After Helen and Peter came home, it was worse than Peter had expected.

"Hey Mom" Peter said innocently as he walked into the house.

Their mother was looking at her phone, but looked up to see her children. "I told you that you needed to come home by sunset... But here you are, almost midnight, and you just entered the house."

Peter looked down at his watch. His travel from the woods to the house was longer than he'd expected. It was 11:43 right now. Wow...

Helen jumped in the conversation. "Mom, we're sorry, it's just, Peter was-"

"Not keeping track of time!" Peter interrupted. He knew that Helen was going to tell the truth on what she saw Peter do, but Peter didn't even want to see his mother's reaction.

Their mother nodded in disbelief. "You're grounded for a week." She said.

Peter didn't take that as such a bad punishment. Compared to other ones she'd done, this was just a piece of cake. One time, when Peter was nine, he ran away from home and was gone for three days. When he returned, the police were searching for him, and his mother told them that he was found. Later that day, he was grounded from electronics for a year. That was the worst punishment anyone could have ever taken.

Helen on the other hand, took it very badly. "But Mom!" She yelled.

"No but's." She replied to Helen, "If you argue one more time, it'll be a month!"

Helen's mouth snapped shut. And she and Peter walked upstairs, not another word to be spoken.

Peter still had the aching feeling, and was very worried for what happened that night. He didn't know if it was real or not. He decided to forget it for the night. Peter, Helen, and their mother were going to get some food.

During the drive, Helen decided to ask on where they were going.

"Well children, let me just say it's your choice where you want to go." Their mother said.

Peter was confused at this, because their mother was acting so nice to them, and let them choose where they were going, even though they were grounded.

Helen was first to respond, "Let's have some pizza!" She exclaimed.

"Well, Peter, what do you think? Do you want to go to get some pizza?" His mom asked, turning her head over to look at him.

Peter really didn't care what he would eat, he couldn't stop thinking of that hallucination he had about lights and crazy talking animals. What did it mean? Was it a sign from God that bad things would happen? Was this the end of the world? All Peter knew, was that anything could happen.

Maybe I was dreaming... He thought. Though, when I do ask Helen about that night she does nod and say she remembers and that she hasn't told Mom, and well she starts rambling about things. Peter loved his sister very much, but he was mostly annoyed by her. Sometimes, when he is really angry at his sister, his wishes she was never born. Though, Peter knows that that's not the right thing to do.

"What Peter?" Helen said impatiently, bursting through his thoughts.

For a shocking moment of horror, Peter thought Helen knew what he was thinking, and then realized a second after that, that she was asking a question on something they were talking about earlier. What was that again? He tried to remember on what they were talking about, his thoughts had covered up the conversation they were having completely.

"What what?" Peter tried.

Helen burst out laughing, and Peter was glad that he could make someone laugh in this car without even trying.

"About pizza." Helen said, "Do you want to go get some pizza?"

"Oh, sure Helen," Peter replied, "Whatever you want, I like pizza." He smiled, and she grinned back. That was one thing that Peter loved most about his sister, that she was always happy. Though, it did get on his nerves if he was in a bad mood.

They all drove by Pizza Hut, and grabbed a couple pizzas. On the way home, Helen asked, "Hey Mom, can we eat the pizza now?"

Peter snorted.

Their mother gave her a insignificant look. "No, Helen," she said, "Remember you two, you're grounded for a week, don't you forget that." The children groaned slightly, but obeyed.

They were driving in the small woods now, and Peter looked out the window. He saw the trees swaying in the wind as they were driving by. It was very peculiar though, because he could see all the details in the trees, and most of the time, he only saw the wind blocking all the details. He looked over at Helen, and she was smelling the pizza box dramatically.

He turned to the window again and this time he saw a purple reindeer, with golden hooves, and blue antlers with pink and green stripes in the woods. The buck was absolutely stunning.

He wanted to tell his mom to pull over, but she'd never believe that there was such an odd thing. So he just watched it as they drove by.

Peter had an excellent idea, that when they got home he could go look to the woods and look for the deer, it was not far from home, and they were only about twenty trees lined up in a row from the house. But he quickly realized that again, he was grounded. Being grounded sucks... I wish that I could just do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Everything would be better like that. He thought.

Their mom stopped the car; they were home. Peter opened the door, and looked behind him from where he saw the deer; it was still there, looking at him. As though it expected him to come and follow it.

Peter felt like bolting on his toes to run faster and faster to it, but he knew his mom wouldn't be happy about that. He then decided to come inside with the others, when Helen beckoned him in.

When they made it inside, Peter couldn't help but feel that the deer would be watching him for longer than he would know. What if it was there that same place every day? Would he be able to go to it?

They sat down on their small white table, by the window to the outside, and their mom opened the pizza box. Helen grabbed a slice and said excitedly, "Dig in!"

Peter sat down and took three slices. He was pretty happy that he could have some food, he was famished. He gobbled the three pizzas down in less than five minutes. Helen still hadn't finished her second. She finished chewing and looked over to her brother.

Helen's jaw dropped. "Man!" She said, "Boys really do eat a lot!" She looked over to her nodding mother, who was half listening to her children, and half paying attention to her phone in her hands.

Helen grew a very sneaky smile on her face, "Hey Mom." She said.

Their mother didn't even drag her eyes off the phone. The only response she acknowledged Helen to was, "Hmm?"

Helen then grew the sneakiest smile Peter had ever seen on her sweet face. He knew this wasn't a good sign. What would she be planning? He thought, then a split second later, Helen asked her mother,"Are we still grounded, Mom?"

Peter widened his eyes; he shook his head at Helen knowing what she was planning. She looked over at him and smiled the stupidest grin in the whole world, he wanted to smack it right off her face.

Their mom nodded and said, "Yes." Not even paying attention on what they were talking about. Peter prayed that Helen wouldn't take the next step.

"Can we go outside, Mom?" Helen asked, smiling.

And there it was. What did he even try? Peter knew that this wasn't a good idea, without their mother's permission, they could get lost; he had even heard wolves howling in there the other night.

Peter motioned to Helen and she looked over. "It's the woods Helen! Anything could be out there!" He mouthed with his lips.

Either Helen didn't take the hint, or she didn't know what he said. She just looked over at her mother waiting for a response.

Being all honest, Peter wasn't scared of the wolves out there. He was scared of that buck he saw a while ago. Granted, he wanted to see it very badly, but male deer were known to be very aggressive.

Their mother slightly nodded her head, and said, "Okay, yes kids," she got up in a hurry off her seat, still looking at her phone, "I need to go in my room you two. Please, no disobeying me." She added, then scrambled upstairs to her room, leaving the two children at the table with empty pizza boxes.

"Well," Helen said, looking over at Peter, "I guess that means we can go outside. Come on, Mom did say yes!" She jumped up and hurried towards the door.

Peter got up, ran toward the door, and grabbed Helen's arm before she could grab the doorknob. "No, Helen. We're grounded." He said, "Come on, can't we just stay in for one day without asking to go outside?" He paused, let go of her arm, and asked, "Helen, why do you always want to go outside?"

She looked up, down, and around both sides of her many times, then put her head down, and her eyes up, remaining eye contact on her brother, looking pitiful.

"The reason why I want to go outside," She started, "is because I have big dreams Peter, big ones. Not like daydreams, they feel more than that. They feel real, like visions or something. I dream of dragons and wolves, and birds everywhere living peacefully as far as the eye could see."

Peter looked at her confused. Dragons didn't even exist, she was just stalling, speaking nonsense as usual.

"Peter," Helen continued, "I feel trapped in a box when I'm inside the house, or even the car. That's why I hide myself with all the happiness and joy. I hide my fear. Please Peter." She looked at him and grabbed the doorknob.

Peter sighed. "Okay," he agreed. "We're so going to be killed, I'll tell you that." He said, and then they both went out the door, and locked it behind them.

They walked out, Peter still looking at the door, and thinking whether he should run in there and tell his mom, or go with Helen. He didn't want to be a baby tattle-tail, so he went with his sister. They went off not ten feet from the house and Helen stopped, and said, "Let's play a game!"

Peter was again, like always with his sister, confused. He raised his eyebrow and looked down at her grinning face.

"Thank you." She said.

"For what?" Peter asked.

Helen punched him lightly in the shoulder. "For letting me come outside, duh." She replied to his question.

"Oh." Peter said thinking: Was it a good idea? Can I go run off and see that deer, if it was real or not? Or should I just go back inside, no, that would make me a little kid... "No problem, Helen." He went with that instead.

Helen smiled a stupid grin, once again. She ran into the wilderness. "Well?" She said, calling behind her, "Aren't you going to come?" She stopped right in front of the trees, and looked at him.

Will I? He thought, Will I disobey my mother, just to be cool? Or will I be a child again? He thought of what his mother would do if she figured out they disobeyed her. Helen's words echoed in his head: Come on, Mom won't find out, Mom won't find out...

Peter took one step towards his sister, but stopped. "No." He said.

Helen looked worried, and confused at the same time, her brows arching. "What?" She asked, "Why Peter? Like I said, Mom won't know. She never does. She'll be on her phone the whole time! Come on Peter please!" She started to run to him, her voice probably hurt from shouting across the field, and didn't want her mom to know. "Please." She said again looking up at him.

Peter knew it wasn't hard to make this decision, but it was to his sister. He yanked his feet of the floor and backed up, still looking at Helen. "No" Peter said.

Helen's face was devastated, she looked like she was about to roll on the floor and scream. But she just stood there, motionless, and heartbroken.

Peter turned around and headed back to the house, opened the door, walked in, and closed the door slowly behind him, which made a creaking noise. He went over to the table near the window and peered out through the curtains.

Helen was sauntering slowly back into the house, knowing that she'd be in trouble if she'd been found out there alone.

"Helen, you know better than to do things like that." Peter said when she entered the house.

Helen sighed. "You're not my mom; you don't have power over me." She silently mumbled.

Peter crossed his arms and sighed just like she did. Taking the blame. I know I don't have power over you Helen, but you're my little sister, and were in a new place, and I just want you to be safe, and you are so nice and I don't want anything to happen to you. He thought.

Peter was wondering whether he was a brat to his sister. Should I change? Should I just let Helen do whatever she pleases? That took him a moment to think. Should he? He couldn't answer that question. He didn't want to know the truth.

Helen looked up at Peter, and like always when she didn't get her way, she ran to her room. Peter didn't feel a bit of pity. He stopped her from breaking the rules, just like always. Peter knew that he always had a small pit of pity for Helen, every day, even on the slightest things when she was a brat.

"Fine." Helen said when she reached the top of the stairs. "Get your way Peter, just like you always do." And stumbled off into her room, closing the door behind her. She's so spoiled, and expects everyone to give everything to her.

Peter followed Helen up to her room, and opened the door. Helen was sitting on top of her bed with her knees closed in her chest, and her arms wrapped around herself.

She wasn't just crying.

She was crying purple tears.

What the heck? Peter thought. He needed to get his mother. Right away.

Helen bawled. "It hurts Peter, and it won't stop!"

Peter ran down the hallway to his mom's room, she was just hanging her phone up. What a relief! His mother looked into his eyes, and she cold see that there was fear in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" His mother asked him, putting her cellphone in her back pocket.

"Mom, it's Helen, she's crying like, purple tears or something!" Peter replied to his mother, he didn't know if his mother knew what was going on, but she didn't say another word before running into Helen's room.

"Helen?" Their mother said. "Helen, are you alright, sweetie?" She sat down on the bed next to her daughter. She looked at Helen crying, but seemed completely unaware that there was purple liquid spilling out of Helen's eyes.

"What's wrong with her?" Peter blurted.

His mom stood up, and with a disappointed face, she said, "Peter. I do not understand why you tell such insolent lies just to get attention. What did you do that made your sister cry?"

Peter couldn't believe his ears. What is she talking about? My sister looks like a wet dog over here, and she doesn't even care! "Mom, I'm not lying." Peter said, "Can't you see it for yourself?"

Helen looked up, and the tears of violet had been beginning to stop. "What are you two talking about?" She said, looking as clueless as a kakapo.

"Helen, aren't you- Doesn't it? Hurt?" Peter stammered. This place is making me crazy! "Helen, do you mean to tell me that you weren't crying plum tears just a few moments ago, and the same thing goes with you, Mom?"

Helen looked at him as if he was the craziest person alive.

"Peter," Helen said, "Get your head screwed on right. I was crying, but I sure wasn't crying purple tears that's for sure."

Peter's jaw dropped. What was with this girl? "But you said it hurt, and I saw the tears, they were purple!" He said, "Helen, why are you lying now?"

After Helen wiped away the odd colored tears, their mother got up and walked out of the room, and stopped at the doorway.

"No." She said. "All I saw was a brother who was mean to his little sister." And she walked out of the room, not another word to be spoken.