A Girl, a Murder, and Twelve Dreadful Children

Chapter I: The Children

It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing it. -- Terry Pratchett

Caledon, Northern Ireland, 20--

It crouched in the corner, staring up at her with its many eyes. Her hand shook as she held the container over it. Slowly she lowered the container, trying to catch it safely. It scurried away, its many legs carrying it to the corner immediately beside her.

Dani O'Shannon screamed and leapt back. The spider crawled to another part of the shower base. If she didn't know better she would have sworn it was shaking with laughter.

She sat back, staring at the spider. The spider stared back. Dani slowly raised the plastic container she was using as an improvised spider trap. (It had previously been a yoghurt carton, and some yoghurt still remained in it.) The spider sped away. Apparently it didn't care for the leftovers of strawberry shortcake-flavoured desserts.

"Damn it!" Dani shouted. She immediately clapped her hand over her mouth and looked around guiltily. If the children had heard that... "Listen, spider. I want you out of my shower. I'm sure you want out of the shower too. So cooperate, please!"

She reached out, holding the yoghurt carton over the spider. It remained in place, gazing at her through more eyes than any living creature should ever have. Dani clapped the carton down on top of it before it could run away again.

"Finally!"

~~~~

When Dani came in from setting the spider free in the garden, she heard a series of shuffling thumps overhead. They began in the room above the kitchen, thudded down the landing, and went into the bathroom.

She knew what that meant.

The children were waking up.

~~~~

How did Dani -- Dani who was barely over twenty, Dani who could scarcely make ends meet, Dani whose only goal in life was to be an author -- end up taking care of twelve children almost all piled into one six bedroom house? A house she could barely afford, no less?

Good question.

Dani would dearly love to know the answer.

It began just over three years ago. Dani had been living in Omagh, attending tech and working in a café. An old friend had dropped by one day with a small, shivering child clinging to her hand.

"Hello, Dani!" Celeste Morgan had said cheerfully. "Would you mind taking care of my son Kevin for me? I've some important business to attend to and I can't bring him with me."

Dani had stared blankly. This was the first she'd heard of her former schoolmate having a child. But she said yes. It was only for a few days, after all.

Or so she thought. Celeste might as well have walked off the face of the earth when she walked out Dani's door that morning. No one had been able to find any trace of her. No one had been able to find any of her relatives. And so Dani had found herself taking care of Kevin ever since.

Child number two arrived only months later. Again, an old acquaintance was responsible.

"Excuse me, Dani," Dr. Akiko Tsukiyama had said. At her side was a girl of maybe eight, looking around Dani's living room with interest. Dani took one look at the child and thought, Oh no. Here we go again. "Could you watch my niece for a few days? Her parents are divorcing and they sent Hotaru to stay with me. But I have so many important cases that I haven't enough time to look after a child. Especially one as... unique as Hotaru."