Danger Zone

"Cassie! Hurry up, darling! Master Evon hates procrastinating!"

Heavy footsteps can be heard all throughout the hallway of the big mansion as a little girl with braided brown hair went her way towards her parents with a gleeful smile.

"Mother! Look, I found a beetle!" 

Her mother almost face palmed herself when her daughter gave her a dead beetle, strapped in a green leaf and its head is missing.

The little girl withdraws her hand from her parents and caresses the back of the beetle while her father contemplates whether to throw the beetle or just let it sit in his daughter's palm.

In the end, they just let the beetle stay there and watch as their daughter gradually talks to it as if it can talk back to her. They passed by the gates of the mansion's garden onto the vineyard and lastly the forestry before reaching the mansion itself.

They dust off any soil particles that they might have before entering the kitchen from the back door. Cassie's father drags her to the stable so he can look out for her as he works.

Her mother is in the kitchen with the other maids, preparing the plates and platters, as well as the spoons and forks that are needed for this morning's breakfast.

They manage to put everything on the table before the master of the house and his family arrives at the dining table. Each person seats at their respective chair except for one boy.

The master of the house looks around and asks his oldest daughter if they had seen Aiden somewhere around the mansion. She shakes her head and continues to eat her breakfast.

Master Evon sighs as he massages his temples. This isn't the first time that Aiden had not joined them during breakfast but he hasn't got used to it. 

He looks at the butler, who is busy serving drinks to the others. They look like they had talked but the expression on the butler's face does not look good.

He sighs when they heard heavy stomps from afar. Master Evon looks up and sees a little girl with a smile on her face. 

"Mother, look! I found a lost boy by the tree near the garden!" 

Her mother looks up and is about to silence her when she sees who the lost boy is. Aiden tilts his head before smiling at her. 

"Can we keep him?" 

Her sudden question made her mom sweat profusely. She silently looks at the people on the table including Master Evon and his wife, who are watching the scene quietly.

"Cassie, darling. We can't." 

Cassie frowns and asks her mother why. Even asking her that if they can keep animals in their house, how come they can't keep a lost boy. 

Her mother facepalms herself and tries to make her daughter understand that the boy might have a family that is waiting for him. 

Cassie looks at the young boy she is holding and frowns. His clothes were dirty and his hair in unruly. For her, the boy looks like an orphan. 

"But mother, he looks like he needs my help." 

Master Evon looks at the little girl as he hears what she just said. His wife mouthed "my" to her husband, who is also having some shrugging thoughts.

"Your help?" 

The little suddenly speaks up, making Cassie looks at him with a smile on her face. She nods at him and pats his head.

"I may not look like it but I can protect you." 

Her voice is more informative than boasting him her strength. Aiden looks at her before looking at his sister, who is staring at the both of them with a smirk on her face.

Aiden's sister clears her throat, shifting everyone's attention from the little girl to her. She wipes her lips using the table napkin and stands up from her seat. 

She moves away from the table and went beside Cassie, putting Aiden on the other side of Cassie. With a bright smile, she introduces Cassie as Aiden's new watchdog.

Cassie looks at Aiden with her eyes wide open before jumping up and down. She had been excited to meet the person she would watch until her dying breath. 

She smiles at him and eventually hugs him.

"I didn't know you are Aiden! Nice to meet you! My name is Cassidy Alexis Johannsen! Let's be together forever!" 

Aiden almost flinches away at how high her voice is. He thinks his ears had received damage by how enthusiastic she is. 

Aiden smiles at her before Cassie guides him to his seat and prepares his food like a loyal watchdog. The little boy watches her every move with a fond smile on his face.

He even looks at the butler, who has a pained expression on his face. Aiden looks away and starts to eat his breakfast as the whole family did, too.

Master Evon smiles fondly at the enthusiastic girl, who is helping her mother as well. Maybe someone like her is what Aiden needs and not just some butler who complains most of the time.

They eat breakfast quietly as Cassie talks to Aiden about the dead beetle that she is caring for. Aiden is not interested in the dead beetle but he is fascinated that Cassie talks about it as if it is still alive.

"It's headless, though." 

Aiden chokes on his food and Cassie immediately grabs for his drink and carefully made him drink the water. Aiden grabs it and immediately drinks it before he would choke again.

"The beetle is what?!"

Cassie flinches back and rubs the back of her head as she smiles sheepishly at Aiden, giving the boy a full-on show of her thirty-two white teeth.

Aiden almost grimaces but he finds it funny. He laughs with his whole body while holding his stomach and holding the chair handle as he supports himself from falling.

Cassie laughs with him and since then, the breakfast is filled with tiny giggles and everlasting laughter. Aiden's sister smiles at Cassie and her shenanigans. 

***

Daime nods as he follows through Aiden's version of how Cassie became his watchdog. Time passes as the two of them shares stories of the past before Grandmama calls Daime about the conditions of the hall. 

"It's well and in good condition, Ma. Maybe lessen the decors because it looks like a storm just ran down the hall.

It looks like a mess."

Daime nods once again before going to the receptionist and holds his phone to her. The receptionist's smile turns into a frown and eventually saddens as Grandmama rattles what to change before Saturday. 

Aiden face grimaces as he listens to the conversation and wonders.

"Who is Grandmama before this?"