Day slowly faded away into nightfall as the chilly wind slammed against Bailey's house. Drew, who lay on the hardwood floor, doodled the many animals that came to mind. From where he sat, Bailey watched with curious eyes. "Are you in an art class?" He asked, following the careful movements of Drew's hand as he sketched out a fox onto the paper. "No... I wish I was though! I love drawing, it's so relaxing, and you can create anything you can think of into reality. Drawing helps me out whenever I'm feeling down, it's sort of a comfort thing." Bailey hummed, a smile forming on his face.

     "I usually read whenever I'm sad, it takes me to a whole other world different from our own. And I can just forget about everything entirely except for the story in my hands." Drew beamed, sliding up onto his knees to face Bailey. "Have this, I drew it for you. It's a fox, not for any particular reason, I just like foxes." Taking the picture, Bailey gave a warm smile. He was glad to be friends with Drew. Who knew only mere hours ago he was afraid to talk to him, and now he wanted to talk to him about everything. Drew had this light about him, he was kind, loving, gentle, everything Bailey wished he was.

     "Bailey, Drew! Come down for dinner!" Bailey snapped out of his thoughts, stumbling out of bed. Drew giggled a little as he followed him out the door. As they reached the kitchen, Bailey groaned a little at the sight of Anna sitting at the table with a steaming plate of spaghetti before her. "When did you get here?" Bailey asked, beckoning Drew to sit on the chair beside his. Anna, who had already taken a large bite out of the spaghetti, smirked at Bailey's question. "About five minutes after you guys. I also helped make this supper so you better like it." She teased, a satisfied smile forming on her lips.

     "I think you did great! You have a real talent for cooking, Anna." Drew said, giving a thumbs-up as he took a bite out of his food. Bailey himself enjoyed the spaghetti, quite frankly it wasn't his first time eating it. Anna was quite the master when it came to cooking meals. Just like Drew, Anna had her own skill to help calm her mind and emotions. "You should make your waffles in the morning, it's your specialty and my favorite." Mumbled Bailey as some spaghetti dribbled down his lip. "Ewww, okay! Just like wash your mouth you pig, how gross."

     The house was silent as Bailey's parents lay asleep in their beds. Bailey, who lay on his stomach facing his friends, blinked away the drowsiness that called to him. Anna shimmed on the pillow she sat on as she moved her checker's piece across the board. "You're going down, Drew. I'm the champion at this game!" Drew smirk, raising a brow as he lifted his own piece. "Are you sure it's you who is the master? For I have many skills you can only dream of having!" The two bickered back and forth for a while, neither making a single move. Bailey let out a yawn, racking them from their chatter. "It seems we've put our judge to sleep, I suppose we'll call it a tie, how about that?" Anna stated, extending a hand for Drew to take. "Sounds good to me!" Drew exclaimed, taking her hand and giving a firm shake.

     "Hey, could we stay up a little longer? I know I'm on the verge of falling asleep, but I'm just... I can't sleep... right now..." Bailey felt his nerves begin the raise as the words tumbled out of his mouth. Both Anna and Drew exchange a mixture of confusion and worry as they pondered Bailey's words. "Um... yeah sure. Is something wrong? You seemed a little off all of the sudden." He wasn't sure whether to tell the truth. Of course, Bailey does trust Anna with his life, he's known her since they were in kindergarten. Drew, as much as he likes him, is rather new to him even if he does hold trust in him. Taking a deep breath, Bailey closed his eyes and let his truth spill.

     "It's kinda hard to explain, I haven't told anyone this. Every night I find myself lost in this forest. It's so cold, the air bites away at my skin... but it's so beautiful there at the same time. It's just so real... I can feel my life slip away from me as it all fades away to black... and this voice, I always hear a voice right before I wake up. Every time, the same thing... 'wake up.' And then I wake up!" Anna, who looked as if the air smelled of skunk, scrunched up her nose with both her brows furrowed. "So basically..." she started, lifting a single finger, "you're having trouble sleeping. Well, it's a good thing I'm here because I'm an expert at making people fall asleep!" Quickly, Anna lifted herself from the floor and launched herself at Bailey. With both arms, Anna heaved Bailey into her lap and ran her finger through his hair. "Nothing like a good song can't help! You better thank my mom for all those singing lessons she forced me into, I'm basically a professional!" Drew chuckled, shaking his head at Anna's words.

     "You're a professional at everything, huh? You could be in the World Record Book for all your talents!" Anna beamed, placing her hands on her hips. "Absolutely! All I have to do is actually be good at the things I say I'm good at. That's the first step, just don't tell anyone I said that." Anna giggled, wrapping her arms around Bailey. "Are you going to hug me all night? Because I wanna get comfortable if we are." Bailey huffed, scooting himself up so he was halfway into Anna's lap. "What about me? I can turn into your favorite animal! Wouldn't that help anyone sleep?" Drew pouted, crossing his arms across his chest feeling slightly left out.

     "Of course, get up here buddy. How about you turn into a fox?" Bailey asked, looking at Anna for her opinion. "A small fox too! I've always wanted a pet you know, but my parents won't let me have one. Trust me when I say I've tried everything in the book to trick them into getting me one. They are two hard eggs to crack." Drew giggled, climbing into bed as he shifted into a young fox. Both Bailey and Anna gasped when they saw him. Swiftly, Anna scooped Drew into her arms as her eyes sparkled at the sight before her. "I think I'm going to die, this is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life!" She exclaimed, running her hand through the fox's soft fur. "Lucky you, this is my first time being a fox!" Drew squeaked, leaning his head back into Anna's lap so he could see her. Bailey, slightly taken aback by the talking fox, leaned in with interest in his eyes.

     "You can still talk?" He asked, trying to grasp the idea in his mind. Drew nodded, flicking his tail as he adjusted himself. "When you shapeshift, you are able to posses the voice of the thing you shift into. Like this fox, for example, they don't talk so my normal voice is just tweaked a little when I shift. It's kinda weird but you get the idea." Bailey could only imagine what it would be like to shapeshift, the idea of it was incredible. What if you had the ability to change into anything you could ever think of at any moment? The world could collapse in your very hands with the power you hold. Just the thought that anyone you could ever talk to isn't truly who they say they are sent chills down Bailey's spine. If anything, shapeshifting is one of the coolest yet scariest powers out there.

     "Okay kiddos, it's time for bed!" Anna yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she blinked the sleepiness from her eyes. "I'll try, but we know how well that works out..." Mumbled Bailey as he grasped his blanket in both hands so that Anna and Drew could climb in. Even with two people and a fox, the bed was still slightly crowded. Maybe he should invest in another bed? Bailey smiled a little as he allowed himself to drift off to sleep...

     It was cold, colder than usual. He knew from the moment the cool air bit at his skin where he was. Bailey pushed himself off the ground, gazing at the winter wonderland he was in. Typically he would find himself heading into the unknown, but something forbid him from walking. Hesitantly, Bailey looked around taking in every detail his eyes laid upon. Frozen trees, icy bushes, sparkling snow...

"Time is ticking away... tik, tok, tik, tok... Alone at last in a prison of snow and ice,
Trapped away with no place to stay.
Could it be you feel it too?
Fear of what was lost and never to be found?
You visit quite often,
But I'm afraid you must die!"

     The solid floor is what Bailey woke up to. Nothing but his home, his friends, warmth... the dream that plagued him left his stomach twirling in a pool of nausea. Bailey shoved his face into the nook of his knees as he contemplated the voice. It was always the same voice, never changing even a little. However, this time around it spoke in a way that lured him into a place he felt as if he couldn't escape. Bailey glanced up to stare deeply into his wall.

"The monster..." he mumbled, digging his nails into the flesh on his legs, "it has to be the monster."