Twisted

"Hello, everyone! It's Mike!"

"And Sandra!"

"Welcome back to our YooTube channel!'' The couple cheered together in front of the recording camera.

"As all of you might have heard, the most famous YouTuber and philanthropist Mr. Yeast has just released a brand new Chocolate bar!" Mike said in his bold and brisk voice, partially covering the chocolate bar's cover from view.

"Yes, now we have our little angel Leo giving it a try!!" Sandra turned toward a rather troubled-looking nine-year-old between them.

"Come on, smile and say hello," Sandra hissed.

"But, Ma'am, my stomach hurts badly," Leon hunched, clenching onto his abdomen, his face filled with pain.

"Here, drink some water," Sandra handed him a water bottle.

Just when Leon was about to drink it, the water bottle dropped as Mike hit him in the head.

"You piece of shit, can't you do a single thing properly?? It's been five fucking takes already! What the fuck are you thinking?!" Mike snarled, violently spanking Leon's head once again.

Leon started crying, rubbing his head, "I'm sorry, sir, but my stomach really hurts."

"Mike, stop it, will you?? I already tried covering his dark circles with the concealer! Now it's all ruined!" Sandra snapped at her beloved husband.

"Whatever, let's go again, and if you don't act properly this time, no food for you tonight!" he snarled, turning to sobbing Leon.

Leon quickly wiped his tears, nodding in agreement.

"Now smile, come on, smile a bit more," Sandra wiped his face with a towel. "Now, remember it's Dad and Mom, not sir and ma'am, got it?"

Leon nodded, putting on a fake smile, and turning toward the camera.

"Let's go," Mike retorted. "Hello, everyone, it's Mike!"

"And Sandra!" she said, popping her head in the frame, smiling like nothing happened.

"Here we have," the couple cheered together, pointing at Leon between them.

"LEON!" Leon yelled cheerfully, both of his hands in the air.

After the process went well, Leon was not forbidden to eat dinner.

"We reached 100k already?!" Sandra exclaimed. "It's all because of this lucky bastard!"

Leon heard them talk, 'Lucky?'

"Let's order Pizza! Double cheese for me!" Sandra told her husband.

"Alright, Pineapple for me!" Mike said cheerfully.

"Gross, Mike, stop fooling! I know you'd die for a marshmallow one!" she mocked.

"Haha, you bet!" Mike chuckled.

Leon felt far apart in this little family talk; he always wanted to get involved and tell them he doesn't like pizzas.

"Ma'am..." Leon blurted out hesitantly.

All the chuckles faded out as he entered, he didn't like that. His so-called father turned his head away from him as Sandra looked at him annoyingly, "Yes, what is it?"

"I... My tummy hurts if I eat Pizza," he said finally, a heavy bulb of anxiety building up inside him.

"Guess there's no dinner for you then," she said curtly.

"Wait... No, I'll eat it," Leon added, giving up. He felt that eating something that didn't go well with his body was better than being hungry. He hadn't eaten anything at all since the morning.

"Sure, I'll buy you double cheese," she smiled avidly, her toxic attitude hidden beneath it.

"Okay."

A while after dinner, Leon violently threw up in his bathroom, his stomach wincing in pain. He ran downstairs, panicking, to his adoptive parents.

"Ma'am, I --" Before he could finish, another wave of nausea hit him, causing him to throw up on the rug.

His body shivered as he looked at the pool of vomit, and he broke down crying while trying to clean it with his bare hands, "I will clean it, I will clean it!"

"What the fuck?!" Sandra yelled.

"God, this is so frustrating!" Mike covered his face.

"You son of a Bitch! Move away, you disgusting piece of shit! Go back to your room!" Sandra yelled, as Leon obeyed her command and ran upstairs.

Washing his face and hands, he changed into fresh clothes, curling up on his comfortable bed. His room was filled with all kinds of toys and posters, including a four-poster bed that imitated a race car, something any kid would give anything to have. But to him, his orphanage felt better than this golden cage he was trapped in.

"Leon, honey?" Sandra walked into Leon's room and found him cramped up on his bed.

Leon pretended to sleep, tightly closing his eyes, though it was very obvious to her that he wasn't sleeping.

"Look at you, don't be like that, come on, sit up," she said, her tone now sweet and warm.

Leon slowly sat up, somewhat expecting this. Each time he'd get beaten up or shouted at, she'd come and console him. This made Leon feel like what was happening wasn't wrong at all because she cared for him.

"I was mad because that rug was new, you know that, right? Mama loves you, Leon," she said, patting his hair.

Leon listened to her in silence, avoiding eye contact.

"I... I'm sorry," he blurted out. He didn't want to be a bad kid.

"I know, it's okay, Leon. Don't cry much. This is how family works; Dad and Mom do this because we love you and care for you! Look at all those kids on the streets because their parents didn't raise them well; they ended up like that. But you'll be fine, Leon. You're with us. Look at your room and the toys. You didn't have all this back in the orphanage. We gave it to you. You should be grateful, alright?" she said, trying to sound sane, but the truth was she wasn't.

"Yes..." Leon nodded, his heart sinking. He had always wanted a family so badly, but he was having second thoughts.

"Now, look at me. Don't call me ma'am, alright? You can call us Mom and Dad, okay?" she said, pulling Leon's face up.

"Okay."

A thin smile crept across Sandra's face as she handed Leon flavored milk. "Here, drink this. It's good for an upset stomach."

"Thanks... Mom," Leon felt happy, receiving the slightest of attention and getting to call Sandra "Mom." He felt like all the suffering he endured that day, and every day before that, vanished quickly.