Aya doesn't know yet what could destroy her self-esteem more than being surrounded by her cousin's friends. She has to admit it, Janelle has a lot of charisma and great conversation skills, yet what she lacks is looks. 'She pretends to be beautiful when she knows she's anything but.'

Nevertheless, it can be said that she, unlike Aya, is confident. She doesn't matter if she's thought to be ugly - let's say she would be proud of not being pretty, as long as it doesn't undermine her self-esteem.

Aya doesn't like any of Janelle's friends, especially Reagan Brezinka, who has a dubious way of behaving, dyed hair, lots of piercings and tattoos and a grin that makes Aya want to smash her face on the floor, and let's not even talk about her glares...

However, these shouldn't be her main worries... She's supposed to babysit Rylene, a little mean girl who doesn't even seem to know what respect is meant to be. And, what's worse, she and Janelle must work together. 'Is there even a day where I can stay in peace? Janelle is quite irresponsible, and Rylene is a little bitch. Please tell me this is a joke.'

She immediately leaves that place in a rush, leaving everyone confused but also a little angry, to the point that the girl named Reagan points out very bluntly, "Your cousin is a stupid brat and an asocial girl." This statement somehow offends Janelle: even though Aya doesn't like her, this doesn't mean she can take offense that easily.

"Back it up," is in fact her reply, though it doesn't seem as Reagan is showing any remorse for what she said. Worse still, Janelle's so-called "friend" is leaving her behind, especially considering that she's turning her back at her and flipping her off.

'Never mind. She'll either get a grip and stop insulting Aya, or she'll be done with me. No-one must ever say shit about my loved ones.'

Anyway, Janelle is also supposed to go back home, where that wicked little girl is waiting for her, to turn her life into hell and try to steal Ashli, Aya's favorite doll, as well as convince everyone it's hers and she deserved it. The truth is, she doesn't. A spoiled little girl who believes everything in the world belongs to her doesn't deserve anything, or at least according to Janelle.

***

Back at home, Aya and Janelle are getting ready for what's waiting for them: a visit from Rylene, the little girl they hate the most. The last time they had to babysit her, the only thing she managed to do was insulting Aya as well as constantly pouting with her mother on the phone.

However, as usual, they hope she'll be nice for once and cave with what she's supposed to do. Not that Nella Rowan, her mother, actually gives her any sort of rules...

The two girls are reunited at Aya's house, where the latter's mother, Maggie, is lecturing them about how to behave with that girl once again. 'Why should she want to repeat it over and over again? If I swear to have never heard that again, then I'm more than sure I'm no longer Aya Metta Lacker, but another girl.' Well, her thought is kind of confusing, but she should think that she's doing so because, first of all, she owes her mother a favor; moreover, she needs some extra money for Christmas parents and the only way she can earn it is, according to her, having a job, more specifically babysitting, something she doesn't fancy at all because of that mean little girl.

Speaking of the Devil, Rylene is coming, accompanied by her awful mother. That woman is even crazier than her daughter: it's often said that she had a lot of screaming matches with her neighbours, with the poor Maggie, but also with her now ex-husband (they divorced so that he could no longer hear her shrill voice; nonetheless he isn't allowed to see his daughter).

The girl is grimacing towards Aya's direction, causing the latter to shake a little, only for her to be reminded to keep calm. On the other hand, Janelle is trying hard not to look at her: the only thought of spending three hours of her life with the most irritating human being she's ever met in her life are making her want to punch that spoiled brat's face thousands of times, without even giving a fuck if she winds up in hospital.

"Okay, girls," says at last Nella in a cold tone. "Here is Rylene. Make sure she behaves well and be nice to her." The last four words sound like a threat for the two teenagers. How on hell are they supposed to be nice to a brat who has always belittled them since becoming the girl to be babysit? The girl's thought is just one: having fun with the girls as much as making them lose their patience.

When Nella leaves, Maggie is a little more relieved, but the two girls aren't. However, Aya's mother is supposed to leave to do the shopping, which means that the two girls are now alone with Rylene. The latter suddenly hisses in a low voice, "Let's play something. What about dolls? I like dolls." That sentence should be more than enough to scare both Aya and Janelle. Ashli hasn't been hidden properly. That means that she can be taken away.

However, Janelle has an idea, but, to make sure it works, she has to try and play tricks on the nine-year-old, something she usually fails to do because the brat is way too smart for her liking and therefore easily understands if someone is playing games with her. Though, not caring about this detail, Janelle rushes to Aya's room, only to return back to the living room with a handful of toys. There are a white stuffed bunny with a pink ribbon, a brown teddy bear with a red-and-blue ribbon, a stuffed black-and-white cat, and a doll with long black hair tucked in a braid. The latter, according to Aya, is called Reign, and she "used to be a queen in a lost word," or, at least, this is what the girl thinks. Nonetheless, she, as much as the stuffed animals, don't seem to spark Rylene's interest. She only wants Ashli. That's it.