The other two girls in their group, a pair of blond twins Alice could never tell apart, pushed the gate further open. One of them turned to Gwen with a taunting smile. “Not scared are you?” she teased.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Althea,” Gwen huffed. “You and Tweedle-Dee are probably more scared than me. Probably even more scared than Alice!”

Gwen and Althea laughed as Alice felt her cheeks burn, while “Tweedle-Dee” muttered, “I have a name, you know. Alanna is a perfectly good name.”

Tess patted Alanna’s shoulder. “You have a very pretty name, Alanna. Don’t worry about it. They’re just being cats.”

Althea and Gwen suddenly broke free of their group and ran towards The Stanley House, howling like banshees. They flicked their flashlights on and off, scattering light like so much confetti. Tess sighed. “Great. I told them not to draw attention to themselves. Next thing, we’ll have the cops chasing us out of here.”

Alice nodded, her attention suddenly caught by a movement up above. A flutter in a window.