Allovander

chapter 5 Strange Whispering

When I woke up the next morning, I was confused. The Rovers were right: Ryan wouldn't do something as crazy as breaking into my house and trying to kill me. The more I thought about it, the crazier it sounded. But I couldn't forget what I saw, and no matter how much I wanted to believe that Ryan didn't do anything, and that maybe it was just my imagination, I couldn't because I knew it wasn't true. I knew what Ryan had done, but what I couldn't understand was why. I didn't think on it long however, it just hurt to much to think about so I try to let it go as I make my way back home. When I get home, Mom's in the kitchen, and when she sees me, she rushes towards me and hugs me.

"Carlen where were you? You had me worried sick! When I woke up and found you weren't in your room, I thought... I thought... I thought something terrible had happened to you. So I started to call some of your friends, but they didn't know were you were. Don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me? Carlen, are you listening to me? "She demands.

I look at her innocently.

"Of course I am." I say, though I wasn't.

Truth is, I was still thinking about what happened last night, and wondered again were she had been.

"Then what did I say? " She asks.

"Carlen, are you listening to me? " I say.

"Before that. "She says.

"Um... well.... " I reply.

"Just as I thought. "She says.

"What? " I ask as innocently as I can.

She shakes her head.

"Carlen, you are going to have to learn to listen. "She says, like always.

"Mom?" I ask.

"I'm serious Carlen you had me so worried about you, it looked like someone tore apart your room and you were gone." She says.

"Mom why were you in bed when I got home?" I ask.

She looks suprised and says.

"Carlen you were home when I went to bed." She says.

Before she could say anything else, the phone rang. She went to answer it and I went upstairs to my room. Although I was worried, I knew I couldn't run from it - I would have to go back into my room sometime. So, taking a deep breath, I walk into the room, preparing for the worst. But to my amazement, everything was back to normal. My bed was made and put back where it belonged; my drawers were shut, with all my things folded neatly inside; my lamp was put back, and even had a light bulb in it again. Things were exactly as I had left them before Ryan broke in. I felt dizzy, and sat down on my bed with my head in my hands. This was all just too much! I felt so overwhelmed. And that is when it happened: my window slams shut and I jump. My window wasn't even open when I came in. I was getting seriously freaked out again. I start to make my way to the door when I spot something on the windowsill that hadn't been there before. So taking another deep breath, I walk over to it. And was shocked when I saw it.

'The book? It couldn't be!' I think.

And with shaking hands, I reach down to pick it up. The reason Ryan couldn't find it last night was because it was in my locker at school. So what was it doing here?

'More things to give me another headache. ' I think, closing my eyes and wishing everything to disappear.

I hear Mom downstairs, talking on the phone. Without thinking, I walk over to where I had put my book bag, and shove the book down into it. Then I heave the book bag over my shoulder and make my way to the stairs. I run all the way downstairs and out the door without even letting Mom know I was leaving. As I make my way down the street, with no idea where I was going, I hear it: the whispering. I wasn't sure what it was saying, but it was the kind of whispering that made you think you where going mad. I was thinking that might very well be, especially when I look around and don't see anyone on the street at all. I didn't even see any cars, which is unusual for a street as busy as this one. I stop and look around once more to see if I could see anyone or anything - anything that would tell me that I wasn't by myself. But there was nothing and no one. I start to panic, especially when the whispering grew louder. But I force myself to calm down, even when I realize that the whispering was coming from my book bag. With my heart beating wildly, I heave it off my shoulder, take a deep steadying breath, and unzip it. I reach my hand inside and take out my CD player, praying that the sound was coming from it, until I realize that it couldn't have, since the batteries were dead. Meanwhile, the whispering continues. I put the CD player back and reach for the book, and as I pull it out, the whispering grew louder. It was coming from the book! I still can't figure out what it is saying - it sounds like some foreign language. I drop the book and back up. And as it hit the ground, the whispering stops. It takes me a while to recover, but when I do, I momentarily forget all about what happened the night before. I pick up the book, shove it back into the book bag, and start running, with the book bag dangling from my left hand. I run all the way to Ryan's house, and up to the front steps. I stop at the door and ring the bell while catching my breath. I was still catching my breath when Ryan's Mom opens the door and taking one look at me exclaims

"Good golly gosh girl! You look like you just ran a ten mile marathon are you okay, sweetie? Do you need a glass o'water? " She asks, looking concerned.

"No, thanks, I'm fine. " I say, even though I was anything but fine.

"Is Ryan home? " I ask.

"Why, no, he isn't. He said he was going to your house a while ago. You sure you"re all right, Sweet Pea? It wouldn't take anything to go inside and get you a glass o'water. "She says.

But I wasn't listening: my mind goes back to last night. I felt like such an idiot for coming here; I felt like kicking myself.

'How could I have forgotten?' I ask myself, as I race home.

When I get home, I start to creep up the stairs to my room as fast as I could, when I hear Mom in the kitchen talking to someone. I stop when I hear my name.

"She has to know, Karen." I hear a man say.

I could tell it was a man speaking by the voice, even if I couldn't see him yet I don't know him. I hear Mom hit her fists on the table, clattering some cups.

"She doesn't need to know anything! And have you ever thought that it might be better if she didn't know? " Mom was yelling.

The man sighs and says something I can't make out, I then hear Mom get up.

"I think it's time for you to leave. " Mom says, trying to stay calm, but not doing a very good job of it.

"Karen.... " But he wasn't able to finish his sentence before Mom interrupts him:

"No, Ernie, I can't do what you ask. She has a normal life here; she is just like everyone else, and you can't ask me to ruin that for her. And you can't ask me to put her in the danger she will be in if I do as you ask. I'm sorry, Ernie, but my answer is no. "

By now they had me attention and I go down a few steps to hear better.

"You do know what you are saying, don't you Karen? That you would rather have our world destroyed to keep from putting one girl in danger? " He asks.

"The world won't be destroyed. " Mom whispers.

She was so quiet that I had trouble hearing her.

"No, it could be Karen. " The man named Ernie whispers, just as quietly.

Then I hear the scratching of a chair against the floor as Mom stands up. I figure I should leave before I was caught. But it was hard to leave with so many quistions, and I thought I had a lot of quistions before! It was nothing compared to the amount I have now! So I go to my room to try to sort everthing out, but without luck. Who was this guy Mom was talking to - didn't she say his name was Ernie? I didn't know any one named Ernie. And what was Mom keeping me from that could destroy the whole world? I wasn't able to get any further with my thoughts, because just then there was a knock on my door, and I knew I was going to be grounded for the rest of my life.