Karen and Roy turned out to be very nice people. They made Joshua a very tasty dinner. Carrie told them about Joshua’s…condition, and she told Joshua how he had to call Karen and Roy his mommy and daddy now. Joshua was very happy here, Karen and Roy made him feel very much at home. Roy and Karen had two children, Tyler and Heather, who were both older than Joshua and away at boarding school, but would be coming back in two weeks for March Break.
“So, Joshua, what story would you like me to read?” Karen asked him when he was settled in bed. The bedroom he was in was a guest room, but Roy had put Tyler’s old books and nightlight in the room.
“Um…I don’t know.” Joshua replied. Karen frowned.
“Well, what stories does Carrie usually read to you?” she asked.
“She never read me stories.” Joshua said, looking down at his comforter. Karen sighed, went to the bookshelf and picked out a book.
“How about this one. It’s called ‘The Ugly Duckling’”.
The days passed by in a haze of good food, stories, love, and visitors asking Joshua what had happened while he was with Chuck and Edna. The problem was, Joshua couldn’t remember much. After a few days, the visitors stopped asking questions about that and started asking questions about how he was treated here. Joshua liked answering these questions. For some reason, it made him feel good. Joshua was very excited to meet Tyler and Heather, and Karen had started talking about enrolling him in school. She told Joshua that he would have to take a test to see what grade he would be in, and that she and Roy had decided to enrol him in the local elementary school rather than the boarding school Tyler and Heather were at. Joshua was very happy about that. He really didn’t want to be away from his new mommy and daddy. It felt very strange saying that he had a daddy. They even changed his last name, at Carrie’s suggestion.
On a beautiful spring day, halfway into the second week of Joshua living with Roy and Karen, Joshua and Roy were outside and Karen was inside making dinner. Roy watched, sprawled out on the lawn chair as Joshua ran around, spring coat crinkling as he stopped every few steps to catch his breath. Roy had absolutely no idea what Joshua was running around for, but hey, it was cute. Just as the running seemed to be getting too much for the young boy, Roy decided to bring Joshua to help him fix his car. Joshua was very excited at the prospect, always happy to help someone out. It made Roy sort of sad to see Joshua when he helped them around the house, as it seemed as though he was trying to make up for some imagined fault. So Joshua stood there, not fidgeting, holding the flashlight like the child parents always wanted their children to be while Roy messed around underneath the car.
“Does my little mechanic want some iced tea?” Karen smiled at Joshua as she came in with a tray of glasses filled with the cold, brown liquid. Joshua shook his head and Roy suddenly gave a loud yelp. Joshua frowned and whipped his head around to stare at Roy’s cut hand. Karen nearly dropped the tray as she looked at her adopted son, the surrounding area of his eyes blood red. She actually dropped the tray when she followed Joshua’s line of sight, seeing her husband bleeding, Joshua’s transfixed gaze imprinted into her mind. The loud shatter seemed to break Joshua of his trance, and Karen watched his expression change from tranquil to terrified as she dragged him into the house by his wrist.
Joshua’s eyes remained red even as Karen was heating the blood up in the microwave. When it was a nice warm temperature, Karen poured the packet into a sippy cup, picked up Joshua, and carried him to his room. Karen laid the child down on his bed and gave him the cup. As soon as the first drink went down his throat, Joshua’s eyes returned to normal and his eyelids drooped. When he was finished, Joshua handed the cup to her and fell asleep. Karen’s stomach turned at the empty cup, the grotesque image of the child, a picture of innocence, gulping down blood replaying through her mind. Words like unholy, monster, and demon spawn flew through Karen’s mind and Joshua gave a small snore in his sleep. Karen relaxed and smiled, stroking Joshua’s hair before turning around and leaving the room. Oh who am I kidding! He’s a five year old who’s a bit different, not a monster.
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