The Twisted Ones

by Scott Cawthon

In August, Charlie and Aunt Jen had their first fight. They’d always been too distant to really argue. Charlie never felt the need to rebel, because Jen provided no real authority. And Jen never took anything Charlie did personally, never tried to stop her from doing anything, as long as she was safe. The day Charlie moved in with her at the age of seven, Aunt Jen had told her plainly that she was not a replacement for Charlie’s parents. By now, Charlie was old enough to understand that Jen had meant it as a gesture of respect, a way to reassure Charlie that her father wouldn’t be forgotten, that she would always be his child. But at the time it had seemed like an admonishment. Don’t expect parenting. Don’t expect love. And so Charlie hadn’t. Jen had never failed to care for Charlie. Charlie had never wanted for food or clothing, and Jen had taught her to cook, to take care of the house, to manage her money, and to fix her own car. You have to be independent, Charlie. You have to know how to take care of yourself. You have to be stronger than—she’d cut herself off, but Charlie knew how the sentence ended.