So, after the cuteness of last chapter, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Beware the cuteness of kiddie Bayley. BEWARE IT! XD ...And, like always, enjoy, everyone! =)
(Also, I just noticed something weird in regards to this fic. The first three chapters were their own little story arc and this chapter is starting another arc. Maybe I oughta stick with that formula going forward in this. We'll see.)
Even though Bayley had powers similar to the ones that Roman, Dean, and Seth had, she was still a kid. And that meant that she liked playing in the area that was near her house just like any other child would. Sometimes she'd be able to get one of the men that looked after her to play a game of some sort with her, but, mostly, she'd usually play on the vast area by herself, playing some manner of game by herself that would usually be something along the lines of a game a la hide and seek or something else like practicing climbing trees. It wasn't exactly going to an amusement park or hanging out with friends, but...it was fun. At least it was something to keep the sense of boredom and feeling of loneliness that would commonly rise up within the ponytailed preteen.
One particular day, however, Bayley went outside to something completely different.
As she ran down the hill and began to make her way to her favorite tree, Bayley stopped completely in her tracks when she saw ahead of her a boy sitting in front of one of the trees she'd usually climb, moving what Bayley guessed to be a pencil across the page. Quickly dashing behind one of the trees that was at the bottom of the hill, Bayley took a few quick peeks around the tree as she tried to get a feeling for just who this boy was. She knew there were other kids in the city because there were schools for all of the children and teenagers to go to...and because, some days when she'd go to the store Emma and Josh worked at, she'd see the two working on homework and helping each other as best they could. So, to see another kid-and one that looked to be pretty close to her age, at that-on the property that Roman, Dean, and Seth owned was a pretty huge surprise to the preteen. At that moment, Bayley wasn't sure what to do because she was feeling pretty nervous about trying to approach this boy. But...there was just something about him that struck her as interesting. She wasn't sure if it was his curly red hair, the focused look on his face, or the fact that he was dressed so casually, but there was one thing that Bayley knew for certain: This could be a chance for her to make a friend outside of Emma, Josh, Roman, Dean, and Seth. But the big question here remained...How would she go about trying to make the acquaintance of this boy?
'Come on, Bayley! It can't be this hard to go over there and say Hi! It's just so simple. OK. Let's do this!' Bayley thought before giving a firm nod of her head. As she prepared to walk around the tree, however, she turned around and ran away, heading back up the hill to her house. Once she got to the front door, she threw it open and closed it behind her just as quickly.
Looking up from what he was looking at, Seth said "Bayley. You're back pretty early. I thought you were going to go play one of your little games for a bit."
"I was, but-" Bayley began before asking "Uh, Seth? What're you doing with one of my Cookie Cats?"
Looking between Bayley and the aforementioned unwrapped ice cream sandwich and back to Bayley, Seth said "Oh! Well, I was checking it out."
"You were checking out my Cookie Cat?" Bayley asked, feeling a bit confused. "Why?"
"Well. I've been thinking. Ever since you summoned your shield the other day, I've been curious about what might've caused you to be able to summon it. And, I was thinking that maybe it had something to with these ice cream sandwiches you like so much," Seth said.
"And? Do you think me summoning my shield might have something to do with me eating Cookie Cats?" Bayley asked, internally hoping that her beloved ice cream sandwiches weren't the direct cause of her finally summoning her shield as Seth would probably see them as something she couldn't have anymore.
"I don't think so. Aside from these things being surprisingly healthy despite them being ice cream and cookies, I don't think they're at all related to you summoning your shield," Seth said.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Bayley said "That's good. At least I can still enjoy them before I'm completely out."
"Yep," Seth said, nodding his head and smiling as he slid the ice cream treat back into its wrapper and put it back in the freezer. Turning back to look at Bayley, Seth noticed that the ponytailed brunette seemed a bit...frazzled about something; and this was odd because Bayley never really got worked up over anything. Taking the chance to ask, Seth asked "Bayley, are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, sure I'm fine, Seth. Why would ask something like that?" Bayley asked, not really wanting to have a talk with Seth over something like what was going on with her right now.
"Because you rushed in here pretty fast and you seem a bit tense about something," Seth said. "Is everything alright?"
"Well... Yes! I mean, no! I mean...I don't really know!" Bayley said, trying not to shout.
Seeing and hearing that Bayley seemed fairly worked up about something, Seth said "Come here and take a seat, Bayley. Tell me what's on your mind."
While Bayley didn't exactly want to talk with Seth, she felt it would be best to do so seeing as how Seth was obviously concerned about why she was so worked about something. And besides. Maybe she could get some helpful advice from Seth on how to best learn how to go about talking the boy she saw and maybe making friends with him. Walking over to the kitchen island and climbing up the stool that was by Seth, Bayley took a breath and let it out before saying "OK. Here's what's bothering me."
D'aawww! It would appear as though Bayley could be on the verge of making a new friend. Now the poor dear just needs to work on building up her courage towards making friends with this boy. At least she has Seth there to talk with about how she could possibly go about doing so. Now the big question here is...Will Bayley be able to work up her nerve and courage to try to talk to the boy she saw? Stay tuned for the next installment. And until then, don't forget to R&R please. =)
(Also, I got a review from a reader wondering if the Cookie Cats had anything to do with Bayley summoning her shield. Hopefully, the answer I gave here will help satisfy their curiosity on this matter. =) )
