Chapter Sixteen: Blackmails, Scoldings and Demons

“Ali!” I heard someone shout my name I turned around as I saw Holly and Sarah in the distance running over to me; both there hands filled with shopping bags. “Where the hell have you been?” Sarah asked, slightly out of breath.

“I’ve been around.” I told them, truthfully.

“Around?” Holly hissed at me, her eyes narrowed. “I thought you were kidnapped or something!” She screeched, grabbing the attention of near by shoppers.

“Oh, come on Holly let’s be rationale.” I said humorously, however, In return she glared at me. “I was in the build-a-bear workshop the whole time; where were you two?” I questioned.

“Looking for you!” She yelled, I raised my hands in surrender trying to calm my overdramatic cousin.

“Whatever.” She muttered, dropping the subject. “Just don’t do that again.” She warned, handing me some of the shopping bags I left on the floor of the workshop. 

After Gavin had lost Garrett again, we went over to the front desk of the build-a-bear workshop to find someone to help us find Garrett. The person who helped us was Hazel, yup the lady who thought I was a teen mother. She looked at me weirdly when we asked her if anyone had seen or reported a blue eyed, brown haired four year old boy. I am pretty sure she thought I was the mother of Garrett and was just lying earlier about not being a teen mom.

In the end we found Garrett at the dress up station, pissed was an understatement to what Gavin was. I am pretty sure he is considering getting Garrett a dog leash. But, we all know how that turned out when he lost his dog Kingston. So, a leash would be no help due to Gavin losing everything from dogs to children.

“So, where to next?” Sarah asked, interrupting my thoughts.

Just then my stomach grumbled. Holly and Sarah raised there eyebrows at me, I sheepishly shrugged. “How about the food court?”

*

Once we were done eating we called it a day and Holly drove Sarah and I back home. “You are coming tomorrow? Right?” Holly asked, putting the car in park.

I nodded grabbing my shopping bags and getting out of the car. “Yeah of course, tomorrow is the semi-finals I want to see Ashley’s butt get whooped.” I said, shutting the door.

She smiled, replying with a wave putting her car in drive and driving towards the gates. I looked at the house and noticed Thomas standing by the window. His eyes widening knowing that I had caught him staring he quickly disappeared away from the window closing the curtains.

“Need any help Miss?” A guard said, coming towards me.

I nodded my head handing him my shopping bags. “Yes, that would be great, thanks. If you don't mind taking it to my room?” He nodded, another guard opening the front door for us as we made our way in.

I thanked him once again turning the other way in search of Thomas. I wanted to know why he was staring at me or well Holly’s car in particular.

A few minutes later I found him in the kitchen where I assumed he would be. He was talking to Uncle Robbie who happens to be the Vice President. He and his wife Diane or Aunt Diane as Thomas and I called her also live in the Whitehouse with us, but sadly they had no kids.

“Alice!” He beckoned, patting to the seat next to him.

I smiled, taking a seat next to him. “Hey.” I said giving him a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.

“How was your shopping trip?” He asked, taking a sip of his tea.

I nodded. “Good.”

“Good. I was just talking to Mr. Thomas over here about his duties.” He said, looking at a slouching Thomas. He was drawing lines with his finger on the counter looking bored out of his mind.

“Duties?” I asked him, confused.

“Yes. Since your parents are gone for the next couple of days I am in charge of you two. And your mother gave me strict orders for you especially.”

Uncle Robbie wasn’t actually needed to go for this trip since him and Aunt Diane already went a few weeks ago to see the Queen they found no real reason of having to go again. So my parents decided that he would be the one to watch us while they were gone and when Uncle Robbie and my parents were gone it’s our cook Marco and maid Melinda who would usually watch us.

“Why me? What about Thomas?” I said, pointing to my little brother.

He shrugged. “All she said was to make sure Thomas doesn’t eat any sweets. Apparently he tends to go over the roof when he gets too much sugar.”

“When I was six.” He said, in annoyance.

I rolled my eyes. “So, back to me?”

“Well first, you aren’t allowed to leave the house without any guards except for school. You have Benjamin apparently.” I nodded my head at that; it seemed pretty rationale. “Next, you have to take care of Thomas make sure he stays out of trouble and third the guards’ families kids are coming over they aren’t many kids so you are in charge of seeing over them.”

“What?”

“Your mom forgot to tell you when you left this morning with your friends. She was actually the one who was going to see over these kids but since they had to fly over to England for some meeting with the Queen it was too late to cancel.” He said, looking over at the paper where it had all the instructions my mom must have left for him.

I sighed, resting my head on the counter. It was such a late notice, and call me a freak but I liked things planned ahead of time. I didn’t really like when people sprung things on me. “Okay what time will they be here?” I asked, Uncle Robbie.

“Four.”

It was three thirty now, so it gave me half an hour before all the kids started arriving. “Why did my mom even plan this to begin with?”

“The guards’ work hard and are not always around to take care of their spouses and kids so she wanted to help them out a little.”

“But it really makes no sense to why-"

Uncle Robbie’s phone ringing cut me off. He pulled out his phone from his trousers holding his finger out to me, meaning one minute. “I better take this.” He said, looking at his phone. “It’s the wife.” He said, pressing the answer button.

“The wife is upstairs.” Spoke Thomas, for the first time in a while. For a second I actually forgot he was here. Uncle Robbie in return ignored him getting up from his stool he was previously sitting on walking out of the kitchen to probably go and talk to the 'wife.' 

“I hope you know that you’re helping me take care of these kids.” I said, turning to Thomas.

“No I am not.” He replied, standing up and walking out of the kitchen.

“Yes you are or else I’ll tell Holly about your little crush on her.” I said, proudly following him.

Thomas stopped his body stiffening as he turned around to face me. “Who said I like Holly?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

I rolled my eyes. “It is so obvious! You were practically gawking at her during breakfast this morning.”

“Doesn’t mean I like her.” He muttered.

“Whatever. But I think it is kind of gross liking your own cousin.” I said, shivering at the thought.

“I don’t like her!” He said, trhough his clenched teeth.  

“Yeah, and I am an alien.” I said sarcastically. “Look, help me take care of the kids and I promise I won’t tell her.”

“Fine.” He replied, sticking out his hand for me to shake, which I shook.

“To be honest I don’t even know why you like her. She’s seven years older than you anyways.” I muttered, as he turned around and kept walking.

“Whatever.” He grumbled, turning the corner and towards the stairs.

*

“Jenna you’re not allowed to leave this room, I promised your daddy.” I told the five year old, slowly barricading the door with my body.

“But I am bored and you’re mean.” The little girl said pouting.

I sighed; it was like this for the last hour. The guards who were fathers for these kids dropped them off an hour ago and since then it has been nothing but hectic. We weren’t allowed to let the kids out of this room being the private sitting room, so it was pretty much empty with minimal furniture which we moved to the side of the walls to let the kids run freely.

“Well I am sorry Jenna but rules are rules. Why don’t you go play with the other kids?” I asked, hopefully.

For the last fifteen minutes Jenna has been trying to leave. Where? I have no idea, all I know is that she wasn’t allowed and I didn’t want to be the cause of her interrupting whatever the parents of these kids were doing.

“Can I have something to eat then?” She asked, her green eyes perking up.

I nodded my head reluctantly grabbing the little girls’ hand. “Okay, let’s go.” She grabbed my hand as I quickly made my way to Thomas who was under a dog pile of kids.

“Thomas?” I said squatting.

“What?” He asked, harshly.

“I am going to take little Jenna to get a snack, your in charge for the time being.”

“What? Who’s Jenna?” He said, his head poking out from all the bodies on top of him. “You can’t just leave me here with these monsters!”

“It’ll only be five minutes I promise, and then I will come get you out.” I said, patting his head and tightening my grip on Jenna’s hand. I didn’t want to lose her like how Gavin lost Garrett.

Once we were outside the door I made sure to close it, hoping that no kids saw us go out. There were no guards inside the room besides Thomas and I. As well as no guards outside the door, once in a while one of them would come and check on their kids but other than that, it would be pretty much it.

Once I got into the kitchen, I picked up Jenna placing her on one of the high chairs. “So what do you want to eat?” I asked her standing on the other side of the counter.

Marco and Melinda were both with the other guards and there families. So I had no one to make for Jenna food but me. I knew the basics of cooking like eggs and pancakes, but ask me to make you some sort of pasta dish I’m clueless.

“Can I have some cookies?” She asked, giggling.

I nodded walking into the pantry were we held all the perishable foods that didn’t need to be frozen or refrigerated. I grabbed a packet of chocolate chip cookies. “Do you want milk…?” I asked, Jenna walking out of the pantry who was trying to get of the high chair but was too short to reach the floor.

“Jenna!” I exclaimed, rushing over to her to make sure she wouldn’t fall. I grabbed her small little body in my arms, placing her onto the floor. “You could’ve fallen!” I scolded. I sounded like a mother scolding her child for doing something wrong.

“I am sorry.” She said, I nodded my head noticing her two front teeth seemed to be missing as she smiled.

“It’s okay.” I said, ruffling her blonde curls.

“Let’s just get going back before someone catches us wandering around, okay?”

She nodded her head vigorously reaching for my hand. I grasped her small hand into mine as we walked back into the private room where all the kids were. They were around ten to fifteen kids in there; three of them being Ricky’s kids.

I pushed the door opening as I heard squeals and screams from the other kids as they ran around. Jenna grabbed the cookie packet from my hand as she entered the room.

A smile made its way onto my face as I watched her munch on the chocolate chip cookies. My eyes wandered over to a pile of kids jumping on someone.

I noticed a mop of brown hair as the boy was continually getting abused by the other kids jumping on top of him. “Thomas?” I said, finally realizing I left him with a pile of kids on top of him now they were just jumping on him.

I shut the door behind me making sure they were no kids around to escape then rushing over to a beat up Thomas. “Are you okay?” I said, trying to hold in my laughs as I pulled him upright.

He ripped his arm from my grasp, glaring up at me. His hand went over to his brown hair trying to fix it due to it sticking up in all directions kind of like Gavin’s.

“Okay?” He asked, hissing at me.

“I was continually harassed by these demons you call kids.” He said pointing to the kids who were all looking at us with wide eyes.

“Oh, come on Thomas. You always wanted a younger sibling!”

“Yeah, one not fifty of them!” He yelled, throwing his hand up in the air in frustration.

I shrugged, his shirt was crooked half of it being tucked the other not. He was also missing his left shoe and sock.

“So, there is no chance of you helping me ever again?” I questioned.

“Again? I am not helping you now.” He said, letting out a sarcastic laugh. “Good luck Alice; I am leaving and you’re on your own for this one.”

“Thomas.” I whined, following him to the door. He didn’t respond he just opened the door walking out not before shutting it behind him.

I huffed turning around as I watched how all the kids of eyes were on me. “What are we doing now?” I heard, one of them ask.

I let out a sigh. They were about fifteen kids the oldest probably being the same age of Thomas. They looked at me with curiosity in there eyes.

I have absolutely no idea…

*****

Hello Lovelies,

Thoughts on this chapter? I love Thomas, oh God… and he seemed not to like those children he calls “demons” I want your THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS on this chapter!! Also thanks for the 100 comments on the last chapter and over 470 votes as well! You guys made a record for the votes! WANT TO DO IT AGAIN? Most in the whole book! Next chapter will be probably the semi final round, it will be short probably I don’t know…

Anyways most of you might have heard; I am taking a short break I will be gone for a week and a half maybe more. I want to plan out m story so I can give you regular updates and I also feel the story is going to fast and to slow... So once I am back don’t worry you will hopefully love it! In the mean time read my other novel the sound of music. That is updated regularly.

Ps thanks so much for everyone who comments, fans [I recently have gotten over 700], voting and for everyone who adds this book and my many others to their reading list it absolutely means the world and I want to thank you for that…

To win a dedication tell me what you are least looking forward to tomorrow for school! For me it is taking the bus! I wish you all the best tomorrow!!

This dedication goes to @potato_llama33444 her gift would be seeing her mom after a long time…

Also it is dedicated to@ _stormwarning On the side is a picture of a new cover she made for me I WANT YOUR OPINION WHICH YOU LIKE BETTER THIS ONE OR THE NEW ONE? THANKS!

Also on the side is the song Timber By, Pitbull Feat. Kesha suggested by my best friend! I absolutely love it…

Oh and i am a bit late... but HAPPY NEW YEARS! I HOPE IT IS FILLED WITH GOOD HEALTH, RAINBOWS AND HAPPINESS! :) 

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Xoxo_mysteriousgirl