Perfect Little Monsters and Other Stories

by Amy Cross

  ***

  Sitting at the kitchen table, I stare at the locket and read the inscription over and over. It's weird, but although I went into the mantelpiece box last night to take the necklace, now it's the locket that I find most interesting. I just can't shake the feeling that I've seen it somewhere before, even though I've searched my memories and come up with nothing. It's at a time like this that I wish my head worked a little better, but Pa says some damage just can't be fought.

  Still, it's good that Pa and Brother are out right now. When the house is quiet like this, I can take my time and look at the locket some more, and there'll still be plenty of time to finish out the rest of my chores. The pigs are clean, but I need to check for any remains of the two people they ate yesterday, and then I think I'll clean Pa's bedroom, just to remind him that I still do good things around here and -

  Suddenly I remember something.

  The syringe.

  I need to inject the girl.

  I forgot this morning.

  Looking over at the clock, I realize that it's almost midday. Pa told me to give the girl her injection as soon as I woke up, but I was busy with other things. Still, it'll probably be okay. Getting to my feet, I drop the locket into my pinny pocket and then head through to the hallway, while taking the key out and using it to unlock the door. I flinch as I think back to that horrible sight of Brother last night, but at least I managed to stop him in time. Pushing the door open, I step into the room and -

  She's gone.

  Staring at the blood-stained table, I see that there's no sign of the girl.

  I hesitate for a moment, not knowing what to do, before stepping back and pulling the door shut. I quickly turn the key again, so that she's definitely locked inside, and then I take another step back. My heart is pounding and I have no idea what to do, but I know one thing for sure: I can't let Pa know that I messed this up. He's already in a bad mood after what happened with Brother last night, and he won't hesitate to give me a beating if he finds out that I made a mistake. I pause for a few seconds, but I don't hear a sound from the room even though I know the girl must be in there somewhere, unless...

  Unless Pa got rid of her this morning, before I woke up. Maybe he was so disgusted by what Brother tried to do, he decided it wasn't worth keeping her around. Or maybe she died and he just didn't want to tell us. Then again, she definitely wasn't fed to the pigs, I know that for certain, so what else would he have done with her?

  I stay completely still for a few more minutes, trying to come up with a plan, before realizing finally that I'm going to have to go into the room and take a look around. She has to be in there still, but she's most likely weak and scared so I don't think there'll be much danger. I look around for something I can use as a weapon, before grabbing a candlestick from the table and taking a deep breath. If only I'd remembered to give her the injection this morning, none of this would be a problem.

  Still, there's no point delaying things, so I reach out and slowly push the door open.

  The table is still empty, of course. Taking a step forward, I look down at the floor and immediately spot a series of bloody smears running over toward the cupboard in the corner, as if the girl somehow managed to drag herself down and then found a place to hide. The smears are pretty thick and clear, and I can't help breathing a sigh of relief as I realize that she's accidentally made this easy for me. Hurrying to the table, I set the candlestick down and pick up one of Pa's knives, which I figure will be a better weapon. I don't want to hurt the girl, but at least I might be able to scare her enough to get her back onto the table.

  Suddenly realizing that she might try to run away, I head back to the door and take the key out, before pushing it shut and locking it again.

  Turning, I look over at the cupboard. I feel so sorry for her, hiding in there, and I just want to tell her that everything will be okay. I can't imagine what she must have thought when she woke up, covered in blood and with her foot missing, and she must be in so much pain. Taking a few steps forward with the knife raised, I try to think of something to say.

  “Come out,” I tell her finally. “You'd better come out, okay? Right now!”

  I'm bad at sounding scary, but I suppose there's a chance she might listen. After a moment, however, I realize that I can't hear her at all. She's probably waiting to burst out at me, but I'm not that dumb so I hang back, leaving plenty of space between myself and the cupboard. The blood streaks on the floor are definitely thicker and clearer leading over to the cupboard door, so there's no doubt that she's in there.

  I'm too smart for her to -

  Suddenly something slams into me from behind, sending me thudding into the wall. I drop the knife and reach down to grab it, but I'm pulled around and shoved into the wall again.

  “Who are you?” the girl screams, reaching down for the knife.

  I grab her arm and pull her away. She falls, but she takes hold of my wrist and takes me tumbling down with her. Landing hard, I let out a cry of pain and then roll onto my side. I try again to get the knife, but the girl pulls me back and bites me hard on the neck.

  Screaming, I slam my elbow into her face, harder than I'd intended. She falls back, and I turn just as she lunges at me again. Ducking out of the way, I grab the knife and then swing back to her, and I almost slice the blade straight across her face before she stops at the last moment and stares at me with wild, terrified eyes.

  “Who are you?” she asks again, her voice trembling with fear as she shuffles back across the bloodied floor. “Where am I?”

  “You're in the garage,” I tell her, before realizing that maybe that isn't a very good answer. “You're at Pa's farm, with us. It's okay, we're friends.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” she replies, using one of the bad words that Pa hates. “Where the fuck am I? What the...” She stares at me, as if she can't quite believe what she's seeing. “What the fuck is wrong with your face?”

  “You're at Pa's farm,” I stammer. “It's just Pa's farm...”

  “What? What the fuck is Pa's farm?” She lets out a gasp of pain and doubles over for a moment, and her whole body seems to be trembling.

  “Pa found you,” I continue. “You'd been in a car crash. If you don't believe me, your car's outside. It's all messed up, but it's red.”

  “What?” She pauses. “Where are my parents?”

  “They're dead.”

  She stares at me, before slowly shaking her head.

  “They are,” I tell her, before realizing that maybe I should be nicer about that. I definitely shouldn't tell her about them being fed to the pigs. “Maybe Pa should explain it to you,” I continue. “He found your car all messed up on the road near here. He thinks you got lost or something.”

  She pauses, before looking down at her right leg. “What the... What happened to my...” She pauses again,before starting to let out a slow, terrified whimper. “What happened? Where's my fucking foot?”

  I flinch as she uses that word again. I don't like it.

  “What is this place?” she shouts, lunging at me but stopping again when I hold the knife up. “Who are you? What happened to your face?”

  “My face?” I swallow hard. “Nothing happened to my face.”

  “If's fucking...” She stares at me, as if she can't quite get the words out. “Where's my phone?”

  “Why would you have a phone?”

  She looks over her shoulder for a moment, before turning back to me. “Did you call an ambulance?”

  I shake my head.

  “Did you call the police?”

  Again, I shake my head.

  “Why not?” she asks, with even more fear in her voice than before. “Where are my parents?”

  “I told you, they -” I catch myself just in time. “Pa should tell you about it. Pa knows better than me.”

  I wait for her to say something, but she starts dragging herself away from me, across the floor and over to the table.

  “You'll
be okay,” I continue, hoping to make her less scared. “Pa's really good. He took me in when he found me, and now he's doing the same for you. I think so, anyway. He hasn't really said much, but Brother said you're going to be our new sister, so I'm pretty sure.”

  “Your new sister?” She seems horrified by the idea. “I remember being in the car, and then...” She pauses, as if she's remembering something. “It was dark, there was rain and Dad... Dad was driving and I was sleeping in the back, and then suddenly the car swerved and...” She looks down at her right hand, as if she's thinking about the necklace. “I woke up in the wreckage,” she continues. “It hurt so much, and I tried to crawl into the front seat, but Mum and Dad...”

  I wait for her to say more, but there are tears in her eyes now and she seems to be remembering something horrible.

  “Everything's going to be okay,” I tell her, hoping that maybe I can get her to calm down. “You're safe now. Pa brought you here, to his farm.”

  “I don't want to be on a farm,” she replies, pulling back. “I have to go to a hospital! I have to find my parents! What the hell's wrong with my foot?”

  “Please,” I continue, as she turns and starts crawling toward the door, “just listen to me.” I run over to the table and grab one of the syringes, but my hands are shaking as I try to fill it with the drug Pa left behind. “You're not in danger. Pa's gonna take really good care of you. You're my new sister, you see. That means you're part of the family now, and that means you'll be taken care of. Pa's really great like that.”

  Once I've filled the syringe, I hold it up and tap the side, before stepping around the table and heading over to where the girl is still dragging herself toward the door.

  “My name's Enda,” I tell her. “What's your name?”

  Ignoring me, she grunts as she hauls herself along. Her damaged ankle is bleeding again, leaving more blood smeared across the floor.

  “My name's Enda,” I repeat, walking alongside her with the syringe in my right hand. “Why don't you get back on the table? There's really no need to act like this, we're just trying to help you. You were in a car crash, see, and your parents died, and Pa -”

  “My parents are not dead!” she hisses, finally getting to the door and reaching up, only to try the handle and find that it's locked. “Let me out of here!” she shouts, tugging furiously on the handle before banging her fist against the door. “Help me! Somebody get me out!”

  “You really shouldn't make too much noise,” I tell her, stepping a little closer. “Pa and Brother might come back any time soon. Please -”

  “Help me!” she screams, banging harder than ever on the door. “Somebody help me!”

  Panicking, I quickly slide the needle into her neck and push the plunger down. She jerks away, spinning around to look at me, but she's too late. I already got every drop into her, and I can see her eyes starting to close.

  “What the fuck?” she stammers, reaching behind and pulling the needle out. She stares at it in shock for a few seconds, before lunging at me. “What did you do to me? What is this place? What kind of fucking freaks are you?”

  “Everything's going to be okay,” I tell her, stepping back while I wait for her to pass out. “Once you're under, I'll put you back on the table and check your wounds, and then I was thinking I'd change your clothes and -”

  “What are you?” she whimpers, her voice starting to sound slurred. Looking up at me, she lets out a series of pained gasps. “What the... What the fuck happened to your... face?”

  With that, she slumps down, banging her head hard on the floor and leaving me standing by the table. As I try to get my breath back, I realize that I won't be able to hide this from Pa. I'll have to tell him what happened. And clearly it'll take a little longer before my new sister and I are friends, but Pa will know what to do about that, too.

  Because Pa's always right, about everything.

  Six

  As Brother sets the table for dinner, I hold one of the butter knives in my hand and tilt it slightly. For a brief second, I see something I've been avoiding for a long, long time.

  My reflection.

  My face is -

  “I'll take that,” Pa says, grabbing the knife from me and then heading back over to the counter. “I suppose we'll have to put some dinner aside for your sister now, Enda. Be a good girl and take responsibility for that, okay?”

  “Okay,” I stammer, reaching up to touch my face before thinking better of it. Hearing a chuckle nearby, I turn and see Brother watching me with a grin. “Go to hell!” I shout.

  “What?” he replies, before turning to Pa. “Did you see that? She just got pissed at me for no reason!”

  “Language!” Pa roars, slamming his fist against the counter and shutting Brother up immediately. “Any more talk like that, boy, and you can go eat with the pigs.”

  “I don't know why you're mad at me,” Brother mutters. “I'm not the one who let the girl wake up this afternoon.”

  “I said I'm sorry!” I shout, turning to him and momentarily losing my temper. “I forgot!”

  “Don't shout, Enda,” Pa says, getting back to work at the sink. “Everyone makes mistakes. The most important thing is that we learn from them.”

  Brother picks up one of the metal plates and turns it toward me. He grins as I spot my reflection, but I immediately turn away. I've always known that I'm not pretty, that there's something wrong with how I look, but the girl seemed so shocked by my face, like I'm some kind of monster. Pa calls us all his little monsters, and he says we're perfect, but I honestly didn't expect someone from outside to be so horrified by how I look. Once I'm sure that Brother has stopped watching, I reach up and feel the ridge that runs down between my eyes, and I let my fingers brush against the deep, scarred fold where other people have a nose. Flinching, I force myself to keep feeling my face, and after a moment I touch the spot where the fold goes past the edge of my mouth and down under my chin.

  “Don't,” Pa whispers suddenly, pushing my hand away.

  “I'm sorry,” I stammer.

  “It's okay, but...” He pauses, staring at me. “Just don't, Enda, okay? Just don't. No good can come of it.”

  I nod, and then I wait as he goes back over to the sink. “What are you going to do with my new sister when she's properly awake?” I ask.

  “Do with her?” he replies. “That's a funny question, Enda. I'm going to help her get used to our little family, that's all.” He glances at me with a smile. “Like I did with you, remember?”

  ***

  She's sobbing. I mean really, really sobbing, almost howling really, like an animal. And I can hear her clawing at the table, as if she's trying to get free from the ropes Pa put around her.

  Sitting in the dark at the top of the stairs, I know I should go to bed, but I feel like I should try to do something for the girl. Pa was in there with her for a long time after dinner, and Brother was being annoying so I wasn't able to sneak to the door and listen. I know Pa only ever means well, and I'm sure he didn't do anything to her that he didn't do to me when I first came here, but at the same time I've never heard someone sound so alone and scared before. Pa said to ignore her if we heard her tonight, and sure enough he and Brother have stayed in their rooms, but I can't ignore her.

  In my right hand, I'm holding the necklace, and I'm thinking about maybe going down and giving it to her. After all, it might make her feel better, and then she'd probably like me more.

  Suddenly she lets out a scream, and I flinch as I realize that there are words mixed in with the awful sound. She's begging someone to help her, but I guess she doesn't realize how far we are from anywhere else. For miles and miles around, there's no-one who could possibly hear her.

  Finally I get to my feet and start making my way down the stairs. I'm scared, and the sound of the girl's continued screaming is making me want to run and hide under my bed, but I force myself to keep going until I reach the door and slip the key into the hole. Maybe the necklace won't hel
p her at all, although there has to be a reason why she was holding it so tight earlier. Pushing the door open, I look through into the dark room and see her twitching on the table, desperately trying to break free as she continues to cry out. She hasn't even noticed me yet.

  I step forward, wondering what I should say. She still doesn't spot me, not until I'm right next to the table and she suddenly turns to look at me. For a moment she just stares, catching her breath.

  “What the fuck are you?” she stammers finally. “Your face... What the fuck happened? Are you some kind of monster?”

  “I had an...” I pause, feeling as if I shouldn't tell her. Instead, I hold my hand out and show her the necklace. “I saved this for you.”

  “That's my mother's,” she replies cautiously. “Where did you get it?”

  “It was in your hand,” I tell her. “You were squeezing it really tight when you got here.”

  “Mum never took that thing off,” she continues. “Why would I be holding it?”

  “I don't know, but you were.”

  She shakes her head. “You're a liar,” she says after a moment. “You stole it from her, didn't you?”

  “No, I -”

  “Where is she? Where are my parents? Have you got them here?”

  “They're in the -” I catch myself just in time. She probably wouldn't like to know what Pa did with their bodies.

  “They're probably looking for me,” she continues, with tears streaming down her face. “You realize that, right? I'm not some fucking nobody who doesn't have family or friends! People are going to be worried about me, and sooner or later they're gonna come knocking on your fucking door and then they'll find me! So really you should just let me go!”

  “We're a long -”

  Suddenly she spits at me. I step back, shocked, before wiping the saliva from my cheek.

  “You have to let me out of here,” she stammers. “Please, I'm sorry I called you a monster, but you have to let me go! Untie me!”

  I shake my head.

  “Untie me!” she hisses. “Please!”