The Agent's Daughter by Ron Corriveau

Travis
said. “Once you have removed the mantle of fear, you can analyze
any situation logically and use your natural gifts to your
advantage. I must admit, once I discovered that, I was like a kid
with a new toy.”
    “ You have natural gifts?”
Melina asked.
    “ Everyone has gifts,” he
said. “Mine is that I am smart for my age and can understand
theoretical physics.”
    “ Do I have gifts?” Melina
asked.
    “ You have gifts that I can
only dream of,” he said. “You can read faster than anyone I know.
You have a keen sense of adventure with a complete lack of concern
for your own personal safety. And you are the greatest older sister
a brother could ask for.”
    Melina looked at her brother. She had never
looked at him the way she saw him now. She grabbed Travis in both
her arms and hugged him.
    “ I love you, little
brother.”
    She stopped hugging him but kept her arm
around his shoulder as they started walking for home again.
    As they got closer to the house, Melina
could see that there was a car parked in front of the house that
she did not recognize. She knew her dad was home because he had
texted her phone. He told her to come straight home after school
instead of going next door to Mrs. Baker’s house like her and her
brother usually did.
    “ Do you know whose car
that is?” Melina asked.
    “ Nope,” Travis
replied.
    They went up the sidewalk to the front door
of their house and went inside. From the entryway, Melina could
hear voices from further in the house. She walked down the hallway
toward the sound until she reached the kitchen. Sitting at the
kitchen table was her dad and a woman wearing a warm-up suit and
tennis shoes. She looked to be about her dad’s age. All Melina
could see was the back of the woman’s head, but she could tell that
she did not know the woman. Nobody she knew had long, straight
blonde hair worn in a ponytail. The woman and her dad were laughing
about something as she approached the table.
    Melina cleared her throat and glared at the
woman seated at the table. Just who was this woman sitting and
talking with her dad?
    “ Melina,” her dad said.
“I’m glad you’re home. I’d like you to meet an old friend of
mine.”
    Yeah. Old friend, she thought. More like
someone that is trying to replace her mom. Moved on already,
Dad?
    “ This is Angela Coleman,”
he continued.
    Angela turned around and looked up at
Melina. Melina paused for a moment. She had the odd feeling that
she had seen Angela before.
    “ Hello,” Melina
said.
    “ Angela is going to be
staying here watching you and Travis while I am away on a trip for
a few days,” Evan said.
    “ Wait… what?” Melina
asked, looking confused. “You’re going on a trip?”
    While her dad used to go on short trips
every month or so, he had not been on any trips recently. Not since
it was necessary for someone other than her mom to watch her and
her brother.
    “ Yes, kiddo,” her dad
said. “It’s just for a few days. I should be back by the
weekend.”
    Melina’s dad noticed that she was still
fixated on Angela. He had never seen her have quite that expression
before.
    “ Angela used to work in
the same department that I do,” he said. “She retired a few years
ago, and now she works for the company doing short-term nanny
work.”
    Melina’s head buzzed with thoughts. Okay,
she is here to do a job. But she is an old friend of her dad. And
sometimes, old friends become new girlfriends. At this point,
Melina realized that she was staring and not talking. She did not
know what to make of all this, but she did know that she wanted to
leave the kitchen.
    She did her best to put on a polite face.
“Excuse me. I am going to go to my room. Pleased to meet you,
Angela.”
    Melina backed out of the kitchen and ran
upstairs.

Chapter 5

     
    Melina was in no mood for talking to her
dad, and she certainly did not want to run into Angela. So she got
ready for school and skipped breakfast, only coming downstairs