How to Embrace Your Inner Child

[Aiden]

It was a while since there was a hunt in Portland. Most hunts were out of town or out of state these days, but one in Portland was beginning to be unheard of. But when news of sick, ironic deaths popped up, Aiden knew that there was something too ironic about what was going on. He conferred with Teagan, the ultimate source for everything pranks, and they concurred that it was a trickster. A monster Aiden never had the chance to hunt. And he was excited, because he heard so much about them in the past; aliens, bigfoot, even a chupacabra. And one in Portland? Oh, he could definitely imagine the possibilities.

However, Teagan didn't make the hunt, and Aiden and Yuki left the tavern in the direction of Chinatown. The last incident was a little gruesome, because the trickster was using phrases to mess with people that were rude and, had it been religious, sinners. And the last case? Well, the guy put his foot in his mouth, both metaphorically and literally. Aiden saw the pictures--it wasn't pretty.

Looking for anything connecting the victims in the man's house, Aiden and Yuki were creeping around with flashlights. The house was in a quiet, suburban area and all of the neighbors were inside, presumably hushed up about what happened. The house was quiet, so quiet that Aiden felt unnerved; there was no hum of electricity, no sound of the refrigerator running, not even the sound of crickets outside. Just the movements of the hunters.

Out the darkness and quiet, sound broke. Aiden turned abruptly at the sound, chiding himself for being so jumpy when it was just Yuki's voice.

"Wasn't there the same candy wrapper at the other house?"

Aiden stared at her for a moment, still trying to play off the jump, and trying to process the name on the wrapper. Twix? Yeah, and there were other wrappers too. But it was just after Halloween. "Yuki, come on, don't be stupid. What's the date?"

"Nothing's a coincidence, baka."

"Maybe you don't celebrate Halloween, but the had a bag of candy for Halloween in the pantry. And don't call me an idiot," he responded.

"Well then don't act like one."

He rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that Yuki was once more belittling him. Didn't she ever act mature and take criticism? Jeez, she was like an overgrown bossy child sometimes. He approached a door, but found the handle locked. He tried it once more, and still it didn't give. Should he kick it in? "Locked door. What do you think?"

"What do you think I think? What did I tell you?"

"Why don't you just put it nicely for once and tell me to kick it in?"

"Because you're asking childish questions, so you deserve childish answers."

"Hellooooooo Cleavland!" a voice boomed from behind them. Aiden spun abruptly, and was faced by a dark silhouette. It stepped forward into the faint light, and a man with just-past-short brown hair was made out. "Children, children, please, just stop arguing." Aiden stared at the man, a little dumbfounded. The locked door, that's where he came from. But who was he?

"And here I thought the hunters in this town didn't pay attention. Wait, wait, don't put your foot in your mouth," he said with a giggle. "Did you like that? It was last minute, I mean, I could do better if I wanted." He shrugged, and then smirked. "You know what? You two, you're a laugh. And me, I like laughs, I think you hunters know that? Tell you what, I'll amuse you. You two seem to like your inner child, so embrace it! Have fun."

Aiden's vision flared black, and then he had the feeling of lying down.

He awoke, his eyes droopy, and his vision blurry. He rubbed them gently, and yawned; the sunlight coming through the window was bright, and warm. He thirsted for some chocolate milk. He pulled himself out of bed, and glanced down at his feet, which looked peculiarly small. "Wait a sec'" he said quietly, in a boyish voice. "Where am I?"

He slowly stepped towards the door, his pajama shirt hanging loosely at his thighs. He cracked the door and peeked through the gap, finding a hallway with a lot of doors, and a female approaching the door. Startled at the sight of the unknown person, Aiden wailed and stumbled back. "Waaaaaah where am I?!" the six year old Aiden called out, gazing into the eyes of a teenaged Teagan with a wide-eyed, fearful look.

[Teagan]

The tea Teagan had been drinking flew out of Teagan's mouth, splattering across the floor. What on earth? After snacking on breakfast, a rather quiet event since no one had joined her, she was making her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth when a kid popped out from one of the doors and started wailing.

A kid? What was a kid doing in Aiden's room? Her mind ran through a million possibilities. The runt didn't show any resemblance to Lori...

"You're in my house," Teagan bent down, her hands lifted uncertainly. Without sibling experience, she didn't know quite what to do with a wailing child. Did she reach out? Would that make him scream louder? Stepping back would confuse him more. Would he think she was going to hurt him if she made any sudden movements?

Teagan's eyes glanced through the door the child had waltzed out of. Aiden's room? Well, that explained the lonely morning meal. No way Aiden was back yet if a kid was sleeping in his room. Perhaps one of the customers the night before assumed the upstairs was a daycare? That she was a babysitter? Her eyes momentarily narrowed. Who in their right mind...? She'd show them. That idiot didn't know what was coming his way. And she had a whole LONG list of things she was itching to try out.

...but in the meantime...

"I'm Teagan," she waved. "Did your Daddy leave you here last night?"

[Aiden]

The surroundings were strange, almost foreign, yet his eyes followed the room with ease, like he'd been in it before. It was nothing like his room, it was missing the space blankets, and the toys, and he definitely wouldn't have that many books in his room, those were boring. And the door, it was different than he knew, so it wasn't like Mom would just change his room over night with him sleeping in it--how would they even move the bed with him on it?! That'd be so weird. Plus, he would remember.

He made his way towards the door and opened it, and the girl outside saw him. She towered over him, and she spit something out at him. Gross! He didn't want something spit all over him that she was drinking! What if it was something nasty?! He stumbled back in surprise of seeing her anyway, and landed on his rear end. He looked up at her, and she looked just as confused as she did.

Her house? This was her house? "Where is my house?" he asked shyly, looking at her. She was older, and she seemed friendly, like she was nice, and suddenly he wasn't so scared. But why was he in another house? He was sleeping in his room just last night!

Man, that chocolate milk sounded good.

"No, my daddy was in his office last night, and I was in my room. Who brought me here?" He looked over her face, and then looked out the door. "Teagan, can you help me find my mom?" Aiden asked, albeit very child-like while he stood up, looking around the room. Hey, that computer looked cool....

[Elle]

Elle called Teagan around noon after a full night of radio silence. She wanted to make sure that Aiden and Yuki had made it back alright from their hunt for the trickster. Neither of them had answered so the next best thing was Teagan. However, her phone rang to voicemail. Frustrated, Elle left a message.

"Hey Teagan, it's me," she started. "I've been trying to get ahold of you guys all morning but no one's answering. Is everyone okay?"

She gave them a half an hour for a reply. When she didn't get one, she grabbed her keys off the counter and drove straight to Teagan's house. She parallel parked haphazardly and sprinted to the front door, knocking loudly.

"Teagan! Aiden! Open up!"

She really hoped that she wasn't going to have to break the door down. She could if it really came down to it, and easily at that, but she didn't want to have to buy her friend a new door. She listened intently at the door. She could hear Teagan inside, so she knocked harder. Suddenly, she could hear a much smaller voice. A child? What was a child doing in Teagan's house?

[Teagan]

Teagan eyed the kid warily. Sneaky father, dragging the kid to the bar when the poor thing was sleeping. Must not have wanted the boy ratting him out to the wife. Dirt-bag. The phone in her pocket vibrated twice, signaling a new voice mail. She'd check it once the problem with the child was resolved.

"Of course, buddy," she smiled half-heartedly. "Do you know your phone number?" Ah, wait-she didn't know how old the child was. Would he know his phone number? "...or your address?" Wait-were numbers too big for little people at this age? "How about we just start with your name?"

Before Teagan received an answer, a loud pounding on the door downstairs interrupted the conversation. "Um-hold that thought for a moment. Looks like someone's at the door."

Perhaps Lori left her keys at home again by accident? No, that wouldn't be right; she never arrived earlier than 10:30 to start prep for the tavern's noon opening time. That was still an hour away. Normal customers could read the closed sign, right? That narrowed it down to a hunter. Teagan turned and started heading down the stairs.

Oh.

She glanced behind her. Poor kid stood there all alone. Whatever parent had it in their mind to abandon the cute thing was an idiot. "You can come with me, if you'd like. We can work on getting you home downstairs...but don't touch anything, okay?"

With that, she continued down the stairs and to the front door. "Morning Elle. Something up already?" she nodded, noting the tense look on the faction member's face. "Hey, you didn't stop by and leave a random kid here last night, did you?"

[Aiden]

All it would have taken were a few steps more to get to the computer, but the girl's voice cut through his trance, and he looked back at her. His phone number? Wait, he did know it! Maybe he could find his mom after all. "Uh-huh," he breathed, turning back towards Teagan. "It's from Tacoma. It's 978-1008." Of course, if the number was dialed now, the number would come up with the automated voice explaining that it was disconnected, something that was true for almost a decade.

Oh, that's right. He never said his name! She even said hers, how dumb of him. He was going to answer when there was a loud knocking from below them, and suddenly Aiden was aware that wherever he was, it was much bigger than he originally thought. Just where was he? And where was his mom? But Teagan was helping him. That made him feel better.

He watched her walk out of the room, and then she turned around and told him to follow her. He quietly stepped in line behind her, following her down the hall and to the stairs, where he held onto the bars of the banister as he slowly followed. "Do you live here by yourself?" Aiden asked, looking around. He didn't see any pictures, or furniture. What kind of house was this? She opened the door, and Aiden leaned over and glanced out from behind her at the door. Another girl was standing there, and she looked a little scared.

"Teagan?" he called meekly, looking up at the towering girl. "Where's the bathroom?"

[Yuki]

"Nnghh," Yuki grumbled, shivering slightly at a cool breeze that came outside her window. Which was weird because Sasha, the girl who took the bottom bunk, usually closed it. She was scared that something or someone would get in if it was left open. But come to think of it, the bed she was on didn't feel like her bed. Wincing, she opened her eyes and was met with a ceiling that was a lot farther than it was supposed to be. Shooting up, she glanced around the room in confusion. There was no bottom bunk, Sasha was nowhere to be seen, and neither were any of the other girls in her hall. ...Where was she?

Quiet as ever, Yuki crawled out of the bed, adjusting her pastel-yellow pajama shirt. It was a little too big for her and always slid to one side of her body. She didn't know why they didn't give her a smaller shirt, but it was annoying. Yuki looked down at the floor and then under the bed, trying to find the slippers she had brought from the house, but she couldn't find them. Giving up, she sighed. Those ladies were mostly from Europe or America--the ladies at the school. They didn't use slippers where they came from, at least that what she had heard. Maybe hers had been left behind in the hall? The room she was now in looked like regular Western room. Books were everywhere, and there was a computer, too, and a lot of manga, some she knew, some she didn't. So maybe one of the hall leaders had moved her to one of the rooms that were supposed to be for one person only? That had to be it.

But why?

It was weird. But she would probably find out in a bit, because one of the hall leaders was probably going to explain everything to her. Yuki looked around for a clock, and almost panicked when she read the time, but then remembered that it was a Saturday. Close one, Yuki. If it were a regular day, she would have missed class. Then Mama would have been really angry.

Reaching for the doorknob, she opened the door and peeked outside. Nani? Wherever this room was, it didn't look like the rest of the school. It wasn't the colorful place that she was used to, and it didn't look like anybody was around. Confused, she pinched herself. Which actually hurt. But at least she knew she wasn't dreaming. Tiny footsteps made their way across the wooden floor, and Yuki opened a couple doors until she found one that was for a bathroom. She really wished she had slippers because going in with just socks wasn't something she liked to do, even if she should have been used to it by now. That's why she always carried around slippers with her. But she'd have to do it anyway, because she didn't really have a choice.

While she was in there, she heard someone jiggle the doorknob. After flushing the toilet, Yuki walked over to the door and opened it. There, she saw an older girl with a boy around her age. With big, hazel eyes, she looked at the boy, and then up at the girl, but only made eye contact with her briefly, as was custom. Giving her a quick bow in apology for taking up the bathroom, she stepped out of her way. The girl looked like she spoke English. She still didn't know how to speak it very well, but she did always get the top grades in English class.

"Eto," she spoke softly, uttering the only way she knew how to say the word "um." "Ohayo gozaimasu, senpai," she bowed again, this time a little longer. Realizing that her hair was probably a mess because it wasn't combed yet, the seven year-old brushed her fingers through the long, jet-black strands and straightened up her bangs. "I am sorry for using the restroom when you needed it. Do you know where my......" Yuki paused, unsure of how to say "belongings" in English. "Eto..." Well, she did know another word, but it didn't mean exactly the same thing. "Do you know where my stuff is?"

[Teagan]

"No, I'm not here by myself," Teagan shook her head as she walked down the stairs. "Two...friends live here with me. They must still be out though because I haven't seen them up yet." Although, the kid had waltzed out of Aiden's room. Perhaps he had returned and the child was a victim of a supernatural occurrence? Teagan's hand paused above the doorknob. Crap. If something had happened to the child's parents, then it would just endanger the child to call his house.

Crap.

Couldn't Aiden and Yuki make it simple for her and just write a note? It took what, minimal effort? Post-it notes were invented for a reason. She opened the door and let Elle in, freezing in place when the boy mentioned that he had to use the restroom. Was he old enough to use it by herself? Crap. What if he wasn't? She eyed him warily. No chance in hell she was helping or changing any diapers.

"Um, one second Elle. Follow me kiddo." She started off past the dining area, dreading the thought of asking if he needed help. Maybe she could bribe Elle into dealing with the problem. A couple bucks and an offer of a prank-free week might be enough, right?

Praying that was so, she arrived at the bathroom door. It couldn't get any worse.

The door suddenly opened without her help, and out emerged a small Japanese girl, wide-eyed and apologetic. Teagan stuck out a hand to stop the boy from running into her.

What. The. Heck. Were kids popping up everywhere now? Her jaw dropped in shock. She had BETTER not find one in her kitchen or someone would get hurt.

The girl started speaking softly in a foreign language. Crap. Crap. Crap. What was she saying? What did it mean? What on earth did anyone expect Teagan to do about it without giving her any warning?

"No," she stuttered in response. "You're fine to use the restroom..." The teen took a moment to collect herself, standing up straight and pushing her shoulders back. It looked like she was the adult in the situation -something that even Yuki might have chuckled at- and she had to act as such. "As for your belongings, I have no idea." Her eyes darted between the boy and the young girl. They both looked so innocent. What had her faction mates gotten themselves and these children into? "How exactly did you get here, sweetheart?"

[Yuki]

Looking up at the girl, Yuki blinked a couple times in confusion before averting her eyes away from her senpai. If she was a hall leader, why didn't she know where her belongings were? She really needed her slippers. And her other clothes too. She couldn't go around walking in pajamas all day. Maybe another hall leader had moved her? This girl in front of her did have a boy with her, so maybe she was a hall leader for one of the boy's halls But I thought that boys had boy hall leaders and girls had girl hall leaders?

Oh, right. She had asked her a question. Yuki glanced down at her feet and put her hands behind her back, both timidly and as a sign of respect. "Wakara--" Oh yeah, that's right. English. Not Japanese. "Eto...I don't know, senpai," she muttered. "I'm from Hall C and I share a bunk with Sasha Ivanov. I just woke up here. I think one of the hall leaders moved me," she responded. Yuki didn't mind if they had moved her because she didn't really talk to any of the girls in her hall and even Sasha was a little mean sometimes. She just wanted her belongings so she could get dressed.

[Teagan]

From the sound of it, Aiden and Yuki might have saved this girl from a boarding school. Was that where the creature resided? She wasn't aware of any in the immediate area, but then again, while she had become accustomed to Portland in the past few months, the surrounding towns were a different story. Okay...so...to deal with this carefully. Aiden and Yuki might not approve of her spilling the ghost beans to the children.

"Well, to start, I don't think you're at school anymore," she bent down to the level of the kids. "You're at the house I share with two of my friends. My name is Teagan." She gave a small wave and a smile. Good ways to start building trust without scaring the kids more than she already would by telling them they weren't home. "It looks like we'll be hanging out together until my friends get back."

"All three of us," she turned to the boy. "So...my friend Elle is at the door and I'm Teagan. Let's start by telling me your names. That way we can all be friends too."

She tried to smile without cringing at the cheesy line.

[Yuki]

Wait, what did she say? They weren't at school anymore?! Yuki tried to be calm, but inside, she was really scared. Had she done something bad? Where had they moved her? She had done everything as Mama had instructed. She had gotten good grades. She had been a good student. But...she had missed class one day because she was sick. So what if...what if they had done something important on that day and she had missed it?! Or what if one of the other girls had told on her about something? They were mean and they said a lot of things were her fault, but people always believed them. She didn't want to talk to Headmaster Morisawa. Not wanting to interrupt Teagan-senpai, she let her finish, because that was the polite thing to do. But she really wished she could have, because she really didn't want to be in trouble.

Her hands still behind her back, she kept her head bent and her eyes fixed to the floor. It was really hard to do this because Teagan-senpai had bent down so that it was like she was the same height as her and plus she couldn't really bend her head down anymore without making it a bow. "My name is Yuki Oshiro," she responded dutifully, a question she was used to answering and in many languages, too. Yuki shifted her feet awkwardly in place, the fear of getting in trouble with Mama heavy on her mind. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked meekly.

[Aiden]

Aiden followed nimbly behind her, as if forgetting about the newcomer at the door. The house was way bigger than he thought, they were going down another hallway. Seriously, how many hallways did this place have?! Still he continued to follow, his bare feet padding along the hardwood flooring beneath him. His stomach growled--what time was it? Would his mom still make him breakfast? He thought they were going to use a phone, so he could call her. What if she was looking for him...

...an abrupt stop, and then there was a girl in front of him, just like him. She looked like she just got out of bed, too. Where was he? A day care? Because he was definitely too old for a day care. He would never go to one of those. Not even if his friends said they had all the toys in the world. Nuh uh.

But what the girl said intrigued him, and he tried to listen more, but she started speaking English. He looked at her, cocking his head to the side a little. "How come you were talking like that?" he asked her directly, hoping for an answer that was in English. She still talked to Teagan though, so Aiden was a little bored when no one was talking to him, and he was just standing there.

Teagan moved down, and then she asked for his name. He already said it! This was like when his mom's friends were over, and they always asked him the same stuff. What's your name? How old are you Aiden? What's your favorite toy, Aiden? So annoying! He decided to tell her, though, since she ignored him the last time. "Aiden!" he said energetically. He caught sight of the open door, and moved to it, closing it behind him.

[Teagan]

As the girl struggled to find the words to respond to her question, Teagan noticed her withdrawn and frightened posture. Sympathy tugged at her conscience and she reached out to rub the little one’s shoulder in reassurance. The poor child. Distress was scrawled all over her face. Had her factionmates brought the children without their knowledge? The hunt occurred in the late hours...it was theoretical that the children might be asleep by then. Passed out enough to not noticed being taken from home was another question altogether. Did they slip a knock out drug-

What on earth was she thinking? Aiden and Yuki with sleeping pills, and using them on children no less? Ha. Like that was realistic in the slightest.

Teagan couldn’t wait until the duo returned. Oh the grilling they’d receive.

She tried to peer into the eyes of the girl, but for whatever reason the child insisted on keeping them focused firmly on the floor. Strange little thing, almost as if she was from a different cultu-

Say what?

“Yuki….Oshiro?” Oh, hell no. Her eyebrows narrowed. Someone thought they were smart, didn’t they? Sending in two children, making her lower her guard and try to help them, only to find out the entire thing was a prank. Really? The real question was which bright mind came up with this stunt. Aiden? Perhaps. He had never really gotten over the car incident. Besides, Yuki had no sense when it came to birthing prank ideas. Or executing them. Aiden must have realized Yuki’s inability to keep quiet and used a hunt as an excuse to get her out of the house while the entire thing went down. Real smooth. “And lemme guess, your name is-“

Teagan winced at the energetic shriek that emanated from the boy, confirming her thoughts. “’Aiden, huh? Alright guys, what’s the-“

The boy –she refused to call him Aiden- bolted toward a back door, clearly enticed by the fresh air. “Very funny, guys,” Teagan muttered, watching the door swing slowly closed. “I wonder how long this will go on for…?”

Forget the boy for now; there wasn’t quite anything dangerous outside he could get into, nor would he get too lost that she wouldn’t be able to find him. The unanswered question from the girl came back into her mind.

“No, you’re not in trouble, gir-Yuki,” she amended. Why she used the name for the girl and didn’t for the boy, she wasn’t quite sure of. Girl didn’t sound polite or nice at all. And the frail little thing deserved better. “Why don’t you head to the kitchen and take a seat at the table for me. I have a couple more questions for you, but I bet you’re starving. It’d be best to eat first, don’t you think?”

In the meantime…her fingers went to her pockets and pulled out the cell phone. No new messages. Didn’t matter, she could leave one on her own. Within a few moments, she clicked the phone shut, message sent.

Ha. Points for creativity. But you’d better have them back home within the hour. I can’t promise I won’t let them slobber all over you pillows. And expect pain this week. Lots and lots of pain.