The Reincarnated

Chapter 3: Bonds and Mischief

Cheshire carelessly put her bag to the counter before walking straight to the hall, looking around to find anyone home. She turned right to face the main room but no one was in sight. She walked out with a frown and looked at her left facing the huge long corridor. Empty. She didn't even spot one of their butlers and house maidens. Normally they would be in any part of the mansion, dusting off the cabinets or preparing the table for dinner. Odd. she thought.

"Mom!" she called out. No response.

She continued to look around to the farther corner of the mansion when she heard a faint footstep. She stopped abruptly and turned around, not a soul to be seen. She decided it was nothing and proceeded to the stairs when she heard it again. Louder this time. She walked to the direction of the noise, curiosity driving her around. Cheshire went back to the corridor when she heard a faint voice coming from one of the antique cabinets. She approached it slowly, hesitating to open it, her heart pounding faster with fear. When she was about to grab the knob a child's voice shouted making her leap on her feet,"Boo!"

She turned around to find Jasmine and Caleb laughing uncontrollably with her terror," You should have seen the look on your face," the seven-year-old girl sneered. Her playmate was still laughing at the prank, . "Yeah very funny,"she rolled her eyes.

"Caleb even recorded it! I knew it would be epic! Wait until mom and the rest  sees it!" Jasmine cackled. It was only then that she realized that the boy was holding a video camera in his hand. Her face was even darker than before," You. Did. Not."

She reached to get the camera from Caleb who was already running down the corridor,"Give it to me!" She ran after the boy who was laughing hard, "Make me!"

Caleb ran through the house to the dining hall when she turned around to meet him near the kitchen. The rascal was not aware of her idea, so he crashed into her upon reaching the kitchen with a solid "Oomph". "Uh-oh". She didn't waste time in snatching the device off him. Caleb was shouting at her, trying to grab it, only making him lift it high up from his reach. She snickered at the boys shortness. 

After a short while, Caleb finally gave up and pouted. Jasmine finally came in the room, still wearing that smug look on her face.

She turned on the camera and looked at the pictures and videos. She finally gave it to Jasmine after a few more seconds of flipping random photos taken from random sceneries: some where from their trips to the beach, some are Damien's pictures from their hang-outs and dinner dates that were taken by Cheshire herself.

"Knock yourself out," she said with a mischievous grin playing on her face. Apparently, the boy didn't know how to record it and failed to switch it to video mode. The only thing she saw from the scene was a capture of his finger on the camera. Jasmine looked at the pictures herself then turned to her playmate with a fierce scowl," You didn't tell me you don't know how to operate it. You could have asked me how, or just let me record it!"Jasmine talked like a grown up, and acts smarter than her age.

Caleb held his hand up in surrender, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"More like epic fail to me. Nice try though," Cheshire murmured mockingly with a toothy grin. Her sister gave her a stern look of self-absorbed humiliation and sent daggers of glares to Caleb's direction, making the younger boy step back in retreat before she walked out to the stairs emphasizing heavy steps to show her frustration. There was no question she was heading straight to her bedroom.

"Dude, you just blew your chance with her. Tsk tsk tsk." She commented, shaking her head. Caleb shyly looked away with a frown on his face, and she smiled at his cute blushing expression. 

Jasmine and Caleb were the best of friends since diapers. Jasmine was a year older than him, but Caleb was as tall as her by comparison. The little boy was the one and only son of her mother's best friend, Mrs. Tiffany Wilson, who always came by to visit her every once in a month.