Momma

by Opium4TmassS

We are all in this together

I stood dumbstruck. It was the last thing I'd expected to hear that or any morning. Deep within I wanted to curse her, call her a liar and throw her out of the house. Yet, when I tried to speak, all I managed to do was squeak out a, "wha..."

"Come in and take a seat next to your sister. We have a lot to talk about." she said backing away, "I bet a growing boy like you is hungry. I'll make us some food."

I slowly walked into the kitchen quietly and did what I was told. Liza was having an easier time of it than me. She had a small smile on her face as she ate her breakfast. From her, I looked about the kitchen. It was a wreck; nothing like it was the night before. Then I looked at her and had to clamp my hand around my mouth to stifle a gasp.

Applejack's skin had a bright orange tint to it, like those fake suntans some of the girls in the big city used to look "healthy." She had long blond hair going well past her shoulders that was held in a loosely tied ponytail. Her eyes were green and seemed larger than normal. She looked young, barely into her twenties but something behind those eyes told me she was older than that. Maybe older than anyone I'd ever known.

She wore a jean skirt that went to her knees and a white blouse with a bright red apple pin clasping the collars together that glinted as it caught the rays of the sun. She walked unsteadily barefoot around the kitchen. Taking baby steps as she moved, grabbing things for balance to keep her from falling and when she did pass by us we couldn't help but notice the overwhelming scent of perfume. It was as if she had attempted to drown herself in it.

As Applejack struggled with the most menial of tasks in the kitchen I leaned over to Liza. "I want you to go upstairs," I whispered to her.

"Why," she said at a volume louder than a whisper that fortunately Applejack seemed to not hear or at least ignore.

"Cause I think that's one of them meth addicts from Twin Pines," I said in an urgent but hushed tone, "I need you to get upstairs and hide. I'll call..."

"I know this comes as a shock to the both of you and I gotta admit I am pretty surprised myself at how everything turned out. But here we are," she said nervously forcing a smile across her face. It was apparent she was trying to make a good impression on us. "I know everything is happening so fast and it's gonna take some time to adjust. I can never replace your mother but I'm hopin' we can all be family."

It took a few moments for her to figure out how to open the refrigerator. We watched her grab some eggs from the top and immediately crush them in her hand. She looked over at us with an embarrassed smile on her face while she continued to go on about the importance of family. While she spoke she grabbed some more eggs and the old frying pan.

"Where's dad," I said, finding my voice.

"Upstairs in bed," she said, "He's really tired, best you don't wake him."

"Dad," I called out to no reply.

Meanwhile Applejack continued to fumble around the kitchen for a few more moments. Twice she almost dropped the pan and twice she missed the bottom of the pan with the egg. On the third attempt she managed to slam the egg down into the bottom of the pan, out of frustration. Bits of shell and yoke splattered on the near wall. "I'm not doin' too good right now am I," she said with mild annoyance and some embarrassment.

Wordlessly I got up and walked over to her and grabbed the frying pan. I then headed over to the sink to clean it off and took over food prep. From the corner of my eye I saw her give me a smile of gratitude as she stumbled over to the table and sat down. I snorted and kept half an eye on her as Liza and she began to talk.

"How long have you known daddy?" asked Liza.

"About two weeks since meeting the man," she said.

"That's pretty fast to be married," I muttered.

"Are you a meth addict or a gold digger?" asked Liza staring suspiciously at Applejack.

"A what or a what?"

"I saw this show on television where this woman married this man for all his money then tried to kill him. They called her a gold-digger," said Liza eyeing Applejack suspiciously, "You're after daddy's money aren't you because you're on something."

We both stared at her silently as we pieced the puzzle together in our head. It was all starting to make sense in our adolescent minds now that we thought about it. A pretty young woman comes into a family during a loss. After disposing of the people takes all of our money and flees to Mexico to be with her lover, some young handsome fella named Juan or Raul or whatever.

I watched her closely as she grew silent. Her eyes flickered between me and her sister. I gently grasped the handle of the pan, prepared to whack her if she tried to flee. Her mouth perused into a frown before covering it with her hands as her body started to shake in what I was sure was guilt knowing she was caught. I pondered how fast I could make it to the phone to call the police when she exploded with laughter, the sounds of it filling the kitchen.

I saw her wipe some black stuff that oozed from the corner of her eyes as it took some time for Applejack to get control of her laughing fit. I felt pretty dumb jumping to a conclusion like that after having a chance to think about it. Even Liza smiled in embarrassment.

"The heck is that stuff comin' from your eye," I asked.

"Mascara," she said as she finally settled down, "Is that what you think I am?"

"Well it does seem suspicious," I said.

An awkward silence overcame all of us. There were so many questions I wanted to ask but couldn't find the right words for. The one thing I knew for certain was that I didn't trust that orange woman, not by a long shot.

Liza on the other hand, despite her suspicions, seemed desperately ready to accept her into the family. I know she missed our mother and was eagerly looking for a replacement to fill the void in her. It was more than just a simple want it was a need that was slowly consuming her.

It didn't take long for the food to be ready. I served Applejack first. I set her plate next to her. It was the strangest thing watching her eat for the first time. She had forgone the fork and knife I placed near the plate. Instead she grabbed the eggs with her shaky hands, scooping them up and cramming the food into her mouth that seemed like a bottomless pit. Mesmerized by what she was doing we stared as the yolk smeared all over her hands and dripped down to her plate while she ate. She only stopped when she noticed us watching.

"Something wrong?" she finally asked after swallowing.

"Nothin'," I mumbled as I went back to cooking too embarrassed to say anything.

"Anyway your daddy's not feeling too good. Food poisoning I reckon. I had to practically carry him to bed. He probably won't be down for the rest of the day. And since we got in so late I never did get a look around my new home. So I was wondering if you two can give me a tour of the farm?"

"It's Friday. We've got school," I said.

"Oh don't worry about that. We'll just call them and tell them you two are sick."

"You mean three days off," asked Liza excitedly.

Applejack nodded and began to look about the room. "Your father or I can call them later. This place is very different from my farm and I'm sure it's going to take some time for me to know my way around. Also I was hoping we would have a chance to get to know each other," she said with an eager tone in her voice.

I remember seeing this glint in her eyes. It was faint but once you noticed you couldn't miss the swirling desire for acceptance. It was as if it was the most important thing in the world to her. I didn't know at the time just how deep this obsession was and how bad it was going to get. All I could see was an orange woman who was desperate to be a part of our lives. She was friendly but very odd.

If I had been older maybe I would have said something more and let my dad and sister know how I felt, but I didn't. We were in too much pain as a family that even the most untrustworthy of branches seemed like some sort of a lifeline. So I decided to keep my mouth shut only to find out later how high the price of silence could be.

---

Yesterday's storm brought the crisp fall air with it. The hint of the harsh winter that was coming was the first thing that greeted me as I stepped out of the house. The second thing was the familiar hiss and growling of the demon-spawn that lived in the crawlspace under the house.

"Liza," I yelled, "Come feed you stupid cat."

We were never sure where that old cat came from having arrived on our front door almost two years ago. I know for damn sure he didn't come from any of the farms around us. I figured it was probably abandoned by someone as sick and tired of that nasty thing as I was.

Both of its ears were almost gone, bald patches and old battle scars criss crossed his body. He was a fighter and did whatever it took to survive. If that meant going claw to claw with creatures bigger than it I had no doubt he'd do it. If it meant sidling up to a small girl he'd do that too.

The day Tom arrived on our porch declaring that this was his new home he hissed and spit while threatening to claw the face off of anyone who got too close. Me, my father and my mother were getting ready to shoo that thing off when Liza finally came out the front door. She saw what was going on and swooped in-between all of us, grabbed the cat, and hugged it tightly against her giving all of us an angry look demanding our parents not to take it away.

There was a moment of silence as we had a battle of wills over the future of this hell cat. Watching it as the cat lay in her arms completely docile, purring loudly. It finally ended when my mother started to laugh settling the matter. The cat was Liza's.

"You better not be hurting Old Tom," Liza growled, finally coming outside with a can of cat food, "I swear I will kick you again."

Liza was always holding that over my head. That time a year ago, when our mother was spending more and more time at the hospital. I came home from a really bad day. I had gotten into a fight with Steven Brown and much to my dismay got my ass handed back to me in the fight after school. My mood was pretty bad at that point, wanting to take my frustration out on anything or anyone that happened to come into my sights. Unfortunately that turned out to be Old Tom, growling at me which he usually did whenever I got too close to the porch.

With mom or dad he would usually just run and hide in the crawlspace under the house. With me he would stand his ground and hiss. On most days I would just ignore him but on that day, with everything else going on he had gotten under my skin in a really bad way. I was fully ready to deal some righteous fury on that evil thing.

Unfortunately for me, Liza was there and was prepared to protect him from a bully of an older brother. Before I could rear back and boot the cat Liza's shot out a kick that landed in my most vulnerable of areas. I doubled over instantly clutching my pride and groaning loudly.

As I lay there I saw my sister gently pick up Old Tom and walk away from me. Giving me a look that told of the hell she would take out on me if I ever tried to hurt him again. And to my last breath I swore I heard the damn cat laughing at me.

We glared at each other for a few minutes as Old Tom continued to eye me suspiciously from behind my sister. We might have stayed like that for the rest of the day but then Applejack walked out of the house. "Well who's this?" she asked.

Old Tom's gaze fixed on Applejack and he slowly arched. What little fur he had left on him expanded and a low menacing growl that I'd never heard before escaped his maw. When Applejack crouched before him he swung once at her and darted back under the porch.

"That's Old Tom," I said.

"Seems a mite dangerous to keep around the house don"t you think?"

"He's Liza's," I said as we watched my sister pour the contents of the can out onto a plate and slip it by the porch.

Applejack shook her head and promptly declared, "Well, we're burning enough daylight standin' around talkin'. So let's get this show on the road," she said.

---

Before we left the house I cautiously excused myself and snagged one of the large axe handles we'd kept by the front door. In spite of all of her pleasantness I wasn't ready to accept what Applejack was saying at face value. When asked why I had the handle I said something about coyotes or snakes and kept my eyes on her as we walked around the farm.

She was an odd one that Applejack. Showing her around I had a feeling she seemed to know what a farm was but not how to work on one. She was pretty confused as to why we needed the equipment we had, stating that it wasn't how things were done where she lived. Fortunately for her she caught on pretty fast but still it was weird her questioning things I thought that even someone who had never seen a farm before would have some idea as to what and why we had to have them.

I asked her what did she grew on the farm she came from and she told me about the acres of apple trees. She told long stories about how she had to shake them by kicking them for harvest; something called a Zap Apple and other things that to be quite frank I just didn't understand. It all seemed so strange what she told me and a little unbelievable. I mean kicking trees to harvest apples? I never heard of anyone who would do such a thing.

Liza on the other hand had already taken a shine to our new stepmom. As we walked around I could see her getting closer and closer to her. At one point When I was showing her the cows we owned. I saw Liza's thumb automatically go to her usual spot in her mouth.

I saw a curious look on Applejack's face as she knelt down to my sister and stared at her directly in her eyes. "Now Liza," she said with a serious expression on her face, "If ya can't keep your thumb out of your mouth I guess I'm gonna have to cut it off an eat it."

The both of us gasped with surprise as what she just told Liza, her mouth hung open while she stared at her in complete disbelief as something beyond me passed between the two of them. After a moment went by a smile started to spread across my sister's face as she started to giggle.

Slowly she took her thumb out looking a little embarrassed, "Sorry. I'll try to stop," she mumbled.

Applejack only laughed as she stood up. "It's okay darlin'. Sometimes we need to do things to stop us from going crazy."

In that moment I saw the transfer of Liza's protector from myself to Applejack. I have to admit I did feel a little jealous as my role with her was regulated back to big brother. Maybe it was for the best at that time. As I was dealing with my own problems and had little experience to give her the things she needed most. And what Liza needed most was a family.

"Let me show you the barn now," I said to her as I led away from the pasture I saw Liza shyly reach out to grasp Applejack's hand.

"Ah," Liza cried in surprise as she jerked away from Applejack. "Your hand is ice cold."

---

It was when we got to the barn that we finally caught the other two that worked on the farms, Uncle Larry and Mr. Greer. I always chuckled when they were together, reminding me of Mario and Luigi. Both of them were in their stained coveralls as Mr. Greer was skinnier and stood a head taller than Uncle Larry. He sported a goatee and green cap to hide his bald spot and if the truth was known I didn't much care for him.

We rarely ever talked to each other and when he did it was usually to tell me some off-color jokes about blacks, gays, or if Uncle Larry was out of earshot, Mexicans. He was certainly gifted and knew his way around the farm better than anyone I had ever known. Too bad his personality and especially his love of drink got in the way of what he could accomplish.

It was my father's watchful eye that kept him on the straight and narrow. As he knew it was either this or homelessness as no one else around here would hire him due to the problems that followed. And for the most part he kept his drinking under control. However after the death of my mom and my dad too preoccupied with his loss, he started to slowly backslide. Uncle Larry tried his best but only one man can do so much.

"Hey," I said as I entered the barn and walked over to them, "I'd like you to meet Applejack our..stepmother."

Uncle Larry was quick in masking his surprise both in the news and her appearance, while Mr. Greer stood slack jawed, staring at her through his red eyes and nose. The look of surprise soon turned to a grin as he looked her up and down. It was clear he'd started drinking early that morning from his uneasy gait to the way his gaze seemed to stop about half way up Applejack's body. He licked his lips and it was clear to everyone, except maybe Liza just what he was thinking about.

As he stared at her an uneasy feeling of disgust washed over me. This was then followed by an anger that I could barely contain. I might not have trusted Applejack but I didn't like that look either. It wasn't until he finally glanced over at me did he stop at me that he assumed some sort of decency. I tightened my grip on the axe handle. Mr. Greer chuckled quietly.

If she was aware of his leering she didn't let on. Instead, Applejack smiled sweetly and introduced herself and told Uncle Larry what she'd told us that morning during breakfast. She then gently placed a hand on my shoulder to drive home the point.

"Is that so," asked Uncle Larry, offering his hand to her but casting a glance at me.

"Yes it is and I want to thank you for keeping things from falling apart. I know it couldn't have been easy." Applejack said as she gripped his hand and shook it.

Like Liza before, I saw Uncle Larry gasp in surprise at the coldness of her hand. Mr. Greer as well while they started to talk about the farm and what needed to be done when Liza, who had been standing outside this entire time shot into the barn squealing as she ran towards Uncle Larry with her arms outstretched.

"Uncle Larry!" she shouted.

"What's up baby girl?" he laughed as he crouched down, scooped her up and twirled her around a few times with my sister laughing uncontrollably.

Liza hugged his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek before he set her back down onto the ground. I allowed a small grin to cross my face at the sweet display of affection. The grin however, was short lived as I felt Applejack's grip tighten on my shoulder.

When I turned my head I saw a look of pure joy splashed across Applejack's face. Yet, the happier she appeared the tighter her grip got. It was a death grip and it wasn't long before I wriggled myself away from her and kept at least a few yards away from her the rest of the tour.

---

The day passed into night. Dad came downstairs for lunch and scolded me about the kitchen before confirming everything Applejack had already said. He reiterated that Applejack was a part of our family now and that was that. By the time dinner came Applejack seemed almost normal. She didn't have any further problems walking or using her hands like she did that morning. If it wasn't for her orange skin color she would have passed as an ordinary person.

I found myself on my bed reading as I heard her and Liza in her room laughing and playing while I tried to concentrate on the book. I must have read the same paragraph five times before tossing the book away in frustration. The words were just not sinking in. There were just too many unanswered questions that I couldn't figure out. As I thought my gaze slowly drifted over to the corner of my room and the axe handle I'd brought upstairs. Just to be safe. I knew I'd be locking the door as well. "Applejack is my stepmom," I said aloud listening to the words still not used to them, "What am I supposed to do about it?"

As I pondered this I heard the muffled voice of Applejack tell my sister it was time to go to bed. I could hear Liza grumpily agree which was soon followed by the sound of a door closing. Seconds later Applejack rapped on my open door frame. "Hey there," she said as she peered in from the hallway, "Mind if I come in and talk for a second."

"Sure, I guess," I said with a shrug.

She glided in wearing a white night-gown with her hair pulled up as she sat at the end of the bed. She gave me a small smile as she started to speak. "I just came by to thank you," said Applejack, "I know this can't be easy for you. I'm sure you've probably got a lot of questions and I just hope that we can get past some of the awkwardness and all I know it may take some time but I'm willing to work on it if you are."

"Dad married you. Didn't know he was seeing anyone. You're his wife so I guess that makes you family now."

Applejack smiled, "I like that word family. It means a lot to me."

"Oh? What about your family? Where are they from? What are they like?"

She tilted her head as she thought about it for a moment before speaking again, "Well they have other needs they thought were more important. They never saw the meaning of family like I do. It's kinda sad really."

"But that doesn't...," I paused, bit my lower lip and shifted my position, "So what now?"

"We'll take it one day at a time," she said as she got up, "Anyways you best be going to sleep, you have a full weekend ahead of you. We'll start getting this farm together okay?"

"Okay," I said slowly, "Well, goodnight Applejack."

"Momma or mom if you please," she said as she turned off the light, "It's important." With that she shut the door to my room. I then got up and locked it.

"Mom. Family," I muttered to myself as I closed my eyes and tried to get comfortable as the silence of the world enveloped me.

Sometime around midnight a sharp scream echoed through the house. It was my father's voice and I leapt from my bed and grabbed the axe handle. It was unlike any I'd heard before. I clutched my weapon tight and stood poised to strike whoever might come through my door. Yet no sooner had the scream rang out silence came pouring back in.

I sat fully awake for an hour listening and waiting. However, no other sound came from my father's room. I remember that I fell asleep on the floor that night. Yet somehow that morning I awoke in my bed, the axe handle propped up in the corner where I'd left it the night before.

---

When my father came down the next day he was a different person. His face seemed to be lit with a joy that hadn't been there for ages. A smile was spread ear to ear and he joked around with my sister and me. Yet there was something disturbing about his smile as well. It had a manic edge to it, as if it was the only thing that was stopping him from screaming.
That morning I noticed the scratches on his upper shoulders and the bandage on his forearm that was stained with blood. When I asked him about it he blushed, something I'd never seen him do before. Then he mumbled something about falling on the steps and then again when on the nightstand. My dad was never a very good liar but I didn't press him after seeing the look in his eyes almost begging me not to question it.

---

The next two months were the happiest of that time for my father and sister. For them Applejack filled the hole that had been missing in our lives. I kept quiet and pretended as best I could so as not to rock the boat and reached an even keel with her. Applejack did her best to fill the void left by my mother. In truth the pain of losing hers and the numbness that had followed were soon gone. Of course it wasn't perfect, but then again what is?

I continued to sleep with the axe handle by my bed and the door locked. Sometimes late at night an occasional thud would rattle the wall. However, the weirdest thing was the behavior of Old Tom.

That old demon spawn cat actually began to meow and purr at me. On occasion he would rub against my leg and try to get in the house and my room. While he still looked to Liza for food, Old Tom looked to me for comfort. It was as if he knew and understood how I actually felt about my stepmom and shared my silent unease.

Other things changed as well. As time progressed my father became less important in our lives as he became a shadow of his former self while everything began to revolve around our Applejack. She picked up the routine real quick and easily took over the running of the farm.

Uncle Larry wasn't too keen about it as well. More than once I would catch him staring at Applejack. I could tell he was thinking about her and didn't like where these thoughts had taken him. But whatever was going on in his head he kept his mouth shut and quietly did what she asked of him without complaint.

However, it was just before the beginning of winter that the creeping darkness started to rear its head again. It was quiet and before we knew what we'd gotten ourselves into it was all around us. For me it all began with a dream.

In all honesty I'm not even sure if it was a dream, premonition or something that actually happened. Each time I try to remember it keeps coming out in different ways. It always began the same way though. I'd woken up in the middle of the night starving with only one thing on my mind. That thing was the slice of peach cobbler pie my sister was saving in the fridge.

Quietly I made my way down the stairs to the kitchen. The anticipation of it far outweighed Liza's anger when she would eventually find out I'd eaten it. The house was dark but I knew my way around it well enough to navigate it without light. I stopped at the bottom of the steps and noticed the light in the kitchen was on along with noises of someone rummaging.

I felt disappointed at first with the thought that Liza had got up before me and ate it before I could have some. I entered the kitchen in the hopes that maybe if I begged my sister would share some with me and stopped in horror with what I was seeing.

The door to the refrigerator was open. The huge freezer was open. All the cupboards and cabinets were flung open with all the meat we had stored piled onto the floor with Applejack or something that looked like Applejack sitting on its knees desperately cramming the food into its mouth like a junky looking for something to help her fight her need for a fix.

Black ooze had coated its eyes and dripped down its face forming cruel lines. Its mouth was huge and filled with sharp teeth. I saw the orange skin stretch and tear exposing what looked like another set of skin underneath her cheeks as her mouth was extended to impossible lengths. And still she ate.

Her hands flew across the pile, grabbing the food and stuffing it in her mouth in a continuous motion as she grunted and softly howled. The forgotten deer-meat from when my father went hunting with his brother Uncle Patrick just before my mother got sick. I watched it grab the meat and bring it up to her mouth. There was a horrible noise as muscle and teeth crushed through the ice, sending shards flying as it easily sliced through the frozen meat.

Blood and pieces of food were smeared around her mouth while her free hand grabbed the frozen turkey we bought for last year's Thanksgiving but never cooked. With a swipe she removed the plastic wrapper, picked it up by the drumstick and stuffed the thing into her mouth whole. Her lower jaw unhinged itself and jutted forward, reminding me of those snake documentaries I saw on television as she slowly engulfed it.

I saw her neck expand and contract while I watched the turkey travel downward to her gut. It was mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time. I knew I needed to get away right then but at the same time I couldn't. I just couldn't stop watching. It was about that time when Applejack finally noticed me.

She stared at me through her blackened eyes, her ungodly teeth jutting through her mouth. My mind became a blur as a jumble of commands it wanted to do flooded my head in a thousand different directions. I knew I was caught, I knew I couldn't run.

"Applejack?" I finally managed to croak out.

"You're having a bad dream," she said softly.
Time froze as we watched each other. Then with ungodly speed I saw this monster, my stepmother lunge at me. Her mouth was open, her clawed hands poised to grab me and the smell of death enveloped me. Then everything faded to black.

It was the constant pain in my bladder that finally forced me out of bed the next morning. I barely made it to the bathroom in time and when I was finished I headed down to the kitchen when I saw my sister sitting at the table with Applejack making us pancakes. Much like that first morning I froze in my tracks.

"Morning Joseph," Applejack said, giving me a warm friendly smile, "I was about ready to send your sister to get you up. You're running late, so you better hurry up or else you'll miss the bus."

The hazy memories of last night came flooding back to me. It felt like a nightmare, but felt so real as well. The two sides of my brain conflicted with each other as to what exactly happened last night as I stared at Applejack, remembering the eyes, the smell, those incredibly sharp teeth. I looked at her desperately wanting for an answer as to what happened.

"Something wrong?" she asked, giving me an odd look, "You staring at me funny."

"Sorry," I muttered feeling stupid for getting worked up over a dream, "Haven't woken up yet."
I sat next to my sister in silence listening to the both of them talk about things. Soon my father came down and joined them. They all smiled and laughed in their own ways. I convinced myself at the time it wasn't real, yet I couldn't shake the feeling.

December finally rolled in and with it the first hard frost of the year. Yet, with the cold weather also came the first real proof that our happy times were soon to end. It all began when Old Tom went missing.

Comments

[Dewdropz]

Holy flip tjis is gonna be good*grabs popcorn*

[Dewdropz]

*this
I can’t believe I misspelled that XD

[PenHeart3]

Yet, when I tried to speak all I managed to do was squeak out a,

i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/026/913/excuse.jpg

[PenHeart3]

Her eyes were green and seemed larger than normal.

Now I know Applejack might be searching for redemption. But she is still trying to fight of the monster inside her. I think this will turn out good.

Pure Black Eyes = evil
Non-Black Eyes = reformed (or Derpy)