After putting her kids to sleep, she rolled the camera while bidding them goodnight. When she went to her room and waited, she saw nothing.
Was her plan known to the twins? Did this all turn out to be a joke? It was a mystery to her. In spite of this, her heart raced at the mere thought of it.
When Alice decided she’d raise her kids on her own, she only wanted to give them the best lives they could ask for. After her untimely separation from her husband, Alice was left with all the responsibilities that came with parenting.
Although she was ready for all that was barreling her way, she couldn’t have been prepared for what she caught her kids doing that night.
Alice met Mark, her kids’ dad, right after college. Although they’d been two peas in a pod, with a fiery romantic life that was everything Alice could have wanted, they’d soon separate after their third child.
The separation came because of several quarrels between the love birds. It was soon apparent that the end of their journey was upon them. But there was something they couldn’t deny.
Despite their love life floundering, Alice and Mark couldn’t ignore that their lives together had given them three of the best kids one could ask for.
Mark assured Alice that he’d always be in their kids’ lives, and although she didn’t like it, she knew she couldn’t deny him or them an opportunity to bond.
The separation saw Alice move with her kids to a new house in Oregon. She’d found work as a personal assistant and saw it as the perfect start to their new life. The family packed all their belongings and began their move.
Alice settled in one of the state’s small towns with her kids in tow. But although the move would be smooth, something that her kids were doing behind her back would threaten to break Alice apart.
Among Alice’s kids were two eight-year-old twins and a toddler. The twins, Kayla and Brian, were in middle school, while the last, Jean, was still too young for school.
To add to this, Jean had been diagnosed with leukemia, news that broke Alice at first but now made her ever-vigilant with her little angel. She had no idea what the twins were doing to Jean while she was usually away.
A typical day in Alice’s new life usually consisted of taking Kayla and Brian to school, Jean to the pediatrician and daycare, then going to work.
While she was at work, the twins would return home from school in the afternoon. A daycare worker would bring Jean over, and the two would watch over him until Alice came home. If only Alice knew what they were doing to her baby boy.
Alice first noticed something was afoot when she realized the twins rarely left each other’s side. Those two rarely got along, always fighting over the most mundane things.
Although Alice knew she should be thankful that they were finally getting along, she couldn’t ignore that they were always together, cooped up in their room, and talking in hushed tones well into the night.
The idea of Kayla and Brian hiding something from Alice gave her sleepless nights. She couldn’t pinpoint what they were doing, and the two bringing her little angel into their mischief only made matters worse.
Alice loved all her children equally, but with Jean’s condition, she was ever vigilant. She decided to install cameras in the house when she noticed they’d roped Jean into their activities.
Alice had always been extra tender when it came to her last born. The amount of cancer therapy Jean endured every week was heartbreaking, and she couldn’t bear to have him face any other pain in his young life.
When she noticed the twins sneaking around the house that week, whispering and giggling, she’d been happy that they were finally bonding. But then, the noises from their room at night raised her brow. What the cameras would reveal would wrench a cry from her.
Alice spent the night scouring the internet for the best security system to help her unravel this mystery. After hours of searching, she found the perfect one that was also in her price range.
She placed an order for the system with furrowed brows. Although she hated being moved to spy on her kids, she knew it was the only way forward.
Alice had considered asking Kayla and Brian what they were usually up to late at night instead of sleeping. But her paranoid mind had answered these questions, pushing her to assume the worst.
It all seemed to change when the twins started including their little brother in whatever activities kept them up at night. The paranoid momma was beside herself with worry. She would catch them in the act.
A few days later, Alice’s package arrived at her doorstep. As it was already evening, she sneaked the large box into her room and hid it in the closet.
She didn’t want her kids to know what was happening, and this element of surprise would give her the edge she desperately needed in this war of hidden secrets. It was on.
Alice considered installing the cameras while the kids were asleep, but this would be void as the twins rarely slept at night.
They were great at pretending to be asleep, given the number of times she’d tried to sneak in and catch them in the act. If she was to unveil what they were doing, there was only one way forward.
Alice waited until the following morning. She called her boss to ask if she could spend the day working from home as she had an emergency that demanded her presence at the house.
Her boss was a good woman. She agreed to Alice’s request, asking her to take as much time as needed. But this change wouldn’t interfere with Alice’s morning routine.
As she’d always done, Alice woke up early and started on breakfast. She packed the twins’ lunch and hurried to wake them up for school.
Afterward, she got Jean ready for his chemo check-up before they all converged at the table for breakfast. Alice drove the twins to school, then took Jean to the pediatrician before returning with him. Now she could proceed with the next part of her plan.
Alice set Jean in his playing crib and set out to install the cameras. The box came with an easy-enough-to-follow manual, and after an hour and a half, Alice had everything installed.
She had everything hooked onto her laptop and would be able to watch it all from the comfort of her room. Now all that was remaining was for the twins to come home.
The twins were surprised to find their mom home that afternoon. They found her in a happy mood, which was a relief as she’d seemed on edge for the past week.
She made them their favorite dinner and watched their favorite movie alongside them. Afterward, she took little Jean to sleep, gave them an extra hour of TV, and went into her room.
The twins always respected their mom. They loved everything she did for them and hated seeing her distressed.
Instead of watching TV, they tidied up the living room, taking their and Jean’s toys into their respective boxes and calling it a night. They would wake up as they always did hours after their mom turned off the lights. They had no clue that she was onto them.
Alice didn’t want her kids to think something was off. But she watched as they used the hour she’d given them to watch TV to tidy up the living room.
She couldn’t understand what was happening because the twins rarely cleaned after themselves like this. Had they noticed that she was nicer? Were they suspecting something?
The twins went to bed, and after a few minutes, Alice got up to turn off all the lights. She passed by their room to wish them a good night as she always did, asked them if they needed anything, and returned to bed.
But instead of sleeping, she pulled her laptop closer and turned on the camera feed again. Tonight would be a very long night.
The minutes began counting, the camera rolling as every second ticked. Alice lay in bed waiting, hoping to crack the case finally. But nothing happened. What games were her kids playing on her?
Alice couldn’t tell. And the prospect of it all made her heart race even faster. She didn’t know what to do if her kids hurt themselves or their little brother.
The night went by slower than usual. Alice had been up for almost three hours now with nothing compelling happening. She decided to throw in the towel and pulled her covers over her head.
But she hadn’t even gotten comfortable when she heard whispers from her kids’ room. She reached out for her laptop, ready to uncover what was happening.
The camera in the kid’s room was set to night vision, so Alice could see clearly, although the room was dim. In the darkness, she saw Kayla shake Brian awake.
They conversed for a few seconds before Brian sat up fully. Alice sat up, too, keenly observing everything unfold. The truth was about to be laid bare.
The twins continued their conversation, and Brian got out of bed, reaching into his bedside table for a flashlight. He turned it on, and Kayla, standing beside him, climbed onto his bed and reached up for one of his plastic toy swords.
Alice could see Brian complain, no doubt irked by his sister touching his most prized possessions. Kayla only grinned and hurried down, continuing their hushed conversation.
Alice’s brows drew close, she couldn’t hear what the twins were saying, and she felt like rushing out of bed to them. But then something happened that made her lips part.
Kayla took Brian’s hand and led him out of their room. Alice quickly switched the camera feed into the hall. The twins were going to the kitchen. Brian switched on the kitchen light, and the two disappeared.
Panic set in, and Alice set her laptop aside, ready to rush into the kitchen to see what her kids were doing. But as she threw herself off her bed, Kayla returned to the feed’s view.
Alice froze as her sight landed on what her daughter was holding in her tiny hand. Her heartbeat picked up. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
One of Jean’s milk bottles gleamed in Kayla’s hand. She stood in the kitchen’s light before Brian turned it off and lit the corridor with his flashlight.
Retaking his sister’s hand, he nodded at her and grabbed the toy sword so she could carry the milk bottle with both hands. What was going on here?
Brian led the way back to their room, but the two took a detour to Jean’s door and pushed it open. Alice quickly switched camera feeds, seeing as the twins gently shook Jean awake and gave him the bottle.
Alice couldn’t believe it. Her eyes grew wet, and her breath caught. She pushed her laptop aside, holding back her tears. But then something happened that made her speed out of bed to her kids’ room.
Kayla and Brian made sure Jean finished his bottle. They each kissed his forehead and whispered that they loved him very much. Alice rushed out of her room, finding the twins over Jean’s crib. They jumped back, startled. But she hugged them before they could start speaking.
“My beautiful kids,” she said mid-tears. “What’s happening here?” “We’re helping with Jean,” Kayla said. “We usually get his milk before he starts crying and wakes you,” her brother added. “Are you mad at us, mom?” “Never,” Alice said. “Not in a million years.” Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
