“Buzz,” continued to fill the silence of the house on the endless night of November, 26. “Humph!” Corbin discreetly said as she drug herself off the warm cream sofa and sauntered into the gnomons grant filled kitchen. She opened the buzzing refrigerator and took out a tasteful V8 as her mouth cracked from the dryness of the winter. Once again her dad went on away on a “business trip” and her mom went to some bars, it was becoming a monthly routine. The silence of an only child home alone rang through the huge house for eight as Corbin hopped down onto the carpeted basement stairs to the den. When she plopped down on the cushy computer chair a creaking of the garage door seemed to echo through out the house. Her heart skipped a beat before picking up 20 paces.

Her mom, Tiffany would not be in for at least two more hours and Larry, her dad, wasn’t due back for two more days. Her frail dark fingers searched in her long lavender lounge pant pocket for her tiny cherry colored phone. Her shaking made it difficult for her to punch in the numbers 357-4120! Finally she had the ringing of the phone in her frightened ear as she tip toed over to the laundry room. The foot steps were working their way toward the stair case. She hopped into the on going small two story laundry shoot and shimmed her petit body half way up. Just then her mother’s tired voice crocked into the black berry, “Hello.” It took Corbin a moment to gather her thoughts, “Mom!” She spoke trembling from horror. “there’s someone in the house, I can hear them walking around!” She finished trying to fight the tears. “Where are you?” her mom spoke frantically and caring for the first time since the “business trips” started! As she explained to her mother the man bounded into the basement. She held her breath as the hairs arose on her arm. The tremendous sounding foot steps raced back toward the direction they came from caught off guard by something unexpected.

After two of the longest minutes of her life were over Corbin’s ears listened impatiently for the slam of the door. But she was surprised to hear the “click” of the locks followed by the slam of the paneled door. Corbin creaked open the door to the laundry shoot expecting the rampage of thief, but found nothing out of place. She shook from shock as she made her way to the lonesome stairs. Suddenly the door unlocked as Corbin froze. The blonde haired figure made it’s way to the awaiting stairs. “Corbin?” the weary voice asked. Her mother arrived at her side and took the never used bat from the closet and ventured through the house to find nothing touched or no one in the home, this enraged her mother. “I can’t believe this!” She screamed. “It was just a ploy to get me to come home!” Tiffany stomped off to her room leaving Corbin depressed, scared, and furious in the spacious stairs.
5 weeks later.

The dreary rain pitter pattered on the charcoal roof of the house on Redbark Lane only made Corbin more depressed from the usual alone time. Wheeling High School was off due to water break. The Monday drug on and the clock struck 1:00 p.m. Corbin loafed up the cold shiny elegant stairs and plopped on her silk queen sized bed and began observing the high class neighborhood. A rusty old van teetered into her long inviting drive way. Corbin popped up and read the print on the rustic silver paint. The words ran through her head evaluating them Pool Cleaners Inc., very original. She came to the conclusion that they weren’t scheduled or had never been there before. There were two men, one was short and plump and had blonde hair that glistened in the sun as he examined the neighbor hood. The other was tall and slider with dirt colored hair. The two men with matching uniforms then sauntered around back.

Corbin then frantically called her mother at work. “Corbin, I don’t know what game your paying but I can’t come home now and this Robbery thing is getting old and fast!” Was her answer to Corbin’s bizarre description. Clearly she was no help and Corbin was in the mist of danger!

“Smash! Clink! Clink!” sent shivers up Corbin’s spine because she knew that sound, it was her patio door shattering. Sounds erupted all over the first floor as she sprang to her feet and sprinted over to the wooden carved chest, where her cell phone laid. Her body was shaking voraciously as she managed to dial 911 and searched for words in her scattered brain. “911, What’s your emergency?” The clam perky voice asked. Corbin managed short breaths to respond, “Two mennn have brokennn in mmmmy house! They’rrre down Stairrrrs!” She tried to pull herself together, to be brave but she just crumbled. “ Okay, Are you home alone?” the caring voice continued to question. “Yeah!” Corbin stuttered. The ruckus down stair sounded like a hurricane, she had to tone it out but not completely. “The cops are on their way! Everything’s going to be okay. But stay on the phone with me until they arrive.” The 911 operator demanded. “Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!” The men’s work boots pounded and clomped up the stairs as they chattered about stupid rich people. “Where are you?” the voice on the other end asked. “ I’m in my bed room, but they’re coming closer.” Corbin gulped. The woman took a deep breath for concentration and instructed. “Okay honey, listen carefully to me. Get into the nearest closet, behind some clothes or bags and stay as quite as a mouse.” She completed her instructions with extreme caution still petrified. She shuffled around finding a spot where she was completely disguised by her hanging clothes.

The burglars bounded into the room as if they owned the place and started searching for things of value. They shoved her jewelry box aside after taking everything that looked costly. Their roaring footsteps became louder and the thud became closer to the closet making Corbin shake uncontrollably and her breathing began to quicken. “There close!” She managed to state. “Okay, everything’s fine. They cops are almost there, just stay clam and quite!” Which is easier said than done. The closet door crept open and the short man ran over placing himself right in front of the terrified teenager. His mom tattoo caught her eye as he started rampaging and removing all the boxes around her. His plump pale hand reached for the polyester jacket that concealed her.

“Weeoo! Weeoo!” the cop car’s sirens filled the environment out side carrying the sound into the chaotic house. They furiously sped into the Leerington’s driveway. “Oh crap!” the men shouted back and forth. They scrambled for away out, a way to avoid the cops but before they could set their plan in action the cops bounded up the stairs. “Freeze and put you hands in the air.!” The burglars did as they were told. The police men then placed hard cold hand cuffs on them and spoke loud and manly, “ You have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you.” The police finished rambling on the rights of the guilty men. “Corbin Leerington!” A man in a sharp blue uniform and gold shiny bag reached for the poor soul on the closet floor. As she thanked the operator and hung up the officer escorted her trembling sobbing body out to her front lawn, where all of her neighbors gawked in curiosity. The criminals were taken away and the a few police officers continued to question the victims, the whiteness and the bystanders.

“Corbin! Corbin!” the voice screeched in horror, disbelief, but mostly guilt. “Corbin Sweetie!” Her mother ran holding her arms out to comfort her scared daughter. Corbin crushed her head into her mother’s pink cashmere sweater as she cried in desperation of comfort. “I’m so so Sorry baby! I should have believed you!” her mother began sobbing with her making black streaks of mascara form on her face.

“Ding Dong!” woke Corbin up the very next day! “Come on in!” her mother instructed. Corbin staggered out of bed in her pink pajamas and ran down the long slippery stairs. A massive smile spread across her face in relief when she saw Brink’s Home Security crew setting up their new alarm system.