• God, Charlotte thought, Am I about to be murdered?
    The girl swallowed hard and got up as quietly as she could. She bent down for the softball bat her mother had packed for her and wrapped her hands around it. She stood up, summoning her courage. Charlotte opened the door to the dark hallway and took a deep breath.
    "I know you're here and I've got a baseball bat, " she declared in a rush. Her heart was pounding. "You had better get out of here before I use it!"
    Her threat had no effect. Charlotte glanced at the walls quickly, trying to remember where the light was. She switched it on.
    There was no one in the upstairs hallway, but Charlotte could not help but freeze at the sight of mud footprints on the freshly swept wood floor. Her eyes widened. They pointed at her door. And ended just a foot from where she stood.
    That is not possible, she told herself, no one can just make themselves invisible!
    Charlotte lowered her bat in a dismissive manner.
    "I guess no one was here."
    As she got ready to turn she lashed out with the metal bat.
    To her horror, it met with a soft body. She cried out when someone grunted in pain. The girl ran into her room, locked her door and picked her phone up to call the cops.
    Charlotte stared at the cell with a shocked expression. It was dead.
    "Ah..." someone from the other side groaned. Charlotte had her back against the door and felt the thump of a hand being place on it. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. Please let me in?"