I roamed around the house after Mrs. Morrison left. This was the first time I actually had nothing to do. Normally I'd be planning an escape route to run away or find things to argue about to get sent back, but now that I promised to stay, I don't know what to do. They let me keep my phone, which is useless, they took my luggage so I didn't have to carry it, they welcomed me even though it was kind of creepy, and I haven't been yelled at.

"Maybe it won't be so bad here." I mumbled to myself.

I explored the house. Every time the boy saw me, he gave me an empathetic look. I wish I had known what he was trying to say earlier. He wasn't the only kid there. There were others. They weren't very talkative though. They all gave me the same look the boy did then went back to their doodling or playing cards.

I saw a girl about my age and willed up the courage to spark a conversation.

"Hey, do you know the wifi password?" I said pulling out my phone, getting ready to type it in.

She just looked at me for a moment then shook her head. "We don't have internet here. Who needs it? We have books and each other." She gave an awkward smile, like she was trying to convince herself of that.

"What?! No wifi? No Internet? What about cable. You guys have got to have cable, right?" I needed SOMETHING to keep me connected to the outside world. The girl just shook her head.

What the hell?

"Oh and you might want to hide that," the girl pointed to my phone, "they'll take it. Says it's a distraction."

"I'd like to see them try." I said defiantly.

She got wide-eyed and came over to me and whispered in a hushed voice. "Keep your voice down! You need to listen to them. You understand? They are very strict about their rules. If you don't follow them they'll-"

"Ah there you are, Alice. I see you've met Shelby." Betty came out of nowhere. Startled the daylights out of me.

"Uh, yeah." I said looking between them.

"What were ya two talking about?" Betty gave this grin that felt wicked.

I slowly slid my phone in my back pocket, "oh you know. Internet, cable, that kind of thing."

"Oh my, I forgot to mention. We don't have any of that outside garbage here, darling. We have a TV, antennas, DVDs and some movies. The only phone we have is our landline that's by the door, you must've seen it. But you only use it with our permission."

"Oh yeah, that." I honestly didn't see it. I'll have to check when I go back that way.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it then. Dinner will be ready in a half an hour. Before then, I want you washed up and bring your appetite!" Betty cackled like a witch as she strode off into the kitchen.

"Man, is she weird or what?" I laughed and lightly slapped Shelby's shoulder. Shelby, however, wasn't laughing. In fact, she was staring at me like I just did something that was against her beliefs. She was shocked and scared at the same time and rushed off like she was suddenly in a hurry.

What's her deal...?

I walked out the back door to explore outside. The backyard was bigger than the front yard, but still as unamusing. There was a big oak tree in the middle of it with a simple wooden plank held up by ropes to the biggest branch.

"Is that supposed to be a swing?" I scoffed.

I scanned the yard in one spin. There was the big oak tree with the "swing", corn, a small shed with a lawnmower in it, corn, a bigger shed that was padlocked, oh and did I mention corn?

I walked up to the big shed and examined the lock. It was heavy duty, not easily picked if able to be picked at all. There was a small crack between the door and the doorframe, so I knelt down and closed one eye and looked in. I couldn't make out much.

A few tools, some blades for a saw maybe, chains, a chainsaw and there on the ground was a metal hatch, which was also padlocked. As I strained to see more of the inside, a loud slap made me jump and move away from the door.

Henry's big, bearlike hand was against the door. He must've hit it to get my attention. "Whatcha doing out here?" He asked.

"I was just, uh," I swallowed hard. I was scared. I don't know why, but I was. My heart raced in my chest. "I was exploring and saw this and uh, I was just leaving." I got up and started walking away as fast as I could.

"This building is off limits, ya hear?" Henry shouted at my back as I hurried away.

What the hell? Is everyone here ninjas? They're all silent and crap. Really creepy... But what's in there that's so secret that it's locked up?

I'm not just your ordinary mischief maker. I also can pick locks. And before I leave here, that's one lock I will open.

♦♦♦♦♦

Dinner was just like everything else in this house, okay. I know I'm sounding ungrateful, but what do you expect from me? There's no internet, no cable, no cell service and we had dry meatloaf with a side of green beans for dinner. I'm surrounded by strange kids and let's not forget the parents aren't all there themselves. The same movie is on repeat in the living room and there's a locked shed behind the house no one is allowed in or even near. So yes, things are only okay. Could be much better and I guess could be much worse.

Oh, did I forget to mention that everyone here dresses the same? I met more of the kids that were here. All the girls wore the same or similar dresses and the boys wore the same shirt and dress pants to dinner. I was the only one out of place with my hair a mess underneath a baseball cap, my ripped T-shirt and loose-fit blue jeans. I told you I was a tomboy.

The dinner table was quiet, the kids didn't even talk a lot. Everyone just kept their head down and ate. It was too awkward, even I didn't have anything smart to say.

Everyone was excused from dinner and they went about their business for about an hour or so.

"Bed time at 8, lights out at 8:30." Betty snuck up behind me.

"What?? That early?" My mouth hung open. I've never went to bed this early, ever.

Betty spun on her heel and glared at me, staring me down. "That's the rules here, darling. You're gonna follow them, aren'tcha, Alice?"

She was testing me. I gritted my teeth, "Of course, Betty."

Her small smile twitched when I called her by her name. "Good, good. Now run along and have fun." She went into the laundry room, carrying tied plastic bags you'd get from a grocery store, full of something wet. I'm guessing they were clothes, but it was hard to tell.

I wandered back towards the door and saw the landline. Sure enough, like everything else in this house, it was ancient. A big blocky base and the receiver was bulky. Not to mention it was corded and the numbers were giant square buttons on the base. The only thing relatively new here is the DVD player. I would say my cellphone, but since it won't work, does it really count?

I turned my attention to the door. The solid looking front door we came through this afternoon. The door itself looked indestructible, but the doorframe to the side wasn't. I saw small markings on it like it was clawed at. When I got closer, I placed my nails to it, and sure enough it seemed like scratch marks.

"I didn't notice any pets around, but... That's what it's got to be right?" I traced my fingertip over some of them. Some felt dull and worn down like they've been there awhile, but others felt rough and ridged like they were fresh. They weren't made by a cat because the marks were up to the doorknob or higher.

A big dog maybe?

I shrugged it off and turned to go into the living room. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Betty in her apron, watching me from the kitchen doorway as I was at the front door. I did that humanly instinct thing and went to look her way, but she had already disappeared.

♦♦♦♦♦

I sat and watched the movie that played in the living room. I glanced up at the clock and it read 7:55pm. Or so I'm guessing. It was an old grandfather clock. I sighed and went upstairs and looked in all the rooms for my stuff. I found mine at the end of the hall with my things on a small bed, just big enough for me to lay on. There were a few other beds, but they were made perfectly and no one else was in the room. I got undressed from my day clothes and got into my pajamas. I crawled into bed, hugging Mr Fluffykins tight as I lay there, listening to the silence. The house creaked and moaned as it strained on its foundation. I didn't hear anyone else talking or moving around, so I tried closing my eyes and getting some sleep.

A creak woke me up from my sleep. I know the house was creaking, but this was a different sound. I waited to see if I'd hear it again before moving. It happened again, it sounded like a floorboard creak. It was almost black in the whole room, except the faint moon light coming in from the only window. I grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight. I searched the room. Nothing.

I heard the creak again, this time coming from the door. I turned and looked.

There, the door was slightly ajar.

I closed it before I went to bed...

When I focused more, I saw more. Near the top of the door, the light from the hallway reflected off a circled surface. A pair of glasses.

"Henry?" I squinted as my heart began to beat faster.

What's he doing in my room??

The door slowly shut, cutting off the view. I didn't hear anything else. No boards creaked, the light in the hallway stayed on, and no response. He either didn't move away from my door or he was never there. Either way, I was terrified. I barely got any sleep after that.

The next morning, we all ate breakfast. It was quiet, like usual. The other kids finished up and went to do what they do. That left me, Henry and Betty in the kitchen.

"Hey Henry?" I asked as I finished up my oatmeal.

"Yes?"

"Did you come into my room last night?"

There was a silence. Betty looked over to Henry for a moment then back to me and smiled, "Now darling. That's impossible. He was in bed next to me all night. You're probably just nervous from the new scenery. It'll go away very soon." She walked over to the sink and began washing dishes.

"She's right. I was dead tired yesterday. Damn near passed out on the way to the bed." Finally Henry replied.

"Maybe you're right... I'm sorry I asked." I pushed myself away from the table and left the kitchen.

I know what I saw. There's something going on here, but what?

~~~~~~~~~~~

*Author's Note!*

What do you all think? Is there something going on? Or is it just Alice's imagination?

Feel free to answer in the comments!

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