Free Home Alone by Lisa Church Page B

driveway, gave the horn a short toot, and handed Winnie the first breath of freedom she had always longed for. She closed her eyes, soaking in the moment.
    The feel of something slimy crawling on her arm forced her to leave that wonderful place in her mind and focus on reality.
    "Ah!" she screamed, knocking off the orange lizard with a quick swipe of her hand. She glared at her brother, wanting nothing more than to shout at him. But the big drops of rain that came pelting down the next moment saved him. Winnie and her little brother took off for the house, both giggling by the time they reached the back door. She had let him get away with one ridiculous prank. Perhaps he would be good for the rest of the afternoon. At least she hoped so. If not, she may be in for more trouble than this hour or so of freedom was worth.
    Winnie didn't have time to worry about it. The rain began to beat down, and the wind was picking up quickly. The next several minutes were spent shutting windows in the house and rescuing the plants from atop the porch banister. Alec was no help. In fact, he had already planted himself in front of the TV. ‘At least that would keep him out of trouble,’ Winnie thought to herself.
    Trouble? The poor girl and her brother had no idea what lay ahead!

Chapter Two

    "Hey, turn that back up!" Alec barked angrily at Winnie, who was pushing the button on the television. He eyed the room for the remote, determined to undo what his sister had just done.
    "Alec, it's too loud. Besides, with this storm, it's noisy enough around here."
    Apparently the boy hadn't noticed. He forgot about the cartoon and rushed over to the window. The rain pinged against the panes loudly and he now seemed to understand what his sister had been talking about.
    "Wow!" he exclaimed, his nose pressed to the glass. "I can't remember it raining like this back home." The boy, like his sister, still thought of Pennsylvania as home. The children knew with time that would change. But for now, everything they did in Florida was compared with their former life in the north.
    "I know," Winnie said with a touch of worry in her voice. "We had some bad storms, but I don't remember them starting out like this." She edged in at the window, joining Alec in his watch.
    "When are Mom and Dad supposed to get home?" the eight-year-old asked, worry entering his voice.
    Winnie glanced at her watch. Her parents had only been gone forty minutes. It sounded logical, but it seemed like much longer.
    "They'll be home soon," she said, trying to sound calm. "Anyway, we're going to be fine. We've been through lots of storms."
    "Not like this one," Alec said, moving away from the window.
    Her brother wasn't one to admit to being scared, but Winnie could see it in his eyes. She could feel her role changing from sister to babysitter. Before, she was just a kid watching the storm. Now, she felt the responsibility to keep her little brother calm. It wasn't going to be easy since she was somewhat frightened herself.
    "Hey, want a snack?" she said, trying to change the subject and make the next half hour or so a little more bearable.
    Alec always wanted a snack. He gave her a nervous nod and followed his sister to the kitchen. They remembered their promise to stay away from the stove and scrounged through cupboards for something to satisfy their late-afternoon hunger.
    "There's nothing to eat! We don't have any good snacks!" Alec grumbled, pushing the third cupboard door shut. He looked to his sister to solve the problem.
    "Mom is at the store, you know," Winnie said, sympathizing with the boy. "She wouldn't be there unless we needed food. Anyway, she'll be home soon, and we'll be having supper."
    Alec grumbled to himself, wandering slowly to the kitchen door to check on the rain. It didn't take the boy long to realize this was no ordinary summer rainstorm.
    "Winnie! Come here!" he shouted, straining to see through the rain-spattered screen. He waited for his sister to get