“How are their studies?”
“Great! Like I said, Vaughn likes to learn things. He’s very curious about how things work and if there’s meaning behind every function. I expect him to be a scientist or something similar,” I reply with a smile. “Eloy. Now, he likes his sports and he’s happiest when he’s outside exploring, so he’s kind of like his brother in that respect.”
Laura looks at me with a pleased smile on her face. Apparently, my answers are what she wants to hear, when I’m really just telling her the truth. I do teach them when I’m not in the fucking hole, and I try to make sure they understand basic educational studies.
“And my last question is actually about the two of you. I would like if you could both answer me,” she says, giving Pater a pointed glance. “How are things? Any worries you have that you may want to share with me? I’m not here to judge you, please understand that. I’m here out of concern and I want
to make sure that you’re both as equally happy as your children.”
“Concern?” I ask her in confusion.
She smiled warmly. “I’ll address that in a moment; first, I’d like to know how things are.”
“Honestly, I couldn’t be happier. Are things perfect? No, of course not. Perfection is a lie, an illusion. But my husband provides for us as best as he can and makes sure that we’re well taken care of. I can’t think of anything else I could possibly want,” I reply with a shrug. Except for you to take us with you when you leave.
“Yeah, I agree. My wife maintains a tidy home as you can see. She keeps our boys educated and I don’t think we’ve ever really had an argument. Any disagreements we actually have had have never been in front of our children, so I think we’re doing okay,” he adds, rubbing my back affectionately.
“Great!” Laura says as she jots what I assume to be her final thoughts about her trip into her notebook. I wait patiently, trying to still my jumping leg as she places her notebook back into her purse and looks up at us.
“So let me tell you the reason for my visit,” she says, looking from me to Pater. His hand comes to rest in the middle of my back, almost as if he’s expecting her to say it was my fault, so he could pull my spine out.
“For obvious reasons, any calls placed to me are anonymous, but I had a concerned parent reach out to me recently. It seems that Eloy has been spotted out in the woods behind your home, killing small animals. As a matter of fact, the parent that called me stated that they witnessed him skinning a snake and then attempting to eat it.”
I lean back in shock, but Pater chuckles almost immediately. “Aren’t snakes considered a delicacy somewhere around the world? What’s the harm in it? He’s just being a kid.”
Closing my eyes, I decide it’s best to let him handle this conversation because, judging by his response, I can tell that anything that comes out of his mouth next will be dripping with sugar. The only question I have remaining is whether Laura will buy it.
Well, maybe more than one question...
“Where did you say you were from again?” I asked her suspiciously.
“Oh, I’m just another concerned parent. I’m not tied to any official agency,” she says nervously.
“Then what the fuck are you doing in our home? When my son comes to your house and tries to skin and eat you, then you have my fucking permission to show up with ‘concern.’ Until then, you can get the fuck out of here!” I shout, jumping to my feet. My fists are balled at my sides and I can’t remember the last time I have ever been so angry.
Laura’s mouth jumps open at my sudden outburst, but Pater laughs in appreciation. I’m not protective over many things in this world, because I really don’t have anything, but those boys are my heart and he knows I would kill for them.
“I think you should listen to my wife,” he says, as he rises from the couch to stand next to me. “And tell your ‘concerned parent friends’ that they can come over and talk to us about our kids anytime they want. Tell them we’ll be waiting with an open door and a smile on our faces, because our boys are well fed, happy, cared for, and that’s all that matters to us.”
Laura nervously gets to her feet and nods, but as she begins to walk past us on her way toward the front door, something inside me tells me that if she makes it out, our entire family will be in danger.
And that’s why when I grab the lamp off the corner table and follow her toward the door, I know Pater will let me put her in the oubliette in my place.
Because while she’s now stumbling from the blow to her head, trying to stay on her feet, he knows what’s in my heart. And he’ll allow me to do everything I can for Eloy and Vaughn, even though I know he has to punish them first.
Chapter Three
“Why did you let her in?” I asked him as I begin to drag her back down toward the back door. “Did she show you some credentials?”
“Nah. I just thought it could be fun to fuck with the neighbors,” he replies with a smirk. “I knew she wasn’t anyone important. And you should be thankful I let her in. It got you out of the hole for a while and into a nice dress. As a matter of fact, a ‘thank you, Pater’ would actually be nice, instead of your bitching.”
“Thank you, Pater,” I say through gritted teeth. I take a deep breath and stand up straight for a moment, when the sudden severity of what I’ve done hits me.
“Oh shit. Oh fuck,” I say frantically. “I can’t believe I did that.”
“It’s ‘cause you want to protect our little family as much as I do,” he chuckles. “That’s why you’re my favorite of all the wives I’ve had. You would do anything to keep our secret and our boys safe, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” I reply softly.