Babysitting Monsters

Third Person POV

Kiyoko sat on the edge of her bed as she flipped through the last pages of her book. A book report was due the following week, but Kiyoko always turned things in on time.

“Kiyoko!” She heard her Mother’s sharp voice cut through the silence of the room like a knife. “Downstairs, please.”

Kiyoko slid the bookmark in the book before calling, “Coming!”, down to her Mother.

She slid down the railing of the stairs; something her Mother always scolded her for, but became a habit.

“Kiyoko!!” Her Mother scolded. 

See? She knew it was coming.

“Haven’t I told you-”

“That you’re too big to ride down the railing and it might break. You’ll fall down and crack your head open! Oh, Kiyoko. Listen, Mother knows best.” Kiyoko finished for her.

“Are you mocking me?” She scoffed.

Kiyoko nodded. “Yes, Mother. You sound a lot like Mother Gothel from 'Tangled'.”

“You really think I’m that mean?” She asked, offended by Kiyoko’s comment.

She shrugged, “I mean. . .”

“Oh, Kiyoko. You’ve always been the misbehaved one of the family.” Her Mother sighed.

“Anyway,” Kiyoko said, moving on to the next topic. “Why’d you call me down here? I have a book report to finish.”

“Yes, I’ll let you get right back to it. But first, I need to ask you a favor.” She replied.

“What?” Kiyoko asked.

“For tomorrow,-” She started.

“Yeah, yeah. When you leave me home alone I am not to use the blender, stove, microwave, or pretty much anything in the kitchen. I’m also not allowed to shower until you get home.” Kiyoko interrupted, knowing Mother much too well.

Mother smiled. “I’m glad you remembered. But that’s not what I was going to ask you. What I was going to say is I need to leave the twins home with you tonight.”

The twins. Neko and Kai. Neko, older by twenty-four seconds, and Kai younger by twenty-four seconds. Both the same shaggy black hair that sits on top of their circle-round heads. Both wear the same clothes. Both fight over the same things.

“Not the twins!!” Kiyoko complained. “You said you’d take them to daycare so I didn’t have to sit them!”

“Yes, Kiyoko. I know what I said. But it’s two-hundred dollars for both of them for only six hours. Gosh, babysitting prices these days. Plus, Kiyoko, I’ll pay you one-hundred dollars if you order dinner, clean up the kitchen, bathe the twins, and get them to bed.” She argued.

One-hundred dollars of my own, Kiyoko thought. Sounds like a dream. I can finally pay for my new computer!

“Okay, I guess I could babysit them.”

Mother walked over to Kiyoko and smoothed the baby hairs popping out from her ponytail. “That’s my girl.” She kissed her forehead and walked away.

***

After a few hours Kiyoko spent in her room doing her book report, it was finally time for Kiyoko’s parents to leave.

“Bye, Kiki.” Her Father called her by her nickname as he leaned down and hugged her goodbye.

“Kiyoko, remember the twins need to be in bed by-”

“Eight, I know.” Kiyoko interrupted.

“Gosh,” Her Mother said. “I hate that you interrupt me but it’s funny how well you listen.”

Her Mother slid on a mask as did her father and they left at that, closing the white oak door and leaving Kiyoko to deal with the twins.

***

Kiyoko’s POV

For the money, I thought.

“Time to pawty!” Neko said. His R’s always came out as W. 

“No,” I said. “We can have a little fun, but you can’t go destroying the house on me.”

Neko and Kai frowned. Kai spoke, “What can we do then?”

“Let’s start with dinner.” I suggested. “Want to order a pizza?”

“No!!” Cried Kai. “I want to walk.”

I sighed, a long heavy sigh. “No, Kai. I’m not walking with crazy six year olds to get pizza. And Mom isn’t here either. And it’s COVID. I’ll even let you pick the toppings.” I bribed.

Neko and Kai turned to each other before starting a chant. It’s like they had Twin Telepathy. “WALK! WALK! WALK! WALK! WALK!” They chanted.

“NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!” I mocked back.

They turned to each other again. “Fine,” They finally gave in. “But expect payback.”

I gave them a murdering glare if they even laid a finger on her bedroom door. And it seemed to give them the message.

I strided over to the phone where I picked it up and dialed the number for Antonio’s Pizzeria.

“Hello?” Someone picked up the phone. “This is Antonio’s, how may I help you?”

“Hi,” I replied. “May I please order a large pizza?”

“Sure. Any toppings or just plain cheese?” He asked.

I looked at the twins and muted myself. “What do you guys want?” I asked them.

“Pepperoni,” Kai said. “Ooh, and olives, the black kind.”

“Extra cheese and bacon please!” Neko rhymed.

“You’re a poet and you didn’t even know it.” I said back, and his eyes went wide like I’d told him I’d won the lottery.

“Hello?” Asked the guy on the other end of the receiver.

“Yes,” I said, unmuted. “Sorry. Can we get pepperoni, olives, extra cheese, and bacon, please?” I asked.

“Sure. Delivery or takeout?” He asked.

“Delivery, please. The address is 429 Abbey Way.”

“Okay. It should be done in ten minutes and the pizza will be $9.75.”

“Thanks.” I said and hung up.

I looked up, expecting to see Neko and Kai but they were nowhere to be seen.

“Guys?” I said.

I let them choose the toppings and be extra nice to them, and this is how they repay me?

***

Neko’s POV

After Kiyoko had looked away from us and ordered the pizza, Kai and I made a run for it. We always hid behind the washing machine or the dryer in the laundry room. Also the broom closet on the third floor, the bushes that had been manicured to look like animals on the front lawn, etc.

But we needed a place Kiyoko would never look.

“Come on, little brother!” I called back to Kai as he struggled to keep up the pace. 

“*pant* *pant, pant, pant* Where are we headed?” He asked.

“Do not fret little brother, I know best.” Little did he know, we were headed to the place even he wouldn’t go. The wine cellar.

I slowed down the pace to a walk and stopped myself in front of the wine cellar.

“No!” Kai complained, stepping back from the cellar.

I crossed my arms. “Do you trust me?”

“Absolutely not.” Kai said, without question.

I smirked at him. “You know you love me.” 

Kai rolled his eyes. “No, but if we’re going to get revenge on Kiyoko, we better do it now.” He said, walking over to the cellar and opening the door. “You owe me big time.”

***

Third Person POV

Kiyoko had checked every possibility of hiding in the house. “Unless they were hiding in plain sight!” Kiyoko said, accomplishment washing over her.

She started to run around the house and look in plain sight, but again, they were nowhere to be found.

Outside, She thought, as she opened the front door.

From down below, Neko and Kai heard footsteps of their sister running in circles. And then they suddenly heard the door slam shut. That meant she was going to find them. Turns out, there is no place for hiding in the wine cellar. 

Kiyoko ran around the side of the house and opened the shed. No sign of the twins. Yet.

She ran to their treehouse. No sign of them.

Behind the patch of trees? The garden tomatoes? The grill? All had absolutely no sight of the twins. “The cellar,” Kiyoko thought aloud, running to the vine-covered door that led to Neko and Kai.

***

Kai’s POV

I stared at the boxes, barrels and shelves of wine, trying to shove myself through a crack that would hide me enough from Kiyoko.

“Any luck?” Neko whispered in the darkness.

“Nope.”

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Kiyoko was right above us. 

CREAK!

The door opened.

***

Kiyoko’s POV

Finally, I thought, opening the door and…

Nothing.

***

Third Person POV

Little did Kiyoko know that right when she was coming in, about to find Neko and Kai, the twins broke through the small cellar window and ran up into the house.

Kiyoko heard footsteps upstairs from down in the cellar. I thought I checked everywhere upstairs, though.

Meanwhile, Neko and Kai were planning to “Go destroying the house on her” as Kiyoko would say. 

Neko took the spray paint that his Father used when making artistic designs on canvases. They were mostly abstract and he sold them on Etsy.

Neko sprayed the walls with purple spray paint. He made swirls and lines. He drew flowers and balloons. And he signed it: Kiyoko. 

Neko dusted off his hands like he’d been through a hard day's work. “Now she’ll be blamed.”

Kai took the dare of slowly tip-toeing into Kiyoko’s room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her dolls on Kiyoko’s dresser. They were lined up and staring at him.

Kai quickly darted over to the dresser and slammed their faces down so they weren’t looking at him. And then he started the master plan.

***

Kiyoko’s POV

As soon as I heard the thumping of the twin’s feet, I darted out of the wine cellar. But just as I was leaving, a thick shard of glass cut my foot. 

I shrieked. It cut so deep.

I looked up to see where in the world the glass was coming from and saw that there was a broken window. That’s how those little monsters got out of my reach. I thought.

After pulling the glass shard out of my foot and limped up onto the front porch of the house and darted inside.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everything was dirty and trashed, but this surprised me even more. It enraged me.

Someone had taken the comforter off my bed and laid it on the stairs. 

***

Mother’s POV

After a night of a nice dinner and a movie, free of the twins and Kiyoko, I was ready to go back home.

John, (Kiyoko’s father), hopped in the passenger seat and I started to drive through the unexpected thunderstorm. I hoped the kids were okay. But they were sleeping, right?

We pulled into the driveway, and as soon as I looked up, a shower of gratefulness washed over me. Kiyoko had done an amazing job. The blinds were closed. The outside of the house wasn’t scattered with toys of the twins. The upstairs lights were turned off which signaled that the twins were asleep.

John and I stepped onto the front porch and walked inside.

***

Third person POV

Mother couldn’t believe her eyes. Neither could Father. Neither could Kiyoko. But the twins were smiling.

***

Father’s POV

I was going to kill Kiyoko for letting the twins get into my spray paint. That stuff for many reasons I do not know, cost a fortune. And it was all over the walls! 

Neko was at the top of the stairs in front of Kai and he looked like he was going to roll down them. On Kiyoko’s bedding.

***

Mother’s POV

There were traces of blood all over the white plush rug I had centered in the living room. And it was coming from Kiyoko’s foot.

And the twins. Those monsters who happened to be my crazy little babies at the moment, were about to kill themselves by sliding down the stairs.

Oh, and not to mention the rest of the house. The living room bookshelves had many books falling out of the shelves and scattered over the floor.

The kitchen had pots and pans dented and thrown all over the place. And is that spaghetti sauce on the counter?

***

Third person POV

Neko started a countdown in his head. Three, two, one!

“STAIR SLIDE!!” He shouted and then lunged for the stair as he slid- no, toppled, all the way downstairs.

Kai followed, but since the bedding was kind of tangled around Neko, he sorta jumped on the stairs. 

Kai hacked and Neko laughed. Mother yelled and scolded Kiyoko and Dad was infuriated with the twins.

“ALL OF YOU,” Mother yelled. We’d had the last straw. “GROUNDED FOR A MONTH. JUST KIDDING!” She laughed evilly. “FOR ETERNITY!!”