The Birch Sitter

“You got a what?!” Leah and Nick both asked, looking at their mom.

“We got you guys a sitter,” Elliot, the father of the Birch children, said happily.

“Why?” Leah asked. “Judd and I are very capable of watching Nick.”

“You threw a party last time, we went away and slashed everyone’s tires,” Diane, the mother of the Birch children, said.

“That was fun,” Judd said, popping out of nowhere.

“No one got hurt,” Nick said.

“A kid died,” Diane said.

“He didn’t count, he kinda deserved it,” Nick said.

“You’re getting a sitter and that’s final,” Diane said, ending the discussion. The siblings let out a sigh of defeat and went to their rooms, to wait on their babysitter.

~A little later~

There was a knock on the door, Leah walked downstairs to answer it. She opened the door to see a young lady, a few years older than her, standing in the doorway. She had long carrot orange hair that flowed past her shoulders, soft gray eyes, light pink cheeks and small brown freckles on her pale face. She was about 5’4 with a slightly plump build and a warm smile on her face.

“Yeah?” Leah asked.

“Hi, is this the Birch residence?” the female asked.

“Yes, who are you?” Leah asked.

“I’m Addison, are you Mrs. Birch?” she responded. Diane walked downstairs and greeted Addison.

“Hi, I’m Mrs. Birch, come on in!” Addison smiled and walked inside.

“Thank you, so where are the little rascals?” Addison said, taking off her jacket. Diane called for the boys to come down, since Leah was already downstairs sitting on the couch. Nick walked into the living room, followed by Judd. Addison looked at the three children, seeming confused at first, before giving a warm smile. “Well you are all much older than what I’m used to.”

“I hope that doesn’t change your mind,” Diane said, in a hopeful tone.

“Nonsense, I like the challenge,” Addison said.

“These are my sons Nick and Judd, and you have already met, Leah,” Diane said, Addison nodded.

“Hello, I’m Addison, just call me Addi,” Addison said. Judd glared at Addison, before heading back upstairs.

“He’ll come around, eventually,” Diane reassured.

“No I won’t,” Judd said, from the vent

“Okay, then,” Addison said.

“You can stay in the guest room,” Diane said.

“Thank you,” Addison said.

“I hope you enjoy yourself here,” Diane said.

“Thank you, and I hope you and your husband have a safe trip,” Addison said.

“Thank you, our numbers are on the fridge, we should be back in two weeks,” Diane said. The Birch parents said their goodbyes with Diane practically dragging a sobbing Elliot to the car, before they left. Addison looked over at Nick and Leah, who were sitting on the couch, watching TV.

“I’ll go start dinner, any requests?” Addison asked, hanging her jacket up. The two children ignored her, as she expected. “I guess not...” she made her way to the kitchen and looked through the cabinets for inspiration for what to make for that night, after looking at what Diane had left for her to cook with, she finally got an idea.

~Time Skip~

Nick and Leah walked into the dining room and stared at the already set table. Addison walked out from the kitchen, holding a bowl of green beans.

“Don’t be afraid to help yourselves, just be careful, it’s hot,” Addison said. The spread looked amazing, there was a plate with pork steaks on it, a large bowl of mashed potatoes, a salad bowl, and the green beans that Addison came out with. Nick sat down quickly, followed by Leah, who made themselves a plate.

“I guess Judd’s not coming down?” Addison said.

“He hasn’t left his room since you got here,” Nick said, scooping a pile of mashed potatoes on his plate. “These potatoes smell amazing.”

“It’s an old recipe my grandma taught me, bless her heart,” Addison said. She decided to make Judd a plate to take up to him, since he wasn’t going to leave his room.

“Don’t be scared to help yourselves to seconds,” Addison said, heading upstairs with the plate she made for Judd. She knocked on the door softly. “Judd? I made dinner and brought you a plate,” there was no answer, until the door opened slowly. She looked a little nervous, but stepped inside slowly, with the dinner plate. Once she was inside, the door shut quickly, filling the room with darkness, until Addison looked around to see a bunch of tiny eyes staring at her. “H-Hello?”