"Have a good time on your trip!" Amy called out to the departing shapes of the Spellings. The seventeen year old girl had had a time trying to get them to leave, so she was more than happy to see them go. God, they’d spent nearly half an hour laying down all the different quirks, rules and expectations for their little brats.
Amy had barely paid attention to any of it. She’d been babysitting since she was thirteen years old, and kids rarely gave her trouble. And when they did…she didn’t do much. Outside of allergies and other actually life-threatening conditions, none of the other stuff parents tried to foist on her really mattered.
And really, the kids were the last thing on her mind. The Spellings’ swanky little house was quite far from town, but it was also the perfect place to throw a party. All she had to do was serve the kids dinner early, put them to bed, and then she’d be able to go wild with her friends. One special one in particular…
She fired off a quick text to the group chat and climbed up the driveway towards the lavish, mansion-like sprawl of the Spellings’ house. It was incredible that they could afford this place, and even more incredible that no one else came up here. It was like they were afraid or something, but the family seemed nice enough. They’d even gotten their house all decorated for Christmas, bright red and green lights illuminating the purple dusk that had fallen over town.
Amy shivered, eager to get inside. This kind of cold was not good for her skin, like, at all. With a flick of the key, she opened the door and stepped into the brightly lit foyer. The walls were painted a gorgeous peach color, and everything in the place, from the wood paneling of the floor to the paintings on the wall screamed class. Brandon was gonna love this.
Just as she finished locking the door behind her, they appeared. The kids she was supposed to be taking care of for the weekend, while their parents spent their time relaxing on a beach somewhere. Probably in Florida. There were three of them (well, probably closer to two and a half, since toddlers hardly counted) : Olivia, Marnie, and baby Bobby. Olivia was eight years old and every bit a princess. She was really into all that girly stuff, dolls, dresses and all. Marnie was a bit more reserved and shy. And chubby. She liked her food! Bobby was…well, a toddler. He was currently hanging onto Olivia, his arms wrapped around her neck. So adorable.
“Hi Amy! You look so pretty today,” the blonde-haired little girl in the pink dress exclaimed. She looked positively ecstatic, way more than Amy had ever seen her. Marnie stepped forward, pressing her fingers together. The six year old had a serious problem with strangers, but Amy hoped she would at least listen to her. “A-are our parents gone?” She asked, almost hopeful. It was a bit odd, but Amy paid it no mind.
“They sure are! It’s just us for the weekend!” Amy said with her biggest, brightest smile. Bobby turned suddenly and blew a raspberry at her.
“Oooh, Bobby says you’re lyiiiing!” Olivia said, pointing a finger at the high-schooler. Marnie turned on her, too. “That’s not nice, Amy. That’s naughty!”
Amy held up her hands, surprised at the sudden change in their demeanors. “Wait, hold on. I just invited a few friends over to hang out. They’ll be here after you’re already asleep, I promise.” Regaining their trust was important, otherwise this weekend would be hellish.
“Okay. But you’d better be right. And…” Olivia said, trailing off. Her expression changed once more, this time from one of accusation to…mischief? Yeah, she looked like she was ready to get into trouble. Even Marnie seemed a little bolder. Amy furrowed her eyebrows.
“You guys…are you alright?”
Olivia ignored her and glanced over to her sister, who suddenly straightened up. Amy felt a chill run down her spine. Something was very, very wrong here.
“We’re good, Amy. But now that our parents are gone, we can finally have some fun! And we don’t really need a babysitter to do that. But maybe you and your friends can still hang out…and play.”
The way she said play…it was almost like a threat.
“Oh. Well, I’m sure they’d be down. But first, we gotta get you some dinner! No use going to bed on an empty tummy!”
“No,” Olivia said, crossing her arms.
“No?” Amy said, mirroring her pose. If these little brats wouldn’t play along, then she didn’t have to be nice, either.
“Absolutely not! We’re gonna stay up late, and there’s nothing you can do to stop us!”
Amy rolled her eyes. She didn’t have time for this. Her boyfriend and the others were on their way over. “Listen, Olivia, you have to--”
She shook her head. “We don’t have to do anything. Don’t you get it, dummy? We’re the ones in charge here!”
Amy just scoffed. “I’m nine years older than you! You’ve got a very funny idea about authority!”
Olivia grinned mischievously. “Nope.”
“Nope?”
“Nope, you’re not nine years older than me. As a matter of fact, I think you’re…littler than Marnie.”
Amy opened her mouth to refute her ridiculous claim, but as soon as she did she felt very, very strange. It was as if all the air was being sucked out of her, every piece of her shrinking and constricting in an altogether too rapid fashion. The wood paneling and peach walls grew higher and higher. The kids too grew bigger, until she was at eye level with Marnie…and then she had to look up to make eye contact. By the time the rushing sensation was gone, she felt weak and wobbly and…tiny. Something heavy was draped over her shoulders, something big and blue and…wait, that was the color of the sweater she’d been wearing.
“What--” she managed to squeak out before clapping her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. That wasn’t her voice. No, it was…but from a long, long time ago. A time she could barely remember.
“What just happened?!” she cried out, panic beginning to rise in her chest. This just didn’t happen. You didn’t just…get smaller. Or younger, judging from how tiny her hands, arms and legs were…from what she could see of them beneath her now oversized-sweater.
“Can’t you tell?” Olivia scoffed, as if it were all perfectly obvious. “I just made you five years old, little girl! Now you can’t boss us around!” The panic turned to terror. Amy didn’t know how, but she’d done it, she’d really made her into a little kid. And if the look in her eye was anything to go by, she wouldn’t stop there.
Before she could stop herself, she was running towards the door, nearly stumbling over her fallen pants and shoes in the process. Her heart pounded in her ears and she knew nothing except that she had to get out of here, get away from the ones who had done this to her--
“Stop!” Marnie commanded, and she did, freezing mid-step, still as a statue. “We can’t let you leave like this,” she said, pressing her index fingers together shyly. “You might reveal the secret.”
“W-what secret? How are you doing this?!” Amy cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Magic, duh! Mommy and Daddy are really important wizards! And we will be one day, too. But our magic isn’t strong enough to use outside of the house. But the house has sooo much magic that we can do anything we want in here! Isn’t it great?”
Amy really didn’t think so, but she didn’t want to make Olivia mad. She seemed to be the leader, and as unbelievable as all of this was, she kinda had to take her at her word if she wanted to return to normal. So she nodded.
Olivia clapped her hands together. “Oh, I’m so glad that you think so! We’re gonna have so much fun this weekend. Your friends, too!”
Oh no, she’d forgotten about them. They’d be here soon, and she had no way to warn them without her phone. Luckily, Olivia let her loose with a flick of the wrist. Amy’s chest heaved as she came down from the panic. They might have magic, but they were still kids…and so was she, now. But if she played this right, it wouldn’t even be an issue. She could have fun with this, right? But she had to make the right decisions, starting with how to respond to this whole deal.