Durst and Faux.
These were the new names given to the children of Bernard and Malicia by Bella.
It was the same night that they were taken into this new home. .
Their parents had still not returned.
Bella did not allow them in the kitchen, so they had to sleep on the small couch that was in the front room.
Bella currently sat on the couch with the two children lying down on her lap while smiling.
"Ah... my sweet little boys... how could anyone think that you two were dead when you are right here in front of my eyes? They all must be hallucinating...maybe they're all just nuts..."
She patted and stroked the heads of the two sleeping children as if they were her new pets.
"Don't worry. Mama is going to protect you both from anyone who wants to harm you... sleep well my children..."
The following day, Durst and Faux woke up in the arms of Bella.
The younger one looked around for his parents.
"Mom and Dad still aren't back? When are they going to come back... did they leave us alone?", Faux asked with confused yet innocent eyes.
"Shh... you'll wake her up.... come with me...", Durst responded.
The older brother grabbed the younger one by the hand and took him over to the other side of the room, careful not to disturb Bella or wake her up.
In the corner on the opposite side of the room, the older brother began to lecture the younger one.
"Now listen.... I don't know where mom or dad went, but you know what I think? I think this has something to do with those elves..."
"Elves? Why? I just wanna see mom and dad..."
"Dad always said that if anything ever goes wrong, it's because of the elves... I overheard him talking to mom alot... he said that elves only know how to cause trouble... I think those elves did something to mom and dad...."
"You think they're dead?!"
"Shh... I don't know... but I'm scared of that woman... we need to stay away from her... we need to get out of here..."
"Where would we go? I'm scared... I don't wanna leave... not till mom and dad are back...."
"You have to be brave. We'll find mom and dad soon... but first we have to get out of here..."
The younger one bit his upper lip and wiped his eyes, and the two headed for the door.
When the older one reached up to grab the handle though, he found that it had been locked shut.
They were not able to escape.
As he tried to open the door, a shadow beamed from behind him.
"Durst... don't tell me you two were being bad boys and trying to leave mama...."
When he turned around, Bella was standing there with a disgusted frown on her face.
At that moment, he knew that he had made the wrong decision.
He should have never tried to escape this woman.
"If you're being a bad boy, then that's no good....no good at all.... bad boys need to be taught a lesson...."
Bella said this and she grabbed a wooden spoon from the pantry.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
The cheeks of Durst were purple, and his eye was black.
"Now then.... Faux.... you weren't being a bad boy as well, were you? Were you? Not you too?!? Hm???"
"I.... I wasn't!!! I told Durst that we shouldn't go!!! He was being a bad boy!!! Not me!!!"
Bella smiled on Faux.
"That's a good boy.... just stay right behind mama.... good boys get rewarded.... I suppose since you were the only bad boy, you need to be punished even more, Durst. Don't give your brother such a nasty look like that. After all, you were the one trying to get him to do bad things..."
Smack.
Smack.
Durst couldn't believe that he had been betrayed by his own little brother, even if it was out of the fear of punishment.
From behind the leg of the woman who was beating him, Faux had a face that said 'I'm sorry, brother...'
'Where are mom and dad... they wouldn't let this woman beat me like this if they were here....'
----
The evening of that same day, the antiheroes had finished the creation of the new dungeon/kitchen facility underneath the central building, and had used fast travel to arrive at the farmhouse.
Trevor had run a number of simulations through his head, however at the end of the day he was unsure what the best method would be to convince an insane woman to do something.
'Using her children as hostages would be an absolute no go. Rather, I should use them as leverage... I should promote their well being, and give her the opportunity to spend as much time with them as she wants without having to leave their side... I've told Samantha to but in if something inside her mind goes outside my predictions, so we should be able to adapt to the scenario...'
Even with someone who could read minds, he was nervous. This was the first time Trevor had been legitimately nervous about a presentation in a long time. As much confidence as he had in himself, all of his confidence sprouted from the assumption that people would act rationally.
He was a businessman who was able to understand people and the way they reacted to different stimulus, however this did not account for insanity. While he could predict the actions of the insane to a certain extend based on their known tendencies, this threw a variable of unpredictability into the mix.
"Ah well... I suppose this is another task as a businessman.... to explore the unknown... to understand and respond to all different types of people, and present them with things they want in order to get them to do what you want in mutual exchange and benefit."
The four knocked on the door, and once again Bella answered the door with a delighted face.
"AH! Your four! Welcome to my house again!!! Please, please come in!! Please, have a seat!!! Please, allow me to fix a meal for you!!! What brings you here so soon!?"
Bella rushed the four in while ensuring to lock the door behind them.
Trevor felt like fixing his tie, only to realize that he was not wearing one. It was certainly a change of pace.
"I'll have as much food as you can make. The last dish was very tasty...", Ashley mumbled, sinisterly.
"Ah, of course!!! Durst, Faux! We have company, please entertain our guests while I am cooking for them!!! Ya'll better be good boys while I am cookin, ya hear!"
Bella was certainly much brighter than the other day.
Had kidnapping these children relieved her of some of her insanity? Or perhaps it had made her even more insane?
She quickly shut the door to the kitchen as the two children sat at the table with the four.
They were left alone. The older one seemed to be bruised, and both of the children were scared out of their wits and on the verge of tears.
"H-help us.... please help us.... mom and dad are gone.... I don't know who that woman is, but she hurt my big brother... she keeps calling us Faux and Durst... I don't know what's happening... please help us....", the younger one cried quietly while looking at the four.
The older brother was looking at the four suspiciously, but he swallowed his pride and asked for assistance as well.
"P- please help us. Do you know where our parents are?", he asked.
Ashley smiled ferociously and deviously as she heard those words come out of the mouths of the two snot nosed brats who had called her ugly before.
"Oh? And why exactly should we help little shits like you? Don't you remember insulting me before? Do you think we would forget so easily?"
Trevor begun using his [All Knowing] skill to determine the exact location and actions that Bella was performing in the other room. It would be trouble if she came out during this conversation.
Ashley made her way over to the children, and put her arms on their shoulders.
"Well? Don't you think you both owe me an apology? I think you both meant to say that I am actually beautiful, right? RIGHT?"
Ashley's hair was standing on end now as if she had electricity flowing through her body. This was of course because of the excessive mana contained within her, combined with her inner anger and rage towards the children.
"I- I'm sorry miss!"
"You're very beautiful!"
"That's more like it... however such a shame... you two are only saying that because you're scared, no? You wouldn't be saying that if our situations were switched."
"I- I knew it.... you elves are all evil... all you care about is ruining things...all the elves father ever met were criminals, liars and cheaters.... I overheard his conversations with our mother... you all were the cause of this, right!? You are the reason our parents are gone, right?!"
The older brother was looking at Trevor as he said this.
Trevor put his hand on his face.
"Hah hah... that's certainly an interesting perspective you have, however allow me to let you in on a little secret... I have never met an elf in my life, so I have no idea what elves are like. If they're liars, cheaters, criminals... I have not a clue."
"What are you talking about? You are an elf yourself! All of you are!"
While he was surprised, the older brother kept his cries to a whisper level to avoid alerting Bella.
"Oh, I am the only elf here... that much is true... however, I was not raised among elves."
"What?"
Samantha momentarily undid the illusion magic.
"Liars... cheaters... criminals... those words describe us well.... however, we are not a group of elves..... no, if we were just elves then perhaps you all would have been saved from such a horrible fate.", Garett stated.
"How unfortunate for you. We happen to be not elves, but a group of demons."
The brothers were frozen stiff, and as the older one slowly turned his head, he saw the terrifying spirit who was holding onto his shoulder. Her eyes were baggy as if she was extremely tired, and her hair was flaying back and forth in all directions.
She wrapped her spiritual arms around the children's necks so that they were locked inside her elbows.
"We have no intention of saving you kids... you need to rethink your lifestyles... but don't worry. You will have plenty of time to reflect from now on...."
Ashley slithered back into her seat, leaving the two children completely unable to speak.
'I wanna go home...'
'Demons.... demons.... demons... help... help... anybody... help!!!!'
Samantha smiled at the two children sweetly as their thoughts came full of despair.
----
Bella came back into the room a few minutes later, and Trevor put a finger to his mouth to tell the children to be quiet.
They shut their mouths and Bella came in with a steaming hot plate of all sorts of delicacies.
"Tongue... liver... spleen... I made you a whole lot of goodies from those juicy cows I butchered last night! Don't worry though, I kept em fresh with salt!"
The four dug into the meats ravenously. It was so different and yet so similar to things they had eaten before.
"Buuurpp...."
"Thank you for the meal."
"As always it was of high quality."
"Mhm."
Bella smiled at the praise the antiheroes gave her.
"Ah, you all look just a little different from the last time I saw you... I can't quite put my finger on it.... is that a new hairstyle?", Bella asked Ashley.
"Ah, yes... something like that..."
"And you... did you do something to your skin? It looks so smooth!", she asked Samantha while pointing to her veiny blue skin.
"Is that so? Well... of course, I always look good..."
Bella hugged her two children before sitting them on her lap.
"So why have you four come here today? If it was just to have a taste of my cooking, then I would be delighted... or perhaps you all wanted to see my adorable children again? They really are good boys.... even if they are a bit mischievous, and even if I have to discipline them here and there... I'm certain they will grow up to be fine men...."
"I couldn't agree more. You have two wonderful sons, and you are doing such an amazing job raising them as a mother...", Trevor replied.
"Do you really think so? Ah... that makes me so happy... finally somebody understands... finally somebody else sees these two...."
'I wish my husband would come back so that I could just spend all my time taking care of these two.... sigh....'
Samantha perked up.
"Miss, you would do anything if it were best for your sons... right?"
"Of course... as long as I can be with them as they grow up to become fine men.... I would do anything for them....", she said while smiling psychotically and squeezing them closer to her, to the point of almost choking them.
"What if we gave you a place to work.... a place to spend all day with your sons.... we would provide you with all the livestock you could need, and in exchange you would work as the new chef for us. Your children wouldn't need to go anywhere to work, and you could keep them by your sides at all times..."
"Ah.... that would be wonderful... spending all day with my sons.... not having to go out and do farmwork all day.... yes.... would y'all be so generous as to do that for me?"
Trevor pushed up his glasses.
"Of course. So long as you produce meals out of the crops and food we provide you with. Will you do it?"
"I will."
"Excellent."
"Did you hear that boys?! Mama gets to spend all day with you... I can teach you two how to cook as well! We can spend all day cooking together.... hehehee.... HAHAHA!!!!"
The woman was now laughing hysterically and the boys were scared out of their wits, begging the antiheroes with their eyes to spare them of this fate, however Ashley and Garett merely grinned condescendingly while Samantha smiled sweetly at the two children. Trevor was looking up at the ceiling with happiness at having succeeded in this deal.
'Ah.... the ceiling is such a different color from the walls and the floor.... what am I thinking at a time like this? It's time to get to work.'