"Yeah. only it sounds more like, "I know..." this is getting kinda weird. We now it's not anyone in our houses..."

"Are you sure Tay or Zac didn't sneak in or something?"

"I'm sure. Now that I remember, Tay had to go to the doctor, and Zac went to the movies with his friends. That's clear across town, and he can't get home 'till Mom picks him up."

"Thanks for the ride home Mrs. Sardowsky! Bye Jeff!" Zac said as he got out of his best friend's Jeep. He walked in the back door and went straight to the basement to work out some parts of a new song. He had goten about four steps down when he saw a girl about his age or a little younger sitting on the bean bag listening to something on the phone. She didn't notice him until he spoke.

"Ahem, who are you?"

The girl jumped at his voice. "Wha-" Then she realized that it was Zac. She pulled out a little pocket knife that she had won at the fair the year before. "Sit down and don't make me use this."

Zac just stood against the wall and tried not to laugh. "What are you doing here?" he said between giggles.

"What's so funny? Sit down!"

"Okay, okay! Just answer my question!" Then realization came over his face. He had seen her at Applebees with the group of screaming girls. 'Oh no, an obsessed fan with a pocket knife, in the basement with the phone. This can't be good' he thought to himself.

"Why should I tell you, you're my hostage, Zaccy!"

"Hostage? You're gonna keep me here in my own house with that silly little carnival knife? Ha ha. I've seen you before. You were in that group of crazy girls at Applebees the other day. So tell me, what're you doing with the phone?"

"Crazy girls? Is that what you call your fans?"

"Only when they scream if they see us in public..."

"Huh. Well, if you must know, your brother is talking to his girlfriend."

"You know, we could have you arrested for stalking, breaking and entering, holding someone against their will, probably a few other things..."

"I didn't break in, the door was unlocked. But come on, maybe you could help me."

'This girl has lost it. She really is insane.' Zac was thinking when he heard Ike yell something. 'but, she is kinda cute, and I do want to know what Ike and Kendle are saying...' "There's a closet over there under the stairs. You can hide there if you want."

"Thanks Zac, but you should hide too. He doesn't think anyone else is here besides him."

"Oh, okay. Come on."

The "closet", which was just the place where the fuse box goes, was a bit cramped. Trying to put shelves in there, let alone two people and a phone, was a task, but they managed.

"So, what exactly are you doing anyway? Just listening in?"

"No, my friend Jessi dared me to sneak in and try to scare her sister."

"Ah, yes, Jessi. Also from Applebees."

"That's right," she replied as she took the phone off of mute and put it up to her ear. Ike was back on the phone saying how there was on one there. Then as a spur of the moment thought, she started whispering, "I know," over and over.

Zac had sat down on the floor under a shelf so there would be more room. Kendle had put the phone back on mute, so he started suggesting things to say.

"Hey, it stopped. Must have just been the phone lines or something," Kendle commented.

They talked aimlessly for about another five minutes, and then it started again, only this time it was saying something else, but still whispering.

"I know where you live. I am the whisperer. I know all."

"Okay, I don't know who you really are or what you want, but you better get off this line now before I call the cops," Isaac said to 'The Whisperer', starting to get really freaked out.

Kendle was just listening to Isaac and whoever else had tapped into the line or whatever was going on. She was really freaked out. Already, she had gone downstairs and checked to be sure that the doors were locked, then she had locked Jessi and her in her bedroom.

"I have come to retrieve you and take you back home to where you belong..." Zac said, then quickly hit 'mute' again so he could laugh.

"That was a good one!" The girl, who had now come to be known as Jean.

"Thanks. Hmm... let's see, how about something about flying monkeys...."

Jean took the phone off mute and started talking again, this time taking a raspy voice, "The flying monkeys of your home will be glad to see you. You will no longer have to hide in that hideous homo-sapien motif that you have used as a cover on Earth for 18 years."

"I don't even know why I am listening to this. I can just hang up the phone. Good bye Kendle. See you this weekend."

"Wait! If you hang up, you will explode and reform into an oscelostrich! you have been on this planet for so long, they have brainwashed you of your true self. You probably don't even notice the costume anymore. Don't deny your true life back on Glorbacadorchew," Zac said, mimicking Jean's raspyness.

Zac heard a click on the phone, and to everyone's surprise, someone lit off a 1000 pack of firecrackers outside in the ally.