Original Stories Fan Fiction / Horror Fan Fiction / Romance Fan Fiction ❯ Night Caller ❯ Child Minding ( Chapter 1 )

The phone was ringing annoyingly in my ear while I struggled with my Pre-Cal homework which was due on Monday. I wanted to get everything done, but my mom was clueless about these types of things, so I was alone to do this on my own. No dad to help me because he was with another woman in California with a completely other family. Yes, he had created a new family of his own. Actually, I have a little stepbrother, Jason, who I see every summer for vacation along with my father, Hallem, and my stepmother, Angeline.

 

Angeline was married once, which is how Jason had come to be in her life as well as mine. Never being able to have another sibling, he was like my little brother. Angeline and I had no particular bad blood against one another, but there was a line that I didn't like crossing.

 

That was calling Angeline my mother. She was great she really was, but there was just no place in my heart for another mother. I had one mother and that's Ebba. It was the same sop story you heard about the two parents becoming young lovers, got married when they weren't ready, and ruined their life by having an only child, which was me, Elizabeth.

 

There was actually a story behind my name, when I was young, I'd love to hear them tell me the story, and the origin of how my name came to be. My father had been studying the basics of his literary life—my father is now a writer of some of the most common books you see on most bookshelves. His most enjoyable passion was to write about the Elizabethan era where it was flourishing with literature and Shakespeare's writings.

 

Though it was common to hear the name Elizabeth back in the seventeenth century, it was very rare nowadays that you came across that name, which I prefer to keep my name very unique in a sense. The upbringing of my name was with the occasional arguing of the yes and no's of the usual question game, “How about...” and you can finish the sentence off from there. One parent wanted this name while the other wanted a name that didn't cause other children to call their children funny names while in elementary school. My parents had already been creating a dispute and a distance between each other since I was in my mother's stomach. It was chaotic.

 

My name came across as a complete accident. “I do not like the name Jamie, Hallem. It's too overused. Why not Cordelia or—” my mother had argued, but had been curtly cut off.

 

“Cordelia? You have got to be kidding me! Jamie may be overused, but at least it doesn't sound so...so nonsensical!” My dad cried.

 

“Well at least it's a bit more outlandish than your inside-the-box `Jamie'. Now why don't you stop being so disagreeable and study your Elizabeth lover.” Supposedly something `clicked', or that's how they described it. They paused for a moment, looked at one another, smiled, and then looked down at my mother's round stomach.

 

In unison they said, “Elizabeth.” And that's how my name came to be. Now here's something interesting though. The Elizabethan era was a short-lived period of inner peace. They used to tell me that I was the reason for them sticking together for so long. Not because of my name or how they chose it, but they had told me that whenever I was around they could actually see a future with one another. It was as if I was the Elizabethan era that created the “inner peace” in them, but that's all said and done when I was little. I'm eighteen years old now and stopped believing in magical things happening when they broke apart, that was when I was six. Nothing miraculous came out of that relationship beside the breakup and the move.

 

I chewed at my pencil staring at the problem that was still left half undone. Finally the annoying ringing stopped, I knew my mom had answered the phone. My eyes wandered over towards the caller ID, but I focused back on the problem. Just as I placed my pencil down to write, my mom was calling me from downstairs.

 

“Elizabeth you have a phone call!”

 

“Okay mom, I got it!” I called out maneuvering myself on my stomach to turn towards the side table and reaching towards the cordless phone. “Hello?” I answered holding the phone with my shoulder while I went back to my homework.

 

“Ah, Miss Ives.”

 

“Mr. Rhodes?” I gasped, knowing the familiar voice of my teacher anywhere. He was my English teacher, what could he possibly want?

 

He chuckled, “Yes, yes surprising, I know. But you see, me and my wife are planning to go out tonight and as you have explained in your journal you run a babysitting business, and I need you to babysit my son, Jacob.”

 

I sat up and leaned up against the headboard to my bed. I had nothing to do this weekend, and it's a Saturday, and I'm sure babysitting his son couldn't be so hard. “Um, Mr. Rhodes why did you call me? I mean, couldn't you find someone you're particularly more acquainted with?” If I messed up it would be the end of my good grades in English class. I'd be dead, and I had this one English teacher on my side when I needed help.

 

“Oh Miss Ives, it's not that hard. Jacob is already asleep, he's only a one-year-old; Jacob doesn't need much. After my wife puts him down for the night he's a goner, it's just that we need you to babysit for a few hours, I promise it won't be that long, and we'll pay you to your satisfaction.”

 

I sighed, “Alright, I'll be on my way, but first,” I pulled out a pen and a paper, “can you tell me where exactly your place is at?” I wrote down the directions quickly and hung up with him a few seconds later. I grabbed my black bag and stuffed my Pre-cal book inside it so while I was there I could have something to do. I pulled on my tennis shoes and slipped my cell phone and my iPod in my bag.

 

“Hey mom?” I called out heading towards the kitchen where a scent of lasagna lavished it. Darn, and this was my favorite dinner and I had to miss it. I rounded the corner to our kitchen to see the woman with red hair and pretty green eyes. She wore her long grey shirt with black jogging pants with some fuzzy slippers to go along with it. When she smiled she had laugh lines from all the smiling she does. Sadly I had to get my seriousness from my father.

 

“Yes?” She asked opening the oven and peeking under the foil that contained the lasagna. She closed the oven back up which meant that it wasn't quite ready.

 

I sighed, “I have to go and run to get a babysitting job finished.”

 

She stared at me disapprovingly her forehead crinkling; “You know I don't like you doing jobs this late.” She placed her hands on her hips and waited for my response.

 

“Mom, it's my English teacher, Mr. Rhodes. He's going on an outing with his wife, I don't think him of all people are going to do anything.” I laughed pulling up my sleeves to my thin brown turtleneck.

 

“Well alright, but make sure to call me when you're there!” She said sternly, and then walked over towards me, hugging me. “And be careful I don't need you disappearing on me.”

 

I smiled, “Yes of course. I'll be back.” On the way out I grabbed my black rubber band that I carelessly threw on the small table that stood against the wall right beside the door. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail letting it hang to about shoulder length. My hair happened to be dark brown with natural red highlights (very noticeable in the sunlight). It was thick and went up to about the middle of my back. Though with my hair cut it didn't seem thick at all. In the front it's feathered, and brushed out, but it gradually gets longer in the back it reveals the curls at the very bottom. My hair is neither straight nor curly it's just plain.

 

I pulled open the blue Honda Civics' car door and slid into it. I shut the door, locked it, and started the car. I let it idle there for a moment before I began my drive towards my teacher's house. It's weird to see them, or even talk to them in a friendly manner, out of the school. As I drove about the road and through the trees I was half expecting someone to jump out in front of me. It wasn't often I drove out here this late. Though the moon kept me company through the canopying trees leaving small spots of light on the dirt road ahead. The moon was not the only light, but it was also the light of my headlights that watched for any stray animals leaving from its habitat to get to the other side of the green and mossy forest.

 

When I pulled up to my teachers place I was expecting something like a humongous glass surrounded house, but it wasn't so much that, but was close enough to my description. It wasn't classy or anything particularly magnificent, but the foundation of it was interesting. Logs and bricks, but it was two-stories, and it did seem like a pretty cleaned up house. The grass was green, and there were two gaslights settled in front of the walkway. The lights were on downstairs, but you could only see a small amount of light coming from it. The blinds were closed, but the window was large. I pulled over, making sure this was the right address, and then I got out turning off the car.

 

The door opened as soon as I got out. “Hello there, Lizzy!”

 

"Hey Mr. Rhodes." I waved while I simultaneously tucked the car keys into my pocket and walked over to him. When I came in I was amazed at the decoration and the time that had been put into this home, if they had put any into it. The first room you walked into was the dining room that had the unscathed wooden floors. The table was set up for any change in events to where they would make a small get-together with friends or family. The table was oak to match the floors along with the china cabinet that was placed on the north side of the wall. Inside of the cabinet were convenient things such as wine glasses and extra plates they might need.

 

I shook my head from the daze. “So where to Mr. Rhodes?” He motioned for me to follow him down the hallway, which I did. I smiled thoughtfully at the pictures that hung on the wall of the house. I saw the young boy, Jacob, in his baby blanket from when he was just a few months old. Then it was a dark brown haired little boy with coffee colored eyes. His smile was toothy and sweet. You could see where he got his looks from; I could see a little bit of Mr. Rhodes in him, but maybe he looked more like his mother.

 

Then we came to the living room where a wall of books was, a couch, a loveseat and the lazy chair were placed in a semi-circle in front of the fireplace, which was built around brick. In the middle of the semi-circle was a coffee table, which had two red candles that had never been lit. We turned into another corridor and walked into the kitchen with its beige colored tile and had and an island in the middle of the kitchen. There was a rack of pots and pans hanging above it.

 

There was a stainless-steel dishwasher to go along with the refrigerator that was on the opposite side of the room. When we exited out of the kitchen we came to some stairs and a door on the right side of me. The scent of clean clothes came from inside of the closed room. I later figured out it was the washing room.

 

“Sophie, love, are you ready to go?” Mr. Rhodes called up the stairs. I felt like I was invading in their space with their sweet talk, well, Mr. Rhodes' sweet talk anyways. It's not that I haven't heard it before; I just didn't believe Mr. Rhodes was the type of man to give her such a romantic nickname.

 

Slowly the door opened and a tall woman appeared out from the room. Her chestnut hair fell over her shoulders as she peeked once more into the room and then closed it silently. “Okay we're ready,” she smiled. Yes, there were the looks of the small Jacob. Definitely came from the mother. “Oh hello!” She greeted pulling my hand into hers and shaking it. “I thank you for coming over here so late of a notice. If anything I'm glad it was you because as my husband likes to explain...” She grinned, cleared her voice and made her voice low trying to mimic Mr. Rhodes' voice, “She is quite the girl I must say, she is one of a kind and trustful. She happens to be one of my favorite students.” A blush crept into my cheeks and I laughed nervously taking a glance at Mr. Rhodes' face.

 

“I do not sound like that!” He hissed, and fixed his tie clearing his throat, “Anyways, come on, we have to get going, our reservations, remember?” He seemed just as embarrassed as I was.

 

Sophie laughed, “Okay, okay. Let me just show her around!” She led me into the kitchen, traveling over towards the refrigerator where a piece of paper hung from a magnet that said, `my wife and son went to Monterey, California and all they brought me back was this stupid magnet.' I tried my hardest to suppress my laughter. “Okay here are all the numbers you need just in case anything happens. The phone's right here.” She gestured towards the black phone besides the refrigerator. “Now if the baby wakes up, if anything, try giving him any type of soft food that does not include sugar.” I nodded my head. “Oh, and if Jacob decides to have one of his little tantrums just give my husband a call and we'll be over straight away. Alright?”

 

“Yes, ma'am.” Sophie chuckled and took her husbands arm and leaned close to him. Finally they had exited out of the house and to their car, which left moments after I had settled down in the den with my homework. I spread out my previously unfinished Pre-Cal homework and scanned over the header of the title giving myself a little procrastinating time.

 

Elizabeth Ives

5.28.08

Period 8

 

It was so close until school was out, just a few more days and I would be free of homework forever! Well until I hit college anyways. The house was quiet, the little boy was good for the hour while I was doing my homework, but his silence was getting me nervous. After I had finished everything on my Pre-Cal homework, which took a bit of time, I went upstairs to go check on him. I put my ear to the door to hear any noises, but none came. When I peeked in I saw the baby lifting his hands up in the air as if talking to someone.

 

His crib was made of lightwood with airplanes on his bed blanket. There was a window that had translucent curtains. Behind those curtains it had a closed window that was locked and bolted. Not necessarily bolted, but it was closed pretty tight. Jacob was making small unusual noises as all babies do. I stared for a few moments not sure whether I should leave him in here to continue what he was doing, or if I should take him out of bed. But Sophie had instructed that if he should ever awaken then it was my job to feed him. Slowly I entered the room, the babies head turned towards me and he stood up holding the bars of his crib. “Bababa...” Jacob mumbled and outstretched his arms towards me. I couldn't help but smile.

 

“Hey there...you sure do trust easily.” I picked him up from out of his crib. So much for him being a goner. I took him downstairs and opened the fridge grabbing a yogurt. I wanted to give it to him since the beginning. The babies just made the way they eat it look so good. I sat there in the kitchen while the baby, sat in his high chair. “Mm, this is good, isn't it?” I nodded my head and he followed nodding his head as well. I couldn't help but smile in return of his silly gestures.

 

I opened the top of the yogurt and put just the smallest bit in his mouth to make sure he liked it. He tasted the orange crème yogurt and he opened his mouth again so he could receive more. This time I put a bigger piece of yogurt on the spoon and gave it to him. He eagerly ate the rest, though he couldn't finish all of it. “You're such a good boy.” I smiled; he merely laughed clapping his hands. “Hm, I should bring you and my niece, Faith, over to have a play date.” I washed the spoon and threw away the cup of yogurt away. I picked up the baby and nearly jumped out of my skin when the cat was sitting on the counter. “Holy crap!” I cried. I didn't know they owned a cat, which surprised me.

 

“Ahh!” cried the baby waving his arms at the cat. Sounded like Jacob was saying, “Bad cat! Bad cat!” The cat lay on the counter after stretching and yawning; he's probably done that more often then the family thinks. I held the baby on my hip, pet the cat, and took Jacob to the den. I set him on the floor and headed towards the radio. I watched Jacob closely while I tried to find the right channel on it. Finally the soft music of the meditation station came on and I settled with that. These were one of the many things that I could actually lay down and relax to, though I preferred the blast of rock in my ears. This seemed more or less what I could do to keep Jacob asleep.

 

“Come on sweetie,” I picked him up in my arms and rocked him gently to the noises of the meditation music. It was soft and gentle using the wildlife in the background as music. Jacob was fussy at first and refused to stay still, but when he figured it was fruitless to fight anymore he settled. He rubbed his eyes to try and fight the sleep, but he slowly lost the battle and crashed.

 

I sighed and I climbed up the stairs to put the baby back in his crib. When I opened the door to his baby room a startling sight caught my eyes, and my heart beat wildly in my chest. I turned on the lights. The window was opened, and I was absolutely sure that it had been closed, even locked in that matter. How could it have opened? I bit my lip and placed Jacob back in his crib while I went on an investigation throughout his room. There was only one closet in there and there wasn't much else to hide in, but I checked in every nook and cranny of the room just to make sure he was safe.

 

Though, a thought crept into my mind, what if the person, or whatever it was that had opened the window, had went downstairs, but I was certain that I didn't hear anything, though the music had been on. My hands were shaking nervously, I wanted to go get my cell phone, which was back in the den but I couldn't leave the baby up here all alone. My fingers ran through my hair as I closed my eyes.

 

Tap...tap... I froze. The noise was coming from behind me and I slowly turned around to spot the baby monitor's red light on. But usually when people owned baby monitors they put the one they could hear the baby into the room they're in, and not the other way around. But whatever the case there was something downstairs, somewhere, wherever the other baby monitor was. It could either be the cat or someone. I shuddered and picked up Jacob again, making sure to hold him tightly and wrap him in his baby blanket.

 

If I could just make it into the living room we would be fine from then on. Slowly I climbed the stairs. We made it, but when I looked into the room my bag... it was gone! I was shaking now. I was 99.9% sure that there was someone in this house. There was a one percent chance that no one was here, and I was hoping that one percent would be right. With my fast racing heart I searched the house from top to bottom. I had figured out that the baby monitor was in the main bedroom, which was across the hall from the babies. Who I had found in there was the cat playing with the monitor.

 

That calmed me down a bit, but that didn't explain where my bag went. When I went into different hallways I made sure I turned on each light. It comforted me to know that there was no one following behind me, because if there was I could see his or her shadow. Although, I was still nervous every time I opened a new door. I was afraid I would see someone slipping out from behind a door and I would catch him or her right in the act. Or they were waiting for me to walk in and they would hurt the baby. That was not what I found though when I scavenged through the rooms.

 

I must have been a little delusional about the whole incident of the window. And maybe I had placed my bag in the kitchen or something and I just didn't remember. When I arrived in the kitchen the first thing I did was pick up the phone. I looked over the paper on the refrigerator and dialed the number of Mr. Rhodes. Surely they would be coming back soon; after all it was hitting 12. I let it ring for a moment while I walked about the kitchen trying to find my bag.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hi, Mr. Rhodes.”

 

A shift in the phone came, “Hello, Lizzy dear.” Sophie answered, apparently Mr. Rhodes didn't like to talk and do whatever he was doing right now, at the same time.

 

“Oh, hello.” I spoke in surprise.

 

“We're so sorry we're leaving you so late with Jacob, but we'll be home soon. There's been some type of accident on the freeway so we might be a little late since people are beginning to rubberneck.” Her voice was aggravated.

 

“Oh it's alright, I'm sorry to bother you guy's it's just that my mom get's kind of worried when I'm out so late.”

 

“I see. Well don't worry, you should go and call your mom and tell her you'll be home soon.” Oh, man! I forgot to call my mom when I arrived here.

 

“Alright, well I'll see you.” I hung up and quickly dialed my house number. It rang several times before she answered.

 

“Hello?” A breathy voice came over the phone.

 

I took in a deep breath before I answered, “Mom?”

 

“Elizabeth! Why didn't you call me when you got there?” She ordered. She wasn't mad; she was just doing her motherly thing so I could apologize to her.

 

“I'm sorry, I forgot because they took me a tour of their house, and when I had settled into the living room to finish my homework my mind was completely absorbed into babysitting.”

 

Shed sighed, “Alright well next time remember. Are you coming home soon?”

 

I nodded, though I knew she couldn't see, “Yeah, they just got stuck in traffic is all.”

 

“Well okay. I'll see you soon.”

 

“Okay, bye.” I hung up and placed the phone back where it belonged and rocked the baby in my arms. His hands were snuggled up against his chest. He was so tiny for a one-year-old, but he was cute nonetheless.

 

I turned around to go and return Jacob into his crib. I went back into his room and placed him back in his bed making sure to lock the window, which I had failed to do before. I made my way back down the stairs and reached the den where I found my bag sitting against the side of the couch where I wasn't able to see it before. Something caused chills to form on my arm, only making me rub my arms to send them away. A lonely feeling struck me; I wasn't sure what it was. Whenever I was alone like this I tend to think of what was going to happen in the future. There wasn't anything on earth that I hated more.

 

To sit alone and listen to the reports of some disastrous things that might happen in the future had my heart beating quickly. There was so much left in this life that I wanted to do. People say that in 2012 the citizens of this world will suffer fatality. Resulting in nothing left. Supposedly that's what the computers say, or the psychics. They say that they can't see anything at that date. I don't believe the things they say, I don't believe that such ghastly events could happen to a world that hasn't even began its life. When a computer tells us our life is going end, it's like our whole existence has been planned out.

 

What power do we have if we can't choose our own ending? But then again, although these reports had been given to many, what have we, as the people living on this earth, done to stop what's going to happen?

 

 

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm glad to see you all have returned to read my story, it makes me happy to see that you read up till the end :D Anyway, I have most of this story done, but I would like to spread it out as long as I possibly can, so I won't overload you with everything happening. :3 I know, it's kind of slow, but the information being presented to you is imperative to the story. So enjoy. Next chapter should have a little more insight to some other members of the story. Enjoy, and R&R if it pleases you.

 

Thank you.