A Heart Between Us

What is...Babysitting?

A Heart Between Us

Chapter 7

What is...Babysitting?

Kairi opened her eyes to the sun starting to peek through her window. Someone had opened them again. She never knew who it was that did it. She slowly sat up and stretched. The air smelled crisp and clean, and this caused her to look out the window. The garden was left in a blanket of white. Down the pathway was her dad with a snow shovel. His silver skin changed into an orange hue because of the morning sun.

"Good morning, dad!" She called down. He looked up shielding his eyes with his hand.

"Good morning Kairi, did you have pleasant dreams?" He asked fondly. Kairi put her head in her hands and nodded.

"It was about a large banquet, with lots of different foods, desserts, and things. It was so much fun." It was a very nice dream indeed. Coming from a young girl who didn't have much to begin with.

"That sounds like a ball." Kai said using his fire to melt the snow piles. "Did you wear a pretty dress?" He called up to her. Kairi had long since decided never to step foot back into Kai's room ever again. Just too much of a chance that she'd get into trouble again. She didn't want that to happen. Once was enough.

"It was a long green one." She said and jumped when cold hands were pressed into the small of her back. She turned and looked up to see Jay who ran down the hallway laughing. Kairi gave chase giggling as she went.

If there was one thing that was for certain. Jay was her playmate. He taught her how to play video games, make a snowman, pull pranks, and even how to skip rocks when no one was looking. She loved to play with him, and it looked like today might be one of those days.

"Are you going to be alright going into town alone?" Lloyd asked his mother. Misako smiled down at Kairi who ran up and hugged her.

"I won't be alone. Dareth's coming too. He's got stuff to buy at the grocery store and offered to help me out with mine. I've got to get Kairi some new socks, all the ones she has aren't holding up to her and her running around." Misako said patted Kairi's head
Hey'a there Button." Dareth said looked down at the young girl. She gasped and jumped behind Lloyd. Dareth's heart seemed to melt at the sight of her. "Daww you're adorable." He said, looking up at Ronin who didn't seem to notice. He just leaned against the tree and poked at his arm. It had been bugging him lately.

"Yeah babe, adorable. Let's head out. The sooner we can get this done the sooner we can get back to work." He turned around and walked off. Dareth waved at Kairi who waved back.

"That's Dareth, in the brown, and Ronin with the red hat." Lloyd said

"They like my dads?" Kairi asked

"Yes they are." Lloyd picked her up, nodding his head, and looked around

"Jay!" Jay peeked out of the tv room, a controller in hand. "Need you to babysit."

"Babysit? Who?" Jay looked around and then up at Lloyd. "Dude...I haven't had to babysit you in years, What's going on?" Jay joked. Kairi ,however, was confused by this when Jay plucked her from Lloyd's arms.

"I am no baby, you do not need to sit on me." She said looked a little amazed by this. Lloyd laughed glanced at Cole and Zane as they walked around the corner followed by Nya and Kai.

"It'll be good training for you." Cole joked kissed Kairi's cheek. She hid in Jay's shoulder.

"What is this shy streak?" Zane asked. Kairi looked up at him and shook her head.

"Where ever it came from...it's adorable." Cole said "Be good, sweet pea." Jay laughed.

"Nah we're going to have a few parties, eat all the food, watch some junk tv...you know...Uncle Jay and Kairi kinda day." He put her on his shoulders.

"Are we really Uncle Jay?" She asked. Jay smiled.

"Of course I wasn't joking...it'll just be a party between the two of us, I'll order us some pizza, and we can watch tv." Tv was a new concept to Kairi. She hadn't been allowed to watch tv at all before. There was a detective show she saw once while she was cleaning a room once a long time ago, but she couldn't remember what it was.

"Pi...zza?" She asked. Jay gasped and put her on the floor.

"Don't tell me...you've never had pizza?" Jay was ecstatic. He put his hand on Kairi and pointed at her. "I have got to fix that...and fast." He pulled out his phone and started to talk fast.

"I need a triple cheese with everything on it except the little fishies. It's an emergency! There's a kid here that's never had pizza." He sounded genuinely appalled that she'd never had one before. She heard someone on the phone talk fast and then hang up the phone. "Alright...now for the flicks." He walked into the room and sat down patting the spot next to him. She flopped down and pulled up a blanket.

If they had been looking a little to the left, they might have noticed the shadows moving around them.

Jay's burp echoed down the hallway. Kairi giggled trying to do it too, but it wasn't much of an attempt. Jay just chuckled and took another drink of his soda.

"Nice try kiddo. You gotta learn to project though." He sat back, watching the ponies run across the screen. He wasn't too sure about this movie, but then again he did it just for her anyways. He wanted to watch King Kong, but it looked too scary for her. She was only four years old. He stretched and yawned.

"Alright let's clean this up. They'll be back soon and we did say we'd clean up after our party." The credits left the room in a soft glow.

Jay picked up the pizza box and the empty soda cans before going toward the kitchen. Kairi grabbed up the napkins and her own can before following. She felt so full she could have popped. Jay looked like he'd almost eat the box if he could when they first started off. There was so much cheese it nearly glued her mouth shut.

There was a soft click of the front door. Kairi ran from the room thinking her parents were home. But she backed up into the kitchen again and took Jay's hand.

"Good afternoon Mr. Walker." The man walked into the kitchen, and looked down at her. She knew who he was. It was the man who sold her to Cole. "I am the man who owned her before." Jay didn't want to hear that. He pushed Kairi into the pantry.

"Stay there squirt...don't come out till I tell you to." He said.

It took a few moments before Kairi heard the loud noises and banging all around the kitchen. Something hit the door and slid down. There was a bright light and something that sounded like nails scratching vinyl. There was a lot of yelling and screaming and then things grew silent. The door to the pantry opened slowly. Kairi looked outside the room. There was a man laying on the other side of the pantry door which must have been what hit the door.

"Uncle Jay?"

"You mean him?" The man asked motioning to Jay laying against the wall.

"Jay!" Kairi gasped reached for him. She was picked up by her arm forcefully swung over his shoulder.

"Bring him...we can use him for leverage." Jay was thrown over another guys shoulder. Someone who had large blue gloves on. Kairi hated this...where were her parents?