The day after the man in the window, everyone was jumpy, especially when the cops said that there wasn't a trace of anyone there. Though they all knew someone was from the note.

The whole day Manda had sat in her room, though when her parents said that they were going out to go food shopping, Manda moved down to the basement with Brooke.

They sat in the basement babysitting Ellie, Natalie, David, & their friends Phillip & Gabby. As the little ones were watching a movie, Manda sat in the corner, talking on the internet with her friend, Liz, & Brooke lay sprawled across the floor sleeping.

The whole house was quiet except for the TV, Manda's typing, & Brooke's snoring. Though after about an hour and a half the kids started to whine about being hungry, so Manda took them upstairs to get a snack. When, after 10 minutes, they decided they wanted fruit snacks, Manda sent them back down stairs.

She stayed up there, looking through the fridge, as she hummed "Defy Gravity" from Wicked. Manda then slammed the fridge shut, not finding anything. She slide down to the floor, leaning against the fridge, sighing, then looking up as lighting flashed through the sky.

After a few minutes, Manda got up, & looked through the cabinets before going over to the stairs, & yelling down, "I'M GOING TO TAKE A SHOWER!"

She was about to turn around when she heard Brooke, who was finally awake, yelling back, "OK…..SAVE ME SOME HOT WATER!"

Manda just laughed, & yelled, "SURE" Then ran out of the kitchen & in the hallway, & up the stairs.

She grabbed a towel from the closet, and then went into the bathroom locking the door. She sat the towel down, & turned on the water, then took her clothes off, stepping into the shower, & sliding the door to it shut.

Meanwhile downstairs

After getting some of the much needed sleep she lost the night before because of Manda, Brooke felt much better. Even though she would rather be out with her friends then stuck babysitting, "Labyrinth" wasn't that bad of a movie, & she actually didn't want to be out in the stormy weather they were having.

It had been raining all day, & had just begun to thunder & lighting. She was glad that the kids were so into the movie. If they weren't preoccupied when it was like that, they usually ran to Manda. It was always Manda this, Manda that. Her own brother didn't even want to run to her. They always wanted Manda to sing them to sleep, to read them a book, to baby-sit them, to make them dinner, etc.

Just because Manda was pretty, had a good voice, & could dance didn't mean anything. Maybe she didn't have Manda's short pretty dark waves & innocent green eyes with a pretty voice that probably made angel weeps, but she did dance. She danced a lot better then Manda.

Manda constantly tripped over her own feet, which in her eyes, ruined her 'perfection' not that anyone cared, especially the little kids that sat on the couch watching 'Labyrinth'. They didn't care that she could dance better then Manda, all they cared about was when Manda was going to get her tan butt downstairs to them.

Ugh, sometimes she wished that Manda would get kidnapped by….something…maybe the 'phantom of the opera' Hah; she'd like to see that one. She was always watching it, & listening to it, & she wanted to be the next Christine Daae on Broadway….not that she would make it anyway.

Brooke then stood up & looked at the TV. Damn, they were only at the ballroom scene, which was Manda's favorite scene. She then looked at the kids; they were mesmerized by the music & dresses in the movie. She could run past next them naked & they probably wouldn't even notice. But she wouldn't do that; she would rather go on the computer now that Manda wasn't on it.

Which was exactly what she did.

Back upstairs

Manda walked out of the bathroom, her wet, naked body, covered by a towel. She walked into her room, dropping her dirty clothes into the corner behind her door as she shut her door.

She walked over to her bed where her pajamas, a dark green cami & grey sweats, from the night before lay. She was about to pick them up, but instead looked up at the window. The man from the night before could be watching her, & she wouldn't even see him because of how thick the rain was.

She pushed a stray, wet wave behind her ear, then picked up her pajamas, & left the room, closing it behind her.

Manda walked back into the bathroom, firmly shutting & locking the door.

As soon as she was dressed she walked out of the bathroom, & back into her room. She was about to brush her hair as thunder boomed loudly, causing the light to flicker then go out.

Manda then ran from the room & down the stairs to the first floor where she ran toward the small voices calling out her name. As she rammed into the couch, which was in the room next to the kitchen, Manda heard a loud crash coming from the window next to her. As she looked over at it, she didn't see anything, that was until lighting lit up the room, and then she saw the silhouette of a tall man.

Manda screamed, and then started to back away, flipping over the love sofa. She wildly scrambled to her feet, and then ran from the room & into another room. She didn't know it was the kitchen until slipped & slid into a chair that must have had a hoodie on it, since a hoodie fell on her. Manda then got up, seeing the man enter the kitchen as lighting lit the house up.

Manda ran into the basement, slamming, & locking the door to it. She ran down the stairs, tripping once again, & falling the rest of the way. As she hit the bottom, she heard a shaky voice ask, "Are you ok Manda?" Manda looked up to see Brooke's shadowed face, & a candle. Manda groggily nodded her head then said, "We got to hide….there's someone in the house." She didn't even need much light to see the fearful expression come to Brooke's face, she knew it too well.

As she got up she saw that the whole basement was lit with candles. Manda then looked over to the couch where Brooke was now picking up her little brother, & Phillip & carrying them over to the closet.

Manda ran over to the couch, & quickly picked up Ellie, & whispered to Natalie & Gabby, "come on…we're playing hide & seek" She felt so bad to lie to them, but she didn't know what to tell them. How was she supposed to say that there was a man in their house?

Manda ran quickly over to the laundry room, she threw open the door, & pushed the girls in. She opened the empty cabinet above the washer, & gently put Ellie in there whispering, "Be quiet baby…ok?" In the dim light from the candle from the other room, Manda saw Ellie nod. Manda then looked down at the two other girls.

Where could she hide them? She had! Manda then picked up Natalie, & quietly put her behind the washer, following her she put Gabby there, whispering again, "Be very very quiet girls…if your not…& you get found you get a time out" Damn, another lie…but it was for their own safely. Hopefully they listened. Manda then left the small room, looking back sadly, as she closed the door. As she turned around she suppressed a scream when she saw Brooke, who mumbled, "I heard someone trying to open the door"

Manda nodded then said, "Help me put the candles out…then hide." She didn't even wait for a nod or reply from Brooke, she just started running around the room, quickly trying to put the candles out. After blowing out what seemed to be her thousandth, theologically speaking, Manda looked up in time to see the candle in Brooke's hand dying out.

She was about to say something until she heard the basement door slam into something. Then she didn't even think she could speak without thinking.

She had to hide…but where? She was thinking of the closet, but she heard it open, & someone, Brooke, climb in, and then shut it.

She didn't know where to go, & she didn't have time to think, especially since someone was trying to quietly walk down the stairs.

Manda then felt around, after feeling the couch she hopped onto it, then felt around some more, and then jumped behind the small space between the wall & the couch.

If the man found her, she wouldn't be able to get away; though worrying about him finding her was the last thing on her mind, cause at that moment she heard the laundry room door open. The girls! If he found them….oh God…she had help them.

Manda gulped slightly, & picked up whatever was sitting next to her, & chucked it over the couch as tears slid down her cheeks.