Disclaimer: I don't own Ouat, or any of it's characters. Only my Original Characters and the plot.

When I get out of school (finally), I'm loaded.

Thank God it's Friday, or else I wouldn't be able to get any sleep tonight.

As soon as I'm home, the phone starts ringing.

I know that the only person who would know I'm home at this exact moment is Mom. She called before I even put my stuff down.

Honestly, this is getting out of hand! It was bad enough that she's never home, now she knows exactly when I come home.

I pick the phone off the hook, and press the answer button.

"Hey, Mom!" I say, trying to keep the resentment out of voice.

"Jess? Oh, thank God, at least someone is picking up the phone!"

She sounds exasperated. Not a good sign. Somehow, I how I'm spending my Friday night.

"Don't tell me," I guess, with a sigh. "Another rough client?"

"Very rough, but very important," she replies. Same answer as always. "Would you do me a huge favor and-"

"Pick up Abby, make her dinner, get her homework done, and put her to bed by nine," I finish. Just as I have done all week. And last week. And the week before that.

"Would you? Oh, thank you, sweetheart."

"No problem," I reply, holding back a sigh. "See you tonight."

If she even leaves the office before I'm in bed.

I hang up, let out the sigh I was holding, and get back into my car. I have to try very hard not to scream in frustration.

It shouldn't be this way. Yeah, Dad left, and that took a toll on all of us. But, if anything, Mom should be there for me and Abby now. We lost Dad, and we need her more than ever. Instead, she's thrown herself in her work, and left Abby and I to take care of ourselves.

It's not that I don't like Abby. Shoot, I love that kid more than anything. But, I shouldn't have to be a parent to her. That's Mom's job. And when she's been having me take care of Abby ever since Dad left, suddenly my plans became unimportant. I'm seventeen, for crying out loud! I have a life!

But, if I want to spend the night at Roxanne's or go see a movie with Dom? Forget it, Mom is too busy with an important client, and she's relying on me to be her big girl that she can rely on. She doesn't even realize how much Abby and I need her right now, and at times, I don't think she cares.

I force myself to focus on the road, and put my angry thoughts aside. As I'm driving to Abby's grade school, I get a prickly feeling, like someone watching me. But as I look around the road, none but the other drivers are giving me as much as a glance.

I shrug the feeling aside, and pull into the parking lot of Abby's school.

I see her waiting on a bench, with her Hello Kitty backpack beside her. She sees me get out of the car, and immediately stands up and grins.

She has my light brown hair, and blue eyes, but she prefers to wear her hair back in pigtails, while I just wear my hair up.

She waits until I walk to the bench to hug me.

She's only seven, but she is already concerned about driving safety. It's her goal to be valedictorian of her driver's-ed class.

"Hey, Jess," she says happily.

I hug her back. I don't care what stares I get. This is my baby sister, it's not like I'm forbidden to love her.

"How was school?" I ask as we make our way to the car.

"Fun," she replies. "We learned about camouflage in science, and Thomas Jefferson in history. We painted pictures in art too."

She climbs in the backseat as we drive away.

"What pictures?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"Penguins on ice," she replies. "But mine came out horrible."

She says it so casually I know there's no point in arguing. Abby is convinced she is the worst artist, but best reader in her class. That may have something to do with me.

After we get home, we spend a few minutes eating our favorite after school snack, apple slices and peanut butter, and she begs me to read her more of The Silver Chair.

I pull the book out of my bookcase while she fixes me some water with ice, so I can read without my throat hurting.

When I was reading her Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, my voice gave out during the battle, and she had to wait a full twenty-four hours to see if Aslan killed the White Witch.

I sit down across the table from her, and begin reading.

"The instant the prisoner was free, he crossed the room in a single bound, seized his own sword (which had been taken from him and laid on the table) and drew it. 'You first!' he cried and fell upon the silver chair..."

Abby's eyes widen with delight as she listens to the next chapter of Jill, Eustace, Puddleglum, and Rilian. And, before I know it, I'm totally absorbed in the book as well. I finally have to call a stopping point to make dinner, and start to make some mac-and-cheese.

As we wait for the water to boil, we go back to Narnia, and I have to end the story on a cliffhanger, with Jill being dragged out the hole, so I can drain the pasta.

After dinner, I do dishes while Abby goes to take a bath.

When I'm done, I spend some time with my book. It's already dark out, and I'm itching to write some more. In only a few words, I become lost in my writing of Snow White, and her flight from the Evil Queen Regina.

The thief cried out in terror as a net suddenly came up from under her, entrapping her.

Had Regina finally caught her? Had all her work to run away been for nothing? She didn't want to die, not now!
There was a small, triumphant laugh, and someone emerged from behind the trees. Not Regina, but the prince she had robbed.

"I told you I would find you," he said, looking pleased with himself. "No matter where you go, I will always find you."

The thief grit her teeth, staring angrily at her captor. She had come too far, run too long, to be captured by some spoiled prince who couldn't stand a few shiny rocks of his getting stolen.

"Is this the only way you can get a woman?" she asked, keeping her voice calm. "By entrapping her?"

"It is the only way to catch thieving scum," shot back the prince.

Snow let out a small snort of amusement at his banter.

"Aren't you a real Prince-"

"Jess!"

I stop, and turn to look upstairs, where Abby is supposed to be getting ready for bed. Alarms are going off in my head, and I know something is wrong.

"JESS!"

I get up and run up the stairs, to my sister's room.

"Abby!" I shout, finding the door closed.

I turn the handle, but it's locked. That's not possible. Abby's door doesn't have a lock!

"Abby, open the door!" I order.

Instead, all I hear is her whimpering.

Anger and fear course through me with adrenaline. Something is threatening my sister. Something bad.

Without thinking, I lift my foot, and kick the door open.

I run in, and a strange, twisted feeling washes over me as I see Abby whimpering in the corner.

I stop dead in my tracks, and gasp.

Hovering over her is a shadow. A disembodied shadow, with glowing eyes.

What is that thing? How is it even real?

Panic fills me, and I try not to scream. The thing looks like something out of a fairy tale book, how could it possibly be standing in front of me?

Worse, what does it want with Abby?

The shadow's arm is extended out to Abby, as if offering her its hand. Like it wants her to take its hand. Abby, however, is practically keeping her hands behind her back, trying to keep them as far away from the thing as possible.

Part of me wants to run away, but I refuse to abandon my sister. I'm not sure what it is, but just by being near the thing, I can tell it isn't good. Whatever it wants with Abby, it will end with her getting hurt. I cannot-I will not-let that happen.

I feel every part of my body shake, but I fight to remain calm. Being scared will not help. Won't it?

"Okay, Abby," I say, keeping my eyes fixed on the thing. At the sound of my voice, it looks up at me. It's as if its eyes look into me, and see my mind and soul and analyzes them like a science experiment. It still is extending its hand to Abby, gesturing her to take it.

Oh, God. Oh, God, what is this thing?

No, I have to remain calm!

"Abby, I want you to keep your eyes on that, but walk towards me very slowly," I say.

But what if that's the wrong thing to do? What if it's like a dog that sees looking it in the eyes as a challenge?

I need to take the chance. It hasn't hurt her or me yet, so I don't think it sees staring as a fight.

Abby slowly stands, and the shadow turns back to her, and looks at her. It follows her as she slowly backs away from it, and moves closer to me.

God, what is this thing? How is it real? What does it want with my sister?

She's whimpering, and I know that she's as scared as I am.

As she backs away slowly, towards me, the shadow doesn't react at all. Its eyes just follow her.

She is only ten steps from me...eight...five...three…

The shadow suddenly launches itself at my sister, and grabs her wrist.

She screams and tries to pull away, but the shadow floats to the window, and it opens its own.

"NO!"

I leap forward without thinking, adrenaline coursing through me, and grab Abby's other arm, pulling her back.

The shadow, whatever it is, is strong. It drags us to the window, and flies out, taking Abby with it. She somehow hovers beside it, but I don't care to look into the mechanics of it.

Whatever this thing is, it's not taking her. I won't let it hurt my baby sister!

"Jess!" cries Abby, as I pull her towards me, back into her room.

"Let go of her!" I yell at the thing, yanking at my sister's arm.

I don't care how long I have to pull, how much I may hurt. I cannot let this thing hurt Abby. Abby gives a small cry, and I double my efforts to pull her back in.

"YOU'RE NOT TAKING HER!" I shout, pulling my struggling sister into the room.

The shadow looks down at me, and I feel the piercing gaze again. But I grit my teeth, and refuse to let go.

Not Abby. Not my sister. Not when I can hold onto her, and save her.

"Don't let go," pleads Abby.

I won't. I refuse to let go of her hand, if it's the last thing I can do.

Suddenly, the shadow's other hand reaches out, and slams into my chest, with enough force to stop a race car.

I'm thrown back across the room, and into the wall of the room.

"JESS!"

My breath is knocked out of my lungs, and everything is spinning.

I slide down the floor, as everything goes black.

The last thing I'm aware of is my baby sister's screams.

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