The first things I noticed when I entered the house were the huge gothic arches on the ceiling, black, and ornately designed. There was an ebony double staircase (I could tell it was ebony from the intense black color and its shine) and black marble tiles decorated the floor.

"Wow…" I said under my breath.

He turned to the left. "Your examination will take place in the library, Miss Stuart."

The way he said "examination" was like the way someone would say "execution".

Well, even if his parents are my employers, and, sure, I ought to be treating him with respect, he could take a few seconds to tell me what was going on. He could have at least told me on the phone: "Oh, yes, Miss Stuart, one more thing, I must mention that upon your arrival I will be examining you. What? You didn't know people could examine their babysitters? Well, I happen to be a first-class creep, so that's how I do things around here! I shall see you then, and don't forget we have a laser cannon in our front yard, ta now."

Okay…maybe he wouldn't do exactly that, but he could have mentioned something, at least. When you sign up to join the marines, you kinda need to know you're putting your neck on the line, right? So I don't see why he didn't just tell me that there would be an examination. It was simple, really. It didn't take a genius…

Speaking of which, I could kind of tell this guy was a genius, and if not, he was definitely extremely intelligent. Just by the way he talked, the way he pronounced every syllable he spoke, every word so clear…just by the way he sounded so sure of himself, like he knew he was always right…which he probably was. I don't mean to sound immodest when saying this, but, I am pretty smart, too. I've taken advanced Science, English and History classed since 6th grade. But I act normal, despite that. This guy, however, acts like a first class snot.

When I made it into the library, I saw no one. Zero. Zilch.

'Oh, come-on.' I thought, irritably. Where's he gone to, now? Are they hiding? Is this the examination? If so, how do you hide a man that big? Artemis could probably hide, (even if he is a freakin' giraffe-tree…he looks about 6"3!), but the other guy…what was his name? Alfred? No, no, it was Butler, that's it, Butler.

Well, wherever they've gone, it gave me a chance to look around the room.

Every wall was filled with books. Hundreds of books, maybe thousands. It was a huge library. As I approached a wall, I recognized several titles: Great Expectations, Oliver twist, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Robinson Crusoe, and, my personal favorite, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I had Alice in my backpack, along with a couple of other books. I absolutely love to read, along with other things, and my favorite books are fantasy. I've read all the classics I can get my hands on, and there's still so more…

I stroked the spine of Alice…

"Take a seat, Miss Stuart."

My head snapped around to see Artemis standing beside me, a cold look on his face. No, wait, cold isn't the right word for it. Professional was more like it. And the reason it looked so odd on him was because he was so…young. He didn't wear a teenage professional look on his face; he had more of an adult's.

"Whoa! Where'd you come from?" I asked, looking around. Wait, did I want to know where he came from? "Never mind, don't answer that." I said quickly.

"You seem to change your mind frequently, Miss Stuart." He said, making a note on a small notepad. He raised an eyebrow at me.

Oh my God. Is he seriously going to take notes on me? Really? Well, I couldn't do anything about it…at least he's taking notes on me, I guess, and not just doing this for no reason.

He gestured to a small table near us "Take a seat." He repeated, in a more impatient tone of voice.

I sat down in one of the chairs. Butler was standing at attention, as if Artemis was the President, or something. Oh, well, there are weirdos everywhere, I suppose.

Artemis sat across from me and put his notebook before him.

"Now, first…tell me, what is your full name?" he asked.

"Uh…Keilah Stuart."

"Your full name, Miss Stuart."

"…You mean, with my middle name? But I don't like my middle name, it's stupid…" I complained.

"Your full name, please." He repeated in a Don't-Make-Me-Ask-Again type of voice.

I sighed, embarrassed, (and vaguely reminded of that scene from Spy Kids) and grumbled, "Keilah Eowyn Stuart."

Thanks a lot, Dad, ya Lord of the Rings addict!

"Eowyn? I see." Artemis looked a bit amused. "Is that not the name of the heroine from-?"

"Yes." I interrupted quickly. "Yes, it is."

"Right then. What sort of…experience do you have in this field?"

Field? You've got to be kidding me. "I babysat for younger cousins, and other kids in the neighborhood."

"Had there ever been any problems?"

"Uh…no."

"Good." He made another note. "Now, what do you fear most of losing?"

"Well, now that I…Hey, wait a sec, why would you ask me something like that?"

"Why should I not?"

"'Cause it's personal!"

"It's merely a question…"

"Yeah, technically it's merely a question, but that's not something you just ask people!" I could already tell he was not going to get a girlfriend easily. I mean, if he asked me, a potential babysitter, what I fear most of losing, then what would he ask a potential girlfriend on their first date?

"I see." He glanced up at his bodyguard. "Then I suppose I shall refrain from asking those sorts of questions, Miss Stuart. If they offend you."

"They don't offend me, I just don't feel comfortable with people asking me those kinds of things." I snapped. "But…thank you." I added.

"Hm." Was all he said in reply. "Can you tell me if you have any allergies? That is, if it doesn't offend you." He added icily.

I could see that we were going to have a rocky relationship. "No. Not an all, Master Fowl. I happen to be allergic to dust mites, as a matter of fact."

He did a slight double take when I mentioned this. "How…interesting." He muttered as he wrote this fact down. "That happens to be the exact same allergy I have. What a coincidence."

"Well, it isn't exactly cancer, you know. It's pretty common."

"Yes, well…never mind that. Do you have cooking skills?"

Eh…does making kick-ass Mac 'n cheese count? "Yes, I have…moderate cooking skills."

"Can you make caviar?"

What was caviar, again? "Er…sure." I wasn't lying, exactly. For all I know, I could be great at making caviar!

Then we got to the simpler questions:

"What is your age?"

"Fifteen."

"What grade are you in?"

"Tenth."

"Do you like animals?"

"Didn't you hear me suggest to my friend to do CPR on his hamster? Of course I love animals!"

"Do you like children?"

"Yes! Kids are awesome!"

" Have you received any specialized training for child care such as first aid or CPR, attended a babysitter course, or taken related school courses?"

"Well, I do know how to do CPR. And I've learned my babysitting from experience."

"Are your immunizations current?"

"…Sure."

"Is there an adult or family member nearby in the event of an emergency whom you could contact?"

"Yes, my parents work nearby. Very close, in fact."

"What is your overall child care philosophy?"

Philosophy, eh? "Well, I would say that in order to keep a child mentally healthy, you have to help him exercise his imagination."

"Does that mean you plan on leaving them alone to 'exercise' their imaginations?"

"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "What I mean by that is that I plan on playing games with them, games that will get their brain moving."

"Can you deal with anxiety?"

"I've got nerves of steel."

"Yes…well…it looks like I have asked all the questions I can ask you at the present moment. Now, for one more question. It may seem a little odd, yes, but please

bear with me…it is relevant, Miss Stuart, so please take it seriously…Miss Stuart…" he leaned forward and looked straight into my eyes. "Do you believe in Faries?"

And I looked straight into his eyes and replied, "Yes, Master Fowl. I do."