Disclaim: I do not own anything.
"I always wanted to have a daughter. They gave me Melinda. Wyatt was my first born, was the first fruit of our love. I love them so much.
What about your other child?
Who?"
Before those eyes open
1. "You will be punished!"
6:00
"Mom!"
Piper stirred in her warm blanket. For the love of God, it's just 6 in the am in a Sunday's morning. The sun was not ready for a new day, too. She turned off the alarm clock and slowly got out of her bed. Putting on a thin coat, she walked into her children's room.
"Mom!"
"Yes, what's wrong, honey?" Piper opened the door, rubbing her eyes.
The silent room made her start. Wyatt still slept soundly in a position exactly opposite with how she had tucked him in the night before. He still slept soundly in the only bed in the room. She smiled lovingly and pick up the pillow on the floor, put it next to him. Gently closed the door, she walked to her other child's room.
"Mel, you called me?"
She asked quietly. Just like her brother, her youngest child was still sleeping, curling up in her blanket like a cocoon.
`Maybe I need a coffee.`
Piper thought and went down stair. Holding the warm cup, let the fresh smell embrace her mind, Piper sat down next to the window. The scene outside sank in the grey of an early morning in the winter. A boy in his bike rushed before the Manor, threw the newspaper into her grass without taking a glance. Piper took a gulp a coffee, satisfied with the peaceful feeling run down with the warm liquid through her body.
"You will be punished!"
Piper jumped up on her feet. Coffee was shaking in the cup.
The girl stood up so still, like a tree in the path before the Manor. Her black hair flew down like stream around her small body, mixing with the soft pleats on her black long dress. Piper gazed at her, actually she was trapped in those eyes. The Asian woman looked at her with motionless face. Her lips moved a little, mouthing…
A cold wind flew at Piper's back.
"You will be punished!"
"Mom!"
Piper turned around just to see a boy around 8 looking at her with lost eyes.
"Who are you?" She said before she could think clearly.
Suddenly the air around Piper whirled up in a great speed. From the center of that wheel of air, something was gradually formed. And the soft sound of a flute was louder and louder. Finally, before her scared eyes, a giant worm with a big round head and two eyes closed tight, float in the air, piping a flute.
"Demon!" Piper screeched through her teeth and waved her wrist. Nothing happened. But the boy burst into tears.
The melody broke out with the boy's crying.
"You… hate me that much?"
Piper clutched her chest tightly. Thousands of knives cut into her heart.
The demon's big eyes opened a little and drowned Piper into a bottomless well of hurt.
"You never love me?"
BANG!
Broken pieces of the cup and the coffee splashed on the floor. Coffee quickly stained on the rug, painting a strange picture. They spread out like snakes creeping until they touched the boy, they quickly changed into iron chains, pulled him into the wheel of air.
"No, mom. Help me!" He cried harder, rising his hand toward Piper.
She just looked at him, hypnotized by fear, didn't have enough strength to move even one finger.
She fainted.
8:00
"Piper! Honey, it's time to wake up."
She was startled up, bewilderedly looking around. Her husband sat next to her, a little surprised at her sudden move.
"Leo, a demon. There was a demon in the living room. And there was a girl outside looked at me and told me I would be punished." She grabbed his arms and stuttered everything jump out of her mind.
"Wait, wait, honey. How can you know that? You were sleeping all the time. Did you have a nightmare?" Leo tried to calm down his clearly-panic-wife. She pulled her hands into her lap, wrung them nervously.
"No, it's not a nightmare. It's real, very real. You must believe me, Leo."
"Okay, then what did the demon do?" Leo spoke after a while of considering. Piper looked up at him, said truthfully.
"I… I don't know. I don't remember." She changed her gaze to the space behind him.
"But the punishment… oh no, Wyatt! Melinda!" Piper jumped out of her bed, didn't care about her loose night gown, running to her children with Leo was right after her. He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her into a hug.
"Calm down, Piper. Just calm down. They are fine, they are down stair, eating. Nothing happened. You're scaring me."
His soothing words dragged her back to control. She quietly adjusted her breathe. In a while, she just heard her heart jumping in her chest, as loud as they were playing drums in a demonstration.
"I'm sorry. I just don't know what I would do if something happen to them." She whispered.
"It's okay, it's okay. You know I would act the same if I were you." Leo caressed her hair, made her want to go back to sleep again. But because she was already fully awake so a to-do list naturally appeared in her mind.
"I will go downstair and check on the children. Today Wyatt has an extra-class of potion at 9. Can you take him to the magic school? Because I have to take Mel to the dentist. You must have given her too much candy every time she used her puppy eyes trick."
She pulled out and walked back to her room to change clothes.
"Leo!" Didn't hear his respond, Piper poked her head out of the door.
He stood still in the hallway. A strange smile was on his face but never touch his eyes. In a blink, Piper believed that she saw his blue eyes just turn into black… like the girl before the manor.
"You will be punished!"
She back off, hit the door frame. Quickly like it come, it's gone. Leo pouted at her.
"You, too, will fall into her trick. You can't deny those eyes."
Piper gulped dryly. What the hell is going on???