Sky
"So", Dad said, "you know where the phone is?"
I didn't roll my eyes.
"Yes."
"You know to call 911 if anything happens?"
"Yes."
"You know you can always knock on the neighbour's doors if you're afraid..."
"Dad, I know", I said, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.
He was only going to be out for half an hour! He'd been planning on having Paul babysit me, but as usual my brother had slipped out with his friends at the last minute and so my dad didn't have much choice.
And he really wasn't happy about this. Leaving me home alone. He'd already run through every safety check he could think of, but I could see him going through them all now in his head, trying to work out if there was anything he'd forgotten to mention.
"Alright," he said. "Alright." And he hugged me goodbye and walked out of the door.
But as soon as he'd gone I felt a flicker of unease.
I'd never been at home on my own for as long as I was going to be now. For the music festival, Robin's parents had picked me up a few minutes after Paul and Dad left. And now...half an hour...
...felt like forever.
I walked slowly across the room, wondering what to do. I could turn on the TV but it would sound too loud in the empty house. I could read a book but I wouldn't be able to concentrate. I could listen to music but I hadn't seen my MP3 in ages and I thought I might have lost it.
I switched on my laptop and started to play a computer game, not paying attention to what I was doing and getting a stupidly low score as a result.
I couldn't seem to forget that I was the only one in the house, not even for a moment.
The night Gracie died she and I had been alone.
I beat that thought out of my head, along with the memories that came with it. I didn't want to think about how Gracie had died.
So I tried, desperately, to come up with some way to distract myself.
And then I heard the noise.
Like a laugh in the silent air.
My heart jolted, like someone had seized hold of it and yanked.
I leapt to my feet.
"Who's there?" I called, a little surprised at how calm my voice sounded.
A woman stepped up to face me. She was tall and beautiful and her curly red hair caught the flickering light in the room, dancing across her pale skin. Something about her reminded me of Emmett, but I didn't know why. I felt myself draw back in fear.
"Who are you?"
The woman laughed again.
"I'm a friend of your brother's."
"No you're not."
"How would you know?"
"Because he'd have mentioned you." I still sounded calm and it amazed me.
"Well then...I'm a friend of yours. As a matter of fact, I've come to take you to your brother."
I backed away until I reached the wall.
"I'm not going", I whispered.
"Yes you are." Her fingers seized hold of my wrist.
And then she had yanked me through the door and out of the house and we, or rather she, was running down the track outside my home and away into the woods.
"Stop it!" I screamed. "Put me down!" She dropped me, to my surprise, at the foot of a tree.
"Mmmm", she whispered, leaning close. "You smell tasty. But that can wait."
She's crazy, I thought, staring at her. I've been kidnapped by a crazy person. What do I do?
Before I'd had a chance to answer my own question, the redhead yanked me to my feet and dragged me after her again.
"Where are we going?" I cried.
"We're going to see your brother. And his friends. And they're going to watch me make short work of you." She laughed. "After that they might not be so keen to try and attack me."
"Paul!" I screamed. "Paul! Help! Help me!" But nobody appeared and she continued to drag me after her.
For once, my dad had been right.
It had been stupid to leave me on my own.
