Hunted

Chapter 3

Avery's POV

We weren't hungry after shoving our faces with Chick-Fil-A, but we could never have turned down ice cream. My favorite flavor was mint chocolate chip, which, of course, I planned to get. My two cousins were more deluxe ice cream flavor girls.

The cold, creamy sensation touched my tongue and I immediately gobbled the rest of the ice cream. It tasted so good that I didn't mind my stomach roiling because it was so full of unwanted chicken. My fingers were sticky by the time we finished our ice cream, Adeline with vanilla cherry Garcia and Hermione with white chocolate raspberry truffle. Our white uniform shirts, luckily, weren't streaked with ice cream.

I made sure to keep my long, dark brown hair pulled into a side ponytail with a scrunchie to keep it out of my waffle cone; I kept several hair supplies with me since I was a gymnast, and they usually came in handy.

Luna drove us to our neighborhood, a very secure subdivision that housed mostly retired military families, but also active duty military and other people who worked with the government. After pleading with our parents, who had arrived at home about half an hour earlier, for several minutes about having a sleepover with each other, they finally agreed to let the three of us stay at my house. Since all our houses were so close to each other, just blocks away, we walked in the growing darkness to my house.

It was there at home that my mom explained that we would be babysitting the kids of some of the most well-known political figures in the U.S., beginning in a few days. We smiled at each other discreetly, knowingly, and pretended to be pleasantly surprised in front of Mom. Hermione gave an over exaggerated grin of happiness and Adeline asked loudly, "for real?"

Mom seemed delighted that we seemed eager to work, and nodded to Adeline.

"So, Mom, how long will we be sitting for them? A few hours? All day?" I asked practically.

"Oh, no, sweetie, for at least a few weeks," she answered with a smirk, her grin widening at our astonished faces; we hadn't heard this through the glasses. Well of course, I chided myself, we did hear the president say that he would be out of town for a week or two.

We all exchanged glances, and I saw surprise mingled with uncertainty on my cousins' faces.

"The whole entire month?" Hermione asked.

We groaned when Mom nodded, but she ignored it and explained to us which kids we would be sitting. We were forced to listen, and we didn't dare argue against Mom, even though we already knew all the kids and had watched each of them at least once before; we had bad memories about times we did end of arguing with Mom.

My mom handed each of us our tablet screens. "I've sent you all a document that you'll need to know for when you babysit these kids." I quickly signed into mine and found the virtual paper, which read:

The following girls must agree to keep watch at all times on their designated children to help feed, clothe, bathe, and put to bed, and must clear everything they decide to do with them with the parents of these children. The babysitters may help each other out on the condition that one of them, and NO ONE ELSE, keeps an eye on each child at all times.

Adeline: Children of the Secretary of State Edward Adams Sr. and Senator Thomas Tate--

Killian Allen Adams, age 2 

Lacy Mia Tate, age 3

Liam Oliver Tate, age 3

Avery: Children of Vice President Sandra Smith--

Brooklyn Mae Smith, age 7 months      

Sophia Grace Smith, age 3 

Hermione: Children of President Matthews--

Isla Alice Matthews, age 1

Noah Ace Matthews, age 4

Sienna Amelia Matthews, age 5

I was super excited to be working with a 7-month-old! My cousins and I always volunteered at wherever we could, as long as we had the time. When we did we would work with the youngest children available...mostly due to my insisting. I loved really young kids like Brooklyn and Sophia. They were always the most fun because they were always sleeping, eating, or playing, and I enjoyed working around those kinds of things.

I hoped this month would not be regretted....