Jason nodded, thinking of home, of their parents fighting. He imagined the possibility that everything was so fragile, their family might simply fall to pieces. Impossible to reorganize and reassemble. “Lou needs to know that we’re in this together.”

“Very good,” said Connie, a glint in her eye. “Now, let’s go contact the others.”

CHAPTER 15

“WHICH WAY?” SADIE asked. She was waiting with Lou and Cal near a fork in the hall. One short path was well lit by glass wall sconces. At the end was a closed door with a brass knob that glistened. The other path stretched far into shadow.

Lou shook her head. “This doesn’t look familiar. I don’t think this hallway was in my dollhouse. There should be another chimney just off the main foyer. But I have no clue how to get there from here.”

Sadie stepped into the center of the passage, away from the walls like she was afraid that they might reach out and grab her. “Did the house change shape again?”

“Maybe,” said Lou. “Or maybe we’re not even inside my version of the dollhouse anymore.”

“Where else would we be?” Sadie asked.

Nowhere … Alone … Lou shook the thought away and then waved the group toward the brighter passage.

But Cal nodded toward the darker one. “Let’s try this way instead.”

“Why on earth would we do that?” asked Sadie.

“In horror movies, the characters always seek the least frightening way out of dangerous situations. And most times, that choice ends up leading them directly into the belly of the beast … so to speak.” Cal stepped around the corner into the shadow. “Let’s change the game. If this house can move around and shift its form, there must be something controlling it that wants us to go into the light. We need to go the opposite way. This way.”

Lou stood still, unwilling to step into the darker passage. She’d had enough darkness today. She took Sadie’s elbow and pulled her close. “I don’t like it,” she whispered. “We’re not in a horror movie, Cal.”

“But scary stories follow patterns for a reason. People in these situations tend to behave in certain ways. I’ve watched enough of them to know. If this house understands what scares us, it’ll keep playing with our expectations.”

Sadie scowled. “What if it expects you to say this?”

“It expects us to fight,” Cal reasoned. “Even with one another.” He crossed his arms. For the first time since Lou had encountered him in the screening room, Cal looked annoyed. “So … it’s doing a good job with that part of it.”

“He’s right.” Sadie sighed. “We’ll give you this one, Cal. But at the next fork in the path, Lou gets to choose. Okay?”

Cal nodded and then glanced at Lou.