The cool air brushed my face and I looked down the hall, to Alex's room.

Seth's room.

I placed my barefoot on the hard wood floors. Before I knew it, I was standing in the doorway, eventually sitting on the bed.

I looked up at the wall, white paint barely covering what once was a black "soot."

A cry escaped my lips. I turned to the closet, shaking.

His words rang throughout my mind.

'Little Bird, please.'

My eyes lingered on the closet for a moment longer before tears clouded my vision.

I shouldn't have brought my family here. It hurt too much.

Mom shouldn't have given me this awful place. I pressed my lips together at the thought and crossed my arms.

My thoughts flickered to Matt. The strange boy Veronica had brought home. She had mentioned him a few times, how he was new to her school, but he seemingly appeared out of no where. He was strange, yet Veronica loved him. The way her eyes gleamed when he spoke, the way she skipped up to her room after he called. It made me forget his imperfections.

We had welcomed him into our home with warm arms. What he said made it all come crashing down, made our neat little home, sloppy and confining.

My chest ached. He had to have meant another Seth.

I nodded my head, but quickly dismissed it. I had for the past two days. The look in his eyes when the word rolled off his tongue was too guilty, too scared.

He had quickly straightened up and left, not another word, escaping his mouth.

Veronica had called him. He didn't answer. She cried for him. He wasn't there to wipe her tears. He wasn't at school. Probably would never return.

Dan worried about me. Marty and Veronica interrogated me.

'Who is Seth?'

'Why are you so sad?'

It all pained me too much. This burden on my heart had been locked away. Thrown in a chest that had no key. It was boarded up into the deepest part of me, a part I didn't know I had. Each question pulled a board down, allowing light to poke and prod at the chest.

My brother's 'disappearance' as the town liked to call it, was my secret. I hadn't told Dan about it, ever since we met out of state. Hadn't told the children-after all-children shouldn't have to hold all of the world's burdens in their hearts.

I walked back to my room and flopped onto the bed. I burried my face into my pillow and cried until tears could not form. My brother's disappearance had torn me to pieces.

I had told everyone the monster took him. They shook their heads in disbelief. Dismissed it as trauma.

As I grew older, my belief in the Bogeyman wavered. It was lost just like Seth, his name the only thing I had left of him.

I was his little bird. He had told me I could do anything I put my mind to.

Obviously not. I couldn't even save him.

*  *  *

Seth's P.O.V

The bell rang and everyone filled the hall. Here and there, shoulders met my chest and I shivered. People walked through me and I tried to push my self away, only to fail.

I scanned their faces.

Dammit, where is he?

I was almost a head taller then all of them, yet I couldn't track a single person.

After a few minutes, the halls cleared and I pushed my back up against a set of lockers. I looked up and down the hall, every now and then a student zooming off to a class.

As I straightened up, movement caught my eye. I turned and looked down the hall and nothing was there.

Slowly, I pursued and turned down another branch of the school.

Finally, I saw him.

He wore blue jeans, a white muscle shirt. A bag was slung over his shoulder.

I shook my head in disbelief as I followed him.

After a few strides, I had caught up to him and grabbed his collar.

I shoved him up against a locker and he looked at me, bewildered. His eyes glazed over my face and his expression softened.

"Long time no see." His voice was jumpy and I stared into his bright eyes. My head ached.

"Long time no see? Matt, did you forget I saw you like three days ago?"

He bit his lip in thought and looked away. "Seth, why are you here?" He shrank back towards the locker like a dog, cowering before its owner. I almost felt bad for him.

"Why are you creeping around a high school?" My voice sliced through the air, echoing through the empty hallway. A locker slammed in the distance.

"I already told you-"

I held up a gloved finger. "Yes, I know you wanted to 'keep track of me.' Wanted to 'get to know my family.' I already know. That's not what I'm asking."

Matt finally met my gaze and it sent a shiver down my spine. "Seth, it's complicated."

I shook my head, barely hearing his response.

"Do you realize what you did to my sister?" The only thing that had been on my mind, finally sprang out of my mouth. Matt took in a sharp breath.

"Oh god," He looked at the ceiling, "Seth, I am truly sorry."

I could feel my hand tighten its grip on his shirt and I swallowed hard.

He looked into my eyes and he silently pleaded for me to let go.

Let go of it all.

"No. You aren't. You don't know how she has been for the past few days. Shuffling around the house, crying."

"Seth-"

"Shut up! You shouldn't have ever brought yourself into my life!" I could feel my chest heaving.

Matt's eyes blurred with tears.

My body went numb.

I let go of his collar.

He straightened up and looked at the floor. "Well amen to that."

He walked down the hall, and disappeared.

Hey guys, this chapter is really badly written and is kind of a filler, but I needed to get this out of the way to continue on in the story. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, and thank you for the support. Love ya!