(~Precious Youth Daycare~)

“H-H-Here… t-these w-w-were all the applicants that a-applied over the summer M-Miss Artiste…” An elderly woman whispered shakily as she handed over a manila folder containing multiple job applications to a younger female who looked rather regal in appearance.

Her golden blond hair flowed past her waist as her painted nails tapped on the folder. “Is that all? There was more last year… and more the year before as well. Are you hiding any from me?” The elderly woman visibly froze as a chilling sensation passed over her.

Quickly kneeling before the blond she shook her head furiously. “N-NO I SWEAR IM NOT! T-T-There’s… there’s just been a decline in people a-after… after rumors got out that people had started disappearing from here…”

The younger woman scowled before tossing the folder back to the groveling girl without even looking into it. “Hire them all. I’ll just have to find other people on my own.” The woman on the floor shivered as she looked down at the folder in front of her.

She had done everything she could to ward people off from this place but… it just wasn’t enough. As the younger blond stepped towards the door leading out of the Daycare she was in, she gave another look to the worker before smiling.

“I’ll inform my little angels about this… for your sake, you better hope I find more people for you to hire.” As she exited, the woman still kneeling on the floor burst into tears. She hated this, all of it… but she could do nothing to stop it… It was starting over again…

For the next year, she would have to watch the genocide of countless people… like she had every year since they came to her Daycare…

Would the cycle never end…?

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(~ One Week Later ~)

“Damn it, why did I have to stop and get that cat out of a tree?!” Claire cursed as she ran quickly down the winding streets of Philadelphia. It was the first day after summer, and her first job started today. However it seemed she was going to get fired before her career even began for being late!

When she left for work, she made it half way before she noticed a strange orange haired girl jumping up and down under a tree. After a short conversation she found out the girl was trying to get her cat down. Wanting to leave she was about to but the cute little eyes the girl gave her made her heart break.

After climbing up the tree and fighting with the rather rude feline, she jumped down before handing the girl her kitty before taking off quickly. She had wasted a lot of time doing that, and it might have cost her, her job.

Shaking her head angrily she sighed. ‘I know I helped that little girl but still…’ a small frown made its way to her lips. She couldn’t say no to that kid, it went against everything she believed in. She was working at a freaking daycare for crying out loud!

Kids were just her Achilles heel, she loved them. Smiling fondly at the thought of the little girl hugging her kitty she took off faster. She wouldn’t be late, and she wouldn’t get fired. This was a dream come true for her! Not to mention she’d prove her family wrong as well, bonus.

Having been all but disowned by her family, she had little to hold onto in the town she had grown up in. she wanted to start her life new when she turned 18. So once she had enough saved up (curtesy of friends and estranged relatives) from various birthdays and part time jobs, she moved out of state before winding up in Pennsylvania.

She really had no clue were her life was going but, a nice job like this would be a great way to begin. She’d be doing what she loved and making money as well. What else could she possibly ask for? As Claire rounded another winding corner she saw the large, brightly painted sign in site.

‘Precious Youth Daycare, come on hurry!’ Looking down at her watch it read, 7:59, she was going to make it! Suddenly her happiness shattered however as she neared the street she needed to cross. Stopping abruptly, she watched a bright red Lamborghini pull up in front of her, blocking the path.

Almost crashing into it, Claire skid to a stop, stumbling slightly before regaining her balance. As the doors on the other side opened, she watched mesmerized as a tall blonde stepped out. She looked to be in her thirties with long flowing golden hair going past her waist.

The woman stepped towards her backseat before opening it for someone. As the woman kneeled down for a moment she stood back up before moving back in her car. The whole experience was rather odd to Claire.

Why was a luxury car and what looked like a very powerful woman stopping in the middle of the street? As the car drove away, her eyes lingered on the retreating vehicle for a moment before she noticed a flash of yellow.

Looking towards the direction the car had once been, she noticed two little girls holding hands. Both hand the same golden blond hair as the woman before. ‘Oh, those must be her kids…’ Both looked young, maybe 5 or 6 in age.

They almost looked identical… wait. Claire blinked in surprise, they were. They were dressed the same, they had the same faces as well. They were twins for sure. The only noticeable difference she could see was their hair.

The twin on the left wore her long blond hair in pigtails, while the other had it flowing behind her head like her mother. The only difference was the red band of string pulling it over her bangs. The same red ribbon was in the pigtailed twin’s hair but instead of pulled back; it was tied into bows on her pigtails.

As the twins started walking towards the daycare they suddenly stopped before their heads turned around slowly, simultaneously. Claire’s eyes widened slightly as she looked into the bright red eyes the twins shared. They were staring directly into her.

Time seemed to slow as they looked at one another, it was almost… hypnotic. As soon as it had happened it ended however. Turning away, both twins walked into the daycare leaving Claire in a frozen stupor.

“W-What… what the heck just happened…?” Grabbing her head she shook it for a moment as her hands rubbed her temple. That was weird even for her. Blinking once, then twice, Claire’s face suddenly looked horrified.

Gazing down at her watch she almost screamed. ‘I-I-Its 8:15?!’ how did she just spend fifteen minutes standing there?! Running furiously towards the daycare, she burst through the door franticly as she looked around. As her eyes landed on the woman she was looking for, she quickly tried to compose herself before walking over towards her.

An older woman wearing a tight white tee-shirt with a heart on it and the Daycare’s logo smiled a small smile as she watched a couple girls playing with some blocks in the corner of her daycare before she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

Turning around her eyes widened slightly as she looked over the flustered brunette in front of her. “H-Hello mam I-I’m Claire Abernathy. I applied here a few weeks ago and w-was told to talk to the manager in the acceptance letter I received. C-Can you show me to her please?”

The woman fidgeted slightly before putting on a scowl. “Well Miss Abernathy, I am the manager, and your late.” Claire visibly flinched at the tone the woman held. “We do not tolerate tardiness, and I’m sorry but being late on your first day of work is unacceptable. I’m afraid you’ll have to go.”

Claire’s façade shattered. Was she really getting fired on her first day of work?! “M-Miss-“” Meriam”, “M-M-Miss Meriam, p-please let me explain! I left early and I was coming here early as well, I… I just got stopped on the way here by…” Claire bit her lip. She didn’t have to stop to help that little girl… and she also did stand outside the Daycare for 15 minutes for some reason…

The Daycare lady scowled before turning away. “I’m sorry but there’s no excuse you can give me that I will accept. You’ll just have to find some other place to wo-“Meriam froze abruptly as she felt an icy feeling spreading over her.

Craning her neck slowly, her eyes beaded as she looked into a pair of red ones glaring back at her. “I… I…” Claire looked back at the manager of the Daycare confused, was she ok? “M-Miss, is everything alright?” Turning back sharply, Claire jumped as she saw the panicked look in the woman’s eyes.

“Y-Y-Your… Y-You’re fine, M-Miss Abernathy… please go into the back and put your things away… you start now…” Claire blinked once, then twice, before a full blown smile broke out on her face. “O-Oh thank you Miss Meriam, I swear you won’t regret this! I’ll do you proud I promise!”

Smiling all the way towards the back of the Daycare, Claire entered the small locker room, employees used for changing as she put on her Daycare shirt. She had no idea what just happened, she thought for sure she was going to be cut loose.

It looked like she had a Guardian angel looking out for her. Meriam watched the younger girl enter the employee’s locker room, before lowering her head in shame. “You should have left when you had the chance…”

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As Claire stepped out of the changing room with a broad smile on her face, she looked around happily. This was a dream come true. All around her she saw children playing and having fun. As she continued looking around, there were a lot of people working there surprisingly.

She counted about 12 in all. ‘Weird, I thought there’d be 3 or 4 tops and I was lucky…’ Shrugging, Claire disregarded it. They probably just had a large clientele. As she was about to talk to Meriam again about where she would start, she felt a light tug on her jeans.

“It is you nice lady!” Blinking in surprise, Claire looked down at a little girl with bright orange hair. ‘Wait…’ As she looked into the kids smiling face it clicked. “You’re the little girl I helped this morning aren’t you.” Claire chuckled as she saw the happy expression worn on the girl’s features.

She was about 4 from what Claire could tell. Her short cut, orange hair was definitely enough to give it away she was the same girl but that wasn’t what did it. On top of her hair was a pair of fake orange cat ears. She had glimpsed them when she had left earlier, but now looking back it was definitely adorable.

The girl laughed happily as she clung to Claire’s leg hugging her. “Thank you so much lady. You saved my kitty!” Smiling down at the girl she rubbed her hair affectionately. “I’m glad I could help. I see you like cats don’t you?”

The little girl nodded quickly. “I love all kitties, I am one after all.” She giggled, drawing a giggle from Claire as well. She was just too cute. Standing back up she gave a light wave to the girl before she took off in a different direction.

That was a surprise she was more than happy to accept. The look on her face was wonderful. Sighing happily, Claire shook her head. She knew this job would pay for itself in time, and it already was. It warmed her heart to see the happy expression the little girl sported after seeing her again.

‘What a strange kid. I wonder how she got her parents’ permission to dye her hair orange.’ It wasn’t natural, that’s for sure. Moving into another room, Claire looked around before her eyes landed on Meriam who was busy separating two little girls who were bickering over the same doll.

As she looked at the two cuties fighting, something occurred to her. There were no boys here. Looking around she blinked in surprise seeing none. ‘Was this an all-girls daycare? The application hadn’t specified that.

Humming in thought, Claire shrugged. She’d find out about that later. Stepping over to Meriam she twiddled her thumbs behind her back for a moment before getting her attention. “M-Meriam…?” Looking up from the two girls she was between, the older woman’s frown deepened.

“What can I help you with…? Claire.” She didn’t sound happy to speak to her at all. Did she really leave that bad of an impression on her manager? Biting her lip she gulped slightly before wetting her lips. “I, I wanted to ask you, are there any duties you’d like to assign me to today…”

Meriam scowled before looking away. “Do whatever you want, I don’t care.” Claire’s eyes widened slightly at that. What kind of manager told their employee to do whatever they wanted?! As Claire was about to speak up about that she flinched once again by the harsh glare the older lady gave her.

“What is it?! I already told you to go didn’t I?” Taking a step back, Claire nodded sadly. This wasn’t the great start to her career she had imagined. Lowering her eyes she turned back before heading back towards the room she had just come from.

As she entered her eyes scanned the room for a moment confused. ‘1, 2, 3, 4,… 9, 10, where are the other guys?’ Two of the employees were gone. Did they go into the back room while she wasn’t looking?

Shrugging, Claire just smiled before heading in. She wouldn’t let Meriam ruin her day. She’d be the best Daycare lady she could possibly be. As Claire moved to a corner of the room to talk to a couple girls wrestling one another, she didn’t notice the twin pairs of red eyes lingering on her form.

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Panting tiredly, Claire sat outside on a bench sitting in front of a small play area full of children. It had only been 4 hours and she was beat. Who knew, kids had this much energy. “M-Maybe they drain it from the adults…” She sighed as she rested tiredly.

As her eyes began to flutter closed she was suddenly drawn out of her nap as she felt a weight fall onto the bench. Rising up, Claire looked to her side as she noticed a familiar face. Sitting on her right was a little blond girl wearing a bright red mini-dress.

Her hair was in pigtails, and she wore bows in her hair. Looking up at Claire, the girl said nothing as she stared into her dark brown eyes. Feeling a weight on her left now, Claire broke away her gaze before blinking in surprise as she felt a wave of Deja vu pass over her.

On her left sat the other half of the blonde girl on her right. She wore the same mini-dress her sister had on, with her hair flowing behind her instead of in pigtails. As the other twin’s eyes watched her own, Claire felt somewhat creeped out by how quiet the twins were… and why they had sat on separate sides of her.

After a short while, Claire licked her lips as she spoke up. “C-Can I help you two?” Looking back and forth at the twins, she shivered. They were different than most kids there age that’s for sure. They seemed more mature, more maintained…

As the silence passed once again it was finally broken by the twin on her right. “Is it true you helped Kat earlier this morning?” Claire’s face went blank for a moment as she stared at the younger girl. “K-Kat…?” “She said you helped her get her cat down from a tree before you came here, is it true?”

Looking to her left now, it dawned on her what the twins had just asked her. “Oh… Kat’s the little girl with orange hair isn’t she?” Receiving a simultaneous nod from both twins, Claire smiled. “Yea it’s true. It was just coincidence I was there though. I’m sure someone else would have helped her if they got there first.”

Both twins looked to one another before they looked back at Claire. “So I’m guessing Kat’s your friend? She’d cute. Her names fitting with those cat ears to.” Claire giggled. The twins remained silent for a moment as they continued to watch Claire closely.

“Is… Is there anything I can do for you two?” It was still technically her break but she didn’t mind helping them if they needed her. As the twins sat in silence, the one in pigtails began to smile at her sister. “I like her Alexis. She’s different than the others.” Nodding, the second twin looked back at Claire before smiling herself.

“She certainly is Sophia. I like her to.” Claire looked back and forth for a moment surprised. “T-Thank you…?” Both twins said nothing else as they got up. “We’ll see you soon, Claire.” Sophia smiled Cheshire, before walking away, hand in hand with her sister.

As Claire watched the two retreating twins she shivered. ‘Sophia and Alexis…’ She knew their names now at least. What strange little girls they were. As she tore her eyes away from the retreating twins she looked down at her watch before sighing. Her break was up, time to go back to work.

As she stood up to leave something strange occurred to her. “How did they know my name…?”

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Claire watched happily as different girls began leaving the daycare. It had just turned five and her first day of work was about to end. She just had to finish cleaning the main play room first before she could change and head home.

All and all, today had been wonderful. She helped lots of kids, met some interesting people, and got to see the smiling faces of what had to have been dozens of different children. Sighing contently, she finished putting the toys away which had previously been scattered around.

As she wiped the light sheen of sweat from her brow she watched the last few kids leaving before turning to leave herself. Heading into the changing room, she expected to see it full of people doing the same as her… but it was empty.

All throughout the day she had seen the employee’s seemingly dwindle in number… and now she didn’t see any at all. Scowling, she scratched her head confused. ‘Meriam is strange, but I can’t imagine she’d let her entire staff leave before the children did. Something seemed really off.

Changing out of her work clothes and into her normal ones, she shut the locker she had borrowed for the day before heading out. She’d have to ask someone about it later. As she exited the locker room, she was about to turn and leave before she felt a chilling feeling wash over her.

Looking around, she noticed everyone else was gone… but something told her otherwise. Stepping into the room next to the main one she looked around the large childish indoor playground. Nothing seemed out of place and she didn’t see anyone there either.

Frowning she shrugged. She was probably just imagining things. It had been an exhausting day after all. Turning around, she suddenly dropped her bag as she looked into a twin pair of red eyes. ‘W-when did…’ Sitting on one of the tables, calmly, was none other than Sophia & Alexis.

Both their legs were crossed and their hands rested in their laps as they smiled creepily at her. “Hello Claire. We’re so happy your still here.” Sophia said sweetly before looking to her sister. “Indeed we are. We almost thought you left us without saying goodbye.” Alexis frowned, before her smile returned.

Feeling a sense of foreign dread pass over her, Claire brushed it off. These twins were really weird… putting on the best smile she could, Claire picked up her bag before moving towards the two twins. “And here I thought everyone else had already left. What are you two still doing here? Do you need me to call your mom for you?”

Sophia and Alexis looked to one another before grinning. “There’s no need to call mother, “She’ll know when to come pick us up, ”she always does.” Claire shivered as she looked between the twins, who seemed to know how to finish one another’s sentences.

Both sisters wiggled to the side, clearing a space between them before they patted it together. “Come, why don’t you sit with us Claire?” We would love to have your company for a short while.” Licking her lips once again, Clair looked down at her watch before scowling.

Did it break? The time was set to 5:03 but the hands had stopped moving. She had just bought it to… It was still probably around that time. Nodding to the twins, Claire moved towards the table before sitting on the edge, with her hands propped up behind her. She didn’t mind waiting with them till there mom showed up.

“S-Sure, I don’t mind waiting with you guys.” She chuckled quietly before rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. Silence passed over them as both sisters looked up at Claire quietly, almost like they were studying her.

Drumming her fingers lightly, the silence soon grew too much for her. “S-So… how long have you two been coming here…?” Sophia leaned up before kicking her feet back and forth. “Eleven months, and 17 days.”

Claire’s eyes widened slightly at the specific answer. She hadn’t been expecting such a, precise one. “W-well isn’t that, neat… I guess you must like it here if you’ve been here for… Eleven months?” Mimicking her sister, Alexis moved her feet over before kicking them slowly.

“It wasn’t always nice… we needed to fix it first.” Claire’s brow rose slightly. “Fix? W-What do you mean, were there some kind issues before you two showed up?” the question she should have asked however was what Alexis meant by fixed.

Sophia nodded as she looked upwards in remembrance. “Boys were allowed here before. There mean. Now they don’t come here anymore.” Claire nodded having noticed that as well. “I guess this is an all-girls Daycare then, funny that was never mentioned.”

The twins gave one another a knowing look before they pulled their legs back up to sit properly. “The lady in charge didn’t care if we fought. She didn’t care for us either.” Alexis whispered bitterly, surprising her by such a spiteful tone. She had never heard one from a child… or even an adult for that matter, it was venomous.

“All adults are the same…” Sophia whispered quietly, just faintly enough for Claire to hear. “W-Wait, you can’t mean that.” Both twins looked up at her with serious expressions. “There all different… there not like us.” Alexis whispered just as faintly back.

“Like… us?” Both twins nodded. “Kids are different, we do things differently, see things differently. ”We act differently, and we’re not hiding are true feelings from others. ”If we don’t like something we don’t hide it.” And if we don’t like someone, we tell them…”

Claire shivered as she listened to the surprisingly complex speech patterns of the two little girls on either side of her. She knew these two were strange when she first met them but this… this was just getting weird.

“W-What about me… You don’t think I don’t like you two do you…?” Both sisters looked up before smiling warmly. “You’re different than those other adults…” “Special, not from here.”, “You’re not from this city, “Not this state either. Where are you from?”

Scrunching her fingers, Clair looked away for a moment. How did they know she wasn’t from around here? Was she that obvious? Or were the people in this city really all as bad as these two seemed to think they were?

“I-I’m… I’m not from here, yea…” Claire whispered back as her mind raced a mile a minute. As the two twins watched her, there expressions saddened. “Sorry… that looked bad, “We know the feeling, ”Our dad was the same to us.”

Claire jumped at the words. There was no way they could have known what her dad had done to drive her away. This was starting to get spooky now. “M-M-Maybe I s-should go get a p-phone to call-“Our mother will know when to get us, “Well tell her when its time.”

Claire continued to shiver in fear. She felt helpless. Somehow these two little girls were actually intimidating her… and she had no idea why. Moving to stand up, Claire let out a quiet eep as her arms were clung onto.

“Don’t leave, why are you scared of us? ”They always act like this to us, why?” Claire looked at the hurt expressions the twins wore before sighing. ‘I’m… I’m being paranoid…’ Relaxing her features, Claire gave them both a sheepish smile.

“I’m not scared of you two… I guess you just caught me off guard…” Claire chuckled dryly. “Your both so mature for your age, it’s shocking really. I’ve never met any kids like you two.” Sophia and Alexis looked to one another before looking back.

“There are none like us.” Sophia whispered quietly as she continued to hug Claire’s arm. “We’re different than others like us; they don’t have the control we do.” Feeling the sense of dread from before coming back, Claire tried to move but her body felt… frozen.

As she tried to struggle she felt panic set in. she couldn’t move. Both twins looked up at her before sighing simultaneously. “Don’t struggle, you said you don’t fear us, “So please, just relax and we won’t have to hurt you.”

Feeling her eyes beginning to flutter closed, she was about to fall backwards until two pairs of hands lowered her gently onto the table. “You are different…” Sophia began. “But your still and adult.” Alexis finished quietly.

“We’ll soon find out, maybe your like mother…” As Claire’s consciousness left her, Sophia sat next to her. “Should I make her the same as the others?” Sitting next to her sister, Alexis shook her head. “Make her a little bigger. We need her to be different than the others.” Nodding, Sophia raised her hands over Claire’s sleeping form.

Things were about to change… For better or worse, neither twin could say. But they were about to find out if Claire had been the one they’d been looking for…