Stepmother

02 | Dr. Jimmy

AN ODD SILENCE blanketed the house, which ironically, woke Dana up instead of the sunlight rays pouring through her bedroom windows. There was no commotion of her brother running around and breaking things, nor the pleas of her father for Jim to calm down.

And then, the events of yesterday came crashing down on her, making her jump up from her bed to head for the door of the room. She loathed the idea of seeing Jocelyn this early on, but she had no other choice.

"Jim?" She called out as she strolled around the entire house. When she peered inside Jim's bedroom once she reached it, her confusion grew. His bed was made neatly, but the boy himself wasn't there.

Dana searched the entire house— at one point she even creeped into her father's room. Clothes of both him and Jocelyn were strewn around and that did anger her, but she still saw no one.

The emptiness of the kitchen was the last straw and the girl was about to dial 911, until she caught movement outside of the backyard's glass door. Dana rushed to it and slid it to the side to step out.

A large sigh of relief left her upon noticing Jocelyn sitting on a picnic cloth splayed out on the grass, her back facing Dana. Opposite to her sat Jim, and he sprung up to run to Dana with excitement.

"Come here! I want to show you something."

The boy dragged his sister to where he previously sat. Jocelyn peeked up and greeted Dana with a nod when she stopped nearby, and Dana grumbled a curt 'good morning'.

Jocelyn wore a silk nightgown, and her rough hair was gathered into a ponytail. She didn't look as offsetting as she did last night.

"Dana, look." Jim urged as he pointed down at a spot on the picnic cloth, and Dana complied.

She wished she hadn't.

What appeared to be a black squirrel laid lifelessly. The poor thing's head was smashed beyond recognition, making it look like a pulp of gore. Its tail was separated from the rest of its body. The squirrel's stomach sported one large incision, and it was neat, like someone had done it with precision.

Dana's gaze travelled to the bloodied kitchen knives and a hammer that sat on the grass, nearby Jocelyn.

"Did-"

She was at a complete loss for words. Bile rose to her throat. Dana felt the need to throw up on an empty stomach, and her hand flew to cup her mouth so she could mask the dry heave that escaped.

Dana looked at Jim, who watched her with concern.

"Did you do this?" She asked as she peeled her palm away, and Jim shook his head vigorously.

"No, but it'll be my turn next. Mommy's teaching me how to become a doctor when I grow up."

Boiling rage, along with disgust leaked into her eyes as Dana turned her head to glare at Jocelyn. The woman did or said nothing, just merely watched the two siblings with boredom.

"Come on Jimmy, it's now your turn. Go get that rabbit for me, will you?" She gestured somewhere nearby the backyard's fence. Dana slapped a hand on Jim's chest just when he was about to dart off.

"You're not going anywhere." Though Dana's seethe was directed at Jocelyn, it came out on Jim. The girl glanced back at the stepmother.

"Where's dad?"

"Oh, Liam actually left for a business trip before you two woke up. It was an emergency."

No matter how much of an emergency it would be, Liam always made sure to inform Dana by either waking her up briefly, or sending her a simple text. He'd sometimes joke about being dead if he were to do neither of those things.

Dana had yet to check her phone, so the extent of Jocelyn's honesty was yet to be confirmed.

"Let me go!" Jim groaned as he pried at Dana's hand that now gripped his wrist, but the girl wouldn't budge. Shooting Jocelyn one last hateful peer, Dana spun around and pulled Jim along with her, and she shut the backyard door behind them once they left the place.

"Why are you being so mean to Mommy?" Jim huffed, making Dana freeze. Immediately, she let go of him and bent down to grab his shoulders.

"First of all, stop it with this 'mommy' crap. She's not our mom, and she never will be." She hissed. "From now on, you are never leaving my sight. Anywhere you go, you let me know first. Am I understood?"

The boy studied his sister for a little while. Even through her anger, he could see her panic and fear. She could mold her features into reflecting her rage all she wanted, but she couldn't hide the true emotions coating her tone.

"Okay."

"Good." She breathed. Her gaze shot past Jim to watch Jocelyn emerge from the backyard, making Dana stand up and continue her venture to her room with Jim closely beside her. She closed and locked the door once they walked in.

She handed him her game console to keep him busy for the time being, and she rushed towards her phone sitting on the nightstand. Dana fumbled with it to turn it on.

And not a single message or call from her father awaited her.