Grace Parker lived in the country next to this horrid little boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb. To ignore his faults, he feels the need to bring forth a persons lack of intelligence; which in turn makes him quite a boor. Of course, Grace was every other teenage girl in England - though she did not look English - but as any other girl she had friends and went out sometimes when she wasn't studying. But since her father was killed in the second world war, her mother had to work to the bone for money. So Grace had to work for any casualties her mother could not provide for her. Resulting to her to come to the conclusion that she had to babysit this horrid little bugger next door.

"Ahahahaha!"

"Eustace! Please! Your parents will be home any minute!"

"You can't get me!"

Eustace was running about in the grocery store making chaos in every aisle.

"Let's see about that." Grace murmured to herself.

Eustace went into the Bread aisle and was about to enter the Ice Cream aisle; until Grace came out of the corner and grabbed him. He struggled for awhile, thinking he could get out of her grip but dealing with him and just because she was born with abnormally extra strength than your average girl; she was able to contain him.

On the walk back to Eustace's home, Grace had him carry the bags and had to endure his ramblings when something caught her attention.

"My idiotic cousins are spending the holiday in my house and I will have to listen to their moronic fantasies about this "kingdom" as they call it. It ridiculous."

"I never knew your parents had brothers and sisters."

"Goodness your stupid. At least one person in a marriage has siblings."

Grace stopped in her tracks. "So your sure that I'll marry someone with siblings!"

"It's common sense."

"Wow. The only thing you don't have."

"I'm sorry. What? I couldn't quite hear that."

He's taunting her. They both know that Eustace could have her fired and she needed the money.

"Nothing. I said..." She sighed."... nothing."

Eustace smiled. "Good."

"When are they to arrive?"

"Today. Mother wants you to cook."

This is ridiculous. I have to do mother's chores at my home and I have to do what this idiot's mother is to lazy to do. And I have homework to do. Lord, help me.

"Hurry up now! They could be there now!"

"What do you care?" She whispered to herself.

Of course, he didn't hear her for he was long ways in front and she was very good at hiding her comments when her brain notified her to.

They reached Scrubbs house in time to see his parents home and probably trying to entertain their new guests.

Which they were not.

Grace opened the front door only to be greeted with:

"It was about time!" From Scrubb's Mother.

"I apologize for it taking so long. There were a few complications."

"Yeah. Yeah. Eustace, darling, go say hello to your cousins."

"They better not be talking about their fantasy land -- Narnia? Ugh. It disgusts me. "

Grace rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen to start supper.

Ding!

Supper is ready.

Grace walked up the stairs to get Eustace and his cousins when she heard some yelling going on from the guest room.

"What on earth is going on?"

Eustace stopped yelling and everyone looked at Grace.

"Eustace? Why are you yelling at your cousins?"

"Something is wrong with the picture! It's tom foolery I tell you!"

"Eustace stop yelling or your mother will have my head."

"You look at it then!"

He pointed to the painting Grace used to stare at for hours and saw something that she would never thought she would see.