Monsters Are Forever

6. Help

Carmine snuck carefully through the house. Normally, she would have gone stealthily out the front door, but tonight was different. Instead, she went through the garage and out the side door leading to the backyard.

Her bike was leaning against the side of the house. She hadn't used it much since she got her car, but tonight she was going to have to get to Mia's house as fast as she could. Carmine really wished she could just take the car, but of course that wasn't an option. She was always paranoid that her parents would wake up in the middle of the night and see it gone. So far they hadn't caught her sneaking out, but she knew in her heart that the first time she took the car would be the time they decided to wake up and look out the window. And there was no explanation Carmine could come up with as to why she'd need to take the car out in the middle of the night. At least if they caught her walking, she could say she couldn't sleep and needed some air or something. It might not have been the best excuse, but it was still better than anything she could come up with for taking the car out.

So here she was, unlatching the back gate, wheeling her bike out onto the driveway. She glanced back at the house, making sure the lights were still off before peddling as fast as she could in the direction of Mia's house. Twenty minutes later, she rounded the corner of her friend's street. Of course, Anna was already waiting across from the house, hiding in the shadows of a tree in someone's front yard. Carmine found herself getting almost jealous that Anna didn't have to worry about sneaking out; she could leave out the front door whenever she felt like it.

Carmine quietly walked her bike up to the edge of Mia's house and leaned it against the side wall, as far away from any windows as possible. She locked it and then hurried across the street to where Anna was waiting.

"She still inside?" Carmine asked Anna.

Anna nodded.

"Any sign of Rudi?"

"Not yet."

"Good."

Carmine had actually forgotten about Rudi as she was busy locking her bike up. It had only been as she approached Anna that she even remembered the reason they were out here like this. She really would have hated for Rudi to see her. But then again, if she really was stalking Mia, she'd see Carmine and Anna with her tonight anyway.

"So what's the plan?" Carmine asked.

"Well, hopefully we won't need one." Anna told her. "Maybe Rudi won't show up."

And maybe frogs'll learn to fly, she thought to herself. But she didn't say that. Instead, she said, "She probably will. I mean, Mia said she's been here all week, right?" So why would tonight be any different? But Carmine knew Anna was an eternal optimist.

"I know." Anna told her, surprising Carmine. "And if she does come, we're going to have to think of a way to distract her so we can...do this."

"You have anything particular in mind?" Carmine didn't really want to have to improvise at the last minute.

"Yeah. But it's not really something I want to do. I just hope it doesn't come to that."

Carmine nodded but didn't say anything. Anna didn't really look like she wanted to talk about her plan, and with that look on her face, Carmine wasn't sure she wanted to know anyway. Instead, they waited in silence for Mia.

It wasn't long before Carmine saw a window on the second story of Mia's house slide open. A figure crawled out, making its way across the roof and down to the garage before hopping onto the driveway.

"That's really how she sneaks out?" Carmine asked, surprised. It seemed like there should have been an easier way.

"She's been doing that for years." Anna confirmed, smiling at Carmine; it looked like she thought it was as impractical as Carmine did.