NINA CLAWED AT the wall as if she might dig her way to freedom. She broke a couple of fingernails, and soon she’d streaked the white surface with red.

“Stop it,” said Lou softly, grabbing at Nina’s hands and pulling them down by Nina’s side. “You’ll only hurt yourself more.”

Nina slumped to the floor, weeping, holding her hands to her face. “Mama … Auntie Kerani … Please find me,” she mumbled.

The refrigerator door rattled again. This time, a little harder. The group turned from Nina and waited for it to happen again.

Lou bent down and rubbed at Nina’s shoulder, surprised that the jumpy girl wasn’t complaining. In fact, Nina turned her cheek and wiped her tears on Lou’s arm. The wetness was kind of gross, but Lou didn’t mind. She figured that they’d all discovered their own method of finding comfort. Sadie hugged her ukulele tighter. Cal needed to relate his experience as part of a story. Marcus had told them that playing the piano in the music room had been his balm. She wasn’t sure about Rufus yet, and Nina seemed to appreciate kindness from the women in her life—her mom and aunt, and now Lou. She thought about her brother. If Jason really was trapped somewhere in this house—as Rufus and Nina believed—how was he getting through it without breaking into pieces? Lou half hoped that he was here with her in some form; but the other half of her wished he were far from here, dreaming clueless dreams.

Something slammed at the fridge door from inside, and it rocked in place for several seconds. Nina screamed again, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes. Sadie groaned, squeezing the ukulele so tightly the strings squeaked.

“We have to remain calm,” said Lou.

“How?” asked Rufus, trembling.

“I know how,” Cal answered, stepping away from the group. “We open the refrigerator door.”

Sadie stomped on the floor and glared at him. “That sounds like a bad, bad idea, Cal.”

Cal shrugged. “Not at all. If we don’t want our story to end in this room, our only option is to see what’s inside.”

“I’m with Sadie.” Nina stood, her fists clenched. “Don’t. You. Dare.”

“The house wants us scared,” Cal said. “So waiting to see what happens here will only hurt us in the long run. If we open the door, we learn what’s inside. It could be terrifying, but it could also be nothing at all. Not knowing can be more frightening than having the scariest answer.”

Nina glared at him. “You can’t be serious.”

Sadie shook her head and then pointed at Cal, her finger trembling. “If we were standing at the edge of a cliff, we’d feel scared about falling and hitting the rocks below. But we wouldn’t step off the ledge just to stop worrying about it.”