Saving the Stanley Kids

 Chapter One

The bus slowly accelerates as I catch the last glimpse of my high school. The sun beats down on the dusty asphalt and the bus grows loud with summer chatter.

I sit in silence thinking about my best friend Anna, who is in Australia for the entire summer. She left two weeks before the end of school, and I wish I could have gone with her. But I knew I could not forget my most important summer plans, and I wanted to finish out my senior year.

The bus brakes quickly, I grab my bag and rush off. I check my phone, 3:17, I’m late again! I turn the corner and pick up speed, my old navy vans beating against the pavement as my leg muscles start to burn. My copy of “The Iliad” flies out of my bag, but I continue on. I turn left and stop at the third house on the street breathing heavily.

            I knock on the door and count to thirty before turning the knob and stepping inside. I look around and at the top of the stairs I see a little girl, barely three feet tall with light blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She grins at me before sprinting down the stairs. I kneel down and she jumps into my arms.
“ Your late”, Becca whispers in my ear
“ I know, Im sorry. Did your mom already leave?”
“Yeah she left” she grumbles as she puts her tiny hands on her hips.

I stand up and lift her into my arms. We walk to the kitchen, I set her on the counter and start looking for a snack for her.
“She said we would be otay till you got here”
“ I still can’t believe she leaves you here alone”, I respond as I hand her fruit snacks.

“I like when she leave, then you come!” Becca shouts as she slides off the counter and runs into the playroom. I smile to myself and follow her. Tyler sits on the couch flipping through channels. I stop in the doorway before he turns around.

“Mary!” He yells.

“Hey Tyler!” I say kneeling down as he runs up to me.

He screeches to a stop about a foot infront of me. We pretend to karate chop each other before I swing him over my shoulder and plop him down on the couch.

I havent babysat Becca and Tyler for at least three weeks and i guess they really missed me! I sure missed them!

“Mawee,” Becca says, “Can we please maybe go to the park?”

Tyler sits up on the couch, “Yeah, please Mary?”

I pretend to think about it even though I already know my answer. “Yeah, lets go!”

I walk into Becca’s room to grab her shoes and Tyler follows me, being his chatty self. “Guess What?” He whispers.

“What?” I respond picking out little silver sandals from Becca’s closet.

“My seventh birthday party is on Saturday the July 41st” He stumbles over the date.

“You mean July 14?” I ask as we walk back downstairs.

“Oh that’s what it is!” He yells loudly before sliding down the banister.

“Be careful”, I say laughing at his energy.

I set Becca’s shoes by the front door and tell Tyler to grab his sneakers. He runs off towards his room sliding in his socks on the hardwood.

“Becca?” I call “Becca ready to go to the park?”

She comes running as fast as her little legs can carry her from her Mom’s bedroom.

“What were you doing in there?” I ask eyeing her hands behind her back.