Home Invasion by Monique Polak Page A

invader was his back. He had broad shoulders, and despite the hot weather he was wearing a long-sleeved sweatshirt. He gagged Mrs. Levesque; next he stuffed what looked like an old washcloth into Mr. Levesque’s mouth. Just watching made my mouth feel dry and sore.
    Just then I heard footsteps overhead. Patsy. So she was home after all. Now she was coming downstairs, humming loudly, the way people do when they’re wearing a headset. I watched the home invader’s back as he headed toward the stairs. Don’t hurt her, I thought to myself.
    â€œWhy are you wearing that stupid mask, Dad?” Patsy asked. “It’s not Halloween.”
    â€œYou’re right; it’s not.”
    That’s when Patsy screamed, but only for a second.
    â€œYou wouldn’t want to scare the neighbors, now, would you?” the home invader asked. He must have grabbed hold of her then, because I heard the sounds of a scuffle. A moment later, I watched as he led Patsy to another chair. When she reached out her foot to trip him, the home invader pulled out his knife. Its long blade glistened threateningly.
    My breath caught in my throat. “Don’t make me hurt you,” the home invader growled as he tied Patsy up and gagged her.
    I had to stop myself from gasping when the home invader finally turned around and I saw his face. He was wearing a skeleton mask, with drops of blood dripping from between the glow-in-the-dark bones. That’s when I knew for sure the home invader was no regular thief. A guy who broke into people’s houses wearing that kind of mask had to be as interested in scaring them as he was in stealing their stuff. Suddenly I remembered what the professor had said during the TV interview.Home invaders wanted to have power over helpless people.
    He rushed upstairs. I could hear him pulling open doors and drawers, growing louder and more frantic as he searched.
    Then he rushed back downstairs. “There’s no jewelry or cash!” he shouted as he came into the living room.
    He tugged the cloth from Mrs. Levesque’s mouth. The skin around her mouth was red and swollen. “It’s next to the bed,” she said, her voice shaking and her eyes beginning to pool with tears. “I promise.”
    Patsy squirmed in her seat. I could tell that if she’d been able to, she’d have gotten up and jumped the home invader. But when I thought of his knife, I decided it was a good thing Patsy was tied up.
    Mr. Levesque tried to say something. The home invader pulled the towel from his mouth too. “Annette …” This time I thought Mr. Levesque was about to cry. His voice, which had been strong until now, suddenly dropped to a whisper. “I spent the cash … and sold the jewelry.”

Chapter Twelve
    â€œWhat do you mean you sold the jewelry?” Mrs. Levesque didn’t sound scared anymore; she sounded angry. Really angry.
    â€œI’m sorry.” Mr. Levesque dropped his eyes to the floor.
    Now Patsy’s eyes were darting back and forth between her parents. You could tell she was trying to make sense of their conversation.
    The home invader threw his hands upinto the air. “What is this? Some kind of bad reality TV?”
    Mrs. Levesque ignored him. Instead she focused on her husband. “You told me it was over, Sylvain. You told me things would change when we moved here.”
    â€œI tried, Annette … believe me, I tried.”
    Now Mrs. Levesque turned to the home invader. “He gambles. Now he’s gambled away my jewelry. My grandmother’s jewelry.” Her voice shook.
    Patsy’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. Her cheeks were puffed up too, because of the gag in her mouth. I had the feeling this was the first she’d heard about her dad’s gambling problem.
    Patsy cringed when the home invader dropped to his knees in front of her. “I’ll take this,” he said, snatching