Pepper woke up with her throat all scratchy and dry. "Water…" she whispered, barely louder than a sigh. Her pacifier had slipped out and was dangling on its little strap against her chest like a sleepy pendant. She rubbed one eye, blinked the other, and slid off the big bed without waking Daddy or Scorpion. They were out cold tonight . The heavy kind of sleep that came after too many bad days.
Her tiny feet hit the cold floor and she shivered, but she kept going, waddling toward the door on tiptoes. She pushed it open with both hands, real slow so it wouldn't creak too loud. Down the hall she could hear tiny noises coming from Pryde and Beaver's room ... soft little moans and giggles, the kind that made her scrunch her nose and decide nope, she was not knocking on that door. Grown-ups needed their private time. She could get her own water.
Moonlight cut the hallway in half, silver on one side, spooky black on the other. She turned into the dark part and stopped dead.
