Chapter 3 - Taylor's Story
September 25th, 2020 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
"Sorry Taylor," Michelle said regretfully, passing me the basketball. "I shouldn't have made you play on Cecile's team. She was terrible. I guess I'll take her next time."
"That's okay Shelle," I shrugged. "It really doesn't bother me that your team won. It was just a game of basketball. Besides," I said, trying to infuriate her, "Your team had more guys on it than mine did. It's only natural that you should win."
Michelle laughed. "*They* helped me win?? I don't think so. Half of those guys couldn't even get the ball into the hoop."
"Sorry. I guess the winning was all due to you...." I replied, hiding the sarcasm.
"Of course," she agreed, as we turned to walk down Burnt Hill Road. "Pass me the ball," she ordered. I obliged. "You see Tayles," she continued, passing the ball back to me, "If we join forces we could whip their asses."
I passed the ball back to her. "How'd you go in the maths test?" I asked.
Michelle looked smitten. "I got an 86. An *A*. Cool, huh? What about you?"
I blushed, embarrassed. "Ninety-seven..." I said under my breath.
Michelle's face visibly drooped. "Well, you'd better not tell Mom and Dad. I don't want you stealing my thunder."
"You could always tell them about how your team won the basketball match and it was all due to *your* athletic prowess," I suggested. She rolled her eyes. "And they'd just *love* that. We're meant to be at home studying, remember?" She paused. "Move back a little Taylor. We've got to practice long shots." I did as she asked. Michelle lifted her arm and threw the ball - hard. So hard that it went flying through the air, over the fence, into the creepy house.
"Oh shit," she said. I gave her a look. "What are we going to do now???" she moaned.
"Go home," I suggested. "It's just a basketball. We'll ask Mom for a new one."
"No," Michelle replied, shaking her head. "We'll go into the creepy house. It's just house," she said, nodding as if to convince herself. "Nothing can happen. People even live there now."
"They could be psychopaths..." I teased.
"No!" Michelle said sharply. "It's just a house!" She grabbed my hand. "C'mon Taylor, I need moral support."
Michelle dragged me up the garden path towards the door, holding on to my hand tightly. We stood there, staring at the door. "Well," I said.
Michelle jumped. "What?" she asked.
"Are you going to knock?" I asked.
She shrugged. "You can do it. I don't mind," she said quickly. She smiled wickedly. "Unless of course, you're too scared."
I took the solid gold knocker and tapped it against the dark wooden door. "Don't you think it's unusually windy here?" Michelle asked nervously. I shook my head. "Good. I don't either," she added.
The door creaked open to reveal an old lady at the door. She was wearing a long, pink floral dress with a matching cardigan and had long light-gray hair that came down to her waist. When she saw Michelle and I she jumped back, startled. "Oh my goodness!" she said, crossing herself.
Michelle and I looked at each other. "Um, our basketball flew over your fence into your backyard and I was wondering if we could get it," Michelle burbled out.
"Of course dear," the woman said, her face spreading into a smile. She extended her hand. "My name's... Felicia."
"My name's Michelle Manson," Michelle said confidently, shaking Felicia's hand. "This is my brother Taylor..."
"But of course," Felicia said knowingly, shaking my hand. She looked us over. "Come in... You're twins?"
"Uh-huh," Michelle said.
"Come," Felicia said, leading us down the hallway. "You really must meet my husband."
Felicia took us down the hallway, twisting and turning for what seemed like ages before we finally came to the sitting room. The carpet was a deep red and the furnishings were elaborate. It was pretty, but darn creepy. Sitting in the middle of the room, on a rocking chair, was an old man. When he saw Michelle and I he stopped rocking and stared. "It's the little whore," he said, staring at Michelle in horror. "She's back. Haven't you done enough harm to this family already???" Felicia laughed nervously. "This is my husband... Skylar," she said.
"That's a weird name," Michelle commented.
"Our parents were hippies," Felicia replied. "Skylar dear," she continued gently, "Relax. It isn't the little whore. This is Michelle and Taylor. They're two local children who live on..."
"Stoneybrook Crescent," I volunteered quickly, feeling as though I should say something.
Skylar's face broke into a smile in the same way Felicia's had. He stood up from his chair and walked towards us, taking my sister and I in. "They're...."
"Fabulously pretty, aren't they?" Felicia said excitedly, clapping her hands together.
Skylar touched Michelle's long blonde hair. "There's - nothing wrong with them.... You don't think?"
Felicia nodded. "What's your Mommy's name, dear?" she asked Michelle.
"Can we get our basketball?" I asked nervously.
"What's your mother's name?" Skylar asked, more sternly.
"Why? Do you know her?" Michelle retorted.
"You just remind me of... a girl I used to know," Felicia said softly to Michelle, at the same time running her hands down my back.
"Michaela," I said, wanting her to stop.
A look of recognition crossed of their eyes as the locked together. "No," Felicia said softly. "No, that wasn't who I was thinking of at all." She composed herself and was suddenly all smiles. "Sorry dear. Would you like a cookie?"
"Sure!" Michelle said eagerly.
I gave her a look. "We'd like our ball back," I said firmly.
"Of course," Skylar said. "Felicia, would you go fetch it?"
Felicia scurried off to collect our basketball. Skylar looked at us and smiled, but didn't say a thing. Michelle and I just stood there nervously, waiting for Felicia to return. The house seemed even creepier now. The way they'd been touching Michelle and I, like we were pretty little pieces of meat - it was weird. I wouldn't have been surprised if Felicia had returned with a cauldron and recipe for 'fillet children'.
But she didn't return with the recipe *or* the cauldron. Only our basketball, which we accepted eagerly and began to make our way out of the house.
As Felicia sent us out the door she took my hand and smiled. "It was lovely to see you, Taylor. Do come again."
I nodded nervously and scurried out the door. When Michelle and I were a safe distance away from the house we looked at each other with wide eyes. "That was so... creepy!" she said. "The way they wanted to know all about Mom and the way they were touching us!" She shuddered. "What do you think we should tell Mom and Dad?"
"Nothing!" I replied quickly. "Nothing at all. They'd kill us if they knew we'd gone into the house of a stranger so carelessly."
Michelle nodded. "And such *weird* strangers too..."
September 25th, 2020 - Tulsa, Oklahoma
"Sorry Taylor," Michelle said regretfully, passing me the basketball. "I shouldn't have made you play on Cecile's team. She was terrible. I guess I'll take her next time."
"That's okay Shelle," I shrugged. "It really doesn't bother me that your team won. It was just a game of basketball. Besides," I said, trying to infuriate her, "Your team had more guys on it than mine did. It's only natural that you should win."
Michelle laughed. "*They* helped me win?? I don't think so. Half of those guys couldn't even get the ball into the hoop."
"Sorry. I guess the winning was all due to you...." I replied, hiding the sarcasm.
"Of course," she agreed, as we turned to walk down Burnt Hill Road. "Pass me the ball," she ordered. I obliged. "You see Tayles," she continued, passing the ball back to me, "If we join forces we could whip their asses."
I passed the ball back to her. "How'd you go in the maths test?" I asked.
Michelle looked smitten. "I got an 86. An *A*. Cool, huh? What about you?"
I blushed, embarrassed. "Ninety-seven..." I said under my breath.
Michelle's face visibly drooped. "Well, you'd better not tell Mom and Dad. I don't want you stealing my thunder."
"You could always tell them about how your team won the basketball match and it was all due to *your* athletic prowess," I suggested. She rolled her eyes. "And they'd just *love* that. We're meant to be at home studying, remember?" She paused. "Move back a little Taylor. We've got to practice long shots." I did as she asked. Michelle lifted her arm and threw the ball - hard. So hard that it went flying through the air, over the fence, into the creepy house.
"Oh shit," she said. I gave her a look. "What are we going to do now???" she moaned.
"Go home," I suggested. "It's just a basketball. We'll ask Mom for a new one."
"No," Michelle replied, shaking her head. "We'll go into the creepy house. It's just house," she said, nodding as if to convince herself. "Nothing can happen. People even live there now."
"They could be psychopaths..." I teased.
"No!" Michelle said sharply. "It's just a house!" She grabbed my hand. "C'mon Taylor, I need moral support."
Michelle dragged me up the garden path towards the door, holding on to my hand tightly. We stood there, staring at the door. "Well," I said.
Michelle jumped. "What?" she asked.
"Are you going to knock?" I asked.
She shrugged. "You can do it. I don't mind," she said quickly. She smiled wickedly. "Unless of course, you're too scared."
I took the solid gold knocker and tapped it against the dark wooden door. "Don't you think it's unusually windy here?" Michelle asked nervously. I shook my head. "Good. I don't either," she added.
The door creaked open to reveal an old lady at the door. She was wearing a long, pink floral dress with a matching cardigan and had long light-gray hair that came down to her waist. When she saw Michelle and I she jumped back, startled. "Oh my goodness!" she said, crossing herself.
Michelle and I looked at each other. "Um, our basketball flew over your fence into your backyard and I was wondering if we could get it," Michelle burbled out.
"Of course dear," the woman said, her face spreading into a smile. She extended her hand. "My name's... Felicia."
"My name's Michelle Manson," Michelle said confidently, shaking Felicia's hand. "This is my brother Taylor..."
"But of course," Felicia said knowingly, shaking my hand. She looked us over. "Come in... You're twins?"
"Uh-huh," Michelle said.
"Come," Felicia said, leading us down the hallway. "You really must meet my husband."
Felicia took us down the hallway, twisting and turning for what seemed like ages before we finally came to the sitting room. The carpet was a deep red and the furnishings were elaborate. It was pretty, but darn creepy. Sitting in the middle of the room, on a rocking chair, was an old man. When he saw Michelle and I he stopped rocking and stared. "It's the little whore," he said, staring at Michelle in horror. "She's back. Haven't you done enough harm to this family already???" Felicia laughed nervously. "This is my husband... Skylar," she said.
"That's a weird name," Michelle commented.
"Our parents were hippies," Felicia replied. "Skylar dear," she continued gently, "Relax. It isn't the little whore. This is Michelle and Taylor. They're two local children who live on..."
"Stoneybrook Crescent," I volunteered quickly, feeling as though I should say something.
Skylar's face broke into a smile in the same way Felicia's had. He stood up from his chair and walked towards us, taking my sister and I in. "They're...."
"Fabulously pretty, aren't they?" Felicia said excitedly, clapping her hands together.
Skylar touched Michelle's long blonde hair. "There's - nothing wrong with them.... You don't think?"
Felicia nodded. "What's your Mommy's name, dear?" she asked Michelle.
"Can we get our basketball?" I asked nervously.
"What's your mother's name?" Skylar asked, more sternly.
"Why? Do you know her?" Michelle retorted.
"You just remind me of... a girl I used to know," Felicia said softly to Michelle, at the same time running her hands down my back.
"Michaela," I said, wanting her to stop.
A look of recognition crossed of their eyes as the locked together. "No," Felicia said softly. "No, that wasn't who I was thinking of at all." She composed herself and was suddenly all smiles. "Sorry dear. Would you like a cookie?"
"Sure!" Michelle said eagerly.
I gave her a look. "We'd like our ball back," I said firmly.
"Of course," Skylar said. "Felicia, would you go fetch it?"
Felicia scurried off to collect our basketball. Skylar looked at us and smiled, but didn't say a thing. Michelle and I just stood there nervously, waiting for Felicia to return. The house seemed even creepier now. The way they'd been touching Michelle and I, like we were pretty little pieces of meat - it was weird. I wouldn't have been surprised if Felicia had returned with a cauldron and recipe for 'fillet children'.
But she didn't return with the recipe *or* the cauldron. Only our basketball, which we accepted eagerly and began to make our way out of the house.
As Felicia sent us out the door she took my hand and smiled. "It was lovely to see you, Taylor. Do come again."
I nodded nervously and scurried out the door. When Michelle and I were a safe distance away from the house we looked at each other with wide eyes. "That was so... creepy!" she said. "The way they wanted to know all about Mom and the way they were touching us!" She shuddered. "What do you think we should tell Mom and Dad?"
"Nothing!" I replied quickly. "Nothing at all. They'd kill us if they knew we'd gone into the house of a stranger so carelessly."
Michelle nodded. "And such *weird* strangers too..."
