Jessie & Elizabeth (abandoned)

6. Gotcha!

When I woke up the following morning, I still couldn't really believe I wasn't met with the stink of weed and leftover pizza. For the first time in months, my back didn't ache as I sat up in bed, and when my feet hit the floor, it wasn't sticky and splintery but soft and cool. I smiled, looking around the room, most of my stuff sitting in their places like they'd been here a long time already. If only Lennox could see me now, she'd certainly be changing her tune.

The door crept open, revealing Camille, standing there in a pink top, her curls in a tangle on top of her head, her small hand clutching the neck of a fluffy plushie. "Mommy said — mommy said I could wake you up," she said, tumbling over the words.

She looked adorable, with sleep in the corners of her eyes, and my heart warmed. See? This wasn't the worst job in the world. And today, today I was going to try to win over Manon as well. We talked for a bit, and then I told her to go pick out clothes to wear and that I'd come to her when I'd dressed myself. She scuttled from the room on her tiptoes, singing quietly to herself.

I wasn't going to let anything ruin the mood on this fine morning. The sun was shining, I had slept like a baby, and I was wearing my favorite shorts and a tank top. What could go wrong?

I stepped out on the landing, and immediately, my question was answered. A pair of raised voices traveled from below, and it wasn't hard to recognize who they belonged to. Here we go... Sighing, I set off for the stairs.

Down in the hall, Elizabeth and Manon were arguing with each other, both of them flushed red in the face. Manon was in her nightdress, her straw blonde hair a mess, her fists clenched. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was impeccably dressed in a pencil skirt and a blouse, her long coat still unbuttoned, her honey locks flying everywhere as she shook her head angrily. "...don't have a say in this!" I just caught her saying.

Manon cried out. Her eyes were glistening with tears, and her teeth were bared. "I'm going to live with dad anyway! I hate you!" she screamed, turning around and barging up the stairs. Ignoring me completely, she stomped into her room, closing the door with such a loud bang I flinched.

Ouch. Poor girl. What had happened to make her say that? It was probably best to leave her alone for now. No point trying to reason with a furious child.

Elizabeth hadn't moved. Her eyes were shut, and she'd placed a hand on her forehead. Although I didn't think Manon had really meant that, it seemed to have hit her hard. It surprised me — she hadn't seemed to have any problems with her daughter's cold behavior before. Maybe I should say something. But what?

As if on cue, she looked up, immediately arching her eyebrows at the sight of me. "Aren't you the nanny?" she snapped. "Go talk to her! That's what I pay you for, isn't it?" She didn't wait for me to reply, already snatching her car keys from the salon table and, without another word, marching out of the house.

So much for a good start to the day.

Ari shouted something, lifting her toy gun and pointing it at one of the boys from next door. He made a run for it, but she sprinted after him, her wet ponytail bouncing up and down. One of his brothers came to his aid, throwing a balloon at her — she just laughed, pulling the trigger and hitting him full in the face with an unrelenting jet of water. Camille stood to the side, a little away from me, squirming in place with her arms behind her back, trying to decide if she was going to join her sister or not.

It was swelteringly hot: the sunscreen bottle lying in the grass next to me was half empty, and I had made Camille wear a hat, which she tried to get rid of every ten minutes or so. The next-door neighbors' nanny and I were lounging on chairs in the shade, me still drying up from participating in the fight earlier. Her name was Raquel. She was a little younger than me, with square glasses and an oversized dark blue tent dress. I'd met her this morning, by chance, and hearing our plans for the day, she'd suggested the kids play together.