The night was calm.

Crickets chirped happily as she listened to the engine of Jax car drive further into the distance.

The sound was soon replaced with the breeze whistling through the tops of the trees. It was the end of August, but in the upstate area that meant summer would soon be replaced with the crisp air of an yearly fall, leading into beautiful snowy winters.

That was the only time Nina loved the land surrounding her. The dense trees would lose their thick cloak of darkness and it would be replaced with fluffy white light that fell from the sky.

The night was not her friend.

So winter became her favorite time of the year as it never truly got dark when the snow reflected the light of the moon.

Snapping away from her eerie setting, she noticed only one car in the driveway.

The white 7 series BMW.

A small flicker of disappointment mixed with anger filled her. Her father told her he was staying in tonight and yet his car was nowhere to be found. Which meant Abbey was the only one home.

Putting one foot in front of the other, Nina walked up the small flight of steps leading to her heavy wooden front door. Although she didn't like the cold feeling her home gave off, it sure did look beautiful at night.

With its large glass windows housed by a dark gray metal and wood frame. It was one of her fathers best builds yet. Large, eye catching and most importantly, secure.

He made sure it was installed with the highest form of home security that he could get his hands on. Extremely high tech as every door, including those in the bedrooms, were equipped with a keypad that had the capability to lock and unlock all windows, doors and security gates simultaneously.

It was one of the only things that eased her mind when she laid down in the darkness every night.

She reached for the handle and although the door was almost always locked, it didn't stop her from hoping she wouldn't have to dig to find her keys. But to her surprise, it opened.

Nearly 11pm and her front door was unlocked, with Abbey the only one home. It was unusual, knowing her father surely would have secured the place before leaving her alone, unless he was in a rush.

But in a rush at such a late hour?

And even if that were the case, Abbey herself would have armed the system after he walked out the door. Which even if it didn't lock, would trigger the alarm if it was opened.

But seeing as the unlocked door opened, with no high pitched alert, the system was never armed. 

Feeling a cold chill with the approaching breeze, Nina looked back into the driveway and out past the gate.

Silence as the leaves glided along her smooth driveway.

Something wasn't right, it hadn't been since she walked into the party.

Stepping into the foyer, she quietly shut the door, this time making sure to lock it and quickly arming the security system.

The robot voice came over the small speaker, "System armed."

She exhaled in relief, feeling much more secure being away from the open air as she rested her forehead against the heavy door.

Taking the moment she needed, she turned and headed down the hall leading into the large open living room and kitchen. It looked as if Abbey had gone to sleep, due to the fact that every light in the house was off.

Turning and making her way upstairs, Nina took into account that there was one light on, however.

The pool.

Ignoring it, she traveled into her bedroom.

Throwing herself on the down comforter, she sighed into the cool sheets. She kicked off her shoes and turned her head to peer out of the large glass window into the dark forest below. As much as she hated it, she had to admit the view was beautiful.

Eyes getting heavy, she began to sink into the mattress and she could feel her body calling it a night.

Soon, sleep enveloped her.

Whispers came from the hallway, bringing Nina into a fine barrier of awake and sleep. She stirred, trying to ignore them, but they soon became louder, disrupting her enough, her brain awoke.

But once she opened her eyes, the whispers ceased. Peering over at her digital clock, it was a surprise that it had only been an hour since she decided to lay down. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and felt slightly disoriented still in her party clothes, her shoes still tossed at the end of her bed.

The gurgling in her stomach forced her to get up and ultimately down the hall, where curiosity suddenly hit her and she wondered if her father was back home or if Ben was gone as well. She didn't even bother to check in on him earlier.

Just across the hall from hers, was his bedroom door.

Slightly cracked, she pushed it open. The light of the pool reflected into his room and she could clearly see he wasn't in his bed.

If they had a family night, why weren't the two guys home?

Making her way down the hall and into the Gavin and Abbeys room, she found their bed also empty. Looking as if it had been slept in.

It suddenly hit her that she hadn't been left home alone since her episodes began and although it was something she hated, as she felt like a child, tonight she wished someone had been there.

Where would they have gone without her? Without telling her and without arming the house?

Slowly making her way down the stairs, she entered the kitchen, "Hello?" She yelled into the quiet air.

The glow of the pool was still the only light making its way into the house, filtering in through the paneled glass doors that ran the entire backside of the house. She could see the large trees still blowing in the wind.

Looking back into the living room, a shadow caught Nina's eye and she twisted herself back to the glass wall that looked out to the pool.

Ignoring the odd feeling she had, she made her way to keypad on the door, entered the 4 digit code to slide it open.

The cool breeze hit her, blowing her hair back away from her face, making her shiver. The water began to make sloshing noises as the wind moved it. A crackle filled the air and Nina turned towards the fire pit in the farthest corner of the yard.

A small orange fire burned, sending ash into the night sky.

Walking towards it, she felt an uncontrollable urge to touch it. Her fingers were just inches from the flames when suddenly, something fell into the pool behind her, creating a loud splash.

Looking away from the burning fire, her eyes shot to the glowing water. But it was no longer a tranquil blue, but an off shade of crimson.

Her mind couldn't adjust to the scene in front of her as a body floated face down along the surface.

"Abbey?" Nina squinted and identified her by her blonde hair. Without thinking, she jumped into the deep water and swam to her body. As she turned her over, she screamed at the gash across her throat, still leaking into the water surrounding them.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Abbeys pale lips moved with an ominous, disgruntled tone. Her blue eyes suddenly opening as she lunged at Nina before she could process her stepmothers mangled wounds.

Abbey grabbed onto her shoulders and roughly pushed her below the waters surface, keeping eye contact with her as she screamed her name through the waves like an angered ghost.

"Nina!"

Opening her eyes, Nina struggled to get the air out of her lungs, chocking on the precious air that felt like water just seconds ago. Tears stream down her face as she looked around.

She was still in her room, on the floor and Gavin was holding her in his arms.

"Nina!" he yelled her name, trying to get her to come back to reality. She ripped from her fathers grasp, crawled away from him and backed into the glass wall as she looked to the doorway with wide wet eyes.

Both Ben and Abbey stood there, unable to hide the horrified looks that were so clearly painted on their faces as they processed the scene before them.

Only focused on her, Gavin held out a hand as if she were a feral kitten running away from comfort, "Calm down baby, it wasn't real. You're safe."

Ben stood helpless in the doorway, watching as his sister trembled in the corner, "Is it happening again?" He asked quietly to whom ever would listen.

Abbey peered down at him for a brief moment before pulling him close in a tight embrace.

Gavin carefully crawled towards Nina to console her. His fingers reached out to her knee, gently touching until he swiftly pulled her to his side. His warm and comforting hug made her whimper, causing tears to fall like a salty river as he began to rock her.

They had all heard Ben's mumbled question, but no one would answer.