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been dragged into against my will.
~ * ~
 
Uncle Dave and Janet were out that night. Date night, they called it. The monster baby was with a sitter since Janet didn't trust me. I never complained about that.
I turned the music up way too loud and tried to get homework done, enjoyed a long, hot shower without Janet screaming through the door to quit wasting water, and then made myself a sandwich and left the kitchen a giant mess just for her. Then I retreated to my bedroom with satisfaction, flopping onto the bed with my sneakers still on.
My phone buzzed, making me jump—a text from Charlotte asking if I wanted to hang out after school tomorrow. Hey, it was that or Fevero with the Barbie group. I texted back “YES” and then created a perfect snow angel on the feather comforter. 
After an hour of playing on the phone, my eyes felt scratchy, and I shut them, pressing the heels of my hands into my lids.
The room was dark and utterly silent, and it was hard not to think about the man with the cigar. What if he was waiting outside my house right now? That burnt-orange ember flickering away in the darkness. Watching my bedroom window. Waiting.
There was no way I was going to sleep tonight.

Chapter Seven
     
A rattling sound woke me. At first, I thought it was Uncle Dave and Janet arriving home, bumping around downstairs. Maybe Janet had too much wine again and was rearranging the furniture at two in the morning. That had happened before. I forced my eyes open and squinted at the clock. Only eleven thirty. Probably not them yet. Date nights usually went into the wee hours of the morning.
The rattle came again, and it was frighteningly close.
My eyes flew to the dark windowpane, expecting to see something. A hand, a face. My heart was pounding a hundred miles an hour, practically beating out of my chest. There was no noise for a second, and then a faint scraping sound came from underneath the frame.
I whimpered, sliding under my sheets.
What was that?
A ladder , my brain told me unkindly. Someone is sliding a ladder under your window.
I stretched down, groping for the heavy flashlight I kept on the floor beside me, the edge of the bed pressing into my stomach. Not only would it light up the bedroom, but it would be awfully handy if I needed to knock someone over the head.
Finally, my fingers closed over the cool surface of the flashlight. I tightened my grip, my hands shaking. Sweat beaded on my upper lip. Slowly, on unsteady legs, I climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the window, pointing the flashlight at the pane.
The light flooded outwards, bouncing off the windowpane and blinding me. I cursed out loud, and as the white spots faded, I peered through the glass. The snow-filled yard was empty in the beam of my flashlight. It wasn't good enough. I had to be sure or I'd never get back to sleep.
I stuck my phone in the pocket of my nightgown, just in case, before heading down the staircase one step at a time. The front door was still locked, and I let out a shaky breath. 
The house was huge and full of creepy shadows, and I cast the light around, the beam jumping and bouncing wildly with my shaky hands.
Deep breaths.
I stretched a hand out and touched the knob, daring myself to open it. The lock clicked, and the door creaked as it swung outwards, making me wince. The night air wasn't as frigid as it should have been, considering the wide beam of the flashlight revealed snowflakes falling from a gray sky.              
Ignoring my bare feet, I moved onto the icy walkway. The shock of cold I’d expected didn’t come, and I glanced down, surprised.
Something in the bushes beside me moved, making me jerk, and my foot slipped. I yelped as I lost my balance and pitched backward. The beam of light swept the yard wildly as I fell, and then I was on my back in the snow. My peripheral vision showed a rabbit running across the lawn, tiny feet crunching as it raced over the white mounds.
I'd just freaked out over Thumper the