I await an answer from Rebecca. We're been racing for awhile, and now we've stopped to eat something. I finish about half of the slices on my plate, and she finishes about half a single slice of it. That's one good thing about sharing food with someone one-third of my height. There is always plenty of food left over, and I never have to cook much for her. As I look to her, her mouth opens, letting air flow out of her lungs as she yawns. It looks like someone is starting to get tired. Moving through the main menu on the game system's screen, she shuts it off and looks back at me. “I think I'm done with that game now. I need to go take a bath. Come and get it ready for me!”

Off the couch, she is already running off, the sounds of the bare skin on her feet patting and running across the hallway's floor deep in my mind. She always has to be doing something, much like myself. She's clearly tired, but she wants to be doing something, at all times. I push myself up and leave the plate of food on the table. I know that if I don't follow her, right away, she'll get herself in trouble again. The last time she went to get a bath ready by herself, she got her ankle stuck in the drain. That is something I'd prefer to not have to deal with again.

The moment I reach the hallway, she's already running upstairs, heading for the bathroom on the second floor. She is moving so fast, I can hardly keep up with her, especially when she dashes off like this. “H-Hey! Wait a minute, Rebecca!” My call doesn't get answered, of course. She is probably so looking forward to having a nice bath that she just wants to rush up there and get things started, herself. Baths aren't exactly the safest things for her, unfortunately. I can't run her as much water as I do for me, since she's so small. If she wants to lie down in the tub, I can't have the water up much more than 4 or 5 inches, or I risk her having an accident and drowning in the water.

Running, I hustle my way up the stairs, knowing that she's going to start things off. She always starts things off. The incident with the drain didn't teach her anything. She knows she can get stuck in that thing, or get hurt by the flow of water from the faucet in the tub. If the water feels 5 or 10 degrees too hot for me, it's like it's 20 or 30 degrees too hot for her. Were she to fall in the tub with hot water, she can get seriously hurt. I start to pant as I make it to the top of the stairs and walk into the bathroom. Sitting on the tub, waiting for me, is Rebecca, her arms crossed.

“Good, you're here! I already got the plug in the drain, so start getting my stuff out, and I'll make sure you don't do anything wrong!” She has this smug, happy look on her face, as I walk over to the tub, starting draw water. I'm sure she enjoys ordering me around like this. She has to, or she wouldn't be doing it. It makes sense, though. She spent so much time, doing nothing but taking demands and orders from Melissa. It's about time she got to give out orders, for once. She is doing that now, and clearly enjoying it. I am, too. I like seeing her happy, like this, especially after the bad feelings and thoughts I had a little while ago.

The faucet turns on and water starts to fill up the tub. Realizing that I don't have a whole lot of time, I turn and go to the closet, on the opposite wall. As the door opens, I reach in and grab some of the materials from the higher shelves. I pull out a hand towel, wash cloth, and some hotel-sized bottles of body wash and shampoo. My mother always gave me those mini-sized toiletries when she would go on vacation, and they were finally having a use. They are almost normal-sized, for Rebecca. Coming back to her, I set all of the things down, right next to her, and I watch the water until it is high enough for her.

The handles on the inside of the tub squeak as I turn them off. Dripping drops of water keep coming down as the water slows to a stop. I take a look around, making sure I've got everything I need for her. There's already a poof in the tub, she's got her towels and toiletries. After a moment of scanning, I think she's ready for her bath. I take a deep breath, looking towards her and putting a smile on my face. “Well, I think you're all set! All you have to do is get in. All your stuff is right here.” As I finish my statement, she gets down and starts shoving me towards the door.

“Alright, alright.” she says, still pushing me. “Now get out here so I can get undressed and take my bath.” I start to oblige, walking out the door. From inside the room, she grabs onto the door and being to push it shut, exerting a lot of energy to do it. As soon as it's almost shut, she talks to me again, pulling out more of that attitude towards me. “...and no peeking, mister! I may trust you, but that doesn't mean I want you to see me naked! You haven't earned that yet.” I chuckle as the door shuts in my face, the sound of her feet moving across the inside of the bathroom.

Her attitude is funny, sometimes. I agree with her, though, as I sit myself against the wall, just outside the bathroom door. I don't think I'm ready to see her like that, either. I don't really want to, either. Not right now, anyways. She may be my little wish come true, but that doesn't mean I automatically want us to be in a romantic, sexual relationship, or anything of that sort. I'm happy, just having her around. After today's thoughts and emotions, I think I'm a little more appreciative of having her around. I now know that, even if life isn't as wonderful as it could be, it's a lot better with her around than it would be without her. If I felt that knot of nervousness from the thought of her leaving, what would I feel if she actually left?

“If you have any problems, just yell for me.” I say to her, through the door. I want to make sure she knows that, although I'm not peeking, I'm right here, nearby. I'm also here, for her. That is something I feel like I should make sure she knows, completely, bath or not. Maybe I'll try to show her more of that, in the future. Maybe, soon, I'll start doing more for her than I already am, within the bounds of things she wishes to do on her own...