The Babysitter

Deeper than skin

10:30AM

"You won't defeat me this time! HYAAAA!" Sander yelled swinging his toy sword around. In his mind his jungle gym is a castle and what he's swinging at isn't just air, it's a huge dragon. He runs up to the tallest peak of his castle and comes face to face with the imaginary beast. Sander holds his sword high getting ready for the final blow when he looks over and his imagination pauses. In the kitchen window is Tiffany's face staring at him. It wasn't unusual for her to watch him, but she wasn't smiling or showing any emotion for that matter. Just a blank stare, like a robot recording information.

Sander lowered his sword and stared back at her and tilted his head to the side. She acted quickly with a smirk, but it wasn't like her usual smile response. This smile wasn't warm or welcoming, it was just a smile, nothing attached it to. "Maybe this just how she is in the daytime," he thought and brushed it off as nothing, returning to his imaginary battle.

The dragon huffed getting ready to breathe fire onto Sander and turn him into ash. But Sander was prepared, he lifted his sword once more above his head. "AHHHHHHH!" He yelled as he jumped off the castle and cut the dragons face in half. Sander broke from his imagination as soon as he hit the ground. He ended up going head first into the ground and the right side of his body caught the rest of the blow. Sander grew to be in a lot of pain due to the young age and noticed the scratch on his shoulder started to spill little red beads. Those beads grew bigger and bigger until they joined together to make a single blood drops. The blood continued to slowly spill out of the scratch and Sander began to cry.

Tiffany stuck her head out of the door and yelled, "I know it's early, but lunch is ready!" She looked down to see Sander sitting on the ground crying. She gasped and ran to him saying, "Oh no! What happened?!"

Sander sat sniffling and stuttering, "I-I-I-I jumped off of that th-thing, "He cried pointing to the jungle gym, "A-and I thought I w-would land on my f-f-feet, but I didnnnnn'tttt!" Tiffany picked him up bridal style, "I see, well, let's get you cleaned up. There's lunch inside." Sander started whimpering, "I got a boo boo" He pointed to his shoulder.

Tiffany started walking toward the house and looked at the scratch on his shoulder. "Wow, that's pretty gnarly dude." She carried him into the nearest bathroom and set him on the counter. She grabbed the anti-septic spray, cotton balls, and band-aids then turned to him. She took a closer look at the scratch on his shoulder. There was still a line of blood running down his arm and a smaller line forming next to it. Sander sat and sniffled waiting for his arm to get cleaned. Tiffany walks up to Sander and sets down the supplies next to him. She reaches her hand over to his should and extends her index finger. She puts the tip of her finger underneath the line of blood and trails it up to the scratch, gathering the liquid onto her finger. Sander looks at her completely confused, "That's what the cotton ball is for..." He thought to himself. Tiffany puts no hesitation into her next action. She licks the bit of blood she gathered on her finger and smiles. Sander gets a chill up his spine while watching her. "TIFFANY ARE YOU A VAMPIRE?!" He yelled in horror. She looks over at him and giggles, "No silly. If you lick an injured person's blood, it's good luck."

"I've never heard of that." Sander said confused.

"Trust me. It's true. Now let's get you fixed so you can eat." Tiffany brushed the subject away. She dabbed off the remaining blood with a cotton ball and used another wet cotton ball to wipe off the rest. She sprayed the anti- septic spray onto the wound and Sander flinched. Tiffany quickly put a band-aid over the scratch and kissed it. "There. All better." She said while lifting him up and setting him on the floor. Sander continued what he has been doing and brushed this situation off as well. He remember there was lunch in the kitchen and ran off to go feast.