THIS STORY HAS BEEN BASTARDIZED! Please check my Profile for the place where you can find the actual story since I highly believe that fanfiction dot net is worth anything anymore. YOu can thank Lost in a World of Idiots and CatsPats31 for being self mongering vigilante trash 3
Chapter 1
It was windy and cold. The car rocked and tilted on its wheels as I took a left towards a house that I did not want to enter again. Some newscaster on the radio talked of the up-coming storm like he wasn't being affected by it too, cracking jokes and laughing as the words "So don't forget those flippers at home." spilled over his lips, the laugh fake and wrong. With a groan I turned off the radio, the click bringing with it the silence, cut by the lashing of the rain against the windowsill.
Turning my face shortly to the passenger seat, my eyes landed on the brightly colored clown doll. Something that my little sister had always enjoyed, even if the mere sight of clowns struck deep unnerving feelings into the pit of my stomach. Returning my gaze quickly to the street, windshield being blasted with rain pellets, I gulped at the sight of the large house I'm quickly approaching.
Pressing on the break I gently pulled into the driveway, tires kicking up the gravel as I park alongside my mothers own car, a blue Toyota I used to name "Sofie" when I was younger. Amazing to think this rusty car still worked, even though my family didn't use it as often anymore, relying mainly on the silver Mercedes inside the garage.
A small face appeared in the window of the living room, facing the entry way, the curls on the young girls head bouncing in excitement as I slammed the driver door shut. My little sister, you see, was a very lively young thing, even though she was very lonely in school. She reminded me sometimes of a Golden Retriever, since anytime I came back from the bakery, sometimes covered in flour, usually carrying cupcakes or cookies, she would dash towards the door and wait, bouncing on her feet, for me to get into the house.
Like I predicted the door of the home opened and I quickly grabbed the bag with the cupcakes, along with the really unnerving clown doll, and ushered her back in. My sneakers squeaked on the immaculate wooden tiles, while my sisters little socked feet padded into the kitchen. I looked around, head tilted slightly, searching for any sound from the house. Nothing.
"Hey Amanda, where's Ma and Father?" I questioned, setting the cupcakes on the countertop, while Amanda took the milk from the fridge. Two cups stood on the counter waiting for our little ritual.
"Uh, Ma had to go to the doctors, uh... Father took Ma in the car. They said they wouldn't be long and to not wait up for them, so... Here-" she handed me milk, looking expectantly at the caramel cupcakes. I chuckled, placing the box on the table.
"Just one, ok? You can have more after dinner." I admonished just in time, since she'd already placed a second cupcake on her plate and was just about to bite into it. She groaned but returned the second one to the box while I poured the milk for the both of us.
Leaving to retrieve the clown from near the door, where I had unceremoniously ditched it, I looked outside at the garden. M always took such good care of it, the roses in full bloom, the grass immaculate. With both my parents in a well paying job, it was enough to keep us all... well... financially stable. I sighed, then returned to the kitchen, doll in hand.
"Amanda?" I called, as she wiped the milk from her upper lip and looked up, her young eyes, now at around nine years of age, looking up at me with interest.
"Here, you silly dingus." I laughed, throwing the doll to her. The dolls red hair just barely missed the cup as she caught it, staring at the doll with wide eyes. Then she started to shiver, and I frowned, quickly crossing the room to kneel by her side as she shook, eyes glued on the doll.
"Namette I... I don't like clowns, they... they're scary." she mumbled, eyes tearing up a little as she handed me the doll back. I frowned. I'd only been gone for 2 days, on a seminar to see if I wanted to return to university or not, and she'd gone from loving clown to being afraid of them?
"Amanda... is everything ok? You used to love clowns. You even have another few clown dolls upstairs. Bobo, remember? And Figgy?" I asked, pulling her hands into mine after I'd placed the clown doll down.
"I... yes but... Jack is mean. He kept saying you wouldn't come back, that you didn't like me, that I was lonely... and then Father kept saying Jack wasn't real, that I was imagining, to grow up, and then Ma... and then... Ma got sick... and Jack kept repeating Ma would die, Father would go crazy, that he'd be my only friend, I'd always be lonely otherwise. But I'm not big sis! I don't want to play with Jack! And you came back! I knew you'd come back!" she cried, finally throwing herself into my arms, crying. I'd question her about Jack later.
"W-was it that bad, Mandy? Was father at it again?" I asked, leaning against the counter and settling her in my lap as she cried. She hiccupped, nodding, burrowing her head in my neck. It wasn't easy for her ever since I'd gotten a job and spent most of the day at the Bakery. While she spent a lot of time at school, she still came home earlier than I did, and would have to deal with Father and his... specific moods. I knew how he would be, years upon years of him yelling at me, calling me worthless and a waste of space, sometimes grabbing the belt and- No, no point in going the now, Namette. I sighed, shaking the memories out of my head as I hugged her trembling form.
"It's ok, lil sis, I'm here now. And he won't do anything anymore... DO you want to see picture of the house we'll be buying?" I asked, pulling out the phone, hoping to lighten her mood. She nodded, pulling back to look at the small phone in my hand. I showed her pictures of the small apartment I'd be buying as soon as I had saved enough for it... for the both of us. She squealed a little as I showed her the room where we would be sleeping. Explained that we would paint the ceiling blue and a wall yellow, that we would get pink beds and yellow lamps (not that we were really, but she enjoyed the idea of a very colorful room, so I let her speak what she wanted and agreed only too gladly), and that we would wake up in the morning with the windows open and spend all day painting and drawing. It was a nice and light idea, and she was soon laughing and happily clapping her hands at the ideas we'd throw at each other.
"Just a few more months." I promised her... she smiled and hugged me.
I finally stood up, stretching my legs and walking in place to get rid of the pins and needles I was feeling, before grabbing the doll.
"I'm just going to take this out to the car ok? Do you still have your clown dolls in your room?"
She shook her head, before looking at her feet.
"I, uh... threw them away... and b-burned them." I bit back the gasp. She would never lie to me, she was my world and I was hers, we had to be there for each other through all the... stuff... that we had to deal with, so I knew she really had. I sighed, before gathering her in my arms and hugging her tightly. She was shaking, as if she'd done something wrong.
"It's ok, lil banana, it's ok. I'm not mad, ok? If you felt it needed to be burnt, it probably had to be. But next time, ask Ma to burn it... or wait for me and I'll do it for you ok? It's not safe." I said, kissing the top of her head as I straightened. I glanced at the window, more to determine the time than anything else but did a double take as I glimpsed something in the back garden... Tall and black and white. It was gone when I went to look again, and with a frown I approached the window. Nothing, the night breaking in had probably played with my mind.
As Amanda settled onto the couch with a cupcake I'd pretended I hadn't seen, I quickly returned the clown to the car. I'd return it to the shop tomorrow first thing in the morning, before the bakery actually needed me.
Looking up the street I groaned before returning back to the house. I just hoped Ma was fine. She'd call me if anything serious had happened.
Welcome home Namette.
