Underneath the surface

Alice Lucas stopped playing when the twins entered the room. She let the last high note of the piano linger in the air for a moment before turning on the pretty stool to give them her full motherly attention. She was a doting mother who enjoyed all the little things in life. Her daughters and her love for music were her whole world and these two things kept her happily contempt.
Although there was something about the two that scared her deep down. She had always felt strangely afraid of her girls, as though they were not all they appeared to be. Too often she would see them whispering, but not as innocent little girls do when they like to share secrets. It was the split second looks of murder she saw on their faces when they caught her watching that alerted her that there was more to her children than met the eye.
She took reassurance and faith in her music, always choosing the melody’s that lifted a persons spirits when they were feeling low. Only she would not always feel comforted. It was as though the sounds would bounce of the walls of her home, covering up but not blocking out the secrets that echoed in the air. Reminding her there was something evil living around her existence. As only a good mother could, she shrugged of her worries.
She smiled at her daughters now, not quite looking into their eyes but taking in their familiar soap smell they always carried after bath time. They had identical plaits hanging down either side of their small ears and they wore the same baby blue, bear printed pyjamas. Claudia was the eldest and definitely more dominant twin. She knew how to behave sweet and good but somehow she could always get exactly her own way. Ruth was slightly quieter than her sister. She would shadow Claudia day and night, and similarly, could play up just as well.
“Daddy’s turn to put you to bed tonight” Alice said when they remained standing silently in the doorway.
“We wanted to show you something mummy” Claudia smiled sweetly, the way the angel of death would before swooping down upon you. She held out her hand. Ruth did the same.
“I’ll come up in a minute when you’re both tucked up in bed and you can show me then, okay?”
“Daddy’s not going to put us to bed”
“Why not?”
“He’s waiting for us to show you what we’ve done” The twins pulled her to her feet.
“What is it?” Alice took their hands in hers as they pulled her out into the hallway and towards the stairs.
“Upstairs” Claudia giggled. Ruth did the same.
The girls bedroom door was ajar. Faint light streaked out into the dark hallway. It was quiet.
“Andrew?” Alice called her husband expecting him to appear out of one of the many rooms along the corridor. “The girls want to show us something” Nobody appeared out of the rooms.
“Where’s daddy, Claudia?” Alice felt uneasy. Something wasn’t right.
“We were playing hide and seek” Claudia said. Giggled.
“Daddy’s hiding still” Ruth said. Giggled. “You have to find him”
Alice looked down at her girls. They weren’t usually this secretive and it was past their bedtime. There were never games past bedtime.
“Tell me where your Father is”
“That’s not how you play the game mummy” Claudia giggled.
“I’m not messing around, Claudia, where’s you father?”
“Ruth, tell me where he is now” Alice turned and stared into Ruth’s black eyes.
Ruth looked at Claudia and Claudia looked at Ruth. They both turned to look at their mother.
“Gone” they both said. The giggles had stopped. The smiles had vanished.
“Gone where?”
“Where bad father’s go”
Alice was fearful. She felt sick.
“What have you done to your father?”
“He didn’t love us, You don’t love us!” Claudia was screaming. Their was murder in her eyes. Alice turned to Ruth.
“Ruth just answer me-”
“You let it happen, You let him hurt us!” Ruth was screaming. Their was murder in her eyes.
“I’m sorry” Alice whispered. “He hurt me too, I didn’t know he had touched you” She began to sob. “ I would never have let him, I didn’t know. Oh, God” She backed against the stairs. “What did you do?”
“Look in the playroom” Claudia said.
Alice shook her head.
“I don’t want to see” she whispered.
The twins crept forward.
“You will see, mother” Claudia whispered. “Open your eyes and look real hard”
“Just for once, you’re not going to look the other way” Ruth said. Tears were in her eyes.
“You’re not my girls. My girls wouldn’t, I don’t know you!”

Two days later, a man and women’s body were found in the playroom, both had suffered brutal stab wounds.
The bodies of two little girls were found in their beds. They had both suffered painful deaths after drinking disinfectant.

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