11.
"..and are you still going to tell me that there's not something fishy about Mark?" Alice demanded the next day at school. She'd just finished telling her best friend all she had learnt from her phone conversations the day before.
Cloe had to shake her head. "This does sound strange. And you're actually going over there to babysit?"
"Well he doesn't know that I suspect anything does he? He just thinks I don't like him because of him dating my Mom." Alice replied.
"Maybe, but I wouldn't be going over there." Cloe said.
"If I don't go then he will think that I suspect something wont he? Until I get some concrete proof I have to keep acting the same."
"Just be careful!" Cloe told her.
*****
"Thanks for coming over Alice." Mark said the next day.
"No problems." Alice said, trying to sound like she wasn't nervous about anything, but in her mind her voice sounded slightly shaky.
"Well you've got my cell phone number, but as usual I am sure you'll be fine." Mark said.
"Oh, I'm sure we will too." Alice replied.
After Mark had left James and Alice sat down to another game of Monopoly.
"I'm glad you're here tonight, not Dad." James told her, as he moved his racing car along the board.
"You are? Why?" Alice asked surprised.
"He's just been really weird lately." James replied.
"Weird? What do you mean?" Alice asked, holding the dice in her hand.
"I don't know how to explain it. He was talking about Mom the other day, and he's just been acting strange. Like something is bothering him, or even scaring him?" James replied. "Aren't you going to roll those dice?"
Alice threw the dice and moved her horse accordingly. James whooped.
"That's my house. You owe me!" He cried.
Alice dutifully handed over the money. "What did he say about your Mom?"
"Well he said he made lots of mistakes with Mom, and that he wished he could take it all back sometimes. And then he said something about it not being the only thing he wanted to take back. But he was just talking to himself more than me, and then when he saw me in the room he snapped at me to go to bed! He never yells at me!" James' eyes teared up.
"I'm sure he didn't mean to yell at you!" Alice assured him. "He cares about you very much, you know that!"
After the game James had to go to bed, and as Alice finished tucking him in she had to run for the phone.
"Hello?" She asked, her voice quivering.
"I just thought I should ring and say goodbye to you." The man said. In the background Alice heard a car.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"You're going to die tonight, and it's such a pity because you're a nice girl and all..but there really is no other choice for it now." The man said.
Alice took a deep breath. "Listen, this really isn't funny. I'll call the police."
"I'm about to cut the wires to your phone, so that's not going to happen!" The man said.
Alice felt chilled to the bone. "Please stop playing these games-"
All of a sudden the phone went dead. For a moment she debated running upstairs to James, and then she decided that she'd run next door to call the police from there. She opened the front door and started across the front lawn when the shadowy figure of someone made her jump. She opened her mouth to scream and then saw it was Mark.
"What's wrong? Why are you out the front?" Mark asked. "Is James alright?"
"Yes.I just heard someone and thought it was Chad playing tricks." Alice lied. It was a pretty flimsy lie, she thought, sure Mark would see straight through it. But he didn't seem to.
"Oh, well come on back inside. I know I'm early, but I had a migraine, so I thought I'd be best off just coming home and going to bed. Do you need a lift home or is someone coming to pick you up?" Mark asked.
"Chad or Mom was coming to pick me up." Alice replied.
"Well come in and you can call them to get you." Mark offered.
Alice didn't know what to say. How was she meant to tell him that there was something wrong with the phones? They went back inside and Mark shut the door, and dropped his wallet, keys and cell phone on the stand by the door. They went into the kitchen.
"Go on, give them a call." He said, handing Alice the phone.
Alice sighed, and pressed the dial button. There was no tone, as she had suspected. "Uh..the phone doesn't seem to be working." She told Mark.
"It doesn't?" Mark asked taking it and listening. "Strange."
"I guess I could walk home or something." Alice said. "I don't want you to have to go out with your migraine and all." She could hardly tell him that she didn't want to let him drive her home could she?
Mark sighed. "I don't want you walking around at night. You never know who might be out there." He said, and a strange look crossed his face then. "No, I'll run you home. Just let me check in on James first."
He went upstairs and Alice looked around. Then she remembered that Mark had left his cell phone in the hallway, and darted in there. She picked it up and stared at it in confusion. It was a new model, and seemed quite complicated. She located what she thought was the call button however it started to dial another number, and on the screen it said, "dialing last number.." And this then changed to "dialing home.." Alice stared at it in shock as the operator informed her that there the phone number she had called was currently out of order, and then hearing Mark's footsteps on the stairs, she shut it and put it back on the stand. Her mind was reeling; Mark had called here last. Did that mean Mark had been the one who had made the prank call only a little while ago? And had he then cut the phone lines?
"Ready Alice? Ready to die?" Mark asked her, as he came into the hallway.
Alice opened her mouth to scream or yell, but nothing came out. She was frozen with fear.
Mark laughed. "That's exactly how Katy looked when I said the same thing to her!" He informed her.
"..and are you still going to tell me that there's not something fishy about Mark?" Alice demanded the next day at school. She'd just finished telling her best friend all she had learnt from her phone conversations the day before.
Cloe had to shake her head. "This does sound strange. And you're actually going over there to babysit?"
"Well he doesn't know that I suspect anything does he? He just thinks I don't like him because of him dating my Mom." Alice replied.
"Maybe, but I wouldn't be going over there." Cloe said.
"If I don't go then he will think that I suspect something wont he? Until I get some concrete proof I have to keep acting the same."
"Just be careful!" Cloe told her.
*****
"Thanks for coming over Alice." Mark said the next day.
"No problems." Alice said, trying to sound like she wasn't nervous about anything, but in her mind her voice sounded slightly shaky.
"Well you've got my cell phone number, but as usual I am sure you'll be fine." Mark said.
"Oh, I'm sure we will too." Alice replied.
After Mark had left James and Alice sat down to another game of Monopoly.
"I'm glad you're here tonight, not Dad." James told her, as he moved his racing car along the board.
"You are? Why?" Alice asked surprised.
"He's just been really weird lately." James replied.
"Weird? What do you mean?" Alice asked, holding the dice in her hand.
"I don't know how to explain it. He was talking about Mom the other day, and he's just been acting strange. Like something is bothering him, or even scaring him?" James replied. "Aren't you going to roll those dice?"
Alice threw the dice and moved her horse accordingly. James whooped.
"That's my house. You owe me!" He cried.
Alice dutifully handed over the money. "What did he say about your Mom?"
"Well he said he made lots of mistakes with Mom, and that he wished he could take it all back sometimes. And then he said something about it not being the only thing he wanted to take back. But he was just talking to himself more than me, and then when he saw me in the room he snapped at me to go to bed! He never yells at me!" James' eyes teared up.
"I'm sure he didn't mean to yell at you!" Alice assured him. "He cares about you very much, you know that!"
After the game James had to go to bed, and as Alice finished tucking him in she had to run for the phone.
"Hello?" She asked, her voice quivering.
"I just thought I should ring and say goodbye to you." The man said. In the background Alice heard a car.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"You're going to die tonight, and it's such a pity because you're a nice girl and all..but there really is no other choice for it now." The man said.
Alice took a deep breath. "Listen, this really isn't funny. I'll call the police."
"I'm about to cut the wires to your phone, so that's not going to happen!" The man said.
Alice felt chilled to the bone. "Please stop playing these games-"
All of a sudden the phone went dead. For a moment she debated running upstairs to James, and then she decided that she'd run next door to call the police from there. She opened the front door and started across the front lawn when the shadowy figure of someone made her jump. She opened her mouth to scream and then saw it was Mark.
"What's wrong? Why are you out the front?" Mark asked. "Is James alright?"
"Yes.I just heard someone and thought it was Chad playing tricks." Alice lied. It was a pretty flimsy lie, she thought, sure Mark would see straight through it. But he didn't seem to.
"Oh, well come on back inside. I know I'm early, but I had a migraine, so I thought I'd be best off just coming home and going to bed. Do you need a lift home or is someone coming to pick you up?" Mark asked.
"Chad or Mom was coming to pick me up." Alice replied.
"Well come in and you can call them to get you." Mark offered.
Alice didn't know what to say. How was she meant to tell him that there was something wrong with the phones? They went back inside and Mark shut the door, and dropped his wallet, keys and cell phone on the stand by the door. They went into the kitchen.
"Go on, give them a call." He said, handing Alice the phone.
Alice sighed, and pressed the dial button. There was no tone, as she had suspected. "Uh..the phone doesn't seem to be working." She told Mark.
"It doesn't?" Mark asked taking it and listening. "Strange."
"I guess I could walk home or something." Alice said. "I don't want you to have to go out with your migraine and all." She could hardly tell him that she didn't want to let him drive her home could she?
Mark sighed. "I don't want you walking around at night. You never know who might be out there." He said, and a strange look crossed his face then. "No, I'll run you home. Just let me check in on James first."
He went upstairs and Alice looked around. Then she remembered that Mark had left his cell phone in the hallway, and darted in there. She picked it up and stared at it in confusion. It was a new model, and seemed quite complicated. She located what she thought was the call button however it started to dial another number, and on the screen it said, "dialing last number.." And this then changed to "dialing home.." Alice stared at it in shock as the operator informed her that there the phone number she had called was currently out of order, and then hearing Mark's footsteps on the stairs, she shut it and put it back on the stand. Her mind was reeling; Mark had called here last. Did that mean Mark had been the one who had made the prank call only a little while ago? And had he then cut the phone lines?
"Ready Alice? Ready to die?" Mark asked her, as he came into the hallway.
Alice opened her mouth to scream or yell, but nothing came out. She was frozen with fear.
Mark laughed. "That's exactly how Katy looked when I said the same thing to her!" He informed her.
