Sam ran upstairs to his room where he could finally think in peace without having his facial expressions read by Ms. ICanReadYourMind downstairs.
This was good. He has the basic outline of a plan, obtain Alastor's trust and try to escape or use the curtain/sheets rope idea. What are the pros and cons of each? Well the pros to the trust idea are: Alastor wouldn't keep his eyes on them 24 hours, 7 days a week. Also a little more freedom sounds nice. The cons are: It would take much more time, plus this is a serial killer he's talking about, and this idea might not work. Alastor could catch on to what he's trying to do and close his trust off again.
The pros of the rope idea are: It would take much less time and they could leave whenever they wanted, it's a lot more safe because if they go at night Alastor wouldn't know because unless he's watching specifically where they do it he won't be able to see them. The cons are: It might seem suspicious if sheets and curtains start going missing, Edith might be too afraid or incapable of climbing down two stories on a makeshift rope.
Great. Now he's got the pros and cons. Now the question is which one seems like the better option? Trying to get Alastor to trust him could take who knows how long and the rope is very risky but it'll be faster therefore there's less risk of what is to happen to them from the time they start with the plan to the time of escape so that definitely seems like a good plan.
So then it's settled. He's going to use the rope idea to climb out of one of the windows. He just needs to find out which one and what he's going to use for the rope.
While thinking so deeply he managed to grow tired and the world around him seemed to turn to a blur around him. Every sound slowly started fading and all the lights started going out until finally he fell into a peaceful sleep.
~
His mother was in front of him in a wooden rocking chair, holding something swaddled in a pink blanket. He was overjoyed to say the least. The excitement was coursing through his veins fast and not halting for anything.
"Her name is Edith, Sam. She's your new baby sister." Sam's mother said, showing her new 5 day old baby to her 8 year old son.
He smiled and rubbed her head with his hand. She was so tiny and small. Edith looked back at him with a blank expression, you'd think she was dead if it weren't for her little chest rising and falling with every breath that filled her lungs.
She was perfect.
"Do you want to hold her?" The woman asked. The boy smiled brightly, nodding and holding his arms out.
His mother bent down and positioned his hands correctly before putting her baby into his arms. "Be sure to support her neck and head dear." She instructed before leaning back in her chair and holding her husband's hand who was standing right behind her with his hand on her shoulder. Sam rearranged his arms to do so. He was enjoying this. Having his sister in his arms was an amazing feeling! He's been waiting for this moment for over nine months!
"Now Sam, having a younger sister will mean you have lots more responsibilities now. You'll have to learn to protect her from danger and you'll have to help your mother and myself with the task of taking care of her. She'll need to be loved and supported properly. Do you think you can handle all of that?" His father asked with a serious tone.
Sam looked at his sibling closely, she looked at him with the same blank expression she had before. She needed guidance. He could give her that guidance. It was his duty as her older brother to give her such guidance. He smiled at her with a soft, warm smile. She returned the smile by focusing intently on his face. She didn't know who he was yet but she will in due time.
He looked back towards his parents with a determined filled expression and nodded his head. "I can do it! You can count on me!" He said with much pride in his voice.
His parents smiled at him gently.
Sam looked back down towards Edith who was still focusing on him. "I won't let anything happen to her. She's my sister! I'll protect her with every fiber in my body! I'll make sure she's safe and warm! I'll love and care for her every day I live and breathe! No harm will ever come to her. She's too sweet for such things! I'll show everyone! I won't let them get to her!" He exclaimed.
His parents giggled at his outburst of determination, looking at each other with proud expressions on their faces before looking back at their darling children with that same proud expression. For that moment- everything was perfect.
~
Sam's eyes slowly opened and around him was the place he wished he wasn't in. Alastor's mansion. He didn't want to be there. He wanted to be safe and loved again. He wanted to be back in his own home with his parents and his sister- wait- his sister! He fell asleep! He doesn't even know what time it is! Surely Alastor had to come back with her by now!
Faster than light, he sprang up off the bed and started running downstairs. He saw outside the windows that it was now starting to become dark and the angle of the sun was making the clouds and sky appear an orangish pink. He slept longer than he thought!
He ran down the stairs to the second floor and there sitting in the parlor was Mimzy, turning off the radio before turning around to look at him. "Where ya off to so fast puddin' pop?" She asked.
"Y-You're still here?! Where's Alastor?! Where's my sister?!" Sam asked, panicked. The woman just slowly approached him, putting her hand on his shoulder and sitting him down on one of the chairs.
"First of all, take a breath suga'. Calm down. Secon' of all, they're not here yet. They should be soon so you can relax for a bit. Though- it was strange. Al didn't do his 4 o'clock show today. Some fella' named Anthony did it. That was ratha' confusin'." She stated, "So just relax, hun."
"He didn't do what!? Oh lord!" Sam exclaimed, getting up and pacing the room.
"Or ya can get up and be tense, that's alright too." Mimzy said, sitting back down in her own chair and just watching the boy pace and panic, thinking out loud.
"What if he hurt her! What if something happened to them?! Does this kind of thing happen often?! When are they going to come back?! When should I expect them to come back?! OH MY GOD WHAT IF THEY DON'T?! WHAT IF I NEVER SEE MY SISTER AGAIN?! WHAT IF-" Sam's panicked cries were cut off by the sound of a door opening and closing downstairs. His eyes widened as he quickly bolted out of the room and downstairs. Mimzy just smiled to herself and followed him downstairs.
And there they were, Edith and Alastor had walked through the door, in fact Alastor was carrying a few white bags in his arms.
"Edith! There you are!" Sam said, running up to his sister and pulling her into a tight hug, picking her up in the process. "I was worried about you! Are you okay? Did anything happen?! Did anyone do anything?! You can tell me!" He asked all too quickly, turning his sister's head and checking her sides and head for any blood or wounds.
"No! I'm okay! I had so much fun!" Edith exclaimed happily, smiling brighter than Sam had ever seen her smile before. It caught him off guard.
"You- You did?" He asked, totally flabbergasted by her response. He expected her to be crying and gripping onto him, not wanting to let go. This was unexpected.
She nodded her head excitedly. "I got to see inside a real radio station and I got to help with a radio show! It was so much fun! And then-"
As Edith went on about her day and what she did and all the new experiences she got, Mimzy walked up to Alastor, helping him with the bags he had in his hands. "Thank you darling. Considering I didn't get any calls and the police didn't show up at my workplace, I do trust the boy behaved nicely."
"Oh yes! We listened to yer' radio show and not long afta' he went up to his room. I checked on him a few times, he was fast asleep for a while there. Only woke up a few minutes ago. He was panickin' about where you two were. I tried to calm him down but it didn' really work all that well." Mimzy explained.
"Wonderful! Thank you for your help! Would you mind watching the two while I prepare supper?" Alastor asked the woman. She smiled and nodded her head. "Nah, I don't mind one bit! Do whatcha have to do Al!" She said happily.
The man nodded his head slightly before heading into the kitchen to begin cooking.
Mimzy turned back towards the two children who were still chatting to each other. They did seem like two wonderful children. What kind of terrible parents would throw them onto the street?! She didn't understand it. At least they were with Alastor now. They'll be safe with him. Hopefully they take the time to realize that and not try anything that could jeopardize that.
The woman watched as Edith jumped out of Sam's arms and over to the bags that were on the floor, showing him what was inside.
Upon seeing, Sam's eyes widened with disbelief and shock. Inside the bags were clothes. New clothes for him and his sister. Nice ones too! Alastor must have got them those. That's why he didn't do his 4 o'clock radio show. They were out shopping. He couldn't believe that Alastor did such a kind thing for them. Sam certainly wasn't expecting it but... he was rather grateful either way.
"W-Well it uh- sounded like you enjoyed yourself today... didn't you...?" Sam asked, trailing off a bit towards the end. Could the reason be guilt? If so- was it guilt for wanting to take Edith away from this life or guilt for judging Alastor too quick? He didn't know...
"Yes! It was so much fun! I hope I get to do it again some time! I got to hand him the papers that he read off of!"
"You did?" Sam exclaimed in a playful tone. Edith nodded and giggled.
Mimzy stepped up to the two. "How 'bout while Al is cookin' suppa' why don't you go and put yer' new clothes away so Sam and I can talk a bit?"
"Okay!" She replied before grabbing the bags and carefully hurrying upstairs.
After she was gone Sam sighed, putting his hand on his head.
"I told ya she was fine. I knew Al was gonna take good care o' her." Mimzy said to him.
"How was I supposed to know that? What? Am I supposed to just automatically trust my little sister with a serial killer whilst I'm not around to protect her?" He asked.
The woman sighed, rolling her eyes. "Well I guess not but you really should at least try to trust him or gain his trust. It really would do ya both good in the future. He'll take care o' ya as long as ya both give him the chance to and ya don't give him a reason not to." She said, "Come on now, you're a strong young man. You can at least try. Can't ya? For yer' sista's sake?"
Sam thought for a minute- actually thought. He couldn't. There was just too much at risk if he were to stay here.
Yes. Staying here was tempting, he wasn't going to lie to himself about that. But being here was like being locked up in a prison. They were taken there unwillingly, he was being forced to stay and not leave, and when his sister left she was under constant supervision. Though- Alastor did do something nice for them... ugh... it was such a hard decision. He wanted to include Edith in it, but she's only 5 years old. Of course she would be biased.
It was up to him to make the right choice for them both. It wasn't only his life that his choice could affect. He has to try to do what is best. For both of them...
"Look hun, I know it's a tough choice but if it were me- I'd stay. I know ma sista' would do the same." Mimzy stated, putting her hand on Sam's shoulder in a comforting manner. The boy only sighed, pushing the woman's hand off and walking upstairs to where his sister was. Mimzy followed but made sure to give Sam the space he needed.