I was dancing ballet listening to a piano tune played on YouTube. The tune required me to behave with a sense of fragility and vulnerability. I danced delicately and slowly spun on my big toe. After a twirl or two I sensed someone was watching me. A subtle turn and I realized it wasn't Rose. It was the cleaner who tried to take me away. I asked him if he was lost. He stared at me as though he was in a trance. I tilted my head with attitude and went back to dancing. I didn't like how he stared so I rang the bell. Rose came and ordered him to go back to the garden to trim the hedges. He hasn't mowed the lawn in weeks. He told her to get a life. She threatened to have him fired. He went back to work grunting. James came with flowers. The gardener looked and observed as I froze to take a pose. I leaned forward and raised my foot from behind. I spread both my arms like wings while balancing my weight on one foot. I stood upright and slowly leveled myself before accepting the flowers. I gave him a hug and kissed his cheeks before placing the flowers in a vase. James picked me like I was light as a feather carried me upstairs. He had arranged a dinner date for us. The gardener was by the stairs watching. His breathing went from barely noticeable to visible from space. He was hyperventilating as his knuckles went white from how tightly he held on to the railings. His eyes were so intense it looked like they were on fire. Rose threatened to have him thrown out and he left without creating a scene.
James watched as the gardener trimmed and raked the garden. I walked out in a black dress. It was pure silk and had a choker neckline with a long sleeve. I admired how it was a floor length outfit which barely hinted at the contour of my body. I braided and rolled my hair into a bun. I added a jeweled hairpin to accentuate my look. As I stepped out he wrapped a diamond necklace. He studded my ears with teardrop diamond earrings. He placed his hand on the small of my back and pushed me till I was pressing against his body. He stared at my eyes and made it very clear. "You belong to me." I smiled, "Yes" he grazed his fingers on my face. With a firm grip he grabbed my hand. He took me outside where a car waited to take us to the city. I realized I was in Boston. He took me to an expensive restaurant and he took me to the theater. I got to watch ballet and then we came home. I was delighted to have this moment. He stared at me smiling. I was so delighted, "I want to make something for you." He joined me in the kitchen and watched as I cooked him some sort of hodge podge. I made him a reverse seared steak..I sliced it and layered it between two grilled cheese sandwiches. He thought it was silly but ate regardless. For each mouthful I gave him a kiss. This encouraged him to apologize. I was told to go upstairs while he does business. I thought I saw movement so I picked up the phone and called the police. I requested they keep the siren off.
I picked up a kitchen knife and the others followed me with guns. I made sure to walk softly. The unknown tried to be quiet so I switched off the lights. Immediately he started swearing and switched on the meager flashlight on his phone. I quietly glided my way towards him. He was trying to open a hidden passage behind a wall. The mechanism seems to be stuck. So he struggled for a few minutes while I stood quietly behind him. When he paused I grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall before I ducked. He pulled out a wrench and tried to wield it like a sword. I switched the lights on and he saw two people pointing a gun at his face. He lunged forward and I stuck my leg out and he tripped and fell face first. He got up to see police officers walking to arrest him. He quickly called out, "Quickly arrest these intruders. They broke into my house." The officer shook his head, "Jessie this house belongs to James. This property is his birthright. You are the gardener's son. You are not a secret sibling of James. A previous DNA test proved you are just an ordinary man." He yelled, "The result was altered. I know it was. This house is mine. Everything in this mine. I am the eldest child. James only gets a fraction of the money." I grinned, "Exactly how was the DNA test altered? Can we do a test of him and his biological father?" He yelled, "That's what I tried." I smiled, "I meant the gardener" he angrily spat at my face and James slapped him across the face. I used a tissue to wipe it off. James asked officer Weller to test the DNA in front of him. I went upstairs to get some sleep.
The next morning I woke up to see Rose with a tray laden with food. A bowl of clam chowder, a few biscuits, a warm lobster roll with butter dripping from the side and a cannoli with pistachios. She sat and explained how James let her stay here after her family disowned. She and James are cousins. He helped her get self defense lessons and therapy. She takes care of the house. She inherits the house in the event of his death. I smiled, "I see you are still not used to guns. I can give you a few pointers" she shrugged, "How about teaching me to walk quietly so no one can tell I am close by." I smiled, "Learn to hold your breath and glide across the room. Balance a book on your head to learn stability. Get shoes which muffle the sound of your footsteps. Most of all remain calm. Stress can get the better of you. It is the most important thing. When you take a deep breath. Breathe with your nose and not with your mouth. I will show you after I eat. Join me" she quietly ate but I can see some semblance of joy. We went downstairs. I had her memorize the arrangement. I closed the curtains and had her walk from one side to the other. I told her to figure out how she could control herself so she would breathe quietly and walk softly. I opened the curtains with each mistake.
I told her to count the paces in her mind. I explained, "I open the door and how many paces does it take to get from the door to the table. The door to the armchair. The armchair to the bookshelf." She stood by the door and counted the steps quietly. I told her to think the digit rather than say it out loud. If the bad guy hears it he might figure it out. She shut up immediately and took a step. I asked for a rope so she got me. I measured the exact length and tied one end to one of her legs and the other end to the other leg. I explained, "This is how I learned to measure pacing. So I won't dig a hole and pull out my previous victim. Land marks are just for driving the rest is on foot." She spent the rest of the day with the rope and discomfort for her company but didn't complain. Once she got the distance covered she started to count the steps. Then I had her blindfolded. She needs to be able to handle a situation if a person pepper sprayed her or it is pitch black. At first she stumbled a little but within weeks she made very good progress.
Then came knife skills. Her aim was ok but I wanted her better. I had her flipping and juggling knives. Then I had her throw at a distance she was comfortable with. Then she had to take three paces to throw seven knives. Then take three paces to throw and repeat. She figured out how to aim properly. Then came hand to hand combat. After that came shooting. I was taught by a serial killer and sniper so I educated her as best as possible. I had her unassemble and reassemble the guns. Then when she managed to do it faster without any mistakes. I convinced her to do it blindfolded. I explained the night an intruder broke during a power outage so I assembled my weapon in total darkness. He used a flashlight to expose his location and I shot him in the head. She asked me why I wasn't arrested. I smiled, "I was a police officer and he was a registered offender. He had a history of breaking and entering with aggravated assault. So the incident was written off as self defense" she asked me to teach her how to carve a person. I told her to first practice on the birds and then we can get ourselves a cadaver for her to try. I had her debone a whole chicken. She then practiced with duck and turkey.
The radio announced a jail break and one ended up here. He thought we were helpless as he tried to assert authority over us. Rose showed off her defensive skills. While he and Rose had a one on one. I used the rope to make a lasso and loop it on a pulley in the garage. The rope was tied to an empty spinning reel of a broken fishing rod. Then I waited till he stepped on it as I tied the other end to a car. He was taunting her as I hotwired the car. I drove a few meters and watched his legs swing up as the lasso did its job. The lasso wrapped itself nicely and he was soon dangling like a prize hunt. He kept swinging his axe since he ran out of bullets. I injected muscle relaxants and other sedatives . Safe to say he lost some of his momentum as he got drowsy. He finally fell asleep and I lowered him on to trash bags. Rose and I took him to the garage and I sprayed him with air freshener so the sniffer dogs couldn't find him. Then we stuffed him in the trunk and moved the car back in. The police came and I pretended to be sick and Rose was nursing me to health. We told them they were welcome to search the place. The dogs sniffed around and went in a different direction away from the property. The sedatives worked for four hours so they left just before he woke up. I filled a syringe with air and then inserted it into his bellybutton.
After he died from a heart attack I instructed her how to cut his chest open. First things first. A sharp knife. So that took some time. Then I made her start from the collar bone and drag the knife to the sternum. I told her to push harder. She couldn't so I showed how it was done. The 'Y' shape cut was done and his skin was rolled back like a scroll. Hedge clippers were used to cut a few inches away from the Costochondral joints. It is the joint which connects to the sternum. Then I cut a few inches away from the sternochondral joints. Cutting closer to the Costal joint while avoiding the Xisphisternal joint. I repeated it on the other side. I placed the hedge cutter back on the table. I grabbed the sternum and gave it a tug. The lungs, heart and other internal organs were finally visible. She asked me which organs the cannibal preferred. I winced as I recalled, "He would eat the heart first. It is quartered and lightly pan fried. Then comes the lungs. He prefers them like nuggets deep fried. The liver is sliced thin and served like Sashimi. The stomach is fed to his dogs. The intestine is cleaned and stuffed with meat. The victim's own meat. Breast, back, arms and buttocks. It's turned into sausage. The thigh meat is reserved for special occasions. It is opened like a scroll and stuffed with herbs and spices. It is rerolled and held with butcher's twine. Then encased in a lot of salt and baked. He would eat along the testicles and other private parts. But they are usually steamed, thinly sliced and drenched in sauce like saliva chicken." I showed her how to hollow him out. She ordered the ingredients to dissolve him and clean up the place so forensics can't prove a murder occurred here. An hour after the goods arrived she had the place clean as a whistle. Jesse was seen walking in with his duffle bag. I called the police and he tried to kick the door down. As he was taken away by security he kept yelling, "Don't you understand I was switched at birth. Don't tell me to leave. Don't tell me to go home. This is my house. Do you hear me? This is my house." I asked Rose to get a restraining order. She called James and he took care of the rest.