Afraid (5 page)

“Y
es, Steve. I'd love to go with you.” Donna hung up the phone. Her first date in Jefferson City! And it was with Steve! He'd just called to invite her to Craig Ellison's party.

Steve had apologized for not asking her sooner. He'd been planning to help his father fix up their guest room and they'd planned to paint it tonight. But his mother had decided that she preferred wallpaper, and the pattern she wanted wouldn't be in until next week.

Even though Donna had never met Steve's mother, she immediately liked her for choosing a pattern that was backordered. Now Steve was free for the evening, and he'd asked her for a date!

Donna sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, smiling in anticipation. Craig's party was an annual October event. The Ellisons were rich, and their lake cabin was incredibly beautiful. Donna had heard that Craig's mother always hired caterers to serve Hawaiian food on the beach, and everyone in the school was invited. She'd planned to go alone, but now that she had a date with Steve, it would be much more fun.

 

Rondelle opened her eyes as the telephone rang. It was dark, and for one brief moment, she didn't know where she was. Then she remembered, and icy panic washed over her in waves. She was locked in the attic! And she couldn't get out!

But where was the phone? There was a faint beam of light coming up through the rafters, and Rondelle crawled toward it on her hands and knees. The ringing sound got louder as she got closer to the light and when she put her eye to the crack, she saw the inside of her bedroom. The light was on. She must have forgotten to turn it off when she'd come up here. She had been complaining about the crack in her ceiling for several months now. Thank goodness her father hadn't gotten around to fixing it!

Looking through the crack soothed Rondelle. It was almost as if she were down there again, getting ready for her date.

“Oh, no!” Rondelle groaned loudly. Craig had promised to call her, and he could be on the other end of the line right now, listening to the empty ringing. He'd think she wasn't home and he wouldn't come over until it was time for their date. But he would come over. Rondelle was sure of that. She'd told him that she might go shopping, and he'd agreed to pick her up at eight.

But what would Craig do when she didn't answer the door? Rondelle wasn't sure. Somehow, she had to get his attention and let him know she was trapped up here.

The vent. It faced the front of the house. The moment Rondelle thought of it, she felt much better. When Craig came up to the front door to ring the doorbell, she'd call out to him. He'd hear her, crawl through one of the windows, and come up to the attic to let her out. All she had to do was be patient and try not to panic. Craig would be here very soon and then she'd be free.

The ceiling in her bedroom was low, and the phone was only a few feet below her. But those few feet might as well have been hundreds. There was no way Rondelle could reach through the crack to answer the phone.

The answering machine kicked in on the fifth ring, and Rondelle held her breath as she listened to the outgoing message.
This is Rondelle. I'm not here right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Then there was a beep, and she heard Craig's voice.

Rondelle? Where are you? It's almost seven and I'll be there in an hour. Maybe I'd better call Alice and see if you're over there.

Rondelle frowned. The last thing she wanted was for Craig to call Alice, especially since Alice was dying to date him, too. Would Alice be a true friend? Would she say that Rondelle wasn't there and hang up? Or would Alice take advantage of the situation to flirt with Craig and try to get him interested in her?!

There was a creaking sound from the far corner of the attic, and Rondelle's eyes searched the shadows. A faint light was coming in through the slatted vent, and she could see huge, looming shapes in the darkness. Nothing was moving. There was no need to panic. Old houses always creaked and groaned at night. There was absolutely nothing up here to hurt her.

The mirror! Rondelle almost screamed as she remembered the hideous reflection she'd seen. She started to panic, her heart pounding fearfully in her chest, but somehow she managed to calm herself. The reflection had been horrifying, but it had been a trick of the light and her own imagination. It wasn't real, and things that weren't real couldn't possibly hurt her.

The phone rang again and Rondelle turned back to the crack in the floor. Once again, the answering machine picked up on the fifth ring.
This is Rondelle. I'm not here right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Rondelle?
It was Alice's voice.
Craig just called to see if you were here and I said you weren't. I told him you were probably in the shower, and you didn't hear the phone. Since my car's not working right, he said he'd give me a ride to the party, if that's okay with you.

“That's not okay and you know it!” Rondelle shouted the words, even though she knew Alice couldn't hear her. Giving Alice a ride was worse than not okay, it was a complete disaster! If Alice went to the party with them, she'd want a ride home. And that meant Rondelle would have absolutely no time alone with Craig!

There was another noise from the far end of the attic, and Rondelle whirled around again. Something was there! She was sure of it! But what?

That was when she heard it, the sound of scurrying feet scraping against the rafters. Rats! And Rondelle was deathly afraid of rats!

Fighting panic, Rondelle pressed her eye to the crack again. She concentrated on the safe haven of her bedroom, only a few feet below. So close, and yet so far. Could she somehow make the crack bigger? Big enough to jump through? Rondelle didn't like the idea of falling all the way to the floor below, but it wasn't as frightening as staying here, locked up in the attic with rats!

Rondelle clawed at the crack until her hands were bleeding, but she only succeeded in widening it an inch or two. And then she heard the phone ring again.

Rondelle? It's Craig. Call me back when you get this message. Alice thought you were in the shower or something, but you must be out by now. What's going on anyway? We've got a date, don't we? I mean—are we still on for tonight, or what?

Rondelle winced. Craig sounded angry, and she wished that she could call him to explain. If she'd thought to bring the remote phone with her, all her problems would be solved. But she'd only come up here to get the red shoes. She'd never expected to get locked in the attic.

There was another rustling, scampering sound, and Rondelle convinced herself that it was only squirrels, running across the roof. This was a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, and her mother kept it very clean. They couldn't possibly have rats.

Time seemed to stand still in the darkness, but Rondelle knew the minutes were ticking by. And then the phone rang again.

Rondelle? It's Alice. Where are you? You just went out shopping or something, right? I mean, I know your parents wanted you to go with them, but you didn't, did you?

“No! I'm here!” Rondelle swallowed hard. But Alice was still speaking.

Look, Rondelle
—
you really blew it if you went with your parents and you didn't tell Craig. He thinks you stood him up, so he asked me to go to the party with him. If you don't call me back in the next ten minutes, I'm going to say yes!

“No! Craig's my date!” Rondelle almost screamed the words. Both Craig and Alice thought she wasn't home, but she was! And Craig wouldn't come to pick her up if she didn't call him back. Alice wouldn't bother to come over to check. She'd always wanted to go out with Craig, and this was her golden opportunity!

The seconds ticked by, and Rondelle tore frantically at the crack in the floor. She just had to get to the phone! And then it rang again, and she heard Craig's voice.

Rondelle. If you went with your parents and didn't tell me, don't bother to apologize. I wouldn't ask you out again on a bet! I'm a fair guy so I'm going to drive by your house to check. If the lights are off, I'll know you're gone.

Rondelle breathed a deep sigh of relief. The light was on in her bedroom. Craig would see it and come to the door. And then she could call out through the vent to explain that she was locked in the attic.

But Rondelle's relief was short-lived. The lamp in her bedroom flickered once and then it went off. The bulb had burned out. If Craig didn't see any lights, he'd drive right by without stopping!

Rondelle rushed toward the vent in the darkness. As she stared out through the slats, she gave a deep sigh of relief. The street was deserted, and she had some time. It would take Craig at least ten minutes to drive to her house.

What could she do to let Craig know that she was locked in the attic? Rondelle knew she needed some sort of a signal. She planned to scream, but it was a cold night. If Craig's windows were closed and his car stereo was on, he'd never hear her.

She could wave a flag. The moment Rondelle thought of it, she felt her way back to the corner where her father stored his fishing poles. The tip of a pole would be thin enough to stick through the vent.

Rondelle opened the wardrobe and pulled out the first piece of clothing she could find. It felt like one of her grandfather's old silk shirts, and her fingers were shaking as she tore off one arm. She tied the end of the fishing line around it and poked it through the vent to dangle down, in front of the house. She'd jerk it up and down when Craig drove by and he'd be bound to see it—if the porch light was on.

But the porch light wasn't on! Her mother had turned it off this morning, and the timer was broken. All Rondelle could do was hope that Craig's headlights would sweep across the front of the house.

Rondelle held her breath as she heard a car turning onto her block. She peered out the vent and her heart beat desperately in her chest as she saw that it was Craig. She jerked the fishing pole frantically. He just had to see her signal! She'd die if she had to spend all night in the attic!

Craig's red Thunderbird slowed as he turned the corner, and Rondelle jerked the fishing pole in a frantic bid for his attention. But she jerked it too hard and the line snapped, sending her makeshift flag fluttering to the ground. Her signal had failed, and there was only one thing to do. Rondelle leaned forward, close to the vent, and screamed at the top of her lungs. “Craig! Up here! Help me! I'm locked in!”

But Craig didn't stop his car. He just drove slowly past her house. And then he was gone, the sound of the Thunderbird's powerful motor fading to a whisper in the distance.

“Nooooo!” Rondelle stood at the vent, clutching the metal slats so tightly, her knuckles turned white. Craig was gone. He was driving to Alice's house right now, to take her to his party!

A tear rolled down Rondelle's cheek, and she slumped against the wall in utter despair. There was no hope for her, no hope at all. There was no way she could get out of the attic and she'd be locked in until her parents came home on Sunday afternoon . . . unless one of the neighbors heard her screaming and called the police.

Rondelle stood up and took a deep breath. And then she screamed, over and over, until her voice was hoarse. When she couldn't scream any longer, she banged against the vent with the fishing pole, but it didn't do any good. The night had turned very cold, and all the neighbors had closed their windows.

There were tears in Rondelle's eyes as she turned away from the vent. She was stuck in the attic with no one to help her, and she was shivering with cold. She had to keep from freezing, and that meant she had to find something warm to wear.

Rondelle didn't look at the mirror as she stumbled to the wardrobe. Even though it was dark, she was still afraid of what she might see. She pulled the door open, grabbed the old fur coat, and wrapped it tightly around her shivering body. Then she crept across the floor to huddle against the attic door where a little warmth was seeping up the stairs.

Rondelle knew she should try to sleep. It was the only way to get through the night. But the moment she closed her eyes, she pictured Alice at the party with Craig.

They'd eat in the tent that was set up on the shore, and the thought of all that delicious food made Rondelle's stomach grumble with hunger. When dessert had been served and everyone had raved about the marvelous dinner, they'd go into the living room to dance to the music of the live band.

Staring up at the darkness, Rondelle could almost see Alice, dancing with Craig. Alice would purr like a kitten when Craig held her close and she'd snuggle into his arms. They'd dance every dance and when the band left, they'd relax on one of the leather couches, the stereo playing softly and Alice's head nestled tightly against Craig's chest.

Jealousy was too tame a description for the emotion that Rondelle felt. Alice had stolen her date and, at that moment, Rondelle hated Alice with every fiber of her being. But then something happened that made Rondelle forget all about Alice and Craig. Something was moving, in the far corner, and it was coming closer. She was trapped in the dark attic, and she was not alone!

Her heart pounding frantically, Rondelle began to whimper. Every sound was magnified in the blackness, all the scratching, and creaking, and rustling noises she'd heard earlier. There were rats in the attic and they were after her!

Rondelle shuddered. What would happen if the rats attacked her? Could she fight them off? She grabbed the heaviest object she could reach, an old metal lamp with a broken shade, and held it in her hand. How many rats were there? And how could she fight them if she couldn't see them? She had to protect herself from their razor sharp teeth!