BSC094 - Stacey McGill, Super Sitter - Martin, Ann M.

    Chapter 1.

    "Hurry! Run!" I told Robert. He grabbed my hand and together we raced down Slate Street.

    As we ran hand in hand (or should I say glove in glove?), Robert smiled at me, which always just knocks me out.

    Robert and I have been going together for awhile now, but I still can't believe it. He is the best. I enjoy every second we spend together.

    We ran until we reached my front door. Panting, we stopped to catch our breath. The frozen winter afternoon was so cold that smoky mist puffed out of our mouths. "That worked," Robert said, laughing. "I'm not so cold anymore." I'd warmed up, too, which was why I'd suggested running in the first place. "Let's get inside," I said, fumbling in my bag for the keys to my front door. (It's so hard to find things while wearing woolen gloves!) When I finally unlocked the door, it felt good to be inside my warm house. With a shiver I peeled off my hot pink parka. "Oh, my gosh!" I laughed as I tried to pull off my pink beret. The hat tugged at my blonde permed hair.

    "Wow," Robert said. "Your house is so quiet." I paused and listened. The only noise was the gentle thunk of the boiler as it kicked on. It was pretty silent. I guess I hadn't noticed before.

    "Doesn't it give you the creeps?" Robert asked, taking off his jacket.

    "No," I answered. "Why should it?" "I'm just not used to coming home to an empty house, I suppose," Robert replied. "When I get home there's always someone around." "Mom will be home at six," I told him. She works for Bellair's department store. She's a buyer, which means she decides what Bellair's will sell.

    My dad was at his office in Manhattan. But I wouldn't see him for another week and a half. That's because my parents are divorced. Mom and I live here in Connecticut. Dad still lives in Manhattan, where I lived for most of my life.