I yawned loudly and sat up. Small threads of sunlight glittered on the floor and on my sleeping bag.
“Good morning, Milly.” I said, putting on the locket and turning over to face my best friend, “How did-”
But, Milly wasn't in her sleeping bag.
Maybe she's already up, I thought as I pulled myself out of the sleeping bag and rubbed crust out of my eyes.
Peter came rushing down the stairs in his full baseball uniform as I made my way up to the kitchen.
“Do you know where Mom is?” he asked, “I have to go baseball practice in fifteen minutes.”
I shook my head.
“‘Morning Milly,” I said to an empty table! Where was Milly?!
“Peter?” I asked slightly panicked, “Do you know where Milly is?”
Peter popped out from the kitchen. He shook his head. I think my face got all sweaty and pale ‘cause Peter’s did, too.
“Milly?!” I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth like a megaphone.
“Mom?!” shouted Peter, clawing at his hair.
No response. I flopped onto a chair and wiped my sweating forehead with a paper napkin.
“Where the heck are they?” panicked Peter, flopping down next to me. I bit my lip and took a deep breath.
“MOM! MILLY! WHERE ARE YOU?” I screamed as loud as I could.
My yell echoed through the dining room and a piece of paper floated down from the chandelier on the ceiling. Peter plucked it out of the air and read, “‘Dear Annie and Peter Colder, We have your parent and your friend. They are in safe hands but will not if you don't turn yourselves in. Best deaths wishes! From, CODE.’”
“What's that supposed to mean?” I wrinkled my nose and crossed my arms.
“I don't know but we have to go,” said Peter, “Go pack. Now.”
I didn't really get what was going on but I went downstairs and packed a backpack I'd been keeping in my closet. As I opened it, I stopped.
“Peter?” I hollered up the stairs, “Where are we going?”
“Away!” he shouted back.
Wow, I thought, Very descriptive.
I stuffed the bags of clothing we had bought earlier that day at Linda’s Clothing Store in my backpack. There was probably something in there that might be good for the weather.
I swung my backpack onto my back and headed upstairs again. Peter had changed out of his baseball uniform and was wearing black pants and a T-shirt.
“You ready?” he asked. I nodded.
“Let’s go,” he opened the garage door and stepped out into the cool September air. I hurried over next to him as he shut the garage. As we passed the For Sale sign on the house next door, I ran next up to Peter.
“Soooooo....” I said, “Where are we going again?”
“Away,” said Peter.
“Why?”
“To find Mom of course.” said Peter, looking at me like I was dumb or something.
“Right,” I said, looking at the ground. Peter led me down the driveway and we started our search for Mom…….and Milly of course.

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I dragged my feet up the hill as slow as an elephant would.
“How much longer?” I groaned at Peter who was like ten feet in front of me.
Peter didn't answer. I frowned at him.
The sky was a peachy pink with a streak of violet right above me. I gave the most tired sigh and flopped on my stomach.
“Annie,” Peter said, turning around to face me, “We have to keep going. There's no time for rest.”
I looked at him with puppy dog eyes and said, “Can we rest for a little bit? Please? It's getting late.”
Peter sighed.
“Fine,” he said, setting down his bag. I smiled and pulled myself up from the ground.
Peter pulled out two blankets from his bag and laid them on the ground. I plopped down on one and snuggled up like a snug bug. Peter walked off into the nearby woods.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice slightly muffled as I was rolled up tighter than a breakfast burrito.
“Gonna get some firewood,” said Peter without turning around.
I sighed and snuggled into my blanket. It was the fizzy brown one from Disneyland we had gotten last summer. I felt just like a caterpillar in its chrysalis.
A few minutes later, Peter came tromping back up from the woods with a armful of thick, leaf covered logs. He placed the wood in a tepee like form and lit it with flint and steel he'd brought. He placed a ring of stones around the wood so the fire wouldn’t be able to escape.
I inched my blanket burrito closer to the crackling fire Peter had started. The heat swallowed me up like a whale. Peter set down the flint and steel and laid down on his blanket. I pulled myself out of my burrito and sat down next to him.
Strangely, he didn’t shove me off or yell at me. He just smiled.
“Peter?” I said, “Will we find Mom?”
Peter’s face was blank. Then he nodded.
“Of course we will,” he said, “We have to.”
I nodded. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes. Peter and I jumped up. I stared hard at it. Was it a wolf? Or was it a bear? Oh please don't let it be a bear!
Peter grabbed a stick and cautiously inched towards the noise.
“Come out!” he said, the stick wavering slightly in his hands, “I don't mean to hurt you! Just come out!”
The bushes rustled again. I froze like a statue. Suddenly, a figure with spiky hair tumbled out of the bushes. It was…
“Milly!” I scrambled over to her and hugged her around the neck. She hugged me back. After a good long squeeze, I pulled away and took a good look at her. She look terrible!
There were huge gashes in her arms and one in her leg and her spiky hair wilted like a dead flower.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Th-th-th-they captured us,” Milly stuttered shakily. She was shaking all over. I hugged her sympathetically.
“Do you know where our mom is?” asked Peter, his arms crossed across his chest.
Milly shook her head.
“I-I saw it take her,” she said, “It took us both.”
“What’s-” But Peter was cut off. Something was rising up behind Milly. Something big, black, and deadly. Something with nine, flame red eyes.
“Milly! Look out!” I screamed, shoving her out of the way. She tumbled out of the way of the monster but strangely the thing followed her. Like it was connected or something!
The thing shot out its slimy black tentacles and they wrapped around Milly. She gave a muffled scream and flailed her arms around, trying desperately to escape the firm grip of the monster.
“Milly!” My elbows were badly injured from falling on the ground but I still got up to help Milly.
“Stay down!” ordered Peter, “I got this!”
He seized a stick and held into the burning fire. The stick lit up and Peter held it up to the deadly creature’s tentacles. The thing hissed and smacked the burning stick out of Peter’s hand. It fell to the ground and the flame died.
Peter stared at his fallen weapon then at the monster. It stared at him with its eyes that seemed to glow in the firelight. Thick black ropes worked their way up Milly’s arm and towards her hand. Peter took a running jump and dove for her. The monster swallowed up Milly's hand and she disappeared from sight.
I watched in horror as the thing grabbed Peter’s whole arm with its long tentacles and started pulled him in like a fish on a reel. I jumped up, grabbed the stick Peter had dropped, and lit it again. I waved it in all nine of the monster’s eyes. It hissed and flailed its feelers, swinging Peter around the air.
I watched with my eyes wide like I was watching a horror movie as Peter swooshed through the air and slammed on the ground with a THUD!
As he tried to get up of the ground, the monster twisted its blackness around him like he'd done to Milly.
“NOOOOO!” I screamed and ran at the thing with my torch over my head, “Leave him alone!”
The creature swallowed Peter and disappeared. My lip trembled and I burst out crying. I tossed the torch into the fire and sat down on my blanket. Tears ran down my cheeks like rivers and pooled up on the ground.
Why was this happening to me? First Mom. And now Milly and Peter?! It made no sense! I tossed some dirt onto the fire, dousing it. I felt alone and frightened. And for some reason, I felt like I was being watched.