The girl sat on the staircase, still dressed in her pajamas. Her hair a mess and bags under her eyes showing her lack of sleep.

She shook anxiously with anticipation. Her fingers tapped in time with her foot, causing a slight thump to be heard in the silent house. Looking at her wrist watch, the hands pointed to 6:59. Any moment now he would be home. She thought.

It has been 3 months since she had seen him, even though it has felt like years. She hated when he left on his excavations. They spoke on the phone everyday, but she missed seeing his goofy smile and being able to hug him after a long day. He was her best friend.

The sound of metal jiggling let the girl know that someone was unlocking the front door, quickly the girl stood up, holding onto the railing to keep her balance. Her eyes did not dare to blink as she watched the door open.

There stood, in the frame of the grand door way, a man holding a large duffle bag in his left hand and a briefcase in his right. He wore a smile bright on his face in the sight of her. Finally, he was home.

"Dad"

"Harlow"

The girl leapt from the staircase and ran into her fathers arms. The bags hit the ground with a thud, but neither cared as they were in true bliss to back in each other's arms.

"I've missed you" Harlow mumbled into her dads chest. She could feel tears filling her eyes, but she refused to let them drop. "I've miss you too kiddo" the father replied squeezing his daughter a little harder. "You trying to squish me death?" Harlow barley mumbled out, fighting to get out of her dads grasp.

"Oopsie" her dad said letting her go. "I just couldn't help it, you are just too damn cute!" He said while pinching her chubby cheeks. The glare Harlow gave her father was deadly, anyone else would become uncomfortable with how powerful that look can be, but her father was too used to it.

"You know, you sound a grandma when you say that" She said very monotone.

"I do not! I just sound like a very wonderful and loving father" He said dramatically turning around and bending over to pick up his bags.

"Watch out grandma, bend over to much and your back will give out" she said turning to walk back up the stair case with her father following quickly behind her. "Shush, you should respect your father" he snipped back

"I wonder what nursing home I should put you in"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Now where did we put your adult diapers and walking cane" she mumbled to herself, completely ignoring her flamboyant father behind her.

"Keep saying stuff like that and people will actually believe you!"

"Good thing there is no one else here" she replied. "Oh so you can hear me!" He said dragging out the oh. "You should be great full that you have a father like me.

"You mean grandma?" She turned her head back in reply giving her huffing dad a wide grin. "That's it, we are watching twilight tonight" the dad threatened as he marched on ahead of his daughter. "No! Anything but that! I promise I won't call you the G word anymore!" She pleaded chasing after her dad.

"You said I can pick the next movie we watch, so I choose twilight" he said walking into his room and throwing his bags onto his bed, trying his best to hide his giggle. "Now, go back to bed or make some coffee. I'm gonna go take a shower, I smell like an airport mixed with a hint of car freshener".

"Fine" Harlow spoke, leaning at her fathers doorway. "I'll leave you to your emotional reunion with your shower" Turning around to leave, she paused. "I'm happy you're home" she said.

"Me too kiddo." He said before the sound of his door closing.

~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day flew by, as the father and daughter had many things to catch up on. They spent the time watching movies, in which included twilight, and eating lots of junk food. This is what they did every time her father would return home from a excavation. Ever since she was just a little girl, this was their tradition.

Her father is an archeologist, although he is still young, he has made quite a killing in his field. Harlow has always envied her father, she thought so highly of him. Being able to travel around the world and experience many different cultures, it amazed her. She wished she could go with him more on his trips, but she was still in school, and her father wanted her to have stability. So he had her stay in one school, instead of moving around or having to be home schooled.

Her father only wanted the best for her, so she couldn't complain.

The ending credits appeared on the television screen, indicating the end of the 5th movie they watched today. Harlow stretched her body as it has grown stiff from sitting all day. Standing up, she began to grab dishes and garbage from the mess they had made today. Her father also did the same after having a good yawn and stretch.

"So, did you guys find anything intriguing on the trip?" She asked her dad, looking over at him picking up the mess of popcorn they made. Her father froze, dropped the popcorn he was holding, turned his face to her, and let a smirk spread on his face. "Oh did we ever!" He said while grabbing onto his daughters arms, making her plop the dishes onto the couch, and ran with her to his office.

'"I think this is the fastest I've seen you move" she mumbled while trying to keep up with her dad. When they reached the office, his stuff from his excavation was already placed about. Making his already messy office look even more unorganized.

"Look at this" her dad said as he handed her a box. He backed away and admired it before walking over to his desk and taking a seat behind it. "We found it in between Wales and England. It was buried so deep with in the ground, that it took 4 days to dig up. We were supposed to be looking at this ancient village dated to be around 600 years old that was about a mile away from where we found the box. We don't even know why started digging there, it was the craziest thing. It was like everyone on the crew knew that something special lied there and that we had to get our hands on it." Her father said as he leaned his head onto his desk like a child in school

"Except when we finally got it, we couldn't get it open. All the archeologists tried at first, but we got so frustrated that we had every other person on the dig team try as well. Not a single person could open it. Even when we thought we had solved the puzzle on it, it still didn't open. So I took it back home with me to do more research and see what I can do to open it." He huffed out before pulling himself back together. He than began to on about some other thing on his trip and started writing something into some journal, but Harlow didn't listen.

She couldn't get her eyes off the box she held in her hands. It was a dark brown color, still so bright that it looked like it was just made. It reminded her of a jewelry box, with its delicate designs molded into it. Each design seemed to connect together, almost like it was tied around in a circle. It also had a faint red color, barley noticeable to the eye.

The latch that kept the box sealed is what made her tilt her head in thought. It seemed out of place with its harsh edges and strong black color. She couldn't remove her gaze from it. Her mind then fell blank. Time seemed to move slowly as she took a seat and place the box onto her lap. Almost robotically, she stuck her pointer finger directly onto the center of the latch. She couldn't stop herself from touching it. She needed to touch it.

The sensation of something liquid on her finger is was snapped her out of her trance. Removing her finger from the box, she watched as blood dripped from her finger. Such a small cut and so much blood, she thought. She sucked on her finger to try and numb the pain but the stinging kept pulsating through her finger and the blood kept flowing.

Looking back at the box, she felt her mind go blank again. Removing her finger from her mouth, she then placed her bleeding finger the box, and began to trace each and every design. Leaving a trail of red everywhere she touched. She did not know why she was doing this, just that she had to.

Just as she snapped back to reality, the realization of what she had just done hit her like a train. What the fuck, she screamed in her head. Before she could have another thought, the lid to the box flung open with a strong force, causing a bang to ring with in the room.

She jumped from the chair and through the box onto the ground. "What happened?" Her father asked in a worried voice, standing up quickly causing his chair to hit the wall. "Harlow what happened" he said again as a statement this time when he got no reply.

"I-its o-open" she barley mustered through her lips, looking at her father with fear in her eyes. It broke his heart to see his child in so much fear. Her eyes then moved to his wall clock.

7 o'clock

Then he watched as a dark blur emerged from the box, similar to smoke. His body froze, unsure of what to do. His mind couldn't grasp what was happening.

Before he could even blink, he watched as the blur hurled itself onto Harlow, throwing into a wall with such force the ceiling cracked. The blur leaked into his daughters body, turning her skin blue momentarily.

He couldn't feel anything, it was as if his blood left his body. Fear. That's all he could feel.

When the smoke was gone, his daughters body fell to the floor, her face to the ground and hair scattered in a mess. All he could do was think.

Does I call an ambulance? Or maybe an exorcist? Where would I even find an exorcist, or maybe I need to get a monk, do monks even get rid of black blobs? Or maybe it was a mist. Wait was it dirt? Just really dark and scary dirt that made your daughter pass on out on the ground in a very uncomfortable position. How is her body even laying that way-

Pulled away from his mental rant, the sound of a laugh echoed from his daughter. A laugh that he has never heard from her before. The sinister tone of her voice causing his bloodto come back to his body just to run cold.

What the hell, he thought as he watched his daughter pull herself up. Bringing herself to her knees. "Harlow" the father said in a questioning tone. He took a step forward towards her, finally getting sensation back in his body. He reached a hand out as is he was trying to pet a wild dog.

"A-are you okay" he asked, revoking his hand back to his side.

"Better then ever"

Her eyes trailed up her fathers body, until she met his gaze. Her eyes half open as if she was bored. Her distaste grew verdant on her face as she gave the man in front of her a wicked scowl.

She huffed as she placed her small hand on the wall, helping her stand up. Her knees felt week after taking such a dreadful fall.

"Are you this girls father?" She asked as she eyed the room around her, as if this was the first time she has seen it.

"What are you talking about Harlow? Did you hit your head, and why do you sound British?" He replied as he went and touched her head, trying to look for damage. "Get your filthy hands off me!" She yelled, slapping his hand off her body. Her breath grew loud and thick in anger.

"Who are you?" her dad asked, staring at what would appear to be his daughter. Harlow would never hit him, even when they were goofing around. If she ever did accidentally hurt him, guilt would fill her being, apologizing to no end. This was not child he had raised, this was not his daughter.

"I have no time for your asinine questions. With how you are reacting, you must be this child's father. Very well then, give one good look in as is the last time you may see her" she said as she began to walk out of the room.

With out even thinking, her father quickly grabbed the box sitting on the ground, its lid still wide open, and slammed it onto his daughters head. Her body fell straight to the ground, unconscious.

"I'm so sorry kiddo" he said with tears in her eyes. It pained him more then anything, but it was all he could think to do to keep her from leaving, or whatever she is now.