Kidnapping her little sisters from the System

[Ishigreensa]

Ruth smiled and showed her how she was stringing the beads.

"Just put the colors together that you like, like me," she said showing her the pink and white one she was making.  "You just put five white and three pink ones like this, and then you get one that looks like mine.  You keep repeating that pattern, and the necklace will be a pink and white one.  What are your favorite colors?"

Angela rolled her eyes.

"If they're just looking for jobs, you'd think they could just let you get used to your own neighborhood.  You're not a baby, you know."

She shook her head.

"I've been trying to convince my parents that daycare is a waste of their money because there is nothing I can do here that I can't at home, and being watched?  What?  Am I five?  I mean, the only thing that I don't know how to do, is cook, but we have a microwave if they are worried about me eating lunch...."

She sighed.

"So, are you good at anything?  I mean, do you like to do things like draw or play video games?"

[robehouse]

Lacey looked at what Ruth was doing and copied her, slipping beads on the thread. She looked at risk to see if she was doing it right.

"Um, pink and purple." Lacey answered.

"Me and my sister are a little young to stay by ourselves. What if something should happen? We don't have phones." Olivia said.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. 

"I don't know what I'm good at." Olivia replied.

[Ishigreensa]

"Okay, so yeah, You're doing it right, but you might not want white.  It's up to you, but maybe you can put purple and pink on yours.  Which one do you like more?  You put five beads of the one you like more, and three of the one that you like less.  That way, it makes a pattern," Ruth explained as she worked.

Angela smirked when Olivia said she wasn't old enough to stay by herself.

"Oh, well, maybe.  I just thought you were about eleven," she said.

After hearing that Olivia didn't know what she was good at, Angela smirked a little more.

"Well, maybe you can try some stuff with me, and see if you can do it," she said.  "What is your best subject at school?"

[robehouse]

"Yeah, your right." Lacey said.

Lacey pulled all the beads off the thread and started again this time using pink and purple. She showed Ruth what she had done.

"How's this?" Lacey asked.

 

Olivia blushed when Angela smirked.

"I'm ten. But don't you have to be a teenager to be allowed to stay alone? That's what I was told." Olivia said.

"Alright, I can do that. My best subject was reading. My worst was math." Olivia answered.

[Ishigreensa]

Angela shrugged.

"Teenagers watch other kids, but before they can do that, they need to be trusted to stay on their own first, right?"

She shook her head.

"If your mom and dad think that, then I guess you and I are in the same boat.  The only reason I come here is because I can't convince them otherwise, but I have friends who are only ten who have stayed at home an hour or two by themselves.  They're still healthy."

 

Ruth smiled and nodded.

"That's great, Lacey.  Now, you have to tie it off, like this...."

She showed her how to tied off the ends so the beads don't come off, and then she helped her attached a hook and loop on each end, and then put it on her.

"See how pretty it is?" she asked.

[robehouse]

Olivia nodded in agreement.

"An hour or two is different than all day, but I doubt my parents would even trust me that long." Olivia said.

 

Lacey watched her and let Ruth help tie off the thread to make a bracelet. Lacey looked at the bracelet and smiled. She took the bracelet off and held it out to Ruth.

"Would you wear this? As sort of a friendship bracelet? Because your my first friend here." Lacey asked nervously.

 

[Ishigreensa]

Ruth smiled and nodded handing over her own bracelet.

"Let's swap bracelets, that way we can both have a symbol of our friendship."

She put on the bracelet that Lacey made for her.

"So, are you good at anything at school?  I'm a pretty good reader, but I suck at math."

 

Angela smiled.

"Well, I was left alone once all day because they don't have daycare on Sundays.  I did alright, but my mom about had a fit and worried the whole time, or so I was told."

She rolled her eyes.

"But I was fine, really."

[robehouse]

Lacey smiled and put the bracelet on her wrist that Ruth had made. She gave Ruth a hug.

Lacey thought for a minute.

"I guess I'm good at math. At my old school we learned simple multiplication and adding up to the hundreds. Also I like spelling." Lacey said.

"Well she is your mom. They're required to worry about you. It's part of their job." Olivia said, smiling some.

"So what are we doing here? I mean what activity?" Olivia wondered.

[Ishigreensa]

"We're just talking, actually," Angela said.  "If you want to do an activity, I suggest joining the fourth or third graders.  They let the fifth graders do one, of course, but most of us don't want to, and you'll look like a baby if you do one, and most of the fifth graders won't want a baby sitting at our table."

She smiled at her wryly.

 

Ruth smiled at Lacey.

"Maybe we can help each other at school," she said.  "You are good at spelling, so I might not be much help in reading as you will be with math for me, but I'm sure you'll figure out something you need help with."

She caressed the bracelet that Lacey had given her.

[robehouse]

Olivia blushed.

"No that's okay. I was just asking, since I'm new here." Olivia said.

 

"I'm sure you'll be able to help me with something." Lacey said.

Lacey reached over and hugged Ruth, then quickly moved away, blushing.

"I'm sorry." Lacey said.

[Ishigreensa]

"Sorry for what?" Ruth asked her.  "You didn't do anything mean."

She smiled at her.

"We are probably going to have story time in a few minutes, and then they'll let us go outside to play for a while, or we can play inside, whatever we want.  What would you rather do?"

 

Angela shrugged at Olivia.

"Well, they are probably going to read us a story soon.  I hate it, but we have no choice but listen.  Then we'll get some freetime to do what we want.  I might go outside because I think they're going to have water balloons today."

[robehouse]

"I hugged you without asking permission first." Lacey said.

"I think going outside would be nice. It's better than being cooped up inside all day." Lacey said.

 

"Water balloons? Won't our clothes get wet?" Olivia wondered.

[Ishigreensa]

Ruth smiled and reached over and hugged her back.

"Friends don't need permission," Ruth told her.  "As long as the hug is genuine and spontaneous like when you are happy, then there is nothing wrong with people hugging each other."

She let Lacey go.

"Just don't do it at school or there might be strange kids trying to make it something it's not."

She laughed.

 

Angela smiled.

"That's why you were supposed to bring an extra pair of shorts and a shirt today," she said.  "I guess you didn't get the message.  Maybe they can find you and your sister something to wear if you want to go out there with us."

[robehouse]

Lacey let Ruth hug her and nodded.

"Don't worry, although I would never think anything of two people hugging each other. Except they might be friends." Lacey said.

"Do you know what they are reading to us today?" Lacey wondered.

 

"Oh. I do think daddy, I mean dad, packed extra clothes today just in case I got dirty or something. Yes, I want to go outside today." Olivia answered 

[Ishigreensa]

Angela smiled.

"Cool.  I want to target the little kids.  They scream so cutely when you hit them with water balloons, you know?"

She smiled at Olivia.

 

Ruth shrugged.

"Yeah, I meant other kids.  Some kids are strange, you know?"

She shrugged about the story, too.

"The teacher just finished Tom Sawyer yesterday, so she's going to choose a new book today."

 

Eventually, the teacher called the kids over to the carpet.

First graders were in the first row, on the floor in indian style.  The sixth graders were the furthest back seated in chairs.

Some fifth graders had chairs and some didn't.

"Travis!  Be a gentleman and give a girl your chair," Angela told him.

He gave her a look of loathing, but got out and let Olivia sit next to Angela in a chair.

[robehouse]

"Yes, I know." Olivia said. "As long as it doesn't hurt them." 

Olivia walked over to the reading area with Angela. She started to sit on the floor. She cringed a bit as Angela ordered Travis to get up and let Angela sit in the chair. Olivia sat down.

"Thank you." Olivia said.

Lacey followed Ruth over to where the third graders were sitting, sitting on the floor next to her.

 

[Ishigreensa]

Angela looked around at the kids around her, and while they were listening to the story, there was a definite presence of mind that they were ready to do whatever Angela might want if she so wished it, and that made her smile.  Everything was as it should be, and everyone knew that she was the daycare queenbee, even the sixth graders knew it.

Ruth could feel Angela's eyes on the back of her head and wondered if she wanted her to do something mean.  When she looked back at her though, Angela was just watching the teacher and listening to the story.

It was the first book of the Harry Potter series....

[robehouse]

Lacey noticed Ruth turn her head around and did the same. She saw her sister sitting in a chair next to another girl. Lacey waved and smiled at Olivia, who smiled back at her.

When the teacher started reading the story Lacey slipped her finger in her mouth as she listened.

Olivia saw Angela looking around and did the same. All she saw was a bunch of kids paying attention to a story being read. She had never read any Harry Potter books so it was new to her.

 

[Ishigreensa]

As the teacher read the book, and everyone was settled in about a mysterious man appearing on a quiet respectable street, soon met by a cat that eventually turned into a woman.

As they discussed the rumors of good and bad, A roaring motorbike came out of the night sky and landed in front of them....

Travis looked up behind him at the two girls, and smiled towards Angela.

[robehouse]

Lacey kept her attention on the story being read.

Olivia started to feel like she had to pee. She wondered how long story time was. Olivia noticed Travis but figured he was smiling at Angela.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Olivia asked Angela.

[Ishigreensa]

"He wishes," Angela giggled.  "A lot of the boys like me in class, but as my mom says, and it's one thing I agree with her on, I'm too young to have any thoughts about being romantic with boys.  There's still more exploring and fun things to do as a kid that being in full with a boy might prevent."

She smiled.

"Do you like him?"

Angela didn't notice if Olivia was doing a little bit of a dance or not, so had no idea that she had to pee.

 

Ruth giggled when Harry accidentally set the Snake free.

[robehouse]

"No, I just noticed him smiling at you. I don't have feelings for anyone, boys or girls. I had a close friend at our old house, but now we're here, so I bed to make new friends." Olivia said.

Lacey was listening intently to the story as the teacher was reading.

 

[Ishigreensa]

Angela shrugged it off.

"Well, he smiles at all the pretty girls, actually, but it's no surprise that he looks at me more than the others.  Frankly speaking, most of the other girls are not as mature as I am."

She smiled.

At girl on the other side of Olivia gently brushed her arm to try to get her attention.

 

The reading stopped somewhere just after the incident with the snake.

"Okay, kids, go get your stuff put away, and then those that want to go outside can get ready for some water play," the teacher said.

[robehouse]

Olivia frowned a bit, as Travis hadn't looked at her yet.

"You do seem really mature for your age, Angela." Olivia said.

Olivia felt someone touching her and turned to see why.

 

Lacey stood up and took Ruth's hand, helping her up as well.

"What did she mean by water play? Are we going in the pool? I don't have a swim suit." Lacey asked.

 

[Ishigreensa]

The girl next to her whispered.

"You better be careful of who you are talking to.  That's Angela.  She's the head girl in the fifth grade, both at school and at Daycare.  If you do anything to make her upset, you will be very sorry.  It's usually safer to try to stay out of her way, but if you are going to try to be her friend, then at least that's better than being on her radar.  Just be careful you don't tick her off."

The girl whispered and eyed at Angela nervously, hoping Angela didn't hear her whispering.

 

"I just brought some extra shorts and a t-shirt," Ruth told Lacey.  "But if you don't have anything, maybe you can ask the teacher.  Sometimes kids leave stuff behind over the summer, and there might be something left from last summer."