"Home Invasion!"

'Sorry about…what happened back there,' Sineas said to Clarissa when he opened his bedroom door.

She followed closely behind him as he stepped into the darkness. Her eyes surveyed the nothingness. She clutched her books tighter to her chest. She could only make out the bed and the wide open window which let in gusts of cold wind at five second intervals. 'Lights?' she asked him as he dusted the bed with his hands.

He paused. 'Oh, yeah, of course…the lights.' He sat on the foot of the bed. 'This room doesn't have any.'

'Why?' she asked curiously, standing in the middle of the room.

'It's a long story,' he replied.

'Then…' her eyes surveyed the darkness again, 'How do we work on the assignment without the light?'

'I've got a flashlight?' he suggested. He looked intently at her black figure from the bed.

She paused for a while, as if thinking about it. She shrugged. 'Okay,' she whispered before slowly making her way towards him.

'Great. Let me get the flashlight.' He walked over to the other side of the bed. He got down on his knees and stretched his arm under it.

'Home Invasion!'

'Be quiet!' Sineas snapped.

'Is something wrong?' Clarissa asked from the other side of the bed.

He could detect a hint of concern in her voice.

'Yeah, yeah, everything is fine,' he answered her from under the bed.

'How can you say everything is fine when there is an intruder in the house?'

'Will you be quiet? For once, please!' he continued to search for the flashlight, patting here and there underneath the bed.

'Oh…I get it now. *Laughter* SHE's the reason you couldn't sleep last night.'

'The flashlight…the flashlight…where's that damned flashlight?' Sineas mumbled.

'Home invasion!'

'Shut up!'

'Sineas?' Clarissa stood up.

'Got it!' he shouted triumphantly as he rose from the floor, waving the flashlight in his hand. 'I found it,' he announced and walked towards her, grinning. He sat down on the bed and she sat beside him.

She dug her hairpin deeper into her hair. 'It sounded as if you were mumbling to yourself,' she said.

His eyes widened. He felt greatly embarrassed. 'Well…I…'

She laughed, 'Its okay, I also talk to myself sometimes. Especially when I'm upset.'

Sineas had to tap the power switch on the flashlight four times before it worked. The yellow beam struck the open pages of Clarissa's Math textbook like a glow of sunlight.

'So, where do we start?' she asked him as she skimmed through the pages.

'Uh…let's…' he placed a finger on his lips.

'Do you mind closing the window?' she asked him. 'I know I'm wearing a jersey but it's really cold outside.'

'Uh….sure, of course.' He walked off to the window.

Meanwhile, Clarissa held the flashlight towards the book. She turned the pages slowly, looking for what she thought was the right page. Her eyes suddenly darted up towards the door. She waited. She listened again. 'Did you hear that?' she whispered.

'Hear what?' he asked her as he walked back to the bed.

She heard a light thud on the floor, somewhere around her feet. She leapt onto her feet, startled. 'You telling me you didn't hear that, Sineas?!' Her eyes were now sweeping the floor rapidly, her head turning in every direction as though she had no neck at all.

Sineas shrugged dismissively. 'That was probably just the sound of the bed. It does that sometimes.'

She clamped her eyes shut and shook her head. 'I know what I heard and it wasn't the bed!'

'What if…'

'Ssssh!' she raised a finger at him. 'There it is again,' she whispered.

Sineas could sense the obvious terror in her voice. He tried to calm her down. 'Clarissa…'

'Sineas, be quiet!' she snapped. They waited, in silence. All they could hear now was the wind outside beating against the window, demanding entry. They stood still for a full minute.

She finally sighed and dropped her shoulders. 'I guess my head is not in the right place,' she laughed softly. 'It was probably just a…' she immediately felt a cold hand grab her ankle from under the bed. She let out an ear-shattering scream and bolted for the door.

'Clarissa, wait!' Sineas shouted after her.