Free Baby-Sitters On Board by Ann M. Martin

out why she had lied to me about traveling alone.
Stacey.
My day with the Pike girls began a little differently than Mary Anne's day with the Pike boys. The Pike boys knew exactly what they wanted to do. So did the Pike girls. Only they didn't want to do the same things.
Claire and Margo wanted to go to the stores, the children's pool, and the video arcade, in that order. Vanessa wanted to read. Period. She was reading Baby Island, and she was two-thirds of the way through and wanted to sit up on the Sun Deck all morning so she could finish it before the boat docked in Port Canaveral.
A fight was brewing. I couldn't help but think of Marc Kubacki while the kids argued. There was probably very little that he could do. The Pikes were lucky to have so many choices.
"I want to play Centipede!" Claire cried.
"Sun Deck!" Vanessa replied loudly.
"Donkey Kong! Shopping!" said Margo.
"Reading!" shouted Vanessa.
"Girls, girls, girls," I interrupted. "Now hold on and let me think. There must be some way to solve this." (And I thought I was going to have an easy day, with the boys out of my hair.) "I can help you solve it," spoke up Mallory. She was standing in the doorway to our cabin. "I want to go to the Sun Deck to read, too," she said, and I noticed the copy of The Princess and the Goblin in her hand. "Why don't I just take Vanessa with me? I don't mind watching her." Vanessa looked at me hopefully.
"If your parents say it's okay, that would be great," I told the girls. I knew Mallory was capable of watching Vanessa. She's very responsible.
So we got the Pikes' permission, and the two happy bookworms headed for the Sun Deck. Then I took Claire and Margo by the hands and the three of us headed for the stores.
"What is it you want to buy?" I asked them.
"Gum," said Margo.
"AT sewer-ear," said Claire.
"A sewer-ear?" I repeated.
"She means a souvenir," said Margo with-eringly.
We made a tour of the shops. Margo got her gum, and Claire bought a gaudy pencil that said "Ocean Princess" on it. Then they took a dip in the pool, as planned, and finally, dried off and refreshed, they set out for the video arcade. I followed, carrying their towels, the gum, the pencil, and five dollars from Mrs. Pike that she had said we could change into quarters for the games. I wondered what Marc Kubacki was up to just then.
And believe it or not, halfway between the stores and the video arcade, we ran into Marc and his father.
"Hi, Marc!" I said.
"Hi, Stacey." At the exchange of hellos, Claire and Margo halted and turned around. They stared at Marc and his wheelchair, and then came back to us, looking curious.
Please, I begged them silently, don't say anything embarrassing.
"Where are you off to?" I asked the Ku-backis.
"We're just taking a walk," said Marc.
Claire had stepped all the way up to the wheelchair and was standing directly in front of Marc. "We're going to the video arcade," she told him.
"The video arcade?" Marc repeated. He gave his father a pointed look, but I wasn't sure what the look meant.
There was a moment of strained silence. I broke it by saying, "I guess you guys don't know each other. Claire and Margo, this is Marc Kubacki and his father. I met them a couple of days ago. And this is Claire Pike," I went on, touching Claire on the head, "and Margo Pike." Everyone said hi and I tried to explain to the girls how I knew Marc, and to Marc why I was with the Pikes.
Claire showed Marc her new pencil.
"Awesome!" said Marc.
Claire grinned. "How old are you?" "Seven," Marc replied.
"My age!" exclaimed Margo. "You're seven?" "I'm a little small." "Not smaller than me," said Claire defensively. "I'm five," she added.
"Do you like video games?" Margo asked Marc, and I knew she wanted to get going.
"Yes, I do," he answered, giving his father that look again.
Mr. Kubacki shrugged. "That video arcade is so noisy," he said to me. "I'd do almost anything for Marc, but ten minutes in one of those places drives me crazy." "Want to come with us, Marc?"