A VERY BAD FEELING INDEED.

Hannah Crain
Hill House
Then

IT would be a lie to say she was woken up by a scream from her younger sister, for she had sat up seconds before it happened. She stepped out of her blankets and made her way to Nell and Luke's room, her bare feet almost sticking to the exposed wood floors. Just as she reached their door, Hannah flinched and then, Nell screamed. Wasting no time, she grabbed the door knob, which was colder than usual, and threw the door open. She held on to the knob so the heavy wooden door wouldn't band against the wall and wake more people up.

"Hi Nellie." She whispered, walking slowly to the young girl's bed. "Can I sit with you?"

Nell nodded, her screaming stopped as she caught her breath and looked at her sister. Hannah had always been the best of them at comforting. She shifted some covers and got into bed with Nell, holding her arms around her shoulders. Nell had always felt safe next to Hannah. Not looking away from Nell, Hannah knew Steve had just arrived at the door. She simply pulled a loose strand of Nell's hair behind her ear, prompting the small girl to explain what happened.

"You okay Nellie?" Steve asked, voice small and gentle. "You scared?" Nell let her head nod twice. "That's okay. I get scared too sometimes." Steve smiled at her reassuringly, stepping further into the room. Hannah heard the covers on Luke's bed rustle as he sat up from the other side of the room.

"Why are you awake Luke?" Steve asked before Hannah could. The older girl turned slight to look at him over her shoulder.

"'Cause Nellie's awake." Was his answer. Hannah smiled at him before turning back to Nell, she knew what he meant by a twin thing.

"What scared you Nell?"

"Han, the Bent Neck Lady was here. She came back." Nell sniffed, bringing a hand up to rub her wet eyes.

"Oh her again?" Was what came from her father's mouth. Hannah had to admit she flinched at little, not realising he was at the door behind Steve. "Where was she?" Nell lifted her arm and pointed to the foot of her bed.

"Oh, boy. Guess we better take a look." Hugh said, walking slowly to the edge of Nell's bed.

"Here, huh?" He asked, looking around for the Bent Neck Lady, for Nell's sake. "Your brother and sister must have scared her away. Big siblings are good like that."

"What if she's hiding?" Nell stressed, eyes beginning to water again.

"She's long gone, Nellie." Hannah reassured, pulling the younger girl closer to her side.

"I guess everybody can go back to bed now." Hugh smiled at his children.

"I'm gonna stay here, with Nell." Hannah corrected gently, just knowing Nell would sleep better with her there. Hugh just nodded. Before he went to turn away he came and sat on the bed with his daughters.

"You remember what we talked about before? About our dreams?"

"They can spill."

"That's right." Hugh smiled, nodding his head. "Yeah, just like a cup of water can spill sometimes. But kids' dreams are special. They're like -"

"An ocean." Everyone chorused, chiming in at different times and bringing a smile to all of their faces.

"That's right. And the big dreams can spill out sometimes." Hugh looked behind him, to where Steve still stood at the foot of Nell's bed. "Back to bed, Stevie." He told his eldest.

"Now, I know that Bent-Neck Lady is really scary. But that's all she is. She's just a little spill." He stretches a hand and lovingly patted Nell's head.

"How long do we have to live here, Daddy?" Nell asked, her innocent voice laced with tiredness.

"Well, your mother and I, we have to finish fixing this house, and then someone has to buy it."

"Then we can go?"

"Yep, and then we can go, just like the last house." Hugh lent forward and gave Hannah a kiss on her forehead accompanied with a wink before moving to give Nell a kiss too. "Now, you get back to sleep, all of you."

He stood and sent Luke a smile. "I love you, guys"

"Sweet dreams."

Hannah Crain
Albany, NY
Now, 4:19 am

It would be a lie to say that Hannah Crain was woken up by a screech from some drunkard on the street outside of her open apartment window, for she sat up seconds before it happened. She was cold, reeling from a nightmare she couldn't recall and a sinking feeling in her tummy. She was breathing heavily, like she was coming down from one of her panic attacks, and shaking. She felt a tear slip down her face, tasting salty as it slipped past her lips and down her neck. The only thought she could register was that of a name. The name of her little sister, Nell.

"Babe?"

Shit. Hannah hadn't meant to wake Jennifer up too.

"Han? Are you okay?"  Jennifer's voice cracked, sleep and tiredness evident in her tone. Hannah felt her hands gently slide up her arms as she sat up next to her shivering fiancée. "You're stone cold! Did you have another bad dream?" A kiss placed on her temple broke Hannah out of her solemn spell, turning her head to lean into Jennifer.

"I have a bad feeling." She whispered, her voice having almost no sound. "About Nell." She could feel the buildup of emotions rising in her chest. The sting of tears being held back made her blink them away. She kept her eyes closed as she broke down in her lovers arms, tears staining her cold cheeks like a hot poker on wood. She listened to the soothing words Jennifer was whispering, kissing into her hair, but none of them registered. Her body wracked with sobs as she went through so much pain, reliving the nightmare her mind refused to let her remember - leaving her confused and drained and in pain. After a while the static that fogged her hearing was swept away and her body felt the warmth enveloped around her. Her eyes could finally open as they no longer felt glued shut.

"We'll call Nell in the morning. We will. You'll be okay. It's just a bad dream baby. You're okay. You're safe here with me. We'll call Nell in the morning." Jennifer's loving words, whispered into Hannah's hair, we're finally taking form as she released the same five sentences over and over until her lover calmed down. It wasn't long before Hannah fell asleep, exhausted, in her arms. Jennifer laid back down slowly, keeping her secured in her caged arms.

She'd always be safe with her.