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"Andrew...," she whispered just loud enough.
"Andrew...."
Andrew Nashida opened his eyes. He was only five-years-old, but he remembered everything. He remembered what she did to Grandpa. At least, until Grandpa yelled for him to run. He didn't actually see what happened after that.
Andrew ran upstairs and crawled under his bed. He tried to hold his breath. If she heard him breathing, she might find him.
"Andrew, why don't you come out and we can play together. I miss how we used to play together. Don't you?"
Her bare feet barely made a sound walking across the carpeted floor. The white nightgown dangled down her legs and brushed against her pale ankles. He grabbed Tenderheart, his favorite Care Bear, and the one she gave him on his third birthday. Andrew put the bear against his mouth so she couldn't hear him breathing.
"Where are you, baby boy?"
He wanted to shout back to her, but couldn't. She had fooled them before; told them she was better. She promised that the AX symbol burned into the back of her neck didn't mean anything anymore. It was just a little mistake.
"It's only a scar," she said.
She lied. They changed her.
"Andrew!" she screeched. "You come out here, right this minute!"
She stomped her feet as he pulled Tenderheart closer to his face, trying to muffle the squeaks and tears. Grandpa understood what she was. Daddy didn't believe him.
That's why Grandpa took him and ran away from the center where she made them live. She left him and Grandpa a long time ago. They should have known when she came back that something was wrong. Now Grandpa was gone.
"I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't yell. I just miss you so much. You guys disappeared and left me alone. I don’t like being alone.”
That was true. She decided it was more important to stay at the center with her new family than to stay with them. Andrew was so happy when she decided to come back. That was until she bit Grandpa.
"Remember when you were little and we used to cuddle under the blankets? We could do that again. Want to snuggle with Mommy, Andrew?"
They could have snuggled anytime she wanted before, but she left them for her new family out in the desert. Now she was back, and Andrew didn't want to snuggle anymore. Ever.
"Come on out, my little baby boy."
She hopped up on the bed and started jumping up and down. The springs came closer to Andrew's face with every bounce. But he still didn't move. He didn't cry. He did exactly what Grandpa said.
"Fine."
The bouncing stopped. Andrew turned his head left and looked for her feet, but they weren't there. He looked right, but they weren't there either. Andrew held his breath again and tried to use his ears to find her. Nothing. No sound at all in the room. Maybe she left?
CCRRRAAKKK
She grabbed the twin-sized bed and flung it across the room, revealing little Andrew and his guardian bear. She looked the same as he remembered. She had curly blonde hair with a big, warm smile. Her eyes were blue, but not like they used to be. The blue had strange swirls in the center that kept moving and flowing like her old lava lamp. The white parts of her eyes were swallowed by the blue swirls.
Her white nightgown had red stains all over, but mostly around her neck. Her mouth was wide open and her teeth were long and pointed. Her toes almost floated above the carpeting.
"Peek-a-boo, Andrew! Now, come, give Mommy a hug!"
She opened her arms to him, inviting him in. If her nightie wasn't so bloody and her eyes had looked normal, Andrew would've listened, But he couldn't move. Grandpa told him not to. He couldn't follow the whispers.
"Andrew, come see—"
TTTHHHUUUNNKKK
She stopped talking and looked down at the arrow that burst through her chest. She collapsed to the carpeted floor. In the doorway, he saw Daddy holding the crossbow. Andrew never realized how much he looked like him until now.
Daddy didn't say anything. He just stood there with the crossbow, looking at her with sad eyes.
With Tenderheart still in his hand, Andrew tried to get up and run to him. But when he stood up, The Whisper echoed one more time. Mommy's body didn't move, but he could hear her whisper. Telling him to come over and play with her. He could be her little boy forever.
"Andrew, come over here, now!" Daddy screamed.
But Daddy's voice was swallowed up by the whisper. Andrew only heard Mommy echoing inside his head. He took a step toward her body. He wanted her back. He wanted his mommy back. But she was gone. Andrew stepped around her and started towards his father. She reached up and took his ankle. Her mouth opened again, unleashing rows of shark teeth ready to sink into her little prize.
"Don't listen to it!" Daddy yelled at him.
TTTHHHUUUNNKKK
Andrew fell backwards to the ground. She stared at a second arrow head protruding from her chest. Mommy turned back toward her ex-husband, who was still holding the crossbow. Her shiny blue eyes faded and her body dropped to the floor.
The Whisper went silent.