Erik Magnus stormed into the house, with the kids in tow.
"But Daddy, I-"
"That's enough, Wanda!" Erik roared. He turned on the little girl. "Look at you! You're filthy! No children of mine are going to grow up playing in the MUD! Now go change right this instant!"
Wanda's bottom lip quivered and she ran from the room. Pietro stared after her, then looked up at his daddy, a confused scowl on his face.
"You too, Pietro." Erik's voice was hard. "Go wash up. Then come down for lunch. But I want you and your sister spotless, you hear me?"
Without a word, Pietro turned and trudged upstairs.
"Answer me when I ask you a question, son!" Erik barked.
"Yes Daddy," was the tiny reply.
Erik paced furiously around the kitchen. "They'll never amount to anything, those two!" he fumed. "Mud pies!"
There was a loud BANG. Magda, their mother, had slammed the pan down on the stove. She couldn't take this anymore. "Oh for heaven's sake, Erik, they're just CHILDREN!" she hissed, exasperated.
"Oh yes... they're just children," Erik repeated sweetly, heavy sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "When I was a child, I watched my family DIE in Auschwitz, Magda! Pietro and Wanda are living too easily right now! Way too easily! They need to toughen up!"
"THEY'RE FOUR-YEAR-OLDS!!" Magda screamed at him. "What do you expect them to know at this age in their lives about what you're doing?!"
"I won't have you talk to me like that." Erik said quietly.
"Then what makes you think I'll let you talk to the kids like that?"
There was a SLAP and Magda's head snapped around. Peeking through the pantry door, Wanda gave a little cry and a whimper. "Mo-!" Terrified, Pietro quickly clapped a hand over his sister's mouth, muffling the rest.
"Hush up, he'll hear us!" Pietro whispered. Terrified, the two kids sat there, frozen in place as they watched the scene unfolding before them, not daring to say anything. Wanda started trembling violently and gave another involuntary whimper.
"But what about-?"
"Shhh!" The little boy whispered again. "C'mon, we gotta go back upstairs, we're supposed ta be washin' for lunch!"
Wanda glanced one more time at the frightening argument in the kitchen, then nodded. Getting up slowly, the two sneaked their way back upstairs through an alternate staircase connecting the back of the pantry to the upstairs floor. Safely in their room that the twins shared, Wanda sat down on the bed.
"What do you think Daddy was talking about?" she whispered.
"I don't know."
"Pietro?"
"What?"
"Why does Daddy hate me so much?"
Pietro stared at Wanda, not knowing what to say. "He doesn't hate you, Wand," he whispered.
"Yes he does," Wanda sniffed. "I'm always the first to get blamed on! It's always Wanda this, and Wanda that! Why?" she wailed, forgetting that they were supposed to be quiet.
"Shh!.." The little white haired boy tried to comfort his sister as best as he could. "Don't cry, Wand," he pleaded, his own clear blue eyes starting to well up with tears too. "Please don't cry!"
The two sat in an embrace for a long time. Finally, after the tears had dried and the hiccups were gone, Wanda sighed.
"Pietro?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"What?"
"We're always gonna be together right? And best friends for forever and ever and ever."
"Best friends for forever and ever and ever."
"Pinky promise?" Wanda stuck out her pinky.
"Pinky promise."
"But Daddy, I-"
"That's enough, Wanda!" Erik roared. He turned on the little girl. "Look at you! You're filthy! No children of mine are going to grow up playing in the MUD! Now go change right this instant!"
Wanda's bottom lip quivered and she ran from the room. Pietro stared after her, then looked up at his daddy, a confused scowl on his face.
"You too, Pietro." Erik's voice was hard. "Go wash up. Then come down for lunch. But I want you and your sister spotless, you hear me?"
Without a word, Pietro turned and trudged upstairs.
"Answer me when I ask you a question, son!" Erik barked.
"Yes Daddy," was the tiny reply.
Erik paced furiously around the kitchen. "They'll never amount to anything, those two!" he fumed. "Mud pies!"
There was a loud BANG. Magda, their mother, had slammed the pan down on the stove. She couldn't take this anymore. "Oh for heaven's sake, Erik, they're just CHILDREN!" she hissed, exasperated.
"Oh yes... they're just children," Erik repeated sweetly, heavy sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "When I was a child, I watched my family DIE in Auschwitz, Magda! Pietro and Wanda are living too easily right now! Way too easily! They need to toughen up!"
"THEY'RE FOUR-YEAR-OLDS!!" Magda screamed at him. "What do you expect them to know at this age in their lives about what you're doing?!"
"I won't have you talk to me like that." Erik said quietly.
"Then what makes you think I'll let you talk to the kids like that?"
There was a SLAP and Magda's head snapped around. Peeking through the pantry door, Wanda gave a little cry and a whimper. "Mo-!" Terrified, Pietro quickly clapped a hand over his sister's mouth, muffling the rest.
"Hush up, he'll hear us!" Pietro whispered. Terrified, the two kids sat there, frozen in place as they watched the scene unfolding before them, not daring to say anything. Wanda started trembling violently and gave another involuntary whimper.
"But what about-?"
"Shhh!" The little boy whispered again. "C'mon, we gotta go back upstairs, we're supposed ta be washin' for lunch!"
Wanda glanced one more time at the frightening argument in the kitchen, then nodded. Getting up slowly, the two sneaked their way back upstairs through an alternate staircase connecting the back of the pantry to the upstairs floor. Safely in their room that the twins shared, Wanda sat down on the bed.
"What do you think Daddy was talking about?" she whispered.
"I don't know."
"Pietro?"
"What?"
"Why does Daddy hate me so much?"
Pietro stared at Wanda, not knowing what to say. "He doesn't hate you, Wand," he whispered.
"Yes he does," Wanda sniffed. "I'm always the first to get blamed on! It's always Wanda this, and Wanda that! Why?" she wailed, forgetting that they were supposed to be quiet.
"Shh!.." The little white haired boy tried to comfort his sister as best as he could. "Don't cry, Wand," he pleaded, his own clear blue eyes starting to well up with tears too. "Please don't cry!"
The two sat in an embrace for a long time. Finally, after the tears had dried and the hiccups were gone, Wanda sighed.
"Pietro?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"What?"
"We're always gonna be together right? And best friends for forever and ever and ever."
"Best friends for forever and ever and ever."
"Pinky promise?" Wanda stuck out her pinky.
"Pinky promise."
