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Her eyes snapped open, body bolting upright, chest heaving and hot tears streaming down her red cheeks.
Darkness obscured the room and the sweat that clung to her brow from her fitful dream made the room seem far colder.
Her eyes were stained for something recognizable, something to reassure her that it was all just a dream. Just barely visible in the darkness, she recognized her toys in the corner.
But the sight brought her little comfort. By the faint moonlight glinting off their beady eyes, it seemed as though they were watching her, waiting. Waiting to pounce at any moment.
She blinked hard, burying her head in her hands. A few moments passed as she tried to temper the ragged, uneven breaths catching in her throat.
“It was only a bad dream. It was only a bad dream” she repeated to herself in a low whisper. But the uneasiness that weighed in the pit of her stomach wasn’t going away.
As she tried to slow her racing heart she tried to focus her thoughts on identifying the various buzzes and hums of the house.
The air conditioner in her window constantly gave out a low rumble as it worked through the summer night, bringing in cold air. Somewhere in the house the washing machine clumsily clunked its load through the wash cycle. That must’ve meant her Mom hadn’t gone to bed that long ago if she had started the washing machine before she slept, she reasoned.
Her chest slowly rose and fell as she closed her eyes and reassured herself, “it was just a dream, everything is ok”.
But there was one noise that didn’t quite fit. She could hear movement in the living room and the muffled din of the TV. Maybe someone was still up.
She still felt a little uneasy and her fitful awakening had made the lonely darkness very unpleasant. Her mind was made up. There was a soft rustling of the sheets and a creak of the bed as she pulled her blanket around her shoulders and slipped her socked feet on the floor.
She crept down the stairs, carefully avoiding all of the spots where the floorboards creaked and tiptoeing to the edge of the living room.
She pressed herself against the wall listening to muffled sounds through the wall.
“Mom?”
But as she stepped into the living room it wasn’t her Mom awake.
Her face fell.
It was only her big brother playing his new game.
His face was scrunched in concentration and he had a death grip on his controller.
She stood silently watching the screen in confusion from the corner of the room. She thought he liked scary games.
This one just looked like a chuck-e-cheese. In fact, it even looked fun. There were bright colors and fun animals.
Usually, she would’ve left if he was playing a game. The monster and skeletons often found their way into her nightmares. But for once, she was actually interested.
Besides, the thought of going back to her dark lonely room twisted the knot in her stomach tighter.
She tiptoed to the couch soundlessly, “Mark?”
The noise startled him, “What the fu-” he blinked “Y/n?”
He looked her over “Why are you still awake?”
“I-I just … wanted to be”, she crossed her arms defensively, hoping she sounded confident.
He looked at her, his brows furrowed in suspicion.
She dropped her crossed arms to wrap the blanket tighter around herself and pouted, “Mark, can I just watch you play, please?”
He shook his head and looked back to the screen, “No, Y/n, this is a scary game. Go back to sleep”.
She squinted at the pleasant-looking world of the game, “doesn’t look scary” she said with a huff.
“Well it is,” he sighed and paused the game, slinging an arm over the back of the couch and looking at her, “go back to sleep, Y/n,” he said, with a little more insistence.
“I don’t want to, Mark, I'm-I…” tears pooled in her eyes at thought of lying alone in the dark again, “Please? I’ll close my eyes if I get scared and I won’t tell Mom that you let me!”
His gaze softened.
“Fine. Just be quiet, I’m trying to focus, ok?”
She gave a wordless nod and sniffled.
That was invitation enough for her. Mark was taking up about half the couch, so she took the other half, curling up under her blanket and propping her head up on a throw pillow.