When the twins returned home from the store, their parents were in the kitchen, preparing to leave for their weekend getaway. “So, are you kids excited for your sleepover tonight?” their mother asked.  

“Yes!” replied Mackenzie enthusiastically.  

“Did you manage to get everything you needed from the store?” their father inquired.  

Mackenzie responded, “We encountered a bit of a complication, but in the end, yes.”  

“Did you stumble upon another mystery?” their mother teased.  

“You guessed it! Someone vandalized the store, so it was up to us to figure out who did it,” Mackenzie explained.  

“Well, we're about to head out. You have our numbers, so if you need anything, just call and we’ll come back right away, okay?” their mother reassured them.  

“There's money on the table for pizza, in case you kids want a break from snacks,” their father added.  

“Thanks, Dad,” Mason said with a smile.  

“Have a great time this weekend! We love you both,” their mother said as they prepared to leave.  

“Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad! We love you too,” the twins called as their parents departed for their weekend getaway.  

Once their parents were gone, the twins set to work preparing for the sleepover by laying out snacks and drinks. Soon their guests began to arrive, with Olivia being the first.  

“Hey, Olivia!” Mason greeted.  

“Hey, guys!” Olivia responded cheerfully. “We’ve got snacks on the table in case anyone gets hungry before dinner. There are also games in the closet. We can either watch a movie or just chat,” Mackenzie added.  

The next guest to arrive was Justin.  

“Hey, Justin! Glad you could make it,” Mackenzie said.  

“Hey, Mackenzie! I’m happy to be here,” Justin replied.  

Monica and Tommy followed, and finally Max arrived a bit later.  

“Hey, everyone! Thanks for coming. We have money for pizza in case anyone wants to take a break from snacks. I believe Tommy was in charge of bringing the movies for tonight, right?” Mackenzie asked.  

“Yep!” Tommy confirmed. “I brought some of my favorites, including:”—

"The Whispering Dead," "Ghoul School Dropout," "Shadows in the Mirror," "Chill of the Phantom," and "Bloodbath Boulevard"—awesome choices, Tommy," Mason remarked. "Thanks, I figured you’d enjoy these," Tommy replied. 

When it was time to order dinner, the group decided on three pizzas: one cheese, one pepperoni, and one sausage. Once the pizzas arrived, they settled in to watch the movie, choosing "Shadows in the Mirror." After the film, they lingered for a while, chatting before it was time to turn in for the night. 

Later, Mason woke up to use the bathroom when he thought he heard a strange noise. Assuming it was merely the lingering effects of the movie, he dismissed it and continued to the bathroom. Upon returning, he heard the noise again and felt compelled to investigate. Despite his efforts, he found nothing amiss and returned to bed. 

Twenty minutes later, the noise roused him again. Determined to uncover its source, he got up once more, but again found nothing. As he prepared to go back to sleep, he took a moment to glance around the room, ensuring everyone else was still asleep in case the sound had originated from one of them. Everything seemed fine, so Mason tried to drift off once more. However, when he heard the noise again, he sensed that something was amiss and knew it was time to wake his sister.

"Mackenzie," Mason whispered urgently, "wake up. I think there’s someone in the house." 

"Mason, it’s just your imagination. Go back to bed," Mackenzie replied sleepily. 

"I thought it was at first too, but I keep hearing noises," Mason insisted. 

Reluctantly, Mackenzie sat up to investigate, but initially, she heard nothing unusual. Just as she was about to return to bed, a sound echoed through the house—the same noise Mason had heard. 

"Okay, I definitely didn’t imagine that," Mackenzie said, her voice firm. 

"Should we wake the others?" Mason asked apprehensively. 

"I don't think that's necessary," Mackenzie replied. "We can figure out what's happening without disturbing anyone. And we shouldn’t call the police just yet—not until we’re certain there's someone in here." 

But despite their efforts to remain quiet, it was already too late; they had inadvertently awakened Olivia. 

"What’s going on?" she asked, rubbing her tired eyes. "What’s that noise I keep hearing?" 

"That’s what we’re trying to figure out," Mackenzie explained. 

"I think we should split up and search the house," Mason suggested. "Mackenzie, you check the basement; Olivia, upstairs; and I’ll look in the kitchen. If anyone else wakes up, we can have them check the attic." 

With this plan in mind, the three of them scattered, determined to uncover the source of the mysterious noise. 

It wasn’t long before the others began to stir. 

"Can you guys please keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep here," Max groaned. 

"Now that you’re awake, you can check the attic," Mason said. 

"I don’t even know where the attic is," Max replied, sounding exasperated. 

"Just head upstairs, and you’ll find a doorway that leads to a staircase going up to the attic," Mackenzie instructed. 

"Ugh, fine. But you all owe me for this," Max grumbled as he made his way up to the attic, hoping to discover the source of the sound. Once he arrived, however, he too found nothing out of the ordinary.

Feeling uncertain, Mason decided to investigate the attic once more. Upon his return, he discovered a phone lying on the floor. Curious, he took it downstairs to show Mackenzie. “I found this phone in the attic, but I have no idea who it belongs to, and I can't unlock it,” he said. 

“It seems we need a passcode to access it,” Mackenzie replied. “Do you think this could be the source of the noise?” 

“If it were, someone would have to be calling it from inside the house,” Mason replied. 

“Or from outside,” Mackenzie countered. “Let’s set this aside for now. If it rings again, we’ll answer it.” 

“Have we checked the garage yet?” Mason asked. 

“Would anyone like to volunteer?” Mackenzie inquired. 

“I guess I'll go,” Mason said. 

“I'll join you,” Olivia offered, and the two set off to investigate the garage. 

Once there, they heard a strange noise. 

“Did you hear that?” Mason asked. 

“Definitely,” Olivia confirmed. 

“We should report back to the group,” Mason suggested, and they both headed back to Mackenzie and the others. 

“We heard a noise coming from the garage, but we’re not sure what it is,” Mason reported. 

“Are you certain the noise is coming from the garage?” Mackenzie asked. 

“Almost positive,” Mason replied. 

“Alright, I’m going to take another look,” Mackenzie declared. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Mason offered. 

“Sure,” Mackenzie agreed, and the twins returned to investigate the garage again. 

“Alright, whoever's been sneaking around, come on out! We know you're in there!” Mackenzie shouted, prompting a surprising and shocking response from an unexpected guest. 

“Hey, guys!” the guest said. 

“Alicia?!” the twins exclaimed in unison. 

“But how? You were supposed to be in prison!” Mackenzie said. 

“Let’s go inside; I’ll explain everything,” Alicia replied, and the three of them entered the house together. 

“Look who we caught sneaking around!” Mackenzie announced. 

“Alicia?” everyone gasped in shock. 

“I’m guessing this phone belongs to you. Mind explaining how it ended up in the attic?” Mason asked. 

Alicia began to explain how she had been released from prison for good behavior but felt she couldn't go home because of her past actions.

She was too frightened to visit the twins' house, fearing that they might deem her untrustworthy. Upon learning about their sleepover, she waited until nightfall, when everyone was asleep, to sneak in. Initially, she struggled to find a suitable hiding spot—first, she concealed herself in the attic, then in the basement, followed by the kitchen, and finally the garage. Eventually, she realized she had left her phone in the attic, but by that time, she couldn’t risk being discovered to retrieve it, as everyone had already woken up. Thus, she remained hidden in the garage until she was found, leaving the twins with yet another predicament.

“Mackenzie, what are we going to do? We can’t let her stay here,” Mason said.

“Just let me stay for one night, and in the morning, I’ll be out of your hair for good,” Alicia pleaded.

“One night, and that’s it,” Mackenzie replied.

“Mackenzie, maybe Jose can help her,” suggested Mason.

“Why don’t we figure out our plan in the morning?” said Mackenzie. “I’ll get you a blanket, and you can sleep on the couch for now.” 

“Thank you, Mackenzie,” Alicia responded gratefully.

“Please don’t act like we’re still friends, because we’re not,” Mackenzie warned.

“You have every right to be angry and distrustful, and I completely understand. I truly regret what I did to you. I just hope that one day, you might find it in your heart to forgive me,” Alicia said sincerely.

Eventually, everyone settled down for the night, now that the source of the mysterious noise had been revealed. Come morning, they all gathered to discuss what to do about Alicia, knowing they couldn’t simply let her stay.

“Should we call Mom and Dad?” Mason asked.

“No, I would hate for them to panic and come home,” Mackenzie replied.

“So what are we supposed to do?” Mason questioned.

“I’ll be right back,” said Mackenzie.

Mackenzie later returned with Alicia’s mother. “Mom?” Alicia asked. “I told your mother what happened and how you felt scared to come home, fearing she would turn you away,” Mackenzie explained. “It turns out she’s been waiting for you ever since you got out of prison. I think she missed you more than you realize." 

“Thanks, Mackenzie. I promise you won’t see me again after this,” Alicia replied. 

“Alicia, if you can prove to us that you truly have changed, then perhaps we can consider rebuilding our friendship. But you’ll have to earn back our trust,” Mackenzie said firmly. 

“Yeah, I understand,” Alicia responded.

“After you finish your two-month grounding,” Alicia’s mother added, and Alicia embraced her in a heartfelt hug. 

“Let’s go home,” her mother said, and the two drove off together. 

“Still, we have two more nights left of our sleepover. What do you all want to do today? Of course, we’d understand if you prefer to head home after everything that happened last night,” Mackenzie suggested.

“I’m fine with staying a couple more nights. This turned out to be fun!” Justin said. 

“Are you all up for a trip to the arcade?” Mackenzie asked. 

“That sounds like fun!” she agreed. 

And so, the group headed to the arcade, where yet another mystery awaited them.