It turned into quite a fun night. They ordered out for some food, and while they perused their options, Eliza was an unending litany of questions. She seemed to want to know every mundane thing there was to know about Isaac, and graciously didn’t want to let the Sams feel left out either. They discussed favorite foods, and least favorite foods. Eliza let them look over the board and card games her parents kept in the den while they discussed childhood games Isaac and the Sams played when they were younger. Eliza talked about growing up with Michael, and how she had met Mallory in elementary school. “Really? You saved her from bullies?” Isaac said with a laugh.

Mallory nodded solemnly. “It’s true. I usually tried to ignore them, but Eliza saw what was happening and screamed her head off at them.”

“And that worked?” Sampson asked.

“No,” Eliza said. She laughed, hiding her face in her hands. “It completely backfired, I just pissed them off, and they were older, way bigger, and they tried beating me up. But that’s when Mallory stepped in. She would never raise a hand to help herself against them, but she was very willing to protect someone else.”

“And you’ve been friends since?” Isaac asked. Eliza and Mallory both nodded.

Isaac was an only child, but had always had the Sams trailing as bodyguards, and grew up very close to his cousins.

          “Really? Triplets?” Eliza asked, sounding horrified as Isaac mentioned his cousins.

          “Yes, but not identical. They’re all completely different, and you’d never guess they were brothers, let alone that they shared a womb,” Isaac chuckled. “But I love them each for their eccentricities.”

          They played some games, and ate the food when it came. Then since it was still very warm for September, they played in the pool briefly before piling into the house. They took turns showering and dressing down into pajamas. They stayed up late talking.

          Sampson disappeared at some point to take his turn at watch, the only sign that anything about their presence was unusual. Mallory drifted off, leaning against Eliza as she and Isaac continued to softly talk late into the night. This actually was a lot of fun, she thought to herself briefly.