If she didn't have a name tag and a clip board, Wendy would have thought she was a banshee. Mrs. Carnivera was a truly frightening woman. It's not that she was ugly, by some angles she was quite attractive, but all of her features combined created an altogether abstract and formidable person. Her black hair stuck out from her head as if she'd recently been electrocuted. Her fierce gray eyes swept slowly from side to side as if hunting for falsities, and they were at odds with her huge smile, which was anything but friendly. She wore a purple dress which revealed a bit too much, and her knee high boots were covered in some type of animal skin. A large pendant resembling a spider web hung from a chain around her neck.
"Please c-come in," Mrs. Nancy stammered. Mrs. Carnivera took two long strides into the house and turned in a slow circle.
"I suppose you're the owner of this shelter?" She asked with her back toward Mrs. Nancy.
"Y-yes, I am."
"How long have you been in operation?"
"Nearly six years."
"Who is the young lady?"
"That's m-my employee, Wendy Darling."
"How many are in your stewardship?"
"There are eight now."
"Hm."
Mrs. Carnivera stood silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. Wendy glanced over at Mrs. Nancy, wondering if they should say something. Finally, the intimidating woman turned to face them.
"The space seems adequate," she stated.
"Thank you," replied Mrs. Nancy meekly.
"Adequate, but not ideal."
This rebuke was followed by another long silence, during which Mrs. Carnivera made some laborious notes on her clipboard. She then strode into the kitchen so briskly they had to run to keep up with her.
"Where are your safety locks?" She demanded as she pulled open all of the drawers and cupboards. "What do you use to sanitize your dishes? Are the children on a nutritious diet?"
Mrs. Nancy started to tremble. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Wendy didn't blame her for being flustered. Mrs. Carnivera looked like a tornado tearing the kitchen apart. Plus, the woman was hard to understand. She had a tendency to start and end her sentences rapidly but slow down in the middle.
"Oh dear," Mrs. Nancy squeaked, "I believe I left the wash running upstairs." She excused herself and rushed out. Wendy sighed and Mrs. Carnivera turned to her, looking expectant. Wendy stood up straight and stepped forward. She refused to be afraid of this woman. Although, it was a bit easier for her. She didn't have as much to lose.
"We teach the children to be cautious and trust them to follow through, so we don't use safety locks, except for some hazardous materials kept in the wash room," Wendy explained. "The sanitizing supplies are above the sink," she continued, "and we follow all the dietary guidelines set forth by the city."
Mrs. Carnivera narrowed her eyes, and Wendy coolly returned the glare. After a subtle grunt, the woman scribbled some notes on her clip board, somehow keeping one eye on Wendy.
"Bring the children," she ordered brusquely.
Mrs. Nancy, who had apparently been listening just outside of the kitchen, immediately began calling the boys from their rooms. All eight boys ran into the kitchen and lined up in front of Mrs. Carnivera as if they'd practiced it. In fact, Wendy suspected that they had.
Mrs. Carnivera walked deliberately down the row of smiling boys, her expression growing more sour with each child she passed. Suddenly, she whipped around, hunched over and came face to face with Oliver.
"You," she spat, "do you feel that your needs are being met in this home?"
"No, I need more chocolate," Oliver replied, matching her intensity.
She wrote another note and turned to Duke. "Do you feel that your voice is heard here?"
Duke furrowed his brow for a moment, but then broke into a smile. "It's not when I talk like this," he whispered, "BUT IT IS WHEN I TALK LIKE THIS!" He shouted.
Wendy stifled a giggle. She knew things were not going well, but who would think to ask such questions of young children?
Undeterred, Mrs. Carnivera continued down the line. "Where do you go to school?" She asked Arthur, one of the boys that had come to them last week.
"I go to St. Joseph's down the street, but Trevor goes to the Ashbury School for the gifted," Arthur answered, peering at Trevor down the line.
The woman eagerly stepped past Zachary and Eugene to face Trevor. "Are there adequate materials and activities here to suit your interests?" She inquired.
Trevor scratched his nose. "I guess," he admitted. "I just wish we had more advanced computers to play with. When I take them apart, it's too easy to put them back together again."
Mrs. Carnivera stared at him. Who wouldn't? Not many five-year-olds could dismantle and reassemble a computer, and Trevor had done it multiple times. But the woman wasn't staring at him in awe. Wendy couldn't quite read her expression, but she looked almost hungry. After a few moments, Mrs. Carnivera turned her attention to Matthew.
"Do you receive adequate support and education here to excel in your studies?" She barked at him.
Matthew was so startled by her abrupt manner that he fell backwards. Wendy and Mrs. Nancy rushed to help him stand up again.
"Well, answer me, boy," Mrs. Carnivera demanded.
The lad was shaken, and his lower lip began to tremble. Wendy took his hand to try and soothe him, but Mrs. Carnivera swatted it away.
"Don't coddle him!" She yelled. "He's nearly a man, he can answer for himself."
Matthew looked miserable. He was trying valiantly not to cry, but seemed afraid to open his mouth. Suddenly, Wendy saw movement out of the corner of her eye, but by the time she realized what was happening, it was too late.
Nana had appeared at the door and Zachary, likely believing it to be the best course of action, had let her in. Nana immediately bounded over to Mrs. Carnivera, knocking the woman over in her excitement to welcome the stranger.
"Get it off me!" The woman screamed as Nana voraciously licked her face. Matthew tried feebly to remove the dog from Mrs. Carnivera, but Nana persisted. Arthur jumped in and grabbed Nana around the middle to haul her off, which resulted in the dog retching all over Mrs. Carnivera's face and hair. Now Mrs. Nancy sprang to action, running over to assist the cursing woman, but she slipped on the vomit. She tried to catch her fall by grabbing the oven handle, and the force of her grip ripped the door clean off, sending hastily stashed debris flying into the air.
The boys started laughing and dancing in the chaos and raining ash, and amidst their merriment and Nana's excited barking, Mrs. Carnivera voiced her extreme displeasure.
"This is the most horrid establishment I have ever encountered!" She screeched. "You will be reported and shut down by the end of the week!" Mrs. Nancy followed the soiled woman as she left, pleading for her to reconsider, but Mrs. Carnivera marched out and slammed the door in her face.