Chapter Text
“I’m so fucking over him, Megan. I know I said it before, but I’m serious this time. I’m done!”
Sarah’s lying on the sofa, she’s holding a can of Diet Coke between her legs and sucking on a strawberry flavoured vape. Her best friend attempts to console her on the other end of the phone, but the nineteen year old enjoys the attention.
“He blocked me from his story!” She explains. “I mean, who does that? We’re practically dating!”
The phone call has lasted more than an hour. She’s reached a point in the conversation where she’s simply repeating herself, but she’d be happy to continue if Megan didn’t have an assignment due tomorrow morning. Sarah rolls her eyes.
“Fine. Text me tomorrow, I’m stuck babysitting these rich little shits, again” she adds, her eyes scanning the expensive furniture. “I’m pretty sure I caught the husband checking out my tits earlier, too” she giggles, and the phone call ends.
It’s eight o’ clock on a Friday. There are one hundred and one other things that Sarah Powell would rather be doing on a Friday night than babysitting, but the family pays well, even if the kids are little shits. She sits up and swallows the last of her Diet Coke before the front door swings open and the eldest boy appears.
“What do you think you’re doing?” She asks, getting to her feet. She likes the authority she has over the boy. She pulls out her phone, again, it’s still hot from the call. “It’s past eight”.
The boy squints at her. He’s fourteen and in his mind, he’s far too old for a babysitter. He checks his own phone and scoffs. “By two minutes” he replies, his voice still breaking.
“Your mom said eight on the dot” Sarah reminds him, but he ignores her and heads for the stairs.
“Don’t you have friends you should be out with?” The grouchy teen mumbles, and Sarah quietly mimics him as she returns to the living room and falls back onto the sofa.
The house is in a nice part of town. A really nice part. Unlike her street, she can’t even see the neighbour’s house from where she’s sitting. She wonders how much a place like this costs. Millions, no doubt. She flicks through the television channels for a while before sighing and staring at the ceiling.
Colton’s right. She should be out partying. In fact, if she didn’t have two snot-nosed kids to look after, she would be out partying. Her phone buzzes and she quickly taps the message from Jake. She’s not supposed to be speaking to him. Not after what he did, but she’s bored and Jake’s hot.
Time passes quickly as they speak back and forth. It’s nine before she knows it, and she’s only alerted to the time when one of the kids comes down the stairs. “What are you doing out of bed?” She asks, as the seven year old tries to scurry toward the kitchen without her seeing.
“I’m thirsty” the little boy tells her.
“You’re supposed to be asleep” she reminds him, and he stands there, aimlessly. “Go” she sighs, pointing to the kitchen, and his little feet patter across the expensive wooden floor as he hurries in to get a drink. Maybe, babysitting isn’t for her, after all.
It’s ten when Jake stops replying. He doesn’t say why, which leads her to the conclusion that he’s gone out, again. She pushes her tongue against her cheek, shaking her head as she imagines him partying with another girl, and then the doorbell rings, and she cocks a brow.
She’s been babysitting for the Larsson family for the last year. It’s not often, but she knows the routine. She checks her phone once more. Nobody has ever called this late other than Uber drivers, and she hasn’t ordered an Uber. It rings again, and she feels a slight panic.
Suddenly, the house feels far too large for a girl of her age. She looks around, her brain becoming frantic, until Sarah takes a deep breath and calms herself down. She walks to the window in the living room and pulls back a corner of the curtain, and when she sees who’s at the door, she’s not sure whether to be relieved or concerned.
“Is everything alright?” The young woman asks, her hand on her chest as she opens the door to a police officer. The man’s in his late thirties, with a trimmed beard and a stern look on his face. He flashes a badge, but the uniform gave it away.
“We’ve had a report from this house” the officer says, glancing over Sarah’s shoulder. “Are you alone, ma’am?”
“No” Sarah replies, confused. “No, I’m babysitting. You had a call from this house?” She asks, squinting. “That’s impossible. It’s only…” Her voice trails off as she thinks of Colton, and then her jaw tightens. “I’m going to kill him” she adds, and the officer’s face loosens a little.
“Teenager?” He asks, and the girl nods.
“I’m so sorry, officer” she tells him, her panic dissolved. “I’ll be telling his mom as soon as she’s home” she says, raising her voice for the mom part so that the boy will hear her from his bedroom.
“And when will that be?” The officer asks, pulling out a small notepad.
“They’re gone to a conference or something” Sarah tells him, “they’ll be back tomorrow evening”.
“And you’re here, alone, until then?” The man asks, raising a brow, and Sarah smiles. The officer is incredibly handsome. His biceps bulge in his dark blue shirt, and if there was ever a way to make Jake jealous, this was it.
“I don’t have to be” she says, rolling a strand of blond hair around her finger as the officer slowly slides his notepad back into his pocket. He smiles for a second. He almost looks like he’s about to blush, and then he runs a hand across his stubble. Sarah doesn’t have a chance to react. He swings the blade an inch under her chin, and she feels her flesh part as a gush of warm fluid drenches her shirt. For a moment, she’s stunned. She stumbles backwards, instinctively reaching for her throat, and then she feels the gaping wound as everything begins to spin. She opens her mouth to scream, but all that comes out is blood, and then she falls to the expensive wooden floor and dies in seconds.