A spell of babysitting.

[JustJoe]

It was wonderful to discover Sapphire Bay was an appriately named area and not just another grandiose aspiring name for lastest wave of generic housing and retail developments.
The town looked old or at least traditionally sympathic from the patchwork of terracotta roofing tiles and tall white walled buildings. Perched picturesquely on a wedge of bright chalk cliffs, the sandy bay itself curved out in cresent shape at the town's tail, while a sparkling sapphire sea seemed to streach behind it all right to horizon.

Alice was flying of course, chaperoned by her black cat Sibi, the only way for a yet to come-of-age young witch to travel on her own respectibly.
Her bushy brown hair was tied out of her face with a bow of ribbon and her cheeks were still pinched rosey red from flying through a chilly low laying cloud she had been unable to avoid.
It uplifted her spirits to finally see the place she would be staying for... well they hadn't been able to specify... for a while. She had been dreading it might be an awful place but so far it looked lovely. Still she cautiously reminded herself of some worldly advice her mother had given, 'never judge a book by it's cover' She had to be weary of the fact that they might not welcome witches in this town. For that reason she found a quite looking park to land her broomstick, rather than active beach or the bustling streets.

"Yeooow! You could have warned me!" Sibi announced in alarm after a less than smooth landing, in which her thick soled boots had made two muddy streaks down the central lawn. The black cat had been sleeping in the rucksack secured at the top of the broom, though she supposed he probably thought of literally as a knapsack.
"Sorry but it looked like it was going well until I touched down. At least I didn't hit any branches or anything this time." she shrugged nonchantly and pulled the ribbon from her hair shaking the loose natural (forever unfortantly tangled) curls free.

"Okay, so which way is it? It's always so much more difficult trying to find things from the ground." she reached into the pockets of her simple brown pleated skirt, producing a little hand drawn map which had been copied from the Google Maps display on her father's computer. She glanced around for a park sign to get her bearings and then judged she should be able to find her way out of the park and down the main avenue to market square where it would be just a 15 mintue walk to the house she was looking for.

After having flown for a full night and half the morning on a broomstick one might imagine Alice was gratefully for a walk and chance to streach a her legs as she hitched the rucksack (Sibi included) over her shoulder, making the broomstick more managable in one hand while kept the map ready in the other.
She was happy to strech her legs but the walking was going to be slog for her. she was exhusted in all but spirit and her legs ached, since she needed to use the contantly whilst flying to keep her balence.

Since it was about ten in the morning the market stalls were all still out in force.
The bright colours and fresh smells made her feel jubilant. Despite the fact she had be careful with what money she had, she could resist browsing a few of the vendours.
She walked away from the market with paper cup of rich strong African coffee and a little whiting (fish) to keep Sibi silent.

The tangle of narrow old streets that followed was nice to stroll down and look at but difficult to navigate, she found number eleven Blueview street later than she had been hoping to but hopefully she hadn't kept the boy she was going to be looking after waiting too long.
She let herself through the front gate and allowed herself to admire some the flowers in the front garden before arrive at the front door and ringing the doorbell twice.

She was excited about this job, it was the most she had ever been paid for babysitting... or this case child minding since the boy was seven years old... she hoped that she might be invited to stay at the house for a few weeks, she would make more than enough cash to pay for her first year at a good witchcraft school.
However she was also a long way from home and would be living at the house while the boy's parents were away. Considering she was just 17 this was a little nerve wracking, especailly when she considered the responsablity she had agreed to take on, but she was mature to her age and with the help of a little magic she could tackle anything.

[Jakerz]

Seven year old Connor sat at the kitchen table, looking into his cereal bowl. Though he usually loved Cheerios for breakfast, this morning he just didn't feel like eating any of it. He was feeling both sad and hurt, and the crunchy cereal and cold milk combo just didn't seem nearly as appealing an it did every other morning. He swirled his spoon around the bowl watching the cereal circle around it, the little O's washed around the bowl by waves of milk, helpless and powerless against the chaos he provides with his spoon. Though the boy wasn't old enough to make the connection himself, it's often how he feels.

His Mommy and Daddy were going away again. Another one of their "Business trips" they called it, but what it really meant is that they weren't going to be home for what felt like forever. And they were gonna leave him with some babysitter who he didn't even know. A babysitter who might be mean, or might be scary, or might be weird. One time the babysitter was a neighbor who didn't even really like kids, and she never even played with him or ANYTHING.

His parents always told him that without these "Business trips" they wouldn't be able to get a lot of money, and that was the reason he had the nice house, and the cool toys, and the big room...but Connor didn't truly understand all this, all he knew was that it felt like his parents were always leaving him behind.

The doorbell finally rings, and Connor looks up for a second. That's gotta be the babysitter...he stays in the kitchen, not coming out to greet her. He doesn't like meeting new people, or strangers. He's always been a shy and fearful boy. It didn't help that he was used to new people not being very nice. He often got picked on at school...he was one of the youngest in his grade, and some of his more immature habits were picked up on rather quickly by his peers. And not only did he get picked on here, but before they moved to Sapphire Bay he had gone to Kindergarten near their old house, and he had gotten picked on there too. It didn't help that he was young-looking and small for his age. Something about his facial features, his green eyes, and his blonde hair, all combined together to create a very "cute" appearence that made him look at least two years younger than he was. An easy target for the other kids. The stuffy businessmen and women that his parents often knew weren't too fond of little kids either, and so most of the adults and kids that Conner's met over his life have not been too kind to him.

He hears his parents muffled voices through the walls...they're talking to the babysitter now. Telling her how long she was gonna stay probably (Connor already knew that...one whole month....maybe more if things didn't go quickly.) And then telling her about Connor...his bedtime, and all those other rules and stuff that grown-ups never forget to tell babysitters, even if they never seem to tell the babysitters about favorite games and favorite foods....As they get closer he hears his Mom's voice.

"He's right in the other room, having Breakfast...he's a good boy, don't worry. He shouldnt be any trouble." he heard his mom say...("But not good enough t'make Mommy bring me..." Connor thinks to himself.) And then he heard her continue "The only thing is...he was a very late potty trainer, and he still has some...trouble with it. He might need some help, and a lot of reminders, we're still really working on it with him..." Connor blushes at this part...he wishes she wouldnt tell the babysitter that. Now the babysitter will think he's a baby too. It was true he wore diapers until he was five, but his parents were most busy that year and hadn't had time to start training him before then.

Finally the door comes open, and there's his parents, standing there all dressed up with the suitcases that Connor hates because it always means they're leaving soon. "Bye honey!" his Mom says as she comes over and kisses him on the forehead "Please be good for Alice, and your Daddy and I will be back as soon as we can, okay?" she says in that bright cheery voice that she always talks in when she's going to be leaving for a long time, and it never helps make Connor feel better about it. "Kay..." Connor says back as he hugs her...and then his Dad.

There's the babysitter....right there. And...she didn't look TOO scary. At least she looked a lot YOUNGER than the last one...and she had a face that reminded Connor of his teacher this year in the second grade, Miss Phillips. She was real nice...so maybe the babysitter would be too. "Alice" his Mom had called her. All too soon, his parents are gone, out the door, and Connor looks up shyly into his babysitter's eyes. He doesn't say anything. He doesn't know what TO say...he feels that familiar feeling when he meets new people - a pit in his tummy where he just wants to sink into the floor.

---------- Post added at 05:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:43 PM ----------

(thats by far like my longest post ever so I hope I did okay lol)

[JustJoe]

[That was an excellent post. Are you sure you need my help? lol]

The house felt suddenly huge as soon as as Connor's parents had left. It was a beautiful house too, she felt kind of shabby in her hand knitted red sweater. How on earth was she going to look after all of this and one young boy? Alice wondered to herself. At least the parents had seemed like nice folk so the boy was likely to have good manners and be well behaved, plus they had left her plenty of information and filled her in on the rules before they left so hopefully she would be able to mange okay.
The sofa she had been invited to sit on was luxuriously comfortable, she had never felt anything close to it's like, it must have been stuffed with swan feathers or something. Despite her fatigue she knew she shouldn't settle down just yet.
Her broomstick and things she had left in the lobby, she went to it and opened the rucksack so Sibi could climb out.

"Okay Sibi, it's safe for you to make yourself at home now. Just don't scare the boy okay?"

"Only if you make the same promise." the sarcastic cat sneered in his black sense of humour and sprinted as fast as furry bolt of lightening up the stairs to go and explore. Maybe he had caught the scent of mice? In any case she hoped that Connor liked cats or living her might get akward very quickly.
Having released the cat, for better or worse, she wondered through to the room Connor's mother had indicated to introduce herself to the boy she would be looking after.

"Hi." Alice expressed in a cheery voice, "You must be Connor." Her mothering instinct was switched on immediately by his youthful boyish looks, she was going to have to keep herself sharp if she wanted to avoid being charmed by those bright green eyes and his cute blond hair.
She extended a hand outwards for him to shake, though noticed instantly from his body actions that no matter how polite he might be, he was a shy boy. Well she would just have to be extra nice then and feed Sibi lots of fish to keep him sweet.

"I'm Miss Alice Nettlebot..." she caught herself. Her mother insisted that the 'Nettlebottoms' were a long and prolific line of witches and that she should be proud to bare the name. For the teenage Alice though it was something of an embrassment and she longed for the day she could have a husband and take his name instead. Alice's mother, a fierce woman when roused had convinced Alice's father to take the 'Nettlebottom' name instead of keeping his pleasant 'Frowley' heritiage.

"... Oh but nevermind you should just call me Alice. Okay?" she smiled amiably, hoping to appeal to his sense of friendship. She liked to come across as a friend to her charges and not just someone their parents had placed in charge, it usually made things easier and she enjoyed playing with the children when she had the time.

"Now listen Connor, I've come quite a long way and I'm afraid I'm feeling rather tired." she placed a finger at the top of her freckled cheeks and pressed down slightly to highlight the crowsfeet beneath her soft hazel eyes, trying to win his sympathy.
"So if you don't mind I am going to get settled into my room and take a quick nap. Then I'll come down, make some lunch for us both and we'll talk about what you would like to do today." she beamed encouragingly, "You can be good for me for a little while can't you?" she wondered if prohaps she was placing her trust a little bit too early, but she knew she would be useless today unless she took a nap to recover her energy. 'It was the responsible thing to do', the sleepy part of her brain told her.
Responsible or not, she left Connor to finish his cereal.

Alice returened to the room where the boy's parents had held the meeting with her, she gathered up the things they had left, keys, some important information, a direct debit card! Needless to say it had taken her breath away when they had presented that, but she understood the account it pertained to would be controled by Connor's parents and was for household expenses only. She figured she would probably get a phone call and lose her job within five minutes if she tried to buy something for herself. Connor's parents had looked like the sort of people used to dealing with money.
After have fetched those things, she fetched her own things, just a broomstick and rucksack filled with some clothes and her personal affects before wondering up the stairs to try and find the master bedroom which had been left to her.

She didn't like it and it guilted her to admit that to herself but she just couldn't image sleeping in it every night.
It was beautiful of course, like everything in the house, but it was way too big for her to feel cosy in and their were so many little items and pictures all around the space which belonged to Connor's parents. It felt too personal, she would feel like she was invading their privacy.
So she found herself wondering about upstairs looking to see if there was prohaps as smaller guest bedroom she could make herself comfortable in. She didn't find one but she did find something much more interesting. An attic room.
It wasn't the full attic, the acess to that must have been somewhere else, it was just a small little closed off part of it making an extra room in the house for someone to stay in. She guessed it was probably an old servants room from when big houses like this one had staff to look after them and the occupants. Well she was being paid like staff wasn't she? Plus she would be looking after the house and the at least one of the occupants. She considered herself to be entitled to the charming white half-timbered space with two big dusty beams crossing overhead and one window at the end which looked like it might be looking over the sea.
The only trouble was their was nothing up her but dust, a few boxes of something and a very antique looking brass bed frame with no matress. Would she get in trouble if she but a matress on the old the bed? It might be valuable? But she wouldn't be able to shift a bed from somewhere else up here would she? Alice decided it was best to go downstairs and ask Connor about it.
She proped her broomstick against the doorframe before leaving and left the keys and things on the window sill. She was right, it did have a sea view.

"Connor?" she asked sweetly, in the voice she used when she wanted something.
"Do you know that little spare room up in the roof? It has and old bed in it? Is that bed improtant to your mother and father? Do you think they would be cross if I stayed up their instead of in their room?"

[Jakerz]

Connor looks up at his babysitter as she comes into the kitchen, a little nervous to meet her eyes. In a way he’s already decided he isn’t gonna like her before she even speaks. How could he? It’s not ONLY because of past experience with bad or mean babysitters, or even just shyness and fear. In the back of Connor’s head, he can only think that if she wasn’t there then there’d be no babysitter, and his mommy and daddy couldn’t have left him alone, and then they would have HAD to take him with them. And sure, she LOOKED nice, but that didn’t mean that she WAS nice…

As Alice begins to talk, Connor is almost a little confused. When she speaks it doesn’t sound like the other mean old babysitters. Something in her voice reminds him once again of a teacher or something - not a babysitter. Of course, being so young, Connor has only had preschool through second grade teachers, most of whom were young, warm, motherly women. They usually were the only adults besides Connor’s parents that he absolutely trusted. This babysitter - “Alice”, not “Miss Alice”, Connor was allowed to call her “Alice” – reminded him of them. When she spoke it was almost soothing. And instead of “boy” or “young man” she calls him “Connor.” Somehow that was the most important thing of all…

Connor shakes Alice’s hand when asked, though he still doesn’t speak – not even being able to say something like “Nice t’meetcha” which he had always learned was what polite boys do when they meet people for the first time. Although on the outside Connor is still shyly looking up at Alice with no visible change in demeanor, she has already made an impression on him. His trust is hard to win, but inside he’s softening. He finds it hard to speak still, she’s still a stranger (around new people he sometimes felt almost paralyzed, like he wanted to speak but just can’t, he can only stare up at them with his bright green eyes), but did she really just say she wanted to find out what HE wanted to do? Not what SHE wanted to do? Because none of the other babysitters ever cared what HE wanted to do. Or what HE wanted to eat. Or where HE wanted to go, or what HE wanted to watch on TV. It’s almost like she was interested in him…nah, but that couldn’t be. She was just there to be the boss, she didn’t care about him….they never did.

As Alice goes out of the room to do…some grown-up thing or something, Connor guesses, he looks back into his Cheerios. He had nodded when she asked if he could be good for her. But the boy didn’t know what to think. She was nothing like the other babysitters…maybe it was a test or something? Yeah like she was going to pretend to be all nice, and then tell him to be good, then watch real closely to see the first thing he did wrong or somethin'. Or maybe she was gonna search his room and look for embarrassing stuff like the plastic on his mattress in case of bedwetting so she could call him a baby like she was probably gonna do anyways after hearing what his mom had told her about his potty troubles. (It certainly wasn’t helping Connor’s mindset that he’s been upset all morning and wasn’t quite ready to take a positive viewpoint.) Or could she have been telling the truth? Alice did look tired…And there was something about her that was different. Maybe it was that she DIDN'T sound like she just wanted to be the boss and nothing else. He takes a couple bites of his breakfast…for some reason just a little bit of his appetite has come back.

Before too long Alice is back in the room. Connor thinks about the room she’s talking about. Then he realizes what she means. HE was never allowed up there (The stairs to get up to the attic were hard to climb and easy for small boys to fall off of, his mommy had said.) but he doesn’t know if he’s really ever seen his parents mention it besides then. He shrugs his shoulders honestly at Alice’s question – he really doesn’t know. Was the bed important? Well they never SAID anything about an important bed....well THEIR bed was important. He wasn't allowed in there since he wet the bed sometimes...but some other bed? He couldn't think of when they ever mentioned one. “Prob’ly not…” he says softly, his voice even surprising him, after being quiet for so long. His voice is as expected – it matches his face. Soft and kind of delicate. He continues to look up watching Alice to see what she would say now.

[JustJoe]

Well that was a relief, she would find a spare a matress and some linen for the attic room bed later on, for now though Alice kindly thanked Connor for his help and found her way back to the sitting room.
The sofa she had enjoyed early would make a nice spot for a lap. She lay across it on her side, still clothed for modesties sake since she wasn't about to forbid Connor from entering the sitting room of his own house, plus given how timid he was it was important he felt able to approach her incase he needed her for anything.
It was nice and quiet in the bg house, all she could hear was the steady 'tick tock' of a grandfather clock in the hall and the muted sounds of Connor finishing his cereal. Alice adjusted her head until it rested comfortably against on of the cusions, then closed her eyes and tucked he legs in a bit until her weight felt evenly supported. Closing her eyes to the soft light drifting through the light cotton curtains she had drawn across the two tall windows, Alice quickly drifted off.

When she woke again she was unable to determin how long she had slept, she had meant it just to be a light nap but she could tell from refreshed feeling in her head that it had deeper and longer than that. She hoped she hadn't neglected her duties to Connor, she had promised she would be up by lunch.
She sat up with a paniced start, the room didn't seem to have gotton any darker than when she had first lain down, so it must still be daytime... or she might have managed to sleep through a whole day! No that didn't seem likely, she had slept in her clothes and she would be feeling hot and sticky if that was the case.
While thinking these things through Alice realised what had woken her up, the big clock in the hall was chiming out the hour. She picked herself up off the sofa to investigate the time.

One o'clock in the afternoon, she read from the clock. Well that wasn't so bad, an hour later than she had wanted to be awake but the nap had done it's job and she was feeling much more invigorated than when she had first arrived.
She went back to open up the curtains in the sitting room again, then went to check on her charge.

"Hey there, have you been being good?" she asked cheerfully when she found him. "I'm sorry I'm up a bit later than I should have been but you can wake me up if I oversleep again okay?" she thought Connor was probably the sort of child who felt he needed permission for such things, well he had it now so hopefully she would catch herslef oversleeping again.
"Anyway I expect you must be feeling hungry now. What would you like me to make for lunch? I can make quite a lot of things so don't be afriad to ask for what you want."
Alice absent mindedly combed at her hair with her fingers, she had caught her own reflection in a shiny surface and it appeared sleeping on her side had pushed her bushy hair more out of shape than usual. That was something else she would have to add to her list today, a hot bath and some quality time with the hair brush.

[Jakerz]

Connor looked down at his cereal bowl...he was all done. That was a little bit surprising considering how he had had no appetite before. He guessed he was hungry after all...He left his cereal bowl on the table, hopped off of his chair, and then walked into the sitting room, seeing Miss Alice (he still had trouble eliminating the 'Miss' in his head) sleeping on the couch like she said she would. So she wasn't making it up then...she really WAS tired.

Connor stands in the doorway from the kitchen, looking at Miss Alice. She didn't seem so scary when she was sleeping. Maybe she never seemed so scary at all. But now that her eyes weren't on him, and she didn't know he was there (if she really WAS sleeping and not fakin') he slowly finds the courage to approach. He tiptoes slowly up to the couch, freezing every couple of steps when his babysitter stirs, worried she's going to wake up and see him. It's like he's approaching a sleeping lion as he gets closer and closer finally kneeling down just in front of the couch observing.

This was much better than before...in the kitchen when she had been standing up looking down, watching him...the shy boy could now really look at her and observe her without feeling the need to look away. Of course, unless she woke up...Connor thought he was probably doing something really bad. He wouldn't dare approach a sleeping adult under normal circumstances who wasn't his Mommy or Daddy (and probably not even his Daddy). But there he sits by the couch for ten minutes, just studying his babysitter, taking in all the details of her face, her clothes, her everything, though he wasn't quite sure why he felt compelled to do it. Perhaps what it really was was that this was the safest way for the boy to approach and slowly get used to the girl's presence which would be a big help in overcoming his shyness of her.

Connor starts to feel very guilty after a while, like he's really doing something wrong, and plus the idea of Miss Alice waking up and seeing him sitting there is a scary one. She'd probably be really mad. He feels slightly relieved as he stands up, and tiptoes away from the couch, making his way out of the room.

Now what? The house was quiet, and Connor couldn't help but feel a little lonely. He feels a pit in his tummy again as for a second he wants to go see what his Mommy's up to, and then remembers she's not home, and he was the only person awake in the house. It wasn't that Connor wasn't used to being the only person awake, or that he wasn't used to being off by himself. In fact, when Connor's parents were having business people over, he'd often have to go off and play by himself. Still feeling the departure of his parents just a few moments ago though, this now upsets him a bit.

Passing the bathroom, Connor stops and turns. He didn't really feel like he had to go...but then again, he wasn't very good at telling. As his parents, to Connor's embarassment, had told the babysitter, he was a very late potty trainer due to his busy parents and still was in that post-potty training stage where he wasn't yet quite ready to be on his own independent potty schedule. Basically he wasn't yet ready to have it be private, and to handle it on his own. He could MOSTLY keep his pants dry...but he still needed adult supervision and reminders to go, and to make sure that he did. His mother sometimes accompanied him into the bathroom still to help him out a bit, despite his seven years of age (He was barely seven however, had just turned seven a month ago.) She HAD told Alice he needed help, he had heard her, but he was determined to show he didn't. And there was NO way he'd risk an accident in front of Miss Alice, and so he goes inside to try.

A few seconds later and he's pulling down his pants and his pokemon underwear in front of the toilet, and to his surprise he finds maybe he had to go a little more than he thought he did. It was a good thing he tried then. Feeling a little proud of himself, he flushes it all away (leaving a bit on the seat, as he wasn't the best aimer in Sapphire Bay that was for sure)
and pulls his pants back up, going into the hall again.

She had asked him if he could be good for her, and he had promised he would, and he wanted to prove it. He decided he'd go to the playroom and watch TV. That sounded like something good...or at least he thought so. He walks down the hallway and opens a door. The playroom is a room to the side about as big as a bedroom, and since he was an only child, it really was like a second room just not for sleeping. It was often a sanctuary for the boy at the times when his parents were too busy to spend time with him, with everything a kid could want. A big TV just for him, a DVD player with tons of DVDs, and even a Nintendo Wii. Even better there were all sorts of toys - many of them pokemon, his favorite. There were shelves of kids books with tons of bright and colorful pictures in them. He had crayons! Tons of colors and coloring books and paper that he could draw on when he wanted. The room was always a bit of a mess but he liked it because it was all HIS stuff. He turns on Nickelodeon and sees Spongebob is on, and so he sits down and watches.

Time seems to fly by until his babysitter is back in the room asking if he was good, which he answers with a nod. After sitting in front of the sleeping Alice for a while, he now finds he can look at her much more easily without feeling nervous but talking is still a little hard. Connor could talk fast and loud and excitedly when comfortable, but those meeting him for the first time seldom saw those traits. "Um...do ya know how t'make grilled cheese...?" He asks a little cautiously and slowly, the boy not knowing what constituted "hard" foods and which ones were "easy" foods.

[JustJoe]

It was an impressive playroom, in a very adult sort of way Alice thought Connor's parents obviously spared no expensive when investing in their child's happiness. Alice remembered when she was little she had just one basket of toys... but then again she had been an imaginative little girl and would usually tip out all the toys just to play with the basket plus she had spent alot of her time out in the garden... Of course money wasn't the only thing parents could invest when it came to a child's happiness.

"I sure can!" Alice declared enthusiastically, secretly pleased the child didn't have a taste for something ridiclously difficult like Pomme Souffle. She had seen them once on a cookery programme and thought they looked pretty simple to make... It turned out she was wrong and her experimentation in the kitchen had resulted some very oily, uncooked, soggy potato slices which after a desperatly seasoning them in an attempt to somehow disguise what they really were, Alice's father had bravely tried and complimented her efforts but Sibi had promptly turned his nose up at them, they ended up on the compost heap where for all she knew even the worms had rejected them.

"Well Connor, switch off the TV for me then you can come and help me in the kitchen." she instructed having no idea where the remote might be hidden amidst all these toys and also hoping Connor's parents usually allowed this room to be messy, she was pretty sure one little boy wouldn't be able to get all his toys out onto the floor in just the time she had been asleep for, still if she had time prohaps she would be able to help him organise the room somehow, then it would at least be a little tidier for when the parents came home.


When the TV screen turned dark Alice lead the way out of the playroom and back to the kitchen, strolled slowly so that Connor could keep pace. The kitchen itself took a moment's pause and thought though as she studied all the appliances for something that might be the fridge. She tried the handle of the nearest tall silver box and was greeted with a cold kiss of escaping frozen air to her cheeks. That would the freezer then, she closed the door and tried the second tall installation. This one was a fridge all right and it looked well enough stocked that Alice wasn't going to have to go shopping too soon but as she explored the drawers she couldn't find anything that looked like cheese.
Well it was going to be pretty difficult to make grilled cheese without any wasn't it? However she wasn't prepared to let Connor down just yet, it was worth doing some more exploration first.

Wondering around the pretty large kitchen work space Alice located the double oven and bent down to fiddle with all the dials for a miniute until she successfully turned the grill on, she could let it warm up on a lower setting which she looked for the cheese... and bread for that matter.
It would have been a lot simpler to just ask Connor but she was kind of enjoying the challenge and doing this would help her learn the layout of the kitchen. After having looked through just about every cuboard, drawer and self, Alice rested her hip against the big central table feeling on the edge of exhustion. Behind her on the table sat the fruits of the forging. A butter dish, two plates, two pairs of cutlery, a sharp cutting knife, a chopping board,a spautla and four slices of bread.
Running to hands through the tangle of her hair Alice was about to give in and ask the boy but she stubborn, determined not to be beaten and spoted a door just off the kitchen and wondered about it. A descreet look at Connor's expression confirmed was thinking along the right lines, he was looking hungrily towards it but seemed to shy to speak up. Oh well, his suffering would be over soon, Alice went to the door and opened it.

The gloom she found beyond proved it the sapce was deep enough to be a full room and not just a closet which is what she had dismissed the unassuming door as upon first glance but what was it a room for. A quick grope for the light swtich soon revealed this.

"Wow." Alice was beside herself in shock. It was a huge cold larder, which more food than she had seen in any one place. It looked like good fresh food too. Cured meats, vegtables, jars of preserves, bundles of dried herbs, cheese...
Hurray! She had finally found the cheese and it wasn't just in a plastic wrapped square like what you brought from the supermarket, these where actual wheels of the stuff, covered in wax or wet cloth to keep it all.
Attentively she studied the labels on each not being connoisseur enough to recognise any of them by just their size, shape and colour. Finding a mellow chedder she brought that out and brought it to table with a heavy bonk as she dropped it on the soild top. Fortunatly this wheel have already been half eaten so it hadn't been too heavy for her to carry.

"Well Connor, you are a patient boy arn't you? Thank you." she remarked going to sink to wash her hands, then checked the grill and turned it up abit since they would finally be able ready to use it in a couple of minitues.
"Would you like to butter the bread while I cut the cheese?" she asked Connor, dragging the cheese wheel onto the chopping board. "It makes the outside crispy." she explained.

[Jakerz]

Connor watches hungrily as Alice - still Miss Alice to him - walks around exploring the kitchen. He wondered when she was gonna get the cheese. It wasnt on the shelves or in the refrigerator of course...(it at least seemed obvious to him having never seen any other kitchens besides the one before they moved to Sapphire Bay). It was in the Food Closet, as he referred to it, though he had eventually learned that it was actually called a "Larder". He almost says something, but finds himself really unable to speak to her unless already answering a direct question.

Finally she finds the cheese, and his tummy begins to rumble in anticipation of a good lunch. If she really knew how to make it good, at least. His Mommy made the best grilled cheeses, but the last babysitter had tried and had made it all wrong. The bread wasn't the right hardness and was all black, and there wasn't the right amount of cheese. Connor thought she must not have been a very good cook, in his mind a good grilled cheese a very good example of cooking ability. But for some reason he believed that Miss Alice would be really good at it, she seemed really sure when she said she could make one.

"You're welcome..." Connor answers, more quickly than he had been answering her previously, and in a bit of a louder voice - his previous statements mostly being very shy and quiet. The corners of his mouth rise ever so slightly in a little smile at her praise. The boy stands on his tiptoes to try to see over the high counter as she asks if he would like to butter the bread.

Connor looks at her in surprise. "...Me?" the boy asks in shock. He had never been allowed to cook or even really HELP cook. He had always thought it looked fun...kind of like playing, but his Mommy didn't like the kitchen dirty. Connor's playroom was allowed to be messy, but Mommy's kitchen had to be clean, as his mother had always said. As a result, he had never been allowed to come up and help cook lest he make a mess. As a result, to him cooking seemed like a "grown-up" activity that kids weren't allowed to do no matter how fun it was, like driving.

He WOULD like to do it, of course, though he didn't know how. But she must have made a mistake, and actually meant to say something else, he figures. And anyways, even if he did help cook, he thought, it'd be way too hard probably and he'd just mess it all up - he was only seven...

[JustJoe]

"Well of course you, silly. Do I look like I have an extra pair of hands?" Alice found the boy's supprise endearing and her voice had a lyrical hint of humour in it. She did wonder how often Connor helped around the house though, she was sure it must have been a lot of work for his mother and father to keep this place clean and the make the meals everyday on top of their regular work, unless prehaps they employed a house keeper and a cook maybe? Although she doubted that was the case, the parents would have warned her if there were other people going to be regularly arriving at the house.

When Alice had finished cutting her slices of cheese and removed the wax from around the edges she noticed Connor was still hesitant about his task, he was an exceptionally shy boy for his age, she reminded her more of a five-year-old than a seven-year-old child.
She stood behind him and reached for the butter knife, placing it in his hand and then dragged the butter dish and bread closer to edge of the table for him.

"Here, let me help you." Alice offered and closed a hand gently over his and guided it along with the knife over to the butter dish. He was trembling slightly under her touch and she felt pity for him,had he really never buttered bread before?

"We just take butter on the knife like this. Then we spread it over the bread. You don't have to neat. Do you think you can do the rest by yourself?" Alice had guided him through the simple process and she was honest when she said it didn't need to be neat because the butter would spread more as it was melted anyway, so she wasn't worried if he made a mess of things. The worst he could do would be to spread too hard and ripped the bread but if that happened then she would eat those sliced and he could have the nice ones.
As he worked Alice made herself busy by pouring a glass of water for them both, well she didn't actually use glasses, she found to safe plastic tumblers which would give her some peace of mind in case of an accidental knock over.
She was glad Connor's family didn't seem to be the sort who only drank bottled water, something her mother had always complained was an exceptional waste of resources, but Connor's family did have water cooler/filter system which ran through their freezer that Alice was thrilled to use since she had only ever seen the sort of thing on television. She was delighted to discover it even made icecubes but she didn't think that was nessicary so just requested water by pressing the tumbler's egdes against the button at the back of the device.

When Connor was finished she thanked him and offered his efforts to the grill after having added the cheese ontop.
She wasn't sure if he was used to eating it as 'cheese on toast' or as toasted cheese sandwhich but she decided if she cooked it as for seperate slices of bread with cheese on top then he could turn it into a toasted sandwhich just like she did with her portion of the meal after taking it out of the grill and turning off the cooker.

"Just let that cool down for a moment before you eat it or you will scold your tongue." she warned. The molten cheese was still bubbling and the steam which came off it had a wonderful buttery fatty smell. Alice left Connor alone for just a miniute as she went to put away some thing back in the larder. Then she returned and sat cross from him at the table, taking a refreshing sip form her water before starting on her toastie.

"So what would you like to do today Connor?"

[Jakerz]

As Alice grabs Connor's hand and begins to help him butter the bread, he feels his hand shaking just a bit. It's a mix of a couple things. For one, he's still shy around the babysitter, but in addition, he's just never been allowed to help cook before. Doing it feels like doing something that kids aren't supposed to do, or wouldn't be ABLE to do, and he's worried that he's going to mess it up. Though the touch made him initially nervous, Alice's hands are gentle, and it doesn't take long before he realizes he's happy she's helping him. With her holding his hand, he can begin to spread the butter on the toast - HE could really do it! - but had the security of her guiding him, and therefore preventing him from any mistakes.

When she lets go of him, he gives a sideways glance - a little nervous about continuing without the help - but he allows himself to keep moving the knife over the bread, almost surprised that he CAN do it without her holding his hand. The first slice is a little messy, but his confidence builds as he does the second slice...his face breaks into a small smile. This was really cool, actually. And it wasn't THAT hard...he wasn't so coordinated with the knife being a young kid, and his arm motions were a little shaky and unsmooth, but it was almost like doing an art project at school like in his second grade class. Like putting down a lot of glue really carefully so you could paste something on it right after. Connor had always been good at art, his mom even had some of his pictures on the refrigerator, a fact he was very proud of. Of course, it was still clearly the work of a second grader, however for his age Connor had a knack for being creative and for really being able to bring out what he's trying to draw.

It had been a while now since his parents had left, and though the boy would probably begin to miss them more again when night fell, at the moment his mind is completely focused on the task at hand, and he forgets his sadness from the morning. It was really special to him...getting to cook like this. Finally he finished the second slice, and held it up, presenting it to Alice as if it's a drawing. "Done..." he says looking up at her, wondering if it was good enough - whether he had done it right on his first try. "Um...is it right...?" he simply asks as he hands it to her.

Soon Connor finds himself sitting at the table, the smells of grilled cheese seeming to attack his nose in his hunger as he waits for it to finish. Soon it was in front of him, and Connor eyes it with such scrutiny he looks like a detective analyzing a crime scene. He puts the two pieces of bread together - he always eats it sandwich style - and looks at both the bread and the cheese as he waits for it to cool. None of the other babysitters were really good at cooking so he didn't have high hopes, but soon the grilled cheese was cool enough to eat. It was probably gonna be yucky, he thought...and slowly he raised it up cautiously and took a bite.

Connor's face changes almost instantly. The sandwich was good! REALLY good! The bread wasnt too black and hard, and the cheese was just the right amount. It even maybe tasted a little BETTER than when his parents made it...something was a little different but GOOD different (more butter though he didn't know it.) His next bite was much bigger. The sandwich is so good he momentarily forgets his shyness. "Wow...its really yummy!" the boy says excitedly as he eats. "An' I helped!" he adds proudly after his next bite, as happy as he's been since Alice got here, and the first time he's really given her a big smile. It did feel good to know that he had a part in making this great sandwich, and he finished the whole thing - though he was a small boy he could eat!

It's clear as Connor drinks his water and finishes up his sandwich that he's been a boy that's been trained good manners and to avoid messy eating. It's also clear that that's a little bit difficult for him. As Connor drinks his water he holds it in two hands, slooowly tilting it up to sip the water. It WAS just water, not really the biggest problem if it DID spill, but the truth was that Connor had not gotten very good reactions from his parents due to spills, and had learned from a very young age to do whatever he could to prevent them. For a kid that was a bit naturally messy that took a lot of effort from him and concentration, but it was ingrained in him and he did his best. But soon the water, like the grilled cheese, is gone, a very good lunch for the boy.

Connor looked at Alice. He really liked that she called him Connor, though he didn't really know why - his seven year old thought process not sophisticated enough to explain it. But the other babysitters had mostly called him by some generic title like "kid" or something - none of them really got to know him. When Alice called him Connor, it made the boy feel...important. And now she was asking him again what he wanted to do today...what DID he wanna do today?

That was a hard question...he hadn't known he was going to get a choice! Even his business-like parents were sometimes guilty of not taking his opinions into account, scheduling things and events for Connor without ever asking if he wanted to do them. He was used to it, though sometimes he would think sadly that he wished someone would ask him what HE wanted to do. Now he's been asked, and now he's been given a choice, and he realizes that after all that he didn't KNOW what he wanted to do. Well...maybe that wasn't QUITE true...there were SOME things...

"Um....wellll..." the boy says, still thinking "I like goin' to the movies..." he finally concedes with a little glance that is just slightly hopeful while still clearly saying 'I know you're gonna say no though'. The movies had always been a special treat from his parents, not due to any money issues clearly but that the nearest movie theater was a good drive away, and they never had liked it as much as Connor. But Alice HAD said 'what would you like to do', and so he had told her....