The Babysitter

Some secrets are better left unknown...

It is my first day working with Mr. and Mrs. Crow. I don't really like kids, but I need the money. They have a really nice house. Big, two story home right in the middle of a neighborhood. I knock on the door. I hear today is their anniversary, that is why they need me to watch their kids. A friendly face opens the door. "Hi!", She greets me. "You must be Tara. Here, come inside." She waves me in. I was surprised at how clean the house was despot the fact that they had seven kids. I felt bad for wearing shoes inside. "Now most of the kids are outside, but I think a few of the girls are upstairs. There is dinner in the oven. you just have to cook it on medium for fifteen to twenty minutes. Abigail's pills are in the cabinet closest to the fridge. Have the kids in bed by 10. If anything goes wrong, you have my number." She turns around and takes a breath. "Got everything?" I nodded. Just then a door at the end of the hallway swings open.

Mr. Crow's silhouette stands in the doorway. He walks out into the light. He was very tall. Dressed very nice. He had a very serious expression on his face. I was a bit frightened at his appearance. But his wife obviously wasn't. "Alright, my Love. Ready to go?" She asked. She seemed so cheerful. This guy seemed like a gloomy creep. I wonder how they get along. He walks away without a word. Well, luckily he won't be here at the house while I am. Mrs. Crow takes a breath and looks at herself in the mirror. She messes with her hair and clothes, perfecting any invisible flaws. "Thank you so much for doing this. Do you still feel like you can do this?" She asked me. "Yes, everything will be fine.", I said, giving a confident smile. "Alright. I'm sure you will be fine. Oh and you can snack on anything while you are here." She paused right in the doorway, probably thinking about any other reminders to give me. She turns around as a thought comes to her mind. "One last thing Tara," She says rather calmly. "It would be better if you avoided Mr. Crow's study. He has a lot of work stacked up. The kids already know not to go in there. We would both appreciate it if you also stayed out. Thank you." She smiles and then walked out of the house. It was surprisingly silent. I walk out into the living room and look out the window. I see four of the children playing outside. I decided to visit the girls upstairs first. There were five doors in the hallway upstairs. Judging by a number of purple butterflies and pink paint, I was able to find the girls room. Two of them are sitting by each other. One was braiding the others hair while she colored a picture. The one braiding looked up at me. She stood up. "Hello," She says. "Hi there, I'm Tara." I say in the kindest voice I can. I don't want to get these kids on my bad side or else this is going to be a very long night. "I'm Annie. This is my little sister Abby." She pointed at the smaller child that was coloring. I got down on my knees. "Hey, Abby? I'm Tara. I'm going to babysit-" Abigail looked up into my eyes. My heart stopped. I didn't know what to say. The poor girl had a lifeless, neutral expression with black marks around her eyes. 

"I'm-... I'm going to be watching you guys tonight... Um, while your parents are gone... Alright?" I could barely breathe. She kept staring at me with those chilling eyes. Then she went back to coloring. I stood up. I thought about maybe getting help or something. This girl looked like she was really beaten up. "Annie, don't you have another sister?" I turned to face her. "Beth. I think she went for a walk again. She will be back later." She answered as she sat down to continue braiding her sister's hair. I walk downstairs to meet the boys. As soon as I open the sliding door, they all immediately stop what they are doing and look up at me like a deer in headlights. "Hey, guys. I'm Tara. I'm going to hang out with you guys until your parents get back, is that cool with you?". They all exchange looks and start to relax. "Hi", one of them said, the eldest I guessed. "I'm Arthur. This is my younger brother Clyde." He said, putting his arm around a boy standing by him. "That is Ike" A blonde-haired boy shifted his feet. "Otis." A boy looked up from ripping grass out of the ground. "Alright. Nice to meet you all!", I say, going back inside. I stood in the middle of the living room. We have several hours before we have to eat. I'm getting about $40 out of this whole thing, and I am broke out of my mind. Perhaps this family could spare me some cash. Let's start with dear Mr. Crows study. I slipped in, knowing the kids are occupied. Mrs. Crow wasn't exaggerating when she said "Work all stacked up.". There were papers several feet above the desk. The whole room was very neat and actually very beautiful. It was all black and white colors. The chair was a black shiny leather. I felt like if I touched anything, it would surely leave a fingerprint. It was all so shiny and perfect. I rummaged through some papers and drawers, being careful to not misplace anything. I left everything look the way it was when I found it. So far I've just found hundreds of boring documents and letters to businessmen or something. Boring work stuff, there isn't anything money related. There was a large metal door with a safe wheel on the front. Most likely locked, but whatever is inside it must be totally worth it. I search the room for a combination. When I run out of luck, I use the 5 numbers in their address. I hear a big metallic click, and I can pull open the door. My heart is racing. I can't believe I am doing this. I open it about half way and then stick my head in. What I see amazes me.

A staircase. This must be some secret hideout or something. This can't be real. I take a breath. This is a little creepy. Suddenly I wasn't so sure if I should go down. I dragged a pile of papers in the way of the door, just in case. Then I start down the stairs. I'm just going to check it out. As I spin down the spiral of stairs, I see separate signs hanging from the ceiling above. "Going..... For.... A.... Walk?", I read as I passed them each by. What? Then the smell hit me. It was disgusting. Smelled like a filthy bathroom. It smelled like rotten food. I thought I could smell blood almost. I'm getting very worried. Somehow I could see where I was going, but I couldn't tell where the light was coming from. I eventually hit flat ground. There were some lamps. It looked like a nice living room. Red and black furnishings. There was fluffy red carpet on the ground and the walls. Walking through, I saw cages hanging all over. Some could probably hold a person, others just seemed too ridiculously small. I think Mr. Crow is just into some really weird stuff. I turn around to leave but then I hear what sounds like the movement of chains against each other. I slowly edge around to a more open room. The ceiling was very high. I would think the room is lit up by moonlight, but I know it is still day time. There was a faint blue glow coming from the right side close to the ceiling. All the walls appeared to be made of stone. Nothing on the left. And the right... I can't see clearly because of the light covering over the shade. I can barely make out what looks like a painting of a person tied to corners of a rectangle. I want to look closer, but then I hear voices, yelling. The kids are looking for me.

I dash up the stairs as fast as I can. I keep my eyes ahead looking for the door. I am greeted by the calm light of the office, and the nice, clean smell of the home. I relax as soon as I step out of the giant door, over the stack of papers. I'll explore later. My greed was replaced with curiosity. I cracked open the door leading to the hallway. I looked out, to make sure there were no kids. I slipped out as quickly as I could and made it look like I had just exited the restroom. I make my way towards the sound of my name. "Tara?" 

"No, it's Taylor. I remember." 

"No, you're wrong, I heard her say, Tara."

"NO IT ISN'T!"

"YES, IT IS!"

There is yelling back and forth as I walk closer. Until I hear a loud smack. I quicken my steps.

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT!", More yelling. I step in and break up the fight. "Hey!" I lift up one of the kids away. "What's going on?", I asked them. Otis stood with a stance suggesting he was ready to take on another fight. "He didn't know your name, and he wouldn't believe me when I told him it was Tara," He growled. I look over to the other kid. Clyde quickly wiped his face, hiding any tears. "Sorry." His voice shook. "You don't have to be sorry, Clyde. It is ok. Here, go wait in the kitchen, I'll get you some ice." I offer. He quietly walks around the corner, into the kitchen and disappeared out of sight. I faced Otis. His black hair was almost long enough to cover his eyes. For a moment, I was intimidated by him. His eyes were cruel, his jaw was clenched, and his hands were made into fists. I handled it as calmly as I could, trying to conceal my fear. "Otis, you didn't have to hit him. You could have just talked it out. Can you apologize to your brother?", I reasoned with him. He just stood there, ready to attack. He hesitated for a moment, before dropping the stance and saying, "No.". I tilted my head. Wow, this kid need some work. "Look, I don't want there to be any trouble, your parents wouldn't be very pleased to come home to their son having trouble." I pushed further. "Oh.", he said, in thought. His face changed. More relaxed at first, then a bit worried. He must be thinking about the consequences. With a father like that, I'm sure punishments around here are pretty frightening. "Ok. Yeah. I'll say sorry." He leaves without saying anything else. I don't move, frozen in shock that he just gave in like that. Alright. I walk into the kitchen after I hear the apology and the forgiveness. I smile at Otis, it must have taken some gut to at least pretend to be sorry after being so angry. But when I see Otis' expression, my thoughts change. He looked terrified. But his look disappeared quickly. "So, who called me?" I look at Clyde, certain that is was him. But Otis spoke up instead. "I did. I'm hungry, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one." He said, eyeing the oven. I open the oven door and discover a big metal sheet, covered with what looks like steak. Not sure this is the best way to cook a steak, but I will go for it. I turn the timer for ten minutes and set the heat to medium. I turn to face the boys. Otis has disappeared. Clyde is now tear-free but every couple of seconds, he sniffs. "How about that ice?" I ask him, trying to cheer him up. He nods and smiles a bit. I got to the fridge and open the freezer and pull out an ice pack. By the time I turn around, Clyde is already up on the counter, patiently waiting. When I ask him where it hurts, he points around to his back. I lift up his shirt. It's bruising already. A large blue mark was forming on the side of his back. I place the ice pack onto his skin, covering the bruise. I walk him to the couch in the living room and help him lay down. I open the door and yell, "Dinner is ready! Come inside, wash your hands!" Arthur comes bounding towards the door, shortly followed by Ike. I hop upstairs to get the girls. I just stand in the hallway and repeat the announcement that I had made outside. When I get back to the kitchen, I see Clyde, Arthur, Ike, and Otis are present. Abigail and Annie file in as well. I serve the food and they all start stuffing themselves full, gratefully. I let poor Clyde eat his food on the couch. There was another serving left. But I know it isn't for me. I count the kids. 1..2....3..4,5....6? I suddenly remember the child I had never met. "Hey, does anyone know where Beth is?", I asked. The kids all stop eating and look at each other. Arthur keeps his eyes on his plate, saying,"I think she went for a walk. She will be back later."

"How much later?"

"I don't know. Sorry."

"Alright", I gave up. Well, she can't stay out forever, she is bound to come back sometime. Going for a walk. To where though? Wait... I thought hard as the kids began to desert the room. Going for a walk.

An hour and a half felt until they have to go to sleep. That is the time I have to find Beth and bring her up without the kids noticing. That was no painting in that big room. I have to save her. The kids have all gone their separate ways, it's time to go mine. I run over to the office and slip in the door. I fly down the stairs and stop when I reach the room. I walk over to the stone room and look to the right. I hear the movement of chains as well as seeing the figure moving what looked like its arm. I walk over to it. The figure strains as if flinching away from me. "Hello?", I ask. Silence responded. "Beth?"

"GO AWAY.", The figure growls at me. I have to get her out of here. I reach forward at the chains. She is tied up, what could she do to me? "Are you ok?", I tried to let her know I was on her side. "STOP!", She yelled at me. But it was too late, I had already freed her from the chains. She falls to the ground, landing on her hands and feet. She was bruised, filthy and hardly dressed. It looks like what could be whipping marks on her back.

She immediately begins crying. I approach her. "We have to get out of here.", I rushed her. She didn't say anything, just spoke quietly. I helped her up and ran as fast as I could to the top of the stairs, half carrying her. "I can't go!!!", She screamed. "They'll know!!!" I found the door and pushed it open. No one was in the office. "Don't worry. You'll be safe. You're Beth right?", I asked. She nodded. Her eyes were full of fear. She holds on tightly to my hand and we make our way out the door. I close it behind me only to realize I forgot to close the safe. "Get the hell away from there.", A big voice yells at me. I turn around to see Mr. and Mrs. Crow, coming in from the front door. Mr. Crow looked furious while Mrs. Crow looked rather disappointed. "I thought maybe you would be able to follow the rules and mind your own business.", She said. Mr. Crow walked forward. "Apparently not. You failed.", He said. He got a firm grasp onto my neck, and I black out.

The End

Author's Note

There is a Moral to this story.