Christa tossed under her covers uneasily, tensing at the sound of a creaking floorboard down the hall.

There was a gentle knock on her door, almost too quiet to hear, but she reacted immediately, sitting up and reaching for the nearest blunt object.

The door creaked open, and a man on all-fours with a long barbed tail and a face covered with bandages and he was staring, staring at her, ready to strike, ready to-

She blinked.

The shadow of Caleb's tiny frame filled the space as best it could, and she relaxed.

"Couldn't sleep?" she whispered and shifted on her mattress to make room.

"Uh-uh." He crawled up, hugging a shark stuffy in one arm, and tentatively snuggled under the covers with her. "Why are you awake?"

"The same reason as you, I bet," she sighed, a little embarrassed.

"...I heard Ma yelling a lot. She sounded real angry."

Her eyes glazed over as she recalled the exchange. The first half was spent apologizing over and over while her mother screamed and yelled and "Do you have any idea what could have happened?" The other half was spent staring at the floor in silence and trying not to cry, then crying anyway.

Her father had been too tired to berate her, instead watching with limp arms and clenched fists like he was ready to punch something but simply didn't have the energy. It was ultimately he who stepped in once his wife looked ready to pass out- had she breathed at all during her ranting?

His voice had been soft, barely above a murmur, as he'd deflated with a heavy sigh. "Christa... Just- Go to your room. We'll talk about this in the morning."

As she'd disappeared around the corner on her way to the stairs, she'd heard her mother sob and collapse into his arms.

Caleb stared up at her with wide eyes, probably waiting for reassurance. She wrapped an arm around him and lied down, pulling him with her. "We were gone for two and a half hours longer than we should have been. Of course she was angry."

He snuggled against her chest. "It wasn't our fault... but I still feel really bad."

"Me too." Pausing, she added, "We're definitely grounded."

At that, Caleb giggled, then gasped and jolted up. "No! If we're grounded..." he cupped a hand around his mouth- clearly this was top secret- and whispered in her ear. "...we can't help the tail guy."

Her heart sank. "What are you talking about?"

"You know." He squeezed the shark tighter. "We told him we'd help him because he was trapped, right? That's why he helped us escape."

"...Oh, yeah- but I thought-"

"So we've gotta help him." Then, softer, "We've gotta go back."

She shook her head. "No, we don't. We said that so he'd help, but we don't have to go back."

Caleb looked offended. "But that's lying!" he snapped rather loudly, indignant. "Lying is bad luck. And... if we lie, he won't trust us anymore. Then he'll be real mad."

As her shoulders slouched, she frowned at him. "I guess... you're right." This is a terrible idea. "How do we do that?"

"I don't know... I've never tried to go there on purpose." The shark was granted some mercy as Caleb relinquished his hold, setting it down.