“I’m bored.” Jace drawls as he stares up at the ceiling.

I turn to my six-year-old brother, rolling my eyes. “Yes, so you’ve said about ten times now. I’m not sure what you want me to do about it.”

“Why can’t I go to the woods?” He complains, ignoring my remark.

“You know mom doesn’t like it when we go out after five. Besides, knowing you, you’d get lost.”

“Nuh uh!” Jace sits up and glares at me, “I know that forest better than you do!”

“Right, sure.” I nod absently and glance back down at me phone.

Jace is quiet for a moment before he suddenly stands, sticks his tongue out at me, and thunders off with over dramatized stomps.

I blink a couple of times, uninterested, before going back to my video. Eventually, I enter reality again and rub my eyes, attempting to get my vision back. “That’s strange,” I sit up straighter and look around, “Jace hasn’t bothered me in a while. In fact, it’s been oddly quiet… a little too quiet.”

My face pales as I begin to suspect where he disappeared to. “No, no, no.” I beg, springing from the couch, “Jace!” I scream, “Jace, where are you?!” No answer. “Mom is going to kill me when she gets back!” I hiss as I throw on my shoes and race out the back door.

As I enter the woods, I can’t help but notice the sun slowly disappearing behind the trees. My eyes momentarily linger on the fading light before I myself vanish into the forest.

Who knows how long I spend searching the trails or pondering whether or not I should search deeper into the expanding darkness. Eventually, I come up beside a tree, staring into the growing dusk and turn around. I’m done. My voice is raw from screaming my brother’s name and I’ve found no trace of him anywhere.

As I approach the house, I stand for a moment, wondering how my mother will respond. Soon, I give up on attempting to calculate how upset my mom could get and enter the house.

I gulp as I hear my mom round the corner. “Ah, umm, m-mom. I’m sorry-“

“Oh! You’re back!” I startle as I watch Jace’s head pop out from behind my mom’s figure.

“Jace?” Surprise, relief, and then anger broil through my veins. “Jace! You little…” I stomp towards my brother but my mom steps in front of me.

“Is something wrong, where have you been?” She blinks down at me and I ball my fists, trying to work out an explanation in my head.

“Nowhere, it’s nothing.” I growl through clenched teeth. I glare at Jace who does nothing but offer me a coy smile.

“Alright then, I’ll leave you two be. Don’t forget that you need to get ready for bed soon.”

“Of course mom!” Jace smiles at our mom innocently as she leaves.

As soon as she exits I glare at Jace. “Where were you?”

“What do you mean where was I?” He says, batting his eyelashes at me. “I was at home, like I was supposed to be. Where were you?”