Elementals (A Creepypasta Story)

Punishment

The next morning, the family woke up early, with the children being dragged to tests once more to learn to control their powers. After hours and hours of trying to at least hit a target, the children were taken back home, where they found a meal laid out for them by RJ. He greeted them and asked about their day, which they eagerly told him about. They had made some progress, managing to keep up their ability while doing something else like talking. They had hit the target a few times, missing a lot.

"It'll get easier with time," RJ promised, kissing their heads.

After dinner, he sent them to take a shower and then to bed. He decided to make a special dessert for them tomorrow, along with hot chocolate. He knew it was slowly becoming winter, having a calendar that he kept up with every single day since he had been there.

As the children were attending their lessons, as they had begun to have school classes in addition to their ability lessons, RJ was cooking. He mixed all the ingredients together in a bowl and poured it into the pan, making a chocolate cake with vanilla icing, decorated with flowers. He let it bake then pulled it out to cool as he set about making the icing. Once the cake was cooled down, he coated it with the vanilla icing, before picking up the icing bag and started creating icing flowers on the cake, around the edge and in the center. Once it was finished, he slid it onto a cake plate, setting it off to the side before he started on dinner.

He set the steaks in the oven and started working on the homemade mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream. Carrots, green beans, peas, and corn were made for each of the four children who all liked different vegetables. He set the table as everything was finishing cooking, setting out the five plates, cups, napkins, knives, spoons, and forks. He poured them their favorite drinks and set the dinner on the table, waiting by the door patiently.

There came a knock and he flung open the door, a bright smile on his face. But his smile was smacked off his face by the appearance of his children.

Bruises covered their skin, cuts and blood scattered and caked around them. Their clothes were torn slightly, and their hair had been messed up. All four children had their heads down, tears falling every now and then. For a second, RJ stood frozen, before anger coursed through him, his coloring turning black.

"YOU SAID THEY WOULDN'T BE HURT!" DJ roared in anger, pulling his children inside and glaring at the people at the end of the hallway. "YOU PROMISED ME THAT THEY WOULD COME HOME SAFELY! NOT BRUISED AND BLOODY!"

The people just waved cheerily at him before walking off. Seething, RJ washed the children's hands and had them eat as he got medical supplies. He walked back down to see that the children had finished eating their dinner.

"Go and take a shower. When you've finished, come back down here, and I will tend to your wounds, okay?" RJ said softly.

The children nodded and walked upstairs to get ready for bed. While they did, RJ cut the cake and set the slices on plates with mugs of hot chocolate. While he waited, RJ ate his own dinner, having not eaten with the children that night. Catherine was the first person back downstairs, sitting on the couch.

RJ walked over and handed her the cake and hot cocoa, which she took gratefully. While she began to eat, RJ took care of her legs, cleaning them carefully with a damp cloth, putting disinfectant on them, and bandaging them. He did the same with all her other wounds before moving on to the others, who had their cakes and hot chocolate. Once they had finished their dessert and their wounds were tended, RJ carried them all upstairs, tucking them into bed, kissing them lightly.

"Goodnight, children," he whispered.

"Night, Mom," they replied.

When he shut their doors, he turned, anger evident on his face. He stormed downstairs, careful not to wake the children. He opened the front door and down the hallway. He knew exactly who had hurt them. Every day, when the children were taken to lessons, a woman dropped off four sheets of paper, outlining the children's day, who they were with, where they were going to be, what they were going to be doing, etc. Therefore, RJ knew who had hurt the children. He had asked when they had been hurt and they had told him the second class of the day.