Anna Scholtavette

CHAPTER 2 TVÅA
    i was so so tired but i managed to stay up with momma to wait for my dad. at exactly midnight she put me in bed, told me to stay there, and left the house. nighttime is scary enough with parents to protect you but it is a million times worse in an empty house. i felt like turning all the lights in the house on and screaming to scare away anyone who might try to break in. but at the same time i felt like i was glued to my bed. not only that but i felt stiff all over, scared stiff. i was even shivering but i guess i fell asleep because the next thing i knew it was morning. i felt a lot better and got up for breakfast. i went to the living room with only my pajamas on but was only met with a bare table. my mother always, always, always makes breakfast except when she's not there. suddenly i felt very cold.
    i hid under my covers for about ten minutes but eventually snuck out and quietly dressed in normal american garb - jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers.
    one thing that i could've taken into account for my strange family was that, right after we moved here, my father waited until he got his government job and then bought a house, not vise versa. the house we bought was only a block away from the government complex. yet he drove to work... with our only car.
    after eating breakfast i snuck over to the government complex and hid behind some bushes across the street. two guards stood outside the building, although i'm not sure if they would ever be needed with the huge electric gate positioned in front of the guards.
    i had only seen the building once before. it had been one day when i was walking to school. it wasn't that far out of the way since the building was so close to our house. i had kept my head down and tried not to be conspicuous as i walked past studing the building. there had been guards out but i didn't think they paid any attention to me much less saw me but when i got home my father knew about it and was very angry. he yelled at me until i was even more afraid of him than ever. he had never been the adoring father type but i had always been able not to make him too angry with me. i suppose he did acomplish one thing - i never ventured past there again.
    now i sat watching the building not sure what to do, when a young woman approached the gates. she had short blonde hair and looked like she was in college or had just graduated from there. she had on dress pants and a blouse. she also had a camera. just as soon as the flash from her camera went off, one of the guards ran quickly to the gate where she stood. even from across the street i could see his flushed face. he seemed to be very angry and did not hesitate to speak his mind to the girl. i could only imagine what he was saying from the protective way she pulled her camera away from him. i suppose you're certainly not allowed to take pictures of the place, much less walk past it. i watched her try to get a word in, fail, and begin to walk away.
    while watching this take place i quickly discovered that the branches of my hiding place were covered in thorns, tiny but no less sharp for their size. it seemed as if they discovered me in the same instant, digging into my shirt as well as my arms and legs. i had to turn all of my attention to these and cried out when some lashed onto my arm, drawing blood. as soon as i did, i could sense someone stop right beside my hiding place. i looked up and saw her crouching on the sidewalk, peering right back at me.


Continue to Chapter 3...