2.
Alice glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was much later than she had thought.
"Hey guess what James?" She asked.
"What?" He asked, counting his money happily. He was quite an entrupenur, owning houses and hotels all over the board-all of which kept taking Alice's money!
"It's past your bedtime. You should have been in bed twenty minutes ago!" Alice replied.
He grinned cheekily. "Should I? I didn't notice the time."
Alice had to laugh. "I bet you didn't!" She said. "Well whatever the case it's time to get upstairs and into bed!"
"Okay, but I need a drink of water by my bed." James said.
"Well you get up and into bed, and I'll bring your water up in a minute." Alice offered.
He nodded, and left the room. Alice cleaned up the game, and put it back in the box, and went into the kitchen. She was getting the glass of water when the phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered.
There was no answer, but from the breathing on the other end Alice knew the person hadn't hung up.
"Hello?" She asked again.
There was still no answer but the breathing sounded slightly heavier.
Rolling her eyes she hung up. She couldn't be bothered with some stupid prank. Or someone who had called the wrong number and was too rude to say so!
As she was walking out of the room the phone rang again, and she sighed and answered it, deciding to take a different tack. "Hello, Wyatt residence." She said.
There was the same heavy breathing and Alice frowned, annoyed.
"Listen if you don't have anything to say don't waste your money by calling!" She snapped.
"I've got something to say." The caller said, a man's voice, but it sounded muffled.
"Okay, and what is it?" Alice asked, trying to be as polite as she could, but she was still annoyed.
"I just wanted to tell you the story about the babysitter who got killed." The caller said.
"And I want to tell you to get lost. You don't scare me creep!" Alice snapped, hanging up. If the phone rang again she wasn't going to answer it she decided, and she took the water upstairs to James.
"You took a long time." James greeted her.
"Is that the thanks I get?" She asked, putting the glass beside the bed.
"Thanks." James said. "Who was on the phone?"
"Wrong number." Alice replied, tucking him in.
"You're lying." James said.
"Am I?" Alice replied lightly.
"Yes. You said it like my Daddy does when he says no James, you don't have to stay in the hospital this time. And then I have to stay!" James said.
Alice smiled at him sympathetically. "Do you go to the hospital a lot James?" She asked.
"Yes. That's why Mommy ran away. She hated it." He said.
Alice frowned. "Your Mom ran away?"
"Yes three years ago, and she hasn't even sent me a card for my birthday since!" James said, a little sadly. But, Alice thought, he was certainly coping with it better than many kids his age was did. With his illness and all she supposed he had to be fairly well adjusted.
"So-who was on the phone?" James asked, persistently.
Alice laughed. "It was some stupid kid playing a joke. Prank call."
"Was it the fridge one?" James asked excitedly.
"The fridge one?" Alice repeated.
"Sure the one where they say is your fridge running? And if you say yes, then they say well you better go catch it!" James replied, laughing.
Alice had to laugh as well. "No it wasn't that one. They actually didn't say anything on this one. Maybe if they call back I can ask whether their fridge is running?"
"Yes!" James said.
"Anyway kiddo, get some sleep now. It's way past your bedtime!" Alice said.
"Okay, goodnight Alice. Thanks for babysitting me." James said, snuggling into his bed.
'What a cutie!' Alice thought with a smile as she went back downstairs. And what an awful shame it was about his Mom-she made a mental note to ask her Mom whether she knew anything about it. She knew people didn't just up and leave without a reason for it!
She settled on the couch with her English novel-Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. As hard as she tried though she couldn't get into it. For some reason she was feeling restless, and she got up and wandered about the big house. Maybe the stupid call before had freaked her out more than she thought? A noise outside startled her. It sounded like a branch breaking. She took a deep breath and shook her head.
"Come off it Alice. How many times have you babysat before?" She asked herself out loud. "Enough to be more grown up than this!"
Even so, she couldn't shake the strange feeling she had, and so she gave up trying to concentrate on Pip and Estella and instead turned the television back on. She flicked through the channels, Mark had cable so that was good, and finally settled on the cartoon network.
Before she knew it "The Jetsons" were over, and "Scooby Doo" was on. She glanced at the clock. It was almost ten thirty, she hoped that her Mom and Mark got back soon!
The phone's ringing startled her, and she jumped. She hesitated, before deciding to answer it. What if it was her Mom or Mark checking up on things and she didn't answer it. They'd be a little concerned!
"Hello Wyatt residence." Alice said.
"Do you know what twelve o'clock means?" The caller asked.
"Midnight? The next day?" Alice asked, wondering whether or not she should just hang up and leave the phone off the hook.
"No, the witching hour." The caller replied.
"That's great. Why don't you ring someone else and tell them then?" Alice replied sarcastically. She didn't want them to know that they had freaked her out a bit.
"At twelve I'll arrive." The caller said.
"Okay, see you then." Alice replied airily, and she hung up. Even though she'd treated it as a joke she was a little freaked out by it, and she concentrated on the cartoons.
Before she knew it she had fallen asleep, and a noise woke her up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to get her bearings. It took her a moment to realise that she was in her Mom's boyfriend's place babysitting, and she glanced at the clock. Twelve. Out the front there was a bang, and she jumped. A sudden realisation hit her like icy water; the caller had said he was coming over at twelve, and it was twelve now, and there was a noise out the front! She took a deep breath, and pressed her hand against her rapidly beating heart. She looked around the room, and spotted an antique vase sitting on the mantle. She got up and picked it up. It was certainly very heavy, if she hit someone on the head with it as hard as she could she was pretty certain that she would knock them out. Walking quietly she made her way to the front door and pressed her face to the glass plate. She couldn't see anything, but then she heard the crunch of footsteps on the steps, and moved back a little, so she was standing near the door. She raised the vase, ready to strike.
The door opened slowly, and then someone stepped through, and Alice raised the vase even higher, and the person yelled "Alice!" and she hesitated, and then she heard her Mom's voice "What's going on here?" And she realised it was just Mark and her Mom.
"Geez Alice, what are you doing? Were you going to hit us over the head with the vase?" Alice's Mom asked.
It wasn't really any use telling her no, Alice decided, and she told them about the prank calls. "I've had them before of course and they haven't bothered me, but maybe it was the strange house and all?"
Her Mom was looking at her strangely, but Mark seemed relatively calm.
"Was James okay?"
"As good as gold." Alice replied. "Mom-can we get going? I'm pretty tired!"
"Right sweetie." Her Mom still looked slightly confused by the whole thing.
"If James gives you a good report we might have to call upon your services again." Mark said, as he waved goodbye. "Even if you did try to brain me with a vase!"
Alice managed an embarassed smile.
Alice glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was much later than she had thought.
"Hey guess what James?" She asked.
"What?" He asked, counting his money happily. He was quite an entrupenur, owning houses and hotels all over the board-all of which kept taking Alice's money!
"It's past your bedtime. You should have been in bed twenty minutes ago!" Alice replied.
He grinned cheekily. "Should I? I didn't notice the time."
Alice had to laugh. "I bet you didn't!" She said. "Well whatever the case it's time to get upstairs and into bed!"
"Okay, but I need a drink of water by my bed." James said.
"Well you get up and into bed, and I'll bring your water up in a minute." Alice offered.
He nodded, and left the room. Alice cleaned up the game, and put it back in the box, and went into the kitchen. She was getting the glass of water when the phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered.
There was no answer, but from the breathing on the other end Alice knew the person hadn't hung up.
"Hello?" She asked again.
There was still no answer but the breathing sounded slightly heavier.
Rolling her eyes she hung up. She couldn't be bothered with some stupid prank. Or someone who had called the wrong number and was too rude to say so!
As she was walking out of the room the phone rang again, and she sighed and answered it, deciding to take a different tack. "Hello, Wyatt residence." She said.
There was the same heavy breathing and Alice frowned, annoyed.
"Listen if you don't have anything to say don't waste your money by calling!" She snapped.
"I've got something to say." The caller said, a man's voice, but it sounded muffled.
"Okay, and what is it?" Alice asked, trying to be as polite as she could, but she was still annoyed.
"I just wanted to tell you the story about the babysitter who got killed." The caller said.
"And I want to tell you to get lost. You don't scare me creep!" Alice snapped, hanging up. If the phone rang again she wasn't going to answer it she decided, and she took the water upstairs to James.
"You took a long time." James greeted her.
"Is that the thanks I get?" She asked, putting the glass beside the bed.
"Thanks." James said. "Who was on the phone?"
"Wrong number." Alice replied, tucking him in.
"You're lying." James said.
"Am I?" Alice replied lightly.
"Yes. You said it like my Daddy does when he says no James, you don't have to stay in the hospital this time. And then I have to stay!" James said.
Alice smiled at him sympathetically. "Do you go to the hospital a lot James?" She asked.
"Yes. That's why Mommy ran away. She hated it." He said.
Alice frowned. "Your Mom ran away?"
"Yes three years ago, and she hasn't even sent me a card for my birthday since!" James said, a little sadly. But, Alice thought, he was certainly coping with it better than many kids his age was did. With his illness and all she supposed he had to be fairly well adjusted.
"So-who was on the phone?" James asked, persistently.
Alice laughed. "It was some stupid kid playing a joke. Prank call."
"Was it the fridge one?" James asked excitedly.
"The fridge one?" Alice repeated.
"Sure the one where they say is your fridge running? And if you say yes, then they say well you better go catch it!" James replied, laughing.
Alice had to laugh as well. "No it wasn't that one. They actually didn't say anything on this one. Maybe if they call back I can ask whether their fridge is running?"
"Yes!" James said.
"Anyway kiddo, get some sleep now. It's way past your bedtime!" Alice said.
"Okay, goodnight Alice. Thanks for babysitting me." James said, snuggling into his bed.
'What a cutie!' Alice thought with a smile as she went back downstairs. And what an awful shame it was about his Mom-she made a mental note to ask her Mom whether she knew anything about it. She knew people didn't just up and leave without a reason for it!
She settled on the couch with her English novel-Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. As hard as she tried though she couldn't get into it. For some reason she was feeling restless, and she got up and wandered about the big house. Maybe the stupid call before had freaked her out more than she thought? A noise outside startled her. It sounded like a branch breaking. She took a deep breath and shook her head.
"Come off it Alice. How many times have you babysat before?" She asked herself out loud. "Enough to be more grown up than this!"
Even so, she couldn't shake the strange feeling she had, and so she gave up trying to concentrate on Pip and Estella and instead turned the television back on. She flicked through the channels, Mark had cable so that was good, and finally settled on the cartoon network.
Before she knew it "The Jetsons" were over, and "Scooby Doo" was on. She glanced at the clock. It was almost ten thirty, she hoped that her Mom and Mark got back soon!
The phone's ringing startled her, and she jumped. She hesitated, before deciding to answer it. What if it was her Mom or Mark checking up on things and she didn't answer it. They'd be a little concerned!
"Hello Wyatt residence." Alice said.
"Do you know what twelve o'clock means?" The caller asked.
"Midnight? The next day?" Alice asked, wondering whether or not she should just hang up and leave the phone off the hook.
"No, the witching hour." The caller replied.
"That's great. Why don't you ring someone else and tell them then?" Alice replied sarcastically. She didn't want them to know that they had freaked her out a bit.
"At twelve I'll arrive." The caller said.
"Okay, see you then." Alice replied airily, and she hung up. Even though she'd treated it as a joke she was a little freaked out by it, and she concentrated on the cartoons.
Before she knew it she had fallen asleep, and a noise woke her up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to get her bearings. It took her a moment to realise that she was in her Mom's boyfriend's place babysitting, and she glanced at the clock. Twelve. Out the front there was a bang, and she jumped. A sudden realisation hit her like icy water; the caller had said he was coming over at twelve, and it was twelve now, and there was a noise out the front! She took a deep breath, and pressed her hand against her rapidly beating heart. She looked around the room, and spotted an antique vase sitting on the mantle. She got up and picked it up. It was certainly very heavy, if she hit someone on the head with it as hard as she could she was pretty certain that she would knock them out. Walking quietly she made her way to the front door and pressed her face to the glass plate. She couldn't see anything, but then she heard the crunch of footsteps on the steps, and moved back a little, so she was standing near the door. She raised the vase, ready to strike.
The door opened slowly, and then someone stepped through, and Alice raised the vase even higher, and the person yelled "Alice!" and she hesitated, and then she heard her Mom's voice "What's going on here?" And she realised it was just Mark and her Mom.
"Geez Alice, what are you doing? Were you going to hit us over the head with the vase?" Alice's Mom asked.
It wasn't really any use telling her no, Alice decided, and she told them about the prank calls. "I've had them before of course and they haven't bothered me, but maybe it was the strange house and all?"
Her Mom was looking at her strangely, but Mark seemed relatively calm.
"Was James okay?"
"As good as gold." Alice replied. "Mom-can we get going? I'm pretty tired!"
"Right sweetie." Her Mom still looked slightly confused by the whole thing.
"If James gives you a good report we might have to call upon your services again." Mark said, as he waved goodbye. "Even if you did try to brain me with a vase!"
Alice managed an embarassed smile.
