capsicum

[katrea]

Katie settles in pretty well into the house, and later, when a bed has been obtained, into Lizbeth's room. She wears Lizbeth's hand-me-downs to start, then gets her own clothes; she doesn't have strong opinions about what she should be wearing, but the sizing on Lizbeth's old things isn't really right, and there aren't all that many still lying around anyway.

She has inexplicably tidy handwriting - inexplicably has handwriting at all; inexplicably can spell fifteen words in twenty instead of zero - which she uses, rather a lot. She makes a list of things that are food and magnetizes it to the fridge for reference, adding to it when she locates more things that are food, and when she is trying to tackle complex books she takes notes on who all the characters are so she doesn't have to page backward to remind herself, and she discovers journaling, even though she doesn't have that many events to record.

One day, the event she has to record is: Chris says to morrow she wil go to the DMV and shud not have us ther becas it may take six ours. We wil be baybe sat. If I hav ben baybe sat be for I do not remembre it.

She is curious about the imminent babysitter, and is up bright and early on the day when same may be expected.

Comments

[more_capable]

"I have no idea."

[katrea]

"Will Chris know?"

[more_capable]

"I hope not," she says before she can stop herself.

[katrea]

"Huh?"

[more_capable]

She shakes her head. "Never mind, sorry. I'm just very confused. And I wouldn't like it if I found out that Chris knew all about this and then didn't tell me."

[katrea]

"Why would she have to tell you that I don't thump if she knew?"

[more_capable]

"Part of what a babysitter does is make sure you're safe," she explains. "Whatever the reason is why you don't have a heartbeat, it means that you don't work the way most people do, and not knowing anything about that means I might not be able to do my job. So if Chris knows, it would be irresponsible of her not to tell me."

[katrea]

"I bet she doesn't know. I never played with that thing before. And I came from a basket."

[more_capable]

"Okay," says Virginia.

[pythbox]

Lizbeth watches them both thoughtfully.

[katrea]

"What?" Katie asks Lizbeth.

[pythbox]

"I dunno."

[katrea]

"Do I have to start thumping, Gina? I don't think I would like to thump."

[more_capable]

"...Could you start thumping if you tried?" she inquires. At this point she is willing to believe it might be possible.

[katrea]

"I don't know how to try to thump. Are you trying?"

[more_capable]

"No. Everyone else just does it without trying, and we couldn't stop if we wanted to, and if we did stop we'd die."

[katrea]

"I don't think I can start, then."

[more_capable]

"I didn't think so either, but I wasn't sure."

[katrea]

"Okay. But I don't seem to have to thump to be alive."

[more_capable]

"Yes," she says.

[katrea]

"That's okay then." Katie takes the stethoscope and goes to listen to the fridge.

[more_capable]

Virginia shifts so she can see into the kitchen from where she's sitting, and pays attention to Katie while she does her math homework. Rather more attention to Katie than to the math homework, in fact.

[katrea]

Katie listens to the fridge, and the microwave, and then she lets the microwave go empty for five seconds and listens to it while it does that, and then she listens to the kitchen window.

[more_capable]

She seems to be having fun. And continuing to be alive.

Virginia is confused.

[katrea]

Eventually Katie is bored of the stethoscope. She puts it back in its box and goes to sit by the window and look out at the sun.