But Brenda was a light sleeper…she'd grown up in an unstable world and learned by necessity to always be aware of her surroundings. Even as she dreamed, a small, vigilant part of her mind remained alert. Although she'd become accustomed to the old place, which seemed to come alive at night, any creak or footfall out of the ordinary, no matter how slight, disturbed her sleep. On some level she'd heard him come in and, despite being exhausted, she woke.