Everytime (American Horror AU 5)

Chapter 1

After hours of driving past cragged cliffs, over bridges, and past miles of Pacific Ocean horizons, Clara and Amy, along with their adoptive mother Cordelia, finally reached their final destination in Los Angeles. They stopped at 939 Berro Drive, the site of their new home, and got out of the car after parking it in the flat-brick driveway. Feeling the warm breeze on the length of her long, black hair, Clara stared up at the house—it had an old-world charm in its Victorian style; three stories of red brick and stone masonry surrounding the Tiffany glass windows and front doorway. The manicured lawn was green and lush, and the hedges in the front of the house were clipped to the perfect shape. It looked pristine, perfect, as though someone had already been living there. The sound of heels hitting the ground caught the young woman's attention, looking next to her to see Amy standing there with her hands on her curvy hips.

"Hm," the blonde muttered, "it's…uh…cute?"

"It's better because Clara can just take one bus to school," Cordelia said, adjusting her sunglasses. "It's convenient, really."

"We have all our furniture in here, yes?" Clara asked.

"Yes. We just have the suitcases in the back to unpack," their adoptive mother said.

"Well, let's get going," Amy said snobbily. "My shoes are going to be all smooshed by the time I open them."

Cordelia unlocked the trunk and opened the lid, taking the handles of two suitcases as Clara and Amy followed with two of their own. The older woman was given the key to the house, and as she stuck it in the keyhole, Amy turned around to look behind her, seeing what looked to be a young girl past Clara. She had curling dark brown hair with bangs and a white headband, slanted eyes, a massive double chin, and a black polka dot dress with a white collar that barely flattered her disproportionate figure. Clara looked behind them as well and was nearly startled.

"Oh, hello there," the black-haired young woman said cordially. "Do you live around here?"

"Yes," the young girl said—Down syndrome, Clara thought as she finally noticed the girl's features. "You're going to die in there."

"Huh?" The two young women were confused—Amy bit her lower lip and looked at the girl.

"Uh-huh," the one with blonde curls nodded. "Why don't you go back and play, little girl? Huh? We have shit to do."

"You're going to regret it," the girl said.

"C'mon," Clara said, shaking her head. "Ignore her."

"You're going to regret it." The Down syndrome girl kept repeating herself. However, by the time they made it to the front door opened by Cordelia's key, they turned to see that she had practically disappeared. Clara looked at her younger sister with a worried look on her face, and Amy returned it with a scoff.

"That was weird," she said. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know," Clara muttered. Cordelia, who was in the main foyer placing the two suitcases she had been holding down on the polished hardwood floor, came out the door and looked at Clara and Amy attentively.

"Girls?" she asked. "We should start unpacking now."

As Clara and Amy entered the house for the first time, they were in awe of the foyer, a large staircase ascending to the second story. There were two large archways that were paths to a parlor and another larger room that looked like a dining room. Amy looked up the stairs as she stepped closer to the bottom landing, looking back at Clara with a weary sigh.

"Alright, my room first," the blonde stated.

"Who says?" Clara asked.

"Me," her younger sister said, pointing her thumb to herself. "Let's go."