A bit of a rollercoaster.{Chapter 2}

[6:58]Am

"Big Sister! Big sister!" 

The child's voice grew louder.

Shawn and I exchanged looks, we were combating the idea of whether to "run" or "hide", we recognized that voice all too well.  It was the voice of my younger brother.

"Big sister! You're awake! You're awake!" The voice became clearer and louder, with each step he took. The child came out of the stairwell, taking a swift turn in Shawn's and I's direction.      

Knowing fully well that there was now no escaping him, I opened my arms wide to embrace him, bending over just a little so I could leverage myself with their height. Once the child was of close proximity to me, he jumped right into my arms, giggling away as a happy camper would.  

"Big sister! big sister! Good morning!" Grinning widely, he was laughing away without a single care. 

"Oh, and a Good morning to you, little Nathaniel!" I gave him a warm smile, cradling the 7-year-old in my arms.   

Shawn shook his head, clicking his tongue as he did to create this sound effect "Tsk tsk tsk!", He collected Nathaniel from my arms and plopped him onto the floor. He bends over, resting his hands on his knees as if almost crouching. 

"Nathaniel my boy, you're being quite rude!" Shawn said, he wasn't too harsh but still sounded quite strict. Nathaniel frowned and crossed his arms, he then puffed out his cheeks making him resemble a squirrel with nuts in its mouth. He was looking rather adorable than angry at the moment. 

"Baah!" Nathaniel cried, he was very upset that Shawn was interrupting his "Sister time snuggling." His attitude towards the scolding didn't sit well with Shawn, with a stern look Shawn whispered to Nathaniel, "Listen here you...Your just seven years old, You have no right!" With that final statement, Shawn narrowed his eyes, looking at Nathaniel with all seriousness. 

Nathaniel on the other hand only shrugged off Shawns "Passive-Aggressive Threats", and with a cheeky smirk, he said, "My sister loves me the way I am! You're just jealous cuz she isn't as friendly with you as she is with me!" Shawn stared at Nathaniel in disbelief. It seems that as young as he was, Nathaniel was still very clever and had hit the head on the nail with full force! I had to say something quickly before Shawn becomes all the more "Upset". 

Shawn smiled forcefully, he placed one hand on Nathaniel's shoulder,

"Dont you know that one has to be Respectful and Mindful when graced with the presence of a Princess?"  Asked Shawn.  

"What are you trying to say?" Nathaniel gawked at Shawn with a confused face. 

Shawn could only smile at the child's naive mindset, his smile was that of a modest smile. "What I mean is, you are to bow or curtsey!"

I placed my hands on my hips and rocked them to my left. I then tapped my feet on the ground repetitively with an aggravated face. I mean, I loved Shawn like a brother, and he IS my best friend but..Jesus Christ! He was TOO committed to his role as a butler!  

Exhausted, I insisted, "Shawn, he's just a child. He really doesn't have to-" but of course, I was cut off mid-sentence. 

"No, my lady. He must learn the ways Of chivalry, Knight-hood, and respect!

In a sarcastic remark, I muttered,

"Yeah, and while you at it, you can also teach the child how to mount a horse and fight dragons Mister Knight." 

Rolling my eyes and tapping my feet in irritation on the floor, I sighed. Nathaniel was also equally irritated, he stomped his feet on the ground with much force..or at least with the force of a child, and puffed out his cheeks with a teary expression. I guess he's just as salty as myself when things don't work out the way I would want it. 

"I don't want to!" Nathaniel whined. He was throwing his usual tantrums. Shawn stood up and came closer to Nathaniel with a very scary expression on his face. I guess he was on his last nerve, Shawn was never always patient with children, so it was to be expected. 

Nathaniel was quite brave though, he stared Shawn right back with an equally scary face, or so he tried to anyway..His face was too cute to look menacing.  They came face to face with each other, looking ready to draw swords at one another. They gritted both their teeth together, and clashed their skulls against each other, pushing the other with force. They looked like two rams... 

I pushed their faces away from each other with my hands and came in between the two. "Boys, boys. I think I hear Mother coming!" I said while putting my hand behind my ear as if trying to listen for her. 

"Mother!?" Both boys repeated simultaneously.

They seized their war for the time being, for they had a new common enemy at hand. 

Raising their heads up like deers once they sense their preditors, they gawked around the area, in search of her presence. I smirked, "this outta be good." I thought. Tapping my knuckles on the wooden walls, I mimicked the sound of footsteps, this caused the boys to panic. 

Nathaniel moved forward to the railings, so he could have a look at the room below us, I think maybe he was trying to see if he could spot our mother. Shawn on the other hand paced from left to right in a frantic motion, he looked absolutely horrified as he twiddled his fingers nervously. Is it wrong that I'm laughing so hard right now?  

Shawn looked at me with a very sweaty and paranoid face, his eyes literally said, "Help. Me." But I could only shrug him off with a cheeky smirk, I had no intention of helping him, especially when I knew there was no threat. Defeated, he turned to look in Nathaniel's direction, only to find that the boy had already run down the steps yelling, "COOKIES!!"

I sincerely wanted to laugh as loud as I could, as a matter of fact, I could feel myself wanting to burst with suppressed laughter.  Shawn began to scramble to his workstation, quacking in his boots as he did. I felt sorry for him, I was being awfully cruel to him, especially when he's so busy. Gingerly, I tapped his shoulder, calling for his attention. He turned to me with a pale white face and blood-drained eyes.  

"Y-yes Lady Kai?..." He muttered, still looking for a hiding place. 

"Shawn, relax! I was just trying to get Nathan out of our hair!" I said while grinning widely. I held his hands in mine, trying my best to calm him down.

He blinked multiple times with a poker face, he still looked drained but a new expression formed on his face. He was dumbfounded and at a loss for words, one could actually mistake him for a statue at this point. 

He uttered out quietly, perhaps he was just trying to verify what he had just been told. He said with an intense but quiet voice, "S-so..It was just a joke." Shawn was not fond of jokes himself but he had no problem playing it on others! 

"Mhm!" I shook my head in delight, agreeing with him. 

Shawn took a step back, letting go of my hand feverishly, and started to pace back and forth in my presence. He put both his hands together, placed them on his lips and underneath the brim of his nose then he inhaled nervously, taking in the information he had just received. I could see the fiery aura forming around him as he did so, he looked like he was going to transform into some sort of "Ultimate form", in simple words, he was furious. 

We stood in the middle of the hallway in silence for three minutes. It was the kind of silence you'd have when someone walks in on you in the bathroom. Feeling relatively despondent about the silence, I decided to break the ice, but before I could, Shawn finally spoke. 

"Kaitlin, that wasn't funny! I honestly almost died from heart failure!" He said having calmed down and rubbing his chest with a pained expression. 

"I'm sorry!" I said, pausing for a brief moment. I took a good look at Shawn's expression at the moment, looking at him, it was clear that he wanted to go limp from fright...Was he really that scared? Now I feel like a fool. "Look, I'll make up for it by making you my famous confectionary substance!"

"Huh?" Shawn hollered with confusion as he raised an eyebrow. I forget, he might use good vocabulary.. But he still has the brain of a 9-year-old. 

With scrunched-up eyebrows and a lone frown, I rolled my eyes and swayed my hips to the right, placing my right hand on my hip and my left hand by my side. 

"Sweets, Shawn..Sweets." I said, rather plainly. His expression lit up drastically, grinning widely like a little child who had just been bribed with sweets and toys. "Really?! That's amazing my lady!!" He said in excitement.   

I grabbed his hand and we began to make our way to the steps, scaling downwards slowly. Although I had joked about my mother's presence in this mansion.. I just felt that she might be around, maybe I was just being paranoid. I shrugged it off as Shawn and myself descended down the last step. 

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[9:00]Am

[:Saturday 25th of September, 2010:]

"Six… seven...eight! All symmetrical!" She giggled as she clapped her hands together then clasped them in delight, she stared down at me with a happy face as I just stared at myself in the mirror, I was surprised, I wore more make-up than usual and had too many hair clips and accessories on. I looked at my friend/maid, Elizabeth with suspicion. 

She was a young Maiden at the age of 18 years old. She had beautiful long golden locks with big round sky blue eyes, she reminded me of a doll from the land of Whales with her psychical appearance. With the height of 158cm and the weight of 48kg, she was quite fit and slim, it was only to be expected for a young lady like herself. Elizabeth was kind, sweet, caring, and very motherly. She treated me as if I were her own, and for that, I am very grateful, she is also easy to scare and worries too much about little things, talkless of big issues. She wore a short maids outfit with white leggings and black shoes, looking very professional and stylish I'd say.

"Elizabeth.." I began," Why am I so dolled up?" I interrogated as I got up from the stool with a raised eyebrow and a small frown, setting my eyes away from the mirror and onto Elizabeth, I sidestepped between the space of the stool and dressing table, looking at her with judging eyes. She could only smile, trying her best to look as innocent as possible, as if she had not done anything at all. She does "know" that I wasn't born yesterday, right? Something was off.

Folding my arms and knitting my eyebrows together, I stared at her and waited on her excuses. Elizabeth desperately avoided my gaze, but I only shifted positions so I could look at her till she finally would fess up. We stood in my room for what seemed like forever till she spoke! I honestly thought that time stopped because of her.

 She threw her arms out and groaned, slumping forward in a pained way. I, however, smirked away at the site in triumph, no one could ever avoid my glare, "No one". 

So I stared at her, anxiously awaiting her words of "wisdom" so to speak. An exhausted huff escaped her lips as she finally lifted her head to look at me, she stood upright with exceptional posture. Her plump pink lips were in a tight curve, slowing losing so she could speak.

"I'm terribly sorry, Princess Kai.."

Her eyes traced around the room, she continued to avoid eye contact with me. It had me thinking... Why was she doing so? Was she assembling a lie? Was she thinking of ways to change the subject? Or was something holding her tongue.

I squinted my eyes in irritation as I interrogated her expression, she, however, continued to fidget around in one place while simultaneously speaking. 

"You see! The mistress has ordered me to dress you up! For you are going to see another suiter! Yes, another suiter!". She laughed nervously as she stared at the chandelier in my room. 

"A suiter?" I asked with doubt in my heart, she nodded with a small smile on her face. I turnned to think, placing my left arm underneath my right, and stroking my chin with my right hand I thought. If she was right.. And I was going to see a suiter.. Then I'm going to shout- I don't want to see any more men! But then, on the other hand, she looked like she was lying through her teeth! I knew because people like her tend to avoid eye contact when lying. I looked back at her just to confirm and as expected, she was off dusting my lamp with a dusting feather, trying to look busy. As I looked closely at her, I could see the sweat of fear and anxiety dripping from her pores. 

"Yeah.. Something is definitely up!" I said to myself in a whisper.

--End--