Somewhere to Belong

Interrogations & Babysitting

As the mid-afternoon sun began to set Harper glanced down at the streets below as she made a mental note of just how big Johnathan’s territory actually was.

‘Dang this place is huge!’ She thought to herself as she pulled out the address that Abel had written down for her, scanning the area her eyes landed on a large enclosed plot of land with a Victorian style mansion resting comfortably in the middle of the property. A large beautifully crafted stone house built to resemble castle, sported two large turrets that guarded the east and west wings preventing any intruders from nearing the perimeter. Along each stone wall large hand blown glass welcomed the sun’s rays into the building allowing the warmth to fill the many rooms and corridors within; along the roof she could see at least four chimney stacks, one on each side of the house to allow for maximum circulation. Down on the lawn large wisteria trees lined the long driveway, shading the entrance with its extensive beauty; like a photograph from a professional magazine with the orange horizon slowly turning to light purples and blues she couldn’t help but stare in awe. With stars in her eyes she slowly drifted down to the soft grass below before swallowing hard and walking up the door. Before her eyes under the delicately crafted stone archway stood a large hand-crafted wooden door, with a large sun emblem carved into center; swallowing nervously Harper knocked on the door and waited thinking back to what Abel had told her when she told him that she was babysitting for Johnathan that night.

~ “Hey Abel do you know where Johnathan lives? I’m supposed to babysit for him tonight and I forgot to ask.” Harper asked curiously watching as Abel puffed on his cigar in thought before nodding his head.

“Sure do kid, it’s a huge Victorian Mansion on the edge of his territory. It’s hard to miss.” Grabbing a napkin Abel scribbled down the flaming toon’s address before taking another puff; taking the napkin she memorized the address before sticking the little sheet in her pocket.

“Just be careful tonight, Rosanna’s a sweetheart but her brother is a devious one.” He chuckled putting out his cigar.

“Last time Cross babysat for those two munchkins it didn’t end well.” ~

Thinking to herself the little angel almost didn't see the large door open until an older human-like toon answered the door. Standing tall in her maid’s uniform she greeted Harper with a slight nod before ushering the anxious angel inside.

“Good evening ma’am, right this way.” Quietly closing the door behind her the older woman gestured her to follow her down the hall to where Miss Belle and the children were waiting. Entering the main thoroughfare Harper looked around at all the lovely paintings and cherry wood trim along the walls. The floor was a gorgeously warm mahogany wood polished so much that it shown brightly under the bronzed chandelier that lit up with room with its golden glow. On the floor a soft plush carpet lined the corridor gliding up the stairs as it twisted and turned with every landing.

‘Man and I thought the outside was gorgeous!’ With stars of admiration in her eyes she looked around until a soft giggle brought her out of her thoughts. Standing in the hand-crafted doorway was Belle in a lovely red evening gown, her fluffy brunette curls gently framing her face as her long bunny ears twitched lightly.

“Good evening Harper, it’s nice to see you again dear. Thank you so much for coming, I’m sorry it was on such short notice.” She smiled warmly as she greeted the little angel.

“Good evening to you as well Mrs. Belle and it’s not a problem! I love kids!” Harper said smiling as Simon and Rosanna walked out from behind their mother, kneeling down the angel smiled waving to the two as they shyly waved back.

“Ok so dinner is at 6, Helen will take care of that for you, and bed time is at 9, no rough housing. They both get 1 dessert after dinner and no more, Simon likes to try to be sneaky so make sure to keep a close eye on him. Simon also like to try and mess with the babysitters, I’ll tell you later what he did to Cross the last time he was here.” Pausing for a minute Belle giggled at the memory making Harper’s smile falter a little before continuing.