[center][h1]5:00AM[/h1][/center] [color=lightblue][h1][center] Marie [/center][/h1][/color] [indent][indent]The clock read 5:06AM as Marie slowly sat up in her bed. It was September the 4th; the day the new tenants arrived at the house. Her childhood house which held so many memories... some she'd gladly forget. Pulling a shawl around her she rose from her bed, feeling her old age in her bones and winced as she straightened her back. Looking over at the clock once more, she sighed. For the past week she hadn't been able to sleep well, worrying about the house. Guilt plagued her chest but she quelled it; after all, she had needed the money and she was sure nothing bad would happen... nothing too bad. Opening her curtains of her bungalow, she gazed out upon the quite street. Birds and the glow of sunrise on the horizon broke through the tranquil murkiness. Biting down upon her worry and fear, she traced the white scar on her upper arm which she had received in that house years before. Her skin had never healed properly on the area, leaving a brash white area of scar tissue which stood out against her olive skin. First rays of sunlight hit her weathered skin and a small tear slipped from the corner of her eye as the guilt she'd been pushing down since putting up the house for rent engulfed her chest. Letting out a stifled sob she retreated to her kitchen and began to prep her herbs for the day; pushing all thoughts of 34 Newton Road out of her mind.[/indent][/indent] [center][h1]5:50AM[/h1][/center] [indent] The house was restless. Shadows traced the walls, creeping around corners and sat in doorways. Waiting and watching. The minuets ticked by into hours. Cold sunlight poured through the open windows, illuminating the interior with a soft yellow light. A light coverage of dust lay over the floors and worktops, in certain places tracks had been left in the dust and drawings as well as smaller tracks disrupted the worktops. The shadows could sense the presence of new arrivals and in the eerie silence as they waited with a form of hunger crawling at their insides. A car pulled up outside, the slight screech of the tires abruptly stopping resonated throughout the house. Faces turned towards the front door, looked over the banister into the hall and started out of windows; all in anticipation for the new tenants.[/indent]