Mal's Idea

Chapter 1

I used to think that children were a burden to society and everything that was wrong with the world. That all changed
when I came to Auradon. When I met Ben. Everyone knows my story. How a VK became the queen and saved Auradon from utter disaster three times. No one knows the story between those, though. The story before I married Ben, but after Audrey decided to destroy the country she grew up in. So I guess I should be the one to tell you. It all started on a scorching hot day. It was the first Tuesday of Senior year. Our teacher History Mr. Owens let us make fans but they were better at keeping the flies away than keeping us cool. Why doesn't he just let us go to our dorms right upstairs and get our handheld fans, I thought. I felt a tap on my back and turned around. Uma was behind me and she handed me a piece of paper, obviously trying to hold back a laugh so that we wouldn't get caught. Not that she cares if she gets caught. She's gotten into enough trouble at school here to get her sent back to the Isle for good if all her teachers got together and compared them. It's my record she cares about. We sort of bonded when we saved Auradon together and now she's one of my best friends. I open the paper. Someone drew a picture of Mr. Owens standing in front of the classroom, droning on about some war and our entire class sleeping through his lecture. It was so realistic that I just had to burst out laughing. Apparently, I chose the wrong time to do it, because Mr. Owens had just called the class's attention for our homework assignment. Everyone was watching me. I sunk lower into my seat, trying to become invisible. Mr. Owens walked up to my desk. He reached down and took the drawing. I put my hands over my eyes, knowing that he would immediately be able to tell what it was supposed to be. "Would you like to explain this," he demanded, looking at me. Uma stood up from her chair. "I did that," she said. "Mal had nothing to do with it. It was all me." The bell rang then. Mr. Owens cleared his throat. "Class," he said, "you have your assignment. Mal and Uma, I would like you girls to stay behind." Uma and I went up to Mr. Owens's desk. "Uma," he started. "I appreciate your honesty. That being said, I would like you to come to my office everyday during my open hour for the next two weeks. I will write a note to your teacher during that time explaining the situation." Uma nodded. "You're not off the hook though, Mal." Mr. Owens continued. "I want you to write a two hundred and fifty word essay on the importance of being respectful towards everyone in mine and every classroom and turn it in tomorrow."  I nodded too, because I couldn't think of anything else to do.  "You girls are excused," Mr. Owens told us.  We walked out of the room with our heads down so that Mr. Owens would think that we were feeling guilty.  "Is he still looking," I asked.  Uma turned around. "No," she said.  We started running then.  Celia was standing by the door waiting for us.  "Wanna hang out this afternoon," she asked.  When Uma didn't answer after a few minutes I smiled at Celia and said "I'm sitting for the twins.  You can come if you want.  I bet they'd like to see you."  Celia swatted my comment away like it was a fly.  "Bet they'd like to see Dizzy more," she said.  I left then.  Uma followed me.  "I'm not sure that question was directed at me," I told her.  "She'll get over it," she said.  "But what if she doesn't," I asked, jokingly.  "What if ten years from now she has to go to hours and hours of therapy because her older sister couldn't give up a couple of hours of her precious time to include her in her plans?"  "She spent twelve years on the Isle, Mal.  I think she's used to disappointment by now," she said.  "What if she's not though," I asked.  "What if the one thing she's ever wanted was to spend time with you?"  Uma stopped walking then.  I looked down and checked my phone.  "I really gotta go," I told her.  She nodded.  "You have a sitting job," she said.  "See you tomorrow," I said.  She waved back at me, barely looking up from her shoes.  I started running to Squeaky and Squirmy's dorm.  I have to get there before they do, or else they get locked out.  They're pretty well behaved for six year old twin boys, but they do have their flaws.  Always losing their keys for one.  When I got there, Squirmy smiled at me.  Squeaky however was crying.  I ran over to him as fast as I could, trying to get to him before he called attention to himself from the people in surrounding rooms.  "What's wrong," I asked, pulling out their dorm key from my backpack.  Squirmy pointed at his brother.  "You're late and he has to go to the bathroom," he said.  "Well then I'll bet that you do to then, huh," I asked.  He looked up at me.  "Maybe a little bit," he said.  I smiled and shook my head at him.  I let the boys into their room.   Squeaky immediately ran to the bathroom.  Squirmy went up and stood next to the table.  "Guess what," he said, setting his own backpack on the floor next to it.  "Squeaky and I have homework tonight!  Not the babyish kind like watching videos and that kind of stuff, but actual for realsies writing homework!"  Squeaky came out of the bathroom then.  "Why don't you tell me all about it after you go to the bathroom," I said.  He nodded and waddled into the bathroom.  That's one of the things I've learned about babysitting the twins.  While Squeaky has no trouble running to the bathroom, Squirmy has accidents if he runs instead of taking it slow.  I looked down at Squeaky.  "I hear that you have homework tonight," I said.  He nodded and took my hand, leading me to his backpack. "We get to name all of the planets in our solar system and color them in the right colors," he said. "That's cool," I told him. Squirmy came out of the bathroom then. "Hi," he said. "Do you guys want to go down to the kitchen and make some lemonade," I asked. The boys looked at each other, as if debating whether or not they wanted to make lemonade or start on their homework. "Can we come right back," Squeaky asked. "Of course we can," I told him. "Let's go make some lemonade then," Squirmy said. "All right then," I said. I opened the door to let them out. We walked down to the kitchen and I helped them make lemonade. When we were done Squirmy asked if we could bring it upstairs to their room. I had to think about it. "As long as you're careful and don't spill too much," I said. We went back upstairs then. I let them back in their room when we got there. We all sat down and started on our homework. Squirmy needed some help with his 'actual for realsies' homework, so I helped him until he understood it. When the twins were done, they asked if we could play a game. I told them that we could if they could pick one and get it set up while I did more of my homework. While the boys were setting up some kind of a remote control race car game, Squeaky looked up at me. "Did our mom ask you if you could babysit us again tomorrow," he asked. I nodded my head at him.  She had called me and asked if I could watch the twins the next afternoon because their regular Thursday sitter had dropped out at the last minute.  I was sitting for one of the villager's kids.  "I can't do it tomorrow.  I'm sorry," I told him.  "Uma and Evie said no too," he said, sulking back to his brother.  Squirmy turned to him "At least we'll for sure get a guy babysitter tomorrow," he said.  That seemed to cheer Squeaky up immensely.  That was also when I got the idea for the babysitting club.  I smiled at them and turned back to my homework.  "Are you going to play with us, Mal," Squirmy asked.  "Yes I am," I answered, putting down my homework.  We played a racing game until their mom got back.  The boys ran up to her.  "Mommy, guess what," Squeaky said.  "We had homework tonight!"  "Is that so," she asked him.  "You can tell me all about it at dinner."  She turned to me then.  "Thank you so much, Mal," she said, handing me my babysitting money.  I waved to the boys and went back to my own room.  When I got there, I got the rest of my homework done.  When I finished my paper, Evie walked in and collapsed onto her bed.  "Hard day for the princess," I asked, jokingly.  She threw one of her pillows at me and laughed.  "If you were making dresses after a going to school for an entire day you wouldn't be calling me a princess," she said even though she was smiling.  I ran over to her bed and jumped down with her.  "Don't get used to this," she said, finger brushing my hair.  "What do you mean," I asked.  She got up then.  "That's what I mean," she said, still smiling.  "I'm really tired," she said, going over to our closet and picking out sweatpants and a hoodie.  "Aren't you gonna be too warm in that," I asked her.  She just looked at me and shook her head.  Weird, she was always like our Auradon mom.  She would always tell Jay to put on a jacket over his vest or me to stop crossing my legs and 'sit like a queen'.  Now I felt like it was the other way around.  "Can I just tell you about an idea that I had," I asked.  She turned around and faced me.  "If you can make it quick you can tell me when I get out of the bathroom," she told me.  I walked over to the closet and picked out an oversized t-shirt and a pair of black shorts.  I didn't realize how tired I was until I put them on and crawled under my covers.  I read until Evie came back "Okay, what were you saying, Mal," she asked, coming out of the bathroom.  She had obviously taken a shower because her hair still looked a little wet.  I yawned and put my book on my nightstand.  "I had an idea today while I was watching the twins," I said.  "We could put together some sort of babysitters club where parents can call us and," I got cut off by Evie's phone ringing.  I sighed.  Another customer.  I should've known.  She barely has time for homework anymore, much less listen to her best friend ramble on about an idea she had.  I fell asleep before I could hear who was on the other end.