Step Mosnter: Chapter 10

              by

             Asukfan2001

Peyton woke up early that morning. As her alarm went off she rolled over not wanting to get out of bed. Then she realized what day it was, and a smile crept across her face. She jumped out of bed, and ran to her closet. She put on some of her nicer clothes. As she went into the bathroom she stuck out her tongue, and dabbed some toothpaste onto it before opening up the cupboard beneath her bathroom sink. She grabbed a clean cloth and ripped a small square off the corner.

“Make yourself useful and clean my teeth as I get ready. Oh, and here’s some floss as well.” Peyton said as she reached into her mouth, and unlatched Twerp from her piercing before heading over to her vanity table to apply her make up.

Twerp was still groggy, and trying to comprehend what was going on. She looked down at the piece of floss in front of her and tiny square of a cloth. She grabbed the cloth, and slung the floss over her shoulder before dabbing the cloth into the toothpaste.

Twerp carefully made her way across Peyton’s tongue. She noticed Peyton was nice enough to have the tip of her tongue just hang out of her mouth. This allowed for her to walk to the front of Peyton’s teeth. She then knelt down on the tip of her tongue, and she looked from left to right unable to believe this was actually happening. She was going to have to clean her step daughters mouth. She couldn’t believe how lazy she could be. If she bet her a dollar over who could be laziest person. Peyton would respond back to put the dollar in her pocket.

Raising her hand up to her front teeth twerp pressed the rag against the powerful white teeth. She begun to rub in a buffing motion the cloth against her teeth. As she did this she could smell Peyton’s morning breath wash over her. It made her feel sick as she scrubbed her step daughter's front teeth.

            As she looked back she could see in the mirror Peyton applying makeup to her face, and paying her little attention. The idea of being a human toothbrush was not the career choice she was hoping for. As she finished the front two teeth of Peyton she shimmed into her jaw. Her feet sunk into the skin between Peyton’s cheek, and her teeth. As she continued to scrub the top row of teeth.

            “Don’t forget the backs of my teeth. That’s very important according to my dentist. Also, the bottom row.”  Peyton ordered with a smile as she went back to applying her makeup.

            “Twerp felt sick to her stomach as she scrubbed a layer of filth from Peyton’s teeth. A white sludge had built up over the teeth, and as she scrubbed it away, it would end up on her body as she brushed up against the teeth. She felt disgustingly dirty. Making matters worse as she crawled along her inner cheek scrubbing the front top row of Peyton’s teeth she couldn’t help, but hope that this wasn’t going to be a regular occurrence.

            As she finished the top row she found the bottom row to be immensely worse. As she had to crawl on her hands knees. As she scrubbed away, her body pressed against the dirty teeth of her step daughter. She felt truly like a parasite as she toiled away.

            Peyton for her part had never felt happier. She relished the feeling of her step mother cleaning her teeth. She found that it was working surprisingly well. As Twerp’s small hand allowed her to get in-between her teeth as well. She could feel her pulling out small chunks of leftover food she could never hope to reach. Her small size also allowed her to finally polish and clean the tops of teeth.

            “I may never go back to a toothbrush again. You just have no idea how great this feels. I can actually feel my mouth getting cleaner than normal. It’s like I just am leaving the dentist kind of clean. This could be your true calling in life.”

            Twerp didn’t even want to respond. She just felt her heart sink lower over the idea of having to do this each morning. She knew how Peyton was. If she knew that she didn’t have to brush her own teeth she wouldn’t. She would just eat whatever she wanted, and then have her do it.

            “When you’re done with that make sure you clean my piercing too. It should sparkle. These will be part of your daily chores. Think of it as your contribution to betterment of me. You should really be thinking of some of these things on your own. How can I make Peyton’s life easier? That should be your mantra in life.”

            “Yes Master. Of course.” Twerp responded halfheartedly. She knew that she was serious, and that was the worst part. This was going to be a daily aspect of her life. She knew this was only the beginning. Give Peyton an inch she will take the whole thing, and leave you out on the street. Then sell you back the scraps she doesn’t want, and make it seem like she’s doing you a favor.

            Twerp toiled in away in Peyton’s mouth for the better part of a half hour cleaning the grunge that naturally accumulates in someone’s mouth over the of the day. She used her hands to pick out bits of food that had gotten stuck between her teeth before finally wrapping the floss around Peyton’s teeth one by one and shimmying the floss down to her gums and back up. All the while Peyton applied make up and did her hair.

            The hair dryer going off still was a sore spot for Twerp. She could vividly remember the torment Peyton unknowingly did to her. She wanted to stay as far away from that machine as humanly possible. By the time she was finished Peyton had completed her daily routine as well She found herself only able to watch as Peyton pulled her from her mouth and set her on the vanity table.

            Twerp gulped as she saw her step daughter stand back up and head over to her door. As she saw Peyton reach the opposite side of the room she was reminded that her visual power wasn’t what it used to be. As to her new body, the distance of Peyton’s room was miles in size. She no longer had the visual prowess to clearly make out what she was doing. It was humbling to her. She dared not speak or ask to many questions. Peyton hated being pestered with questions.

            It wasn’t long before Twerp saw Peyton return with a large purse tucked underneath her arm. Peyton reached down for her grabbing her phone with one hand and Twerp with the other. As Twerp looked over at Peyton’s other hand she couldn’t help notice that while neither her nor phone were held very delicately. That her phone received a bit more care then her.

            Looking down twerp shook in trepidation of what she could only assume was coming. She was hovering over Peyton’s purse. She pleaded with her step daughter in hope of changing her mind. However, her plea fell on deaf ears as Peyton released her grip on her without a single response.

            Twerp tumbled end over end. She screamed as she fell through the air helpless to stop her descent. The cool breeze blew through her hair as she continued to fall gaining more and more speed. The blissful light of the world was soon cut off as the denim walls of Peyton’s jean purse soon rose above her.

            Crashing into a hard plastic compact, she then rolled down the length of the compact into a pink coin purse.  Twerp screamed Peyton’s name but her step daughter didn’t even stop walking as she headed out of her bedroom closing the door behind her. Peyton’s movement sent Twerp flying into her brush. Her back cried out in pain as one of the plastic bristles struck her before she found her body lodged and contorted between the bristles. She looked up, and could see Peyton texting someone.

            Peyton then looked down into the purse, she scanned the contents of her purse making sure she had everything when her eyes fell onto her step mother. She laughed seeing the woman struggle to free herself from brush. Tossing her phone into purse Peyton began to shut her purse when she paused.

            “You may clean that old hair of mine stuck in the brush. Pull it out, and gather it into a ball or pile. I don’t want that all over my purse.”

            “You can’t be serious? I just spent all morning brushing your teeth” Twerp called out as she still struggled to pull herself out from the brush.

            “These chores are how you keep a roof over your head, and food in your belly. What did you tell me? Oh yes, chores build character. So, get to it Twerp.” Peyton said as she closed her purse sealing Twerp inside the dark confines of her purse.

            “That ingrate” Twerp said to herself. She couldn’t believe her own lessons were being used against her. Never once did Peyton listen to her without harping, and nagging. Now, that the tables are turned. I have to carry out these tasks without question. Twerp thought to herself as she pulled herself out from the brush finally.

            She carefully eased her way back onto the brush, and noticed another change. Not only was her body more durable post evolutionary change into this Peytonian lifeform her step daughter calls her. Her eyes have seemed to have changed as well. While her ocular prowess has been diminished in the form of range. She does seem to have much improved visibility in the darkness. As while only a few shards of light are coming in, and yet Twerp can still see the hair in Peyton’s brush.

            A feeling of seasickness began to hit Twerp as Peyton walked down the street. Twerp looked about the purse, and somehow felt humbled that simple everyday objects now towered above her. Nearly all of them weighing more than her. Soon her eyes fell onto Peyton’s phone. She smiled as she realized her step daughter had finally made a grave mistake. She was for the first time left alone, and with access to her step daughters phone.

            Twerp carefully made her way over to the smart phone. It was standing up right, but she found if she pushed on the front screen while she made use of Peyton’s movement as added force; she was able to push the phone over so that it was lying mostly flat. The fall made the phone turn on illuminating the purse. As twerp looked down at the phone she could see her lock screen.

            Twerp stared at the text on the screen. At first it looked like gibberish, but as she blinked the gibberish started to form into letters. She stared at the screen for a few seconds wondering how Peyton got her phone to do that. However, not knowing how much time she had, she pushed the odd lock screen out of her mind. She swiped her hand across the phone only nothing happened. Twerp tried several more times,  only the lock screen remained. She swiped her hand across the phone one last time, and the only thing happened was the illumination timed out, and the screen went black once again.

            “This isn’t happening. I can’t seem to apply enough pressure to this phone for it to activate. As far as the phone is concerned I’m just some dust, or something resting against it.” Twerp then took a few steps back, and slid against the phone. As she looked back at the phone it still remained off. Twerp pounded against the glass of the phone in frustration before slinking down to the floor of the purse sitting on a tube of lip gloss.

            The sound of a car door opening, and closing. She then heard Peyton give what sounded like a driver some directions. Before the car sped off. The lack of conversation told her she must have gotten an Uber. She sighed knowing she had told her countless times she wasn’t allowed to use uber. She was just too young to use it on her own she felt. You never know what kind of creeps are out there.

            “I guess not much I can do about it from in here.” Twerp mumbled to herself kicking at Peyton’s phone in frustration before walking over to her brush. If she wasn’t going to get any help, she knew she better have something done to show for her time in here.

            “I can’t believe I’m having to acquiesce to my step daughter. I’m the adult here. She should be doing chores I assign. Not the other way around.” Twerp griped as she pulled several strands of Peyton’s hair from the brush. She couldn’t believe how thick they were. She hadn’t seen Peyton’s hair up close since the shrinking. It hardly seemed like hair. She was sure she could use this hair as a rope. The purse then opened up, and she saw her step daughter looking down at her.

            “Gum” Peyton commanded. Twerp looked about the purse seeing a pack of gum on the other side. She climbed over her wallet and slid down the other side. She walked around the pack of gum a couple of times before she grabbed the end of one of the sticks of gum and started pulling. Twerp pulled and pulled taking several steps back as she struggled to free the stick of gum from the package. Once it was a quarter of the way out she saw Peyton’s hand reach into the purse grabbing her phone.

            Twerp could hear the sounds of some kind of phone game, followed by Peyton tapping at the screen repeatedly. She couldn’t believe she was having to work this hard to get some gum to her brat of step daughter. She could have done this in a second.

            Twerp climbed onto the package of gum, and started pushing with her hands the stick of gum out. After a few minutes of pushing, and a return to the pulling she managed to dislodge the gum from the package.

            “Peyton! Master Peyton!” Twerp called up to her. A she looked down Twerp pointed at the gum. Twerp then grasped the gum, and struggled to lift it above her head.

            “I don’t feel like it anymore.” Peyton said waving her hand in a shoo like motion waving off the gum.

            “Why you little.” Twerp got out before she saw Peyton glare down at her. “sweet kind human being.” Twerp said gritting her teeth and smiling as she dropped the gum onto the floor of the purse.

            “Put that gum back in the package I don’t want it loosely tumbling around. Then find my lip gloss.” Peyton ordered, her attention already back onto her phone game. Twerp was fuming as walked over to the end of the gum closest to the package of gum. She lifted it up and slid the front of the gum into the package. Then grabbing the opposite side she pushed the gum back in the package.

            Breathing heavily, she scouted around the purse seeing her lip gloss underneath the coin purse. She knew there was no way she was going to be able to move it. The coin purse weighed many times her own weight. It was then the car hit a bump. The coin purse tumbled in the opposite direction. Twerp placed her hands upwards in an attempt to hold off the coin purse from falling on her. However, she was no match for it, and it knocked her to the ground.

            Twerp had expected to be crushed to death or at the very least injured seriously. However, she found that the coin purse was resting up against the phone ever so slightly. This was enough for most of the weight to be offloaded onto the phone. Twerp took advantage of her luck and crawled out from underneath the coin purse.

            Picking up her beaten, and battered body Twerp made her way over to the lip gloss and yelled for Peyton. She watched as her hand parted the two massive walls of the purse. Her eyes looked down into the purse while pausing her game.  Twerp saw her hand descend towards her. Peyton’s fingers curled her fingers ever so slightly so that the lip gloss could be set in side of her hand.

            “I see that look. Be thankful I’m not making you take it to me, and climb up and out of my purse as if you could.” Peyton says with a pointed laugh.

            “Yes Master, of course. My apologies.” Twerp begrudgingly said as she lifted the lip gloss into her hand.

            “You know, I kind of feel like that gum after all.”

            “What!” Twerp exclaimed as a look of defeat fell across her face as she looked over at the package of gum.

            “I said, I feel like some gum.” Peyton said with attitude as her head bobbed side to side slightly as she said it. Twerp started to say how she didn’t like her tone when she stopped herself before going into full parent mode. She looked over at the gum, headed over towards it.

            “That’s what I thought.” Peyton said with a smirk as she watched her step mother pull struggle to pull a single stick of gum out from the already opened package. She could see her tiny muscles working away as she put all her weight into pulling the stick of gum out. As she got the stick of gum halfway out. Twerp climbed onto the gum itself and crawled over to the stick of gum. She then pushed her knees up off the stick of gum, and ran in place on the stick of gum with hands gripping the package. The stick of gum inched its way out of the package falling onto the purse. Twerp picked the gum up as Peyton reached in, and popped the stick of gum into her mouth.

            “Take care of that” Peyton said tossing the balled-up wrapper into the purse.

            “Why you little shit.” Twerp said losing her patience

            “and I thought I told you to clean out my brush. I shouldn’t have to deal with my old hair in it, and I certainly shouldn’t have to tell you twice. What have you been doing? It looks practically the same.” Peyton condescendingly said down to her diminutive step mother not hearing Twerps prior comment.

            “Sorry” Twerp muttered.

            “What”

            “I said, My apologies. I will work harder to please you master.” Twerp said “You brat” She muttered underneath her breath.

            Peyton closed her purse, and stared out the window while Twerp made her way back over to the hairbrush. She carefully slid herself in between the bristles, and resumed pulling out her step daughters hair. As she climbed up onto the plastic bristles she jumped several times on one hoping to break it out of frustration. However, she found she couldn’t muster the strength, nor did she have the weight or mass sufficient to do so. She found her attempt of vengeance towards Peyton foiled.

            Twerp had spent the better part of the next twenty-five minutes pulling out old hair from Peyton’s brush when she felt the purse lift up into the air. The walls on either side started to compress in as Peyton’s arm pressed the purse into her side. The footfalls of her giant stepdaughter mixed with the everything in the purse bouncing about made clearing the remaining hair difficult. As she pulled the final strands of hair free the top of the purse opened.

            Looking upwards, and blinking a bit as her eyes readjusted Twerp saw the massive hand of her step daughter reach into the purse. She figured she was going towards her phone, so twerp was in no rush to move off the comb. However, much to her surprise Peyton grabbed onto the brush knocking Twerp back between her bristles.

            As the brush was lifted up Twerp found her arm caught underneath the plastic. The bottom of the brush was open with just dark purple plastic columns connecting either side of the brush with light purple plastic bristles stuck into the columns that connected each side of the brush.        

            Twerp tried to call out to Peyton, but she found her step daughter wasn’t looking down. She was just subconsciously reaching into her purse as she probably as done a thousand times. Twerp’s jaw opened wide as the thick long blonde locks of her step daughter hair drew closer and closer until she was covered in a sea of blonde hair.

            The smell of the tropics with a strong hint of coconut was everywhere. As Twerp found herself drug across Peyton’s head. Twerp tried to scream, but her voice was lost and muffled in a sea of hair. As Peyton pulled brush down the back part of her hair Twerp realized the danger she was now in. Instead of trying to free herself from brush she was attempting to secure herself on the brush. However, speed and volume of hair made it difficult. Twerp felt her arm twist, and pull from its socket briefly. She cried out in pain as while her arm was pulled from its socket it managed to free itself from being wedged into her brush. Twerp felt her body pull away from the hairbrush while her arm and shoulder throbbed in pain.

            Twerp felt slight relief as her shoulder and arm slid back into place. However, she watched Peyton pull her brush free from hair. Twerp grasped onto Peyton’s hair strands and found herself dangling near the bottom of her Step daughter’s hair. She screamed Peyton’s name, but she seemed too far out of range to be heard.

            Twerp looked about in a panic as the noise of the city drowned her out. She could see People walking all around Peyton as they traveled to their destinations. They were all oblivious to her plight.  Twerp gripped a strand of Peyton’s hair tightly with her good hand wrapping her arm around the hair. The arm that she had pulled from its socket and then slipped back into place she managed to grab onto another strand of Peyton’s hair. But, she found she had no strength in it. So all she could do was hold on.

            She looked down at what seemed like hundreds of feet that was passing by at eighty or ninety miles an hour to her. She was certain a drop from here would be fatal. If she somehow managed to survive the fall onto concrete from what amounted to her jumping from a moving object going near ninety miles per hour. One of the people walking behind Peyton would surely crush her to death moments later.

            “Peyton!” Twerp shouted again as she saw the brush work its way through the rest of Peyton’s hair. Twerp looked upwards seeing Peyton’s brush descending down towards her for one final passthrough. As the brush approached her she let go of the hair and grabbed the bristles with both arms. She cried out as Peyton’s strong thick hair beat against her body. As Peyton pulled brush through the last of her hair Twerp could see the brush moving back towards her purse. Twerp breathed several sighs of relief before Peyton dropped the brush back into her purse. As the brush hit the floor of the purse she was knocked from the brush falling onto Peyton’s phones.

            “Make sure you clean out any hair that got stuck in the brush just now. I shouldn’t have to tell you anymore. That’s just one of your constant chores when you’re in my purse.” Peyton said still without looking into her purse.

            Twerp was breathing heavily unable to believe she made it back in here. While at the same time upset that her bratty step daughter was oblivious to what she just put her though. Twerp grabbed her injured arm, and shoulder. She rotated it several times, and was relieved she could move it. As she knew if she could move it, that it wasn’t broke.

            “Best case scenario, Its just sore and tender for a few days. Worst case, I may have strained a ligament.” Twerp said to herself while wincing in a bit of pain as she looked down at the brush. She found that she couldn’t stop the tears from falling from her face as she pulled the new hairs that were stuck in the brush.

            Peyton opened the large heavy door of a apartment building, and started bounding up a flight of stairs. She ran up them two at a time before reaching the fifth, and top floor of the apartment building. As she walked down the long hallway. She finally reached unit five ten and pushed the door open not bothering to knock.

            “Mom! I’m home!” Peyton yelled as she closed the door behind her. She could hear her mother in the kitchen, and dumped her purse carelessly on the table as she walked by, and hugged her mother.

            “There’s my girl! I would have come and got you.” Her mother Sandra said as she hugged her daughter again happy to see her.

            “You don’t need to mom. I’m perfectly capable of working an uber app.” Peyton said as she opened the fridge pulling a bottle of water out.

            “Besides, I know money’s tight for you, since you and dad split up. You don’t need to use your gas.” Peyton said as she leaned up against the counter.

            “You don’t need to worry about that kind of stuff dear. I’m getting by just fine. Besides, I don’t like you using uber by yourself.” Sandra said as she smiled happily at her daughter.

            “Dad said he would help with the medical bills you know? He didn’t know you were sick when, you know happened.” Peyton said trailing off at the end.

            “Honey, that just means your dad is a good man. He made a mistake, and how all that turned out. Well, let’s not worry about what happened years ago. Those bills are my own, they aren’t his responsibility. Now pish posh. Tell me about what you have been doing?” Sandra said as the two walked towards the kitchen table.

            Peyton recanted what she had been doing since she saw her mom last, as her eyes fell on her purse. She bit her lower lip, as she wondered if she should say anything about that. She knew her mother was hurting. She had heard her mother’s pain several times, when she didn’t think she was nearby.

            As Twerp heard the two chat as much pain as she was in. She felt her body go ghost white as her limbs seized up on her. She nervously looked in the direction of Sandra from within the purse. The two had never seen eye to eye. They disagreed on parenting decisions. The two never fought, or said anything in front of Peyton. But, Sandra didn’t like the fact that she parented her child. She felt all the parenting should fall on her and Douglas. She should just stay out of it. However, she couldn’t do that. She viewed Peyton as her daughter too. She didn’t care if it wasn’t biological. She couldn’t just standby and not parent a child she cared for.

            “Well Mom, something else sort of happened too. It’s probably best you just saw it for yourself.” Peyton said as she reached into her purse and grabbed Twerp. As Peyton pulled her out she could feel the tiny woman shaking as she was freed from the clutches of the purse, and dropped onto the table in front of her Mother.

            “What in the world.” Sandra said as she eyed the small woman. “N-Nancy?” Sandra said in an astonished tone. Twerp backed away fearfully as she saw Douglas’s Ex-Wife now in giant form. She couldn’t even fully focus on her face she was so large.

            “Yeah, she had a little accident.” Peyton said

            “What do the doctors say? And your father? I’m surprised he would let you bring her out of the house.” Sandra said still unable to believe what she was seeing in front of her.

            “No one knows. I haven’t told Dad. I haven’t taken her to any doctors.” Peyton said as she looked down at Twerp.

            “You mean you’re just holding her hostage? Peyton Louise. I thought I raised you better than that. How could you treat another person like that?” Sandra chided much to Twerp’s surprise. She looked over at Peyton who she could tell wanted to say something, but new better.

            “Mom, I thought you would have wanted this. After, everything she did to you. All the pain she caused you. She was probably the reason you got sick.” Peyton argued.

            “Honey, she didn’t cause my cancer, and those aren’t your sins to bare.  Now,  I have a pot roast in the oven and some potatoes cooking so I hope you’re hungry. I ordered one of those cakes you like so much from Sally’s around the corner. Now be a dear and pick it up?” Sandra asked as she got up from the table, and checked on the meal.

            “Sure mom. Be right back”

“Leave Nancy here. It’s clear you can be responsible about this.” Sandra said as Peyton said grabbed her purse, and headed towards the door. Twerp looked back over at Sandra who was walking back towards her.

            “Sandra, I know we never saw eye to eye. You need to understand I never meant to hurt you. Thank you so much for freeing me from Peyton’s torment. Now if you could just call Douglas or even better an ambulance” Twerp said as She watched Peyton’s mother set down two large plates and begun setting the silverware.

            “Never saw eye to eye, you have no idea. Do you know what it’s like seeing you parade around with my husband? Having to pretend to Peyton that I’m okay with that.” Sandra said as she leaned over the table. Her eyes glaring at the tiny woman.

            “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. It just happened between Douglas and I. I never asked him to leave you. Please, I know it’s asking a lot. But if you could just help me get back.” Twerp said as she looked up at Sandra.

            “I don’t think so dear.  I have a feeling you will be spending your life making this up to me. What a nice gift, my Husbands cheating slut would be.” Sandra said as she reached down grabbing Twerp.

            “To tight, to tight” Twerp sputtered out.

            “You weigh nothing at all.” Sandra said as she walked over fridge. She pulled the freezer open, and tossed twerp inside.

            “Last time we were together you told me to chill out. I think this time it will be you who will need to chill.” Sandra said closing the freezer door. Twerp ran towards the door as it closed hoping to throw herself out the door, and hope for the best. However, her limbs couldn’t move quick enough as the door slammed shut.

            Twerp fell to the floor of the freezer. She could see giant bags of frozen corn and peas that sat in the freezer next to her. She was already feeling her body starting to give out at her new size she was just too vulnerable to the cold. Just room temperature air is now much too cold for her. Being stuck in a freezer is like being dropped in middle of arctic.

            The door swung back open and she could see Sandra beaming down at her. She grabbed the freezing woman who was breathing was labored. Twerp screamed as Sandra pulled her from the freezer by the arm Peyton’s hair had pulled from its socket. She set Twerp down on the floor, and stood back up to her full height.

            “Having you freeze to death just wouldn’t be satisfying enough. What you did, how badly you hurt me. I want to feel you expire. I want to see you pain and hurt in your eyes as I put you through all the pain you made me feel. All the emotional torment you made me suffer.” Sandra said as she lifted her foot up above the small woman.

            Twerp struggled to her feet, and begun to run just as twerp felt the air pressure of Sandra’s bare feet being forced to the ground. Twerp dove forward as Sandra’s bare foot slammed onto the tile floor of the kitchen. She rolls end over end as Sandra laughs manically.

            “I told you not to parent my daughter. I told you that she was my daughter, and you had no business disciplining her. It was the duty of Douglas, and myself. Yet time and time again you had to butt your nose in to parenting decisions you had no business being a part of.” Sandra yelled as she lifted her foot back up into the air as Twerp struggled to her feet.

            Sandra pushed her foot down roughly against Twerp. She rolled the woman end over end underneath her foot before finally dragging her down so her toes rested on her chest. Twerp coughed and hacked gasping for air as she looked up at the massive woman.

            “You will never Parent my daughter again. Parenting should be done by parents. Not by dirty little whores who go after sloppy seconds.” Sandra spat down at diminutive woman.

            Twerp coughed up blood as she felt her chest begin to give out. As Sandra prodded Twerp’s body with her foot. She grabbed her with two largest toes and gave her head squeeze as she scrunched her toes together. She watched Twerps face change colors before releasing her from her grip.

            Sandra grabbed a cigarette off the counter, and let it up. She took a few drags before crouching down over her shrunken nemesis. She exhaled the smoke onto Twerp causing her to cough and hack. The smoke cloud was much too dense for her. She couldn’t get enough air, and begun to feel her lungs burn.

            Twerp begun to panic as her body fought for air when the cloud of smoke began to dissipate. It was then she felt the burning embers of the cigarette drop down onto chest. She cried out in pain writhing on the floor as he embers burned her skin. The heat was much more severe to her. She could see her skin burning on contact as she rolled back and forth on the floor trying to get the embers off of her.

            “Please, im sorry.” Twerp said as Sandra looked coldly down at the tiny woman and pushed the lit cigarette into Twerps chest. She twisted and turned the cigarette back and forth several times before standing back up and leaving Twerp underneath her cigarette.

            As the cigarette continued to burn into her. Twerp started to each down for the giant burning stick that was stuck into her when she felt Sandra’s foot crash down on the top half of her body just above the cigarette. Sandra’s foot pinned Twerps arms against her body leaving the cigarette to burn deeper and deeper into her flesh.  Twerp could feel the air being forced from her lungs as Sandra continued to press harder and harder down onto twerp.

            “Mom I’m back. This cake is huge. You know it’s just us, right?” Peyton said opening the door. “Mom what are you doing?” Peyton asked as looked at her mom first before her eyes fell down onto the floor.

            Twerp felt her body giving out. She couldn’t feel her legs any longer. Her entire body felt like it was being poked with needles. She could feel the cigarette burning deeper and deeper into her. Twerp heard Peyton gasp.

            “Honey, I-I didn’t think you’d be home yet. Why don’t you go upstairs and wash up? We will be eating soon” Sandra said as she inched her foot over the small woman hoping her daughter hadn’t noticed. She didn’t want her to see the demise of this woman.

            “Mom, you’re hurting her.” Peyton said as she watched her mother lift her foot off Twerp. “Honey, I didn’t want you to have to see this. But, I know you’re old enough. I know you don’t feel any love for this woman. You told me all the time how she was ruining your life. How she ordered you around, made you do this and that.”

            “Peyton is my daughter too. I love her. I wasn’t going to just watch. I parented her because I love her, and care about her. If I didn’t parent her, it would be mean that I didn’t love her.” Twerp labored to say as she gasped for air.

            “Mom stop! Please!” Peyton said as Sandra lifted her foot off the woman. Peyton stepped forward and brushed the cigarette off of Twerp. Twerp then struggled to her feet. She could hardly believe Peyton was her savior. She pulled her way behind Peyton’s sneaker clad foot and cowered behind her heel as she looked up at Sandra in fear.  She knew that her intent was to kill her.

            “Honey, I-I just need a minute. Can you take pot roast and potatoes out of the oven?” Sandra said as she walked out of the kitchen towards and headed towards the bathroom. Peyton watched her mother disappear around the corner, and then turned around looked down at her step mother.

            “I really hate you, you know. This doesn’t change anything.” Peyton said defensively.

            “Of course not.”

            “You made me do all those chores. You wouldn’t give in like Mom and Dad. I hate that about you. I hate that you broke my parents up. I hate that you care so much.” Peyton said as she crossed her arms.

            “I just did this because you’re my pet now. I couldn’t have Mom killing you after I put in all that work.” Peyton said defensively as she bent down, and set Twerp down in the palm of her hand as she stood up.

            “I know this doesn’t change anything, but thank you. And I love you too.” Twerp said as she struggled to sit up.

            “Of course, you do. I’m your master. It’s only natural for a pet to love its owner.” Peyton said as she headed over to her purse. “Don’t let the fact that I busted you up to pet status go to your head. You’ll still be serving me, and doing my bidding.” Peyton added as she lowered Twerp to her purse, and zipped it up. Peyton then headed over to the oven and pulled the pot roast and potatoes out. As her mother returned she finished her helping set the table.

            “Honey, I’m sorry. All the pain and emotions she put me through just came flooding back. I just wanted vengeance so badly. You, more than anyone know what she put me through. How she hurt me. How she made me feel. She stole the second-best thing in my life from me.” Sandra said sadly as she hugged her daughter.

            “I know Mom. I’m making her pay for her sins. I’m making her live out her life as my pet. She’s living under my thumb. Killing her will only make you feel good in the moment. You need to look at the bigger picture. You have said so often that she stole Dad from you. Well now you can get him back. We can be a whole family again.”

            “Well, your father will need someone to console him, and a shoulder to cry on.” Sandra said as she started to buy into Peyton’s logic.

            “and I can nudge him along here and there.  You just need to not worry about the past anymore. Let me deal with Nancy, and you can focus on dad.” Peyton said as she looked over at her purse briefly.

            “I am sorry about, trying to kill her. You know that’s not me. I just –“ Sandra said before Peyton cut in.

            “I know mom. I don’t like her either. It’s just, I couldn’t stand there, and watch you do it. I thought I wanted that too at first.” Peyton said as she wiped a single tear from her eye before her cool icy calm persona fell back over her.

            “That’s your dad in you. It’s why you’re better a person than me.” Sandra said as Peyton looked back at her Purse.

“I don’t love her. I don’t. I don’t even care about her. She made my life hell.” Peyton said in a half-baked tone to herself. She shrugged off any further thoughts as the two ate lunch together. She then spent the rest of the afternoon together with her mother. It was evening before Peyton started to gather up her things.

            “You don’t need to go dear. You have a room here you can stay in.” Sandra said.

            “I have responsibilities Mom. I can’t. Avery’s at the house now, and she needs me. I wanted her to come with. But, you know how she is.

            “Of course, well this is your home too. The doors always open. Love you!”

            “Love you too mom.” Peyton said as she headed out the door, and walked down the hallway. She smiled, and then looked down at her purse. She grabbed her phone and texted Avery she was on her way back, before pulling up the Uber app and ordering her car. She then looked down into the purse.

            “Twerp, I want some gum.” Peyton said with a smile. As she dropped her phone into the purse.