Chapter 15

"-So what should we do? Asked Lucky. I don't want to go to bed right away
-Well, there is something fun we could try. Said Nikolas
-Nikolas you pervert, I don't go for thhat kind of thing! Said Lucky, getting everybody to laugh.
-You are the pervert one! Said Nikolass, when he was able to catch his breath again. I was talking about a game of hide and seek. In the dark. Lucky, do you have a flashlight?
-Sure, let me get it
-Only the one that seeks has it. The oother ones hide in the dark
-"Should be fun!" Said Elizabeth
Lucky came back and Nikolas explained the game. He read it in a book and had always wanted to try it, but never had any friends to try it with. He offered to be the first one to seek. The only rules they had were no one outside the house, in the basement or in the attic. Also, the one that was seeking could not tell where he found the others, that way, each hiding place could be used three times. Once they started looking for you, it was impossible to change places. These were the only rules. They could hide everywhere else, from in the dryer to under the beds. Nikolas was the first one to count, and he was counting to 50. All three others ran upstairs, into different room. The first place Elizabeth chose was in Lulu's playbox. Emily decided to follow Nikolas' idea and hid under the guest room bed. Lucky, on the other hand, wanted to be really hard to find, so he chose the top shelf in his room's closed, under a blanket.

Nikolas yelled ‘ready or not, here I come" and slowly moved upstairs, passing the flashlight back and forth in front of him. He started in Laura's room, whistling. He looked everywhere, behind the curtains, under the bed, in the closet, he even checked the drawers. When he saw no one was there, he moved to the guest room. He just had a feeling someone was hiding here. The first place he looked was the obvious one, under the bed, and he found Emily. He helped her out, took her in his arms and gave her a nice, long kiss.

"-I can't wait for you to find Lucky, she said, smiling.
-Why is that?
-I'll pay good money to see his face whhen you kiss him like that after you find him"
Nikolas shoved her playfully and told her to go downstairs as he looked for the others. He went into his sister's room, and looked at all the usual places, the closet, under the bed, when he saw some of Lulu's toys were out of the box. This wasn't like Laura to leave a room not cleaned, and he opened the box, only to find his other sister. Elizabeth went downstairs with Em. He now had to find Lucky, which, he had a feeling, wouldn't be easy. Lucky knew this house better than anyone. Nikolas went into the bathroom, looked in the bathtub, the dryer, the washer, the pantries, under the sink. He wasn't there. The only room left upstairs was his own. Nikolas looked under the bed, in the closet, behind the chest of drawers, behind the curtains, he just couldn't find him. He looked in the closet again, and saw something move under the blanket. Nikolas pulled on it, and came face to face with Lucky. The two guys were both so surprised they both yelled, getting the girls to run upstairs. Nikolas and Lucky were laughing so hard, Lucky nearly fell down.

"-Help me down you idiot! Lucky said, between two laughs
-With comments like that, I might leavee you there all night!"
The game continued, with Emily seeking. Nikolas hid in the kitchen's pantry, behind a potato pouch. Lucky this time hid behind the big plant, in his parents' bedroom. Elizabeth hid in the bathroom, lying in the bathtub. Elizabeth was the first one to be found, Lucky was the second, and Nikolas the last. While they were alone downstairs, Lucky and Elizabeth played together a little, continuing what they were so brutally stopped earlier.

While Elizabeth was counting to 50, Lucky stopped Nikolas in the middle of the stairs.
"-Let's hide together. When Elizabeth finds one of us, we shut up and don't tell her the other is there too. She will search the whole house, never thinking for one second we could be together.
-Neat idea"
They decided to hide in Lulu's closet. Elizabeth came up, looking everywhere, when, finally, she found Lucky, not seeing Nikolas just behind him. Lucky went downstairs, and Elizabeth was perplexed as why he was chuckling. Emily was found right after Lucky, but Nikolas was nowhere to be seen. Finally, tired of looking after half an hour, Elizabeth yelled to Nikolas that she was giving up. She heard him yell to come in Lulu's room. Lucky followed her, laughing, and Emily went too, to see where he was so good hidden. She called for him as soon as she entered the girl's room, and he called her from the closet.

"-Hey no fair, we said no changing places! Elizabeth whined, as Lucky and Nikolas laughed their heads off.
-You were right Lucky, it worked! Saidd Nikolas in a little boy's voice
-He was in there with me all along babyy doll! Lucky answered!"
Elizabeth and Emily's jaws hit the floor as they saw the two guys high five each other, still laughing. Lucky went downstairs and started counting to 50, both his eyes on his eyes, and sitting at the table.

"-Ready or not, here I come" He bellied as loud as he could.
He ran upstairs two by two, and ran in Lulu's room to search everywhere. No one was there. He went in the guest room, and found Emily all curled up under the easy chair. It took her something like 15 minutes just to get out of there, Lucky refused to help her. He found Elizabeth soon after that, hidden in the clothes' hamper. But Nikolas wasn't upstairs. Lucky ran downstairs into the kitchen, and searched everywhere, every pantry, under each chair, the table, he even checked in the oven. He wasn't there. Lucky walked into the living room and finally saw his brother, lying on the couch. Lucky could not believe Nikolas had been there all along and he didn't even see him. Still pretending he didn't, Lucky went over and sat on the couch, right in the middle of Nikolas' belly.

"-Get off of me you mad man! Said Nikolas, laughing
-ELIZABETH, EMILY, COME HERE QUICK, THEE COUCH TALKS!"

Nikolas pushed his brother, and Lucky got off, laughing. The girls came running downstairs, only to find the guys cracking up again. Lucky sat next to Nikolas, shoving him to have space, and Nikolas shoved him back, saying he had the whole couch and Lucky had to come and nearly sit on his lap. Lucky looked at Nikolas with a evil grin, but said "nah" getting Nikolas to sigh. The man was afraid Lucky would actually take him on his word and sit on his lap!

Elizabeth sat on Lucky's though, and put her arms around his neck. Emily was sitting on Nikolas', since Lucky was in the middle of the couch, and Em wanted to be close to Nikolas.

"-What were you doing still upstairs? Asked Nikolas
-Preparing the beds. Answered Emily. <
-That's a great idea, because I'm tiredd! Said Lucky
-Yeah me too. Shall we go? Asked Elizzabeth
-If you need to take a shower, there iss one downstairs and one upstairs. I have to take mine, so I'll take it downstairs.
-I have to take mine too. Said Nikolass. I'll go upstairs. Ladies first? He asked Emily
-Well... Emily said, no go ahead. She was blushing.
-Come and help me look for the stuff, NNikolas answered, getting up and putting her down.
-I don't know why, but I think it'll bee steamy in that bathroom! Said Lucky, laughing, as Nikolas and Emily went upstairs, hand in hand. Wanna go first?
-It's ok, go ahead.
-Come on, I'll give you the stuff. Thaat way, you won't have to be alone. They will be finished by the time you get out"

Half an hour later, they all met upstairs, in the guest room. Lucky was in his pajama pants, Nikolas borrowed a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt to his brother, so did Emily and Elizabeth. The two girls had over-sized tee-shirts, that went all the way down to mid- thighs. Lucky was behind Elizabeth, his arms locked around her belly, and Nikolas was next to Emily. The two guys were arguing. Nikolas wanted him and Lucky to share a room, while the girls shared the other, but Lucky would have none of that.

"-You sleep with your girl, I sleep with mine! Said Lucky.
-Do you really think I'm gonna let thatt happen? Asked Nikolas
-You don't have a choice Nikolas! Get it in your head once and for all! You don't control me, you don't control her!
-Ok, Ok, that's enough, said Elizabeth,, both her hands in the air. Nikolas, I love you and I love the fact that you are so protective of me. I really do, but I'm old enough to make my own choices. I want to sleep next to Lucky.
-And I'm just supposed to look over thaat? Asked Nikolas
-Look, Nikolas, I know you mean well, II know you want to protect Elizabeth, I know how it is, I have a sister too! But I'm not a animal in heat! Besides, I don't want to start a war, but you are the last person who should be all stoic about a woman's "virtue".
-What's that suppose to mean?
-Emily has brothers too."

Nikolas' mouth dropped on the floor, and he didn't say anything when Lucky took Elizabeth by the hand and walked out the door. Nikolas understood Lucky's point, loud and clear.

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