Tess stood at the mirror applying her eye liner. It was Saturday night and, although she didn’t officially have any plans, she was sure that, at any moment, she would get a call inviting her to go out somewhere.

She stepped away from the mirror suddenly, evaluating her work. She’d never been any good at applying make-up. She wasn’t even sure why. Both her mother and her aunt routinely wore the stuff. Surely she must have picked up some of their finesse with a pencil or a brush somewhere along the line?

“If you’re going for that whole raccoon look, you’ve got this down,” she murmured as she gazed at her reflection.

She was just getting ready to lean in closer to the mirror once more in a futile attempt to fix the mess she’d made, when her phone suddenly lit up next to her on the vanity. She automatically sighed with relief. It was after five. She was starting to worry that no one would call. Without even looking, she answered the phone.

“Hello?” she asked, trying to hide her enthusiasm. After all, she didn’t want to seem too eager and desperate.

“Hey,” said a familiar voice.

It was Kelli. Tess didn’t know whether to be happy or leery. Kelli. She had a reputation as a manipulator, mostly because she was a master when it came to the classic bait-and-switch tactic. She was the sort of girl who’d invite you out and pay for your iced tea at the fast food restaurant, but then ask you to cover her shift at the church garage sale the night before the event. She’d call you and ask you to see a movie, and even pay for your ticket, but then turn around and ask you to drop off one of her friends… conveniently forgetting to mention that his house was nearly an hour away. In short, Tess had reached the point where she almost preferred to just say “No” to all of Tess’s invitations because she didn’t want to deal with all of the strings attached.

“What’s up?” Tess began, trying to keep her voice neutral.

“Whatcha doing?” Kelli inquired in a sing-song voice.

“Putting on my make-up,” Tess answer cautiously. She certainly didn’t want to come right out and admit that she had nothing going on.

“Oh, so you have plans?”

Tess knew it was a loaded question. Kelli was either going to suggest something for them to do together or she was going to try to unload some responsibility. It was always a roll of the dice.

“Kinda,” Tess replied vaguely.

“Well, watcha doing?” she asked pointedly.

“Why do you wanna know?” Tess returned, just as abruptly.

“Why are you being so secretive?”

“Because I’m talking to you,” Tess answered somewhat sarcastically.

“Oh come on, I’m not that bad, am I?”

Tess tried not to feel ashamed. After all, had Kelli not been so manipulative she wouldn’t have felt the need to lie to her, right?

“No,” she lied, “I just always get suspicious when you start drilling me with questions.”

“I’m not drilling you. I’m just asking you what you’re up to,” she replied sweetly.

“What do you want Kelli?” Tess asked, trying to cut to the chase.

There was a long pause. Here it comes, thought Tess. Here comes the ridiculously insensitive request. Tess often wondered if Kelli suffered from some emotional disorder that made it impossible for her to feel any empathy for others. How else could she explain Kelli’s complete lack of common decency or tact? Kelli thought nothing of asking someone to pick up one of her cousins from the airport within hours of their scheduled arrival time. Or, she’d ask to borrow clothing that still bore the tags and return them ruined. Then, when she’d ask to borrow something else, she always seemed confused as to why she was refused. Tess couldn’t imagine being so clueless. Then again, she was the sort of person who wrung her hands if she had to ask someone to borrow ten bucks.

“Why do you always assume I want something?” Kelli returned, somewhat sharply.

“So, you’re not calling to ask me for anything?” Tess challenged.

There was another long pause. Clearly, Kelli had planned to use her fool-proof switch tactic, but Tess had gotten wise to it. Now, she was frantically scrambling around for some way to back herself out of the corner, but there was no way to do so without admitting that Tess had been right about her.

“Look,” Kelli sighed, deciding honesty was probably best under the circumstances, “I kinda told these people I’d watch their kid tonight, but then Mario called me and asked me if I wanted to go see a movie. You know how long I’ve liked him,” she paused, “I’m just afraid if I say no that he’ll get the wrong idea.”

“Why don’t you just tell him you have to babysit and ask him if you guys can go out tomorrow?” Tess suggested.

“He’s gotta work tomorrow. Besides, going out on Sunday night is lame and you know it.”

“Well, I dunno what to tell you,” Tess answered, unmoved. She’d covered for Kelli so many times without compensation that she was able to face the guilt trip without difficulty, “I guess you’re just going to have to figure something out.”

“Come on,” she whined, “please? I’m begging you. I can’t ask anybody else. Everyone already has plans.”

“How do you know I don’t?”

“Because if you did, you would have just told me. The fact that you hedged said it all,” Kelli replied.

“Alright,” Tess began, determined to get something out of the arrangement, “so what’s in it for me?”

“Well, supposedly the guy’s loaded. They’re friends of my dad’s from the office. He and his wife have some benefit to go to. I guess he’s just got one little girl. She’s, like, five so she can go to the bathroom on her own and stuff. I bet he’ll probably even tip you. You could make serious bank.”

“For how long?” Tess asked, growing more intrigued by the proposition in spite of her reticence.

“Just until midnight,” Kelli answered plainly, “so, what? Five hours? The shift starts at seven.”

“That’s in less than two hours!” Tess whined, “And these people don’t even know me. They probably only asked you because they know your dad. They’re not gonna go for this. And what about your dad? He’s gonna be ticked that you pawned this off on somebody else.”

“I’m gonna call them, Tess,” she sighed, “Jeez, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“It’s their only child,” Tess argued, “and they’re loaded. Their whole world probably revolves around this kid. I don’t think they’re gonna go for it.”

“Well, just let me take care of it,” she answered decisively. Tess knew Kelli would probably figure out some way to hoodwink the couple into accepting her terms.

“Okay,” Tess replied, rolling her eyes.

“But you’ll do it?” Kelli tested.

“That depends,” Tess muttered, “you never did answer my question.”

“What question?”

“You never said what was in it for me,” Tess returned.

“You get to babysit one kid in a mansion for good pay. That’s not enough for you?”

“If it’s so great, why are you on the phone right now begging me to do it for you then, huh?” Tess argued, “And don’t say Mario. We both know darn well if this gig was as awesome as you say it is, you’d make up some excuse so you could still do it. Face it, Kelli. It’s not all that.”

“Fine,” she almost spat, “what do you want?”

“You still haven’t paid me back the thirty bucks you owe me. Plus, you ruined my new t-shirt. That’s another twenty bucks. If you want me to do this job for you, I want you to swing by my house in the next twenty minutes with my fifty dollars. If you don’t wanna do that, then I suggest you make other plans with Mario.”

“That’s totally ridiculous and you know it,” Kelli answered.

“Oh, you mean like driving your pal, Greg, clear out to Harrisburg Junction after the movies last month? Kinda like that?”

“You act like that was my fault.”

“I don’t care whose fault it was,” Tess replied, “I just know it wasn’t my responsibility.”

Kelli paused for several moments. She knew Tess had her where she wanted her. She had asked a lot of her lately and she’d given back almost nothing in return. She didn’t really have a leg to stand on, but twenty bucks was all the money she had in the world at the moment. And, it wasn’t as though she could ask her parents to borrow any. If she went to either of them they’d tell her to wait until the end of her babysitting shift… a shift they didn’t know she was hoisting on someone else. Ugh… what a mess!

“Well, I only have twenty bucks,” she began, “I swear. I was planning to bring that tonight so I could eat, but you can have it.”

“Don’t even try making me feel guilty,” Tess answered, “you’ve had months to pay this back. Just think of all the times you came into school wearing new clothes and I never said a word to you about it.”

“Alright, alright,” she sighed, “I’ll drop off the twenty bucks.”

“And what about the rest? When am I gonna get that?”

“Next week,” she said, “I promise.”

“Okay, but until I’m paid in full, you don’t get to ask me for anything, you got it?”

“Fine,” Kelli answered without emotion.

“So,” Tess said, “where am I going?”

Had it not been for the static female voice of her GPS feeding her turn-by-turn directions, Tess would have thought herself lost. She’d left the city limits behind her fifteen minutes earlier and now she was driving through a wooded wilderness that seemed impossibly isolated. It was beautiful though. Sometimes the road would open up into a vast, treeless area and it seemed as though the hills and valleys were heaving waves on a moonlit ocean. But, just as quickly, she would enter the trees once more and the road would wind and turn this way and that until she was utterly confused.

“I should have left earlier,” she murmured as she glanced at the clock. She hoped she’d arrive soon, otherwise she’d be late. It was already after 6:50 and she had no idea how much road still lay ahead.

But, that wasn’t Tess’s only concern. She wondered if Kelli had bothered to follow through on her promise to call the family. What had she said about their names? Oh, yeah, the last name was Edwards. That was it. Katherine and Paul Edwards. The little girl’s name was Lillian.

“Sounds pretty highbrow,” Tess mused as she turned another corner. It was 6:55. She’d probably just make it.

As if on cue, the GPS instructed her to make a left turn through a metal gateway. The long lane was lined with trees and hanging lanterns. Tess marveled at the effect; it was both charming and strangely eerie. Maybe because of the mist rolling off of the lake nearby? Tess had no way of knowing. She was totally out of her element. She’d known there were enormous houses located on the outskirts of town, but she’d never seen any of them, mostly because the vast majority were locked away from curious on-lookers in gated communities. The Edwards didn’t live in one of those, but they were located so far away from the regular folks of Lake Harbor that they didn’t need to concern themselves with trespassers. The only visitors they encountered on a day-to-day basis were the occasional raccoon or heron.

The laneway wound around the wooded lot, until, slowly, the house came into view by degrees. Even in the dark, its beauty was impossible to ignore. It was done in a modern Tudor style with a series of pitched gables accented by stonework. Beveled glass windows reflected the light of a series of lanterns lining the sidewalk, and the rich green ivy making its way up the stone surfaces seemed to twinkle in the moonlight. Everything was perfectly manicured, impossibly neat. Indeed, Tess was so impressed by the house that, even after parking, she found it difficult to pull her eyes away from the lavish exterior long enough to make her way to the front door.

She would have stayed in her car even longer, but the home’s front door suddenly opened to reveal a man dressed in a tuxedo. Tess instinctively glanced at her car clock. It was 6:58.

“Crap, I gotta get moving,” she hissed as she grabbed her purse and her car keys.

She all but jogged up to the front door.

“I’m so sorry,” she began, apologetically, “I meant to get here on time, but the drive took longer than I thought it would. I hope you won’t be late on account of me.”

“You’re not Kelli.”

Tess stopped her forward movement immediately. She hadn’t called. That irresponsible, no good, double crossing Kelli had failed to follow through… again. To be fair, she had stopped by Tess’s house to drop off the twenty dollars, and thank heavens she had. Otherwise, Tess would have had no way to fill up her gas tank and drive out to the middle of nowhere, as needed. But, the other part of the deal? Tess figured her friend must have decided it just wouldn’t be worth all of the drama it would create. Better to just throw poor Tess into the lion’s den. That’s the ticket, Kelli. Throw your friend into the fray face first…

“No…” Tess looked away helplessly. She was ashamed, although she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as though she’d done anything wrong.

“What’s the matter, Paul?” a feminine voice called out from inside the house, “Is something wrong?”

“It’s not Kelli,” he answered simply, “it’s some other girl.”

“Well, who is she?” asked his wife, coming out onto the porch also.

Tess couldn’t help but draw in her breath. Katherine Edwards’ dress was beautiful. It was a pale pink accented by thousands of tiny crystals that made her shimmer with every move she made.

“That dress is incredible, Mrs. Edwards,” Tess murmured, unable to help herself.

“Thank you,” she answered automatically.

“Where’s Kelli?” Mr. Edwards asked more pointedly.

“For heaven’s sake, dear, invite her in,” Katherine fussed, “don’t just leave the poor girl milling about on the doorstep. Come in, won’t you?”

Tess moved passed Paul Edwards somewhat sheepishly. He was angry and confused, and Tess couldn’t blame him. She’d arrived within minutes of being late, and she wasn’t the person they’d been expecting to watch their little girl. The three moved into the foyer as Paul closed the front door behind them.

“Now, can you please explain to me what the heck is going on here?” he asked sharply, “Where’s Kelli? She was supposed to babysit for us tonight. It was all arranged with her father.”

“I know,” Tess began nervously, “Kelli asked me to cover for her because something came up suddenly and she didn’t want to leave you hanging. She told me she was going to call you so you’d know to expect me. I dunno why she didn’t.”

“Well if that isn’t the most scatter-brained, irresponsible–” he ranted, walking away from them angrily.

“Well, it wasn’t totally irresponsible. At least she sent someone else to cover for her,” Katherine argued.

“Yeah,” he huffed, “some girl we don’t even know. We know nothing about her. You can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be calling Frank Collins about this!”

“How do you know Kelli?” Katherine asked, turning to Tess in a futile attempt to take the edge off her husband’s words.

“We go to school together. We’ve known each other for years,” Tess explained, before adding, “Look, if you don’t want me to stay and watch Lillian, I totally understand. I wouldn’t want some stranger watching my kid either.”

“And she said something came up suddenly?” Katherine continued, “Did she say what it was? Was it some family emergency? I hope everything’s alright.”

“I dunno,” Tess shrugged, “she didn’t say. She just said she was in a jam and she needed somebody to watch a little girl for her tonight.”

“She’s in a jam alright,” Paul spat, “this had better be something serious, or so help me…”

“Paul,” Katherine hissed, “you’re scaring the girl. She can’t help what happened.”

“Well, you be sure and tell Kelli that we are not happy,” Paul continued, pointing a slim finger in Tess’s direction, “I can’t believe Frank’s daughter would pull something like this. He’s so reliable, you can practically set a watch by him. Now this.”

“Well, what do you want to do, honey? Do you want to go or do you want to call Jack and tell him we’re not coming? We’re going to have to make a decision.”

Paul sighed audibly as he paced around in a tight circle. Finally he paused and rubbed the bridge of his nose vigorously with the thumb and middle finger of one hand before turning to face his wife.

“What do you think?” he indicated Tess.

“I think she seems nice,” Katherine replied, “to be honest, I kind of like her better than Kelli. She seems more mature.”

Paul looked Tess up and down then also. It was clear he agreed somewhat with his wife. Then he turned to face a nearby staircase.

“Lillian,” he called, “come down here and meet the sitter, baby-girl.”

A little girl, who had been sitting at the top of the stairs from the moment the three had walked inside, suddenly appeared on the steps. She was wearing a ruffled t-shirt and pink sweatpants bearing the insignia of a cartoon princess. Her hair was fixed into a dark brown braid that hung in a single strand to a point between her shoulders.

“Honey, this is Tess,” Katherine introduced her, “why don’t you come down and say hello.”

Lillian moved down the stairs cautiously, unsure what to make of the new presence in the foyer. However, when she finally reached Tess, it was clear that she wasn’t opposed to her.

“My name’s Tess,” she volunteered, kneeling down so that she and Lillian were looking into one another’s eyes.

“I’m Lillian,” she returned, extending her tiny hand.

“You’re very lady-like,” Tess commented.

“Thank you,” Lillian smiled. The two sat eye-to-eye for several moments before Lillian asked, “Do you like to play princess?”

“I don’t know how to play princess, but it sounds like a lot of fun,” Tess smiled.

“Well, she seems to like you alright,” Katherine mused, “she doesn’t let just anybody play princess with her. What do you think Paul?”

“Well, it’s after seven. If we’re going to head out, we’d better do it. I’m going to go and get the car. You show Tess where we keep all the phone numbers and whatnot.”

“Alright,” Katherine nodded before turning to Lillian, “honey, you go on upstairs for a minute. Tess will be up soon, okay?”

“Okay,” she nodded before moving to hug both of her parents. A moment later, she disappeared up the steps.

Tess followed Katherine into the living room, through the dining room, and then into the kitchen.

“Wow,” Tess sighed, “this house is really something.”

“Thank you,” Katherine beamed, “it’s been a labor of love. Paul is quite the collector. It’s hard to find places for everything that catches his eye.”

“Yeah, I noticed you have quite an art collection. It’s really impressive,” Tess commented.

“Paul’s got very eclectic tastes,” Katherine smirked, “sometimes we agree on what’s pretty, and sometimes we don’t. I love several of the paintings in the back near the sunroom. You might want to check those out if you enjoy art. Other pieces…”she didn’t finish, “let’s just say Paul’s got some rather avant garde busts and sculptures that are sure to catch your eye.”

“Sounds exciting,” Tess chuckled.

“It’s less exciting than just plain weird if you ask me, but that’s my opinion,” she laughed.

“Are you ready?” Paul’s voice echoed through the downstairs.

“Just a minute. I’m almost finished,” she returned, before turning to Tess, “I’d better hurry up. Okay, here are the emergency numbers. This is my cell phone, and this is Paul’s. This here is the closest neighbor. They know we’re going to be at this benefit tonight. Mr. Walters said