✅2️⃣ Testing the Babysitter

Fourth Test: My Testimony

"What the–" Claudia snarled, and her body language made it clear that for the briefest instant, she had considered throwing her controller in a way that might impair her ability to continue playing. She cut herself off before cursing, in a way that Adam found strangely endearing. Maybe she'd got used to living in the same house as a young child, and those habits didn't change so easily.

"Got the drop on you?"

"What even happened? There was nothing on my scanner."

"Ghoul," Adam guessed with a shrug. "They don't show up hibernating. Could have been one clipped inside the pile of dirt, you're in range of a bite and you can't see them."

"Yeah, guess so. Is that a bug, or are you supposed to be watching out for one lurking in ambush?"

"Don't know. Haven't seen it before, but it sounds possible. Maybe next time, fire a couple of darts into any trash pile you're about to turn your back on."

"Yeah, well. I should take a break, anyway. It's almost dinner time."

"Give it one more try," Adam suggested. "I think we were nearly there."

"No, dinner first. Tidy up a bit, have another cup of tea, and bring the rubbish down, I'll see about food."

Adam put his phone back in his pocket, and started clearing away the remains of chips, dips, and other snacks they'd consumed while gaming. He would normally have offered to order a pizza for them, while she had already given him so much. But she'd told him to tidy up, so he didn't have an opportunity to follow her and suggest an alternative.

It wasn't a lot of work for him, anyway. They hadn't made a mess, and all the snack bags and empty dips fitted into a small bag to take downstairs. He touched the side of the teapot gently, and found that it was still warm a few minutes after the candles had gone out. He poured himself another cup, and drank it more slowly this time. The draught was both sweet and bitter, probably something of an acquired taste, but he knew he would have been willing to try it for Claudia even if she'd given him a choice. As he sipped his drink, he realised that she must have been paying more attention to the time than he had; it was probably time that it would start wearing off, so she'd told him to have another cup first.

Now that he thought about it, he had confirmation that she had just been teasing him earlier. She said she might have had some of St Jeremy's root herself, but if that was true then he could have expected her to obey when he told her to have one more try at the game. Adam found himself blushing. He didn't really know why, but the realisation that he was totally helpless, and had to trust that Claudia had his best interests at heart, made him feel like there was a real connection between them.

Adam piled up the cups on a small plate, nudged the door open with his foot, and headed down to the kitchen. But he was still at the top of the narrow staircase when he heard the front door crash closed below. He froze for a second, wondering what Claudia would be going out for. She wouldn't be going out to get food, would she? This was a middle class neighbourhood, and it would almost certainly be faster to phone for delivery. And while he was sure he was still under the effect of the tea, he hoped that she would have been there to give him some commands before the effect faded again.

His confusion only lasted a few moments, before he heard voices drifting up from below. Mrs Cartwright must have returned home earlier than expected, and Adam hesitated then. Claudia's mother knew about the effects of St Jeremy's root, even if she'd decided against using it herself. If he was obeying Claudia's instructions without thinking, there was a good chance that Mrs Cartwright would notice something was wrong, and she might ask what was happening. That wasn't what he'd been hoping for this evening, whether he was thinking of this as a date or reminding himself to be more realistic.

He wanted to wait, and hope that she would go again. He was sure that Claudia said they would have the house to themselves, so there was a chance Mrs Cartwright had just stopped by to pick up something she'd forgotten, or to check on something. In that case it would be easier for him to stay out of sight, but he didn't have the option. Claudia had told him what she wanted to do, and that didn't allow him to delay without a good reason. So he walked carefully down the narrow stairs until he was distracted by someone shouting his name.

"Adam! Come look!"

He turned to see Lorelei Cartwright, better known as the demon child, waving from the opposite end of the landing. She had some kind of toy in her hand, and seemed excited to see him again. He would have preferred facing Claudia's mother to looking after this particular child again; a sentiment that was agreed by just about every babysitter who'd had the misfortune of dealing with her. But she had told him to come and look, so he had to see what she was interested in.

It turned out to be a new doll, dressed in an extremely bright blue knitted dress. Adam didn't see why the kid was so excited, but he did his best to be polite, and gave the tiny doll a little pat on the head.

"Are you being a good doll?" he asked it, hoping that he could find enough things to say and keep the little devil entertained until her big sister came to save him. "Has Lorelei been teaching you to be good?"

"Are you being good?" Lorelei turned around and asked him, not giving any kind of response from the doll. "You came when I said! Did you eat special cakes?"

"No," Adam answered immediately, but found himself stammering for a few seconds. As perceptive as the child was, he hadn't expected her to come out and ask something like that right away.

"You gotta tell truth!" she insisted. "Did you have cakes? Do you gotta do what I say?"

"No," Adam answered with a shake of his head, as if that would make him any easier to believe. "No special cakes now. I think your mummy stopped making them because you were being really mean to the babysitters. We made the special stuff into tea instead."

He cursed himself for telling her that. He wished he could have left it out somehow, but she'd asked him if he was under the effect of the drug, as well as if he'd eaten the special cupcakes. And as much as he wanted to keep this a secret, the child had told him to tell the truth. He would just have to hope that her mother took her away again, or Claudia came to his rescue, before she could think of anything particularly dramatic to make him do.