~A Wild Rose~
Zane's Babysitting Adventure!
4
Playing House
"Syrus, knock that off!"
"Connar, get back here!"
"Both of you settle down!"
"AHHH-" Zane huffed out a heavy sigh plopping himself on the couch, while the echoing sound of children's laughter throbbed in his head.
I know I agreed to keep doing this... but this is harder than I thought it would be...
He thought to himself, receiving a friendly phone call from Atticus soon after.
"Hey bro, how's it goin?"
Eversince Zane took on the role as official babysitter for Connar Rose, Atticus would call and check in often.
After all...we wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last time, would we?
"I'm dying..." Zane grumbled in a feigned exasperated tone,"Leave me alone to diiiiiieeeee~"
"So dramatic~" Atticus laughed,"What's going onnn~? Why do you wanna diiie~?"
"I don't wanna die!" Zane corrected,"I just feel like I'm dying." He huffed,"She's so hyper today. She's got Syrus going too. Now they're both hyper!" he sighed,"How do you calm a hyper girl!?"
"Tucker her out." Atticus laughed.
"Okay, but HOW?" Zane asked,"She and Syrus are running around all over the place like wild fire...AND SHE'S THE LEADER!" he sighed,"How can they NOT be tuckered out by now!?"
"They probably need more stimulating play time than chasing eachother within closed walls." Atticus stated,"Maybe try taking them to a park?"
"That's-!" Zane paused,"...Actually not a bad idea." he blinked and shot up pulling the phone away as he shouted up stairs, "HEY GUYS, YOU WANNA GO TO THE PARK!?"
"YAAAAAY~!" they squealed together and rushed to get everything ready for the day at the park.
"Haha, I think they like that idea, Atticus!"
"Glad I could help~"
"Yeah me too." Zane laughed,"Because you're coming with us."
"...Say what now?"
CLICK.
xxxxx
"I'm queen of the world!" Connar giggled as she enjoyed being up high on Zane's shoulders.
"All hail the queen!" Syrus giggled with her as he trotted next to them on the sidewalk,"Hail!Hail!"
Atticus chuckled as the children made playful jest and he leaned in close to Zane to whisper.
"So...remind me again why I'm coming along?" he blinked.
"Well er...because." Zane blushed awkwardly,"She seems to like you so maybe having you here will help mellow her out."
Atticus blinked and narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, I see how it is~!" he laughed.
"So what's up, Atticus?" Zane blinked,"Did Alexis not want to come today?"
"Well you know Alexis." Atticus chuckles,"She has her own friends and doesn't want to hang out with her silly big brother all the time~" he beamed.
"I see."Zane chuckled,"That's too bad."
"Yeah that's okay~ Maybe one day they can all have a playdate~" Atticus laughed as he swiped Connar away.
"HEY!" Zane refuted but Atticus played keep away really well making her giggle.
" Until then- I can just play with Connie~" Atticus beamed,"I'll be YOUR big brother today~ okay?"
"Well I'm in charge of her so I'm already her big brother...sort of?" Zane blinked,"Whatever, you put her down!"
"Nah, I'm gonna take her home with me~!"
"No you won't!"
Syrus giggled as he watched his playmate be tossed around like a rag doll.
"That looks like fun." said Syrus.
"Syrus?" Zane blinked,"I tried to offer you a piggy back on the way here and all you did was throw a tantrum and say you were too big for that now." Zane teased,"So I gave it to Connar."
"You should really take piggy back rides while you still can, little dude~!" Atticus grinned,"Because some day you'll grow up and be way too big and you won't get to have them anymore~" Atticus laughed as he flipped the girl back to her feet on the ground. She smiled up sweetly at them, while also feeling a little twinge of sadness in her heart.
They're all so nice...
She thought to herself.
I wonder if that's what having a sibling is like...?
A quick and sudden flash image took over her mind's eye for a moment. A young boy's smiling face.
He looked just like her.
His pale blue hair matched her eyes and his Magenta eyes shined quite prettily, like jewels.
Though as quickly as the serene image played it also sent chills through her spine.
"What's the matter, Connar?" Syrus blinked as he waved to try and get her attention.
"Huh?" She blinked.
"You got quiet all of a sudden, Connar." said Zane,"Are you feeling okay?"
"Oh...mmhmm." She nodded and smiled sweetly.
"Come to think of it...Connar?" Atticus blinked,"Do you actually have any siblings?"
Zane shot atticus a quick glare, as that question seemed to affect Connar slightly-
For whatever reason being asked made her freeze up. Her eyes went distant for a while...
"I would say not, Atticus..." Zane said softly,"If she had an older sibling...she would have no need for a babysitter." he stated,"And help us all of she had a younger sibling!" Zane blinked and visibly shivered a chill,"One Connar is more than enough to handle." He teased with a chuckle.
But she didn't seem to react much...infact...the only reaction he did seem to notice was that her tears fell silently down her cheeks, pulling a sharp gasp from Atticus.
"Ahhh! W-Wait wait! I'm sorry!" the taller brunette waved his hands frantically, "I didn't mean to make you cry-"
"Huh? What?" she blinked curiously, and it wasn't until she had committed this action that she felt the tears fall...and seemed just as confused by them as he was-
"I'm sorry..." she said softly, "...I don't know why I'm crying-"
"Well...I wouldn't worry about it Connie~" said Syrus, "Because it's totally okay to cry- I do it all the time!"
She giggled softly... bringing relief back to Zane.
Phew...she seems to be back to normal now...
He sighed to himself.
Maybe she's lonely at home being an only child and all...
Still...she's quite cute.
"I do have someone who plays with me sometimes~" She said cheerfully,"He's just invisible!"
"OH I see." said Atticus,"Yeah imaginary friends are great~" he chuckled.
"He's not imaginary!" Connar rebuted,"He's just invisible!" she huffed,"He's real and looks just like me!" She said waving her arms,"He took me to a wonderful place~!" she said,"And we talk about a lot of things!"
"Oh...well that's fantastic then." Atticus chuckled, figuring it best just to smile and nod and play along..."What sort of things did you talk about?"
"You guys." she stated point blank.
"Us? Really?" Zane blinked,"What sort of things did you and your friend say about me, hm~?" He chuckled as he kneeled to her level to listen,"That Zane is the coolest most awesomest babysitter ever~? Right?"
"HeHe~ No~"
"Oh, ouch~! You wound me, Connie..."
"HA!" Atticus laughed and even little Syrus snickered.
"Actually, Zane..." she spoke softer,"He tells me...that you're a very good person...with very strong convictions."
"Ah...really?" Zane blinked with a slight blush when the girl nodded.
Honestly though, he was more surprised that a 7 year old girl knew and understood words like "convictions"
"However he also says..." She looked down nervously and placed a tiny hand against his chest,"You need to watch out for...and take good care of your heart." she sighed sadly, retracting her hand and placing it over her own chest...falling quiet for a while.
It was almost as though...in a strange way, she knew about that sort of thing...
Through experience, maybe?
"Ah..." Zane let out a soft gasp.
She seemed so serious...he wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not.
"And me~?" Atticus chimed in,"What does he say about me~?"
"He says..."Connar blinked,"He says that you're a very good and silly person."
"Whaaaat~? Silly?" Atticus chuckled,"Not me~"
"He also says..."
"Huh?" Atticus blinked and listened intently.
"He says you trust too easily...and that will be your downfall."
"Uh...What?" Atticus tilted his head in confusion and she shook her head,"He says to hold close to your light, Atticus, for if darkness touches it...you'll fall into shadows."
"Uhh...Okay." Atticus blinked,"That's cryptic... hahaha." he chuckled awkwardly and patted her head.
"Yeah...He says weird things..." She whimpered softly, "That's why...He...also...kind of scares me sometimes..."
"Well that's not good at all!" Zane stated which caught a startled gasp from the small girl as she looked up at him,"Your friends shouldn't scare you, Connar, if he's scary he should go away." he said,"Let me know if he scares you again...I'll scare him!"
Connar giggled.
"But Zane...you're not scary!" she laughed.
"I dunno..." said Syrus,"I think Zane can be pretty scary sometimes."
"Really?" Connar blinked,"...Maybe that's cuz he's your big brother..." she blinked again and smiled sadly which perked the curiosity of the smaller blue haired boy.
"I don't have a big brother or anything like that..." she said, freezing again as a quick flash image of the same boy appeared before her mind's eye once more before vanishing, "So... I don't know what that's like..."
Syrus blinked and stared a while at the girl while she zoned out into her own world again...and so decided he'd make a declaration.
"You do now!" he said boldly taking even his older brother by surprise,"I'll be your big brother from now on!"
Connar blinked, wide eyed and confused. Then she put on a smile that could out shine the sun.
"Really!?" She beamed excitedly.
"I promise!" said the boy as he clasped his hand in hers.
"Huh... you know..." Zane blinked,"...I always did kind of want a little sister~"
"HEY!" Syrus pouted as his brother wore a cheeky grin.
"HaHaHa."
"Well too bad!" the young Truesdale huffed,"You got a little brother, besides, you can't have Connar!" he said as he hugged her,"She's gonna be MY little sister not yours!"
Zane blinked and gave an awkward chuckle,"Uh...Syrus." he blinked,"That's not how genetics work!" he laughed lightly,"I'm your big brother." he stated,"And because I'm your big brother, if Connar is your little sister, that makes her mine too. Technically."
"Whaaaaat~?" Syrus whined and pouted,"No you can't have her!" He huffed and quickly took the girl by the hand giggling away.
"Hey be careful you two, it's dangerous to run like that!" Zane let out a sigh.
Hopefully these two will finally tucker themselves out after spending a day running around playing toy cars in the sandbox.
Atticus laughed as he wached his friend plop down on the bench and heave a heavy sigh before joining him after.
"Quite an imagination that little one's got am I right?" Atticus chuckled,"Even Alexis's isn't that wild."
"I don't know, Atticus..." Zane said softly as he leaned his head back and watched the cloud pass by,"...She seemed pretty serious, to me..."
Syrus and Connar played blissfully with all of his favorite cars. She smiled as she watched how excited he got when he got to be the dump truck, which he used to form a mountain in the sand that Connar dug a tunnel through that the cars could use.
Little did she know that she was being watched from the shadows...
xxxxx
"Do you see her?"
"She's in sight."
"Good... Let's take care of business."
two boys whispered between eachother hiding in the shadows as they awaited the perfect moment to put their plan in action.
To Be Continued