Chapter 1
It all started while I was sitting on my bed lip syncing to Dear Evan Hanson, the Broadway musical (It’s a pretty good musical too, I have to say.). I was looking out my window, pretending that I was in the music video for the song or something, even though it was 3:00 in the morning and I was supposed to be asleep. I was just looking at the trees in my yard, when I saw a beam of light bobbing up and down. Then, a man came into sight. His face was covered up, and he had a gun in hand. I was totally freaked out at this point, because the gun and mysterious person in my yard and all that jazz. I was about to run out of my room to wake my parents, when I hear the front door slide open, and slip shut.
I heard soft footsteps echoing in the kitchen. And, like a smart protagonist, I actually call 911 because I was listening to Dear Evan Hanson on Spotify, which is on my phone. So I call the cops and they say they are on their way. So I wait for something to happen. I think about calling or texting my mom, but her ringtone is way too loud and the person would know exactly where my parents are. So, because I can no longer contact anyone, I decide to take some initiative. I grab my metal water bottle, I fill my backpack with the heaviest books I can find, and grab a glass cup. Oh, and I get my knife too.
My bedroom door is already open a crack, so I can see where the intruder is at. Currently, he is rummaging through our china cabinet, looking for anything valuable. Because he is not harming or threatening my family or me in any physical way, I wait. Because we don’t have many valuable things on display, he moves from the china cabinet, and starts walking up the halway to my parents room. If I don’t do anything right now, he may get into my parents room and hurt them, but he may not be here to kill anyone, just here to rob. I must make a split second decision. The man is just steps from my parents room. I decide to act.
I take the class cup and throw it at the kitchen table. It shatters, just as I planned. The man stopped moving. He turns and walks back to the kitchen. He sees the shards of glass on the table and floor. Now, I execute the rest of my plan. Shaing, I grab some of the books out of my backpack, and hit the man square in the face with a copy of Catching Fire. His hand reaches up to touch his face, and he slowly turns to look at my bedroom door. I slip between the wall and the door, and wait for him to open it up.
I hear his faint footsteps walking towards my room. What have I gotten myself into? He opens the door slowly, while I am still behind it. The man looks around my room, turning in circles to get a full view of it. He sees me behind the door and sticks the gun up to my temple.
“Are you the only one here, girl?” His voice sounded gruff and dry. I remember the knife in my hand, but it is pinned against the wall. If I pushed him off of me to stab him, he’d shoot me. But then my parents would wake up. But I’d also be dead. Well, better me than them. But that is going to be a last resort.
“No,” I say, trying to expel the terror from my quavering voice, “No, I’m the only one home. My parents are visiting some friends in South Dakota and I have no siblings.”
“That’s exactly what someone would say if they were trying to lie to me!” Hissed the man in my ear.
I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, and it’s exactly what someone would say if they were telling the truth.” I let out a huffy breath, like Judy B. Jones.
“Don’t you get an attitude with me, young lady!”
I rolled my eyes again. “Bro, stop acting like my mom. Or my dad. Whatever. Just can you please leave?”
The guy withdrew the pistol from my head, stood up and said, “Yeah ok, but I want to know what’s in that room, because you obviously didn’t want me going into it.” He pointed down the hall to my parents room.
“Uhhhhh,” I honestly didnt know what to say at that moment, and I am kinda stupid so I just said, “Its just our pantry. It’s filled with canned vegetables that no one eats because… vegetables…” I laughed nervously.
“Well, I love veggies so Imma go get some and then head out.”
What a psychopath. I mean, who in their right mind likes canned vegetables. That’s just weird, am I right?
So the guy stood up and walked down to my parents room. I couldt do anything to help my parents. Maybe if I went to the actual pantry and got some beans or something, he would leave. I looked out the window and saw flashing lights. Red, blue, and white. Finally, the cops were here.
“Hey!” I shouted at the man. I now tried to be loud because I didn’t have a gun to my head and the man knew I was here. I needed to wake my parents so they could defend themselves. “Hey I think the cops are here!” Like I told you before, I am stupid. The man spun around to face me.
“What did you say.” He sneered at me. He started walking towards me slowly. “Did you snitch on me, little girl. All I wanted was a can of beans. And you go and call the cops.” He was yelling now, again pointing the gun at me. My parents came out of their room into the hall. My mom’s hand flew up to her mouth, she stifled a scream. My dad had a shotgun in his hands. He aimed it at the man as the cops banged on the door. The man didn’t seem to know my parents were here. He walked up to me and put the gun to my back and pushed me forward. “Go get the door girl”
