Once upon a time- well really, not that long ago- in the thriving metropolis of Fort Frances, Ontario, there dwelt a small family of three. Really, there were four people in the family, but neither of the teens liked their step-dad, so he didn't count.
They lived in the tiniest house on Sixth Street; it was so small the twins rarely ever stayed there. They were always out and about, but only with themselves, never with friends. They never had the money to buy what was "in", so they never fit into any particular clique.
Living with just their mom had been good for all of them; she was fun, and tried hard to keep them together with all they needed to survive. She took them on outings, played games late into the night and did her best to be a good mom. One day, she felt as though she wasn't doing enough; her children needed a father figure, and so she went out looking. It took a while, but she eventually found someone she got along with very well, and when she took him home to meet the twins, they seemed to get along as well. Their relationship progressed, and one day, he proposed. Dreaming of happily ever after, she said yes.
Not even two weeks after the honeymoon, things went sour. It turned out that mom's new husband was lazy and self absorbed, as well as abusive. He used all of his money on alcohol, and complained when new shoes were needed, or clothes, saying that the kids were a waste of money.
He pushed the kids into staying out later and later; they went to the library to do homework and the rest of the time they wandered around until late, sneaking in at 2 or 3 in the morning, then getting up at 7 to go to school.
One night, they came home to find out that their keys no longer worked in the locks; the windows were sealed shut and even the beat up old Chevy was locked, not that it mattered; it was difficult to open the doors anyway. Neither knew what to do; it wasn't as though they had any friends to go to, or even relatives. They were on their own, whether they wanted to be or not.
With nothing better to do, they wandered the streets, lamplights illuminating the way. The twins didn't know where they were going, or what they were going to do once they got there, but they figured they may as well find out just what was in store for them.
"George, we've been wandering Fort for three days now. We've slept in sheds, and ate very little. It's getting colder, and days are getting shorter. We can't go on like this- what are we going to do?" Heidi stared at her brother with eyes almost the colour of celery, tears filling them.
"I don't kn-" George was cut off by a lilting voice; a young woman with starling blue eyes and ebony black hair was trying to get their attention.
"I've heard ye talkin' about no' havin' a place live." She waited for agreement. With the synchronized bob's of two heads, she went on. "I've a place over on Nelson- I let it out to those who've nowhere to turn. Yer welcome to it, for as long as ye need. All I ask is ye keep it tidy, and no wild to-do's. If ye like, we can go an' have a look-see."
She turned and walked away, knowing that the twins would follow. For three blocks they were silent, and suddenly she stopped, and said "this is the place. In ye go. Go on now."
She ushered the twins in, whose concerns faded away in the warmth, and then they saw a few of the wonders the house held.
Around a partition, a giant flat-screened T.V was surrounded by all the game systems and home theatre devices they could imagine. Speakers were spread out through the room, and along the far wall, three new looking computers hummed.
"Woah." Both Heidi and George let out a sigh of wonder at the same time. The dark haired stranger laughed.
"'Tis somethin', isn't it? I've me own place outside of Fort, so I use this as a place for teens who have nowhere. Let's go get something hot to chat over. Do you prefer tea or hot cocoa? Hot cocoa it is."
She led them into a brightly lit kitchen, gestured for them to sit down. She set about mixing the drinks, and then popped them in the microwave to heat up. When they were done, she brought them over to the table and sat.
"Well, now. I'm Mary-Brenna O'toole. I've been in Fort for two years, and I got this cottage from me gran. Seein' as how I liked me place, I decided to open it up and let it out. Drink up, the two of ye, then we'll get ye into bed." While they drank, Mary passed around three funky looking pictures- little tiny things that had bright depictions on them.
"I did these meself; it's somethin' of a hobby. They keep me goin', givin' me a shot of pure energy. It's amazing how they give me a boost." She passed the minature drawing around to them, smiling at their delight with the pictures. She put them away, and told them stories of Ireland when she was a "wee lass".
When the twins stood up from the table, they felt a bit light dizzy. They figured it was cause they were tired, and so they followed Mary-Brenna's directions up to their room. When they opened the door, they almost fell over from the assault on their senses.
For Heidi, the entire universe became wibbly, each colour so bright and intense it hurt her eyes, but she couldn't look away. The pillow on the bed became a talking marshmallow, and everything was distorted. She had a super heightened sense of hearing, and could hear little mice padding through the walls.
George screamed at one of the walls, telling it to "back the hell up… get out of my space!" and then proceeded to become best friends with it. The walls were swirling with colour, teasing him and wanting him to climb them, which he tried, but couldn't do. The walls taunted him, frustrating him.
Neither twin went to sleep that night, and neither could tell you what they'd been doing. All they knew what that they had snapped out of whatever trance they were in and had these weird flashbacks that had no explanation.
Time went by, and more and more the twins found themselves blanking out. The next time Mary-Brenna came by, they talked to her about the black-outs. She listened carefully and then gave them suggestions.
"Ye know, what ye could do is research online about these blackouts… describe effects and after effects, symptoms, whatever. Ye should get something that fits what yer describin'." The twins followed her advice, and when she came back the next day, they told her what they'd found.
"Acid. Me and Heidi have been on acid trips. Everything fits! The blackouts, flashbacks, odd feelings that the walls are talking. I don't know, it seems the only logical answer." George handed Mary-Brenna all the information they had printed. She barely look at it and tsked.
"Aye. They were, as ye said, "acid trips", but I needed some way to indebt ye to me. And so I drugged ye. I'll not be tellin' ye how, but aye, t'was me. And now yer knowin' this, so I'll be expecting something in return." Mary-Brenna's sweet persona was still in the foreground, but there was malice laced in with the sugar.
"Ye live here, and I expect that's not goin' to change, seen' as how you've nowhere else to go. So here's what I'm proposing."
The plan she laid out did not sound like a proposal; if anything, they sounded like commands. Heidi grew more and more disgusted with them for falling into her trap, and George was horrified with her plans for him, yet both bodies craved the high. Mary-Brenna finished with a threat, leaving the twins with no choice and even fewer options. By this time, they needed their fix, and with the threat of eng cut off, they would do almost anything.
George eventually became the best known dealer in Fort Frances, pushing all the drugs Mary-Brenna wanted him to. In return, he got a fix every night, and a place to stay. The Things George did to people who owed him were not pretty, nor was he proud of them. Yet he did them anyway.
Heidi stayed at the house, learning to create the intricate little stamps Mary-Brenna used to lure in customers. She did basic chores as well, and also learnt how to process some of the plants that came through. She had managed to fight her addictions to LSD and knew enough about a trip to fake it, and the after symptoms. She slowly gathered her wits, and planned to save both her and her brother from the lifestyle she had seen so many fall into.
She worried about her brother though; he was becoming more and more dependent on acid. He couldn't go longer than 14 hours without a trip. She knew that if she didn't get him into rehab soon, he was gong to die an early death, addicted to demons worse than what they had faced in their earlier life.
One day, months after their first meeting with Mary-Brenna, Heidi was in the kitchen, boiling a pot on the stove. The pot gave off the pungent odour of kerosene, and the fumes were making Heidi light headed.
In walked Mary, with yet another new demand. She had carried in with her a large box, mostly filled with stuffing. She dug around and pulled out a partially-filled syringe.
"Now, here's how this is goin' to work. Ye are goin' to "accidentally" stick one of our customers with this syringe, with out letting them know ye are doin' it. Hopefully, we can get 'em back here fer even more."
Heidi couldn't take it anymore.
"That's enough. As of now, I quit. I'm not doing you r dirty work anymore, and I am not letting George either. I don't care what you think we owe you, it's not happening. This is it."
The look on Mary-Brenna's face as she advanced towards Heidi was horrible. Her once beautiful features were twisted in anger, making her look demonic and possessed. She had a scowl on her lips, and her teeth were kind of bared, the saliva sputtering out of her mouth as she growled at Heidi.
"That's NOT the way things work here-You'll do as you're told, no more no less- I've done so much for you and your brother, and this is how you repay me?" The lilting Irish accent was gone, replaced with a low, harsh growl.
Not thinking about what she was about to do, Heidi grabbed the syringe out of the monsters hand. She could not think of her as Mary any more; this thing in front of her was more witch-like then anything. Praying for courage and forgiveness, she reached out and jammed it into the Mary-creature's chest, where the heart is. Pushing the plunger, she injected all of what was in the syringe into the heart, and watched as Mary's eyes glazed. The shell of a woman fell to the floor, convulsing, going into shock, shutting down. The needle stayed lodged in her chest, and when the body was finally still, that was all Heidi could take.
She broke down.
George came home, strung out from his work that day. He saw Mary-Brenna on the kitchen floor, still as death, and he heard his sister sobbing in the recesses of the house. Nothing really registered on his mind, until he walked into the bedroom and saw his sister sobbing into her knees on the floor. Then he started to wonder what was wrong.
He was mad as Heidi started telling her story. He grew even more upset the more she talked, especially since she was sobbing, and that grated on his nerves. But by the end of her story, he kind of understood where she was coming from. He didn't understand what exactly had been happening; after all, he had mostly been high the entire time they lived in the house.
George's mind was still messed up; he would be for the rest of his life. But he knew Heidi had a point; he had to quit. As much as the thought appealed to him, he knew it was NOT going to be easy.
But over the next years or so, Heidi helped him to the best of her capabilities. Their mom realised just what kind of man her husband was, and finally got rid of him. Because she was finally rid of all that stress, she was able to get he life together, find a better job and eventually move in to a slightly bigger house, with more amenities. The twins moved back in with her, and their lives were much better. George went to rehab, and while he still has a hard time fighting his cravings, he is doing much better.
The only thing that never changed was the way the twins were treated by their peers. And they accepted it.
After all, nothing ever turned out like in fairy tales.