The poor girl was a nervous wreck as she sat in one of the interrogation rooms at her town's police station. She didn't want to be here, she wanted…she didn't really know exactly WHAT she wanted, maybe to crawl under the covers and never have to come out again. She was still traumatized over everything that had happened. How long had she even been there? It could've been a few hours or less than 1, she honestly wasn't sure.
It had started out so harmless. 4 of her classmates were failing biology, and the teacher gave them an extra credit assignment: go camping in the woods and document what you come across (Latin names giving bonus points). While they had all bemoaned this assignment, they each knew it was do it or have to take summer school.
They should have gone to summer school.
When Victoria, the head cheerleader, pointed out they would be hopelessly lost out there, their teacher offered a suggestion. Thus, he called in his top student to help them out.
Eleanor "Ellie" Chang was top of most of her classes, but ESPECIALLY biology due to her love of nature. Despite being top of the class and thus not NEEDING extra credit, herself, the teacher pointed out that if she took this "tutoring" gig, it would look really good when she was ready to start her college applications. Ellie jumped at the opportunity.
Oh, what a fool she had been.
So that Friday evening she had instructed each of them what to bring, and the following Saturday after breakfast, they had met at the park on the edge of their town, venturing past the general public area and into the woods for their camping trip.
At first things went smoothly, them finding a good section of the forest to set up camp in and getting ready for some fun. Of course, the others were mainly planning on letting Ellie do the majority of the work, but being a go-getter, she was fine with that. To be honest, the main reason she had even agreed to come on this trip wasn't so much the extra credit, but the chance to rekindle an old friendship.
See, back in elementary school, Ellie and Victoria had been best friends, practically sisters. But once Victoria started playing with her mother's make up, things slowly changed. At the start of middle school, Victoria stopped hanging out with Ellie and joined the popular crowd. It had hurt, but it had helped Ellie learn a few life lessons, namely on trust.
Still, Ellie had thought if she had helped Victoria get a passing grade and NOT have to repeat Sophomore year, maybe the duo could become friends again. And even though they may have seemed a bit…crass at times, Ellie thought maybe Victoria would invite her to hang out with them. Truth was Ellie didn't have a lot of friends, mainly acquaintances she sat with at lunch, but nothing really like what Victoria had with her friends. It was mainly due to hurt over Victoria abandoning her that she hadn't formed any other close friendships throughout middle and high school.
As she sat there, she glanced at the bandage on her left hand from where one of those THINGS had jumped on her and struck her with that thorny branch. Honestly it was the least serious of her injuries. She had some bruising on her torso, not to mention one on her face, along with a noticeable limp. These were why she had been taken to the police station by the people who found her when she exited the park. She was pretty sure it wasn't even a citizen's arrest, the people who brought her here (a middle-aged couple out for an early morning jog) seemed concerned for her. Plus, she thought she overheard one of them mention Phil. Perhaps they knew him and were aware that he had been with Ellie in the woods?
Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of multiple people yelling outside. At first it was hard to determine who all was out there, but then she heard a VERY familiar shrill tone yell out, "WHERE IS MY BABY?! WHAT DID THAT LITTLE WH*RE DO TO HER?!"
Ellie winced, instantly recognizing the voice of Victoria's mother. She had never really liked the woman, and she knew the feeling was mutual. Shaking her head, she realized that along with Victoria's mom, Jay, Phil, and Rex's families were likely outside the room, too, all ready to barge in and demand answers about where their kids were.
Except…Ellie didn't have any solid answers for them. She had a pretty good GUESS as to what had happened to the others, but aside from Phil, she didn't know 100% whether they were alive or…she shuddered at that train of thought. She was aware that due to their city being near the coastline, and the twists and turns of those woods, the area that they had been camping in would be pretty hard to get to due to that log bridge collapsing. Not impossible, but she was aware that that area led out to some steep cliffs over the ocean, and the general terrain all around it was also pretty steep. Hopefully that meant no one would ever go to that area again.
"PEOPLE, PLEASE CALM DOWN!" A commanding voice suddenly cut through Ellie's thoughts and the adults outside arguing. Ellie recognized it as the officer who had greeted her and the couple when they came in. Despite his rough-sounding voice, he had been gentle with Ellie, first taking her to the medical labs to get a quick examination and get bandaged up, before getting her a cup of coffee and leading her to the interrogation room. He didn't try to bait her or force anything out of her, merely asking if she was ok, before asking for her name and who to contact for her.
"CALM DOWN?" A male voice that Ellie didn't recognize shouted, "My neighbors were out for a jog when they spotted that girl come stumbling out of the forest looking like she'd just gotten into a tussle! I know she was one of the ones with my boy on some class project, and I wanna know what happened!"
"And we will get answers," The officer (Officer O'Malley, Ellie remembered him giving his name) told them, "But there is a certain process for this."
"What process?" Victoria's mother snapped, "Is she under arrest? Do we need to be worried? Should we search her room for what she may have used to do horrible things to our kids?!"
This started a bunch of concerned murmuring from the other parents as Officer O'Malley tried to restore order. Before he could, however…
"YOU!" Victoria's mother shouted, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOUR DAUGHTER DID TO OUR PRECIOUS BABIES?!"
"Oooh," Ellie winced, knowing her mother had likely just arrived. This would be…interesting. Basically, both of Ellie's parents were loving and supporting. But when they got mad and got on the warpath, they were TERRIFYING. She was just glad her dad was out of the country on business, so she would likely only have to deal with ONE angry parent for now. Well, one of HERS, along with the parents of her classmates. And aside from Victoria's mom, Ellie had no idea how the other parents were personally, thought given the situation, she figured they were pretty ticked off.
Sighing, Ellie prayed that Officer O'Malley would hold off everyone for a few more minutes, maybe with the door getting stuck, because she did NOT want to deal with this. After all, what was she supposed to say? Little green Smurfs with mushrooms on their heads had most likely killed all their kids for disrespecting nature? She had no proof. Heck, even if she still had her notepad, they likely wouldn't believe her. Nope, saying that would just getting her a one-way ticket to the nuthouse.
Ellie put her face into her hands and groaned, knowing this wouldn't end well. And even if by some miracle is DID, she would still likely have nightmares for the rest of her life about what had happened. She saw those little green monsters every time she closed her eyes.
As the adults outside continued to argue, the door creaked open. Ellie kept her face buried in her hands, hoping to put this off just a few seconds longer. The door closed, so hopefully it was just one officer. Or a lawyer. Wait, did she need a lawyer? Oh crud, she was going to be blamed for what happened to her classmates, and it'd be either jail or a mental institution. She had escaped the Sprites, but she was still doomed!
As Ellie started hyperventilating as her thoughts ran wild, she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her, followed by a soothing, "Hey, hey, it's gonna be ok. Just breath."
Recognizing the voice, Ellie's panicking slowed as her breathing returned to normal. Looking up, Ellie looked into the eyes of her older sister giving her a comforting hug.
"M…Millie?" She asked hesitantly, unsure if her big sister was actually there or if she was just a hallucination brought on by the stress. She looked up at her big sister, who looked just like her, albeit with glasses and a pink streak in her hair.
"It's ok, Lil' Sis, I'm here," Millicent "Millie" Chang, Ellie's older sister who was currently in college, said as she stroked her younger sister's hair, "Mom's out there dealing with all the other parents. Most of them, especially Victoria's mother, are out for blood, but Mom's helping that officer calm them down."
"Oh geez," Ellie moaned. She was still stressed, but she had always felt safe in her sister's arms. Due to their parents often working long hours throughout both their childhoods, Millie had been a fulltime babysitter for Ellie. Needless to say, Ellie looked up to Millie more than she did their parents; she respected and loved her parents, of course, but Millie had just always been there for her whenever she needed her, always ready to lend an ear or give a hug. Even when she went away to college, she called Ellie twice a week and came home whenever she could.
"Don't worry," Millie told her, "It's all gonna be ok. Just…before any of them realize I slipped in here, I gotta ask, what's going on? Apparently, some people found you stumbling out of the forest this morning? And you were…" She paused, looking at Ellie's bandaged hand, before pulling her away and looking at her face, noticing the bruise around her right eye. Frowning, she asked, "What the hell happened? Did one of those punks hurt you?"
"No!" Ellie exclaimed, shaking her head, "They didn't do this. It was…" She paused, unable to think of what to say that wouldn't sound crazy.
Millie looked at her, concerned, but before she could ask Ellie to elaborate, the door was slammed open, Officer O'Malley glaring at the duo as he stated, "Miss, you can't be in here with the suspect."
"SUSPECT?!" Millie asked with rage, getting up and stomping over to the officer as she snapped, "My sister has done NOTHING wrong, nor is there any evidence of any wrongdoing in general, so don't you DARE call her a suspect!"
O'Malley, a man banking on 6feet tall, was clearly not used to being berated like this, and thus was stunned silent as he stared at the furious college girl in front of him.
"Millie, please don't antagonize this officer," A tired sounding voice spoke from behind O'Malley, "He's just doing his job." The girls' mother, Sonya, was standing behind O'Malley, still in her nursing scrubs, having come straight from work due to getting the call about Ellie. One look at her would let anyone instantly know she was the mother of the 2 girls in the room, with her similar facial features and black hair.
"Not to mention he's clearly RIGHT," Victoria's mom piped up from behind Sonya, trying to barge in the room to glare at Ellie as she snapped, "What did you do to my baby, you little monster?"
"I…I didn't do anything," Ellie managed to squeak out, causing the four people in the room, plus the other parents just outside the door, to look at her. Needless to say, the poor girl instantly shrunk down, unsure of what to say next.
Luckily her mother instantly shoved past O'Malley upon getting a look at Ellie, her exhaustion from her double shift at work instantly disappearing as she fretted over her younger daughter, "Oh, baby, what happened?" She turned her head to get a look at the bruise on Ellie's face, before inspecting her hand. She frowned as she asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Um…I have some bruising on my stomach and back," Ellie said, not looking her mother in the eyes, "And a sl…slight limp."
"Clearly got it from my daughter and her friends fighting back!" Victoria's mom snapped, which caused a slight uproar from the other parents behind her.
"Alright, alright!" O'Malley regained his composure and turned around, beginning to push the rest of the group out, "I understand this is a heavy situation, so you are all allowed to watch the interrogation from behind the two-way mirror as long as you are QUIET!" His tone let the others, even Victoria's riled up mom, know that this was their only option if they wanted answers right away. The group slunk away from the door, and O'Malley closed it behind them, turning to look at the trio of women in the room. He took a deep breath before explaining, "Ok, here's how this is going to go: we don't know what's happened here. All we know is that you," He pointed at Ellie, "Went into the forest yesterday around noon with a group of your classmates, and this morning you came out alone, injured, and according to the couple that found you, out of breath, like you'd been running a good distance. Now, I'm going to ask you, Ellie, do I need to call you a lawyer?"
Ellie looked at the floor, wondering what to say here. She wasn't guilty of anything! But she couldn't tell the truth, either, because they'd never believe her. Oh, why did it have to be the Sprites? Ellie almost wished it had been a human who-
"No!" Ellie said, instantly realizing what she could do to get out of this, "I…I'm just still in shock, is all. But I know I need to explain what happened. However, I don't…EXACTLY know what happened to the others."
"Well, let's start small," O'Malley said, sitting across from Ellie. Millie took the seat besides Ellie, and O'Malley let Sonya drag the seat next to him around to sit on the opposite side of Ellie. "What happened to you? Or better yet, what happened in general?"
Taking a deep breath as she went over the story in her head one last time, Ellie began, "Well, the 5 of us ventured into the woods, eventually coming across the log bridge to the more secluded section of the forest, figuring it would be the perfect spot to do our research for our project. As we were setting up camp, we were suddenly greeted with a hello."
"A hello?" O'Malley asked, getting an uneasy feeling. Outside the room, the other parents felt the same.
"A man walked into our campsite, from the opposite direction of the log bridge," Ellie continued, "He appeared to be an older gentleman, as he had a bushy white beard. He was also wearing a red cap that covered almost the entire top half of his head, along with a simple green suit that had some tatters in it. He introduced himself as…" She paused, knowing this would sound weird, but figured she could make it believable, "Mr. Sprite. He said he had lived in the woods for a good long while, and welcomed us. Once…" She hated to throw the others under the bus, but she figured they wouldn't mind, since they were, ya know, dead, "Once Phil told him what we were up to, he offered to help us by offering to take us on a tour of the area. Since I was only helping and didn't HAVE to be there, the others told me to set up camp, so I did." She paused at that, actually shaking a bit, which resulted in Millie rubbing her back.
"And then what happened?" O'Malley asked tenderly, now reminiscent of the kind man he had been when Ellie first arrived.
"The others came back a couple hours later, each with their notebooks full of useful stuff for the project," Ellie continued, "But Mr. Sprite wasn't with them. Jay said he had his own little cave a way off, and he had headed back there, but he wished us well. I didn't think anything of it, and asked for everyone's notes to start getting the report ready. As we had dinner and chatted, I noticed the others were starting to act funny while drinking from their bottles. I asked what was up, and they said Mr. Sprite had shown them his distillery and let them each have some moonshine from it. At that moment I got a bad feeling, and insisted we leave. But by then it had started getting dark, and the others told me everything was fine. I tried insisting, but Rex, clearly drunk off his ass, told me I was being a buzzkill before passing out. Victoria told me not to worry, and we'd leave first thing in the morning. Then she crawled on top of Rex and passed out, too. Then I turned around to see Jay and Phil already out, so I sighed, figuring I was overreacting." At this, she let out a sigh as she exclaimed, "God, what I wouldn't give to go back to that moment and SCREAM at everyone to get up so we could leave." At this, Ellie remembered seeing Phil's already dead body being burned, along with when Elder Sprite showed up right before she was able to escape, and a few tears fell. Her mother and sister reached over and rubbed her back soothingly, and O'Malley looked at the girl with nothing but pity, realizing she was not a suspect, but a victim.
"If you need to stop, I understand. We can wai-" O'Malley began, but Ellie shook her head in defiance.
"No!" She stated, wiping her eyes, "There are people outside that window that deserve to know what happened to their kids." She looked at the window and said, "I'm sorry." She then turned back to O'Malley and continued, "I knew it would be cold at night, so I at least put everyone's sleeping bags over them before gathering everything up and getting it ready so we could leave as soon as we got up. I then did a little more with the notes again before falling asleep, myself. I must've slept for a couple hours before I was awoken by a cry of pain." At this, Ellie allowed a couple more tears to fall, before regaining her composure, "I got up and noticed the others were all gone, so I naturally got nervous, thinking maybe it was a prank. Then I heard some cackling from the direction they had gone in earlier with Mr. Sprite. I nervously headed towards it, and I saw…I saw…" At this, Ellie thought about the horror she had dealt with that night, including the fact that the others, including her former best friend were most likely DEAD, and became a bawling mess. Her mother and sister both wrapped her in a hug, whispering soothing things into her ears.
"You don't have to continue the story," O'Malley said, rubbing his temples as he hadn't really expected things to go THIS far. He didn't believe Ellie had done anything to her classmates, but he figured SOMETHING had happened. But this, this was almost too much, even for a hardened cop like him. He sighed as he watched the sobbing girl in front of him for a few moments before he asked, "I do have to ask, though, are your classmates dead?"
"I…I don't know for sure," Ellie sobbed, "I saw M…Mr. Sprite burning Phil's body, but I didn't see any of the others." Needless to say, from outside there was a bang on the window with a cry of anguish, along with what sounded like someone dropping to the floor.
"And…did Mr. Sprite hurt you?" O'Malley had to ask.
"When he noticed me, he…said he enjoyed hurting others, but he thought I…thought I…" Ellie hated to make up this lie, but it was the only thing she could think of for why Mr. Sprite hadn't killed her initially, too. She blurted out, "He thought I was really pretty and wanted to have some fun with me before killing me, too."
Millie and Sonya both gasped in shock as they tightened their hug around Ellie. O'Malley seethed with rage, finding THOSE types of people to be the worst.
Through her tears, Ellie finished up, "I ran, but he tackled me, and we rolled down a small hill. That's how I got banged up. I was able to give him a kick to his manhood before stumbling back up the hill. I yelled out for the others, but didn't hear anything, so I hurried back to the campsite. I tried to grab what I could, but I heard him yelling for me, so I just ran. I got to the log bridge and started crossing it, when it started to fall. The end where we had initially come from was sinking into the ground, which almost caused me to fall down that chasm. Luckily, I used my fanny pack as a makeshift grappling hook, snagging a branch and swinging across." At this, Ellie shook with absolute fear as she recounted, "And apparently not a SECOND too soon, as I heard the yell and felt his presence right behind me as I made it across. I looked and saw his red hat fluttering down the chasm."
At this, Ellie finished her tale, and there was silence both inside and outside the room. The air was tense, with Millie almost wishing that this Mr. Sprite fellow hadn't fallen to his death so that she could personally kill him. Sonya was feeling like a failure of a mom, as her always working long hours meant she hadn't been there to protect her baby girl. O'Malley sighed, before calling out, "Bring it in!"
Another officer hurried in, handing O'Malley an envelope before hurrying back out. O'Malley frowned before opening it to reveal a stack of papers. He sighed, feeling utterly ashamed as he admitted, "Over the past few years, we've had SEVERAL missing persons cases around those woods."
"WHAT?!" Sonya asked in rage, glaring daggers at the officer, "And you didn't think to TELL anyone about this, maybe close off those woods?!"
"The mayor didn't want to cause a panic," O'Malley explained, even though he knew it was a pathetic excuse, "But now that we have a NAME, we're gonna go to the press with this." He then looked at Ellie and asked, "Would you be willing to talk to a sketch artist? Even if you're sure this Sprite fellow is dead, it would be good to see if he's a match to any known suspect."
"I…I guess I could," Ellie said, "But between his bushy beard and giant hat, I didn't really get a good look at his face. He had a big nose, and he was white, but other than that, I don't think anything I say would be of much help."
"Anything you can give us will be more than enough," O'Malley said gently, "I'll organize a strike force to head to that section of forest, while I give a statement to the news station. You head home, you can come back later this week to give an official description." At that, he stood up and headed out to console the other families.
The Chang women sat there for a few minutes longer, waiting to make sure that Ellie was doing alright before getting up and making their way outside, Millie allowing Ellie to lean on her to help with her limp. They passed the other families, all of whom were either in tears or had thousand-year stares as they processed what they had heard. Ellie had to look away, ashamed that she hadn't been able to help her classmates.
As they walked, Sonya noticed something else about Ellie and asked, "Did you…cut your hair, sweetie?"
"My ponytail…got tangled in some thorn bushes when he tackled me down that hill," Ellie quickly said, having honestly forgotten about having to cut her ponytail to escape those spiders, "I was panicking, so I just pulled out my pocket knife and used it cut myself loose."
"Ok, we're getting you home, Mom's gonna check you out, while I get a nice hot bath ready for you," Millie said, as they exited the station and headed towards Sonya's car, "Maybe make you some nice soup, too." At that, Millie briefly broke away and headed over to get her bike; due to Sonya having come straight from work, she quickly called Millie at home, and she raced to the police station on her bike, figuring it was close enough and that it would be good for both her and her mom to be in the same car with Ellie on the ride home. Sonya popped the trunk, Millie placing her bike inside before getting into the backseat next to her sister.
Once everyone was strapped in, Sonya pulled out and headed home, keeping an eye on the road yet also checking on her daughters in the rearview mirror when she got a chance. Ellie was curled into a ball while Millie was rubbing her back. Sonya bit her lip, before deciding to ask, "Ellie, sweetie, I think it might be a good idea for you to talk to a therapist about what happened. Even though you told Officer O'Malley everything, I think it's clear you need to talk to a professional about what you've been through, get everything off your chest."
"Ok," Ellie mumbled, only half paying attention. While she wanted to forget everything that had happened, she knew her mom was right, that she needed to talk to someone about this. Even if she had to maintain the lie about a human killer, she had STILL been almost killed after witnessing the death of at least one of her classmates. She shuddered at the thought, suddenly realizing how exhausted she was. Well duh! She had been up over half the previous night running for her life.
"What time is it?" She muttered, looking out the car window and noticing the sun was already starting to set.
"It's about 6:30," Sonya replied, "You were there quite a while before you told the officers your name. They said you were really out of it."
"Of course she was," Millie said, stroking her little sister's hair to keep her calm, "She's lucky to be alive." She then winced as she noticed Ellie start shaking at her blunt choice of words.
"Can…can I stay home from school tomorrow?" Ellie asked timidly. She was certain she wouldn't sleep a wink tonight, and REALLY didn't wanna face any of the other students or her teachers.
"Um, sis," Millie began slowly, "You…do remember why I'm home this week, right?"
Ellie looked at her curiously, only just now seeming to realize her sister wasn't several hundred miles away at college. Then it suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks as she remembered, "Spring Break, forgot. I…. guess that's good."
Sonya shared a look with Millie in the rearview mirror, but didn't say anything. The rest of the car ride was silent.
Thankfully it was only a few minutes before they arrived at their destination. However, when Ellie looked up, she saw they weren't at their house, but rather…
"The hospital?" Ellie asked numbly, "Did you forget something, Mum?"
"No, sweetie," Sonya shook her head, "When your sister mentioned checking you out, I realized it'd be better to get you an official look-over, maybe even an x-ray. I told my bosses that you were at the police station and had some injuries, so they shouldn't be too surprised to see us."
"Ok," Ellie nodded, unbuckling and getting out. Millie again allowed her sister to use her as a crutch as they walked inside.
A couple hours later, Sonya pulled into their driveway. Thankfully Ellie's checkup showed no broken bones, and her bruises and limp would heal up in a few days as long as she took it easy. She had been given a prescription for some painkillers, which her mother would head out to pick up the next morning. Luckily Sonya had been given the rest of the week off to look after Ellie.
As they headed inside, Sonya told her older daughter, "Millie, go draw that bath for your sister. Nice and hot, it'll help with her injuries." Millie nodded and, after getting Ellie seated at the kitchen table, headed off. Sonya headed to the cabinet, stating, "You must be starving after all this, sweetie. I'll fix you some soup."
"Thanks, Mum," Ellie said, looking around her kitchen in an almost wonder-like trance. She honestly thought she would never see her home again, first due to the Sprites killing her, then due to possibly being locked up for murder. It felt so good to be in the safety of her house, miles away from the woods.
Ellie's nostrils alerted her to something wonderful, which caused her stomach to growl. Looking down, she saw that while she had been lost in thought, her mom had placed a bowl of beef stew in front of her, along with some saltines. Ellie looked at the food like a starving dog, recalling the last food she had eaten was the sausage Phil had cooked the previous afternoon.
Ellie dug in like a ravenous dog seeing a T-bone steak, devouring her meal in a matter of minutes.
"Someone was hungry," Sonya said, having sat next to her daughter, "Did the police station offer you anything to eat? Even if you're a suspect, I'm pretty sure they're supposed to offer you at least a snack if you're gonna be there more than a couple hours."
"I…" Ellie paused in thought, "I think one of them brought me a chocolate bar at some point, but I barely registered it."
"Well," Sonya said, caressing her daughter's face, "You're home now, and Momma's gonna take care of you." She then took her daughter's hand in her own as she stated, "I…am SO sorry you went through all that, Sweetie. I can only imagine what's going through your head right now."
"It's…it's a pretty big mess up there," Ellie admitted, before offering her mom a smile, "But I think I'm gonna be ok. It'll take time, but I'll get over it." She frowned before adding, "Hopefully."
"Well, for now," Sonya said, getting up and taking Ellie's dishes to the sink, "Let's get you upstairs. Your sister likely has your bath ready." Ellie nodded, getting up and beginning to head upstairs on her own, before her mother appeared beside her and began helping her.
"Mum," Ellie offered Sonya a smile, "My limp isn't that bad."
"I know, Sweetie," Sonya replied as they headed upstairs, "I just…I wanna make up for not being there for you."
"You couldn't have known," Ellie assured her, "None of us couldn't have known." At this, she frowned as a thought occurred to her, "Well, actually, we SHOULD have known, if those disappearances hadn't been covered up."
"Well," Sonya offered a mischievous smile, "You didn't hear this from me, but you know how one of my bosses is married to the Deputy Mayor?" Ellie nodded, and Sonya chuckled as she stated, "Word around the breakroom is that after Mayor Harper just barely got a second term, city officials are looking for any excuse to get rid of him. Once O'Malley goes to the press with all this, Harper will be lucky to find a janitorial job willing to hire him."
This news, especially being delivered as "gossip" by her own mom, caused Ellie to smile widely, relieved that at least someone would be punished for this negligence.
After stopping by Ellie's room to get her pajamas, Sonya helped her to the bathroom, where a hot bubble bath awaited her.
"Just call if you need anything, Sweetie," Sonya said as she headed back downstairs, "Stay in there for a good half-hour, the hot water will be like Heaven on your bruises."
"Will do, Mum," Ellie replied, shutting the door behind her before stripping down and tossing her clothes into the hamper. She then gently lowered herself into the hot water, instantly feeling relief as it enveloped her body.
Between all the stress and not getting any sleep the night before, Ellie was almost ready to doze off in this nice hot bath…until the door opened and Millie came in, a book in hand.
Shooting awake, Ellie quickly rearranged the foamy bubbles to make sure they covered her up to her neck as she stated, "Um, occupied!"
"I know, Sis," Millie chuckled, putting the lid down on the toilet seat before sitting on it and opening her book, "I made the bath for you, remember?"
"Right," Ellie said, a little red in the face, "But, uh, why are you here?"
"Oh, figured you'd be so exhausted from all the hell you've been through, so I thought I'd do my reading in here," Millie explained, holing up her book, "One of the joys of college: Spring Break homework."
"Millie," Ellie whined, "I'm more than capable of not falling asleep in the tub on my own."
"I know that," Millie replied, "But better safe than sorry. Besides," She chuckled, "Not like I haven't seen ya naked before, little Miss Nudist."
Ellie's blush deepened as she recalled how, when she was a toddler, she apparently did NOT like wearing clothes. Millie and Sonya had had to frequently watch her whenever they went out, due to an instance when they had been at a clothing store and both parents had been distracted, which had allowed Ellie to strip down and hide in the clothing racks, ready to spook people. After an elderly woman had gotten shocked by a naked Ellie yelling a loud, "BOO!" at her, the family had been banned from that particular store. After that, Ellie always had to be holding one of her parents' or her sister's hands when they went out until she grew out of that phase.
"That…that was a LONG time ago," Ellie mumbled in embarrassment.
"Still a funny yet stressful memory," Millie chuckled, reaching forward and tussling her sister's hair. Ellie pouted and pushed her hand away, yet said nothing else, figuring if her sister was just watching out for her, it wasn't so bad. Plus, with the layer of bubble bath on top of the water, she still had some privacy.
At that, Ellie allowed herself to relax again, sinking down into the bath, ready for some good soaking and relaxing…
"Vincent, I promise you, she's ok, just a little banged up," Sonya said, barging in while talking on the phone.
"Mum!" Ellie hissed, blush returning.
Sonya didn't notice, trying to assure her husband that their daughter was fine. "Honey, I promise you, she's relaxing in the tub right now, with Millie watching over her."
Ellie frowned, a bit annoyed that her mother was talking about her as though she wasn't 2 feet away from her. Before she could voice her opinion on that, she felt something brush against her head. Looking up, she saw Millie, currently using one hand to read her book, holding out the towel they set by the sink to dry their hands off.
Realizing what her sister was getting at, Ellie sat up (while still using bubbles to cover her chest) and took the towel, using it to dry her hands off. Once this was done, her mother handed her the phone.
"Pumkin, are you alright?" Came the frantic voice of her father, Vincent Chang.
Vincent was currently on a business trip. ANOTHER one, to be precise. Growing up, Vincent's family struggled with money. He wanted to make sure his own family never went through what he'd had to as a child, so upon working his way through business school (with scholarships, thankfully), he got a high paying job almost immediately after graduating, and slowly worked his way up over the years. Now, his family was practically upper-middle class. However, this meant a LOT of business trips, usually a dozen or so a year. He hated always being away from his family, but recalling his guilt over how sometimes his parents would go to bed hungry so he and his siblings wouldn't have to, he knew this was the right choice.
"I'm fine, Daddy," Ellie replied, relieved to hear her father's voice. She loved him dearly, and he was yet another part of her life she had briefly believed she would never see again.
"What happened?" Vincent asked worriedly, "Your mother told me…your mum told me that you encountered a serial killer on a class trip and that 4 of your classmates are…are…dead?!"
Ellie took a deep breath, before looking at her mother setting the towel back by the sink, and her sister still reading her book. However, it was obvious they were both listening to her, watching over her. She sighed, and told her father the tale she had spun for Officer O'Malley.
"…and a couple of Phil's neighbors, out for a morning jog, saw me as I stumbled out of the woods," She finished up, "They took me to the police station, where I got a quick checkup. I eventually told my story, Mum took me to the hospital, and now here I am."
"Oh, Pumkin," Vincent sighed forlornly, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that hell. And you're sure you're alright?"
"Physically I'm fine," Ellie replied, "A little banged up, but I'll live."
"And…mentally?" Her father asked after a moment.
Ellie said nothing for a good minute, staring straight ahead, remembering the cries of the Sprites, seeing Phil's body burnt to a crisp, knowing what most likely happened to her classmates…
"Pumkin?" Vincent finally asked after the silence. Shaking out of her stupor, she noticed her mother and sister staring at her in concern.
Taking a deep breath, Ellie replied, "I…may need some therapy, but otherwise I'll be ok."
"Ok, Pumkin," Her dad replied sympathetically, "Please, if you can avoid it, don't be alone. Keep around your mother and sister this week, ok? I've got a couple meetings I have to take care of on this trip, but I'm gonna talk to my boss. He's an understanding guy, so after I explain what's happened, hopefully he'll let me come home early."
"Ok, Daddy," She nodded, "But don't ruin anything at work because of me. I know this trip was supposed to last another week. If you can't come home early, don't just leave to come see me. I'll be fine."
"I know you will," Her father replied, "Could you put your mother back on? There're a couple things I need to talk about with her."
"Sure thing. Love you," Ellie said, as she handed the phone back to her mother, who headed out of the bathroom.
About 20 minutes later, Ellie was ready to get out, due to the bath water starting to cool down. After making sure she'd be ok, Millie headed out, allowing Ellie to get changed into her pajamas. After getting her undies on, she pulled on her grey sweatpants and green t-shirt she wore to bed, before brushing her teeth and making her way back out to the hallway.
The moment she opened the door, Millie was there, allowing her sister to lean on her for the short walk to her bedroom. "Don't worry about setting your alarm," Millie said, as she guided Ellie to her bed, "Sleep in as late as you want. I figure you'll need it."
Ellie nodded, getting situated on her bed before turning off the bedside lamp…and instantly regretting that as, aside from the hallway light, her room was almost completely enveloped in darkness. It made her think of when she had woken up the night before to see her classmates' sleeping bags empty and thinking (honestly hoping) they were playing a prank on her…before discovering the horrible truth about those cute little forest creatures.
Feeling a panic attack coming on, Ellie quickly took some deep breaths before calling out to her sister, who was just about to exit the room. "Wait!" When Millie turned to look back at her, Ellie bit her lip before asking, "Would you…um, if it's not too much trouble…maybe…" She paused, frowning as she looked down, feeling so childish for wanting to ask this, even though she knew she needed it.
Millie picked up on what her sister was getting at and offered her a reassuring smile as she replied, "Give me a sec, ok?" She then hurried off to her own room, returning a moment later in her pajamas, a pair of black gym shorts and a blue tank top. As she entered, she called over her shoulder, "Night, Mom!" She closed the door behind her, yet not all the way, allowing a sliver of light to blanket the room. As she crawled into bed beside her sister, she assured her,
"Don't worry, the moonlight should give us a good nightlight."
"Thanks, sis," Ellie said sincerely, as Millie wrapped her in a hug, "For all of this."
"Anytime, sis, anytime," Millie said, planting a kiss on her sister's cheek. Ellie smiled at this, and felt herself relax as she started to drift off…
Ellie and Victoria were laughing as they hung out at their mall's food court, munching on cheap pizza and sipping fruit smoothies.
"…and then Rex realized he lost his swimsuit," Victoria finished her story, resulting in Ellie laughing so hard some of her smoothie came out of her nose.
"Oh gosh," Ellie laughed, using a napkin to clean herself up, "That must have been hilarious."
"Oh yeah, Jay and Phil didn't let him hear the end of it for the rest of the trip," Victoria laughed, "I wish you could have been there. But at least you've been there for every hangout since then."
"Yeah," Ellie chuckled, before frowning as a thought occurred to her, "When…when did this happen, again?"
"During Spring Break, after that nature assignment," Victoria reminded her, "I don't know why you couldn't come with us, but I'm so glad we were able to reconnect as friends."
"Right," Ellie nodded, before frowning again, "Are you…SURE that's what happened?"
"Of course," Victoria nodded, "We became besties again after you single-handedly fought off those murderous gnomes and saved us." She sighed in bliss at the memory, "It was great how you saved us, and didn't run off to save yourself."
Ellie's frown deepened at this. She was about to retort that that didn't sound like what she remembered, before Victoria started laughing. It started out light and friendly, but grew deeper, turning almost maniacal. Ellie grew uncomfortable and scooted her chair away from her friend.
"Yep, you saved us!" Victoria cackled, "You risked your life to save us and NOT run away like a COWARD!"
At that, a giant flame suddenly appeared behind Victoria, and Ellie gasped in horror as Victoria suddenly went limp, slamming her head on the table. Before Ellie could check up on her, Victoria shot up, her eyes lifeless and a pinecone jammed into her mouth, mush like how Phil had been before the Sprites burned his body.
"VICTORIA!" Ellie screamed in horror, jumping back. Suddenly she heard cackling all around her. She turned and saw all the other people in the mall had turned into Sprites, and were moving menacingly towards her.
"No, s…stay back!" Ellie cried, looking around in a panic as they surrounded her. Unlike last time, however, there were HUNDREDS of them, and no salty snacks anywhere in sight.
"No, no, no!" Ellie cried, turning around in a panic, looking for a way to escape. But there was none. She was doomed. "No, no…"
"No, no," Ellie mumbled, tossing and turning in her bed.
"Ellie, Ellie, wake up," Millie was shaking her sister awake, instantly realizing she was having a nightmare-induced panic attack.
"NO!" Ellie cried, finally jolting up in shock. She was sweating in panic, and as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she noticed she was…crying? Yeah, she was definitely crying, too.
"Hey, it's ok," Millie said, sitting up and wrapping her arms even tighter around her little sis, "You're safe now."
Ellie turned around and returned the hug, burying her face into her sister's shoulder as she lightly sobbed. Millie continued whispering soothing nothings as she rubbed her little sister's back in comfort. They stayed like that for a good few minutes, Millie giving her sister all the time she needed to cry it out.
"I…I could have saved them," Ellie finally choked out.
"You don't know that," Millie replied, "If you had stayed to try to find them, that psycho would have killed you, too."
"But-" Ellie began, only to be cut off as Millie broke their hug so she could look her sister right in the eyes.
"Ellie, listen to me," She began sternly, yet still with as much compassion as she could manage, "You had no way of knowing that guy was dangerous, and after you found out, there was nothing you could do to save your classmates. It's horrible, and I know you're dealing with survivor's guilt, but you have to understand that running was all you could do."
Ellie frowned at that. She knew her sister was right; ignoring the truth about the killer(s), the fact remained that after freeing her classmates, all they could do was run. And if she just so happened to be the only one who got away, that wasn't her fault. Those little psychos were relentless. She knew she had to accept it. But…
"It's just so hard," She admitted, "I mean, I may not have known the guys all that well, but Victoria was my best friend."
Millie frowned at that, thinking over what to say for a moment before finally stating, "You're right, sis, she WAS your best friend. I know for a fact that you haven't hung out for a good while because she thought was better than you."
Ellie sighed at that, recalling how honestly, Millie had NEVER liked Victoria, even before their friendship fell apart. She could…kind of understand that. Due to being a bit spoiled by her parents, Victoria had always been a little bit of a brat. But Ellie still cared for her, and felt bad that she had failed her and the guys.
Millie shifted them so they were laying back down, still in their hug. She was stroking Ellie's hair as she said, "There was nothing you could have done, so it's best to just accept what happened. You survived, now you need to power forward. And you've got your family here to help you." Millie smiled an encouraging smile.
Ellie was still unsure, but she returned the smile as she tightened her hug. "Thanks, Sis, I really appreciate all this. You're a great sister."
"I try," Millie smiled back at her, before lifting her head and looking at the alarm clock on Ellie's bedside. It was after midnight, meaning they'd been asleep for a couple hours before Ellie's nightmare. "You gonna be able to get back to sleep?" She asked.
Ellie bit her lip, before shaking her head. "I…I don't wanna close my eyes, and I definitely don't wanna have more nightmares."
"Well…" Millie thought for a moment, trying to think of SOMETHING she could say to help her little sister out. Then, it came to her! "How about we just chat instead? You'll likely fall asleep on your own, and whatever we talk about will be the last thing on your mind."
"Ok…" Ellie thought for a moment, before frowning as she admitted, "I…got nothing, honestly."
"Hmmm…" Millie thought for a moment, before smirking, "Ya wanna talk about when Victoria and your friendship ended?"
"Why would I wanna talk about that?" Ellie asked, confused, "That was NOT a good memory."
"Oh, but it was, sis, it really was," Millie chuckled…
Ellie was sniffling as she sat on the couch. She had always tried to be a good little girl, but it was so HARD with Victoria's mommy. The woman was just a big old MEANIE in Ellie's opinion.
Anytime Ellie went to Victoria's house to play, her mommy ALWAYS had to start something, usually by stating that Victoria was "too good" for Ellie, whatever that meant.
At the very least, Victoria's grandpa was always nice to Ellie. He was a kind old man who, even though he had lots of money, never looked down on people. He was also a good father figure to Victoria, as it was just the 3 of them, no daddy anywhere that Ellie had seen.
"I am so sick of that wh*re!" Sonya raged from the other room, "She's practically a bully to Ellie!" She was currently on the phone talking to Vincent, away on a business trip, raging about the latest incident that had sent Ellie home crying after playing at Victoria's.
Ellie frowned, knowing the word her mommy had just said was a bad word. She listened some more, before timidly getting off the couch and making her way upstairs to her sister's room.
Despite it being Saturday, Millie was a bit of an overachiever, and thus was finishing up a book she had to read for a book report that wasn't due for a week. However, having heard her mother on the phone, she knew it was only a matter of time before she heard, "Millie?"
Looking up from her desk, she smiled at seeing her little sister in her doorway, a pout on her face. Setting her book down, Millie got up and opened her arms, silently signaling Ellie to run into them. Luckily it looked like Ellie was all cried out, so, after navigating them so that, while still in their hug, they were sitting on Millie's bed, she began stroking her little sister's head and asked, "What did Mrs. Chance do THIS time?"
"She told Victoria that she shouldn't play with me anymore, because she can make better, prettier friends," Ellie whined, "And Victoria said she understands what her mommy is saying! She's never said that before! She always tells her mommy that we're best friends and that I'm a good girl. But today she actually AGREED with her mommy, saying she knows that one day she'll make better friends than me." At this, the tears started up again.
Millie sighed, hating this, but not surprised it was coming to this. In all honesty, she had hoped that Victoria would have at least been willing to stay friends with Ellie until middle school where popularity and all that nonsense came in, but it looked like her mother had been working on her so that it would be much earlier.
Truthfully, Millie had never even really like Victoria to begin with, and wished that her sister had picked another girl to be her best friend. But alas, in kindergarten, the kids sat at 2-person tables, alphabetically by last name, so of course Victoria Chance and Eleanor Chang ended up sitting together for the whole year, becoming close in the process.
But Victoria was always a bit of a brat, at least in Millie's opinion. Sure, she was nice to Ellie, but now that Millie was in middle school, she had become more aware of things like backhanded compliments and manipulation.
But still, she knew Ellie cared for Victoria, so she instead said, "Maybe we can have Mom sit down and talk to her, explain how the 2 of you really care for each other, and that you're a good influence on her."
Ellie stopped sniffling and brightened up at that, asking, "You think so? Because maybe if I apologize for what I did wrong, Mrs. Chance will offer to help us out."
While Millie wanted to STRANGLE that woman for making Ellie think she had done something wrong, her curiosity was piqued as she asked, "How could she help us out?"
"Well, you know how Mommy and Daddy ALWAYS have to work?" Ellie asked, and Millie nodded, so she continued, "Well, I heard Mommy say that Victoria's Mommy has a MINE. And if I apologize, maybe she'll let us go in and get some gold."
Millie looked at her for a good moment, before finally bluntly saying, "…you lost me, sis."
"When I heard Mommy yelling to Daddy on the phone," Ellie explained, "She said Victoria's mommy likes to go digging for gold!" She had a giddy smile on her face as she finished, "So maybe if I tell her I'm sorry for not being a good friend to Victoria, she'll let us go into her mine, we can get some gold, become rich, and then Mommy and Daddy won't have to work all the time."
Millie merely smiled sweetly at her innocent little sister. The few times she herself had been to her sister's best friend's house, she had suspected that the old man living there was NOT Victoria's grandpa. The last time she had been there, she had seen Mrs. Chance kiss him on the lips; now that she was old enough to know what a gold digger was, she had no more questions about how amoral Victoria's mom was.
Millie merely remarked that that sounded like a good idea, before rocking her sister in her arms a bit more while their mom ranted downstairs.
"Oh gosh," Ellie laughed, "I had honestly forgotten about that."
"I still get a chuckle every time I remember you wanting to go digging for gold," Millie chuckled. However, she then grimaced as she muttered, "Still can't believe there are actually people like that, marrying someone old enough to be their parents just to get a shot at the good life."
"Maybe that's why Victoria and Rex were so sickeningly sweet with each other," Ellie mused, "Rex was gonna go to college on a Cricket scholarship, probably gonna go pro, same for Victoria with cheerleading. If they stayed together, she would have been able to continue her rich life without having to marry someone 20-40 years older than her."
"Makes sense," Millie replied, "Most people don't actually WANT to be with someone that old if they can help it. Heck, I'm sure Victoria's mom has probably cheated on her husband at least a couple times over the years."
"More than likely," Ellie said, yawning. "I know I'll never do something like that." She shifted a bit in their hug, as her eyes started drooping. "I'll find a nice guy my own age, who likes me for me, not some…some rich old perv…"
Those were the last words out of Ellie's mouth before she nodded off again. Millie was sure they'd probably be up again that night, but for now she'd pray her little sister could have a peaceful sleep.
She reached forward and pecked Ellie's forehead, before closing her eyes and allowing herself to drift off.
It was just before noon the next morning when Millie stumbled into the kitchen. Sonya, who was preparing lunch, frowned at seeing her older daughter still half-asleep at such a late hour; even when she was a kid, Millie RARELY slept in, 10:00 being the absolute latest she'd sleep on weekends.
"How is she?" Sonya asked, pouring the girl some coffee.
"Not too good," Millie sighed, "Ellie woke up several times due to nightmares, and the majority of the time she WAS asleep, she was tossing and turning something fierce."
"My poor baby," Sonya muttered, shaking her head.
"I imagine she'll sleep most of today," Millie said, before chuckling, "Despite everything going on, I know I helped. A bit too much, maybe."
"Oh?" Sonya asked curiously, handing Millie a sandwich, which the girl began eating as she told her story.
"I had to get up to go to the bathroom a couple hours ago, and even though I'm pretty sure she was asleep, she had a death grip on my arm. Took a good couple minutes to get free. Same for just now. If I didn't need something to eat, I would still be up there with her." She sighed as she finished her sandwich, finally stating, "I've got some things to take care of this week. Figure I'll at least do my homework in Ellie's room today, be close by when she wakes up."
"I'll make some food for her in a little bit," Sonya stated, "And I'm already looking up potential therapists for her to talk to. I may call Officer O'Malley and see if he knows of any who specifically deal with this kind of trauma."
"Hopefully he'll suggest someone good," Millie replied, before asking, "Did you see anything on the news?"
"Yup," Sonya replied, "O'Malley did the press conference around 10, and Mayor Harper is TRYING to do damage control, but last I checked the news, there's already an angry mob of protesters on his lawn."
"Good, that man deserves to be fired…" Millie growled, "Out of a canon!"
"Agreed," Sonya nodded, "I'll keep you informed, you call me when Ellie wakes up, and I'll bring her some food."
"Will do," Millie said, turning and heading back upstairs, first stopping in her own room to get the book she was reading for her book report, before heading to Ellie's room. Her sister was sleeping peacefully at the moment, which Millie took as a sign that she'd be ok.
For the rest of the day, Millie stayed in Ellie's room, eventually finishing her book and getting started on her report. Around 3ish, Ellie woke up, groggy and disoriented, but muttering she was hungry. Millie called for their mom, who brought Ellie a sandwich and some juice, which the girl (after waking up some more) again wolfed down.
During this, Sonya explained that things were not looking good for the mayor, and the police had already headed into the woods looking to see if Mr. Sprite was still alive. Ellie, despite not wanting to, felt the need to keep up her obliviousness about certain aspects of the story, and timidly asked, "Did they find any of the others."
"I haven't heard back, Sweetie," Sonya said, stroking her daughter's hair, "But I'll let you know as soon as I either hear back from Officer O'Malley or see anything on the news."
Knowing that was as good an answer as she was gonna get (as despite being pretty sure her classmates didn't make it, Ellie still had a sliver of hope), she finished her sandwich, before her mom and sister insisted she lay back down. Ellie initially resisted, but it was clear she was still very emotionally exhausted, and thus eventually obliged.
She slept for most of the rest of the day, Millie again joining her when night fell. Thankfully Ellie's restlessness seemed to be dissipating. She still had a couple nightmares, but having her sister there comforted her enough to get through them.
On Wednesday afternoon, Ellie was uneasy as her mom pulled up to a local psychiatrist office, having been recommended by Officer O'Malley.
Ellie nervously rubbed her shoulders, unsure of this. Sonya offered her daughter an encouraging smile and gave her hand a squeeze, while Millie, sitting in the backseat, reached forward and squeezed Ellie's shoulder. Though neither said anything, Ellie smiled, grateful for their support and loving comfort.
"We're gonna run a couple errands, then be back in an hour," Sonya told Ellie, as she got out of the car, "Remember, Officer O'Malley said that Dr. Luhn is the best psychiatrist in town, that all the members of the force who deal with PTSD go to him for help. He'll be able to help you, too, Sweetie."
"I know, Mum," Ellie nodded, sighing as she entered the office, turning to wave at Sonya and Millie as they drove away.
Upon telling the receptionist her name, she was informed that Dr. Luhn was running a bit behind and would be a couple minutes. Thus, Ellie took a seat in the waiting room and thought over how this was going to go.
As an apology to Ellie for what she had been through, Mayor Harper promised to pay for as many therapy sessions as she needed to recover from her trauma. Of course, he didn't tell her or her family this directly, instead announcing it on the news, clearly as a way to try to save face for his actions leading to the deaths of her classmates by not closing off the woods long ago. Still, Ellie planned to take full advantage of them, because she was NOT going to spend the rest of her high school life and beyond having sleepless nights filled with restlessness and nightmares.
As Ellie sat there, she took a photo out of her pocket, looking over it with melancholy. It was a photo of her and Victoria in second grade, having just gotten ice cream. Ellie wouldn't say for sure, but she was almost certain this was the last picture taken of her and Victoria before they stopped being friends. She sighed as she looked at it, knowing they'd never have a chance to reconcile now.
"Eleanor Chang," The doctor called her back, catching Ellie's attention. She put the photo back into her pocket before taking a deep breath.
As Ellie stood up and made her way into Dr. Luhn's office, she muttered to herself, "What happened was awful, but you can't undo it. It's best to move ahead, remember Victoria and the guys, pray that the Sprites will be taken care of, and try to stay strong. You've got Mum and Millie to help you, to listen to you, to be there for you. You're Eleanor Chang, you don't back down."
Taking another breath, she entered through the door, still feeling unsure about everything, but certain she would be fine if she just kept her head up.
So, I want to stress that I'm no longer super concerned about perfectionism, as I've realized that will only hold me back in my potential writing career. Thus, I merely had fun with this. I hope you all enjoyed!
The doctor mentioned at the end, Dr. Luhn, is named after the short film's director.
