Twisted Little Things and Other Stories Read online

  “Of course it sounds good,” her mother replied with a grin. “I'll be right outside, talking to people. It'd be healthy for you to meet some new people. You'll only need half an hour or so, it's just a light dusting really. But it could become a regular thing!”

  Again, Victoria shook her head.

  “We still haven't figured out who stole the silver cup a few months ago,” one of the other women said. “I keep checking eBay to see if it shows up, but so far there's no sign. Who'd do such an awful thing? I mean, stealing from a church...”

  “Go with Emma,” Victoria's mother continued, “and she'll show you how to do the dusting. Okay, darling?”

  “It's okay,” Emma said, smiling as she held a hand out toward Victoria. “It's really easy, and you'll feel good for doing something that helps other people. Let's go inside and have fun!”

  ***

  “When the adults say we have to clean the silver,” Emma explained a few minutes later, once she and Victoria were alone inside the church, “they just mean wiping dust away. Someone else comes and cleans it properly every few months, with a special chemical.”

  She spat on the candlestick and then rubbed some grime away with her thumb. As she did so, a curious grin spread across her face. When the grime refused to completely disappear, she leaned closer and licked the candlestick, before using the sleeve of her jacket to start scrubbing.

  Hanging back, still not daring to go over to the table where the silver cups and candlesticks were displayed, Victoria could only think about how much she wanted to run back outside to her mother.

  “What's wrong?” Emma asked with a glint in her eyes. “Are you scared?”

  Victoria shook her head.

  “Then come up here and grab a cloth, dummy,” Emma continued. “How old are you, anyway? Four? Five?”

  “I'm twelve,” Victoria replied.

  “Twelve? Seriously? Huh, you seem younger than that. I'm fourteen.”

  Victoria swallowed hard.

  “This job is really very easy,” Emma said, picking up one of the yellow cloths and holding it out for her. “You just wipe the dust away, and make sure to put everything back where you found it. I do it every Sunday and now people think I'm really good. Before this, Daddy was planning to send me away to a camp where they make you better, because he thought I was too naughty. Once time, I even overheard him telling Mom that I'm a bitch. But now he thinks I'm a good little angel, because I help out at the church. I'm not good, though. I just got better at pretending and lying and all that crap.”

  “I want to go back outside,” Victoria murmured, worried that she might be about to burst into tears.

  “You want to run back to Mummy?” Emma asked. “Like a little baby?”

  Victoria shook her head, even though that was exactly what she wanted to do.

  “Everyone's bad sometimes,” Emma continued. “It's just that some people are good at pretending they're not, and some people are really bad at pretending. Me, I'm a great pretender, and I can teach you too. Then you'll be able to get away with having a little fun.”

  Again, Victoria shook her head.

  “Come on,” Emma laughed, stepping closer. “You need toughening up!”

  “No, I -”

  Suddenly Emma slapped her hard on the back, hard enough to send her stumbling forward. Tripping on the step, Victoria tumbled down and landed on her right knee, scraping the skin. Gasping, she looked down and saw that a small sliver of flesh had been torn away, leaving a tiny glistening patch of blood.

  “Whoops,” Emma muttered. “I didn't know you'd topple so easily.”

  There wasn't much pain, but Victoria felt indignant and humiliated as she got to her feet. She wanted to go storming straight over to Emma and push her in return, push her much harder, but she knew she wouldn't be able to hold her own in a fight. Still, she was furious that she'd hurt her knee, and her mind was racing as she tried to think of a way to get revenge.

  Emma stepped over to the table and looked down at the silver cups for a moment, before picking one up and holding it out for Victoria to see.

  “I stole one of those a few weeks ago.”

  Victoria's eyes widened with shock.

  “Don't tell anyone,” Emma continued. “I didn't do it while I was cleaning them, that'd be stupid. They'd have figured it was me. I came back another time and took one of their precious cups, and do you know what I did with it? I took it to the river, I put stones inside, and I threw it into the water so it'd sink forever and never be found.” Her smile broadened. “Everyone got so upset, they're certain there's a thief around but they don't know who it is. I think Daddy suspected me for a minute, but he quickly decided I'm not to blame. Shows what that dumb asshole knows, huh?”

  “You shouldn't steal things,” Victoria whispered.

  “What was that?” Emma cupped a hand around her ear, while still grinning. “I didn't hear what you said, baby girl!”

  “I said you shouldn't steal!”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it's wrong!”

  “Says who?”

  “Says Mummy!”

  Emma laughed, and Victoria immediately took a step back.

  “Look at this,” Emma continued, picking up a small silver spoon. “Why does everyone care about stuff like this, anyway? It's just a spoon. You can get spoons real cheap down at the store.”

  “That one's made of silver,” Victoria pointed out.

  “So?”

  “So it's worth more.”

  “Is it? Why's silver worth more than plastic?”

  “It just is.”

  “You don't wanna question that rule?”

  “It just is!” Victoria said firmly.

  Emma paused, before stepping past her and heading to the corner, where a metal grate covered a small drain.

  “This spoon just fits in the gap,” she explained, crouching down and starting to slip the spoon through the grate. “Almost like they were designed for each other.”

  “What are you doing?” Victoria asked, stepping closer.

  “Can you imagine the fuss they'll all make when a silly little spoon vanishes?” Emma asked, unable to control her grin. “They'll be running around like headless chickens, panicking and searching for the thief. And all the while, the spoon'll still be here, right under their noses. Trust me, Victoria, the people who run this church are totally dumb, but I think they secretly like these little scandals. Gets their blood pumping, doesn't it? It's gonna be so hilarious watching them panic.”

  “Don't do it,” Victoria replied, shaking her head. “Please -”

  “Too late!”

  With that, Emma let go of the spoon, allowing it to slip between the bars of the grate. A moment later, there was a distant clinking sound as the spoon landed.

  “Whoops,” Emma continued, getting to her feet and wiping her hands together. “What a shame. Just remember not to tell anyone, okay? I'm trusting you big time here, Victoria, so don't go ratting me out.” She headed back to the table and grabbed a cloth. “Now are you gonna help me here, or not? We've got to wipe the rest of the silver, because everyone knows that dust is the worst thing in the world. It's probably, like, the Devil's dust! It probably falls off his back as he walks through the church at night! Which he totally does, by the way.”

  Too shocked to say anything, Victoria simply stared at her.

  “Well?” Emma asked. “Are you helping or not?”

  She waited, but Victoria was too scared to even move.

  “Your face is priceless,” Emma said with a laugh. “It's just a spoon, dummy. People around here should get a life.”

  She began to dust the cups, but after a moment she glanced at Victoria again and saw that the younger girl was still frozen to the spot.

  “Oh, come on,” Emma added, “get a grip. There are millions of spoons in the world. This is just funny, that's all! You need to learn how to laugh at stuff. I can teach you, but first you have to come help me with the res
t of the silver. You're cool, right? Seriously, Victoria, be cool and come help me.”

  Victoria took a step back.

  “Alright,” Emma said with a sigh, “you're starting to bore me now. Just grab a goddamn rag and get to work. You are gonna help me, aren't you?”

  She waited for a reply, but Emma's mind was racing and she barely even heard the question.

  “Vicky? Hey, space cadet, are you gonna help me or not?”

  No reply.

  They stood in silence for a moment. Victoria simply stared up at Emma, and Emma – standing next to the altar – stared back down at Victoria.

  “Or are you gonna rat me out?” Emma asked finally. “Is that it? Did I trust the wrong person?”

  Victoria's mouth twitched slightly, but no words came out.

  Emma waited.

  “Well?” she continued finally, “are you gonna rat on me?”

  Victoria took a deep breath.

  “Because if you are,” Emma added, “you'd better get on with it. And you'd better do it good, 'cause if you're gonna really piss someone off like that, you might as well at least do the job properly. So what's it gonna be, Vicky. Are you or aren't you gonna tattle on me?”

  She stepped down until she was right in front of Victoria. After staring at the younger girl for a moment, she leaned closer and smiled.

  “Boo!”

  Turning, Victoria began to run back along the aisle, ignoring Emma's calls until finally she burst out through the door and raced to her mother, who was talking to the priest.

  “Victoria?” her mother asked. “What's wrong?”

  “Emma stole a spoon!” Victoria stammered, her eyes with with shock as she tugged on her mother's dress. “She put it down the drain! She stole a silver spoon from the church!”

  “What are you talking about?” her mother replied. “Victoria, you mustn't be -”

  “She stole a spoon! She -”

  Suddenly hearing a banging sound, Victoria turned just in time to see a green car crunching at slow speed against a tree. A moment later, the annoyed driver burst out of the car, ranting and complaining about something.

  “Emma stole a spoon!” Victoria continued, looking back up at her mother. “A silver spoon! I'm not lying, Mommy! She said she stole a cup, too! I can prove it!”

  As the adults began to discuss the matter, Victoria turned and saw Emma watching from the doorway.

  “Emma!” an angry voice called out finally. “Get out here immediately and explain yourself!”

  Part Two

  August 11th, 1969

  “Victoria, meet Daniel. I think you two might really hit it off!”

  Shielding her eyes from the sun, Victoria turned and saw a handsome, well-groomed guy reaching out a hand.

  “Hey,” he said with a smile. “Marsha's told me so much about you.”

  “I'm... flattered, I guess,” Victoria replied, shaking the guy's hand before turning back to her friend. She wasn't quite sure what to say at the best of times, and especially not when a man was involved. “I didn't know Marsha was talking about me to people!”

  “Relax,” Marsha said, grinning as she took another sip from her soda. “I just told Daniel that you're a cool girl, that's all. He was dating that awful Alice Simmons until last week, and then she broke up with him when Neil Corman invited her to the dance, and he was feeling down and he said he felt like there are no good girls out there, and I told him to wait until he meets you!”

  “You did, huh?” Victoria stammered, trying not to blush. “Well, I -”

  “Victoria's top of every class she's in,” Marsha continued, turning to Daniel. “She's also head of the athletics group, she takes night classes in cookery, and she's just about the smartest person I've ever met. She's also pretty, don't you think?”

  Daniel smiled. “She sure is.”

  “She needs to get rid of this fringe, though,” Marsha added, reaching over and moving some hair from across Victoria's face. “Bring her lovely face out more. Doesn't she have gorgeous eyes?”

  “I think that's about enough,” Victoria demurred, turning away and quickly rearranging her fringe, before turning back to Daniel and seeing that his smile was even broader than before. Aware that she was most definitely blushing by now, she looked down at her hands, which were still resting in her lap.

  “So there's a party tomorrow night,” Daniel said after a moment. “Out by the lake, nothing huge, just some cool people getting together. How about you two come along?”

  “We'll be there!” Marsha said excitedly.

  Victoria turned to her. “I really don't know whether I -”

  “We'll both be there,” Marsha continued, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer, while still grinning at Daniel. “Don't worry, Victoria'll come to the party. Even if I have to tie a rope around her neck and drag her there!”

  ***

  “This really isn't my kind of scene,” Victoria muttered the next evening, as she and Marsha made their way past the tree-line and saw a couple of dozen people sitting around a fire at the lake's edge. “Are they drinking alcohol? I don't know if -”

  “Chill your britches,” Marsha replied airily, while looking down and taking a moment to adjust her sweater. “It's the sixties, honey, and we're young! Just because our parents only went to formal dances and all that junk, we don't have to be the same. Let's just live a little! And maybe try to show a little cleavage once in a while!”

  “I told my mother I'd be studying!”

  “So?”

  “So if she finds out I'm not at your house, and I'm actually at a party, she'll get really mad! And disappointed!”

  “Did you tell her what you'll be studying?”

  “No, but -”

  “See Daniel over there?”

  Victoria looked toward the far end of the fire, and she immediately felt a shiver in her chest as she recognized Daniel's silhouette against the flames. He looked so handsome.

  “Yes, but -”

  “So go study him,” Marsha added, patting her hard on the back. “I know for a fact that he'd like to study you in return.”

  “I'm not -”

  Before she could finish, Victoria felt a heavy shove to the back, which sent her stumbling across the rocky ground until she managed to get her balance again. She was about to turn back to Marsha, when suddenly she realized that Daniel had noticed her, and she immediately felt an embarrassed smile cross her lips. Although she wanted to rush back to Marsha and cling to her all night, she saw that Daniel was already moving over to make room for her next to the fire, and she figured it would be rather rude not to at least go over and see how she was doing. And after all, her mother had always told her that it was wrong to be rude.

  Besides, sitting next to a boy didn't necessarily mean doing anything else. Daniel was most likely a perfect gentleman.

  “I'm really glad you could make it,” he said as she reached him. “I was saving some marshmallows just for you!”

  As she sat next to Daniel, Victoria found that for once in her life small-talk was actually coming without much effort at all. He quickly made her laugh with a couple of comments about the party, and whereas she usually felt immensely uncomfortable in social situations, this time she somehow began to relax. Of course, it helped that Daniel seemed not to even notice any of the other people around the fire, and time quickly flew past as Victoria began to enjoy herself. And by the time Daniel placed his coat around her shoulders a few hours later, to keep her warm, Victoria had even started to feel a faint flutter of anticipation in her chest, and she was starting to think that perhaps Daniel might ask to meet her again some time.

  Maybe they could go for a soda in town some time. Just the two of them.

  “Hey!”

  Suddenly she felt someone nudge her shoulder from behind. Turning away from Daniel, she frowned as a disheveled, messy-haired girl crouched next to her with a big grin.

  “I knew it was you!” the girl said, nudging her
again. “How are you doing, Victoria? Long time, huh?”

  “I'm sorry,” Victoria stammered, “but I think you might -”

  “Don't you recognize me?” The girl laughed, before kneeling between her and Daniel. “It's me! It's Emma! We only met once, back in the church a few years ago, but... Come on, I'd like to think I'm at least slightly memorable!”

  “I'll give you guys some space,” Daniel said, getting to his feet.

  “No, wait!” Victoria stammered, filled with a sudden sense of panic. “Can't we talk about -”

  “I need to get some more things from my car anyway,” he added, taking a step back. “We can catch up later.”

  Victoria watched in horror as he walked away, and then she turned to the girl. Just as she was about to tell her that she must be wrong, that they'd never met in their lives, she realized she did recognize her face.

  “Emma?” she whispered, genuinely shocked.

  “No kidding,” Emma replied, laughing as she quickly took Daniel's spot next to the fire. “I always wondered how you were doing. I guess, even though we only met that one time, you made a big impression on me! Please, for the love of God, don't tell me you don't remember! I would be mortally offended!”

  “I do remember,” Victoria said, as she turned and saw that Daniel was already talking to several other people, including a couple of extremely pretty girl.

  “Wow, the shit really hit the fan that day, huh?” Emma continued.

  Victoria turned to her, shocked by such strong language.

  “My father went mad!” Emma added, still smiling. “After he found out that I'd tossed that spoon, he shipped me off to this completely insane rehabilitation camp on the other side of the country! Like, boom, my feet didn't even touch the ground, know what I'm saying? I spent eight weeks getting all this treatment, and counseling, and... like...”

  She paused, before a shudder seemed to pass through her body.

  “Zapping...”

  “Zapping?” Victoria replied. “I'm sorry, what...”