Author's Note:
This is the first fan fiction I have ever written. Most of the things I have written have been drabbles and other things that have all been original writings. Please, if you can/are willing to, review. I'd really love to develop myself more as a writer.
Take note: I do not own any of the characters in this story besides my original character.
Thanks for reading,
STS
Chapter 1
"ANNA!"
The sound of a child screaming for you is the worst sound to wake up to, even if the child isn't your own. I had been sleeping on the couch, waiting for the parents to come home from their gala, but the sound of Sophie's scream jolted me awake. I fell off the couch, still dazed from sleeping, and quickly ran up the stairs. My heart was pounding in my chest as I flung open the door. I expected to see Sophie in her bed, but she wasn't there. Panicking, I looked around the room to find her on the floor. She was huddled in the corner of the room with her older brother, Jaime. He was pressing Sophie's head into his chest protectively as if he were hiding something from her. I let out a sigh of relief. If they had been missing, I would have been sobbing. There was nothing more terrifying I could imagine as a babysitter.
"Jaime," I asked quickly. "What—?"
"It was Pitch!" Jamie whispered frantically. "The Boogeyman was here! I saw him and so did Sophie!" He pointed under the bed. "He's down there!"
"Oh, sweetheart." I knelt down on the floor next to them both and put my hand on Jaime's shoulder. "The Boogeyman's just an old story that's used to scare people. He's not real. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Sophie pulled herself away from Jaime and latched onto my torso. I could feel my sweatshirt get wet with tears. "But he here! He here under the bed!" She cried.
I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around to face the bed. It was a regular sized bed, but with an oversized comforter. Someone did have the potential to hide under it, but Sophie always hid her toys under his bed. There was no way a person could hide there.
"Let's go check then." I murmured as I walked towards the bed.
"NO!" Sophie and Jamie shrieked simultaneously. I jerked to a stop and turned around. Sophie's lower lip began to tremble which broke my heart. Walking over once again, I sat down on the floor next to them. She scrambled to me once again as I pulled her close.
I rubbed her back as she continued to sob. Shushing her, I told her. "It's alright. I'm here. Nothing's going to hurt you. Not while I'm here." When I looked up at Jamie, he nodded. "I mean that." I told him. "I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."
"Even..." Sophie sniffled. "Even from Pitch?"
I chuckled. "Even from Pitch." I ruffled her blonde curls as she snuggled closer to me. Whoever he is. I thought to myself. "But, we do need to go to bed." I was almost positive that their parents would kill me if their kids were still awake.
"Can…can you tell story? Like make up ones? Not ones we know?" Sophie asked, ever hopeful.
I smiled. "Sure, squirt. Now come on, get in bed. There's nothing to be afraid of!"
The two children looked at each other skeptically before quickly bounding into Jamie's bed. I chuckled and sat on the bedside as they snuggled down into the blankets. When they had finished shuffling, I began.
"Once upon a time…"
It took about a half hour before they both finally nodded off. Success. I thought to myself, smiling. Slowly, I rose from the bed, careful not to jostle the sleeping children. As I maneuvered myself around the darkened room carefully, trying to avoid bumping into anything, I stepped on something sharp. I cried out in pain as I felt a sharp pain in the bottom of my bare foot. As I lifted the bottom of my foot to inspect the minor cut, I noticed a piece of glass where my foot had been. How did this get here? I looked around and finally found the source near the wall. Jamie's nightlight was broken. Somehow, the bulb had exploded. I looked at the broken bulb inquisitively. Was this why they were scared? I thought. Upon further inspection of the socket, I realized that it had been exploded through power surge. It had to of been, otherwise the pieces of glass wouldn't be black. I rubbed my thumb against the glass, hoping to get the soot off. The glass stayed black. There was absolutely no residue on my hand. Perplexed, I rubbed the glass more. Nothing.
Oh well. I thought to myself. It's just a light bulb. I would tell their parents when they got home what happened. The light bulb wasn't too big of a concern.
As I limped out of the room, I felt a slight cold breeze. I turned, but there was nothing there. The window wasn't even open. I shrugged to myself. I need sleep.
Had I believed then, I would have seen two people in the room that night.