Susie's House Helper

I have such bad habits. I should really work on them. There just didn't feel like a way to contain the triumph I felt though. The dumb elephant had actually taken the bait. How he had been so stupid as to honestly think there was no catch, I have no idea. I'd cheated him countless times so really it was a total mystery. Maybe he really was just mentally deficient. But I knew for sure that I was going to capitalize on his mistake. The way he was looking at me with that much frustration was golden. Had he really believed it'd be easy? That I'd play fair? Nah, it wasn't possible. Maybe he had actually gotten himself in this on purpose? Either way, I'd make him regret it. I was about to blow his little kid's brain out his ears with this. I could even see Betsy looking at me, wanting me to have some sort of mercy on him. But mercy would be showing weakness. So I straightened my hat, and pointed at Oscar. I put all the gleeful smugness I could into my voice to show him just how much I'd enjoy this.

"Alright dummy, that's that. You get to be my house helper for the entire day tomorrow! I've got floors to mop, tiles to scrub, dishes to do. It's pretty backed up, but you'll live."

The expressions of Oscar's friends were honestly priceless. They acted like he was going to prison. Hedgehog hugged him, and they gathered around. That one bat boy told Oscar that he thought the elephant was cool for at least trying. Of course Oscar never had a chance in all the world to win against me at a pie-eating contest. Not when I could turn it into a smoothie and just drink the pie down like that. He just had his hands and his silly face to use. Even if his trunk hadn't gotten in the way, which it had, he would have lost by over twelve seconds. Growing bored of this, I snapped my fingers. In Oscar's pocket I'd put a key to my cabin.

"Alright enough theatrics out of you babies, it's not the talent show. Oscar, show up before sunrise tomorrow. Don't bother getting dressed, I have a uniform you'll wear."

With that, I flicked my wand, causing me and Betsy to vanish from the lunch hall. Finally alone, I threw myself back onto my couch. I let out a well deserved laugh, looking at my fellow witch. Her face looked like she was dissapointed in me. Then again she always looked at me like that. It was actually hard to tell when she was feeling something else but disappointment in me. Of course, that didn't make it less frustrating to have have her giving me that look.

"What?" I scoffed at her. "Don't go getting all sentimental Betsy, I let you pick your favorites and all that junk. It's only right that I get to pick mine too."

She sat down on the other end of the couch from me, remaining silent. I didn't like that at all. It meant that I had actually irritated her. I stood up, putting my hands on my hips. She just looked away the whole time I talked.

"Betsy don't do this, I know it's harsh but the dumb elephant has to learn sometime not to play dumb games with me. Besides, I get to have my fun! You spend tons of time with Hedgehog, whatever you two have in common. It's fair."

She spoke to me finally. Her voice sounded like it always did. Gravely disapproving. "You're just going to do what you want to do anyways. No point in trying to talk you out of it. Also, Hedgehog is my friend. You didn't pick your favorite camper. You chose your favorite camper to make miserable. There's a big difference."

Friends with Hedgehog? Most of the time Betsy kept to herself. That was incredibly weird. It felt to me like something was going on. Then again I was in no real position to sit here and question her. It would probably only make her more upset, so I just replied bluntly.

"You're darned right I'll do what I want." I scoffed. "But really Betsy. I have my fun, you have yours. Whatever you do with Hedgehog. Honestly I don't know how you aren't bored to tears with her around. She seems like an even bigger stick in the mud than you. That's really saying something too since I haven't seen you have fun in almost three months."

That was the final straw for her, and Betsy finally left me alone. I watched her snap her fingers and vanish into a gust of wind. At last she was gone. With that I unbuttoned my dress and went to get something more comfortable on. I was going to spend the rest of the evening celebrating and getting ready for Oscar in the morning. The tiles in my bathroom had to have impossible stains on them. I wanted the cobwebs in my attic to be stronger than steel. Lastly... I wanted a way to make him question how he looked at me. Somethin to make him doubt everything he knows. I knew exactly how to do it, too. He was just a kid, he didn't know anything yet. I'd do somethinig to make him feel like his entire perspective on me is wrong.

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The next day dawned bright and early. Birds chirped loudly. They'd have to get up much earlier than that to wake me. By the time the sun was barely lighting up the eastern horizon I was already prepared. This dumb elephant was about to get the day that'd flip his entire summer around. I'd made very sure of it. Before too long, I saw him walking towards my cabin. Strangely, Hedgehog wasn't with him. It struck me as peculiar. I would have thought that she would have been pretty eager to at least escort him here. Not that it mattered, since now I didn't have anyone to send away. He was wearing his usual set of pajamas. With the island as my witness I could swear eternal war with those horrible rags. They didn't even fit him very well. And the voice made me want to silence them with magic any time I saw them.

As he approached I opened the door, putting on my best mocking tone as I spoke. "There's my 'Special Little Guy'! About time you got here, the sun's almost up."

I could see the expression on his face change from accepting to loathing in an instant. He hated every little bit of this, but he especially hated me using that pet-name against him. Which made it all the sweeter to me.

"Don't call me that." He grumbled, still sleepy.

"That's no way to talk to your camp counsellor, Oscar." I said while looking at my nails. "You should treat me with a little more respect."

He looked away to avoid meeting my eyes, still looking tired. "Whatever... what do you want me to do first?"

I arched a brow at his enthusiasm. "Oh? Pretty eager to get this all over with huh? Well too bad. You're going by my schedule now. You silly little ding-dong. For now though, come inside. I have your uniform ready."

I turned, letting a huge smirk creep across my face while he couldn't see. I was enjoying this so much already. I had to actively tell myself to calm down. The moment I heard his feet step into my cabin I took out my wand. With a flick, all the doors shut. The windows shuttered themselves, covered up with blinds and pulled the curtains tight. The overhead lights came on in time for me to turn around, and let out an evil laugh.

"Welcome Oscar! To the best time you'll ever have!"

The elephant gulped, stepping back and tugging on the door. Of course it was not only locked, but sealed in its current state with magic. Someone with a battering ram couldn't break in. The expression of fear on his face was delicious. Sweeter than honey and more intoxicating that wine. I was only going to make this as intense as he expected it to be, so by his reaction... I was going to have a lot of fun.

"Get out of those pajamas Oscar." I commanded.

He exchanged a look with his pajamas, and a moment later took them off, leaving him in an undershirt and briefs. If I didn't intend to shatter his little kiddie brain I'd actually find him somewhat cute. However, I couldn't afford such luxuries. I flicked my wand, and a chest appeared behind him. It opened and sucked in his pajamas, and then vanished again. Now that I was totally alone with him, I let my emotions show. I let my smug smile split into a gleeful grin. I saw his face go from scared to terrified, and he turned towards the door.

"I-I'm having second thoughts! Betsy, Alice! Help!" He cried, tugging on the handle with all his might.

I snapped my fingers, putting my wand away with my other hand. He froze in place. I flicked my finger towards myself. He was dragged across the floor to stand in front of me. Now that his disgusting pajamas were out of the picture, stored in my basement in a locked chest, I could actually get this all started. I snapped again, releasing him. I leaned in close to his face, making sure he really heard me... understood how serious I was.

"Don't even try running, I'll twist that trunk of yours like a wet dishcloth until you cry for mercy." I said threateningly, jamming my finger against his cheek and giving a bit of magic to scare him.

I swear he was about to pee his pants. I had to actively supress a laugh at his expense. He looked so pathetic. Maybe he'd cry, even. The thought alone made me want to laugh right in his face. This was the setup. Make him scared as could be to start off. Once he'd really got the point, I pulled my finger away and flicked my pointer towards the hallway. The uniform I'd made for him came floating towards us, stopping right beside me. It was made of two pieces. I simple white shirt made of cloth with my star symbol embroidered on each of the sleeves, and a pair of black shorts that went to about his mid thighs, with the pink stars on each of the outside legs.

"Put on the uniform Oscar." I commanded.

He looked at me, then at the uniform. Of course he wasn't eager, but he did it quickly enough to be satisfactory. Once he had put it on I knew I'd done well. The shirt looked soft and was pretty loose. The shorts were a decent fit around his waist, and buttoned just fine. I had even made the button a star on it, thanks to my good skills transforming things. Lucky I'd had that spare button laying around. He looked uncomfortable in the uniform, but I didn't care. If anything that only made everything better.

"Now, the bathroom needs attending. Everything you need is in the closet across from it. I expect it to be spotless by the time I'm done with my morning run."

With that, I pulled out my wand again, and whisked myself away. I'd coated the entire bathroom floor in soap scum so he'd be busy for a long time. That being said, I did need to get in my daily exercises. I couldn't just expect to keep myself this cute by doing nothing all day. Unlike Alice. Curse that girl and her ability to do absolutely nothing, and remain just as cute as ever. What was her secret? I pondered that as I tapped my clothes, transforming them into a pair of shorts and a tee. I needed to figure that out... it was on my mind while I did my usual half mile jog. Maybe it was her diet...?

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I couldn't believe that Susie had threatened me like that. I'd been scared of her before. I had been at her birthday party, especially. But this was crazy!. I wished that Alice or Betsy would teleport in and save me. The whole bathroom's floor was coated in this film of chalky gunk that stuck to me when I started scrubbing it. On top of that, I was wearing this dumb uniform. I didn't want her pink star symbol stuck all over me. The way this made me feel was worse than that cursed fruit farmer game. At least Susie had been on my side then, for a bit. Now she was threatening to hurt my trunk, and she had taken away Pajamas.

The bathroom itself was pretty standard stuff. She had a big circular bath with a sort of pipe overhead, and a weird grate in the floor beneath it. A toilet, a sink. All of it was pretty normal. The stuff behind the mirror in the cabinet wasn't something I actually wanted to know about. For all I know I could be sprayed in the eyes with haunted mouth-wash.

By the time I was mostly done I heard Susie come back. The telltale rush of air that accompanied her teleporting was unmistakable, and I began scrubbing faster. How could this have happened?! Why did I agree to that dumb bet, especially? I'd seen the look Betsy had given Susie before they had left. That was what told me that this wouldn't be our average, every-day bad time with the meanest camp counsellor ever. This was going to be more terrible than anything before. Her shoes hit the area by the front door, and her bare feet walking down the hall... all of it made my stress levels spike higher the closer she got. By the time she was there I was done, and I sat on my knees, smiling nervously at her.

"A-all done!" I said, hoping she would have some pity or mercy.

The look she wore said everything I needed to know. There would be no holding back from her. She stood in her exercise outfit, and looked at me. My knees were covered in the stuff that had coated the floor, and a mix of cleaning chemicals. I wanted to tell her that I needed to wash off, but I knew that wasn't much of an option. She walked into the room, looking at the bucket, mop and scrub brush in my hand. Why did it have to be like this? I just knew she was about to do something mean. Say something cruel. I actively anticipated it. After almost a solid thirty seconds, she spoke.

"Alright dummy. Wash off and make sure you don't mess up that uniform."

At first I almost breathed a sigh of relief. I hurried up and used a washcloth to clean myself up. In the meantime she walked into the room, squinting at the tiles. Since she didn't say something awful to me, I could tell that I'd at least done well. I'd expected a flurry of her usual insults, but it looked like I was in the clear.

Something that did start bothering me was her smell. Susie always smelled. When she had gotten too close to me out in the cabin's living room, I had been breathing through my trunk. That gave me a pretty good idea about how clean she was. Mostly cinnamon scent, with the rest of her smelling like a mixture of damp earth and sweat. Her fur was probably just too thick for this sort of weather. That didn't change how striking it was. Now, after her run, it was almost tripled in strength. I could detect her standing a few feet away just by the aroma. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was there. I didn't want to start breathing through my mouth, since she might scold me for that. So I was stuck with the smell of her.

"You done?" She asked, turning to look at me.

I gave her a hasty nod. Maybe I could go work on something else rather than be in the same room with her. Every moment I was within proximity of Susie was another moment I could get zapped with magic or be forced to do something weird.

"Alright then... I'm going to bathe. Oscar, stand over there."

She pointed across the bathroom from the bath. I felt my heart skip a beat, derailing and crashing my train of thought in a fiery explosion. It took a moment for my brain to reboot. She'd told me to stand in the room with her while she was getting a bath. Of course that hadn't been what she said. Right? No way she had actually just told me what I thought I heard.

"W-what?" I asked, wanting to make sure I wasn't hallucinating from breathing in all the cleaning chemicals.

She pulled off her shirt, facing away from me. It felt like I was short-circuiting. Why was she doing this? This wasn't okay! Messed up on so many levels. She was a camp counsellor, she couldn't get naked in front of me. The first thing I thought was that she was using magic to mess with me. No way she'd just pulled her tee off right there in front of me.

"Hey, Earth to Oscar. Are you gonna gawk at me like some sorta slack-jawed caveman or are you going to turn away while I get in?"

Nearly fainting, I turned around. I felt light-headed. Everything felt surreal, like it couldn't really be happening. A weird distant universe. This wasn't something I liked at all. I hadn't even soon Hedgehog without her clothes on. Maybe a few times when we were younger. It was all so long ago. Now I was here, with Susie. She didn't have a shirt on. She was standing right behind me. All of this was real. I pinched myself to test it. The only thing that made me do was wince. Yup, definitely reality. This was happening.

"Susie, this is weird." I said instinctively.

I hadn't been thinking when I said that. Not been considering what her reaction. A second later I heard her feet adjust on the tile floor. She was looking at me. I could feel her eyes burning into my back.

"Y'know what else is weird Oscar? You being a terrible house helper."

I looked at the floor, that having actually hurt somewhat. Why though? I never took anything she said that seriously. She only ever said mean things after all. Something about the situation just made that pack a bit more of a punch.

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked her, hoping I could escape her.

She didn't respond. I heard her get into the tub and turn a handle. Instead of a rush of water, I heard... something rustling? It was a strange sound. I couldn't help but look back for just a moment. Susie was still facing away from me, standing under the pipe in the middle of the bath. Thankfully the wall of the tub was tall enough that I couldn't see below her hip. Instead of water coming out, the pipe was pouring a sort of powdery sand. My confusion doubled. The bizarre nature of this whole scenario was rushing straight to my brain. It made thinking straight difficult. Questions that wouldn't be answered rioted between my ears.

"What are you doing...?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

"Taking a sand bath, duh. Some of us have fur that you can't use soap on. It'll mess up the oils, and my fur is the softest on the island. Even better than yeti fur."

Somehow I doubted her fur was actually that soft. I guess the sand bath actually made sense if she had a special sort of fur, though. It also explained her smell. Did that mean she couldn't help it? If so I felt a bit bad for judging her based off of that. That didn't change that she was naked, rubbing sand on herself behind me.

"Can I leave?" I asked, starting to feel awkward.

"No."

The answer was so blunt it was like she'd hit me over the head with a rubber mallet. I heard her start to actually wash herself. Time felt as if time was flowing at a snail's pace. Like hours were passing even though it was only minutes. Then, suddenly, the sound of sand rushing over metal stopped, and her feet hit the floor again. I heard the sound of metal on metal, and it sounded like the sand was pouring down through the grate the tub was placed on. I heard a glass jar open, and she cleared her throat.

"Alright Oscar, come here. Don't worry I have a towel on, don't go fainting on me. I want you to rub my back with conditioner."

I felt my gut do a flip. This was where I was hoping things wouldn't go. I didn't want to touch her. It made me feel weird... especially with her just in a towel. I didn't want to imagine. I hated this. My stomach was in a knot. With shaking hands I turned around. I was greeted with the sight of her with a towel wrapped around her waist. She was still bare from the waist up. Not facing me, still. She looked over her shoulder, that obvious smirk on her face. Everything was wrong about this. I was glad I hadn't ate breakfast or I might have thrown up by this point. My instincts screamed at me to stop. I had no choice.

Stepping towards her, she passed me a jar. It was full of a gel that smelled heavily of cinnamon. Dipping my fingers in it, I found it was thick. Almost like raspberry jam, or jello. It stuck to my skin, dripping off and leaving my hand coated in oil. I swallowed the lump in my throat and reached out, squeezing my eyes shut. My palm pushed against her back. To my suprise I found my fingers combing through fur that was just like she had described. Softer than a yeti's. It was smoother than silk. If it had been attached to anyone else on the island I might have enjoyed this. Even if it was Alice. At the bare minimum Alice didn't make it her goal to make things as uncomfortable for others as possible. As I started rubbing the gel into her fur she let out a sigh.

"Aaah, that's it. Good job Oscar. That's much better than standing there like a piece of furniture."

She still smelled. Almost as much she had at the very start of the day. Being that close, breathing through my trunk, I could tell why she had the aura she did. The earthy part came from her sand bath. The cinnamon scent was from this gel I was spreading on her back. Not getting the oil out of her fur was because of her never using shampoo, leaving her smelling vaguely of sweat all the time. It was very unique, sure, but it was still strong. Pungent was a pretty good word for it. Not terrible, but also not exactly nice.

"Phoning Oscar, cat to elephant. Attention elephant." She scoffed. "Keep rubbing that stuff in. Don't get distracted."

I had slowed down by getting lost in my thoughts. I started to work the stuff in even faster than before. I didn't like this. Susie knew that. I didn't have to exactly spell it out to her. She was clever enough to know that everything about this situation made me feel uncomfortable. It took a while, but I had worked the gel into all the fur on her back. With that she took the jar back and began rubbing the gel over her arms. This was followed by her hair, shoulders, and her front. Once that was all done she put the lid back on and set it on the ledge of the tub. Was it over? Could I finally leave? I'd take scrubbing every inch of the house over this. She snapped her fingers with a flash of magical sparks. A dark red shirt instantly appeared, looking like it was too big for her. It had her pink star symbol on the back of it, and a group of three of them on the front. Once she had turned to look at me again, she did something that took me by suprise.

"Alright little guy. You did pretty good."

Once more I was caught off guard. It was only for a moment though. I adjusted my shirt and made an awkward step backwards, not wanting to be close to her.

"Th-thanks. I guess." I mumbled for no other reason than to not give her an excuse to insult me.

Her expression softened. Her trademark smug smirk faded away. She took a step towards me, and I instinctively took one backwards. Was she going to use magic on me? My instinct was to run, but the door was already shut by the time that occured to me. I figured that trying to avoid her in the small room was probably useless, so I stood my ground. She stepped in closer. By then she was only an inch away. The smell was overwhelming. Her presence was like standing in front of a wild bear that wanted to eat me.

"Oscar... do you think I'm cute?"

For the fifth time that evening I found myself blindsided by her. What did she just say? Her face looked almost thoughtful. As if she wanted a real, honest answer. I opened my mouth to respond, only to stop. Why was she asking? She knew I hated her. Of course I wouldn't find her cute. I was overwhelmed by how complex such a simple question could be. If I told her no she would probably be upset, but if I told the truth she might accuse me of lying. So I just did my best with my answer.

"Uh... I think that... just talking about how you look, yes. You're sort of cute."

It was her turn to look suprised. I saw the eyerows lift as if I had really caught her interest.

"Well, Oscar. If I was a bit nicer to you, would you think that I'm cuter?" She asked.

My emotions began fighting inside of me. She obviously wasn't going to really start treating me well. That was a wish not even a witch could make come true. It was in her nature to be this way. There was no changing who she was. She made that super obvious the entire time I'd been there at camp.

"Yeah, I would." I replied to her question, but doubting she ever could.

Her smile returned. Just like I knew it would. She couldn't go very long without breaking out into that mean-spirited grin. I could never have seen what she did next coming. Reaching behind herself, she tugged on the towel, causing it to fall to the floor. My imagination ran wild as I saw the shirt cover down to about her upper thigh. I'd been fighting it until this point, the thoughts of what she actually looked like in the nude. But that motion had opened the floodgates. I knew how her fur felt now. For a brief moment I could imagine how touching her legs would feel like. And more than that. Touching her front. Her waist. How the slopes of her felt if I were rubbing that conditioning gel into them. My face burned, and my stomach twisted itself into a knot inside of me. Her voice was smoother than before, not in her usual tone.

"Well little guy... in that case, I think maybe I'll start being a little nicer to you. Only in private though. Just so the other campers don't start thinking I'm playing favorites."

I quickly took my eyes from her midsection to her face, glueing them to her nose and not letting them wander anymore. Why wouldn't they stop! The thoughts wouldn't stop. It was like trying to plug a running faucet with a rag. I didn't want to think about Susie like that. I didn't even think of anyone like that, why her? It felt so wrong.

"Hey. You alright? Don't pass out." She asked me.

Her voice sounded truthful. There was no hidden meaning or mockery behind it. She genuinely just wanted to know about my well-being. Something that was adding even more stress to the growing inferno inside of me.

"Uuh... yeah." I replied unconvincingly.

Her head tilted to the side, but she didn't ask. Instead she pulled her wand out of her sleeve. I winced as she pointed it at me, and suddenly my pajamas were on me again.

"You can go home now Oscar. Don't forget what I said. When we're alone, me and you are friends now."

I didn't question her. I already wanted to get out of there. I wanted my space to work through this huge mountain of questions and confusing feelings. She pointed her wand at the door, letting me leave. Before I could she pointed at me again. This time a night shirt appeared in my hands, folded. It was hers by the looks of it.

"You can keep that. Sort of show we're friends now. Okay? Now get going before Betsy or Alice come in here."

There was no need to ask twice. I darted towards the front door as fast as I could. Sprinting out onto the path, I didn't even look back. I needed to leave. My first instinct was to tell Hedgehog, but I knew she was out with Betsy. I didn't trust anyone else enough to tell them what had just happened... so I was stuck. I'd just have to work this out myself.

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Later that night I sat in my bed. Hedgehog still wasn't back from her day with Betsy. They were having their full moon festival again, so I had sort of expected this to happen. Not that it made me feel any better. Why did I feel like this? Why was Susie trying to be my friend? What was this weird sensation in my chest I got around her now? I didn't like the thoughts I'd had about her in her bathroom, but I remembered them so vividly. I'd stored Pajamas in a drawer for tonight. Because I was wearing Susie's night shirt this time.

I looked down at myself and tugged at the baggy fabric. It was soft. A moment passed before an impulse danced through my head. Before I could apply any conscious decision I found myself pulling the shirt up to my trunk. Without thinking, I sniffed it. It smelled exactly like Susie. Warm earth, cinnamon and sweat. It made the memories come back. Rubbing the gel over her back. Her complimenting me. Saying she'd be my friend. Dropping her towel around her ankles. Imagining how her body felt.

For a long moment I shut my eyes... letting it wash over me. Then my head caught up with what I was doing. I pulled the shirt over my head and threw it at the end of the bed, feeling dirty about what I'd just done. What was happening to me? Why was I having these thoughts?