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PARKER DROVE UP to the mansion and stared at the flattened and decimated woods surrounding the property. The woods looked as though they had been stomped on by a giant’s foot. A ghostly shimmer within the forest drew Parker’s attention. Sparkling beams of sunlight danced across a felled ancient tree, like fiery demons scouring the scarred land. Something about the tree set off a thought in Parker’s mind that eluded her, something she couldn’t quite remember.
A weathered-looking man came out of the woods and Parker had to brake hard to avoid running him over. The man glared at her.
Parker pulled off the road, turned off the engine, and got out of the car. ‘I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t see you there. You came out of the forest quickly.’
The man gave Parker a look of disgust. ‘Son, are you supposed to be my daycare sitter?’
Parker felt a rage in her heart when the man called her son. But she took a deep breath and put on her best face.
‘Yes, from Victoria’s Daycare. Are you Mr Rogers?’ Rogers nodded. ‘Nice to meet you, sir. Uh, just one thing. I’m a girl.’ She fidgeted, then gave him a cool smile. ‘Not a boy.’
Rogers’s lips split into a grin. ‘You don’t look like no girl. Say, are you one of them tranny boys who is into wearing dresses?’ Parker’s eyes widened.
Rogers whispered, ‘Don’t you get embarrassed, goin’ around looking like that? Wearing girls’ clothing, even though you’re a boy?’
Parker felt her cheeks grow hot. She wished she could magically disappear into thin air. She felt so humiliated. Tears began welling. God, this was only her first day on the job. And she’d just leased a new apartment.
She stared at Rogers, straightened herself to her full height, and mustered every bit of confidence she could scrape together. ‘No sir, I’m not embarrassed. I wear a dress because it makes me feel good. It’s how I feel. It’s who I am. I’m a girl, not a boy. ‘
Rogers laughed merrily. ‘Is that so?’ He shook his head. ‘How can I trust you with my baby boy? We want him raised with a proper upbringing.’ He leaned in. ‘You ain’t gonna try anything if you’re alone with him now, are you?’
Parker’s eyes blazed. ‘Excuse me, sir! I’m a bonded and licensed professional. I’m finding everything you’re saying highly offensive!’
‘Whoa!’ Rogers chuckled, raising his hands up like he was being held at gunpoint. ‘Calm down there, sparky! We can find a way to work together. I think it’s fair to tell you my concerns. Right?’
Parker’s eyes narrowed. She was breathing hard and her heart was pounding. She took a moment to slow her breathing and compose herself. ‘Mr Rogers, if this isn’t working out for you, I’m happy to call the agency and get a replacement, if you’d like.’
Rogers’s look went rancid. ‘No, no, let’s not do that. We’ve been on the waiting list for six months already just to get you. They’d probably put us on the waiting list again. God knows how long it would take for us to get someone else. No, let’s give this a shot. We can see what happens.’
‘Okay, fine,’ Parker said, anger still tight in her chest.
‘I’ve still got some things I need to finish up outside. My wife is inside. Why don’t you go inside and speak to her? She can help get you started.’
Parker nodded and opened the front door. There was no job in the world that paid enough to put up with harassment. But Parker was strong. She’d overcome a lot worse in the past. She’d run into bullies at school in Vanderbilt. But after giving them a few choice words, they never bothered her again. She wouldn’t let Rogers get to her. Parker took a deep breath and went inside.
A well-kept, thin, young blonde woman was waiting for her in the foyer. She looked at Parker strangely, but then her expression quickly vanished, turning neutral.
‘Hey, Parker, I’m Cindy. John’s wife.’
Parker gave her a professional smile. ‘Hi, Mrs Rogers. Nice to meet you.’
‘Why don’t we get you set up with Nicholas? He’s in the family room.’
Parker followed Mrs Rogers. She led her to a massive room with a gas-lit fireplace. Parker stared at the flames, they moved like hypnotic, undulating liquid waves. Occasional sparks flew from the fire, like tiny celestial beings vying to be let free.
By the fireplace was a six-month-old baby, laying in a crib, fast asleep in a cosy sleep sack.
Mrs Rogers whispered, ‘I’m trying to be quiet so we don’t wake Nicholas.’ She smiled hesitantly. ‘Well, John and I have to get going to work. We thought this room would be better than the baby’s room for your first day. The weather is kind of chilly. I’ve pumped three bottles of milk. It’s in the mini-fridge over there when Nicholas gets hungry. And his baby food is on the counter. I’ll let you two get acquainted.’ Her smile faltered. ‘It’s so hard to leave him!’ Mrs Rogers took a deep breath. ‘But I’m going to be brave!’ She wiped her eyes and then went to the door. ‘If you need anything, you can ask Iman to help you. Have a good day!’ Mrs Rogers took one last wistful look at Nicholas, then closed the door.
Parker put down her pack and went to look at the baby. The bay wasn’t the cutest. Its skin looked worn and wrinkled, like an old man’s.
Well, Nicholas, I don’t think you’re going to grow up to be a fashion model. But the world also needs accountants and programmers.
Parker put in her earbuds, took out her tablet, went to Hulu, and started watching the Kardashians. After a little while, she heard Nicholas wake up and start crying. Parker took out her earbuds and went to the baby. ‘Hey, little guy! How’s it going? Are you hungry?’
Nicholas saw her and cried louder.
‘Yep, that must be it. Let me get you your milk.’ Parker took a bottle of milk from the mini-fridge. She left the room, went to the bathroom, turned on the warm water in the sink, and ran the bottle under it. When it had warmed up a good amount, she brought it back.
‘Here you go!’ She placed the bottle under Nicholas’s lips, but he didn’t drink it. She gently parted his lips with her fingers and he opened his mouth. Parker gasped. All of Nicholas’s teeth were thick and sharp. ‘How did you get teeth like that? Whoa, kid! You were born really weird.’
As Parker stared, Nicholas lurched forward and bit her finger. The pain felt agonizing, going all the way down to the bone.
Parker screamed and dropped the baby bottle. ‘Ouch! Oh my God! That hurts so bad!’ Her chin trembled.
The baby laughed, and it gave her the creeps. The laugh was strange. It didn’t sound like any baby she’d ever heard before. Every hair stood up on Parker’s body. Her heart thundered in her ribs like a frantic bird trying to escape its cage. Her injured finger pulsed painfully. She looked down and saw blood all over her finger dripping down her hand.
This isn’t happening. I’m probably having a dream. I must have fallen asleep watching the Kardashians.
There was a knock on the door. Iman poked her head in. The housekeeper asked in a thick accent, ‘Hello, Miss Parker. Is everything all right? I heard you shouting.’
Parker looked at the baby. It wasn’t laughing now. It was back asleep. Laying in the crib exactly as it was a minute ago.
‘I’m fine.’
Iman nodded, then her eyes widened. ‘What happened to your finger? Oh my God! I’ll get some bandages and be right back.’
Parker looked down and saw her blood was starting to drip onto the carpet. She looked at Nicholas and narrowed her eyes. ‘You little bastard!’
Iman was back in a flash. She expertly cleaned Parker’s wound and put a butterfly bandage on it. ‘How did that happen to you?’
Parker knew if she told the truth, Mr and Mrs Rogers would instantly throw her out of here. ‘Uh, I cut myself when I was preparing the baby food.’
‘Oh, I see. Well, be careful! Okay?’
‘Thanks.’ Iman looked at her expectantly. ‘I think I’m okay. Thank you. Don’t let me keep you from your work.’
‘Okay. Well, just holler if you need anything.’
‘Will do.’
Iman gave Parker a tight smile, then left the room. The door sighed against the carpet and closed with a click.
Parker went to Nicholas and watched him sleep. ‘You little knocker! If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were a monster in disguise. How could you bite me like that?’
The baby bolted awake, staring at her with bright yellow eyes. It said in a demonic voice, ‘How did you know I wasn’t human?’
A talking baby? This definitely is a dream! God, I hope I wake up soon.
‘No one has ever discovered my secret! How did you do it? Tell me!’ The thing began to change in front of Parker’s eyes. Its skin rippled, turning blue. Its bones cracked. Its teeth morphed into long, deep fangs, sliding into its mouth. A popping noise came from its skull and huge spindly horns burst out of its head. The monster was so tall and massive, its head almost touched the ceiling. It destroyed its crib, splintering it into pieces. Parker felt a lump in her throat. She backed away.
The creature growled. Parker froze.
The creature’s eyes narrowed. ‘Human, let me give you a warning. I see you’re unable to hide your true nature. Perhaps it’s why you noticed me when no one else could. I can’t hide my true nature anymore either. So, I’ll warn you and spare you from what is to come. Leave this place. Don’t come back. If you stay here, you’ll die.’
The room felt like it was closing in on Parker. ‘Wh-what are you talking about? How is this happening? What are you?’
‘If you hadn’t detected me, I’d still be a baby right now and none of this would be happening. This is your fault.’
‘I didn’t know! I swear! I was just joking when I said you were a monster.’
The thing made an animalistic roar. ‘Well, it’s too late. Now I’m going to kill everyone in this house!’
‘No, you don’t have to! I won’t tell anyone.’
‘Rogers has cameras in this room, watching me. It’s too late.’
Parker’s eyes widened. She looked up. There were two wireless cameras mounted on the ceiling she hadn’t noticed before. This place felt like a prison.
‘Rogers destroyed my family and my home. He killed half my children. I’m not going to leave here until I get justice! He has to pay!’
‘So you kidnapped his son and then changed places with him to get your revenge?’
‘This isn’t only about my family. All of our Fae people are suffering. Rogers destroyed the Ymp tree we have protected and lived in for thousands of years. Now we have nowhere to live.’
Was the felled tree Parker had seen driving up what the monster was talking about? Parker remembered the ghost stories her old gypsy grandmother used to tell around the campfire during camping trips. One really frightening story she told her was about that tree. Her grandmother said back in her old country, Slovakia, some of the gypsies sometimes saw horrific Fae monsters that changed into humans. The gypsies called them Changelings. They delighted in terrifying villagers and stealing their children.
After they abducted a child, the Changeling transformed their appearance into the child, so the family didn’t suspect the children were gone. They held the children captive in the Ymp tree. After a few days, when they felt no one suspected anything, they went back to the tree and ate the children.
Parker had seen tons of construction in the backyard when she had gotten here. It looked like Rogers was building a guest house. Parker frowned. Had Rogers destroyed the Changeling’s home while he was doing construction?
The Changeling levitated off the ground into the air. ‘Now, I shall purify this house of evil!’
‘What? No!’ screamed Parker. ‘Don’t!’
The Changeling opened its mouth and roared. It extended its hands and bright cobalt comets shot from its hands into the fireplace.
‘Please! Stop!’
The Changeling ignored her, raising its hands. As it did, the fire grew bigger and bigger, until the flames could no longer be contained. The flames went outside of the fireplace, licking the walls. Black smoke roiled throughout the room. There was an urgent knocking on the door.
Iman rushed into the room. ‘Miss Parker, what is going on in here?’ She saw the creature floating in the air, screamed, and made the sign of the cross.
Flames leapt upon the walls and the room started catching quickly.
The Changeling laughed. Then its body completely burst into flame, like a torch. It flew upward, smashing completely through the roof, leaving a blue, dusty trail of dark energy sparkling behind it. Wood beams, metal, and plaster crashed into the room. Parker turned, narrowly avoiding getting hit. She heard a boom. The house shook, rattling, and the Changeling was gone.
Rogers had bullied and trampled everyone in life. But now the Changeling was getting its revenge. Rogers had crossed the wrong person. Parker didn’t feel sorry for him after what he’d done to her.
‘Come on!’ Parker grabbed Iman. She nodded.
They ran out of the house as the house began to blaze.
As they got down the driveway to Parker’s car, she looked up. Her mouth opened at what she saw. She felt a chill, like a spider walking down her spine. Above the house danced a half a dozen blue flaming lights like will-o’-wisps. They danced joyously about the flames and against the watery light of the moon. Faintly, in the distance, Parker heard all of them wickedly laughing Rogers’s name.
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