• It wasn’t a windy night in Hillcrest Valley when it started. On the contrary it was quite still; the oaks not creaking and the pines not letting their constant rain of needles to the ground make the slightest sound. It was as if the peace would be broken if anything twitched or crinkled. Perhaps it was for that reason that the doors were locked and the children inside; perhaps not. But all the same they did not see it coming when they should have, and for that they blame none but themselves.

    The Parents had gone out as usual. Not to normal parent activities, because these were not normal parents, but to converse without words and to dance without steps. These were The Parents, and from them the teens learned. They learned all manners of things, how to read and write; how to cook and sew, even how to climb and hunt. But most importantly, the teens learned to control themselves.

    There were five to begin with; Thereza, Alexandria, Saurine, Mikal, and Zoec. Alexandria passed to the place of no return in a tragic accident and caused them to drop one number from their group. Four was not a good number; five was. It was supposedly for that reason that The Parents left that night. They left in search of a fifth without knowing that they themselves would never return. The teens never knew it was their last night together with The Parents. If they had, they surely would have tried to convince them not to disrupt the silence. Everyone knew the silence kills.

    **********************

    It was Mikal that first noticed something was wrong. He had been in the triangle throwing his baseball up in the air and catching it to pass time when he saw the light from the woods shining bright purple. Instinct made him act faster then normal human beings so he ran like the wind to his destination. The three families live in the three houses; their backs pressed together to create a triangular centerpiece. It was into the center of this area that Mikal’s legs propelled him and then allowed him to collapse in grace and send up a signal of his own. His beam shone green for the seconds it lasted and when he looked up again, panting and soaked with sweat, he saw nothing, and the nothingness frightened him. The purple light was gone.

    A rapping at her door caused Thereza to rise from her bed in the dark. The vibe streaming at her was so viciously Mikal that she flung the door open in surprise. “Mikal, what on Mars brings you to call upon us on such an unearthly hour? The sun is not even casting its fair light upon Venus yet!” She took in his sweaty, exhausted look and swept him inside, still rambling on, “Where in the universe have you been? Surely you did not gather such moisture solely by traveling to my house. Yours is not even a ring of Saturn’s distance away!” Out of all the Children, Thereza believed herself the eldest, and she wasted no breath in reminding them constantly. She carried herself with all the pride an eighteen year old could muster and ordered the others about as if they were her own children. They never protested for, besides The Parents, Thereza was the only mother figure they had ever known.

    “Come now, sit and tell me of your troubles.” She motioned to a comfortable looking couch in the middle of the sitting room. Mikal shook his head violently and crouched on the floor, grabbing her hands in his, begging her to understand. “I saw it!” he gasped, “Purple in the forest…” He had no reason to say more for Thereza was already gone out the back door and into the triangle.

    He paused to catch his breath and then moved deeper into the house; down halls, and up stairs until he finally reached the place he had been looking for. Without hesitation he burst inside and fell almost instantly, exhaustion getting the better of him. As he lay on the floor, planning his next move he realized his current state would not put him in a good place. He was right. His loud breathing woke the room’s occupant who immediately swooped down on him, her long dark brown hair cascading around her as she pulled him to the bed propped him up, placing an icepack on his head while he protested.

    “I’m not sick!” He argued. Saurine ignored him and leaned forward to inspect him with inquisitive bright blue eyes. Being 17 and the only other girl, she had a tendency to take over mothering the teens when Thereza was not around.

    “Alright, so you’re not sick,” she finally relented, “why else did you fly into my room in the middle of the night?” Mikal turned his sea green eyes to face her and said, “I’ve seen it, the beam in the forest.” The result was so quick Mikal did not have time to say or do anything else. Saurine’s eyes got wide she gasped for air, clapped a hand to her forehead, and collapsed very fashionably. Mikal made a sound of pure frustration and yanked her unceremoniously from the floor. “This is no time for dramatics, Saurine. I’m serious, I saw the light.” He stated for the second time. She just looked at him as if he was slightly challenged, “There are lots of lights out there, we both know that. Before you jump to conclusions, what color was it?” Mikal was beginning to regret ever coming upstairs to look for his twin; a name The Parents gave them because of their shared age. “PURPLE!” he yelled. And with that he took the icepack off his head, flung it at her and stalked out of the room.