“I’m sick of the little shits.” The mother grimaced. “Another birthday and all they want is those damn computer games. Lansel wants a PSP and Geekel wants that damned World of Warcraft…how could you even let them change their names like that anyhow husband?!” the woman demanded.

“Whatever makes them happy and quiet.” Her husband replied quietly with a sigh. “Better than Hansel and Gretel love, I wouldn’t have wanted to stick with those names either…”

“You dote on them too much!” his wife snapped. “We don’t have the money for this, and now they want their birthday at that fangled arcade place!”

“It’s not every year you turn 13.” Her husband sighed. “13 is a special year to kids…”

“Should just damn well leave them there!” and with that the wife stormed off to start dinner.

The special date came all too soon, and like they had last year the small family went out to dinner before they went to the arcade, and the children managed to wheedle $50 each from their father even though they knew they had expensive gifts waiting for them at home. Their mother sighed a hassled sigh, glaring at her husband before she stormed off next door to a small café which served alcohol, and it was there she convinced her husband to leave with her then and there, otherwise she’d leave him forever. They left their children there, the mother through with caring about them, and the husband just scared of the thought of his wife ever leaving him. They couldn’t afford them anymore, and they had been an accident anyhow. Moving to a different state without them would make everything so much simpler, and it might save their marriage.

It just had to be done.

Lansel beat his younger sister, (younger by only minutes though, since they were twins) for the third time at the driving game InitalD and jumped up from it, grabbing his ID card from the slot as it ejected with his updated stats.

“Game of DDR!” he demanded next, not noticing his sister pause and look around as she carefully pocketed her own card.

“Where’s Mum and Dad?” Geekel asked quietly, asking herself more than her brother since he wouldn’t be able to hear her over the noise anyway. Lansel returned to his sisters side, grabbing her hand and pulling her in the direction of the DDR only to run them both into a male who had been watching them play for some time now.

“Sorry!” Lansel apologised for the both of them and went to move around the aging male, but they were blocked by his arms as he stopped them for ‘a bit of a chat’.

“You two are quite good!” he praised, keeping his hand on Lansel’s shoulder as he smiled charmingly down at Geekel who swallowed nervously, she was terrible with strangers.

“Thanks!” Lansel piped up, happy enough to talk. “We’re about to play DDR, that’s what we’re best at!”

“Could I watch?” the man who introduced himself as Fedlr asked, peering around the arcade. “How come your parents aren’t watching?”

“Don’t know where they are…” Geekel answered quietly, taking a step back against Lansel as Fedlr bent down to talk to her more at her short height. Even though she was 13 like her brother, she acted more like eight or nine, and looked it as well.

“That’s no good sweetie, would you like an ice cream? Would that cheer you up until you get back?” his tone was caring and sweet, far from the malice grin and snarl when he had made crude jokes to a friend as he overheard Geekel and Lansel’s parents leave the kids there in the café next door. They had no idea of what he knew; both just smiled and nodded eagerly as Fedlr smiled in return and walked off to one of the vending machines whilst Lansel pulled Geekel over to one of the DDR machines and poked in their tokens.

Two hours later there was still no sign of their parents and Geekel was getting quieter by the minute. Lansel had become worried (in a shallow way) when their tokens had started to disappear through time and games, but Fedlr quickly fixed that up by buying him more, as many as he wanted, something which only unnerved Geekel further until she would hardly even say a word to her brother and refused to play anymore games.

“What’s the matter? It’s our birthday! You have to be happy!” Lansel prodded, setting up a game of Mortal Kombat whilst Fedlr fetched them more tokens.

“He’s scary…” Geekel whispered, “He’s like the bad men on TV, why is he being so nice to us?”

Lansel shrugged, beating his first opponent with ease. “It’s our birthday?”

“But he doesn’t know that…”

“Sure he does! I told him!”

Geekel fell silent again, pressing closer to her brother as she watched the strange man pay for the new tokens. He’d be coming back soon.

“Lan…”

Her brother caved at her quiet plea for help.
”Fine…next time he leaves us for a few minutes, you can ask someone what they think about him. I’m sure they’ll tell you to just stop worrying.”

Geekel nodded and fell silent again as Fedlr rejoined them, presenting them with the tokens and ruffling Lansel’s hair fondly, avoiding Geekel’s inquisitive stare carefully.

“Okay,” Lansel sighed. “He’s gone for perhaps…ten minutes. What are you going to do?”

“The owners will help us.” Geekel nodded firmly. “They’ll let us into that little room of theirs and ring the police or something.”

“I doubt it.” Lansel replied dryly, still sure that nothing was wrong. Anyway, the owners were young and well known for not being interested in anything that happened in their own arcade. They were only interested in each other and that the internet was working and money was coming in to pay the bills of their many mutilating ways. They were both tattooed and pierced more than either Lansel or Geekel had ever seen or really thought possible. They were renown in the area, the girls being obsessed with the male owner while the boys were obsessed with the girl co-owner. There was nothing more sexy to the gamers than the mods and owners of their beloved games, especially when they were slender and better gamers than they could ever hope to be. Goth and beautiful were also valuable attributes, enticing and foreign accents also to their name since neither of them were from the same country, or the one they were in for that matter. Also, they were untouchable, which also made them more desirable. The owners both jealousy guarded each other, and had both been known for banning customers for a comment which overstepped the line a little too much and could be taken as even the slightest advance on their beloved. They weren’t popular in that sense, and were also known for their cold and sarcastic manner, their intolerance for most people under the age of 18, most kids were dismissed with a rough attitude by either owner and a snicker from their partner.

Regardless though, Geekel made her way up to the coin counter where the male was counting out tokens in exchange for money whilst the girl picked out a slightly lopsided stuffed animal and pushed it through the small window at a little girl in exchange for tickets.

Geekel and Lansel waited by the side until it was their turn to be served, and Geekel mustered up all her courage and didn’t even flinch as the girl glared at them and sighed, as if she already really didn’t care about what they had to say already.

“Excuse me…but I was wondering if you could help us?” Geekel asked timidly, her eyes widening as the girl stretched and readjusted her shirt over her side where it was catching on something with a yawn, exposing angry looking piercings up her side laced together with ribbon as if her side were the binds of a corset.

“What’s yer problem?” the owner girl asked, leaning on the counter. Even though she was looking at the kids, they couldn’t help but feel like she wasn’t really paying attention but what else could they do? She was like, 19 years old! She was old!

“There’s this…man. Who keeps talking to us, and giving us tokens, and he’s…nice…but I fear his intentions may be…naughty?” Geekel offered meekly.

The girl didn’t look surprised or (at the same time) believing at the same time by this statement, but she peered out into the arcade a little, popping the bubble gum in her mouth.

“So where is he now?” she asked.

“He’s gone to get us McDonalds and candy…” Geekel answered quietly. “Please, could we come in there with you and be safe and the police can take him away and we can go home to our parents?”

The girl snorted at this, rudely. “Life ain’t like the movies kiddo.” She snickered, distracted as the guy, obviously her boyfriend or something more, tugged on her hair and kissed her shoulder in a very open manner. Lansel looked away, uncomfortable as the girl chuckled softly, her hand raising up to wind in the male’s dyed dark hair and lean back against him as if she wasn’t dealing with customers at that moment.

“Please…” Geekel implored. “He’s…scary. Can’t you help us? What if he kidnaps us?!”

“Yeh, whatever ay.” The girl shrugged, looking more interested in the boy who had pulled away from her and was now settling himself in an armchair squished in the corner with a book. “Either he’s gone a bit mad and thinks you’re his children and that’s why he’s giving you stuff, or he’s just being nice. Random people are like that sometimes, ay? Won the lotto and no idea what to do with it ay? That’d be the life…” the girl trailed off a little dreamily before she snapped herself out of it. “Accept the damn tokens, probably not a damn thing wrong with him at all! Get outta here.” The girl with the wildly dyed hair was already moving away from the window to settle herself in the boys lap and cuddle up to him, kissing his cheek before she took a PSP off pause. Lansel gazed longingly at the PSP clasped in tattoo’d hands before Geekel managed to drag him away from the window, just as Fedlr returned, clutching bags of McDonalds and boxes of Darrell Lea candy.

“Need more tokens already?” Fedlr laughed charmingly, his eyes narrowed the slightest bit at Geekel. What had the girl been up to?

“Just wanted to ask them what the time was.” Lansel replied immediately, saving his sister from strife and hiding his watch bound wrist behind his back casually, Geekel undoing it from his wrist and slipping it into her pocket secretly without taking her eyes off Fedlr.

“Aww, do you have to go soon?” Fedlr asked, mock pouting as he rested a hand on either twins shoulder and led them back to Point Blank, a game where Lansel automatically slipped tokens in and handed a gun to his sister before taking one from himself.

“Well…it’s past midnight…” he trailed off, looking uncertain. Somehow he knew by now their parents had left them there on purpose. He trained his eyes on the screen as Geekel loaded up the game, now feeling as his sister did, unsure about their new ‘friend’.

“I’ll look after you.” Fedlr replied casually, in a caring tone. “After that game you kids can have this, alright? Before it gets cold.” He indicated the bags of McDonalds, and Lansel’s stomach rumbled. He was hungry…and it did smell good…the girl at the counter was right. There was probably nothing wrong with it at all.

Hours later he knew he was wrong. He could even think about it, let alone admit it had happened. His sister was somewhere, he couldn’t see her, but then again he had his eyes firmly closed as he had kept them for the last few hours of utter embarrassing torture.

She was still moaning in pain, trying to keep quiet as if he wouldn’t come back if he wasn’t reminded that they were still there.

How had it gone so wrong so suddenly? The house had been a paradise. Everything a kid could dream of. The fridge and kitchens were stacked with any kind of lolly and yummy thing to eat as you could like. There were popcorn and milkshake machines, shaved ice drink makers and the freezer was stacked full of ice cream of every flavour, hamburger patties just waiting to be cooked and any flavour ice cube you could ever dream of.

And the entertainment room…Lansel had fallen to his knees in awe, literally, when they had been shown in.

Any computer system you could ever dream of lined the tables. Any gaming system in existence was plugged in to a full wall sized TV, and there was a library of every game you could possibly want, filed away in alphabetical order along another wall, lit only by the reassuring glow of the monitors.

Fedlr had picked up two brand new PSPs and pressed them into their hands, telling them he’d go and prepare their rooms but for now they could just play to their hearts content, if they’d just do a small favour for him later on. They had both agreed without listening, their eyes set on the pinball machines, air hockey, foosball and DDR machines pushed into a corner, creating a wonderful little nook of geek.

“You guys get settled in. I’ll go get things ready.” And with a heart warming smile, he was gone. Even Geekel felt more relaxed now they were in a real house again, and well, there wasn’t anyone who couldn’t be distracted from this wonderful array of entertainment.

They didn’t even hear him enter the room.

Geekel turned when she heard the sounds of the door being locked, and shrieked as she realised Fedlr was naked.

After that, everything was a smoggy blur of pain, humiliation and sickening fear.

“This is the worst birthday ever…” Lansel murmured before his world went black. He passed out into a deep sleep, horrendously over tired and just wanting to escape in any way he could possible to get away. Sleeping to get rid of the nightmare.

When he woke he found his sister, still awake, black bags deepening under her still moist eyes, and she flinched and moved away from him as if his with an electrical charge as he moved to hug her.

Lansel sunk to the ground, feeling more broken than before.

“Gee-…”

“I want to kill him.” Geekel whispered harshly, cutting in before he would talk, still trying to control her laboured breaths. “I detest him…I can’t live with what he’s done Lan…I hate him…”

“Everything’ll turn out okay…” Lansel tried to reassure his sister and himself at the same time. “It has to. It can’t get much worse than this…” he added after a long pause, trying to sound optimistic.

It didn’t turn out okay.

Weeks they were kept there. Fed and lavished with…well, care, yes. But he took back ‘owed favours’ from them, usually more than once a day, and what could they do? They were locked in the house. They had no where else to go. All the hamburgers and ice creams they could eat, as long as he was able to defile them.

Lansel contracted diseases.

Geekel fell pregnant.

You’ve probably heard their story on the news. Under new names. Now that they’re older they’ve changed their names. It took a year and a half until they were discovered and freed from the house. Geekel, now known as Samantha, was five months pregnant. Neighbours were only alerted by the screams of all three at once as Fedlr tried to beat the baby dead in her stomach. A child would have messed his plans up too much, and besides, she was getting fat. He hated that.

So they’re free now, but they won’t ever be repaired. They live together now, a year or so after they were freed since they were submitted into mental treatment. Fedlr went to jail but was killed there by an inmate who was in jail for murdering another. Another who had done the same thing Fedlr did. The father was happy to get his revenge on Fedlr’s kind. The twins never found out their captive was dealt with.

Gee- …Samantha nearly went to jail for attempted murder (on Fedlr, numerous accounts) but was passed under the diagnosis of insanity.

Fedlr never thought otherwise, but the twins knew the baby was actually Lansel’s, now known under the name of Thomas. He forced them (whenever Geekel was in her tender time of month and he was disgusted with the thought of dirtying himself) to engage in sex with one another so he could film them and watch. Now it’s the only world they know. They’re released from the mental institute, but only because they had to get away, they hated being trapped in anywhere. At least in their own house they were free to come and go, even though they didn’t.

Thomas takes care of Samantha, she’s still as quiet as she was when she was 13, and now they’re both 22. They love each other because they’ve found only in their twin do they find understanding and support for what they went though, and no one else can offer that. They love each other deeply and loudly most nights, and by the time they die they would have parented four children, have seen five grandchildren and known two more were on the way. Twins in fact.

And in a sick mind, they’re glad they go before they see them. All they’d see is their past in themselves. And neither are sure they’d be able to not do what Fedlr did to them, because that’s just how their minds have been tortured into knowing.

They die a secretly planned death of eating something only they knew they were allergic to. From when they ate it when they were 19 or so and saw the effect it had on them. They take it again when they’re 53 and they peacefully leave the world in each others arms, naked and bleeding, like how they’ve spent most of their lives. It feels like home to them.

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This challenge was written under: Normal Challenge 07 - Twisted Fairytale

and for FictionNET ( http / sycotic . org / fnet ) If you're looking for a nifty (mostly based on Harry Potter) writing forum, join Fnet and say that Keladryie sent you. It's seriously worth it.

The Rules were:

Write a story in which you take a fairytale and rewrite it; either updating it, or giving it a modern twist. Throw Cinderella into the middle of London; take Little Red and stick her in an urban jungle. Use what the muse gives you :p

All entries must be longer than 750 words, although chaptered/one-shot is up to your discretion.

Hope you liked it :D