The telephone rang, startling her so that she jumped. It was as if somebody had suddenly barged in through the kitchen door and caught her naked at the table. Her heart pounding, she got up and snatched the phone off the hook on its third ring.

"Jenny, are you all right?" The voice was only too familiar – Barb, her old baby-sitter.

"Of course," Jenny said. "Why wouldn't I be all right?"

"You sounded strange when you answered," Barb said. "And you're breathing hard."

"I was – exercising," Jenny said. "Anything I can do for you?"

"I'm just calling to check on you and Skip," Barb said. "Your mother asked me to call from time to time while they're gone, to see how the two of you are getting along."

"Mom and Dad only left a few hours ago," Jenny said, annoyed. "And Skip and I can take care of ourselves. We're not babies anymore, you know."

"Of course you're not, darling. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here if you need me. If anything comes up you can't handle, give me a call. Is Skip home, by the way?"

"He's got track practice after school," Jenny said.

"Every afternoon?"

"I don't know. Not tomorrow, I don't think. Why?"

Barb chuckled foolishly. "Oh, no reason. Just curious. Well, I'm glad everything's all right. I'll call again soon."

"Don't bother," Jenny said after she'd hung up the receiver.

Jenny carried her clothes and schoolbooks up to her bedroom. Barb's call had cooled her off. Even with her parents out of town there was still a nosy adult spying on her. Why couldn't she just be left alone for once? Didn't her parents trust her? She'd never given them any reason not to trust her, and neither had her twin brother Skip.

Both she and Skip had got straight A grades all through school, and their grades for conduct were perfect too. Skip was a star in wrestling and track, and Jenny was a varsity cheerleader, and a member of the gymnastics team. She and Skip were the perfect son and daughter of a pair of model parents. What could her parents possibly be worried about?