Royles Pt. 1

   I walked down the sidewalk oblivious to the noises of the city around me. Yet another job interview gone completely wrong. Sorry that I somehow haven't had time to obtain five years worth of work experience when I've only been out of college since last Fall. 

   Looking down at the resume in my hands, the two entries containing all the information about both of my summer retail jobs no longer feel as impressive as they did last night when I watched this page come out of the printer. Just then, a middle aged man in a windbreaker brushes right against my arm as he walks past and my resume falls onto the pavement. He mutters "sorry" and I look down at the piece of paper quickly becoming soaked by the rain from earlier that hadn't dried yet. Usually I am anti-litter but I don't want to look at it anymore and honestly what's one more sheet of paper in the massive pile of junk that already coats the streets of New York City? 

  Now that both of my hands are free, I pull my bag a little bit down my left arm and reach my right hand into it to find my phone. Why did I think this giant bag was a good idea? Nothing is ever readily available in it. 

  As I was about to give up and shove my bag straps back up onto my shoulder, I saw a hand grab the straps and start pulling on them. Immediately my body tensed and I looked up to see some teenage guy in a grey hoodie with the hood pulled up. He struggled to get the bag down my arm but I pressed my arm against my body effectively hugging the straps to my chest. 

  "Get away from me, creep," I yelled at him, wondering why no one else on the sidewalk seemed to notice or care what was happening. The would-be mugger did not get away from me he just kept pulling on my bag harder and harder. 

   I shaped my free hand into a fist and was about to punch him wherever I could as hard as I could when I noticed a large black car door on my right side open up and a voice called out, "Let go of her bag, you freak." 

  The criminal and I both froze and looked up. My jaw dropped as I saw the last thing I expected: a thin blonde girl about my age sitting in the backseat of a limo turned to face us and holding a small pink gun. 

   "I said to let go," she repeated, her face stern. A second later his hand released my bag and he ran off down the sidewalk blending into the crowd. 

   The girl in the limo put her little pink gun back in her bag which I couldn't help notice was a designer label. If I ever did get a job in retail I would have to work at it for at least six months before I could even think of affording that bag. 

  I stood staring at her in disbelief, my own measly thrift store bag slipping slowly down my arm. 

  "You really shouldn't be walking these streets by yourself so close to sundown," the girl said, not making eye contact with me. 

   "Where are you headed?" 

   "My apartment is like ten blocks that way," I said, pointing. 

   "My driver will take you there. Get in." 

   I stood on the sidewalk staring at this girl. She had pulled out her phone and was checking her appearance in the front camera. She was wearing a cute blue dress and black heels. Her nails were perfectly manicured and had beautiful French tips. She turned her head to look at me.

   "I said get in," she repeated, in a voice not much kinder than the one she used with my attacker. 

   "I just saved you from some idiot. Do you really think I'm going to attack you now?" 

   Her reasoning didn't seem super reassuring to me. What better way to gain my trust than save me and then invite me into a car that was so tinted no one would be able to tell I was in there or see if I needed help? But also, why would this girl want or need to rob me? Her shoes probably cost more than my rent.

  She raised an eyebrow at me as if her patience was going to run out at any second. I looked ahead of me at the ten more blocks I had to walk as I had no money free to spare for a cab and then back at the backseat of this stranger's limo. The worst that could happen was her subtly judging my outfit or showing off her Barbie-girl firearm. 

  I stepped over to the car and as I slid onto the backseat, she slid to the right. She held up her phone in front of her face and smiled a dazzling smile and as I closed the door shut sealing the backseat and effectively my destiny, she began to talk to her camera. 

  "Hello, my lovely followers, it's your girl Sydney. I wanted to go live to show you the new friend I just made. Everyone this is-" she paused and turned to look at me, tilting the phone so her lovely followers could see me too. 

 "Robin," I finished the sentence for her. I was suddenly very painfully aware of my two year old clearance rack blouse and earrings I bought at Claires and wore to senior prom because I thought they looked fancy. 

 "Everyone, this is Robin," Sydney repeated. My name somehow sounded fancier coming out of her perfectly pink glossy lips. After introducing me, she whipped the phone quickly back to her own face so all the focus was once again on her.

 "I just saved this poor little waif from being mugged on these mean streets. This skeezeball in a hoodie was about to take her handbag when I persuaded him to reconsider," she said with a wink. "Y'all know I keep that thang on me."  

  I could only assume she was referring to the flamingo colored gun in her bag. Clearly she was not afraid to let the world know she was armed and dangerous. 

 "I offered to give her a ride home because it's definitely about to rain and this poor child was going to walk ten more blocks all by herself." 

  So far in this brief broadcast I had been called a "waif" and a "poor child." I wondered what other terms of endearment she would grace me with before it was over. 

 "Hey I just got a crazy idea. Should I take her to Malachi's party tonight? Chrissy canceled on me and I'll look like a loser if I only show up with Damien." 

   She paused for a second, her eyes skimming the bottom of her screen. I could tell from where I sat that her followers were sending her comments; presumably voting on whether or not I should attend this Malachi person's party tonight. I thought of what potential plans I had for the evening. Sitting on the couch eating another Lean Cuisine and watching HGTV. Riveting. 

   "Well the people have spoken. Robin, you're officially invited to the rager of the year," Sydney declared, pivoting the phone back to me. I smiled awkwardly.

   "I gotta go now, lovelies. Simon is walking back to the car with my coffee and I need to get my new friend an outfit for tonight." 

    Before I could ask who Simon was, the door opened and an older looking man with a slightly pudgy belly underneath a black suit was holding out a coffee cup to Sydney. He gave me a quizzical look.

 "Simon, this is Robin. She's my new friend and will be going to the party with me tonight." 

   Sydney put her phone in her bag and reached out for her coffee. She gave me a pitying look as she realized I had no hot beverage. 

  "Simon, give her your coffee," she ordered. Her driver looked down at me with unmistakable dislike and I felt myself cringe. 

  "No, that's ok. If I have coffee this late in the day I'll be up all night," I said quickly. Sydney shrugged and Simon retracted his coffee and gave me a hint of a smile.

  "To the apartment, Simon," Sydney told him. Simon shut the door and walked up to the driver's seat. As the car began to move, I decided to ask Sydney what she had planned for us.

   "What is this about a party we're going to?"

    "Oh you'll absolutely love it," she told me between sips of her drink. "Malachi is my gay bestie. Every girl needs one. And tonight he is turning 25 so his boyfriend is throwing him a crazy good party. He sent me a picture of the decorations earlier. They're wild. Balloons absolutely everywhere." 

   "Um yeah ok. That sounds like fun." 

    Sydney turned to face me, her hands wrapped around the bottom of her coffee cup, her facial expression completely serious.

   "Look I know what you're thinking. That I'm crazy because I carry a little pink gun in my bag and pick up strangers off the street. I know I'm not technically supposed to have a gun here but when you have as much money as I do, protecting yourself is super important. And as far as picking you up, you're probably the least threatening person I have ever seen. I'm pretty sure the squirrel I saw in Times Square last night that snatched a cronut from some little girl's hand was more threatening than you."

   I wasn't sure if I should feel insulted by this or not but I couldn't help thinking to myself that I would definitely never steal a cronut from a child.

  "Obviously no one is going to force you to go to this party but can you tell me that whatever you had planned tonight would be more exciting?"

  I definitely couldn't so I shook my head.  

  "Awesome. Then it's settled." 

   Less than twenty minutes later I had rode up twenty floors of an apartment building in an elevator with Sydney and Simon and was standing in the biggest penthouse apartment I had ever seen. The couches were pure white fabric that I was convinced I would ruin if I breathed on them too hard and the TV was bigger than my dining room table. A huge row of windows overlooked the city and in front of them sat a black shiny grand piano. Bookshelves lined one wall and the others were splattered with paintings I assumed were insanely expensive. 

  Sydney led me down a short hallway to her bedroom. It had a dark blue carpet, a vanity in one corner and next to it was a king sized bed covered in a grey comforter with tiny white flowers across the bottom. Another large TV sat against the wall opposite her bed and the other side of the room had an opening leading to her closet. She tossed her bag onto the bed and disappeared into her closet.

  "What's your favorite color?" she called to me. 

  "Red," I told her. Was I imagining it or did the air in her bedroom smell like cupcakes? 

   Sydney emerged moments later with a short red dress in one hand and a pair of black slingback heels in the other. The dress looked to be clingy fabric, knee length with sleeves that would hang off my shoulders. 

   "Try this on. I think it will look good on you." Sydney handed me the outfit and disappeared back into the closet. 

  "Is there somewhere I can change?" I asked timidly. Sydney and I had gotten to know each other pretty well in the last half hour but I wasn't quite ready for us to be that familiar. 

  "The door to my bathroom is behind you," she responded. I turned and walked through the open door and closed it behind me. 

    Her bathroom was about as big and opulent as I had expected. There was a tiny chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a toilet with a bidet, a clawfoot bathtub and a stand-alone shower. Her counter was covered in more make-up, hair products, face creams and body sprays than you'd see in most drug stores. 

  I slipped out of my blouse and black business pants and flats and pulled the dress up over my legs and hips. I realized I would not be able to wear my bra with this so I slipped that off too. The dress was the tiniest bit tight on my stomach but not noticeable. I had definitely lost weight since my budget was so limited. The shoes slipped right on. I adjusted the strap in the back to make them a little bit looser and more comfortable.

  I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled feeling beautiful until Sydney swept into the room without knocking at all. She was in a floor length black gown that clung to her breasts and butt giving her perfect curves. Her neck was graced with a simple chain from which hung a small emerald that I had no doubt was real. She looked like a princess. 

  "You look amazing," she said graciously, smiling at me. "I'm so glad we are basically the same size."

  She reached for a bottle of perfume and spritzed a little bit on both of her wrists, rubbing them together.

  "Pick one for yourself, just not that one," she told me. I looked over the array of scents and picked one with a bucket of berries on its label.

   "Pre-party selfie," Sydney declared, grabbing me around my shoulders and smooshing me against her. She held the phone up at face height and snapped several pictures of us. 

   "I'll pick one and post it on the way there," she assured me. I followed her out of the bathroom. 

   "Now for our bags. Obviously you'll need to borrow one of mine." 

   Sydney disappeared into her closet again and reappeared with two small black handbags. She handed me the less impressive looking one and I transferred my phone, wallet and lip gloss from my bag into hers. I thought about it for a second, then reached in again to grab my gum. 

    Sydney grabbed a handful of stuff off her bedside table and shoved it into her bag. Was that a condom I saw? Before I could get a better look, she clasped the bag shut and smiled at me.

   "Alright, I guess that's it. Don't worry about any of your stuff being left here. The only people around are the housekeepers and they know what happens if they touch anything that's not theirs."

    I nodded wondering what exactly it was that would happen.

   "Let's go, Robin. You're ready, right?" Sydney asked. 

    I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. I gulped and gave her the most confident smile I could muster.

   "I'm ready." 

Fight or Flight or Neither

  "Steven is coming, he knows you're here," Darby hissed at Lee. The vampire rolled his eyes. 

  "Really? What gave it away? The sound of his yells echoing through the hallways?" 

 Darby growled at Lee and began pushing him down the hallway away from the sound of Steven's voice. 

  "He can't run from his forever," George called after them. "Sooner or later you're going to have to face him." 

  Lee stopped in his tracks causing Darby to walk right into his shoulder. 

  "Don't listen to him," she told Lee. "Steven has held a grudge against you for years. He's not about to give it up just because you tell a sweet little story about Michelle possibly being alive."

   "It's not a story," Lee insisted, his eyes glowing red with anger. "I wouldn't make that up. Mary is-"

  Lee paused midsentence as Steven came dashing around the corner. George and Darby stood shoulder to shoulder blocking the angry vampire from getting any closer to Lee. 

  "I don't ever want to hear her name on your lips again," Stephen snarled. He pushed against Darby and George clawing to get at Lee but the two stood firm.

  "This has to end," Darby gasped, using all her strength against Stephen. "At least listen to what he has to say."

  "I don't want to hear a word he says," Stephen told her. He took a step back to look her in the eyes. 

  "He's a liar and a killer. My Mary would still be alive right now if it wasn't for him." 

  Stephen's fangs shrunk back into his mouth and he slumped against the wall. George and Darby relaxed but kept a close eye on him.

  "What if I told you she still is alive?" 

  "Then I would call you a liar a second time," Steven hissed. "If she was alive, I would know. I would feel her." 

  "Not necessarily. A vampire can cloak themselves if they don't want to be found," Lee argued. "You know that."

  "Mary would have no reason to hide from me," Steven shot back. "I loved her and I would never hurt her. Why would she stay away?" 

  "You can ask her yourself," Lee suggested, pulling a phone out of his pocket. 

  "Ha, you want me to call her on that? It could be anyone's voice on the other end of that thing."

  "Then we'll do a video chat. Can't fake an entire person," Lee said with a shrug. 

  "That's a good idea," Darby announced. "We will call Mary and put this whole thing to rest." 

  "If it was that easy, why didn't he bring it up before?" Steven wanted to know. 

  "You mean in between all the times you were trying to kill him?" Darby snapped back. Steven glared at her but didn't respond.

  Lee opened his phone and dialed a number, then held his finger over the call button.

  "If I do this," he said, looking Steven directly in the eye, "If I make this call and you talk to Mary, we have no fight anymore." 

  Steven was silent for a moment, then nodded. Lee nodded back in agreement, then pressed the call button. Steven rose to his feet and pushed Darby and George to either side of him to get closer to Lee. The phone rang and rang, then finally stopped as a face appeared on the screen. There was a collective gasp and Lee held the screen up for Steven to see. The face on the phone looked confused for a second, then smiled. 

  "Hello?" 

  Bailey pushed open the door to her room and turned sideways to fit through the doorway with Thomas in her arms. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness and Bailey knew he needed food and water soon. 

  "There's obviously no human food in my room but I can order something to be delivered. What are you feeling? A burger? Fried chicken? Chinese?" 

  "I've barely eaten in weeks other than some crackers and bread. I think if I eat a burger my stomach might explode," Thomas said weakly. Bailey laid him down on the bed that still sat in her room, used long ago by whatever humans had previously occupied the house. A small cloud of dust rose up from the blanket as she set Thomas on top of it. 

   "I guess I need to clean in here," she said with a nervous laugh. "I'll just go ahead and order that soup now." 

   Bailey busied herself on her phone and Thomas watched her, his head resting against an old pillow with a yellowing pillowcase.

  "So that's your plan? To fix everything with a bowl of soup?" he asked in a weak raspy voice. Bailey stiffened and looked even more intently at her phone screen.

  "Chicken noodle or broccoli cheddar?" she asked. 

  "French onion," Thomas said. 

  "Oh yes of course, good choice," Bailey nodded enthusiastically, tapping away at her phone. 

  "Bailey, please look at me," Thomas begged, reaching out a hand in her direction. Bailey sighed and put the phone down on the dusty blanket. She looked over at Thomas and he smiled.

  "You can't fix what happened to me with a bowl of soup. I was locked in a room for months and starved while literal vampires fed off my blood."

  Bailey flinched and looked down at the floor. 

  "It's not your fault that happened and I'm not mad at you."

  "But you should be," Bailey insisted, slamming her fist down on the blanket and causing another puff of dust. 

  "Darby made me a vampire because she thought I was weak and now here I am, a vampire, and still just as weak." 

  "You're not though," Thomas told her. "You just carried me out of my room in front of three vampires wanting to feed off me and you told them to suck it. Pun intended."

  Bailey smiled and rolled her eyes. 

  "Your jokes are terrible but I guess you're right. It was pretty scary standing up to them like that." 

  "But you did it for me. And now you're feeding me and taking care of me in this very dusty but nice bedroom."

   Bailey looked around at the room noticing the many cobwebs in the corners and piles of clothes scattered across the floor.

  "I guess I have gotten a bit messy as a vampire," she admitted. She picked up her phone and submitted the soup order. 

  "But just because I was able to get you away from that room doesn't mean that you're suddenly safe here. Any one of them could break into my room and try to get you back." 

   "Have you considered locking the door then?" Thomas said with a smirk. Bailey walked over to the door and turned the lock on the ornate door handle then pulled on it to ensure it was really locked. 

   "That will hold them off for a while but we need to come up with some kind of plan." 

   Bailey walked over the bed and turned on the lamp that sat on the bedside table. It cast a dim light over Thomas's weak frame and Bailey's heart sank as she realized again just how frail he truly was. 

  "How long is the driver taking with that soup?" she said, picking up her phone. 

  "It'll be here soon enough," Thomas assured her, adjusting himself against the pillows. 

  "In the meantime we can talk about your bloodthirsty friends. Tell me more about them. Are they nice to you?"

   Bailey scoffed. 

   "Nice is not the first word that comes to mind. I know they like me but they always try to boss me around and intimidate me. Most of the time I can ignore it but sometimes I'll admit they're just downright scary." 

   "Well they can't be any scarier than the one in the dungeon," Thomas told her. She looked at him confused and raised an eyebrow.

  "The one in the dungeon?"

  "Oh, you don't know about him?" 

  "Him who?" Bailey asked, beginning to sound impatient. Just then her phone buzzed and she looked down at the screen. 

  "Your soup is here," she told Thomas. "I'll go pick it up and when I get back, you're telling me about this person or thing in the dungeon." 

   Thomas sighed. 

  "Alright," he agree. "But you're not going to like it." 

I Killed My Sister's Nanny Pt. 2

   I don't know if you've ever had someone ask you before if they were dead or not but it's definitely the most disconcerting question that has ever been posed to me. How do you answer a question like that? Everything inside of me wanted to tell Marissa that of course she was fine but there her body was; laying on the floor in front of me. 

  Oh my gosh, I am dead. Marissa's ghostly voice gave me chills and the last thing I wanted to do was turn around and face what could be nothing else other than her ghost. But what else could I do? 

  I took a deep breath and slowly turned around. Marissa's ghost was floating there looking down at her body and then back up at me as if hoping one of us would have answers. 

  Yeah I think you might be dead, I muttered. 

  So I'm a ghost, Marissa said, talking more to herself than me. She floated over to her body and looked down at it. 

  Are you the only one who can see me? she asked me. I shrugged. How would I know that? Until thirty seconds ago I didn't know if I believed in ghosts. 

  While I was twiddling my thumbs awkwardly wondering if I was about to be haunted for the rest of my life, Tina walked over and looked up at Marissa's ghost. 

  Can I have a snack? was her question. Not "why do you look different" or "why are you outside your body" just, can you feed me? I guess it's true what they say: watching kids is a full time job. It doesn't even stop after you die. 

  Well you heard the kid. She wants a snack. Marissa folded her ghost arms and stared at me. 

  Uh yeah I don't really know what to do about that. 

 Marissa rolled her ghost eyes at me.

  You know what snacks are, right? 

  She'd been dead for five minutes and already had an attitude. 

  Yes I know what snacks are. But this was your job. 

  Yeah keyword there, sport. It was my job and thanks to you, I've retired early. 

And there it was. The blame. A guy tries to do a nice thing for someone and it's never "thank you" it's just "you triggered my allergic reaction and now I'm dead." 

   Sure, Tina. I'll get you a snack, I said, staring down Marissa as I walked to the pantry and got an applesauce pouch. Tina grabbed it from my hand, twisted it open and went back to watching TV. Somehow oblivious to the dead body on the floor. 

  Congrats, you fed the child. How was dead Marissa more annoying than alive Marissa?

  So what do we do about that? I asked.

  You mean my body? I know, let's plant me in the garden and see if I grow back.

  Wow. This was fun. Here I am trying to clean up after the death I caused and my victim is making it a problem. 

  I think the bigger question is how will Addison feel when she finds out I'm dead and it's your fault?

  That was the one question I had been trying not to think about and as it turned out, the answer was far worse than I predicted. Addison reacted terribly to showing up at the house that was now surrounded by emergency vehicles and it only got worse when she came inside to see Marissa's body on a stretcher covered in a long white sheet. 

  Jason didn't react any better and it was several long and stressful hours full of so many questions that I was thrilled when Addison finally suggested we stop and order pizza. 

 Oh this will be so fun, Marissa said floating up next to me. I can't wait to watch you guys eat. 

 Why are you still here? I asked.

 Addison turned around and gave me a weird look. 

 Who are you talking to? 

 Oh uh, just this ringing in my ear. Why is it still here? I chuckled and Addison looked back down at her phone. 

 I'm gonna go wait on the porch for the pizza, I said. Marissa floated along behind me till we were both outside. 

Why are you still here? I asked again.

 Don't you think I've tried to leave? I don't wanna spend eternity here. But as it turns out, the universe has decided I have unfinished business in the form of those little monsters in there. 

What do you mean?

Marissa floated to a chair and tried to sit in it but instead she just sank to the floor. I didn't wanna laugh so I took a hit from my vape and looked the other way.

Since you so kindly decided to abruptly end my existence, I believe it is your responsibility to be the new caretaker for Tina and Kiara and I will train you. 

 I'm sorry, what now? I know absolutely nothing about taking care of kids. Addison and Jason would be mental to ask me to be the new caretaker. 

 And then the door opened and Addison stuck her head out. 

 The pizza will be here in ten minutes and you're taking care of Tina and Kiara till we find someone new. 

 And then she just closed the door. I don't know if you've ever seen a smug ghost before but that's the only word I can use to describe how Marissa was grinning at me as I stood there with my mouth hanging open. 

 I followed Addison inside reminding her that I had absolutely zero experience with kids.  

 This is why YouTube videos and parenting books exist. Get studying, was her answer. 

Marissa was behind me twirling her ghost self back and forth with a huge smile.

 We are going to have so much fun together, she squealed. 

 And let me just say, two weeks, dozens of diapers, at least three hundred applesauce packets and unlimited repetitions of Baby Shark later, fun was not what I was having. Did you know it doesn't matter how many times you put a kid's toys away they will just get them right back out again? Not even play with them either. Just dump them on the floor. 

  My first day, I went to give Kiara her bottle and Marissa screeched at me that I had to test how hot it was on myself first. 

  No you don't take a sip of it, oh my gosh, she said, when I looked at her weird and started raising the bottle to my lips.

  Pour a drop out on your wrist and see if it's too hot or not.

 I'm pretty sure I still have a red mark from where the milk touched my skin. They should call them bottle boilers, not warmers. 

 All of this is new to me and none of it makes sense. Why do kids ask for food and then when you give it to them, suddenly they don't want it and throw it on the floor? Why do they want the same story read to them thirty seven times in a row? You have four shelves of books! 

  Honestly the hardest part though has been trying to explain to Tina why Marissa can't do things for her anymore. Last week she said she wanted Marissa to pour her juice and when I said she couldn't and I had to do it instead, Tina poured juice all over the floor. So I got to mop that up while a ghost laughed at me. We still aren't sure if Kiara can see Marissa or not. But Marissa is always there every time I put Kiara down for a nap. Sometimes she will just float over her crib for a while and watch her sleep.

 I don't think I'll ever stop feeling bad for accidentally un-aliving her but taking care of the kids makes me feel a little less guilty. 

  Addison and Jason have been doing phone interviews but they say no one has stood out yet. Every time they do a call I can see Marissa listening over their shoulders and usually she's shaking or head or making some other sign of disapproval. I don't know what she doesn't like about these potential nannies, just that none of them are good enough for her. 

  And somehow, in a twist that no one saw coming, she approves of the job I'm doing. She still makes fun of me constantly, from the way I cut a sandwich in half to how bad I am at drawing pictures for the kids. But we are making it work. I was almost sad at the thought of it all ending.

  Then this morning something happened I don't think either of us expected. We took the kids outside on the driveway. Kiara was in a baby bouncer and Tina was drawing with chalk on the driveway. Marissa and I were watching and chatting like we do when we heard crying suddenly. 

  It's Tina, Marissa said pointing. I turned around and saw Tina standing there with a scraped up knee slowly turning red. She was making the most pitiful noises. I knew at any minute she would call out for Marissa and my heart would sink when I had to remind her Marissa couldn't hold her anymore.

 But then she started hobbling over and said, Aiden I hurt my leg can you fix it? 

  I looked down at her and then back up at Marissa wondering if I heard her right. Had she really just asked for me?
 Marissa looked sad for a second as if she wanted Tina to ask only for her. But then just as quickly, she smiled and looked at me. 

  She wants you to fix it. Be the hero. 

 I can't say I'd ever thought putting a Disney princess band-aid on a kid's knee would make me feel like  hero but it did. 

And I haven't stopped feeling like one all day. It felt even better when Marissa floated over to me after lunch and said, You don't have to stop doing this, ya know. You can be a permanent manny. I'll be here as long as you need me. 

 And I think she's right. I'm going to tell Addison when she gets home that I want to do this for a while. It's not all bad and having a helpful ghost on your team certainly doesn't hurt. 

  So yeah. That's my story. I killed my sister's nanny and I've never been happier.

  Well that sounds really bad. But you know what I mean. 

I Killed My Sister's Nanny Pt. 1

   My name is Aiden and I'm what people call a "manny"; a man who takes care of kids. If you knew anything about me you'd probably think I was crazy for having this job and I probably am. In my defense, I didn't choose it so much as it chose me. It's a pretty weird story actually. I'll start at the beginning. 

  A few months ago I was on the phone with my older sister Addison venting about life and how I felt like I needed a change of pace and she threw out the idea of me moving to be closer to her and looking for new opportunities. Until I found something more permanent, I would work at her husband Jason's restaurant and his brother Travis had a room in his house I could use while I looked for my own place. 

  I couldn't find a flaw in her plane so two weeks later I packed up my car and moved six hours from the town where I grew up and everything I was familiar with to start this new chapter. The first few days were a little bit awkward getting settled in to Travis's house; it always feels weird to be in someone else's space but he was really welcoming. Everyone at the restaurant was great too and very patient with me and my lack of experience. Within a couple days I already felt like an expert at seating people. 

  While I took time to adjust and worried a little bit if I had made the right decision, my sister Addison took every opportunity to assure me I had done the right thing and telling me how thrilled she was to have me here. We spent as much time together as possible but she ran a dance studio and that took up a lot of her time. 

  You might be wondering how any of this led to me being a professional childcare provider. I'm getting there. Like I said, my sister was really busy with her work at the studio and for a while it was easy to take her kids Tina and Kiara with her when they were both really young. Moms waiting for their kids to be done with dance class were happy to play with a baby for an hour and then give her back. 

But now that both the girls were walking and had way more energy, keeping them at the studio for eight hours a day wasn't an option anymore. And that's where Marissa came in. 

  Addison had met her years ago at a dog training class and they were casual friends. Sometimes when they both had an afternoon free, they'd walk their dogs in the park together and get coffee after. As years passed they both got busy and the meet-ups stopped but they still kept in touch.

 When Marissa heard Addison was looking for a nanny she decided to throw her hat in the ring. She'd been doing childcare for years and loved the idea of working for an old friend. 

  I was at Addison and Jason's house the day she showed up for an interview and even though I didn't get a chance to talk to Marissa, she seemed nice and I wasn't surprised when Addison told me the next day that she had hired her. 

  The Monday she started, I happened to be off work and finally got to meet her. It was pretty obvious even on the first day that she was committed to this new job and already loved the kids. 

  Better you than me, I said to her, when Kiara started crying and Marissa was desperately rocking her back and forth hoping to calm her down. She just smiled at me and laughed a little. 

  I'm used to it. 

   I couldn't imagine ever getting used to the sound of a baby screaming at me but more power to anyone who can. Little did I know, I would soon be forced to become one of those people.  

   It all went down one day in the middle of the summer. I had just left the restaurant. I texted Travis to see if he wanted to get some food. He said yes but he had errands first. I went home to shower and change and found a plate of cookies in the kitchen.  

   Travis's fiance Hailey walked in and said she had made them that morning. 

 They have chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. 

   I asked if I could take some to Addison cause I knew how much she loved peanut butter. Hailey said, Of course. Take as many as you want. 

   So I grabbed a ziploc bag and threw two handfuls in it. Addison's house was only a five minute walk away and it wasn't hot so I decided I could walk. Even though it didn't feel super hot, it was apparently hot enough for the chips to start melting so I tried to walk a little faster to get them out of the heat quicker. 

   When I finally got to the house I opened the front door and heard some little kid show playing on the TV. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I would always get some jingle from these shows stuck in my head and then it would just play over and over till I went crazy. I don't know how Marissa put up with it.

  When I walked into the living room she was there holding Kiara who was asleep and Tina was next to the toy box holding a doll that cried if you pushed its stomach and laughed if you squeezed its hand. Marissa looked over at me looking a little tired but she smiled. 

  I didn't know you were coming over today.

 I held up the ziploc bag of cookies. 

  Hailey gave me these and I wanted to share them with Addison. Do you want one too? 

 She nodded at me and put Kiara down in some kind of little baby bed. I opened the Ziploc bag and pulled out a cookie. 

 They're chocolate chip. 

  Marissa took it from me and took a big bite. At first she looked pleased and I couldn't blame her. Hailey made some really good cookies. But then her face started looking a little pale and her eyes got really wide. 

   Do these have peanut butter in them? 

Her voice sounded really hoarse and it seemed like she was gasping for air. And that's when it hit me. I had forgotten to mention there were peanut butter chips in the cookies and she was obviously severely allergic. 

   Oh my gosh, spit it out! 

  I yelled this somehow thinking she hadn't thought of that yet. She had already spit it into her hands and was gasping something that sounded like "empty hen." It took me a few seconds to realize she was saying "epi pen" and I yelled Where?? at her, probably more forcefully than I needed to but I was panicking. She pointed to the corner table next to the couch and then immediately collapsed on the floor. Her face was vaguely blue and I my heart was racing so fast I thought it would leap out of my chest. My instinct was to run to her but I knew I couldn't do anything to help without the epi pen. 

  I grabbed her bag and dumped the whole thing on the floor which felt so wrong. I had always been told to never go into a woman's handbag but that probably didn't apply if she was dying. 

  I looked carefully at every item that came out of the bag: chapstick, some tampons, a hairbrush, wallet, keys, pens but not the type that I needed. 

  I glanced over at Marissa. She was grasping at her throat now in the universal symbol for "I can't breathe." I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and called 911. As soon as a voice answered the phone, I told them exactly what was going on. I had to be loud because Tina had tuned in to her TV show and was singing along with some jingle which would somehow but stuck in my head later.

 The 911 dispatcher promised someone would be along soon and I hung up the phone feeling good about the situation. Marissa was going to be fine. I knelt down next to her and was surprised to see she had gotten really still. Her eyes were closed and even though her hand was still on her throat it was relaxed now. 

  I got a sinking feeling in my stomach and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped for a few beats. Even if the emergency medics showed up at this point, it would be too late. I had killed her with a cookie. 

  Now I know this next part is going to make me sound crazy if I don't already but I swear it happened. I was standing in my sister's living room staring down at her dead nanny while someone on the TV sang about how cool the alphabet was. And the next thing I know I heard a voice behind me that was Marissa's voice. And I'll never forget the first thing it said to me. 

  Aiden, am I dead?

Flashback

  Michelle fled down the stairs and flinched at the sound of Stephen slamming the door shut behind her. The only comfort she found from his rage was in feeding and though she preferred to catch her own food fresh, tonight she would settle for a victim from the basement. The last thing she needed was Stephen coming to look for her and realizing she had gone out to hunt again.

  "You worry too much about what he thinks of you," Lee said, emerging from the shadows of the basement hallway. 

  "That's what happens when you love someone," Michelle snapped back. "And get out of my thoughts."

  "It's not exactly something I can turn off," Lee shrugged. "I told you that before we got together. You knew the risks."

  "I had a lapse in judgment obviously. Now move, I'm hungry." 

  Michelle shoved Lee out of the way and unlocked one of the cells. A weak groan emerged from the pathetic human curled up in the corner desperately hoping the darkness would somehow spare them from another feeding. 

  Michelle's keen vision led her straight to them and as they attempted to scream and push her away, she easily pinned them down and sank her fangs deep into their neck. She felt her victim's body go completely limp against the floor and savored every sweet drop of blood as it trickled down her throat. 

  Once she had her fill, she stood up, wiped her mouth on her sleeve and smiled down at her meal. 

  "I'll bring you some food later to keep up your strength. You're definitely one of my favorites." 

  Michelle left the cell and locked the door behind her. 

  "Do you feel better now?" Lee asked, leaning against the opposite wall. The trace of blood around his mouth told Michelle she wasn't the only one who'd just scarfed down a quick snack. 

  "Only a little. I have no idea how I'm going to make up with Stephen. My apologies are not helping anymore."

  "What are you apologizing for?" Lee wanted to know, following Michelle up the basement stairs. She paused at the door Stephen had slammed moments before and wondered if he was still sitting angrily on the other side of it.

  "Apologizing for being hungry? For hunting? For being the bloodthirsty monster you were meant to be?" 

  "Stephen says I've gone too far. He says I don't-" 

  Michelle was cut off by Lee's hand around her throat slamming her body against the door. 

  "I don't want to hear anymore of what Stephen says to you. He made you what you are. He doesn't get to take it back now." 

  "So I shouldn't listen to him but I should listen to you?" 

  "Yes you should," Lee insisted, pushing his body against Michelle's and spreading her legs apart with his knee. 

  

    

   "Stop it, just stop," Darby interrupted, holding her hand up in Lee's face. George stood next to her looking uncomfortable and Lee was grinning from ear to ear.

  "You said you wanted to know the whole story," he said innocently. 

  "Yes and I immediately regret saying that," Darby told him. "What I really wanted to know was-" 

     Darby was interrupted by Bailey flinging open the door of Thomas's cell and stepping into the hallway. She slammed it behind her and faced the three vampires.

    "Hey, sweetheart. You and loverboy have a nice chat?" Lee said with a smirk. 

  "Yeah we did actually," Bailey said, taking a step toward him and standing up as tall and straight as she could. 

  "I've decided that you all are going to let him go," she said confidently. "And you're going to do it right now." 

    Darby, Lee and George all exchanged a look of surprise and then stared in unison at Bailey.

  "We are going to do what exactly?"

  "You're going to let Thomas go. Or I am actually. I'm going to carry him out of here and the three of you are going to let me." 

   "Now, darling. Why would you want to deprive us all of an easy snack?" As much as Bailey loved hearing Lee call her "darling", she had a one track mind set on saving Thomas. 

   "Because he's my friend and because I'm done being bossed around by the three of you all the time. I am an equal member of this ridiculous family and its about time you showed me some respect!" 

    Bailey turned and opened the door to Thomas's cell. She walked over to where he sat against the far wall, put one arm around his shoulders and the other under his knees and lifted him off the floor. They smiled at each other as she walked confidently out of the cell and past the three vampires who stood silently, too shocked to say anything. 

   Bailey hugged Thomas's weak frame gently to her body feeling proud of herself for her courage. When she made it to the top of the basement stairs, she turned to the doorknob and pushing open the door, came face to face with Stephen. She gasped, afraid that he would stop her from taking Thomas to her room but he looked around as if he was seeing right through her. 

   "I know he's here, I can smell him," Stephen said, his eyes going wild and his fangs growing long in his mouth. 

    "Where is he?" he yelled in Bailey and Thomas's faces. "Where is Lee?" 

 

Drama Continues

 "So are you going to tell me why you're really here?" Darby asked Lee as they shut the door to Thomas's cell.

 "I already told you, I'm here to get you back," Lee told her, leaning casually against the wall. Darby rolled her eyes at him.

 "We both know that's not true," she shot back. "We had a good time together but it was not enough for you to travel across the world to see me again." 

 "Maybe I want to apologize to Stephen for stealing Michelle from him," Lee postured. 

 "It's a little bit late for that. Michelle was the love of his life and now she's gone forever."

  Lee looked down at his feet and shuffled nervously. 

"What if I told you she wasn't quite as gone as you think she is?" Lee asked. Darby's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to ask what Lee meant but was interrupted by George appearing suddenly at the end of the hallway.

  "Did we all get hungry at once?" he asked, walking up to Darby and Lee.

  "Yes and Bailey is hogging the food," Lee answered. Darby rolled her eyes and held up a finger to silence him.

  "She's in the cell with her human boy-toy trying to tell him that she's a vampire now and is friends with all the people feeding off of him." 

  "What a fun conversation," George said sarcastically, leaning against the wall. 

  "So we just have to sit out here hungry while they're figuring out the relationship?" Lee whined. 

  Darby nodded. 

   "It looks like it. But Lee was about to tell me something very interesting. He claims that Michelle isn't quite as gone as we thought she was." 

    George's eyes widened as Darby's had and he turned to face Lee.

   "Tell us everything." 

   "Bailey, tell me everything," Thomas demanded. He sat in the dark corner of his cell but Bailey could see his eyes looking at her, or maybe through her. The anger in his voice was crystal clear. How was she supposed to explain herself to him? How could she possibly put a positive spin on being not only a vampire herself but friends with the vampires who had been torturing and feeding off of Thomas for weeks now? 

  "You obviously knew I was suffering in here and you made no effort to stop it," Thomas accused. "Did you feed off of me too? Maybe one night when I was out cold from exhaustion and starvation?" 

 "No, Thomas I never fed off of you, I promise!" Bailey told him. She wanted so badly to reach out and embrace him but she knew that would only make him more upset. 

  "So you were ok with me suffering as long as you weren't directly responsible." 

  "Not at all, Thomas. I was never ok with it but I don't have any authority here. I've been a vampire for a few months. The rest of them have been for decades, some of them centuries. If I tried to put my foot down they would just laugh at me." 

  Thomas didn't respond and for a moment Bailey worried he didn't believe what she was saying. 

  "I suppose that makes sense," he said finally from the shadows. "Honestly I would think you being a vampire is kind of hot if you weren't friends with the ones who have been eating me." 

  Bailey smiled but suppressed a giggle. 

 "I don't think anyone considers me hot," she told Thomas. "But it feels good to hear." 

 "You know what would be really hot is if you said screw your roommates and put your foot down anyway and got me out of here." 

  "I guess that is part of why I ended up being turned...Darby seemed to think I had no confidence in myself or ability to stand up to other people." 

  "Bailey, I've known you for years and I just have to say that her perception of you is totally on point. I've never known you to be able to do anything other than what everyone else wanted." 

  "Well that was the old me," Bailey said, puffing out her chest slightly and sitting up a little taller.

  "Really? Is it? Because you just told me you're the only one in this house who can't do what she wants and has to obey the whims of all the others." 

   Bailey felt a growl growing deep in her throat. 

 "You're absolutely right," she agreed, rising to her feet. "Darby bosses me around all the time and now that George and Lee are here they think they can tell me what to do too." 

 "And so you're just going to let them feed off of me until I die because they're older than you?" 

 "No I'm not," Bailey said decisively, slamming her fist against the wall. "I'm going to tell them they have to let you go and that's the end of it!" 

 "That's the spirit," Thomas said with all the enthusiasm his weak frame could muster. 

Bailey turned and swung the door to Thomas's cell open dramatically. Darby, Lee and George all turned to face her at the same time.

  "Hey, sweetheart. You and loverboy have a nice chat?" Lee said with a smirk. 

  "Yeah we did actually," Bailey said, taking a step toward him and standing up as tall and straight as she could. 

  "I've decided that you all are going to let him go," she said confidently. "And you're going to do it right now."