The Stepmonster

by JW JAMES

            Julia never liked children.  Even when she was a child herself, she hated her playmates.  Growing up in an orphanage didn't help matters either.  Being in and out of foster homes, where the foster parents had kids of their own, always made for trouble and resulted in Julia being sent back.
         Her first husband, Mark had made the mistake of trying to force the issue with her, saying he wanted a normal life with children of his own.  It proved to be his last mistake.  Three days after their heated argument, Mark's car mysteriously lost its brakes and tumbled over a steep cliff.  He died in the explosion.
         Richard, her second husband was a grieving widower.  His wife had lost her long battle with cancer and left him stricken with grief.  It was even harder on his kids, Rich and Beckie.
         Julia and Richard met at a New Years Eve party.  When he first saw her, he was awestruck by her beauty, even more awestruck that she was flirting with him.  After all, she was there as the date of one of his coworkers.  Excusing himself, giving the old headache excuse, he headed to the parking lot. To his surprise, Julia followed.  Without much conversation, they rented a hotel room and started their torrid relationship with a bang,
         After four months, they married.  Julia wasn't at all keen on the idea of Richard's kids. But they were his kids and she figured she'd put up with them.  It didn't take long for them to get under her skin.
         Like most kids that have lost a parent, they hated their new stepmom at first sight, each trying to cause trouble whenever she was around, especially Beckie.  One evening after dinner, Rich coaxed Julia into an argument.  He got mad and shouted at her.  "You're not my mom," he screamed, hoping to get her and his dad fighting.  But it didn't work.  Richard slapped him, surprising him, then sent him to his room.  With a huff, Beckie followed.
         "I'm sorry about that, honey," Richard told Julia, his face red with embarrassment.
         "It's okay, Richard," she said, a slight smile on her lips.  "They just need more time to get used to me. Everything will be fine."
     The months wore on, and although the house never really showed any signs of the turmoil within, it was still there.  The kids hated Julia more everyday, but that delighted her.  The thought that they would actually love her someday, disgusted her.  She especially loved it when Richard would punish them, more even when he'd slap them.  Never once did he take their side of a story.  In his eyes, Julia was always right. That pleased her tremendously.
            Just before Halloween, Richard's boss told him he had to go on a trip to New York.  A very important client was having some legal difficulties and they felt he was the best man to sort it out.  He felt a bit uncertain as to how his wife would feel about being left alone with the kids for two days, but swallowed his anxiety and told her what was going on.  

    "Wonderful," she told him, her smile catching him by surprise.  "I've truly wanted to have some time alone with them.  It'll give us a chance to bond."
         Without further worry, Richard left for New York.  As soon as he was gone, Julia plotted her strategy. She knew just what the kids needed and set off for the mall.
         Later that afternoon, the kids came home from school and found that Julia was out.  At least they thought she was. "I didn't see her upstairs," said Rich, holding a large package in his hand.  "But look what I found on my bed.  Dad must've left it before he left."
        "Is that the stupid game with the VR glasses and the headphones," Beckie asked, turning her attention to the fridge.
        "Yup," he said, reading the attached note.  "Hey, it's from Julia."
        "So the bitch thinks she can buy us off now?  Well that might work with you, but not me. I'll never like her--not as long as I live."
         "Well, it doesn't matter who bought it," he smiled. "I'm going upstairs to play it now."
         In the fridge, Beckie saw a large strawberry cheesecake.  Next to it stood a bottle of chocolate milk.  Everyone who knew her, knew that she couldn't resist that combination.  Without hesitating, she cut a big slice, poured a glass of milk, and headed into the living room.  Watching all of this via nannycam in the attic, Julia shuddered with excitement.  Her plan was working just right.
         She waited about an hour, then started putting phase two of her plan into action.  Moving quietly, she headed past Rich's room. As she had expected, he had his fat little body parked in front of the computer, VR gear in place.  Continuing on, she came to Beckie's room.  Slipping in, she took notice that the sedatives she'd put in the chocolate milk had worked well.  She stood there for a moment, letting her contempt for the girl build. Then, taking a small plastic bag from her jeans pocket, she slipped it over Beckie's head.  Using a pillow, she finished the job.  With such a high dosage of drugs in her system, Beckie didn't even struggle.
         Rich was another story.  Her hatred for him went straight to the core of her bones.  She had often heard him, late at night in the throes of self-induced pleasure.  Knowing how he often looked at her, and the times of his little forays, usually after one of hers and Richard's noisy pillow romps, she'd figured out that the little brat was thinking of her at those times.  The thought made her want to take a shower but she went to her bedroom instead.
         Choosing one of her husband's expensive putting irons from their closet, she headed back to Rich's room.  As she entered, she could hear that he had the volume way up on his headphones.  She didn't have to worry that he would hear her coming.
         With a powerful swing, she struck him upside the head, knocking him out of the chair and across the room.  He shrieked, the sound reminding her of a mouse caught in a trap.  "What the hell are you doing?" he cried, his hand going to the bloodied side of his head.  "What did I do?  Are you crazy?"
         She moved quickly, deciding not to answer him as she struck his chest with another powerful blow.  He tried desperately to back away but she had him cornered.  With one more blow, she drove the edge of the club into his skull.  He hit the floor like a wet towel. There was no doubt in her mind that he was dead.
         Looking at the gruesome corpse, she suddenly realized that she'd made no plans to dispose of the bodies.  Then an idea came to her.  She knew exactly what to do.........
         Richard returned home late the next night, the signs of sleepiness in his eyes.  As he entered, Julia rushed out of the living room, her open robe showing off her sexy little teddy.  "Kids asleep?" he asked, his eyes on her nearly naked body.
         "They're asleep all right ," she said, grinning.  "And we have the house all to ourselves."
         "Does this mean I'm getting really lucky tonight?" he asked, pulling her close and kissing her hard on the lips.
         "Only after you've eaten," she said, a glimmer in her sultry eyes.  "I made you an old family recipe."
         "Really?"
         She smiled. "Your kids were just dying to get into it."

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