The Babysitter and Bumblebee

Chapter One - Small White House - Kate

We had been in the car for what felt like hours, though we really had only been driving for half an hour.  Mom and dad were looking up and down the street for house 2340, and we finally arrived. 

"Katie," Johanna said, turning around to face her. "We're here." I just smiled back at her, and opened the door to get out.  Opening the trunk, I saw the few suitcases that we had even bothered to bring with us.  I grabbed two, and started hauling the towards the front door.

"Oh honey, you don't have to do that." My father said, coming out of the house, holding his arms out to take the bags from me.

"Its okay dad, I got it.  They're mine anyways." 

"Well if you insist.  You're growing up so fast." He says with a smile, walking past me to get the rest of the bags from the car.  I just roll my eyes.  I like to think I'm still plenty immature.

Walking up the stairs, I noticed how steep they were.  Such a simple thing, yet I don't know if I would ever get used to it.  The upstairs hallway was narrow too.  The bags I held scrapped on the wall on either side, until I got to the end of the hallway, where "my room" was.  

Even though I could hardly call it that.

Looking around the room, I saw old wallpaper and stained wood floors.  Could I get used to this?

I set the bags down, and turned to go back the way I came, to see if Mom or Dad needed any help.  But when I got downstairs, I didn't see anymore bags than there were before, and I couldn't see them out of the window, and the front door was wide open.

"Mom? Dad?" I called, walking through the entryway.  When I got outside, I saw what was keeping them.  They were both hunched over in the yard, talking to an adorable little girl.

"Hi, I'm Kate," I say, walking over to the three of them.  Getting a closer look, I realize she has the most beautiful amber eyes.

"I'm Amber," she says shyly, in a cute voice.  "I live next door." She states, pointing to the house next to ours.  

"Wow, you have such a pretty house." I say, crouching next to her.

"Thank you, you're nice." She said, and in the last few seconds, I guess my parents had gotten up when attention was taken off them, as they were gone.  I looked down as I felt a tug on my neck, and I saw Amber looking at the locket that I wore around my neck.  "Can I look at this?" she asked, looking up at me.

I pulled the necklace off over my neck, and opened the circular locket.  I looked at the two black and white pictures, one of my mom, one of my dad, before handing it to her so she could look at it.

"These are pretty pictures." she said, as she looked down at the locket, sitting open in her two small hands.

I smiled, "Yeah, I took those pictures.  I thought the necklace was a special place just for them."  She looked up at me, with a facial expression that seemed to be awe, and asked if I could take a pretty picture of her.

"Sure, come with me.  I'll get my camera."  I stood up, and waited for her to follow me, and walked up to the house, opening, the door, and letting us in.

"Hey Katie, oh, hey Amber." My dad said from the kitchen as we passed him.

"Hi dad." I said, waving before continuing up the stairs.  

"Your room is really empty." Amber said as we turned into my room.

"Yeah.. I really haven't had anytime to unpack." I said, as I went through a bag looking for the camera case.

"I could help you." I hear her offer from behind me.  I sit up after finding the camera, and turning to face her.

"Well, only if you want to.. Okay, where should we take your picture?" I ask, trying to change the subject for some reason.

She thought for a moment, which was very cute, and said "Outside with the pretty flowers me and mommy planted!", to which I said okay, and followed her outside.  She led me to a small flowerbed with several different types of flowers (most of which I don't know) arranged nicely.  She went over, picked two flowers, and posed with them in front of the flowerbed, which was insanely adorable.  I took one in portrait, and one in landscape, for good measure.

"We can print them in my house." She said, and waited for me to follow her before turning an walking up to the front door, and letting us in.

"Hello? Oh, you must have just moved in. I'm Ariel." A woman said, as she rounded the corner to greet us, and stuck out her arm for me to shake.  I did, and as I did, I noticed how firm her grip was, and how young and kind she looked.  At least I thought so, anyways.

"I'm Kate, me and my parents just moved in next door." I say, trying to smile as brightly as she did, but I don't think I pulled it off like she did.

"Mommy, Kate took some pretty pictures of my with the flowers." Amber exclaimed, and her mother crouched down, so she was face-to-face with her daughter.  

"That is wonderful, sweetie.  Do you two want me to help you print them out?" She asked, looking up at me.

"If you wouldn't mind, ma'am." I said, not trying to be rude.  I don't want her to think poorly of me, if I am her neighbor.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind, sweetie.  And please, call me Ariel.  Ma'am makes me feel like my mother." She said, and stood up. "The computer is this way," she said, and motioned for us to follow her down the hall.

"So Kate, how old are you?" Ariel asked me, as the photos started printing.

"I'm 15." I replied.

"Oh, Amber is 5.  I guess you'd make a good babysitter, if you needed some pocket cash, that is."

"Sure, that sounds fun."

"Wow, these photos are beautiful.  I hope you don't mind if I keep one." Ariel said as soon as the pictures had finished printing.

"Oh, thank you.  You can keep them both if you want." I offered.  She wasn't my kid, so I felt it wasn't my place to keep a picture of her.

"Oh why thank you de-" Ariel started, but was cut off by the slam of a door.  Another woman walked into the room we were in. When she saw me, she didn't look happy.

"Get out." she said, harshly.  But I figured I better listen to her, I don't anther to get even more pissed than she already was.

"Veronica-" Ariel pleaded to the woman, but she didn't even take a second to look at her.

"I said get out.  What are you? Deaf?" 

So I did, it was getting closer to dinner anyways, and I should probably help my parents.

"Its was nice to meet you." I said, before closing the door behind me.  As soon as it shut, I heard the other woman - Veronica - screaming, though I couldn't understand what she was saying.

I walked back to my house, wondering whatever happened to that woman that would make her so harsh.