Another Way, Another Day

Chapter 6

(Silverstone Household, May 5th, 1994, 1:15 a.m.)

Amanda sat in the courtroom all by herself.  The room was dark and the overhead lights barely provided enough illumination for her to see her hand in front of her face.  An ugly, emaciated bailiff sat on a chair in front of the judge’s bench, arms crossed and staring at the little girl with sunken eyes that rested in a pale, gaunt face.  She began to look around for her mother, wondering where she was.  Then, the bailiff stood up from his chair in a way that looked unnatural and disturbing, straightening out like a party horn. 

“ALL RISE!  The honorable Judge Burton presiding!” he announced in a warped, gurgling voice that sounded like he was choking on his own blood.

Amanda looked up at the inky darkness above her as a large, spider-like humanoid shape descended into the room.  Its eyes were black as night and its disgusting, writhing brood formed the robes that it wore.  It’s razor-thin teeth bristled, surrounded by a mandible dripping with saliva. It smiled as it came to rest behind the bench, looking down at the frightened little girl. 

“Well, well, well.  Let’s see what we have here.  Is the defendant in the courtroom, bailiff?”

The wraith-like bailiff nodded, then turned on a spotlight which illuminated the wall behind the judge.  The judicial abomination’s head slowly spun 180 degrees, locking its gaze on the woman trapped in the web above him.

“Ahhhhhh, yes.  Ms. Silverstone.  I done heard allll about you!  You should be ashamed of yourself, ma’am!  Bringin’ drugs into your home with such a sweet, precious child to take care of.  What do you have to say for yourself?”

Amanda’s mother twisted and pulled, desperately trying to extricate herself from the massive web.

“Mommy!  Mommy I’m scared!” Amanda yelled as her mother struggled to free herself in vain.

“Hmmm, nothing to say?  What a shame.  What a cryin’, cryin’ shame” the creature said with a wicked smile.  Rachel Silverstone, I hereby terminate your parentage with your daughter.  You will serve a lifetime in prison and you will never see your daughter again!”

“NOOOO!!! MOMMMMYYY!!” Amanda screamed, getting up from her seat and running towards the judge.  She didn’t make it very far, as the arachnid flashed his awful smile and shot a glob of webbing onto the little girl, immobilizing her and rendering her completely helpless.

“There, there my child.  It’s not the end of the world……” he said, plucking Amanda up with one of his arms and holding her in front of his grotesque visage.  “We’ve already got a new mommy alllllll picked out for you!”

He turned Amanda around, facing towards the entrance of the courtroom.  Standing at the doors was a woman dressed in black, pushing a stroller.  Her face was covered with a veil.

“Ms. Campbell?  I hereby decree you to be Amanda Silverstone’s mother.  You may take your new daughter home with you!” he announced, placing Amanda in the stroller and laughing maniacally. 

As Amanda screamed and struggled to free herself from the disgusting white goo that encased her, she heard a familiar voice from behind her. 

“Poor MandaBear.  Don’t worry, honey.  I think you’re going to love being my daughter…..” she said, making her way around the stroller and kneeling down in front of her.  “Now, give Mommy a kiss……” she asked, removing the veil covering her face.  Amanda’s eyes widened in terror.  It was Jocelyn, except her nose was gone, an empty void taking its place.  Her pupils were completely dilated, framed by a thin puss-laden yellow ring of conjunctiva.  Her lips were gone and her skin was covered in scabs.

“Ain’t she beautiful?” the judge said, cackling.  “Come to think of it, all of this judgin’s got me hungry.  I think I’m gonna have me a little snack!” he said, rising up from his bench and making his way towards Amanda’s mother. 

“Amanda tried to scream, but nothing came out.  The judge drew closer and closer to her mother and opened his mouth as saliva dripped from his mandible.  As he began to close his jaws over her face, Amanda closed her eyes.

Then it was over.

Amanda opened her eyes and saw the ceiling fan that hung over her bed.  Then she screamed.

“MOMMY! MOMMYYYYYY!!!!!”

Amanda’s mother shot up in her bed and ran down the hall to her daughter.  She turned the lights on and saw her daughter hyperventilating, frightened out of her mind.

“Amanda?  What happened?  Is everything ok?  My poor baby!” she exclaimed, running to the bed and scooping her daughter up in her arms.  For the first time, she carried her daughter around the room, hugging her tightly and kissing her while stroking her hair. 

“It’s ok, it’s ok.  Mommy’s here, Amanda……” she cooed, carrying her to her bedroom and turning on the lights.  She sat at the edge of the bed, rocking her in her arms.  Amanda clung to her mother like a koala bear.  She felt that if she let go, she’d lose her like she did in her nightmare.  When she stopped crying, her mother kissed her and turned her to face her. 

“There, there.  It was just a dream, honey.  Just a dream……” she whispered, looking into her daughter’s red eyes with great tenderness.  “Do you want to tell Mommy what it was about?” she asked.

Amanda’s mother listened as her daughter began to recount her horrible nightmare.  When she got to the part about Jocelyn, her eyebrow raised.  She waited for her to finish, then sat her up, facing her.

“Amanda, I’m going to ask you a question and I don’t want you to be afraid to answer it.  I’m not going to be upset with you when you answer, because you’ve done nothing wrong, ok?”

Amanda looked down, then back up at her mother again.  She nodded her head hesitantly.

“Did Jocelyn do something mean to you today?”

Amanda’s eyes welled with tears.  It was the only answer her mother needed.  She embraced her daughter again, her blood running hot with rage.  Amanda’s mother sat on the bed as her daughter cried into her breast, a brooding thousand-yard stare on her face. The Momma Bear in her had been hibernating for decades.  Now, it had woken up.

“I want you to tell me everything, honey.  Everything………”

(Campbell Household, May 7^th, 1994)

Jocelyn sat up from her bed as the doorbell rang.  She walked over to the front door, staring through the peephole.  What she saw surprised her.  It was Amanda’s mother.  Confused, Jocelyn opened the door and looked her up and down, surprised by what she saw.  Rather than the conservative, modest clothing she was used to seeing her wear, she was wearing cutoff jean shorts and a tube top, the outline of her nipples clearly visible.  Her hair was straight, with her feathered bangs playfully dangling in front of her face.

“Um, hey Ms. Silverstone….” she began with at tone of slight trepidation.  “How are you?  How’s Amanda doing?” she asked, staring at the provocatively-dressed young woman with a look of confusion.  Ms. Silverstone walked into the house, drew close to Jocelyn and gently placed her hands on her arms.

“Call me Rachel, sweetheart.  I’m young again and that just makes me sound old” she said, smiling at the confused teenager.

“Oh……ok Miss….Rachel.  Sorry.  Just Rachel.  Is everything ok?” she stammered as she stared at Rachel’s tight stomach.

“I just wanted to stop by in person and say thank you for watching Amanda Wednesday.  It was such a big help.  I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk more when you were over.  There’s a few things that I wanted to tell you……” she said, gently pushing Jocelyn backwards into her home and shutting the front door behind her.  Rachel began slowly running her hands down the girls arms toward her wrists.  Jocelyn inhaled sharply, looking at Amanda’s mother with the same look of lust that she had given her in the backyard of her home. 

“Well, um…. I mean sure, any time.  We had a lot of fun together.  I’ve always loved being with Amanda.  I really hope things end up differently the second time around……” 

Rachel stared into her eyes, seductively running her tongue around her lips while looking down at Jocelyn’s breasts.  “Are your parents home?” she asked, rubbing her thumbs in a circular motion on the top of Jocelyn’s hands.  Jocelyn released her pent-up breath, exhaling slowly.

“N-no…….they went to the city for the day with Kelly, you know, my little sister……I……”

Rachel leaned in close, clasping Jocelyn’s hands and whispering into her ear.

“I saw the way you were looking at me in the backyard, Jocelyn.  There was something I wanted to do to you when we were back there, but I was afraid the neighbors would see.  Is there something you wanted to do to me?” she asked, running her right thumb along Jocelyn’s cheek.

“I….I did but……I didn’t know you were………” she said, practically hyperventilating as she spoke.

Amanda’s mother smiled seductively.  “Now that I’m young again, I want to do things I couldn’t do the first time around.  Things like this……..”

Suddenly, Rachel leaned in and began to kiss her.  Jocelyn let out a soft moan as her tongue met Rachel’s, breathing heavier and heavier as they moved backwards to the living room couch.  Rachel removed Jocelyn’s t-shirt and began to kiss her again, starting from her neck and then slowly down to her bare breasts.  Jocelyn took her right hand and put it down her shorts, fingering her clitoris as Rachel gently suckled her nipples. 

Rachel began to go lower, making her way to Jocelyn’s bellybutton and licking around it in a circular motion.  She took Jocelyn’s hand from out of her shorts, then clasped it in hers. 

“I bet I can do that much better……..” she teased, grabbing Jocelyn’s shorts by the waist and slowly pulling them off of her body.  “…..would you like that?  Does Jocelyn want her wet little pussy licked?”

“Yes, oh God yes…….” Jocelyn said through heavy panting.  “Please eat me…….” she pleaded, staring up at Rachel with pleading, submissive eyes. 

“What a good girl, saying ‘please!’  Well, I want you to go to the bathroom to clean up first.  Oh, by the way……I’m going to be very thorough with you, so I want you to do a good job down there.”

Jocelyn sat up from the couch eagerly, pulling her shorts off and walking swiftly to the bathroom.  “It’ll only take me a few minutes!” she said, shutting the bathroom door behind her.  Rachel waited a few seconds, got up, then raced to find Jocelyn’s room.  When she did, she rifled through her dresser drawers.  The first few yielded nothing but clothes.  Then, she spotted a photo album tucked away on her bookshelf.  She pulled it out, holding it upside down.  A small white envelope fell out.  She picked it up and opened it.  There they were.  She had found them.  When she saw the picture of little Amanda holding the bag of white powder, she almost screamed in anger.

“I’m almost ready, Rachel!  I’m coming!” Jocelyn called from the bathroom. 

Rachel quickly scanned the room to make sure everything looked similar to how it did when she came in.  She tucked the envelope with the Polaroids under the rear of her shorts then ran back to the living room to sit on the couch. 

Jocelyn emerged from the bathroom completely nude.  She sat down on the couch, laying on her back and opening her legs for Rachel. 

“I’m ready, Rachel.  Fuck, I can’t wait to feel your tongue on me……” she said, putting her hands on her breasts and squeezing them in anticipation of Rachel’s oral delights.

Rachel smiled, slowly leaning over towards Jocelyn’s crotch.  She slowly stuck her tongue out, inching closer and closer to Jocelyn’s clitoris.  Then…….

She stopped.

“Wait, what’s wrong?  Do I smell?  I used soap and everything!” she whined, her face red with embarrassment.  Rachel reached into her back pocket and took out her pager, acting as if it had just buzzed. 

“No, no it’s not that.  Shit, Amanda’s sitter just called…. I told her only to page me if it was an emergency.  I have to get back home” she announced, gathering her purse and car keys from the nearby counter.  Jocelyn stared up at her, looking very much like a child being told Christmas was cancelled. 

“But……but what about us?” Jocelyn asked, biting her lower lip.

“Well……..” Rachel began, slinging her purse over her shoulder.  “……why don’t you come over tonight?  Nine o’clock?  That way I’ll have all the time in the world to spend down there,” she suggested, flicking her tongue up and down suggestively. 

Jocelyn perked up immediately.  “Ok!  I’ll be there at nine!  Ugh, I can’t wait!  Oh and…. nobody’s gonna know about this…. about us?” she asked hesitantly.

Rachel smiled, walking over to her and leaning in close to Jocelyn’s ear.  “It’ll be our little secret” she whispered, softly biting the teen’s ear and then pulling away gently.  “Oh, and Jocelyn?  Bring some candy over, too” she said, tapping her nose with her index finger.

“You party, too?  Wow, Rachel!  You’re so much cooler than I…. well, I mean you were always cool, haha.  Anyway, I can bring a lot more than coke.  I’ve got a lot of stuff we can do!” 

“Even better” Rachel said as she turned around and opened the front door.  “Bye Jossey, see you later!” she said, winking and shutting the door behind her. 

Rachel got into her car and began to drive back home.  The pile of blankets in the backseat began to move, then a muffled voice came out from them.  “Mommy?  Can I come out now?”

Rachel turned the corner out of Jocelyn’s neighborhood, then checked the rearview mirror.  “Go ahead honey. It’s safe.”

“Finally!” Amanda exclaimed, throwing the blankets off of her.  “Did you get them?  Did you find the pictures?” she asked expectantly.

“I did, sweetheart.  Mommy told you she would.”

Amanda threw her arms up in the air, then brough them back down again, pumping her fists in triumph.  “Yes!  But how, Mommy?  How did you get them back?”

“Amanda, maybe one day I’ll tell you.  When you’re older.  Much older” she replied, looking at her daughter in the backseat through the rearview mirror.

Amanda noticed that her mother seemed nauseous. “Mommy?  You don’t look good……are you ok?”

“I’m fine, sweetie.  Let’s get you home so we can give you some lunch, ok?”

When they got home, Amanda ran up to her room to play with her Barbie dolls.  Rachel ran to her bathroom, knelt down beside the toilet and began throwing up.  It didn’t matter, though.  Mama Bear would do anything to protect her baby and she would do it all over again if she had to.  After the last of her dry heaves, she flushed the toilet and began to take off her clothes.  Now, it was time for a shower.  A long, hot shower.

(Silverstone Household, May 7th, 1994, 9:35 p.m.)

Later that night, a police officer knocked on the front door of the Silverstone’s.  Amanda’s mother answered in her bathrobe.  After apologizing for the disturbance, he asked if she knew Jocelyn Campbell. 

“Yes, she was one of my daughter’s friends.  What’s this about?” she asked.

“Someone called from a payphone with an anonymous tip that she was travelling to this residence.  They claimed there’d be drugs in the vehicle.  We spotted her just outside her neighborhood and asked her where she was going.  Said she was coming to your residence to babysit your daughter.  We searched her car.  Ecstasy, coke, pills, you name it.  It was like a pharmacy in there” he explained.

Amanda’s mother raised her hand to her mouth.  “Oh my gosh, that’s awful!  I had no idea she was a druggie!  Someone must have skipped a few D.A.R.E. classes!”

“I guess.  So, you didn’t ask her to come here?  You didn’t ask her to babysit tonight?” the officer asked, jotting down items on his notepad.

“No, I wasn’t expecting her.  I just put my daughter to bed.  And why would I need a babysitter when I’m home?” she asked incredulously, highlighting her bathrobe with her hands to demonstrate that she was dressed to retire for the evening.

“I was wondering the same thing myself.  Dumb kid.  The drugs are bad enough, but giving false statements to a police officer…...not exactly smart.  Kid supposedly had a bright future ahead of her, too.  Well, thanks for your help, ma’am and sorry to bother you.  Have a good one.”

Amanda’s mother closed the front door, then watched the patrol car drive away through the adjoining window.  As she made her way to her bedroom, she stopped by Amanda to check on her.  She opened the door and saw her daughter sleeping peacefully, clutching her teddy bear as she slumbered.  Her mother smiled contently.  Jocelyn would never hurt her again.  Momma Bear had protected her daughter.  She climbed into her bed, turning off the lamp beside it and sinking into her pillows.  Now, it was time for some well-earned hibernation.