Artemis pressed her face against the cool glass of the window and let her eyes wander across the front courtyard. She shifted so that her knees could rest comfortably against the leather couch cushion and sighed. Her father had left for a business trip a few days ago, leaving Artemis and her sister Katherine alone for the first time since their mother had died a few years ago. Honestly, it was a relief to feel that their father could finally feel comfortable enough to do this.
That relief was very short lived, ending abruptly when the old man mentioned a babysitter. A pair of 17 year olds couldn't possibly need a babysitter. Then again, Artemis didn't know how the girls would survive a whole 2 months alone in the giant mansion considering neither of them could cook and Artemis would end up getting the two killed with her stupid tricks and ideas.
A black taxi car pulled up in front of the house and stopped. A head of blond hair stumbled out of the back seat, a duffle bag in hand and as soon as the door shut behind him, the car was gone, making its way back out the front gates. Artemis sighed and detached herself from the window and leaping off the couch. She walked out into the main hallway and leaned over the railing, causing several pieces of black hair to fall forward.
"Katherine! The warden is here!" She called and dashed down the stairs to open the door for the poor devil.
Katherine, being the little ball of energy she is, ran out of her room, a huge grin plastered on her face right as the doorbell rang. Her feet thump-thumped against the polished hardwood floors and her hand closed on the doorknob. Standing on her tip-toes to attempt and see through the peephole, she saw a slab of blonde hair, and she laughed in excitement.
"Katherine, calm down." Artemis stated, stepping up behind her sister.
"Fine!" Katherine pouted, then threw open the door.
What the sisters saw was nothing what they expected. A tall-ish blonde, cute, boy, stood with a duffel bag in his right hand and didn't seem to notice the girls. Katherine hugged herself, barely containing a squeal. Artemis looked him over quickly as if determining if he was good enough to be present in their home before stepping aside and pulling Katherine with her so that blond could enter.
The nanny stepped into the house with a small smile on his face.
"B-Bonjour, I'm Matthew. I uh assume you are the girls I am, uh, babysitting." His voice was quiet and hesitant.
Artemis stepped forward and shut the door. "Yes, I guess we are. I am Artemis and this here is my sister Katherine."
She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side. Matthew just kind of stood there awkwardly for a moment, fiddling with the strap on his bag before Artemis sighed and started up the stairs.
"Come on, I can show you where your room is." She said without looking back to see if he was following, though the extra footsteps on the stairs confirmed he was, and that Katherine was following as well.
Artemis stopped in front of the guest bedroom door that her father had told her to put Matthew in. It was situated between Artemis' and Katherine's own bedrooms. She guessed her father just wanted Matthew close in case anything happened. The old man could really be way too protective for his own good. Artemis opened the door and led the other two followers inside. "This is where you're going to sleep. I assume our father told you what to do, who we are, that stuff?" She rose an eyebrow and Matthew nodded. "He did." Artemis nodded.
"Let's go! Come on..." Katherine cocked her head and scrunched her eyebrows, thinking deeply but then brightening when she said,
"Matthew!" she grabbed his duffel bag and dropped it in the open door, then pulled his hand down the hall.
"K-Katherine wait!" Artemis called after the two but both were already out of sight.
"This is the bathroom," Katherine didn't even pause (visibly) for poor Matthew to see and remember where the room is before he was whisked away, continuing down the hall.
Matthew pushed up his glasses with the hand that was laying limp from the air pressure coming from Katherine's speed.
"This is the hall closet, with two L's," she said and Matthew made a face of confusion.
And the amount of L's matters... why? He thought, laughing. Katherine skidded to a stop.
"And that's the house!" she beamed at Matthew and his eyebrows furrowed, once more. Great... I missed everything...
When Artemis finally caught up to the two, she was panting. She was bent over slightly with her hands resting on her knees.
"D-Damn it... Katherine... slow down... next time." She said between heavy breaths and glared at her sister.
"And you didn't have to whisk him away, he can handle himself I'm sure." She righted herself and glanced over at the now disheveled teen.
"Right?" He stared at her for a moment as if in a daze before snapping out of it and nodding his head quickly.
"Y-Yeah that's why your father hired me after all." He chuckled awkwardly for a second and looked anywhere except at the two girls in front of him.
They were all in the main living room which had a very high ceiling and a giant fireplace on one end of the room. Artemis sat down heavily in one of the sofa recliners.
Katherine smiled at Matthew, who was, he swears, windburn on the cheeks, and plopped down next to her sister, eyes still alert and dancing. Matthew sighed, then followed Artemis' lead and plopped heavily into one of the spots of the couch. Matthew kept his eyes glued to the seemingly younger twin, Katherine, as he plopped.
"Matthew! You can't sit there! You'll die!" Matthew rocketed through the roof at Katherine's voice.
"W-Wha?" he stammered, seeing an evil glint coming from the corner of his eye.
Turning his head, he saw a cat. Kitten actually.
Artemis snorted as the cat launched herself at Matthew, attaching her tiny teeth to his hand.
"Gah!" Matthew's hand jerked and the kitten huffed, puffing out her small chest and hissed at him.
"That would be my cat, Church." Artemis said and stood up from her chair to pick up Church, who in turn, immediately started purring like crazy.
Artemis chuckled and Matthew rose his eyebrows, hugging his hand to his chest. He mumbled something under his breath as Artemis sat back down, stroking the cat.
"Oh but she can be really, really sweet when she wants to be!" Katherine stated with a grin and leaned over to scratch Church behind the ears.
The kitten hissed and burrowed into Artemis' arms and the teenager laughed.
"Yeah but only toward me." Artemis said and set the kitten down.
"Evil witch cat." Katherine mumbled and Artemis smirked.
"Well she is mine after all. Where is your cat anyways? Shouldn't he come out and greet his new housemate?"
"He's taking his... catnap..." Katherine snorted, then laughed.
Artemis snorted, "Har har real funny jokester."
Katherine nodded, smiling at the two teens in front of her. Soon enough, a caramel-colored kitten came from the hallway of the bedrooms and stretched his legs out.
"Aw! Maple you're up!" Katherine scooped up the caramel-and-white kitten and Maple sniffed, then jumped from Katherine's arms, walking hesitantly over to Matthew.
"H-His name is... Maple?" Matthew asked, a broad grin spreading across his features.
"Yep!" Katherine said, picking up Maple, putting him in Matthew's lap, then sitting next to Matthew.
The teenager blushed slightly, then shakily started petting the cat.
"I.. I'm from Canada, and we're known for our maple syrup..." Matthew laughed, his hands getting stabler and stabler by the second.
I really like it here... despite Katherine's weird... issue...