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Even at four years old, there was little that Valerie Gray was afraid of. She’d climb the tallest trees, spin flips on the monkey bars, and never ever let the older kids mess with her or her friends.
That didn’t mean she didn’t need her nightlight.
Valerie wasn’t scared of the dark. That’d be silly. No, she was afraid of what hid in the dark. The monster under her bed, the ghosts in her closet. Alone in her bedroom at night Valerie felt completely vulnerable.
She’s woken her father up enough times with tales of what was lurking around her room that he finally invested in a nightlight. They plugged it in together, and turned off the lights. A warm glow emanated from the device, providing a sense of safety to Valerie. That night she slept soundly, and every night thereafter.
Now at sixteen, there was still very little that frightened Valerie Gray, having now stood up to actual ghosts and monsters, rather than those from her imagination as a child. She was brave and motivated. Nothing could stand in her way.
Today was Friday the 13th - an unofficial holiday in Amity Park. She’d proudly managed to snag her boyfriend away from his friends for the night to watch a horror movie together (and cuddle a bit. Maybe more - she was sixteen after all). Valerie had gathered a few candles, her coziest blankets, and a mix of her and Danny’s favorite snacks, and prayed to whatever force was out there that there wouldn’t be any loose ghosts about for just this one evening. One evening! That’s all she wanted! One evening with her dorky, wonderful boyfriend, without having to make some lame excuse to leave so she could detain the freaking Box Ghost again.
Her father emerged from his bedroom dressed for his night shift. He looked at his daughter’s set up, then gave her a look that said no funny business before kissing her head and walking out the door. Not much later did her doorbell ring, signaling the arrival of her beloved guest. With a smile on her face, Valerie opened the door to her favorite pair of blue eyes and troublesome grin.
“Hey you,” he greeted, enveloping her in his arms. Despite his lower-than-normal body temperature, Valerie curled up into his body, taking in the scent of his clothes, feeling the soft thud of his heart in his chest, letting her guard down in the place she felt safest. Too soon he released her, and they moved to the living room.
His eyes sparkled as he sifted through the selection of curated snacks, grabbing the bag of mini Oreo’s and a blanket and settling on the couch. He patted the empty spot next to him, and Valerie plopped beside him, snatching a corner of the blanket and pulling it over.
“Hey!” Danny protested, yanking the blanket back. “Get your own!”
Valerie giggled, swiping the blanket completely out of her boyfriend’s grasp, taunting him to fight for it. He scrunched his nose then threw himself on top of her, awkwardly laying all his weight onto her chest and lap.
“I’m your blanket now,” he said.
Valerie laughed. “Get off me, dork.”
She pushed him off her body so he was once again sitting upright, then cuddled up next to him, spreading the blanket so it covered them both, then kissed his cheek.
“Fine. We can share, I guess,” he joked, and reached for his bag of Oreo’s. “What are we watching?”
“I was thinking something classic,” Valerie answered, reaching for the remote. She scrolled through their options until she landed on The Conjuring.
“Sounds good to me,” Danny said through a mouthful of cookies.
She hit play, then snuggled in for the next two hours.
At first, Danny’s gasps and reaches for her hand were cute. Every build up she could feel his heart racing beneath his chest, and each jump scare prompted him to squeeze her hand. However, it stopped being as cute when he nearly broke her hand by how hard his grasp was.
“AH! Danny! Careful,” she objected, shaking out her sore hand.
He blinked, coming out of his focus on the film, then frowned. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry Val,” he apologized, puppy dog eyes in full effect.
“It’s okay, just…gentle, okay?”
He nodded, then placed his arm around her and pulled her in, placing a kiss on her forehead before returning his attention to the movie.
She must have dozed off at some point, because she found herself opening her eyes to a brightened room and the TV playing some comedy film. Her boyfriend sat next to her, tapping away on his phone.
Valerie yawned and sat up to stretch. “Jeez, did I really fall asleep? I’m sorry.”
Danny smiled warmly at her. “You’re fine.”
She checked the time - it was late. “Guess you should be getting home, huh?” Valerie felt terrible. Finally grabbing some alone time and she totally knocked out.
Danny bit his lip, and looked around the room. “Uh…can I stay for a little? Maybe for the night?”
Valerie furrowed her eyebrows. Danny didn’t normally try to take advantage of the nights her dad wasn’t home - one thing she loved about him was the respect he held for her boundaries.
Taking this into consideration, she had to wonder.
“Danny…are you scared after watching that?” she ventured.
He stiffened. “No! No- not at all!” he protested. “Maybe I just want to spend the night with my girlfriend, like any teenage boy, right?”
Oh yeah, he was totally freaked out. A smile crept onto her face. She found it hilarious that despite all they faced in Amity Park, her boyfriend could still get spooked by a horror film.
“What are you laughing at?” he pouted. “It’s completely normal for a guy my age to want to-”
Valerie playfully shoved him. “Danny, get over yourself. We both know what this is really about.” She pulled him into herself, so that her arms were around his chest and his head was laying on her shoulder. “I’ll keep you safe from Bathsheba.” Beneath her, he closed his eyes and groaned, a small blush creeping up his neck.
Releasing him, Valerie went to her room and grabbed a spare pillow. She returned to the living room and threw it at Danny’s face, giggling at the muffled “oof” that resulted from its landing.
“You can sleep on the couch, but you have to be gone before seven tomorrow when my dad gets back,” she warned. Valerie knew her father would flip out if he came home to Danny on the sofa; she didn’t want to risk any consequences that would result in restricting her being able to spend time with him. It was already hard enough, with the constant ghosts attacking and her job at the Nasty Burger.
She turned to leave, but Danny called out to her. “Can you…stay?” he asked cautiously. “Just until I fall asleep?” he hurriedly added.
Valerie rolled her eyes, but nonetheless made her way to the sofa. “Scooch,” she ordered, then slid between him and the backrest. She slipped her arms around him and tucked her head into the crook of his neck. If he was going to act so needy, he was getting little spooned.
Just as she got comfortable, Valerie realized something. The lights were still on. With a groan, she sat up, and started inching off the couch.
“Wait, where are you going?” came Danny’s voice, a touch of worry laced in his words.
Valerie placed a hand on his shoulder. “Just turning out the lights, silly.” She moved to stand up, but Danny had grabbed her hand.
“Can we just leave them on?” he asked, avoiding eye contact.
“Danny ,” Valerie replied, exasperated. As much as she loved him, she was so going to make fun of him for this later, despite the fact that she found this display a little endearing. “How are you going to fall asleep with the lights still on?”
He looked at her pleadingly. “Vallllll,” he whined.
She squeezed the hand he was still holding, then let go. “I’ll be right back, ok?” Valerie slipped away to her bedroom, racking her brain for where she had last seen it. Was it in her junk drawer, or that box in her closet? Did she even still have it?
After a few moments of searching, Valerie found the object she’d needed stashed away in a drawer with other trinkets from her childhood. She hoped it still worked. She returned to the living room and found an outlet in the corner. Perfect. Valerie plugged it in and turned off the lights, prompting a “What are you doing?” from Danny.
It took a moment, but he realized the room was not completely dark as he expected. Rather, there was a soft and friendly glow coming from the corner that provided just enough visibility of the room without compromising the feeling of nighttime. As Valerie returned to her spot behind him, he turned his head to see her face. “A nightlight? Really? I’m not five.”
“Yet you’re scared to turn off the lights and you need me to stay here with you,” she countered. “Just go to sleep Danny. I promise nothing will hurt you.”
He grunted, but didn’t protest further, and instead curled up deeper into Valerie’s embrace. She held him like that until his shallow breaths turned slow and deep, but at that point, she couldn’t risk moving and waking him. As long as they were up by seven, maybe she could let it slide.