Reaching the address Ms. Harper had given them, Alex and the others found themselves in a pleasant neighborhood. The house itself was a simple, two-story structure with a small porch. Taking a moment to gather himself, Alex knocked on the door.
When the door opened, the group froze. Ms. Harper stood there, but she wasn't wearing the teacher clothes they were used to. She was dressed in long, heavy black robes. Behind her, the living room was full of people they didn't know, strangers of all ages, all dressed in the same dark robes.
"You're here," Ms. Harper said, her voice calm. "Welcome."
The Rabbits huddled closer together. Victor stepped back a link, his eyes darting toward the street. It looked like a cult or something out of a movie, and the sight of all those people in black watching them made Alex's skin crawl.
"Who are they?" Alex asked, his voice low.
"Family," Ms. Harper answered simply. She stepped aside to let them in. "Don't be afraid. We were just about to eat."
Despite the creepy outfits, the smell coming from the kitchen was incredible. It was the scent of real, roasting meat and seasoned vegetables nothing like the lukewarm burgers Jimmy gave them.
Looking past the adults, Alex saw other kids their age sitting on a rug near the back. They looked normal, healthy, and they were eating from plates piled high with food.
Casey's stomach let out a loud growl that seemed to echo in the quiet hallway. She looked at Alex with wide, pleading eyes.
"It's okay," Alex whispered, though he wasn't entirely sure. He looked at Ms. Harper again. She looked exactly the same as she did at school, just in different clothes.
He glanced at the others, his mind racing. It was 2025, What were the odds that his kind, caring history teacher was part of some weird cult? Better yet, what were the odds of cults even existing anymore in a world?
It felt like something out of an old documentary, not something you'd run into just a few blocks away from the alley.
"Is this... a party?" Ethan muttered, his voice shaking as he stared at the sea of black fabric.
"Something like that," Ms. Harper said, her tone as gentle as it was in the classroom.
"Come in," she said again. "The food is getting cold."
The smell of the meat was too much to ignore. One by one, the Rabbits followed Alex across the threshold, stepping out of the dark night and into the strange, crowded warmth of the house.
As the Rabbits shuffled inside, the heavy front door clicked shut, sealing out the damp night air. The house was cozy, but with nearly twenty people in the foyer and living room wearing those thick, floor-length robes, it felt cramped and breathless.
Ms. Harper clapped her hands together softly, the silver rings on her fingers catching the light. "Now that everyone is finally here, it's time for the main course." She gestured toward a door at the end of the hallway. "We'll be heading to the basement."
Alex stopped mid-step, his hand instinctively moving toward Casey's shoulder. "The basement? Why can't we just stay here?
The adults in robes turned their heads in unison. It was subtle, but the way their eyes tracked the kids made Victor shift his weight, ready to bolt for a window.
Ms. Harper didn't skip a beat. She gave a small, self-deprecating laugh, looking around at the crowded room. "Honestly, Alex, I didn't expect so many more children to show up tonight. My dining room table only seats six, and I'd hate for half of you to have to eat standing up like it's a subway station."
Ms. Harper stepped closer, tilting her head with that familiar, patient softening of her eyes, the same look she used when a student couldn't quite grasp the cause of the Civil War. She smoothed a stray hair away from Casey's forehead, her movements steady and maternal.
"It's mostly just bare concrete and those shaky folding tables downstairs," she said, her voice dropping to a warm, conspiratorial hum. She gestured toward the cramped hallway where three robed men stood shoulder-to-shoulder.
"But look at us, Alex. My dining table only has six chairs. I'd have half of you eating off your laps in the foyer like a crowded bus station, and that's no way to treat guests."
She gave a small, airy laugh, looking around at the packed room as if she were just a flustered host dealing with an over-capacity dinner party. "It's not elegant, but at least down there, the whole family can sit together at once. I want everyone to have a proper seat for the main course."
She glanced over at the kids on the rug who were already finishing their rolls. "These little ones arrived nearly an hour before you. I couldn't help but give them a head start because they looked so hungry, but the real feast is downstairs."
Alex looked at the kids on the rug. They were wiping gravy off their chins, looking perfectly content. One girl even waved at Casey. His suspicion, which had been spiked at 100%, started to dip.
"See?" Lily whispered, her eyes fixed on a tray of sliced brisket being carried toward the basement door by a robed man. "They're fine, Alex. And that meat smells incredible."
"Okay," Alex said, exhaling a breath he'd been holding since they knocked. "Let's go eat."
They followed the line of black robes toward the basement door, the promise of the "main course" drowning out the last of their instincts.
One by one, the Rabbits descended. The wooden stairs groaned under their weight, the air growing cooler and smelling more intensely of iron and rosemary the deeper they went. Just as Victor, the last in line, stepped onto the concrete floor, a sharp, metallic click echoed from above.
Under the harsh glow of overhead fluorescent hums, several long folding tables had been pushed together. They weren't empty. Every inch of the white plastic was covered.
There were silver platters piled high with thick, dripping slabs of red meat, bowls of glistening roasted root vegetables, and baskets of bread still steaming. Each place setting had a plate already heaped with food, the steam rising in swirling columns toward the low ceiling.
"Well?" she whispered, her voice smooth and encouraging. "What are you waiting for? Sit. Eat until you can't eat anymore."