“So all the people who have come through here,” Abby swallowed.  She was feeling very parched again, as if the ghost mall had taken longer to get out of and taken more out of her than she’d guessed or anticipated.  “All of those people, and only three of them were us.  Where did the rest of us go?”

“I think you know-” Yadira stopped herself again with a small huff.  “The practice of being obscure is a hard one to break. I apologize. I think that many, many Abigails have died, and that while not as many Olivias have died, many have been stranded.”  She paused, and then admitted, so softly that Abby could barely hear her, “That magic is new. The fact that only pairs – and only specific pairs – can travel the malls is very new. So much has happened since the curse came down.  It’s changed everything about this place, and none of it for the better.” She looked between them solemnly. “How did you come to this particular place?”

“Ignoring advice we’d been given,” Abby admitted. Continue reading →