Once outside, Mallory collapsed on the overgrown grass and took several large gasps of the refreshingly clear air, reveling in the warmth and light of the fading day. It felt great to be out of that dark death trap. She thought briefly of her knife, but didn’t want to go back into the house immediately. After her breathing calmed, she opened her eyes and sat back up, dusting herself off as she observed the pair of young men that had rescued them.

Isaac was easily discernible from Eliza’s description of him. He was broad shouldered and thin waisted, with wavy strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and a dimpled smile that seemed suited to a life in politics. He was flashing that smile now at both her and Eliza. Mallory thought he looked a little too old to be in high school. Eliza stood sheepishly a few feet away from him, refusing to look up from the ground. She had turned a shade of pink that wasn’t entirely due to the exertion of their ordeal. She had immediately started preening, attempting to put her hair in order and dust her clothes off, obviously worried about how she appeared to Isaac.

“So, you were following us,” the dark haired one said, smirking slightly. “I was pretty sure it was the same car behind us since we left the school.” Eliza turned a deeper shade of red at his words, still refusing to look up. “Any particular reason?”

“She likes him,” Mallory said simply, gesturing vaguely between Eliza and Isaac. Both heads shot up and stared at her in surprise, and Eliza started a spluttered protest.

“Really?” Isaac said, sounding awed. Mallory noted he did not look at all disappointed.

She grimaced. The dark haired one chuckled and offered his hand to her. “My name is Sampson,” he introduced.

“Mallory.” She waved away his hand and stood up on her own, and he shrugged and stepped back to give her more room.

“Pleasure.” A young woman with short black hair came jogging out from a nearby copse of trees. Sampson nodded toward her. “And that’s Samanda.”

“What kind of name is Samanda?” Mallory wondered aloud, still annoyed at the entire situation. As she approached, Mallory noted that there was a strong resemblance between Samanda and Sampson, and she wondered if they were twins. She shared the same nose and sharp features, and there was something of a perpetual smirk threatening the corner of her lips.

Samanda grinned as she approached, and responded, “It’s Amanada, with an S.” She had the same strangely lilting accent as Sampson that Mallory couldn’t quite place. It was almost but not quite Irish. Sampson raised an eyebrow at the approaching girl, who gave a slight shake of her head, before saying, “What happened to all of you?” in a way that sounded suspiciously like over-acting to Mallory’s ears.

Frowning at the unspoken communication between the two, Mallory felt suddenly exhausted. She had the feeling that knowing more would be bad and decided not to push the issue. “Thanks for the…” she tried to think for a moment of how they could have possibly saved them and found her mind hurtling through all sorts of impossible mental gymnastics. “…help. We need to go.” She turned and unceremoniously bee-lined for her vehicle, and heard Eliza murmuring embarrassed goodbyes as she quickly followed.