chapter one

Every time I leave the Garden’s house, I promise myself I’m not going back. But then the next time Mrs. Garden rings me in a fluster and asks me if I can look after the kids while shes does some errands, I always say yes. Every single time.

"Cerridwyn, honey, Thankyou so much for doing this. I won’t be much longer than two or three hours, dear. The emergency numbers are on the fridge, and there are some things for the kids to do on the kitchen table." Mrs. Garden was searching through her purse for her keys while also trying to put on a pair of shoes. She gave me a rushed smile and, in lurching movements, made it towards the door. I grinned.
"Okay, Mrs. Garden. Have a good time." She gave me a weary smile before disappearing behind the door. I shook my head slowly and turned around to find Emily, aka tyrant number one, looking up at me, eyelashes working overtime.
"Hi Wyn!" She flashed a 100 watt smile and held up a box of jello mix.
"Can we make jello people?" I smiled and slipped my backpack off my shoulder.
"Sure Emmy….. where are your brothers?" Emily made a distracted motion in the direction of upstairs and placing her hand in mine, proceeded to drag me toward the kitchen. Before I could ask about her sister, Emily had me decked out in an apron and standing in front of the sink. I glanced out the window at the grey Oklahoma day and wondered what the afternoon had in store for me.

"Haha Josh you’re dead!" I stuck my head around the door to the Living room and found the two boys, Josh, 7, and Mark, 10, playing with a Nintendo. It appeared I’d arrived just in time to see the end of a game and the begginning of a fight. "Marrrrrrrrrrrk! That’s not faiiiiiiiiiiiiir! I didn’t know you could do that!’
"You did too! I saw you do it yesterday!"
Time to step in, I decided.
"hey, hey guys… its only a game! How about you play for the best of three?" Mark looked up and eyed me carefully.
"Hi Wyn," he mumbled, and then turned again to Josh. "We’ll do that. You need to win the next two games to win that means"
I carefully backed out and headed down the hall to check on the baby.
There may only be 4 Garden kids, but they definitely are a handful. I sighed as I headed downstairs again to check on the jello people.

"Really, Mrs. Garden, they were fine." She gave me a knowing smile and passed me a check.
"Thankyou, Cerridwyn. I’ll give you a ring when I need you next." I smiled, grabbed my backpack and shifted it onto my shoulder. "Oh, Wyn, I almost forgot…. My sister and her family from Tulsa are going to be visiting us for a while next week. They have 7 kids, and there are some nights we’ll want to go out and we’ll need someone to look after the kids, They have 2 or 3 older children that can help you out, though."
I blinked. Now was my chance to tell her I was too busy to do very much next week. Be assertive, I told myself.
"So do you think you can help out?"
I gulped. "Sure, Mrs. Garden."
I’m not a particularly assertive person….

I left the Gardens house and crossed the road. It’s quite cool, because I only live down the road a bit from the Garden’s. "Bri?" I paused in the doorway to my house and listened. No-one answered. My sister, Brianna, usually isnt home at 5pm anyhow. She works at the music store in town and doesn’t get home until about 6. My parents both work full time, and aren’t home until around 6, either. So, for most of the day, I have the house to myself. Which is fine by me.
I dropped my backpack and headed for the kitchen, looking for food.

chapter two

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