Callie sighed to herself, sipping a cup of coffee, watching her aunt's best friend, Sam, drive away in her car. She turned, looking up at the Kaiba Mansion with a raised eyebrow. The place was a masterpiece, with some art that she recognized from the Gothic Age in Renaissance art adorning the exterior. She winced as she heard the squeal of brakes from nearby. If anything, she knew her own car, and those were her brakes. This would be the last time she ever, ever let Sam drive without her in the car.
With a sigh, the girl rang the doorbell, glancing down at her outfit as a bit of coffee sloshed over her hand. She sucked it off of her hand, waiting patiently as footsteps drew nearer. The door opened, and Seto Kaiba stared down at her, his eyebrow raised. She flushed slightly as she realized her mouth was sucking away coffee, but she brushed it off and straightened.
"I would have expected a maid," she said breezily. "Should I be honored?" He sneered down at her. She grinned up at him.
"Callie!" She smiled at the black head that appeared next to Seto.
"Mornin', Mokuba," she said, taking a small sip of her coffee. He smiled at her radiantly. Callie could barely contain her giggles. Standing next to his dour brother, the kid appeared to be a ray of sunshine while Seto was a thundercloud. It amused her to no end. She raised an eyebrow at the tall CEO, who was still blocking the doorway. "Do you want me to come in or not?"
"I've not quite decided yet," he said, a small smirk appearing on his face. Callie rolled her eyes.
"Well, if that's the case, then I'll be going," she muttered, turning around and starting to walk away. She heard Mokuba's cry of distress, and felt a hand wrap around her upper arm. She yelped as Seto all but dragged her into the house. She barely managed to kick off her shoes. He let her go, and stared down at her.
"I never said you could leave, Ms. Haveles," he snapped. She scowled at him.
"No, but you certainly suggested it, Mr. Kaiba," she replied. Mokuba cleared his throat, interrupting their little spat. Seto glared down at Callie one more time, and then sighed.
"There's a packet of emergency information and general information on the kitchen table. Kindly don't contact me unless there's an emergency. Ask Rosie if you need help for anything. Don't ask me. Understand?" She scowled at him, but he was out the door before she had a chance to retort, something she was dearly wishing to do. She sighed, and turned to Mokuba.
The younger boy shrugged apologetically at her. She smiled, and ruffled his hair. "Hey, kid, you wanna show me where the kitchen is?" she asked, and she laughed as he shot down the hallway, jogging to keep up. She skidded into the kitchen, her socks sending her into the countertop. "Meh," she muttered, making a face. She stuck her tongue out at the laughing Mokuba. She eyed the packet, noting that it was extraordinary thick.
"Erm…I think I'll read that later. Tonight, perhaps. What do you wanna do, Mokuba?" The boy grinned.
"Let's go outside!" Callie sighed. Where did the boy get the energy? It was 7:15 in the morning, for God's sake! But, she followed him outside, watching him bounce up and down as he ran through the halls. Finally, he reached the morning sunshine, and laughing, Callie followed him, hopping up and down, pulling off her socks so they didn't get wet in the morning dew. Mokuba doubled back and grabbed her hand, making her go faster. She squealed as she slipped on the grass and fell. Mokuba gasped. She laughed, and got to her knees. The black-haired child smiled at her.
"Come on, let's play volleyball!" he said, motioning to a nearby court. Callie shrugged, and rushed onto the sand field, closely followed by the boy.
Seto Kaiba sighed to himself as he entered his home. Normally, he'd still be working, but he'd decided to come home for lunch, to see Mokuba, and to check on how Callie was doing on her first day. He made his way towards the living room, where Mokuba usually was, and frowned as he found it empty.
"Mokuba?" he called. There was no reply. His frown deepened. A shout of laughter reached his ears. With a sigh, he followed it into his large backyard, and discovered Mokuba and Callie involved in a heated rally in volleyball. He watched Callie jump and spike the ball, her slender body stretching beyond its height. Mokuba shrieked with laughter as he barely managed to hit the ball back. Seto watched Callie's eyes widen as she realized it would hit out of her reach, but would still be in bounds.
She did the only thing she could under the circumstances. She dove for it. Seto smirked as he watched her dive for it, miss, plow through the sand, and then sit up, laughing. "Graceful," he commented. She looked up, surprised. She smiled.
"Never once said that I was," she shot back, brushing sand out of her hair. She shook her head, trying to get the rest of the sand out. Mokuba snickered as her ponytail swayed back and forth, shedding sand.
"Whatcha doing home, big brother?" he asked, running over to the taller man. Seto smiled down at him, resting a hand on his mane of hair.
"I came to see how you two were doing. Now I see I should tell the maids that laundry will have to be done tonight, for Ms. Haveles clothes, if not for yours." Callie stuck her tongue out at him. Seto raised an eyebrow. "What a mature person I've hired. Are you sure you're up for the responsibility?"
Callie's eyes flared. "Mr. Kaiba, in my former jobs with children, I've found that they respond better to people who know that there is a time when they can act immature. Children are meant to have fun, and adults need to learn that they can have fun too." she snapped. He smirked at her.
"Very well, Ms. Haveles. I must return to my work. Goodbye, Mokuba." he said, turning back towards the house. Callie sighed to herself, and grabbed the volleyball, bouncing it off of Mokuba's head as the CEO disappeared from view.
"Hey, kid, you up for another round?" With a large grin at Mokuba's cheer, she rushed onto the field again.
Rosie watched the two play the game from a window above them, smiling. Mokuba seemed happier with this caretaker, and Callie seemed competent, unlike Amaya. Callie also kept Mokuba active, since they'd been at the game for a good 2 hours since Seto had taken his leave. She smiled to herself, and continued cleaning, humming a small tune.
She jumped as the phone rang, and then went to pick it up. "Kaiba Residence…yes sir. Right away," she murmured, and placed the phone gently on the table. She ran through the mansion, pausing to grab a portable, and then headed outside.
"Ms. Haveles?" she asked. Callie paused, brushing a bit of sweaty hair off of her neck.
"It's Callie, actually. Ms. Haveles makes me feel weird," she muttered. "How can I help you?"
"The phone is for you," Rosie said with a smile, extending the portable she'd grabbed. Callie raised an eyebrow, and reached out slowly, grasping the phone as if it would bite her. Rosie giggled.
"Hello?"
"Ms. Haveles?" Callie sighed.
"It's Callie, please, Mr. Kaiba," she said.
"Very well. I need you to stay late tonight. I have a meeting that will last to around 12 at night or so. You may stay the night if it will make things easier for you." Callie's mouth dropped open.
"Mr. Kaiba, I think this is kind of unfair for you to spring this on me now, let alone demand that I stay until 12!"
He sighed. "You will be paid, Ms. Haveles-"
"Callie."
"As I was saying, you will be paid extra for staying, Callie." She stuck her tongue out at the phone.
"Money's not an issue, Mr. Kaiba. The matter of respect is. What if I have an appointment tonight?" she wondered aloud.
"Callie, when I hired you, I expected you to be ready for this sort of thing. You need to get used to it. It will happen a good amount of the time. Whether you have an appointment or not is not a concern of mine. You need to stay." he said, annoyance clear in his voice. Her eyes narrowed.
"Perhaps it should be your concern, Mr. Kaiba. Very well, I shall stay, but from now on, I expect a warning long before something like this occurs. Understand?" she snapped, slamming the phone down. Rosie and Mokuba stared at her.
"Did you just hang up on Seto?" Mokuba asked quietly.
"Yup." Callie said, unconcerned. She froze as the phone rang.
"Oh dear…" Rosie said, her eyes wide. Together, the three of them eyed the phone as if it was about to bite them. None of them wanted to pick up.
"Hey, Mokuba, you should pick it up. Kaiba's less likely to scream at you," Callie muttered. Mokuba nodded. He reached for the phone, and hit the talk button.
"Hello?"
"Mokuba?" Mokuba flinched at the black anger that was weaving through Seto's tone.
"Yeah, big brother?"
"Put Calandra on the phone this instant." Making an apologetic face, Mokuba handed the girl the phone. Hesitantly, she raised it to her ear.
"Hello?"
A/N: Hee hee. Had to end it there. Stick around for the next chapter for Seto's reaction! And I promise I'm getting to work on Lying Eyes…
Arabella Silverbell: Then you're in the right place. I shall gladly feed your obsession!
Setalina Muro: I will, have no fear! Thanks!
Twilight: Whee! Thank you so much for the fav! Yeah, I think we do like girls with spunk. I happen to be a bit of a feminist, so that appears in my writing occasionally. Hee hee. Update your stories soon, please? (even though you update almost everyday, and I never update…gah…)
