The Babysitter

[Guest clinediap]

Miranda whimpered, though she hadn't really expected that to work. She hugged the stuffed animal to her closely, then popped the pacifier back into her mouth, telling herself it was because it would help disguise her by covering part of her mouth, though really it was so she could suck on it. She looked nervously up at everyone they passed, sure they would all be people she knew, and that they'd all be looking back down at her, ready to laugh at her. But everyone seemed more interested in things higher up than the inside of her stroller, looking at the signs and sales and other grown-up sized people. It made her feel a little more secure, though at the same time, it made her feel rather insignificant when the only people who paid her any attention were the toddlers in the other strollers being pushed around the mall. One of them even waved at her, and she found herself doing the same, blushing - it didn't make her feel any better that the only person who treated her like an equal was probably less than two years old.

[baby_snow_white]

Kara notices Miranda waving at kids as they waved at her. She pushes the stroller into the toy store and starts to look around. Kara notices a little girl walking up to Miranda and smiled at her from behind her pacifier. She smiles at the girl and waits to see what kind of reaction Miranda was going to have towards the little girl.

[Guest clinediap]

Miranda squirmed uncomfortably, hoping the little girl would just smile and keep going. She smiled back to be nice, but inwardly, she still groaned as the girl stops in front of her. What was she supposed to do now? "Umm... Hi..." she said, hoping that was all the little girl was looking for. She did her best not to look at the girl too much, afraid she'd be one of the kids she babysat. If that was so, she didn't want to know that she was being seen like this by someone whose diapers she'd likely changed, nor did she want to risk them recognizing her.

[baby_snow_white]

The girl smiles back. "Hello. I'm Amber. What is your name? I like your overalls. They are cute. Is that your older sister?" She points at Kara. "I don't have to use a stroller anymore. Mommy lets me walk around. I don't have to ride in a stroller anymore. How old are you? I'm 3." Kara was trying not to laugh,but what Amber said to Miranda was funny and kind of cute.

[Guest clinediap]

Miranda's mind raced. What was she going to tell this girl? Obviously, she couldn't tell her the truth... "I'm Missy," she said, giving the first name that wasn't her own that popped into her head. "That's my cousin." She squirmed for a second, then said, "Wow, you're grown-up! I'm only two!", trying to sound impressed, as she imagined a two year old would be. She didn't want to risk getting made fun of by claiming to be the same age as Amber, or even older, and still in a stroller while this girl wasn't. Of course, the truth was that she was much, much older, but the whole point was not to let her know that. Still, two just seemed too young, and she quickly corrected herself with, "Two and a half."

[baby_snow_white]

Amber smiles. "Nice to meet you Missy. That is my sister's name. She is a very big girl. She goes to high school. Where is your mommy at?" She nods. "Yes I'm a grown up compared to you. Do you still wear diapers or are you potty trained? Mommy has been trying to get me to use the potty,but I'm not doing too good at it. She got tired of cleaning up my messes and puts me back into diapers,but I don't mind. I want to be in diapers. I don't like the potty. It scares me and makes alot of noise when you push it's arm down."

[Guest clinediap]

"Nice to meet you, too," Miranda said, trying to sound convincing. "My mommy... She's at home. I'm just visiting my cousin for a little while," she nodded. She blushed as the little girl described herself as a grown-up, but she knew she had to play along. She also knew it was probably better not to risk lying about what kind of underwear she had on - it wasn't worth risking Amber noticing her diaper bulge, or the diaper bag, or having Kara happen to overhear and correct her. "Yeah, I'm still in diapers, too... I... I don't like the potty, either..." She winced slightly as she said the words, but she figured it would be easier to just agree, and hopefully get the girl to leave her alone sooner. "My mommy hasn't tried to potty train me yet."

[baby_snow_white]

Amber nods. "I hope my mommy doesn't try to potty train me again. I don't like having to stop what I'm doing to go set on the cold potty. My diaper is alot warmer and it does a good job of catching what I do in the potty. So why would I want to stop wearing them to set on the potty?" Kara notices Amber and Miranda talking. She smiles to herself and goes back to looking at the dolls. Amber looks at Miranda. "Why not ask your cousin if you can get out of the stroller and walk around the store. You can walk on your own can't you or have you not learned how to do that yet and you still crawl. If your cousin says it is ok. I can hold your hand while you walk."

[Guest clinediap]

Miranda squirmed, nodding in agreement reluctantly, hoping Kara wasn't watching and getting the wrong idea. "I can walk on my own!" she pouted, but, much as she disliked being stuck in the stroller, she was pretty sure she'd attract more attention out and walking around. And looking at a bunch of toddler toys wasn't exactly her idea of a good time, anyway. "I-I think we're gonna leave pretty soon..." she said. "So... I don't think she'll let me get out..."

[baby_snow_white]

Amber nods. "Oh I see. Sorry to bother you. I'll leave you alone. I guess you don't like that I'm a big girl and you are still a baby." She walks off towards the play dress up clothes. Amber looked over at Miranda every once in a while and then would go back to looking at the toys.

[Guest clinediap]

Miranda stared at Amber in shock for a moment or two, hardly able to believe what she'd heard. Finally, she shouted, "I am not a baby!" angrily, before turning bright red and trying to shrink back into the stroller and vanish. She looked over towards Kara, trying to catch her eye and wordlessly beg her to go to another store, if not out of the mall completely.

[baby_snow_white]

Everyone in the store turned around and looked at Miranda as she yelled. Kara looks down at Miranda. "Way to stay under everyone's radar. Now you have everyone in the store looking at you." She turns the stroller around and pushes her out of the store. "Was yelling in the middle of the store your idea of staying basically invisible to everyone and make them think you was a toddler?" Kara pushes her down the mall to Build A Bear. "Would you like to build a teddy bear to hold and get him or her an outfit?"

[Guest clinediap]

Miranda blushed, squirming. "I didn't mean to be so loud... There was just this little girl, and she called me a baby, and..." She trailed off, feeling rather silly for having gotten so riled up about something a three year old she, in all likelihood, was never going to run into again said. Why should she even care? -She- knew that she was a grown-up... What did it matter what Amber thought? She shook her head as Kara mentioned the teddy bears, pouting and whining, "Can't we just go home now?"

[baby toshiro]

mike gets up and grabs his keys and walks out the door hey gets on his motorcycle and rides to the mall to meet his friends he gets there and and walks inside and sees Kara walking he walks over and says hey what are the two of you doing here.

[baby_snow_white]

Kara stops walking and looks at Miranda. "Why would you get upset about that? Could it be that you are starting to think and feel like a baby and when a little girl called you a baby. You got mad because you know it is true and you don't want to admit it to yourself?" She shakes her head. "No we can't go home now. I told you we was going out and if you don't stop whining. I am going to take you out of that stroller and spank your bare bottom right here in front of everyone." Kara turns around and looks at Mike. "We are just hanging out at the mall for a couple of hours. I thought my little one needed some time out of the house. So I brought her to the mall. What are you doing here?"

[baby toshiro]

i just came to walk around and um looks down at Karas pocket i think you have some thing of mine and i would like it back please and she is your little one now.

[baby_snow_white]

Kara nods. "Oh it was your's? I didn't know that. I thought it belonged to Miranda." She reaches into her pocket and takes out the phone. "How did it get buried under some stuffed animals in the playpen?" Kara nods. "For the next two weeks she is. After that it is up to Miranda to decide if she can be a big girl again or if she stays a baby girl."

[baby toshiro]

thanks for my phone back and i droped i guess but oh yeah and about earlier today im sorry and is it alright if i hang with the to of you at the mall.

[baby_snow_white]

Kara nods. "You are welcome. If I had known it was your phone. I would have put it up. I thought it belonged to Miranda and I took it so I could make calls if I needed to. It is ok with me if you hang out with us. You will have to ask Miranda if it is ok with her. She is trying to keep a low profile."

[baby toshiro]

ok Miranda is it ok if i walk with you and Kara if not then i meet up with you later.

[Guest clinediap]

Miranda squirmed, feeling rather little having the two of them talking about her over her head. "I... I guess it's all right..." She didn't think that would make her any more conspicuous, as they as they didn't run into any more of their friends, and they stopped to talk to Mike. "Just... Don't call me Miranda. Call me Missy." She blushed a little at using her choice of false name where Kara would hear her, but she'd already used it, and who knew who had overheard, and would find it odd to hear her being called something else later. The mall wasn't so big that it was unlikely for them to run into someone who had been in the toy store elsewhere.

[baby_snow_white]

Kara nods. "Ok you can hang out with us. We were on our way to the Build a Bear Workshop." The three of them walk down the mall towards the store. Kara pushes Miranda into the store. Standing there was a girl they went to school with in a Build a Bear Workshop employee shirt.

Hello Welcome to Build a Bear. Is there something I can help you with?"

Kara shakes her head. "No we are just looking around."

Barbara nods. "Well take your time. If you need some help. Just let me know." She looks down and sees Miranda in the stroller. "Well aren't you a cutie. What is your name?"

Kara looks at Barbara. "This is my Cousin. I'm taking care of her for a couple of weeks while her parents are out of town. Her name is Missy."

Barbara nods. "I see. She looks a little like a girl I go to school with,but it couldn't be her. She is an adult and this little girl looks to be 2 maybe 3 years old. I can't remember the girl's name. We don't hang out together and she is a stuck up female who thinks she is better than everyone else. Well anyway. Look around and if you need any help. I'll be glad to help you find what you need."

After Barbara walks off. Kara leans down to Miranda. "Well being a baby. You find out what people really thinks of you and they have no idea the baby in front of them is the person they are talking about. Are you sure you would not like a teddy bear or another stuffed animal?"

[Guest clinediap]

Tears stung Miranda's eyes as she glared at Barbara across the store, wishing she could tell her off, but managing to stop herself this time. She'd never really paid that much attention to Barbara, truth be told, but she didn't think she'd ever acted stuck up around her. Of course, she didn't think she'd ever acted that way at all. She shook her head quickly after Kara's question. "No," she whispered, "let's get out of here! I don't want to give her any more of an opportunity to recognize me... Please, can we go somewhere else?"

[baby_snow_white]

Kara nods. "Yes we can go someplace else. Where would you like to go? The bookstore,a clothing store or to the movies. I didn't know she worked here. If I had. I would not have taken you into the store,but look at the bright side. She didn't know who you was. She thought you was a toddler." She pushes the stroller out of the store and stops outside of the store. "Where do you want to go besides home?"

[Guest clinediap]

Miranda thought about it for a minute. Wherever they went, she knew she'd end up in the kiddy section... In the clothing store, she'd probably end up having Kara help her try on a bunch of little kid outfits, and at the movies, she knew they'd end up watching the most childish thing they had, the kind of thing she always hated watching over and over with the kids she babysat. At least in the bookstore, she'd probably just page through some picture books, and those could be fun, or at least cute, to look at. So she answered, "The bookstore," hoping they had better luck with the employees there.