"Where do you think she is?" Claudia eyed the empty director's chair. "She's never late."

"Well, there's still five minutes to go." Stacey replied but she sounded a little concerned.

I sighed. Kristy was always very early. I could only hope that everything was ok. Kristy looked really out of it in school today. Her hair was not put up in its usual ponytail. It hung down and looked as though it were full of knots. There were dark circles under her eyes and she carried herself as though her bones could shatter just from putting her weight on them. I sat across from her at lunch and she avoided eye contact with me at all cost. I think she may have only said one or two words to me the entire day.

"You know, come to think of it," Stacey began. "She wasn't in Health class."

"But she was at school," I assured. "She's was in last period."

Dawn grinned. "Maybe she couldn't handle the "facts of life" chapter were doing right now." Stacey, Dawn, and Claudia giggled while Jessi and Mal just blushed.

The door to Claudia's room opened and Kristy walked in very slowly. She still hadn't done anything with her appearance. In fact, she looked a little worse.

The room went dead quiet and Dawn was the first to speak. "K-Kristy, I was just…"

Kristy ignored her and sat in the director's chair. She eyed the clock, which read 5:30. "This meeting of the Babysitter's Club is now called to order." There was absolutely no enthusiasm in her voice. I was finally able to make eye contact with her. Usually, there was always a wild spark in Kristy's eyes, one that could tell you that she was in charge and could do anything. Today, her eyes were dull and lifeless, like the fire had been extinguished.

"Any new business." Kristy asked. I couldn't help but notice that she sat kind of funny.

"Yeah." Stacey spoke sounding a little disgusted. "Did you just roll out of bed and come here?"

Kristy's head turned towards the floor. "I was up all night doing homework. I need sleep."

"What?" Claudia laughed. "Homework is bringing down the great Kristy? I didn't think we had that much to keep you up all night."

Kristy forced a smile. "No, last night, Emily cried most of the night. She was really scared. So I went to her room and comforted her. I was up the entire night holding her."

Something about her story didn't seem right. "But what you're homework."

"Oh." Kristy's eyes widened. "Emily started crying right after I finished."

The phone rang and Claudia dove to answer it. Charlotte Johnson needed a babysitter. Of course, since she was free for the time needed, Stacey took the job. As soon as that was settled, everyone went about their own business. Jessi and Mal were talking about the latest horse book one of them had just recently bought. I sat next to the director's chair watching Claudia and Stacey. Kristy, sitting right above me, was just staring into space.

"Where are they!" Claudia searched frantically around her room. She was pulling clothes out from her dresser and throwing them behind her.

"What are you looking for?" Stacey asked pulling off one of Claudia's shirts that had landed on her head.

Claudia rotated her self in a very unusual fashion. "My Fritos!" she exclaimed. "I know I have them around here some where. I just started craving them!" She was silent for a second or two. "And I'm so hungry!" Claudia turned back to her dresser and continued to dig.

"Are you sure you left them in there?" Stacey questioned. She was probably wondering how they weren't smashed underneath all of Claudia's rather interesting clothes.

Claudia froze. "Come to think of it, I think I put them under my bed!" She darted from her dresser and dove under her bed pulling various items out.

Stacey sighed and crawled under with her. "Claudia! There's so much junk under here! How do you expect to find anything- Oh, here they are!" Stacey backed out from under the bed pulling a bag of Fritos. Claudia quickly came out from underneath the bed and wrapped Stacey up in a hug. I heard her Fritos crunching between them.

Dawn, who was sitting next to me groaned. "They're acting like children! And don't they know that stuff is bad for you!" Stacey and Claud didn't seem to hear her.

"Oh Stacey! You're the best friend ever!" Claudia rejoiced and took the bag from Stacey and ripped it open. "Want some?"

Stacey sighed. "I would, but my mom is making a big dinner for the two of us tonight."

Claudia shrugged and offered some to Jess and Mal. The phone rang and since I was the closest, I answered it.

"Hello, Babysitter's Club."

"Um hi, I'm Janet Kleeve." An unfamiliar voice greeted.

"Oh hi." I was a little taken off guard. "You've reached the Babysitter's Club, how can we help you." It was only after I said that, that I realized how dorky it sounded.

"I'm new in this town." She began sounding a little nervous. "And, for the next two months, I need a babysitter Tuesday's and Thursday's from 3:30-6:30 for my daughter, Riley. I was very skeptical about calling, but everyone I've met said that you're the best in town."

I smiled writing the information down on a piece of paper.

"Riley has some problems and I wanted someone older to baby sit her, but I couldn't find anyone willing to do so." Her voice began to get quieter. "I'd really prefer to have one of your older sitters."

I swallowed. "Can you by any chance tell me… what they are?" How the heck was I supposed to word that?

There was a pause on the phone. "I'd rather talk about that in person."

"Um ok." I responded wondering just what could be up. She probably had a bad handicap and her mom was a little embarrassed by it. "I'll call you back in a few minutes, can I have your number?" I wrote down the woman's number and we hung up.

"Who was that?" Dawn asked sounding very curious. Actually, the entire club looked a little interested.

"Well, it was a woman named Janet Kleeve, she's new in town and she needs a sitter for her daughter Riley, Tuesday's and Thursday's from 3:30 to 6:30, for the next two months." I explained and opened the record book.

"Oh come on." Mallory spoke sounding serious. "You said something about problems." Most of the other club members nodded.

I sighed. "She didn't tell me. She said that she'd rather talk about it in person."

I opened up the record book. Mallory was free, but Mrs. Kleeve wanted an older sitter. I was free and so was Stacey, but she was only free for the next two weeks. That left me. "I'll do it."

"You'll have to tell us what's up with this girl." Claudia said and everyone else seemed to agree.

I picked up the phone. Mrs. Kleeve answered. She seemed happy when I told her that I would be the sitter. She gave me her address and said that she would be there tomorrow so she could be with her daughter when she met me. I figured that much.

Since she was a new charge, I was going to need my kid kit. I only hoped that what ever was wrong with Riley wasn't anything that I couldn't handle.

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A/N: Sorry to stop it so abruptly. Everything I wrote after this either felt too out of place, or would be better left for next chapter. I really hope I got everyone's personality right.