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'm not sure yet."

[katrea]

"How will you pick?"

[more_capable]

"I'm going to find out more about everything I could do first, before I decide anything."

[katrea]

"What else might you do?"

[more_capable]

"I'm not sure yet," she says. "And I haven't started keeping a list, because I don't know enough about all the possibilities."

[katrea]

"I like lists. I made a list of food."

[more_capable]

"I saw."

[katrea]

Ho hum. Katie goes looking through the toybox again.

[queensidecastle]

Some time later, Chris can be heard opening the door.

[katrea]

"Hiiii, Chris!" calls Katie. "Gina says I don't thump!"

[queensidecastle]

"Can I get that in plain, understandable English, somebody?"

[more_capable]

Virginia comes out to the front hall. She brings the stethoscope, in case of questions.

"The kids spent a while listening to everything in sight with this," she says. "We can't seem to find Katie's heartbeat."

[queensidecastle]

"...Is that so," says Chris.

[katrea]

"I am alive anyway," says Katie reassuringly.

[queensidecastle]

"That's good to know."

[katrea]

"Yep! I like to be alive."

[queensidecastle]

"I like you to be alive too," says Chris.

[pythbox]

"Me too!" says Lizbeth.

[katrea]

"Do you thump?" Katie inquires of Chris.

[queensidecastle]

"Yes," says Chris. "I thump."

[katrea]

"I wonder how come I'm the only one who doesn't."

[queensidecastle]

"I wonder that too."

[katrea]

"How do we find out?"

[queensidecastle]

"I'll think about it."

[katrea]

"Okay."