The Locket by Elise Koepke Read Free Book Online Page B

worse.
    ***
    Later that night, Savannah lay on her bed, relaxing and listening to music. Uncle Tom was at work, Peter was at a summer baseball meet, and Aunt Jenny was out shopping. There is nothing like being home alone, she thought to herself.
    It gave her time to think too about life, about her mom, about Marie, about the move, and … about the locket. What was it about that locket that made it so special to her mother?
    Turning off her iPod and setting it aside, Savannah made her way over to the suitcases that still lay full and barely touched on the floor. Rummaging through the first bag, she felt a wave of annoyance and slight panic when she didn’t find it. When she did in the second bag a surprising comfort washed over her. Pulling it out, she studied it for the second time.
    Never before had she seen a piece of jewelry filled with such mystery as this one. Why was it so special? Why was it so important not to open it yet? More importantly, why was she waiting?
    As if fate wanted to stall her again, just as she placed her fingers over the clasp she heard a noise from the living room. That’s odd, she thought. I thought I was home alone. A cold chill ran down her spine when she heard the sound again. It sounded like voices, which was even stranger, because none of them sounded like any of her relatives.
    Wearing nothing more than a white tank top and ripped blue jeans, which would do little to ward off any thief when her body was already too small and girly as it was, Savannah slowly made her way down the tapered hallway. A thousand scenarios ran through her head, most of them ending in her running out of the house screaming. She was probably over-thinking, as usual, but one can never be too careful.
    At last reaching the entranceway that led into the living room, Savannah peered into the dark and found the television on, yet she saw no one. Okay, now I’m a little freaked out, she thought. You see this a hundred times in horror movies where the main character hears a noise, finds the TV turned on though they’re home alone, then gets murdered. If I start hearing scary music, I’m bolting out the door.
    Hearing a roar of thunder, she shivered. And of course there would be a thunderstorm. Great.
    Now that she had gotten used to the sound of the television, Savannah could hear the rain pouring outside her aunt and uncle’s one-story ranch. Through the windows she could see lighting every so often making a hiccup of a flash that illuminated the house, not long after accompanied by another rumble of thunder.
    “H-hello?” Savannah said, almost in a whisper. When no one replied, she tried again, but this time with more force. “Hello?” Again, nobody replied. “Is anyone there?”
    Sneaking closer to the kitchen, scarcely next to the living room, her blood boiled with ice. She could not decipher whether she was getting warmer or colder. Her heart first jumped all the way up to her throat, and then pounded with infinite thuds and speed, because it was there outside the kitchen that she saw the shadow.
    She tried to yell a thousand times, but the sound would not come. Besides, who would hear her? Certainly not the neighbors, there was too much space between houses.
    Trying to step back carefully, Savannah cursed inside her head when a floorboard creaked beneath her foot. That was all it took for the shadow to whip its head in her direction. It started to move closer, pinning her against the wall in fear. Oh, God.
    The thunder rumbled again, following another snap of lightening. Again the house illuminated from it, but the figure was in another shadow, so Savannah only saw the outline of its shape. It was definitely human. And it was definitely headed in her direction.
    She squeezed her eyes tightly, praying that if whoever it was was going to kill her, then they could get it done with. The pain in her chest from her rapid heart would not subside, causing her mind to become frantic. The wind shook outside the house