Spies In Disguise: The Skills and the Spies (#2)

Chapter 10: Spies Stay Home Alone

Well, I'm home alone right now, and I got off the bus ten minutes ago. I'm eating chips and listening to music on my laptop to calm my nerves. Staying home alone sometimes scares me, but I'm usually fine in the end. If I'm staying home with someone else, like Maddie, I usually calm down a bit, because there's another reliable person in the house.

Even though I can hear the music clearly, I still jump at every noise, and I've been creeping to the front door to see if any robber's there. I'm glad I can defend myself with karate, and I'm even happier now that I've moved up a belt level.

And there's nobody there, so I end up running back to the kitchen to finish eating my chips and listen to music. 

So that's how it works for the next while: checking the front door, running back to the kitchen, checking the front door, running back to the kitchen, and so on...

And when the doorbell actually rings...

"AAAAAIIIIIEEEE!" I screech, jumping up. I take off my earbuds, and I slowly creep over to the front door, ready if any robber bursts in. I slowly lift up the curtains to see who's at the door. I see Ryan and Uncle Stephen...

I slowly unlock the front door, and then the storm door, and Ryan comes into the house, carrying his backpack and lunchbag. Uncle Stephen, a tall, lean man with glasses, and light brown hair and blue eyes like my dad, doesn't come in.

"Hi Uncle Stephen, hi Ryan," I greet. "Uncle Stephen, aren't you going to come in?"

"No, that's fine," chuckles Uncle Stephen. "I have to go now, see you later, Stef, Ryan!"

"See ya!" Ryan and I call to Uncle Stephen, who leaves. Uncle Stephen has a 7 month old baby named Sarah to take care of, and Sarah is a very mischievous baby. 

I quickly lock the storm door, and the front door, and I let out a huge sigh. 

"That was a relief," I sigh.

"What happened?" asks Ryan. "Where did Mom and Dad go? All I know was that my teacher told me that Uncle Stephen was gonna pick me up, and then Uncle Stephen picked me up!"

"Your teacher told you that Uncle Stephen would pick you up...?" I say, confused. How would a teacher know? Oh wait...Mom and Dad must have called the secretary at the office, and then the secretary probably told the teacher. 

"So? Where did Mom and Dad go?" asks Ryan eagerly, as he takes off his shoes, and heads to the kitchen, carrying his lunchbag. I follow him, and Ryan dumps his lunchbag onto the kitchen counter.

"I don't know, but they told me that they'd get home late, so Uncle Stephen had to pick you up," I tell Ryan. "Mom and Dad are...uh...getting home from work a bit later today."

"Ohhh!" says Ryan. He runs upstairs to his room, and a few minutes later, he comes back downstairs, wearing sweatpants, and a plain white shirt.

Ryan goes over to his backpack, pulls out a red folder and his pencilcase, and heads to the kitchen table. 

"Can you help me with my math homework?" he asks me. "I don't like math. I'm bad at math."

"You're asking someone that doesn't like math and could potentially be bad at math as well," I point out. Mr. Steadman tells me that I'm good at math, but I don't think I am, and I always make mistakes while doing math. Math has never been my strongest subject.

"You're older than me, your math is better!" Ryan insists. 

Realizing defeat, I follow him into the kitchen, and I realize what he has for homework - addition.