Ira awoke. She wasn't sure why but knew, instinctively, it wasn't good. Someone was in the house, she felt it.
She lay perfectly still, listening intently, unwilling to even breathe for fear of missing a sound, the clue she'd need to react. The wind blew in a powerful gust and a shudder slammed suddenly against the outside wall of the old home, prompting a startled shriek to escape her as her body jumped what seemed to be two feet straight up. Maybe that was it, had the loose shudder awakened her? It didn't matter, she was leaving and not coming back. She'd return the money and find another way to pay tuition.
Ira quietly gathered her things in the dark, sliding yesterday's dress over the tee shirt she'd been sleeping in and then slipping on her running shoes. She grabbed everything with
