Anderson Means A

Chapter 16 - A New Security System

Charlotte was copying Evelyn's solutions to the online mathematics homework they'd gotten. She didn't even understand Evelyn's solutions. It would spare her some time looking everything up or trying to persuade the mathematics teacher to give her a better grade. Luckily, only the values in the equations were different for every student.

The doorbell rang.

Charlotte hoped it was just a neighbor and she wouldn't have to get up. But she heard her mother call her name a few moments later. Who would bother them on a Saturday morning? Charlotte wasn't even wearing proper clothes: a sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Her mother would not approve, but she had no time to change clothes.

She entered the living room and gasped. Jake was standing in the middle of the room and her mother had just taken his coat. She'd totally forgotten he would fix their security system today. He wore a soft grey T-shirt with long sleeves and a dark jeans. His dark brown hair curled a little bit at the ends, something she hadn't noticed before. He had a simple grey backpack in his hand.

"Hi, Charlotte." He smiled in a friendly, polite way as if they were friends and she saw him looking at her outfit. She wished she had changed clothes.

"Hi, Jake," she said. She didn't really know how to react.

"Can you do the desk first? My husband will be home this afternoon and I want it to be finished by then. And next, James' laptop and Charlotte's."

"Mine too?", Charlotte asked. She didn't want him snooping around on her laptop and she needed it for her homework – or well, copying Evelyn's homework assignment.

"It's for all the computers within the family," Jake explained. He turned to her mother. "Of course, I'll start with mister Anderson's computer."

Charlotte returned to her room after he disappeared into her dad's office and started the next exercises of her mathematics homework. Suddenly, she heard her brother whine: "No, he can't take my computer."

"James, don't start. Not now," her mother answered, agitated by his disobedience.

Charlotte sighted and stood up. Jake was in the hall, patiently waiting for James to hand over his laptop. Her mother's face was already red of embarrassment. "I'm so sorry," she apologized to Jake: "He doesn't like other people touching his stuff."

"It's not a problem," Jake answered with the same, polite intonation as before.

Charlotte came closer, but just as she wanted to interfere, Jake said: "Can I try, miss Anderson?"

Charlotte's mother hesitated, but nodded and returned to the living room. Charlotte didn't understand why she didn't stay. Who would leave their son with a stranger? But her mother always made weird choices. Jake stood in the doorway of James' room. James wouldn't speak to him. He didn't like strangers, Charlotte knew.

"Hi, James. I also don't like other people touching my stuff. I understand."

James didn't answer and Charlotte had to keep herself from interfering once more. She should give him some time to realize it wasn't going to work. She didn't want him to think of her as the pushy sister.

Jake didn't seem bothered by James' silence and went on: "But I can see that you are a smart kid, so maybe you can do most of it yourself. Have you ever seen someone hacking a computer?"

"In a movie," she heard James say in a squeaky voice.

"Cool, right?" Jake's voice was soft and gentle. Most of the time, people started talking loudly whenever James acted like that, but Jake seemed to do the exact opposite. Charlotte came closer, so she could see her brother standing in his room, with his laptop in his hands. "It looks a little bit like hacking. Do you want to help me?"