I arrived at the Newtons’ home with a bowling ball in the pit of my stomach. It was my first real babysitting job, and I had no idea what would happen. What if the two kids are monsters? I thought to myself. “Charlotte! Come in! Come in! Make yourself at home,” Mrs. Newton greeted me at the door. She guided me to the living room where a 9-year-old girl sat reading. “Marla, this is our new babysitter, Charlotte.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Marla,” I said, sticking out my hand.
Marla took it and peered shyly up at me. Her short, straight hair was dark brown, just like her mother’s.
“Where is your brother?” Mrs. Newton asked.
Marla pointed to the coat closet with a smirk.
Mrs. Newton shook her head in disbelief and amusement as she marched to the closet. “Boo!” she cried as she opened the door. She lifted a blonde-haired boy and started tickling him. “And this—little one—is Nick,” she said between his giggles. As soon as Nick saw me, he buried his face into his mother’s shoulder and hugged her like he never wanted to let go.
Mrs. Newton, however, disengaged him and set him on the floor. “Now, I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours.” She grabbed her coat and purse and began reciting the last-minute instructions. “The emergency numbers are on the fridge. Nick needs to be in bed by eight, and Marla’s bedtime is ten. There are chicken nuggets and fries in the freezer that you can bake for dinner. I should be home by eleven. If you need anything, just call me on my cell, ok?”
“Ok, I will,” I answered. I watched as she kissed her kids goodbye, and before we knew it, she was gone.
As soon as the door shut, Nick started crying. “Mo!” He ran to the door and screamed, hoping that she would change her mind and come back.
I quickly went to him and tried to pick him up and soothe him, but he wouldn’t let me touch him. He just gave me the evil eye and screamed even louder.
“Nick,” I said calmly, “your mom will be home soon. How about we color? I hear that you love markers! I actually brought some coloring books just for you!”
That certainly got his attention. He wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded. I spread the markers and coloring books on the coffee table, and together, we began brightening the black and white pictures of various critters. “Do you want to join us, Marla?” I asked.
She shook her head and continued reading her book.
I glanced up at the clock and saw that it was almost seven. “I guess I should start making dinner,” I said to the kids. “Chicken nuggets and fries sound good?”
Marla nodded, and Nick completely ignored me. He was too busy coloring—his feet!
“Oh, Nick! What are you doing?” I cried. Thank goodness he hadn’t gotten up to walk around, or I would’ve spent most of the night scrubbing footprints out of the carpet. I quickly picked him up and carried him to the bathroom.
Upon taking a closer look, I noticed that he not only colored his feet, but his hands and stomach as well! How he found the time to color these things without me noticing is beyond me. I laughed at his mischievousness. I really needed to keep my eye on this one. Which statement best describes the plot?