The next week was seemingly normal to Mallory. Isaac and the Sams stopped showing up at school, though it seemed no one noticed in the slightest. Eliza said that in the classes they had shared, the teachers never mentioned them. She had managed to sneak a peek at the roster for one of her classes and their names weren’t on the list. Their desks were empty, and no one acknowledged the absence. It was as though they had never existed in the first place. Magic.

          Mallory still had to hear about them constantly. It seemed that Eliza invited them in every night, and was eager to talk about it with Mallory the next day. As the end of the week approached, Eliza reported that her parents were taking an extra-long weekend out of town, leaving her home ‘alone.’ “Did you want to come and stay over? I’m thinking of letting them know they can stay in the house as well. It’ll be really fun with all of us there, like a sleepover,” Eliza pleaded, seeing that Mallory wasn’t entirely interested.

          Mallory finally reluctantly agreed, which is how she found herself parking in Eliza’s driveway again on a Friday evening. The strange sensation of trespassing still thrummed in her stomach. Eliza opened the door as she approached, obviously waiting for her arrival. “Are they inside?” Mallory asked as the door shut behind her.

          Eliza shook her head. “No, not yet.” She watched Mallory’s gaze drift down the pictures hanging in the front hallway and linger on Michael’s senior pics from high school. “He’s doing well in college so far,” she said.

          Mallory flushed and nodded, quickly looking away. “Well, he was always pretty smart.” Eliza smirked knowingly, and Mallory grimaced – her crush on Michael had never been well hidden. Instead of saying anything though, Eliza turned and led her into the house. She called for Isaac softly from the back door, and he appeared, with the Sam’s trailing after him.