FRIENDS

TALIA

"Talia!" A woman called from her porch, she stood in a pair of jeans and a food stained blouse while barefoot. "Dinners going to be done in a minute come inside." She called across the yard to the tiny blonde headed girl that sat innocently in the grass.
Hearing this Talia dusted off her overalls of all the dust she collected from the yard ground and took off towards the house. She waved her balled up fist at her mother. "Mommy look what I found." Her mother cautiously opened her fist scared because the last time they played this game it had been a dead grasshopper.
She looked to see yet another dead creature.

"Talia, what have I told you about picking up outside animals and bugs." She dragged her daughter over to the kitchen trash bin. "Throw it out now." She watched as her daughter's upbeat expression turned to a pouted lip and furrowed brow.

"Talia, now." She watched as her daughter tossed the suffocated frog into the bin. This had now been a routine for the both of them. Talia would tragically suffocate or crush an insect or animal between her fist and show it to her mother to throw out. It was a little cute and sad the first two times but now she questioned if it was an accident. She'd seen dead beetles, frogs and grasshoppers come into the house almost weekly.
She'd always known there was something a bit... off about her five year old daughter but what mother wanted to out right admit to that. Talia never made as many friends as her younger sister had, and the ones she had made didn't stick for long. She'd hosted a slumber party for Talia and by the end of the night not a single girl wanted to stay the night; she'd even thrown her a birthday party and invited the neighbor's little girl. And let's just say that they were not allowed over that neighbor's house any more. But she loved her daughter and wanted the best option for her. "Run up and get in the bath with your sister, I'll be up in a minute."
Talia hurried up the steps and to the bathroom. She found her younger three year old sister Delilah splashing in the tub of water and beside the tub sat her father. She hurried and buried her head into her father's chest. "Hey daddy."

"Hey Talia. I see someones been outside." He pointed at her dirt stained tiny palms. "Let's get you cleaned up." The helped her out of the dirty clothes and into the tub. This hadn't been the first time that Talia had to share with Delilah. They shared pretty much everything, it bugged her a lot, they even had to share the same bedroom. If Talia could be any more envious she'd glow green.
Talia got in the bath beside her younger sibling. They splashed around a bit, Talia growing jealous when her father, Mr. Deen had to give his attention to Delilah. He looked around the bathroom for a minute. "Ok. Daddys gotta grab some towels from the dryer. Can you look after your little sister?" He smiled at Talia. She looked at her little sister as she tried blowing a bubble through her hand with the soapy bath water. She frowned. "Can you do that for daddy?"

"Ok." She gave in and he left for the towels. She looked over at Delilah as she was flashing her baby teeth at her. Those same baby teeth that got her adored by their grandmother and aunts and uncles. She began to see green. "You know mommy and daddy don't love you right." She said to the three year old.

She saw her smile vanish like magic. "What?"

"Mommy and daddy always argue about you. I hear they wanna trade you in." Talia teased her little sister getting satisfaction as her lip quivered.

"No."

"Oh yeah. If it weren't for me being lonely as an only kid, you'd be gone." She smirked. Then came the water works as Delilah started to cry.

"I dont wanna leave mommy and daddy." She wiped her snot filled face.

"Well then you gotta make them love you."

"H-how?" She choked up sobbing.

"I know a way." Talia grew a devilish grin. She thought back to her great aunty Sheila's funeral, where everyone stood around her sleeping body crying and showering her with attention. Maybe Delilah had to go to sleep forever too and she too could be rained on with affection. She took her little sister and pulled her close. "You gotta hold your breath and I promise it'll work."
Delilah willingly shook her head drying off the tears. Talia took Delilah's head ever so softly and plunged her sister's head under the bath water. She hadn't been prepared for this plunge which sent her into a thrashing panic. She sent water high in the air, but Talia's grip was firm and she wasn't close to giving up a fight, not with her. Delilah's speech came up as bubbles rising to the surface. Talia could feel her sister getting close to sleeping forever, she began to smile for her devious plan was falling into place.
Mrs. Deen came in to see the sight and it only took under a second in order for her to comprehend the scene. She let out a blood curdling scream before diving to separate her two daughters. She moved Talia and hurried to hoist Delilah out of the tub, her eyes wild and frantic. Delilah let out sobs as she clung to her mother pointing at her sister."B-bad." Mr. Deen came in to the bathroom having heard his wife's scream.