"Hello!" Gretel greeted with a bright smile and a playful tone. "You must be out new Sitter. It's nice to meet you. My name is Gretel and this one next to me is Hansel."
"Nice to meet you. Welcome to our house." Hansel beamed with his husky voice and added a theatrical bow. "It's not much but it's home. Please take good care of us."
The twins looked at each other with glee. Proud of their brilliant performance, they now waited anxiously for their Sitter to respond. Expecting that she'd buy their act and make their job a lot easier. The Sitter instead looked at them with dull eyes and has yet to pipe a tune. They couldn't get anything out of her by looks alone but something hints that she wasn't a normal person. The words weird and evil weren't enough to describe this Sitter's aura.
The gothic woman stayed put and spoke not a word. Her blank grey eyes pierced at the two children - who shuddered at its eerie aura - before changing her gaze at what was behind them. She slid past them and entered the house uninvited and again, as silent as a ghost. As she passed by them they could literally smell something rotten flying in the air around her but not a single fly was in sight.
The children watched as their Sitter began eyeing through their family knick-knacks and pictures with curious interest. As if she were in a trance. Sometimes she would take a moment's pause in front of a picture and scratch her already ruffled hair before moving on. The children were not sure what to do in response to this. They nudged each other with glances, asking each other - as if telepathically - on how to act on the awkwardness of the situation.
"Show her around?" Hansel sighed. Gretel simply shrugged in agreement before snapping back to her cheery persona.
"Would you like us to show you around?" Gretel tapped at their Sitter as she spoke cheerfully. "We'd be happy to give you the full tour of the house. It'll be fun."
"C'mon now." Hansel said as he pulled on the Sitters hand and led her around the room. "No need to be shy. We won't bite. We'll show you the backyard since you saw the better part of the house already. There're more cool stuff there."
"Yeah! Let's go to the backyard." Gretel said. "The sun is up and we could all use some fresh air."
The backyard was a large and vibrant space of green and well cut grass. Flowers grew beautifully and gave the garden with bright colors at full bloom. A series of potted plants were lined up on the corner with some hanging by the fence. Signposts that read chili peppers, black peppers, mustard and other out of place crops were written shabbily with a pencil were staked in the pots with the growing plants. Large bags of fertilizer lay slumped to the ground next to it.
Tall hedgerows loiter by the garden's wooden fences and surrounded the whole backyard. What's even more amazing was that the bushes were carved in the shapes of different animals in the most creative of poses. There was one with a horse at full gallop, a large dog chasing a Frisbee, a cat stretching its back with its tail reached for the sky were some of the most notable.
"We all had a part in making all these." Gretel said. "Mom did the flowers, we did the plants and dad did the hedges. We all are pretty creative aren't we?"
"It's just about the only thing that we've ever done together." Hansel added. "Pretty cool huh? Took us about a few weeks or a month to finish. It was a tough job but I gotta say that it was the best time I've ever had."
Under his breath he mumbled something that sounded like, "Wish we had more of those."
"Hey! Over here!" Gretel called over to them. "Lucy just woke up! I think he wants to play."
"Yeah! C'mon. You'll like him. He loves to meet and greet new people." Hansel said as he hastily tugged at their Sitter. Noticing the confused look in her eye, Hansel explained. "Lucy is our pet dog. Been in our family for a really long time. Ever since he was a little mutt we found outside our street and took him in. We had him ever since"
What he said was not that far from the actual truth. They DID find the puppy outside of their street shivering in the rain and took it in with warm open arms. However, it wasn't theirs to keep and the dog's owners soon found and demanded the dog back. Not wanting to start any trouble, the twin's parents agreed and in tears bade farewell to their darling pet. As far as the twins were concerned, it was very far from over. They wanted their dog back whether it was theirs to keep or not and the twins ALWAYS get what they want.
So at the dead of night they snuck into the owner's house and to take back their dog. The only thing they were afraid of was if to bark at them and wake up the house only that it didn't. The dog apparently WANTED to come with them since it didn't say a peep and so all 3 walked back home with a happy tune. But not before leaving a surprise for the owners the next day.
It was all over the news when a dog's corpse was splattered all over the living room in gruesome fashion. Organs, brains and gore scattered itself on the furniture and even went as far as to have the intestines spinning on the ceiling fan, splattering more blood all over the room the entire night. It traumatized the owner's children. Everyone was convinced that all this was a robbery since some of the owner's valuables and cash were missing. The owners moved out of the house the next day.
Balalaika and Chang however thought better saw through the ruse. It had their children's names all over it. They couldn't do anything about it though. If they were to tell the cops, the children – or them – would be thrown in jail or worse have their reputation ruined. They could only admire how well thought out the plan was but it didn't stop them from punishing the children with one of it being to take care of the dog themselves. And if it were to die, it would be a punishment for the children in its own way.
"And now he's here. We took really good care of him so he grew up a little bit. He eats lots too but he never got fat cuz he loves to play around all day." Gretel added excitedly. "He's also really really cute! You'll really like him. So c'mon."
The doghouse stood in the very end of the garden. It was placed on the corner next to the thick bushes that line up on the tall wooden fence. Nothing more than a tiny little house for a pint-sized dog, no taller than the children's chest. The name 'Lucifer' was stamped on its door.
"Dad's pretty good with power tools too." Hansel said. "But we helped him out with making this one though. Lucy get's too playful however sometimes. We might need to fix it up soon."
The Sitter took notice of this and was intrigued by the oddities. The boards were scratched and battered the likes of which would come from claws and sharp teeth. Before she could investigate more of the matter, the bushes nearby started shaking violently. The chains from the half bitten post came to life and swept the leaves away.
The Sitter gave a soundless scream as she was thrown back and her eyes widened when an enormous ebony-black hound emerged from the bushes. Larger than the Sitter and the twins combined, the hound charged forward and barked so loud that the neighbor's car alarm went off. Its eyes were hellish red and its teeth were bared with spit slobbering from its foamy mouth. The Hound was only an inch away from ripping the Sitter apart before its chains ran out and stopped short. Barking thunderously, it thrashed and jumped in place. The Sitter took the opportunity to crawl away and catch her breath from a safe distance.
"Hahahahaha!" Gretel bubbly laughed. Her foot was on top of the chain. "He's really playful isn't he? He gets so carried away sometimes but he does like meeting new people. Don't you boy?" Gretel said as she rolled the large dog on the grass and began rubbing its belly.
"He likes her already, sister. He's already jumping in joy. Ain't he a riot, miss-" Hansel asked as he reached out a hand to help the stunned Sitter up. Hansel then remembered something he forgot to mention. "Oh yeah. We never got your name. What is it if I may ask?"
The Sitter ignored the seemingly helpful gesture and stood herself up after patting off the dust off her skirt. Expecting the usual silent response from the girl the children turned their heads and made for the door. Quietly snickering under their breaths, vainly trying hard to forget the hilarious look the girl made in meeting Lucfer.
"Cute dog."
The children stopped on their tracks and looked at each other curiously. Wondering what in the world made that sound. It was like a cross between the buzzing of a doorbell and Stephen Hawking on crack. Peering behind them, they watched in wonder as they're enigmatic Sitter stand before their hound and gave it a reassuring pat. Surprisingly, they noticed that Lucifer had a small pang of fear in his eye as she went past.
"My name is Frederica. By the way." The Sitter spoke in monotone. Hissing for breath after every pause. "But people call me…Sawyer."
"…" The twins were speechless. Still stunned by the surprise, they couldn't find the right words to say in response. It was almost as if they had forgotten the next line in a Theatre act. It was also a fact that made sense since for a moment there they had completely dropped their façade.
Hansel was the first to stepped up and cleared his throat. "Uhm. Nice to finally meet you, Miss-errr. Sawyer."
"Pleasure's all mine." Sawyer said with a smirk before lighting herself a cigarette. After blowing out a smoke her eyes motioned to Gretel. "What's up with you…kid? Cat got your…tongue?"
"Uhhhh." Gretel said awkwardly. "N-nothing. It's just that you surprised us that's all. We didn't know that you could talk after all this time. Sorry"
"Don't…sweat it, kid." Sawyer said. "Talking's just not my thing."
"Why's that?" Hansel asked. "And why do you talk like that? And with that?" Hansel motioned to her choker.
Sawyer raised her chin and revealed to the kids a large gash on her neck. The kids looked on with morbid curiosity.
"Woah." Hansel observed. "Took 7 stitches too with something big too. Kinda reminds me of Frankenstein. All you need now are the bolts on the neck."
"Oh my." Gretel asked sincerely. "What happened?"
"Just some accident. From a while back." Sawyer waved off with an impatient hand. "Nothing you kids should…worry about."
"Awwww." Hansel moped. "But things just got exciting just now. And here I thought that you were just a dull bore being all quiet and stuff just now."
Sawyer scowled at the comment and glared at the foolish child. Before she could say anything back, whether in sympathetic or bad intentions, we cannot know since Gretel had the next word and unintentionally calmed a coming storm.
"Now now brother." Gretel said as she motherly patted her brother on the head. "We don't need to ask anything that our new friend Sawyer doesn't want to share herself."
"Awwww. C'mon." Hansel whined. "Do we have to?"
"Best listen to your sister kid." Sawyer responded. "You shouldn't badger people...like that. Especially something private."
"Oh." Hansel shamefully lowered his gaze to the ground. "Sorry. I get too carried away that's all. But the truth is, you look like a pretty straight fellow, Miss Sawyer. I just wanted to get to know you more that's all."
"Don't worry about it kid." Sawyer gave the child a light pat in the head and gave him a small smile. "Tell you what. Make things easier for me here…then I might tell you."
"I'll look forward to it." Hansel said with a beaming smile and a hand out between them while Gretel was making a motion of a hug.
A mocking smile carved itself on her face; Sawyer suddenly grabbed on to Hansel's thumb and pulled him close. She twisted him around and restrained him with her arms on his chest. Her hand still grabbed on to his thumb and held on it tightly. At the same time, Sawyer grabbed Gretel by the collar and inhumanly lifted her off an inch off the ground.
"P-please. S-stop-p. It hurts!" Hansel said in haste as he unsuccessfully tried to escape the painful embrace. "Y-you're breaking my arm!"
"W-what are you doing, Miss Sawyer?" Gretel cried with tears crawling down her eyes. "Put me down! Please! Y-your sc-scaring me!"
With an indifferent and slightly bored mood, Sawyer blew a gust of smoke at the two children's faces. Immediately the children stopped their thrashing and began coughing violently through the smog. Despite seeing their parents smoke in their own time, they never smoked in the same room with the twins. They also especially never blew smoke straight in their faces no matter how drunk they can get. It didn't shut the kids up completely but it gave Sawyer enough room to give her say.
"Just to let you know…I never was a fan of jokes." Sawyer said coldly. "Especially not on me. Now drop the joybuzzer kid…unless I'll give you something to laugh about."
"The hell is cough wrong with you-you, cough bitch!" Hansel exclaimed in pain and in between coughs. He elbowed the weird Sitter in the face as he struggled.
"That hurt." Sawyer said without flinching and responded by twisting the child's arm and sent him shrieking in pain. "Don't make me…ask again."
Defeated, Hansel had no choice but to comply. He dropped his make shift joybuzzer to the ground. Despite its patchwork design, it had the dangerous look that could burn through someone's skin while giving him a shock of a lifetime. How Sawyer had figured him out at a glance, Hansel could not say.
"I hope you're not as…stupid as your brother here." Sawyer said to Gretel who just stopped coughing. With her sleeve, the little girl wiped off her tears and unexpectedly spat in Sawyers face before sticking her tongue out mischievously.
"Looks like you are." Sawyer said and dropped Gretel to the grass. Hansel soon followed and fell on top of Gretel. "So the sheep revealed themselves…as wolves at last. I was beginning to wonder when…you'd finally give up your lame act. I was starting to get…bored. (sigh) And here I thought…we could be friends."
"Friends." Hansel sneered. "We've got enough friends. And we can do without them or you too as a matter a fact."
"All we ever need is each other." Gretel followed with her ever bright personality. "And we'll be enough to make you're life a living hell. Hihihi! And after this little hiccup, we'll make it even worse for you. And we haven't failed yet."
"Says the brats who just got…owned on the first try." Sawyer said passively. "You don't scare me."
"The bitch has a fancy way with words doesn't she sister." Hansel said. His voice changed to a sinister tone. "Even with that talky on her throat. But I gotta admit, she's smart. Most don't figure us out this early in our game."
"She didn't even get a single scratch after the first act." Gretel pouted. "You're pretty good at this aren't you, Miss Sawyer?"
"I'm not just some…bimbo that your parents hired on the fly." Sawyer replied. "I've dealt with brats like you before. Most of them're from under my own roof. There's nothing you've got under your…sleeve that I haven't seen."
"I think she's giving us a challenge, sister." Hansel said. "But I wonder if she's a good player? She got really pissed after the first round with Lucy. HAHAHA!"
"You wont have a good chance in winning if you're such a sore loser this early, you know. We have a lot more up our sleeves alright and we aren't anything like other kids. Normal or otherwise." Gretel said, desperately trying to contain her laughter but the dam soon broke. "HAHAHAHAHA! You should have seen the stupid look on your face after Lucy came charging at you! HAHAHAHA!"
"You should have seen yours." Sawyer grinned. Quietly chuckling under her hand. "Bumbling like…idiots trying to hook me in with your…'innocence'. HA! Especially when you first heard me…speak. Ha! Ha! Ha!"
The twins grumbled at the remark and pursed their lips in embarrassment. They could have thought of a good comeback but their attention was on Sawyer's laugh. It was very odd for them to hear and sent shivers crawling up their spine. It sounded very dull and very monotonous, like a broken answering machine stuck on the replay button.
"Like it or not." Sawyer said after she laughed her last note. "I'm in charge here. Your parents…hired me with the…idea that I will get the job done…accordingly. Till they come back." A Cheshire like smile started appearing on her face as she spoke. "So try what you…will. Do your worst. Because believe me…when I say I can play along. There wont be a trick I haven't seen…myself. A trick I cant…outplay"
"You sure have a way with words, lady." Hansel said in a slow, malevolent tone. "Especially for someone who has no fucking idea what the rule's are."
"But we'll set you up straight. You look like a tough cookie so this'll be fun for my brother and I." Gretel said cheerfully amid giggles. "I gotta say though, you sound pretty serious with that little pep talk. Hihihi!"
"Trust me. I am." Sawyer replied. "Now go fix up…and just try your…worst."
She stamped at the discarded joybuzzer and crushed it to pieces. Little sparks and a small trail of smoke emerged from it. Sawyer did this as a sign that she meant business before turning her heel and making her way back to the house.