Don't Touch My Innocent Little Secret

My brothers new girlfriend was supposed to be so sweet to me. When my parents had to go out of town on business, she volunteered to stay and take care of me.

But the moment they left, she saw me crawling on the carpet with my pacifier, playing with my blocks, and she walked over and kicked my tower over.

"You're twenty-two years old," she sneered. "What are you doing play-acting like a toddler?"

"You're just some charity case, some childhood tagalong they adopted because they felt sorry for you. You think you can just cling to the Bradford family forever?"

She grabbed my hair, pulling me down, and shoved my face into the freezing water. I thrashed wildly, desperate for air.

"Still acting? Jack is working late tonight, and theres no one else in this house. Today, Im going to cure you of this 'baby act' once and for all!"

I looked up at her, utterly lost, water dripping down my chin.

What baby act?

When we were children, a heavy cabinet fell on us. I pushed Jack out of the way, and my head was crushed. My brain stopped growing. My mind stayed forever locked at three years old.

I really am a baby.

...

"Amber, Michelle isn't pretending."

My face was dripping wet as Amber held me pinned against the edge of the bathroom sink. The freezing water crept down my collar, making me shiver violently.

"Don't call me Amber," she sneered, pinching my cheek. "Do you know what bugs me most about you, Michelle? You're a grown woman. You're twenty-two, and you play-act like you don't understand a single word of English."

"Jack falls for this pathetic act. I don't."

My face hurt. I whimpered, "But Jack says... Jack says Michelle is his baby."

"Shut up!"

"Slap."

My ear rang, a sharp, white-hot sting radiating across my cheek. I covered my face, squeezing my eyes shut to keep from crying out loud.

Mom always said to be a good girl when we had guests. But Amber was scary. Scarier than thunder.

She picked up my pacifier from the floor. "You actually put this disgusting thing in your mouth?"

Panic flared in my chest. "Don't throw it away! Jack bought it for me."

"Jack bought it?" Her face twisted, darkening with a sudden, ugly rage. "He doesn't even pay that much attention to me."

Right in front of my eyes, she tossed the strawberry-flavored pacifier into the toilet and flushed. The water roared, swallowing it down. It was gone.

I fell to my knees, sobbing at the edge of the toilet. "My pacifier! My strawberry pacifier!"

I clutched my wet plush bunny, Barnaby, shaking with heavy, ragged breaths. "Its okay, Barnaby. Youre still here. Youll stay with Michelle."

Ambers shadow loomed over me. I flinched, hiding Barnaby behind my back. "No."

She smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "The more you love something, the more I want to break it. Im going to make sure you realize exactly who runs this house now."

She pulled a pair of silver shears out of the drawer.

I shook my head, terror paralyzing my legs. "Please, no. Amber, don't cut Barnaby."

She crouched down, her voice suddenly dropping into a sweet, coaxing purr. "Then admit it. Admit you're faking. Say you're staying with Jack on purpose."

The words were too big. I didn't understand. I could only shake my head, tears blurring my vision. "Michelle isn't faking. Jack is my brother."

The sweetness vanished instantly. "You really are a little actress, aren't you?"

"Snip."

Barnabys long, floppy ear fell to the floor.

I screamed, throwing myself forward. "Barnaby hurts! Barnaby hurts!"

"Snip."

His little head tumbled off, and white stuffing exploded across the bathroom tiles like snow.

I fell to my hands and knees, desperately trying to scoop the loose cotton back into my arms. "Mom will fix it. Mom can sew him back together..."

Amber's boot came down hard, crushing Barnabys hollow body into the wet tile. "Your mother hates you too."

I froze, a piece of white fluff clutched in my fist.

"Do you really think their business trip was a coincidence? They wanted to get away from you. They're sick of you."

"Your brother is busy with work, and your parents have their own lives. Who would want to spend every single day babysitting a useless, brain-dead retard?"

I knew that word. "Retard."

The kids at the park used to whisper it when they thought I wasn't listening.

Jack would always pick me up back then, glaring at them, whispering in my ear that they were wrong. He'd say Michelle wasn't dumb; she was just a little baby who was taking her time to grow up.

I bit my lip, my voice trembling. "Liar."

Amber unlocked her phone and waved it in front of my face. The screen showed a photo of her standing next to Jack. She looked beautiful, smiling wide. "See this? I'm his girlfriend. I'm going to marry him and move in here. What are you?"

"I'm his sister," I whispered.

"An adopted sister with zero blood relation. It's disgusting."

She dragged me out of the bathroom by my arm. My knee slammed against the wooden doorframe, a sharp, throbbing ache radiating through my leg. I curled inward, trying to shield myself.

In the living room, the castle of blocks I had spent all morning building was scattered everywhere.

She kicked a blue wooden block out of the way and aimed her phone camera at me.

"Come on, let's show everyone. Let's see how well the great, wealthy Bradford family's little parasite can act."

I hated cameras. Jack told me never to let strangers take pictures of me.

I threw my hands over my face. "No! Don't take pictures!"

She grabbed my wrists, forcing my hands down, shoving the lens inches from my face. "What's there to be scared of? Aren't you a cute little baby? Babies love photos. Smile!"

I broke down, sobbing hysterically. "Jack! I want Jack!"

At the mention of his name, her face darkened into pure malice.

"You think he's coming? Let me tell you something, Michelle. Jack isn't coming home tonight. Your parents aren't coming home either."

"There's nobody here but me."

I shook my head, gasping for air. "Mr. Walter is here."

Mr. Walter made me warm milk every afternoon. He always helped me find my little yellow duck hairpins when they slipped behind the cushions of the couch.

Ambers laugh was sharp and triumphant.

"I sent that old man to the warehouse across town to pick up some old boxes. He won't be back for hours."

She grabbed the collar of my pink onesie, her voice dropping to a cold, venomous whisper. "Today, I'm going to strip this stupid baby act right off you. Piece by piece."

She shoved me back into my bedroom.

My room was my safe place. It had my strawberry nightlight, my soft pillows, and the glowing plastic stars Jack had taped to the ceiling so I wouldn't be scared. But the second Amber stepped inside, she flipped the light switch, plunging the room into darkness.

"No!"

I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around her leg. "Don't! Michelle is scared of the dark. Turn on the light, please, turn it on!"

She looked down at me, her eyes freezing cold. "A twenty-two-year-old afraid of the dark. Who'd believe that?"

She reached for my pink plastic cup on the nightstandthe one Mom had filled with warm water before she left.

I reached out, my fingers stretching. "My cup..."

"Thirsty?" She turned it upside down, pouring the water directly onto the carpet. "Lick it up. You love crawling around on the floor anyway, don't you? Just like a dog."

I didn't understand why she was being so mean.

I only crawled because my legs were weak.

The doctor in the white coat had explained to my parents that after my head got hurt, my muscles didn't always listen to my brain.

Jack didn't want me to fall and hurt myself, so he bought thick, soft carpets and told me it was okay to crawl.

Amber crouched down, her face inches from mine. "Is this how you get him to feel sorry for you? 'Oh, poor little Michelle, she's so helpless, she can't survive without me.' Every time he says that, it makes me want to vomit."

"Jack loves Michelle," I whispered, tears spilling over my cheeks.

"He does it out of pity. Guilt," she spat. "But don't worry. I'm going to free him from you."

She reached for the small, hand-knitted blanket on my bed.

I crawled forward, desperate, shielding it with my body. "No, please! Mom worked on that for so long!"

Amber didn't grab the blanket. Instead, she picked up my pink toy smart-watch from the nightstand and thrust it toward me.

"Fine. Call your mother."

"You say they love you? Let's see if they'll come back to save you."

My eyes lit up. I scrambled to tap the screen, pressing the button with Moms smiling picture.

"Ring... Ring..."

No answer.

I tried Dads picture. It rang and rang, but the screen just went black.

Amber stood over me, her arms crossed, a mocking sneer on her lips. "See? They don't want you. They're ignoring you."

"No!" I sobbed, shaking my head. "They're on an airplane. Mom said they can't talk on the phone when they're in the sky."

She snatched the watch from my hand.

"They lied to you because they wanted to run away! They're never coming back!"

"Give it back!" I cried, reaching for it. "Jack said I can always call!"

With a cruel flick of her wrist, she tossed the watch into my fish tank.

There was a soft "plop", a brief bubble of light, and then the screen died in the water.

"You're bad," I whimpered. "You're a bad girl."

Her face contorted. "What did you just say?"

I shrank back, terrified. "Bad..."

She grabbed me by my wrists and dragged me toward the closet. The heavy wooden doors stood open, revealing a pitch-black cavern.

The sight of it broke something inside me. I screamed, thrashing wildly.

"No! Not in there! Michelle is scared!"

I clawed at the wooden doorframe, my fingernails scraping against the paint until they bent back, white-hot pain shooting up my fingers. But I wouldn't let go.

She pried my fingers off one by one, her grip like iron, and shoved me into the dark closet.

"Good. Maybe a little darkness will teach you to stay away from Jack."

"Slam."

The door shut, swallowing me whole.

I collapsed into the pile of clothes, crying and pounding my little fists against the wood. "Amber! Please! Open the door! Michelle will be good... Michelle is sorry..."

Her muffled, irritated voice filtered through the wood.

"You can come out when you admit you're a liar."

I buried my face in the soft sweaters, choking on the stuffy, warm air.

After what felt like forever, the distant, sweet sound of the doorbell chimed.

"Ding-dong."

It had to be Mr. Walter!

I gathered all the strength in my small body and banged on the door. "Mr. Walter! Help me! Michelle is in here!"

Heavy footsteps approached my room. I heard the door open, and then Mr. Walter's voice, thick with worry.

"Miss Amber? I felt uneasy on the drive over. Jack explicitly told me not to leave Michelle alone for too long. Where is she?"

I screamed as loud as I could. "Mr. Walter! I'm here! In the closet!"

But the closet was deep, and the heavy oak doors muffled my voice into nothing but a faint rustle.

"She's sleeping," Amber said, her voice smooth and airy. "She wore herself out playing."

"I would like to check on her," Mr. Walter insisted, his tone firm.

Silence stretched for a long, agonizing moment.

I held my breath, a tiny spark of hope fluttering in my chest.

Then, Ambers voice turned icy.

"Walter, I am Jacks girlfriend. He trusted me to look after Michelle. If you're insisting on inspecting the room, are you implying I'm going to hurt her?"

"Of course not, miss," Mr. Walter hesitated, his voice wavering.

"Then go back to your duties," she said sharply. "The old toys in the suburban storage locker are still waiting. Michelle wanted them. If she wakes up and they aren't here, she'll have a tantrum. Are you going to take responsibility for that?"

Mr. Walter sighed quietly. "I... I will go back and finish loading them."

His footsteps faded away.

I pressed my forehead against the cold wood of the door, tears soaking into my collar.

Amber opened the closet door. The sudden light burned my eyes. She stood there, looking down at me with a cruel smirk.

"Did you hear that? Nobody is coming to save you."

When she finally let me out, my legs were so weak they couldn't support my weight. I collapsed onto the carpet. She crouched down, tapping my cheek with two fingers.

"Don't look at me like that. I've been extremely patient. If it weren't for Jack, I would have thrown you out on the street hours ago."

I curled into a ball, shivering. "I want Jack..."

"Is that the only word you know?"

She rolled her eyes, her phone buzzing in her hand. She turned around and walked out of the room to answer it.

I remembered the little red emergency phone in my nightstand drawer.

Jack had given it to me. He said if I ever needed him, all I had to do was press the heart button.

My knees were scraped, and my legs felt like they were being pricked by a thousand hot needles, but I didn't care. I dragged myself across the carpet toward the bed.

Jack would save me.

I pulled open the drawer, my trembling hand finding the plastic phone. I squeezed the heart button.

"Ring... Ring..."

It picked up on the second ring.

"Michelle? Is everything okay?"

Jacks voice was breathless, panicked.

My eyes flooded with fresh tears. "Jack..."

Suddenly, the phone was ripped from my hand.

Amber stood over me, her face twisted in a dark, terrifying scowl.

"You little rat. You're trying to get me in trouble?"

I lunged forward, grabbing her ankle. "Give it back! I want Jack!"

Over the speaker, Jacks voice went dead cold. "Amber? Why is Michelle crying?"

Amber hit the speakerphone button, her voice instantly transforming into a sweet, melodic purr. "Jack, honey! She just had a bad dream. Im putting her back to sleep right now."

"Let me talk to her."

I reached out, sobbing. "Jack!"

Amber kicked her leg back, knocking me to the floor. The impact sent a sharp pain through my chest, and I gasped for air.

She talked to the phone, her voice smooth. "You know what the therapist said, Jack. The more you baby her when she has these tantrums, the more dependent she becomes. You're enabling her."

Jacks voice crackled, dark and dangerous. "The doctor never said to let her cry like that! Give the phone to Michelle. Now!"

Ambers jaw clenched. She stared down at me, then abruptly swiped her finger across the screen, cutting him off.

She threw the phone onto the floor, picked up a heavy ceramic vase from the dresser, and smashed it down on the plastic device again and again until it was nothing but crushed plastic and wires.

I crawled over the shards of ceramic, trying to save the pieces, my fingertips stinging as they cut open against the sharp edges. "No... Jack won't be able to find me..."

Amber grabbed my wrists, pulling me up, her eyes wide with a manic, boiling hatred.

"I hope he never finds you! Do you want to know what I hate most about you?"

"You don't have to do anything. All you have to do is squeeze out a single tear, and Jack drops everything to run to you!"

"I'm his girlfriend! I'm the one who's supposed to be his future!"

I shook my head, sobbing. "Jack loves Michelle. Jack loves Amber too..."

"Stop pretending!" She threw me back down. "You use this brain-dead act so nobody can ever hold you accountable. The Bradfords adopting you was the worst mistake they ever made."

"They are sick of you. They hate you. They begged me to teach you how to behave."

"No!" I choked, struggling to breathe. "Mom and Dad love me! You're lying..."

She reached down, her fingernails pinching the tender skin of my inner arm, twisting it hard.

I screamed from the blinding pain. "Michelle isn't lying! I'm not!"

"Tell me you'll stay away from Jack."

"Jack is my brother!"

Ambers hand flew to my ear, pulling it back until I shrieked.

"Let me tell you a secret, Michelle. Jack loves me now. He's sick and tired of carrying around a brainless anchor."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a long, silver sewing needle.

"I'm going to make sure you remember this. I'm going to teach you that calling his name won't save you anymore."

She drove the needle deep into my forearm.

"Ah!"

My entire body spasmed.

"Don't you ever call him your brother again! You manipulative little bitch, using a fake baby routine to get pity. Just die!"

She kept screaming, her face unrecognizable, plunging the needle into my arms over and over.

"Michelle isn't... it hurts... Jack, it hurts..."

I rolled on the floor, thrashing, desperate to crawl away, but my limbs wouldn't obey.

She grabbed my collar and dragged me down the hallway. I saw the door at the very end, and my whole body froze.

Years ago, behind that door, it had been so dark. Something heavy had fallen. There was screaming, and crying, and blood.

I grabbed the metal banister with both hands, locking my fingers. "No! Not there! Michelle won't go!"

Amber pried at my fingers. "Perfect. A little dark basement is exactly where bad girls learn to be quiet!"

She kicked the basement door open.

The darkness inside felt like a monster opening its mouth to swallow me.

"Get in!"

I pulled back, weeping. "No! Amber, please! Michelle will be good! I won't look for Jack anymore!"

Amber paused, a cruel, mocking smile spreading across her lips. "Then say it. Say Jack isn't your brother."

I stared at her, tears dripping from my chin. "But... Jack is my brother."

"Then rot."

The smile vanished. She raised her foot and stomped hard on my fingers.

My grip broke. My body tumbled down the wooden stairs, hitting one step, then another, rolling down into the dark.

My forehead slammed against the concrete floor at the bottom. Something warm and thick began to trickle down my face, sticking my eyelashes together.

Above me, the heavy wooden door slammed shut.

The basement fell into absolute, suffocating darkness.

I curled into a tight ball in the corner, my voice a tiny, broken whisper. "Jack..."

No one answered.

"Mom..."

Only the cold silence of the concrete.

My head throbbed, my arm burned, and my stomach twisted with hunger. My throat felt like it was on fire.

After a long time, I heard light footsteps above the ceiling.

I dragged myself to the bottom of the stairs, tapping weakly on the bottom step. "Amber... Michelle is hungry..."

A faint, mocking laugh came through the floorboards. "I just finished the strawberry cake Jack ordered for me."

Every time Jack worked late, he brought me a slice of strawberry cake.

I swallowed hard, my mouth watering. "Can Michelle have a bite? Just a tiny bite?"

"No. Do you want to know what Jack told me before he left?"

I pressed my ear against the gap under the door. "What did Jack say?"

"He said you're too much of a burden. He said he wants to get married and have a real family, and he can't spend his whole life playing nursemaid to a vegetable."

I banged my head against the door, crying out. "Jack wouldn't say that! Jack promised Mom he would always take care of Michelle!"

"You don't believe me?"

A recording of Jack's voice crackled from her phone outside the door. "...Is she crying? Amber, just keep her quiet, I'm stuck here..."

The words didn't make sense, but I heard "keep her quiet."

Amber's voice cut back in. "Hear that? He told me to keep you quiet. He's not coming for you."

My heart felt like it had been dropped into a bucket of ice.

"Jack is busy..."

"Stop making excuses, Michelle," she sneered, her voice dripping with triumph. "You're not a baby. You're just a nuisance nobody wants."

I stopped talking.

Nuisances didn't get strawberry cake. Nuisances weren't allowed to call for their brothers.

The basement was freezing.

I wrapped my arms around my knees, softly humming the lullaby Mom used to sing to me. Halfway through, loud, frantic banging echoed from the top of the stairs.

"Miss Michelle? Are you in there?"

It was Mr. Walter! His voice sounded terrified.

I scrambled up the steps, throwing my weight against the door. "Mr. Walter! Michelle is here!"

The sound of keys jingling echoed from the other side.

"Don't worry, Miss Michelle. Walter is here. I'm opening the door right now."

The key slid into the brass lock.

"Click."

The latch moved.

But a split second later, Ambers voice shrieked through the hall.

"Walter! What do you think you're doing?"

Mr. Walters voice trembled with rage. "Miss Amber, why did you lock Miss Michelle in the basement?"

"She ran down there herself!" Amber yelled back. "If you open that door now and she runs out in a manic state, are you going to be responsible for whatever she breaks?"

Mr. Walter kept turning the key. "I don't care! Miss Michelle cannot be kept in the dark!"

Amber let out a sharp, ugly laugh.

"Walter, your son works in the logistics department at Bradford Enterprises, doesn't he?"

"If you interfere with my business today, I will make sure he is blacklisted from every firm in the city by tomorrow morning."

"I'm going to count to three. Walk away, and pretend you saw nothing."

The sound of the keys stopped.

The silence outside was heavy and terrifying.

Panic seized me. I pounded on the door with both hands, slamming my forehead against the wood. "Mr. Walter, don't go! Please let Michelle out!"

Outside, Mr. Walters voice was barely a whisper.

"Hold on, Miss Michelle... just a little longer. Someone will come."

His slow, heavy footsteps drifted away.

Mr. Walter was gone. Nobody was coming.

My arms lost their strength. I couldn't bang on the door anymore, and I didn't have the breath to sing. It was so dark, and the shadows were turning into monsters.

I don't know how much time passed.

Suddenly, the screech of tires echoed from the driveway, followed by the sound of heavy, desperate running.

Ambers voice rose in a high, panicked squeal.

"Jack? What are you doing here?"

An instant later

"CRASH!"

The basement door was kicked open, splintering against the wall. A blinding, beautiful flood of light poured down the stairs, making my eyes sting.

In the center of the light, a familiar silhouette came crashing down the steps.

He was running so fast, stumbling, as if he believed that if he didn't reach me in that exact second, I would disappear forever.

His voice was cracked, raw, and completely broken.

"Michelle!"