"Gemma! I won't, you know I'm too old!"
"Of course you're not, now come on!"
"I am, for God's sake, you're being stupid!"
"Keep talking like that and I'll tell Mum and Dad."
Gemma practically dragged her younger brother, Harry, further along in the mall. Luckily, both she and Harry thought, it was just after opening, so very few people were around to see them squabble. Harry was 13 years old, well, only just 13, his birthday had been four days ago, and Gemma was 18 and very nearly late for work. Harry and Gemma's parents had left town, their company had sent them to a convention down south and several meetings with "Important people," as they always said.
Not wanting Harry to be left alone at home during the holidays, they asked that Gemma should find some kind of activity or something for Harry to go to whilst she was working. As luck would have it, an apparently small and hidden-away 'nursery and young person's day-care had opened in the very mall that Gemma worked at. Because of the daycare's grand opening deal, both Gemma and her parents agreed it would be perfect place to leave Harry if it proved to be up to their standards.
Harry's parents both visited the day-care and spent most of an afternoon there, to oversee it and talk with the staff. They came home and announced that it was indeed 'perfect. This is how Harry found himself being almost literally dragged there by his older sister the morning after their parent's departure. He went quiet after Gemma's threat of telling Mum and Dad, and allowed himself to be led there, with slightly less of a struggle.The daycare itself looked very small.
It was situated at the very end of one of the malls' many zones, set against the back wall. It was overshadowed by a large chemist on its other side. A poster had been put up across the door, advertising the 'grand opening deal,' with a list of bargains included in the deal, such as 'Helpful staff', 'Constant supervision' and 'Food and diapers all included.' Harry found himself being led inside much quicker than he would have liked, and being almost pushed towards the desk that sat directly to the right.
The lady sitting behind it was about 30 years old, maybe slightly younger, dressed in a clean white uniform. She looked up immediately when the door was opened and listened as Gemma introduced herself and Harry."Harry..." the lady said, looking down a list on the wall."Yes," she continued. "You are slightly early, but no worry, you can leave him with me," she said to Gemma, who nodded, said goodbye to Harry and left through the door.
"Just wait in there," the lady said to Harry, pointing with her pen to one of the two doors leading further into the back of the daycare. "You'll find some drink and snacks in there. Harry peered through the door. It looked like a fairly ordinary waiting room, with a low table lined with paper cups of milk and various juices, and numerous plates piled with various snacks. Soft chairs lined the walls and a television sat in one of the corners of the ceiling. Taking some orange juice and a biscuit, Harry sat down, very nervously.
He looked up at the television, which was playing cartoons. He sat there for about twenty minutes, looking down from the TV whenever the door to the daycare opened. Several children of different ages entered with their guardians. Some looked very young, hardly three or four, a couple looked about eight, maybe nine years old. Mind you, Harry did look quite young, too, so he doubted he looked that out of place compared with the children coming in.
None of the other children joined him. They were sent straight into the other door leading out of the reception. After the twenty minutes, the lady at the reception calle Harry through. He dropped his three empty paper cups in the bin as he left. The lady said "You can go in now, the lady inside will help you." Obediently, Harry entered the second door and closed it behind him. A second lady, dressed in the same uniform as the receptionist looked over at him as he entered.
