David trailed down the stairs towards the living room to meet with the Collins. Janet's words rang in his head as he did.
''But you're a boy and he's a boy, and since I'm a girl and Brenda's a girl, shouldn't I be the one to occupy her?"
Honestly, he truly wished that Janet was the one to occupy Brenda. Then he wouldn't have to spend the afternoon having to entertain that bimbo.
But for some reason, he felt responsible for his sister. He didn't want the likes of Brenda being with Janet or Sam and filling either up with her crap. Janet was much too young for that and Sam may have been acting like a douche, but he was still injured and didn't need any other problems for today.
The moment he was down the stairs, he saw them. There was Brenda Collins with her despicable innocent smile, her despicable messy long hair, and her despicable dirty clothes. And standing next to her were her parents, Bob and Mary.
Bob was short and chubby with fair skin, light blonde hair and green eyes, and he wore striped business clothes with a long red necktie. Mary was rather short as well but was still a head taller than her husband, and had peach skin and dirty dark brown hair and hazel eyes and wore a trench coat. It was clear to see which parent Brenda got her looks from.
"Ugh, this place smells worse than my garbage bin," Mary said, holding her nose in disgust. It was also clear to see where Brenda got her attitude from, it appears.
"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Collins," Mrs. Barret greeted. "Yeah, yeah, just get us some rice and chicken and a place to sit," Mary said snobbishly and shoved past David's parents.
"Oh, and have your son direct little Brenda to his room so they can have they're little play date," Bob instructed and followed Mary to the kitchen.
David's parents simultaneously groaned. "Okay, David, do as the Collins say," Mrs. Barret said.
"Yippee!" Brenda shouted and wrapped her arms around David's neck, hugging him tightly. "We're going to have so much fun, Mrs. Barret," She said. David just groaned. He knew Brenda was just feigning innocence to remain on his parents good side.
"Okay, well you two have fun," Mrs. Barret said, sporting a fake smile. As David and Brenda sprinted upstairs, she then added, "While we have to spend the afternoon with those lowlifes."
"So, Davy Jones, where's your kid sister?" Brenda asked David the moment they were upstairs. "I have no idea what you're talking about," David lied.
"You know, Little Jane," Brenda replied. David rolled his eyes. He hated Brenda's knack for nicknaming people. It got so repetitive.
"Little Jane walked across the lane," David responded sarcastically. "Like where you should go."
Brenda laughed a bit and then shoved David into his room. "So you seriously don't believe in them?" She asked, changing the subject. "What are you talking about?" David asked.
"You know, mirror people," Brenda said. David's eye twitched rapidly and he gritted his teeth. "Oh, for the love of…they don't exist!" David shouted. "I'm fed up with this! My whole life is getting turned upside down because of this whole mirror people fiasco!"
"Oh, but they are real," Brenda said. "Everyone knows they're real except for you and possibly Little Jane, who I need to have a word with."
"You will not have any word with Janet and fill her up with your insane hypothesises!" David screamed. "Janet is going to grow up, and she is going to grow up as healthy woman without you being around to trouble her. Am I clear?!"
"Hey, what's going on up there?" The two heard Mr. Barret shout from downstairs. "Uh, nothing dad," David fibbed.
Brenda patted David on the head. "Oh, poor Davy," She mocked. "You act all high and mighty and in control but in the end, you just do what mommy and daddy wants."
David inhaled deeply as he struggled to keep from strangling her. "Ugh, I hope Janet's having a better afternoon than me," He said.
…..
"I'm just saying, boy, you could use a few friends," Janet pleaded to the recently awakened Sam. Sam responded by huffing and tracing around the room, agitated.
"So, Sam, that is what David said your name was, right?" Janet asked. Sam reluctantly nodded. "How did he know what my name is?" He asked.
"Word gets around," Janet suggested. Sam stared at her, and his eyebrow furrowed, and he continued tracing around the room.
Janet's pigtails drooped a bit at Sam's lack of response. Sitting on the bed, Janet squinted her eyes as she tried to come up with something else to say to him.
"I heard there are mirror people living in the city," She said. Sam froze and he grimaced before turning to stare at Janet.
"And how do you know about this?" He asked through gritted teeth. "Oh, my parents talk about it, Brenda talks about it…." Janet said but paused for a bit as she tried to remember somebody else to mentioned it.
"Brenda talks bull, you don't need to trust her," Sam said, crawling onto the bed. "Yeah, but she's one of the few people to notice me at school," Janet mentioned, and she hung her head down.
Sam groaned, irritated." Please don't tell me you're one of those over-emotional, whiney, depressed, sob-buckets in movies my sisters show me way too often," He pleaded. "Because I'm injured enough after getting hit by a truck."
Janet raised her head. "Oh no, I'm just fine," She said, and smiled.
"Seriously, what were you guys doing on the road like that?" Sam asked. "You nearly got yourself, and more importantly, me, atomized."
Janet shifted a little closer to Sam. "Well, we were going home after being left at school," She explained. "But on the way, David saw this girl who was glowing blue and-"
"Girl who was glowing blue?!" Sam shouted unexpectedly, and in an instant, Janet found herself slammed on the ground, Sam's hands wrapped around her neck
"What did you see?!" He demanded angrily. "Did you see her face and how she looked like! If you did, I will personally throw YOU into the path of a truck!" He tightened the grip on her neck.
"What are you talking about?" Janet asked fearfully, a beat of sweat dripping down her forehead. "I barely even saw her when I got struck in the head and fell unconscious!"
Sam glared down at her, appearing not to believe her, but then he raised his eyebrow as if he was considering if she was telling the truth. The grip on her neck loosened, and Sam collapsed next to her, groaning in pain. It was clear the effects of the truck collision hadn't worn off.
Janet sat up and struggled to regain her breath. As she did, David opened the door.
"Uh, what just happened?" He asked as he noticed the half-conscious Sam and Janet with deep marks on her throat.
"Uh, me and him just hit a few rough edges," She said, coughing a bit. "But who knew a kid like him could be so strong."
Before David could respond, Brenda kicked the door open, startling the siblings. "Oh, there you are Little Jane," She said joyfully.
"Not you, get out!" David shouted, and he grabbed Brenda by the arm and forcibly dragged her out of the room.
The moment they were gone, Janet stared down at the still half-conscious Sam and sighed to herself.
"Why does every attempt to befriend someone end like this?" She asked no one in particular.
…..
"What is your problem?" Brenda asked David back in his room. "Can people not say hello in the Barret household?"
"One, you didn't say hello, and two, I thought I told you I didn't want you talking to my sister!" David reminded.
"You're too literal," Brenda snapped. "And besides, you can't control who she can or cannot be friends with. You're not his dad, though he's probably not any better."
"Oh, I'm not controlling her choice in friends, I'm just steering her in the path of the right friends, and you are not friend material for her!" David shouted, jabbing a finger into her shoulder.
Brenda responded by roughly pushing him onto his bed. "And you're not brother material for her!" She shot back. "I haven't seen a more pathetic excuse for an older sibling ever!"
"Take that back!" David shouted furiously.
"You're an imbecile of a brother-"
"Stop it!"
"You're too over-bearing-"
"Shut up!"
"And it's no wonder that Janet's has such low self-esteem!"
That was the last straw. David clenched his fist, drew back his arm, and clocked Brenda right in the nose, sending her stumbling out of the room.
"So much for a play date," She hissed as she held her bloody nose, and she lunged at David like a hungry leopard.
…..
"Oh, I am going to strangle those Collins," Mr. Barret growled as he and his wife sat at the kitchen table with Brenda's parents.
"Hey, Felix, calm your balls!" Mary said, grinning maliciously. "Oh wait a minute, you don't have any!" She and Bob broke out into laughter. Felix Barret narrowed his eyes.
"G-Get it, Agatha, you're husband has no balls!" Bob said as if it were a joke. He and Mary continued cackling, slamming their hands on the table and hooting with laughter. Felix's eye twitched and Agatha pursed her lips.
"Don't worry, honey, it's our kids getting along that counts," Agatha whispered through gritted teeth. Just then, the two couples heard a crash upstairs, followed by sounds of David and Brenda screamed.
"What the hell was that?" Mary asked as she, Felix, Agatha and Bob got out of their chairs and ran towards the stairs.
The moment they got there, they saw David and Brenda tumbling down the stairs, locked in battle. David landed on top of Brenda and began throttling her while Brenda repeatedly smacked his face.
"David, cut it out!" Felix ordered, but he kept throttling Brenda. "Brenda, what are you doing?" Bob asked. The two kids continued fighting.
Agatha grabbed David and tore him off of Brenda, who was hoisted into the air by Bob and Mary. Brenda had a bloody nose while David had a black eye.
"What has gotten into you two!" Agatha demanded, gripping David's arm. "She said I'm a bad brother," David accused. "Brenda, what is wrong with you?!" Agatha shouted.
"Hey, you can't yell at my daughter!" Bob shouted. "Only me and my wife can yell at my daughter!"
"Mom, dad, what's going on here?" Janet asked from upstairs. She slowly walked down the stairs, her hand on the railing.
"That bastard attacked my daughter!" Mary shouted, pointing a finger at David. "Oh, my son is a bastard, huh?" Agatha hissed. "Well Brenda's a little twit who probably started it!"
"Hey, both kids are to blame here!" Bob said. "No, it's only Brenda, who obese tub!" Felix shouted, aiming a finger at Bob.
Screaming and arguing started to break out between the parents as insults were hurled in every direction. The arguing would have clearly ended in violence had Janet not spoken up.
"Mommy, daddy, didn't the Collins come for a play-date?" She reminded. The parents stopped arguing for a bit and stared at each other.
"Well David started it," Brenda muttered. "No, you did, you trout!" David shouted, and suddenly, the arguing started all over again. Janet face palmed.
At this point, Sam had left the room had saw the Barrets and the Collins arguing. He rolled his eyes, stunned at the immaturity of the two bickering family, but then his eyebrow raised as he got an idea.
"Wait a minute, if they're so engrossed in arguing, then they won't notice me leaving," He whispered to himself. With that, he sprinted down the stairs and right past Janet.
"S-Sam, what are you doing?" She asked. "Sorry, wacky, but I am out of here," Sam said, and he opened the door and took off outside.
"Wait, it's dangerous alone in the night!" Janet shouted, and without thinking, she took off towards the door, swung it open, and ran off outside after him.
"Hey, Janet, you know it's Brenda's fault, right?" David said, oblivious to her leaving. At that moment, he realized she was gone.
"J-Janet?" He whispered, and his parents stopped arguing, followed by the Collins. David then saw the open door.
"Oh my gosh," David whispered. "He bolted through the door and on the driveway. "Janet, where are you?!"
No answer.
"Janet, please come home!" He shouted out. But it was no use.
Sam and Janet had both vanished.