Private/Closed Fairly OddParents: Magic Mania

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope glanced at him innocently, blinking confusedly. "What free time? Does everyone have free time?" she asked.

...yeah, Hope needed help. Big time.

Maybe she was needed, after all, Crystal thought, smiling to herself.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Oh...well, not everyone, no..." Ted replied, now feeling bad he brought that up. He then glanced down at Crystal before his eye trailed up to Hope. "Well, I guess what I meant was, what are your favorite hobbies?" Hopefully, she could answer this question in a more cheery way. "Sports, maybe? Art and Music?"

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope thought about it for a moment. "I guess I like to doodle sometimes in class, but I never really have the time to do much. Sometimes I hum at home, but every time, my parents tell me to shut up, so I had to do it all in my head. And this one time, I tried to write a really cool story, but then I realized that it was a waste of time because I had too much homework to do. I wanna do fun stuff, but I never have the time to," she said matter-of-factly. This must've been the norm for her. What a terrible norm to have!

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Oh..." Ted said, looking down to the floor. "I...I see." He sighed as he tried to think of something positive to think of. "And I thought living with an evil stepbrother was bad..." he muttered. He then took out his notebook and drew a familiar pattern. "So...wanna play a little tic tac toe to pass the time?" he asked.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

"Sure!" Hope exclaimed. "So... how do I play?"

Crystal realized that Hope really needed some help. She hadn't even tasted chocolate before she came along! Maybe even with a friend, Hope could still have a fairy godmother and everything would be good.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Well, put simply, you place an X or O in a tile you want to claim." Ted explained, making an X in the upper right corner. "Like that. Then it's the other player's turn. Your goal is to get three tiles in a row before your opponent, either vertically, horizontally, or diagonaly." He then gave Hope the pen and waited for her to make her move.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope furrowed her eyebrows. "Um... like this?" she asked, placing an O in the middle.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Yep. Exactly." Ted said, nodding his head. "Simple, right?" He then placed an X in the upper left corner. "You can also block an opponent to prevent them from completing their row." he added. He put the pen down and watched as they turned onto another street. "So, I told you I have a stepbrother, but what about you? Do you have any siblings?"

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope nodded. "Yeah, an older brother and two twin sisters, but they don't really pay attention to me. Usually, everyone just does chores and goes back to their rooms." Thinking about it, Hope added, "Come to think of it, I don't even think I know them that well. Tyler's always stuck in his room while Mary and Farrin always play with their friends. Actually, I guess they don't really do chores, so that leaves me with everything. Huh. No wonder I'm such a wet blanket," Hope realized.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Miss Heartman, we're at your house." The bus driver called out over the chattering children.

Ted looked out the window, and saw the numbers on the house. The second he realized the address, his face turned pale. Oh no...no no no...no no no no no no-! He thought. He had seen it before, that address. Just last night, his older stepbrother had written down that same address after getting a call to babysit. It was what he had feared: In just a few hours, Leo would be at this house.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope stood up with her backpack and waved to Ted. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" Hope exclaimed, beaming. With that, she left off of the bus. When she entered her house, her mother, father, and siblings were all standing in the kitchen, talking.

Hope wondered what the big deal was, so she walked over to them. "Um, hi guys, what's up?"

Hope's mother ignored her presence, continuing to talk to her father, who did the same. Tyler turned to Hope. "We're going out to a restaurant," he told Hope.

Hope gasped excitedly. "Wait, we are?!"

"Not you," Tyler snarled, making Hope flinch. "When I say 'we,' I mean the five of us."

Hope whimpered. "F-five...?"

"Yep. You're getting a babysitter."

"But the twins are younger than me--"

"And we don't trust them with the babysitter. So you'll be alone," Tyler said. "Now go to your room."

Hope slumped and left to her room.

Crystal poofed into her normal self and hugged Hope. "I'm sorry... But you've got me now, right? And besides, that nice boy, Ted, became your friend today! It's not the worst day in the world!"

Hope shrugged. "Maybe, but it's still disheartening when your whole family shuns you and leaves you with a babysitter. Haven't you heard? Babysitters are evil!"

Crystal crossed her arms. "Oh, they can't be that bad--"

"They are! I saw this one boy with a babysitter who wanted to play video games and instead the babysitter stuffed him into a laundry machine until he'd stop crying! He never did!" Hope insisted.

Crystal couldn't argue with that, though she wondered if Hope made that up if she knew that the boy never stopped crying. Or how long she was watching the boy.

And then there was Vicky, the notorious babysitter famous for torturing Timmy Turner. She was part of the reason Timmy now lived in Fairy World.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"I'm glad you listened to me, Teddy." Leo chuckled, "It makes my job as your big brother so much easier, not to mention cleaner, when you cooperate." Ted said nothing. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as he stared blankly at the game before them. "Oh...ignoring me, are you? You think that if you pretend I'm not here, I'll just go away?" Still no response. Leo's usual dominating smile quickly turned into a look of annoyance as he slammed his fist onto the table, making Ted jump. "Listen to me when I'm talking to you." he snarled. Ted didn't look up at Leo, but nodded to show he was listening. "Good. Now let's go. It's time to head over to the house. And remember, You are beneath me, and thus, should serve me accordingly." He stood up from the armchair and made his way to the door as Ted realized something. Clenching his hand into a fist, a determined look came over his eye.

"Lux." He said as he took out his touch screen device. "Jack into your drone and meet me at the address I'm entering into your databanks." As he commanded this, he punched in Hope's address. Then, before leaving, he moved his bishop, guarding his king. Maybe you are better than me, Leo... He thought, But I've got a few tricks of my own.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at Hope's house's front door. Standing there on the doorstep was Leo, with a stone cold smile on his face, and behind him, an uncertain and timid (but secretly determined) Ted.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope sighed. "I wish you were my cat again," she told Crystal, who obliged and turned into a light blue siamese cat before Hope ran down the stairs and answered the door. She gasped when she noticed Ted. "T-Ted?!" she exclaimed. She glanced up at the man in front of him. "A-are you my babysitter, sir?"

"Oh good, he's here!" Hope's dad exclaimed, handing Leo a wad of money. "Now please, do be gentle, this is Hope's first time with a babysitter," he told Leo.

Hope couldn't believe her eyes. She would've run straight to her room, but she needed to be polite to the babysitter. Maybe Crystal was right. She hoped to all hopes that this babysitter wasn't evil.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"But of course, Mr. Heartman. I promise you I'll look after her as well as I do Teddy here." He said as he accepted the money, gesturing to his younger stepbrother. "Speaking of, our parents are out of town for the week, so I had to bring him along. I hope that's not an inconvenience."

"Stop calling me Teddy..." Ted grumbled under his breath. He then looked over to Hope. "H-hey..."

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Mr. Heartman nodded. "That's fine," he said, turning to his family. "Well, kids, let's go."

The Heartman family left, with Hope standing in shock at the two brothers.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Ted.

Crystal watched Hope with wide eyes. She needed to have her wand ready.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"I didn't know until it was too late." Ted replied, sighing. He then felt Leo's foot nudge his back and walked into the house, The teenager closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry."

"Ah, so you two are acquainted. Good! I'm sure you'll be good friends." Leo said, though while his tone seemed cheerful, the look on his face gave Ted a chill. "Now then, how about we go over some house rules. He pulled a duffel bag from seemingly out of nowhere. "Please take a seat on the sofa, you two, and I'll begin." As Ted slouched over to the couch, he set up a stand and large stack of wooden boards.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope nodded silently and sat on the couch, pressing her arms to herself and refusing to look up. She couldn't believe what was happening now. What did he have in that duffel bag!? A ball and chain? A spiked collar to hung Hope up? Some other sort of torture device that Hope couldn't think of?

Crystal noticed that Hope was nervous, so she came down and nudged Hope's leg, asking for permission to sit in her lap. Hope nodded to her and Crystal jumped onto the couch, curling up in Hope's lap, purring to soothe her. Hope stroked Crystal.

(Did you know cats are actually very good stress relievers? It's been scientifically proven that they help relieve stress. That's why I had Crystal do that.)

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Now then, kiddies, let's go over some house rules." Leo began, setting a board on the stand. "First of all, Dinner will be served at 7:00 every night I'm left in charge. If you don't arrive in time, you don't eat. You will address me as 'Mr. Harrison' or 'Sir'. Address me as anything else...and I'll break you." He suddenly swung his fist back at blinding speed, reducing the first board to a pile of splinters. "Curfew is at 9:00 P.M. After that time, I don't want to hear a peep. If you do, I'll snap you like a twig." He shattered the second board, and once more set up a new one. "Oh, and one more thing. I will allow any kind of activities before curfew, but anything too reckless or dangerous...well, you already know." His fist crashed through the third board and split the back of the stand. "As for chores, you will have Ted assisting you with one while I deal with another. Defy the chore you are given, and I'll bust you over my knee." He then swung his leg, smashing what was left of the stand to pieces. "Are we clear?"

Ted had seen this presentation before. But every time, it always gave him a chill.

"But don't worry," Leo continued, "I am a just and fair ruler. Obey my rules, and you'll be spared the agonizing pain I can bring you. Disobey..." He leaned into Hope's face with wild eyes and a grin that could turn Francis to stone. "And you'll WISH your parents hire Vicky for your next babysitter. Capiche?"

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope flinched, whimpering and nodding her head violently. Crystal hissed at Ted angrily, but Hope hugged her tightly. "Don't, it's fine..." she consoled her cat. Crystal relaxed, but only for Hope.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Good." Leo said, chuckling darkly. "Now, run along, you two. Oh! And make sure to finish up your homework before bedtime." He then took the newspaper from the coffee table and started reading. "Ugh, I understand the United Nations is still trying to solve things with North Korea peacefully, but the sanctions aren't working. Maybe an alternate peaceful route will benefit a bit more..." he muttered under his breath as Ted looked over to Hope.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope stood up, which caused Crystal to jump down to the floor. "Let's go to my room," she told Ted. "We can do homework there. You've got it with you, right?" she asked.

Crystal turned to glance at Leo. Sure, he was intimidating, and his rules might've been strict, but they weren't that bad. Vicky was still babysitting now, and she was a terrible nightmare. Crystal was honestly surprised that she was never caught and sent to jail. In any case, she had to stick by Hope. She was her godchild now and Crystal had to protect her and make sure she was okay.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Yeah, sure. Lead the way." He replied, picking up his backpack from the front door. He glanced nervously at Leo as they went out of sight. "Listen, this might not be too much of a surprise, but don't trust him. He has ways of luring you into thinking how he wants you to." He warned quietly. "He's just warming up, making sure you know who's in charge. It's one of his ways of taking control."

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope sighed. "Babysitters are evil..." she muttered, opening the door to her room. Crystal eagerly trotted in, curling up on Hope's bed and watching her as she set her stuff down on her desk, sitting at a chair and preparing to do homework.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Well, I hear there are a few good ones out there, but sadly not near Dimmsdale..." Ted agreed as he took out his supplies and looked over the first question of his math homework. "Huh, looks like Crocker gave us a bonus question. Even said he'd raise up our grade for today if we answer it correctly. Pretty generous of him, all things considered." He then started from the top-right of the page; a small habit of his. Okay, If I take this value here and eliminate that first, it should make this one a bit easier... he thought to himself.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope opened up her homework and sighed, doing the math little by little. She knew her math, but she was no wiz at it. Out of frustration, she groaned. "I wish we didn't have to do this!" she exclaimed.

Then she gasped quickly, realizing what had just happened.

Crystal did, too. Even though she knew Hope didn't mean it, Hope had wished it and the wish had to be granted. So Crystal waved her wand and cast a worried look at Hope, who in turn, glanced back at her with wide eyes, looking as though she'd been caught by Leo sneaking off with a small piece of candy.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

Ted could've sworn he heard something, but when he turned around there was nothing out of the ordinary. Turning back to his homework, however, he found all the answers filled out! Ted was amazed! When did he write these down?! But then again... "Hey Hope, you mind if I pet your cat? I, uh, have a bit of a soft spot for animals." He said, giving a smile. He placed his pencil down and looked over his answers while he waited for an answer.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope looked very worried about something, but she nodded. "Um, yeah... Just... let me pet her after you. Cats are good, um... stress relievers, I think...?" she said, shrugging. She glanced at her filled-out homework and bit her lip, wondering how long this effect would last. Would it just be this homework or any homework in the future? She wasn't quite sure, but she was afraid of making irresponsible wishes.

Crystal, meanwhile, stood up, curiosity piqued. She had studied up on cat behaviors and made sure to keep her tail up high to avoid suspicion. After all, a cat with its tail sticking up is known to be content and happy.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Thanks, and don't worry. I will." Ted said, maintaining his soft smile as he reached over to Crystal and gently scratched behind her ear. "I heard something like that too." As he pet Crystal, his eyes seem to have a small glimmer. "Alright, now please go comfort Hope, okay?" He said, giving Crystal one last pat on the back. He then glanced at his watch. "Well, we have about a half hour to kill before dinner. And I invited a friend over, if you don't mind." As he said this, he went to the window, and a drone flew into the room and landed on the floor.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Hope." A robotic voice spoke with a mild British accent, coming from the machine, "I am the Luxury Ultracomputer X-celeration assistant AI of Master Theodore. You may call me Lux."

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope blinked. "Whoa! That's cool!" she exclaimed. "What's he do?"

Crystal walked over to Hope and nuzzled up against her leg.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Well, he's basically an autonomous artificial intelligence capable of doing all kinds of different tasks." Ted explained, smiling at his magnum opus, "He can access the internet for browsing and reserching, he's capable of calculating outcomes and trajectory in various situations, and he can even take over anything with a basic computer in it, and control whatever functions are connected to the computer he's in." He hoped Hope could understand all that. "In short, he's basically a portable super computer."

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

"Whoooaaaaa..." Hope breathed in awe. "That's cool!" Pausing, she glanced at Ted. "Oh--but is he allowed by Leo?"

That was a good point, Crystal determined.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"What Leo doesn't know won't kill him. Or, more accurately, me." Ted answered, a mysterious glint in his glasses, "Trust me when I say, I know from firsthand experience what he's capable of. When he said he can break somebody, he can easily do so, physically OR mentally." He stood up and looked over to his shadow. "Combine the greatest of human physical strength with the most finely tuned human minds, add a heap of raw malice, and you get my stepbrother, Leonardo Harrison." He sat back down and leaned against the wall, chuckling. "He won't let you forget that he's in charge; the alpha male; the king. He'll remind you in ways from subtle to mind-shattering and agonizing. I know all this, because ever since he moved in with me and Dad, along with his mother..." he hesitated. "He's been doing all this to me. And if he found out I had something like Lux under his nose the whole time...well, I'd be killed by sunrise."

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope pondered for a moment. "Well, I'm good at sucking up to people. What if I appease your brother?" she asked. "If I did what he said and made him feel good, he won't be suspicious. I mean, I do that a whole lot anyway, and it'd be my personal pleasure."

Good thinking, Crystal determined. This way, Hope could distract him with positive thoughts.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

Ted sighed and shook his head. "It wouldn't work. He can easily read someone with just a glance and find out their motives and intentions." He nodded to Lux, who transported into Ted's smartphone and activated the chess app. "Even so, that's just what he wants: total domination over you, me, and everyone else. You'd just be playing into his hands, becoming a pawn of his with little, if any, benefit." His frown slowly turned upside down as he moved his knight. "Besides, I meant to keep Lux a secret for more reasons than 'Leo would kill me if he found out'." He was once again in the "Three-Turn Checkmate", as Leo liked to call it. But now it was just Check. He moved a pawn forward, blocking the bishop's path to the king.

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope watched Ted play with wide eyes. "Whatchu doin'?" she asked.

Crystal badly wanted to explain to Hope what he was doing, but as long as Ted was around, Crystal couldn't talk to Hope. So instead, she encircled Hope and begged for attention and pets by constantly head butting her legs and arms gently. Hope obliged and began stroking Crystal's soft fur. Despite being a light blue cat, Hope was happy that Ted still didn't suspect Crystal of being a fairy godparent and that he didn't believe Mr. Crocker's "mumbo-jumbo".

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"It's a centuries-old game called Chess." Ted replied, looking at the board after Lux made his next move. "It's a strategy game. Basically the different pieces all have different ways you can move them, and the goal is to protect your king while capturing your opponent's." Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Children, it's dinner time." Leo's voice said through the door. "You've got one minute to get to the table."

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope gasped excitedly. "He made a meal for me, too?! Oh man, I can't wait!" she exclaimed, zipping downstairs. Crystal calmly gave Ted a long look, wondering what his game was, then shrugged to herself and padded down the stairs and laid down on the couch. Hope stood in front of Leo, standing like a military soldier at attention, except without the salute. "Yes, sir?" she asked sweetly.

 

[Gamefreak1996]

Waiting downstairs on the dining room table was a large bowl of salad, a platter of burgers, and a pitcher of punch. Ted gave Leo a wary look as he sat down, trying to figure out what he was up to. "Well, dig in, you two." Leo said, his eyes gleaming like a serpent's as he noticed Ted, "I made it specially for the both of you."

 

[YourLittleSylvia]

Hope didn't care that Leo wasn't to be trusted. She was finally getting a meal of her own that wasn't the school slop, so of course, she eagerly dove into the feast, eating as much as her little body could handle.

Watching her, Crystal grew sympathetic for the sad little girl. She wondered why a pair of fairies wasn't sent and she was instead, but that couldn't be helped.

Why was Ted so wary of Leo?

 

[Gamefreak1996]

"Huh...normally, you'd make a gourmet feast fit for a king." Ted said, not taking his glare off of Leo. "What, have you decided to put less effort into it?"

"Well, sadly, I don't have the usual supplies to work with." He said, smiling sinisterly as Ted took a bite of salad. "Besides, I don't need much to poison you." Ted's reaction was (at least in Leo's perspective) priceless. His face twisted into shock as he nearly choked on his food before spitting it into his napkin. "I was kidding, Teddy." Leo laughed. "Why would I do that to you?"

"Maybe because you're a sadist who enjoys watching others suffer." Ted grumbled as he threw the napkin away, replacing it.

"Wellll, I won't deny that. They say a core element in comedy is the pain others go through to make us laugh." Leo reasoned.

"Oh, I see. So then, other than you, who was laughing when you mentally tortured your classmate, Daniel Parks, to the point where he was sent to Dimmsdale Asylum?" Ted said, standing up, "Or that other kid, Rita Quellora, from your 5th grade days, or as everyone else now calls her, 'Blank-eyed Beast'! You brainwashed her! To the point where she's emotionally and mentally dead even today!" Leo stood up fast, his chair falling to the floor. His eyes reeked of hatred, with veins in the corners and pinprick-sized pupils. It was a type of silent rage that sent a chill down the air. But the room got even colder when his frown turned into a distorted smile; one void of mercy or compassion.

"Perhaps you and I should have a little chat." He said, walking out of the dining room and opening the back door (if there is one). "Come with me, Ted." Ted hesitated, his anger now melting into nervousness as he eyed the demonic grin on Leo's face. "Now." It wasn't that loud, but to him, it sounded like a clap of thunder. With no way of running, and little to lose, he walked outside, Leo tapping his back with his foot on the way out.