The Blue House on Wittmer Lane

Chapter 2

"LAUUUUUUUUURENNNNNNNN!"

She woke up to the high-pitched yelling coming from downstairs. Sleepily dragging herself out of bed, she slipped on her house coat and her fuzzy pink slippers. Still feeling the effects of just having been woken up, Lauren groggily walked down the stairs to see what all the fuss was about.

"LAUUUUUUURE-", the yell was broken off. Lauren, with her eyes still mostly shut, didn't see the reason why the yell was cut short. All of a sudden, she felt a tight squeeze around her legs, about midthigh. She screamed in horror. 'An anaconda!' she thought. 'An anaconda is attacking me! Oh, that means it was loose in the house! What if it ate my parents!?' "Lauren! I missed you so much!" said the same voice that had yelled just a few moments before. She looked down, realizing she had just been being paranoid...again. The tiny, innocent face looked at her like she was a shiny new penny on the sidewalk.

"Penny, I missed you too!" Lauren said as she reached down, picking up the toddler and throwing her up into the air. This sent the little child into a fit of giggles. Looking around, she saw that her mom, dad, and sister were standing in the kitchen. Wait...SISTER?! She put Penny down, dashed across the room to the counter where her sister was standing, and emersed her into a bear hug. "What are you doing here?!" Lauren asked, overflowing with joy. "We just flew in early this morning. We wanted to visit you guys, and hopefully stay until Christmas passes?" Lauren's sister, Stephanie, asked, mostly towards her mother. "Well of course, dear! That would be just lovely." her mother replied. Smiling now, Stephanie turned to her daughter, Penny, playing with Lauren's dog, Butterbean. "Did you hear that, Penny? We're gonna be staying with Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Lauren until after Christmas! Would you like that?" "YAAAAAAAAAY!" The little girl yelled, excitedly jumping up and down. Christmas...oh, La uren almost forgot! She was planning on heading out early to do some Christmas shopping. After all, it was already December 17th. December 17th... "Oh my gosh!" Lauren exhaled. "I forgot! Today's Sarah's birthday! Mom, I have to go... sorry to leave so soon, Steph!" "Oh, that's fine, Lauren! See you later tonight!"

Once back in her room, Lauren was trying to decide what to wear. She finally decided on something simple, yet cute: denim capris with a lacey white blouse, and matching white sandals. While grabbing her cellphone off the charger, a part of her daily ritual, she turned to look out her bedroom window - which was located on the second floor of the house, facing Wittmer Lane. She noticed that the sky looked like it might be getting darker, signaling a rain storm. 'I'd better get going,' she thought. She turned from the window, picking up her purse off the foot of the bed and making her way to the door. But then...that feeling was back. Only this time, she knew where it was coming from. She slowly turned around, walking to the window. Peering out, she looked at the attic window of the old blue house that sat across the street. She couldn't see anything...but she knew. She knew it all too well.

He was watching her again.