Episode 3: [Sleepover]

The night of the sleepover, the resident's new guest joined them for a night of fun. Each of them sat in a circle in the middle of Kacey's room. They eyed each other, unsure of how to go about on regular 'sleepover antics'.

"So, what did you do before you came to her Kace?" Fitz queries while comping on mini chocolate chip cupcakes.

"In varsity studying journalism, in my last year actually," Kacey replied and on a sombre note added, "I was staying in the dorms, moved out after the accident, and moved into my home which eventually got evicted."

The atmosphere took a turn for despair as they listed their life's happenings before moving into Newman Heights.

"Running away from my hometown," Colchester flatly states, and Eliza agrees, "Same here."

"Trying to start over with my father," Fitz and Mandisa chimes in a silvery tone after her, "Starting over."

"Your voice recovered pretty quick after that night," Akira informs Kacey, and sips on a bottle of ginger beer.

"My voice?" Kacey with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, after that screaming contest between you and Jiro, though you sure took the cake," He chuckles and takes another swig.

Looking at them, confused, "I didn't scream," she assures, and Akira gasps and coughs from the potent drink going down his wind pipe.

"We heard you from behind the door, before it was blasted open," Colchester, his voice slightly unnerved, "And when we went inside you couldn't speak and that's why I brought you tea," Eliza concludes.

Kacey searches around the room at them, "My voice was like that because of the sleep paralysis, some of my fingers and toes still felt numb too. I thought you guys knew that," she explains.

"Then whose voice was it?" Jiro, who had been silent this whole time, asked a question that weighed on all their minds.

"Uhm- Akira," Fitz changes the subject, and he shot up from his laying position next to her, 'Yes, love."

"For the last time, stop calling me love," rolling her eyes and adds, "Why were you naked-"

"Half- naked," he corrects her.

"Alright, Half- naked on my banister outside," and Colchester chimes in "I was put on quite the show," Jiro snickers beside him, snacking on strawberry covered pretzel sticks.

"Oh come on, you enjoyed it!" he exclaims and shoots back, "Why were you in the woods again after you were specifically told you only needed to do it once?"

"Patrolling, obviously," Eliza retorts, seated in-between Colchester and Mandisa.

"Aww, defending him now. Come on babe, show them what you got," Akira pokes Fitz, and she sneers, "Babe?"

"Got a whole list, don't yeh?" Colchester counters, "What, you feeling left out, Coley- boy?" and tosses a spicy chip from the bag in his hand.

"Anyone wants Poky?" Jiro exclaims, in-between the two, and lifts the pink box in the air.

"So like, what do you do if you being chased by like a monster throwing objects?" Akira blurts out, filling the awkward silence from before.

"Is it stagnant or running after us?" Colchester replied in his monotonous tone. He eyes the new resident's hands of fresh deep scars and Mandisa pulls her sleeves over, covering them.

"Let's make it fun then, it's chasing after us" Fitz calls out and passes a packet of sweets backs and forth in the middle of Akira and Kacey.

"Okay, so it's chasing us, hurling objects, and we need to figure out how to escape or defeat?" Eliza queries and motions Mandisa for the bag of popcorn in front of her.

"Why not make the main objective escape and bonus points if we defeat it?" Kacey suggests and stuffs her face with a combo of chocolate balls and popcorn.

"Yeh, that could work too," Akira settles on it.

"Goose!" Jiro yells and erupts bursts of laughter from everyone.

"What?" Fitz in-between fits of giggles.

"You know, like the game" Jiro defends and puffs his cheeks.

"We know what you mean, but I think that's the wrong word" Mandisa calmly states and successfully soothes his anger.

"Ah! Then what's the right word?" Jiro tilted his head, curious. The room falls silent and the residents yell in unison.

...

"DUCK!"

Jiro's voice rings throughout their room at Akira, he faces behind and quickly does as command. They watch an immense black figure fly across the room above them like a passing storm cloud.

"Guy's we're going to need some help," Kacey informs the two alongside Fitz and Mandisa standing in the middle of the fresh hole in their wall.