The Babysitter's Path

I can pinpoint the exact day my life went to hell. It was a Friday night and I was pissed. Mom and dad had decided to go out for the evening and instead of letting their teenage daughter watch her siblings they hired a babysitter. This babysitter thought she was hot shit too. She walked in about ten minutes before six. She had dirty blonde hair tied up into a messy bun, a pair of name brand blue jeans, a gray hoodie, and enough makeup on her face to make a clown jealous. To make matters worse, she was only two years older than me and sat across from me in study hall. Like, what the hell? Did they want me to be the loser of South High? Why did I even need a babysitter? I was fifteen, practically an adult, and my parents had the audacity to hire someone to watch me!? I didn’t complain though. No. That would just give my parents an excuse to do it again. Instead, I put a smile on my face, walked up to Olivia, and said,

“Olivia! It’s soooo good to see you!”

In an equally sarcastic voice Olivia said, “Aspen! Long time no see, did you finish that math homework you were working on in study hall?”

“Not quite, I’ll probably work on it some more later. Thank God mom and dad asked you to babysit. I don’t think I would be able to get anything done if you weren’t here.” As I said this, my little brother and sister came rushing around the corner. Scout was screaming, while Chandler was cackling. He was holding a baby doll high in the air as he ran towards us. I looked at Olivia to see what she thought, but if she was scared, she didn’t show it. The two continued to run towards us but as they passed the couch, Chandler slammed the doll into the seat and an electronic cry wailed out. Scout screamed even louder and I hoped Olivia would just leave, but dad swooped in before things got worse.

“Chandler Ray Jacobson, if you don’t give your sister her doll back this instant, I’m not taking you to the trampoline park tomorrow.”

Chandler froze, the baby plummeted to the ground and released one more synthetic cry before Scout scooped it up and rocked it in her arms. I had hoped the little snot would have put up more of a fight but I could always push him to do more once mom and dad left. Speaking of, they were back to talking to Olivia.

“The little ones need to be in bed by eight. Aspen can stay up but make sure the other two don’t know or they’ll lose their minds. They already ate, so you don’t have to worry about that. If they ask for sweets tell them no, they know they aren’t supposed to have any this late. TV is fine just don’t let them watch anything scary or violent, that goes for Aspen too.” What the literal hell? First the babysitting and now they are giving said babysitter permission to control what I watch? What will they deprive me of next, using the bathroom by myself? “We should be home before midnight, but if you have any problems fill free to give us a call.”

“Yes, and if you need to get ahold of anyone else, we left a list of emergency contacts on the fridge,” added my mother.”

Olivia nodded her head and said, “Sounds good Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson. I’m sure they’re going to be great and if things get tough with the little two, I’m sure Aspen over there will jump in.”

Hearing my name come out of that skank’s mouth made my jaw clench. Did she know I was listening? If so, was she being sarcastic or was she just trying to let me know she knew what I was trying to do? The comment didn’t phase my parents, they agreed and told Olivia that her payment was in the envelope on the counter. It would be a shame if something were to happen to that envelope, but I had to be on my best behavior. I’m an adult, and I’ll show mom and dad that I’m way better than Olivia. After mom and dad said their goodbyes, mom looked to Olivia and said,

“One more thing. Under no circumstance are you, or any of the kids, to go on the path outside. Some shady things happen out there at night and I don’t want any of you near it.”

“Don’t you worry Mrs. Jacobson, there will be no late-night adventures for this crew. I’ll probably pop some popcorn once you leave and put on a movie to help calm down the little ones for bed.”

My mom beamed, “That’s a wonderful idea. If anything happens remember to give us a call.”

“Sure thing, you two have a fun night. See you in a few hours.”

“See you soon!”

“See you later, kiddos. Be nice to Olivia or your mom and I will have to give you a talking to in the morning.”

Scout and Chandler promised. Dad gave me a look until I mumbled my version of a promise and left. Once they were gone, and the headlights from their car faded from view, Olivia locked the door and sighed, “I thought they’d never leave.”

“Who said they left? Mom and dad like to test babysitters to make sure they are legit. The last one they hired got caught sleeping on the job and mom chewed her a new one. I’d be extra careful if I were you.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah, and the babysitter before that forgot to make Chandler brush his teeth. Dad made sure her babysitting days were over.”

“That’s interesting because last time I checked your last babysitter was Mia, and Mia couldn’t babysit today because she has a basketball game.”

“I don’t have a babysitter. You and I are only two years apart. You are only here because Mom and Dad don’t want to pay me and I refused to watch them without pay. Speaking of babysitter duties, you better keep an eye on Chandler over there. He can be a bit handsy.”

At that moment, Chandler was elbow deep in the fish tank, trying to grab the beta fish as they scooted around his tiny, chubby fingers. I was hoping this would shock her but Olivia was on it. She rushed over to Chandler, pulled his hand from the tank, and said,

“Chandler put that fish back in its home or you won’t be allowed to watch the movie with everybody else.”

Chandler scrunched his nose at her, but plopped the fish back into its bowl. He then went over to the entertainment center and pulled out a DVD with a train on it. Please God, anything but Choo Choo Adventures.

“Choo Choo Adventures,” shouted Olivia, “That’s my favorite, how did you know?”

Chandler’s face grew bright red and he swayed in place as Olivia slid the disc into the Blu-ray player. By the time the theme song started playing I was already in the kitchen with my ear buds in. Like I said earlier, I had a couple math sheets to do so I figured I could knock them out while my siblings were being won over by the enemy. I didn’t want to admit defeat though, so I positioned my chair in a way that allowed me to see Scout and Chandler while I worked. I wanted to be ready to pounce in case little Ms. Perfect messed up. Then I could tell mom and dad what a shitty job Olivia did. Then they’d have to let me babysit.

That never happened though. Normally, Scout and Chandler would be losing their minds but not tonight. They were silent during the whole show and when it was over, Scout was already asleep and Chandler was getting close. Olivia carried Scout to her room while I helped Chandler into his. As he climbed up into bed, he rubbed his eyes and said, “Olivia’s gonna be girlfriend.”

“Ew.”

“Your ew.”

“Good one Chandy. Now go to sleep, you have a big day tomorrow and you are going to need all of your energy if you want to finally dunk at the trampoline park.”

Chandler smiled and exhaustion finally won. I tip-toed out of the room and found Olivia leaning against the wall. “You want to go to a party?”

My heart skipped a beat. This was it! This was the moment I needed to prove that I should be the babysitter. Na, but if you want to go, I’ll totally cover for you.”

Olivia smiled, “Nice try, champ. You either come with me or I don’t go.”

“Why would I want to come to your dumb party?”

“Have you ever gone to a party?”

I could feel my cheeks getting warm, “No, but that’s because I don’t want to go, not because I wasn’t invited.”

“I never said you weren’t”

The bitch, “It doesn’t matter. I can’t leave Scout and Chandler by themselves, so we might as well stay.”

“I guess you are as lame as everyone says.”

“You’re just saying that to make me want to go.”

“No. It’s true, Scott even said it himself.”

“Scott Langer?”

“Yep.”

“Why do you think I care?”

“Because I watch you drool over him every day in study hall. That’s why you have so much math to do, right? He asked you to do his for him.”

“Shut up!”

“Come on, Aspen. Don’t you want to show him how much fun you are?” Olivia glanced at her watch, “It’s only eight. If we leave now, we’ll be back before your parents even get here.”

“Why do you want me to go so bad. It’s not like you ever invited me to any of your other parties.”

“That’s because freshmen weren’t allowed before.”

“And they are now?”

“They are if Scott says they are.”

“He asked for me to come?”

“Told me himself, said you did him a big favor today agreeing to do his homework and thought it would be cool if you came out.”

“I can’t leave Scout and Chandler. Besides, I thought Scott said I was lame?”

Olivia sighed, and pulled her hair out of its bun. She then bent over, letting the hair dangle to the floor and retied it into a ponytail. “I just wanted to see how you’d react. All he told me was that he’d love for you to come. As far as the brats go, I’ll do you a favor this one time and watch them while you’re out.”

“I thought you wanted to go?”

“I do, but I can go to these parties whenever I want. This may be your only chance. Besides, I’m not really dressed to impress right now anyway.”

I looked down at my sweats and t-shirt. I wasn’t dressed to impress either but I shouldn’t think about that. I have one job: prove to mom and dad I’m responsible enough to watch Scout and Chandler on my own. If I left to go to this party mom and dad would never trust me to watch them, and I’d be leaving them with a total stranger. Well, a semi popular acquaintance, but basically a stranger.

“Shit.”

“What,” I asked.

Olivia was typing on her phone and added, “That damn Scott. He jumped the gun, he’s outside on the path waiting for us.”

“Scott’s here?” If Scott is here, I wouldn’t have to go to the party or leave my siblings, “Tell him to come inside.” Olivia looked me up and down and I remembered the state of my outfit. “Let me go change, then invite him in!”

“What about your parents?”

“He’s gone as soon as their headlights hit the blinds.”

“Go change, I’ll text him and see what he thinks.”

With my heart fluttering, I sprinted to my bedroom and started hurling clothes out of my closet. Did I want to wear the pink dress or the red? No, dresses were way too formal. leggings would be good, casual yet fancy. I’ll also throw on an oversized sweater. The maroon one should be perfect. While I was shuffling through my drawers an owl cried out. I had never heard an owl this close to the house before but I didn’t think anything of it. It was just a bird and the boy of my dreams was waiting outside.

Once my outfit was on, I ran back into the living room where Olivia was sitting and asked, “Is he going to come in?”

Olivia shook her head, “He said he feels weird coming into a house that the parents aren’t home in. He told me to tell you that he’d wait for you on the path if you wanted to come out and talk for a bit.”

Holy freaking shit. Holy freaking shit. It’s go time girl. Breathe. Breathe. Wait! The Kids! I can’t leave them here with Olivia. She’d rat me out for sure and I’d never get the respect I deserved. The revelation made my shoulders sink, “I can’t leave the kids Olivia, you know that.”

“I’m not going to rat you out. Besides, you are just going to the path. You’d see your parent’s headlights and could come in before they even knew you left.”

“But what about my outfit change? Wouldn’t they be suspicious?”

“Take your clothes with you and change before you come in.”

“And have Scott see!? I don’t think so.”

“Don’t be prude, Aspen. It’s not like he’s never seen a girl in their underwear before. Besides, its not like he’d try and do anything anyway.”

Was she saying I was ugly? “I don’t know Olivia, this all seems a little weird, and my mom and dad don’t want me walking on the path at night.”

“I didn’t realize you were a baby. What’s going to get you? The Boogeyman?”

Her condescending tone made my hands fold into fists, “Maybe I like to follow the rules, Olivia.”

“What good has it gotten you? You’re alone on a Friday night and having a girl two years older than you babysit your ass. Sounds like following the rules is doing you wonders.”

I opened my mouth to fight back, but stopped. She was right. I had done nothing but what my parents wanted and they wouldn’t even let me stay home by myself. This could be my one chance to do something I wanted to do. Olivia would watch Scout and Chandler. My parents paid her after all and if she tried to leave, I’d know. There was nothing to lose, but why did it feel so wrong?

“Are you gonna go or not? Scott is tired of waiting.”

“Tell him I’ll be there but if you try anything funny, I’ll be back in a second.”

“Whatever.”

Olivia followed me to the backdoor. I peeked through the blinds to see if Scott was actually there and saw a figure standing in the woods.

“Are you sure that’s Scott out there? This isn’t some mugging thing where they abduct me, is it?”

“God no! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You can’t blame a girl for worrying, it’s a messed-up world.”

“It’s Scott, now go before he changes his mind.”

As I grabbed the door, I could feel my chest pounding. I took a few breathes to calm my nerves and turned the knob, but before I stepped out, I said: “Don’t try and lock me out, I know where the spare is and I’m not afraid of busting a window and blaming it on you.”

“You are so trusting. Now go. I promise, I won’t lock it.”

I stepped through the door and felt the cool autumn air seep through my sweater. A chill ran through my body and as I stood there waiting for the lock to click, I saw the figure waving. I waved back and when the click never came, I quickly walked towards the path. As I walked the short distance between me and the woods, where the path was concealed, another owl cried out. I looked up to the trees and saw a single bird perched on the branch. It felt like the creature was watching me, but that would be silly. Owls don’t care what people do; I was probably just paranoid.

Once I reached the mouth of the woods the owl got spooked and flew away. For some reason I wanted to watch it fly away but before I could, Scott stepped forward and said,

“Wow Aspen, I didn’t think you’d come out.”

My cheeks were burning and it felt like a wad of toilet paper had just been shoved into my mouth so I shrugged. Scott laughed and slid his hand through his greased back hair. He was wearing his red letterman jacket but took off when he saw me shiver.

“Do you want to wear my jacket?”

Yes! “No. That’s okay. Thank you though.”

“Oh, uh, okay.” He awkwardly slid his jacket back on and to try and alleviate the tension I caused, I said,

“Olivia says you’re going to a party?”

Scott chuckled, “Yeah. I was hoping to bring a date. You wouldn’t know of anyone interested, would you?”

I died. That’s the only thing that could explain this. I died, went to heaven, and as a reward for being a decent human being God decided I could get whatever I wanted. My parents flashed into my head. I guess I still didn’t have their respect but I shook that out of my head. That would come later. I’d spend my time with Scott and be back inside before they even came home, but to do that I needed to be able to see the house. I tried to shift to where I was next to Scott and able to see the house, but when I moved Scott said,

“Everything alright?”

I started to twirl my hair, “Oh yeah, I just wanted to make sure I left a light on for when I came back.”

“So, you’re gonna come with me to the party!?”

“Oh. Uh, I can’t. But I’d love to do something else with you another day.”

“That’s too bad. I was really wanting a date tonight. It would be pretty shitty of me to go out with someone tonight and toss them aside for you another day.”

Why does he want me to go so bad? First Olivia now Scott? Were they planning something? An owl cried once more followed by the scream of a child. I started to run back home when Scott grabbed my hand. A warm rush surged through my chest and I looked back at him.

“You sure you are okay? You’re like super jumpy.”

“Yeah,” I shook my head, “I thought I heard my baby sister scream.”

“I didn’t hear anything.” He gave my hand a squeeze and added, “You know, you look really good tonight.”

The heat from my chest moved south and it was starting to get really hard to breathe. I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and said, “You… you really think so?”

“Totally! Why don’t you come to the party with me? It’s gonna be a blast. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to play spin the bottle.” He pulled out an empty soda bottle and jiggled it in the air.

Oh, God yes! Another scream filled the air followed by another owl cry. This scream sounded like Chandler. I pulled my hand from Scott but as I did, he grabbed my shoulders and kissed me! Every nerve in my body exploded and when he pulled away, I let out a sigh. He smiled and wrapped his arm around me. “Come on, there will be more of that at the party.”

I shook the love sickness away and said, “I can’t, Scott, I’m sorry.”

Scott took his arm away and let out a frustrated sigh, “Fine. I’ll just find someone else then.”

All the fireworks I had felt earlier were gone. Rage was left in its place and I wanted to slap him across his perfectly chiseled face. When I lifted my hand up to do it an owl cried out once more. Flying overhead was the bird and in each foot were two bundles. For some reason seeing the two bundles made me look back towards the house. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but then Olivia came sprinting out it.

“What happened, where’s Scout and Chandler!?”

“Inside you idiot, I just came to tell you that your parents are coming!”

“Shit, really!? It seems kind of early.”

“No time! Put your old clothes on before they come inside.”

I took the clothes and added, I’ll put them on inside, I don’t want that asshole to see me.” But when I looked back to see how my words affected Scott he was no where to be seen.

“Whatever, just hurry up and change before we both get in trouble.”

I did what I was told and ran back inside. I threw my nice clothes into my room as I sprinted towards Scout and Chandler’s. When I got to Scout’s, I peered inside but instead of seeing a filled bed, I saw a naked one. Not believing my eyes I went to Chandler’s room, praying that Scout got scared and came in here to be with him. I was wrong. Chandler’s bed was just as barren, and the image of the owl with two bundles ran through my head. Then the screams. Oh no!

“Olivia! Where the hell are you!?” When no one answered I ran back downstairs and saw that I was alone. My parent’s headlights were shining through the blinds and when I pulled them aside to look out, I saw their car idling in the driveway. I was screwed. Panicking, I grabbed the bb gun Chandler had left on the kitchen table and pulled its clip out. The clip had six plastic balls inside, it wasn’t a lot but it was enough to startle a stupid owl if I needed to. Thinking about the owl and the bundles I saw made me wonder what was going on. None of this made any sense. An owl isn’t big enough to carry one person let alone two, but I know what I saw. I needed to chase after it before it was too late, I could always rationalize later.

Back outside, I ran towards the path and found a trail of brown feathers going further into the woods. I followed the feathers, but as I traveled further in, the night grew later. It felt like hours had passed and I was sure my parents had already discovered that their kids were missing. Which meant they found out that I had failed them. No. I could explain later. It was my job to protect Scout and Chandler and I was going to get them back. Even if it meant having a babysitter for the rest of my life.

Eventually, the path led to an open clearing. Trees loomed over me and the moon shined through them in a way that made a pentagram in the dirt. The two bundles I had seen earlier writhed in the symbol and a flock of barn owls were perched in the trees looking down on them. I pulled the bb gun up to my eye and looked down its sights. I took a deep breath, aligned one of the owls in the middle of my cross hairs and fired. As I pulled the trigger, a small pop rung out and a tiny pellet zoomed across the clearing, but it never made contact. The owl I had aimed for flew out of the way causing the others’ heads to rotate towards me. The flock took flight and swarmed me. I rolled out of the way to try and escape but I could still feel their sharp beaks as they flew past.

Another owl tried to go for my face but I was able to pop it twice with the bb gun before it got the chance. The creature screamed in pain but was able to fly away while the others continued their attack. Beaks and talons ripped through my clothes and I could feel the sharp blade like talons tear into my skin. I let out a scream but the onslaught continued. I used my remaining bullets to try and stave off some of the attacks but all I got in return was a useless gun. In a last-ditch effort, I threw the weapon at an incoming owl but just missed as the bird twirled out of the way.

My siblings were screaming now and as I directed my attention towards them, I could see a large owl with horns rising from the pentagram. Its beak unfolded, revealing a hole filled with sharp teeth. The bundles rolled towards the mouth and as I tried to chase after them the barn owls pinned me to the ground. To make matters worse, one of the birds grabbed my head with its foot and forced it upright so I could watch the terror that was unfolding before me. Tears slid down my cheeks and I screamed,

“Take me instead! Take me instead, they’re just kids!” But the owls wouldn’t listen. I should have never left the house. Mom and dad always said to avoid the path at night and what did I do? I ran right to it. None of this would have happened if I had just stayed inside and ignored Olivia. Olivia! Where was she? She and Scott both up and vanished. Did they set this up somehow?

I didn’t have time to think about it though, because the bundles were now entering the horned owl’s mouth. In one last ditch effort, I screamed, “If I brought you other sacrifices would you spare my siblings?”

The horned owl closed its mouth and the bundles hung from its massive beak. I let out a relieved sob but the nightmare wasn’t over yet. A voice from within my mind said,

“I have heard your bargain, Aspen and I accept. Bring me four children by the next full moon and you can have your siblings back.”

Without speaking, I replied, “If I don’t come home with my brother and sister there won’t be a person to get you your sacrifices.”

The voice within laughed, “Being a bit dramatic, but I will allow you to take your siblings home but you must give me something in return.”

“Anything. Just let them go.”

The horned owl placed the bundles on the ground and waddled over to me. When it was close enough to touch me, it placed its beak upon my forehead and said, “You have been marked. If you don’t bring me four children by the next full moon, I will take over your body and get them myself.”

“How am I supposed to get four kids into the middle of the woods?”

“The path leads to every soul.” The owl plucked a feather from its chest and handed it to me before adding, “all you have to do is place this feather under the sacrifice’s pillow and my flock will do the rest.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll take your body and consume your siblings.”

“Fair enough.”

After agreeing, the owls vanished and Scout and Chandler were left alone lying in the dirt. Their little faces were covered in filth, but at least they were alive. I scooped Scout into my arms and took Chandler’s hand before starting our walk back to the house.

When we got back, mom and dad were waiting. As punishment for disobeying them, they took my phone away, and removed the tv from my bedroom. A fair trade if you asked me. I’d give them both up forever if it meant I didn’t have to feed four kids to some demonic owl. I spent weeks trying to get out of it but as the full moon got closer, I realized there was only one thing I could do.

When the day finally came, Scott and Olivia approached me at school.

“So, did you do it,” asked Olivia.

“Fuck you guys.”

“Chill out, Aspen. We did what we had to do to keep our siblings safe. We would have been free if you hadn’t intervened.” Replied Scott.

“And let my brother and sister die? You’re the worst Scott.”

“Well, we’re all dead if you don’t get the owl its sacrifices.”

“Who said I didn’t?”

Olivia furrowed her brow, “Wait, what?”

“Yeah. I got the owl its sacrifices.”

“How,” asked Scott.

“I put the feathers it gave me into the pillows the Home Ec class made last week.”

Scott’s face turned white, “I gave Dani one of those pillows.” He grabbed my shoulders and cried, “Aspen, you gotta stop this. She has nothing to do with this.”

I gave Scott a quick peck on the cheek and said, “Wish I could but I have to babysit Scout and Chandler tonight.” I started to walk off but stopped, I looked at Olivia and added, “You know Scott, I heard Olivia is throwing a party in the woods behind my house tonight. Perhaps you could go together.”

“And why would I want to do that,” asked Olivia.”

“Well, you’re the prettiest girl in school so you have to be there, and I may have given your sweet little brother, Teddy the pillow I made in Home Ec.”

“Aspen, you fucking bitch! You have to stop this.”

“Wish I could, but I have to babysit.”