When You Were Young

She had just finished her silent prayer when she made out human words among the monster's growling. She got to her feet and pulled Wendell along with her into the brush. The closer they got, the more recognizable the monster's voice became.

Samantha pushed aside a branch to find Prudence entangled by her long hair in the brush. She clawed and kicked at the branches, growling naughty words as she fought to get free. "Pwoodance! We taught you a monster," Samantha said.

"Do I look like a monster? Get me out of here!" Samantha and Wendell worked together to untangle Prudence's hair from the brush. She continued kicking and screaming, hitting them several times. She popped loose in a forward surge that brought all three to the ground. "Stupid hair," she said. "I'm going to cut it all off."

Samantha helped pick leaves and branches from the tangled copper mass, thinking again of Molly as Prudence ranted on. "We shouwd go home," Samantha said.

"What? Are you crazy? They'll beat all of us this time when they find out we left," Prudence said. Wendell started to cry at this.

"I don't want to get beaten," he said. "It's not my fault. I didn't want to come. You made me."

"If I get a spanking, you're getting one too," Prudence said. "Even if I have to do it myself."

"If we go back now, they might not find out," Samantha said.

"Of course they will. That snotface Joey will tell them."

"This is your fault," Wendell said to his sister.

"No it's not. It's her fault," Prudence said, pointing at Samantha. "She's the one who wanted to leave."

"You the one who hewped me out of the cwib."

"Only because you were bawling so much I felt bad."

"It's not fair. I didn't want to come."

Prudence punched her brother in the shoulder. His crying turned to heaving sobs. "Stop crying, you stupid baby! All you ever do is cry and whine."

Before Prudence could hit Wendell again, Samantha touched her arm. She heard something heavy crash in the brush behind them. She pointed to the bushes a moment before the man in black from the party appeared. "There you brats are. You three have an appointment with Mr. Switch," he said. He flicked a thin rod in his hand, the rod slicing through the air in front of him. "I think I'll start with Fatty."

Samantha scampered into the brush, branches whipping into her face and tearing at her clothes. She kept going long after her pretty dress became a tattered rag, hearing the man's heavy footsteps behind her. She couldn't let him catch her; he would do things far worse to her than Mama Veronica last night.