Ellie kept going near the windows to look out, and I kept pulling him away. Eventually, due to him not listening, I kept hold of his arm, and forced him to follow me around.

"Hold this." I handed him a blanket, and grabbed another one.

"What is this?" He asked, I assumed he meant what we were doing.

"We are going to stay in the basement tonight." I said and ran into my father's room, where I grabbed a candle and matchsticks from his desk.

"Why?"

"Because." I stated, and practically dragged him beside me down the stairs, "Staying near windows during a storm is a stupid thing to do. The wind is awful out there and it's only going to get worse. It's not safe."

"Not safe." He repeated, and I opened the basement door.

"Ladies first." I said, as I beckoned him to go down. He only stood there, not understand my joke. I rolled my eyes, forgetting that he didn't realize mockery, and walked down the stairs. I lit a candle, which permitted only a faint light in the corner of the room that we were in.

It was good enough.

I spread two blankets on the floor, and scrounged around the basement (which was half shadowed in the dark) for a flashlight. No such luck.

I was about to ask Ellie to help me search when a loud gush of wind hit against the windows upstairs, which rattled them so loud, I felt as though the entire house shook.

Ellie stared at the ceiling, as if not comprehending what the noise was.

"We are not going upstairs." I confirmed, though he probably already knew that.

"It's not safe." He stated, repeating my caution from earlier.

"Yes, very." Honestly, I didn't know how bad the storm was going to be, but if the electricity went out before it even started, then it must be somewhat bad.

Giving up on the hope of a flashlight, I sat down on the blanket. Ellie sat farther away, against the wall, closer to the stairs. "You know," I said softly, "You can sit next to me."

I noticed his gaze flicker to the cell in the back of the room, despite it being in the dark, the candle light shone on the metal making it barely visible. "I don't like this." Was all he said, and suddenly, I felt bad.

The thought of Ellie being nervous about going in the basement hadn't even crossed my mind. Of course he'd hate it down here, I nearly starved him to death in the cell.

I shivered at the thought.

I got up and moved the blankets over to where he was sitting. I then sat beside him, so close that our arms were touching. We both sat against the concrete wall with nothing to stare at but the flickering candle in front of us.

We could hear the wind upstairs rattling the windows, and the rain beating the side of the house. The thunder was getting louder and more frequent each minute. I pulled a blank over the both of us, I'm not sure if he even needed warmth, but it was a comfort gesture more than anything.

I began wondering what we could do to pass the time. I glanced at Ellie, and his focus was on the tiny flame in front of us. He didn't say a word.

"Why are you always so quiet?" I asked him, wondering if it's because he hates talking, or genuinely has nothing to say.

I always thought I was the introvert in the house, but Ellie has beaten me for the title by a landslide.

He looked at me, "Quiet?"

"You rarely talk."

"You want me to talk?"

"It'd be nice to hear you speak more."

"Speak more."

I couldn't help but grin, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Copy what I say."

"I copy you?"

I shook my head, "Nevermind."

"Nevermind." He repeated, and we glanced at each other. He knew exactly what I was talking about, but I didn't say anything more about it.

I found myself getting incredibly anxious, and had not an idea why. Being so close to him normally was comforting, but not this time.

I leaned my head back onto the wall, which wasn't very comfortable either, "Hey Ellie?"

He copied my move and leaned his head back as well. "Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes."

I slowly turned to him, the question seemed to come out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Why do you stay here?"

His face, covered slightly by a dark shadow, was still visible enough to display a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we both know you can leave." Might as well just get that fact out there, "So why do you stay? Are you afraid of being out there alone? Or is it because you want to stay here?" Are you afraid of leaving me? I wanted to ask him, but kept that question to myself.

He blinked at me a couple times, before turning his head away, and returning his gaze to the lit candle. "Why do you stay here?" He asked me, after a long moment of silence.

I shrugged, "I've nowhere else to go."

"I've nowhere else to go." He repeated me, and I found myself get a bit annoyed.

"That's not your answer." I argued, "That's mine. Why is it that you really stay here?"

There was a loud thunder that exploded outside, which made us both tense up from shock. Ellie glanced up at the stairs, and after a while, he relaxed again, and so did I.

"I stay here." He began, as he picked up the candle and held it in his hands, "Because you told me to."

I rose my eyebrows in surprise, "You stay here because of what I said?"

"Rule number one." He confirmed, "Don't go outside."

I lost count of all the times I reminded him of that rule. I'd say it without even thinking about the fact that I was saying it. I must have repeated it at least fifty times a day, because I was so terrified he'd gain confidence and leave.

I nodded my head, "That's a good answer. I'll take it."

There was a long silence between the both of us. I was thinking about Ellie's reply, when it was his turn to speak.

"Ripley." He said.

"Yes?" I replied, still not used to him saying my name.

"I want to ask you a question."

"Okay, ask me the question."

He put down the candle, and shifted his entire body to face me. "You wanted me dead." He said it so emotionless, "Why did you want me dead?"

Silence.

No amount of preparation would have made me ready to answer such a question. What am I even supposed to say to something like that? "I," I pause, trying to answer this as carefully as possible, "I never wanted you dead. I mean, I thought about it but I never wanted it. Really," I say taking a breath, "You scared me."

He just stared at me.

"You scared me really bad. I thought you were a monster." I went on, "I guess that's why I considered it."

"That is murder." He looked at his hands, "You said that killing people is wrong."

I caught the words "Well I didn't think you were human then." before they slipped out, and replaced them with, "It's not murder if I didn't do it."

"You thought about it, that's not wrong?"

I scratched my head, "It is wrong, but not the type of wrong that committing the act is."

He seemed just as confused as I was.

"The concept of morals is very difficult to understand." I explained, "But eventually, you'll get it."

We hadn't said a word to each other after that for nearly an hour. I laid there, my head on my pillow, as Ellie laid beside me. He had his back turned to me, and for a moment he was so still, I thought he had fallen asleep.

It wasn't until I began to doze off myself that Ellie spoke up.

"Ripley?"

I stifle a yawn, "Yes, Ellie?"

"I have never thought about killing you."