The Strangers

Emma tries to stay calm in the face of an increasingly irrational situation. The spinning room transported them to a different house, and the entire outside world seems different—looming storm clouds replace a sunny sky only moments before, and a rank smell is in the air. Emma, Finn, and Natalie step out of the house hoping to find a familiar landmark in the neighborhood, but Chess doesn’t move, suggesting they go back. Emma prompts Chess to follow them, pulling him by the arm, but as he stumbles off the porch, the front door swings shut. He tries to open it, but the door is locked. 

As they explore beyond the front yard, Chess struggles with fear and confusion. As the eldest, he feels the extra burden of remaining calm for the sake of his younger siblings. His mind wanders, and he worries he will be separated from Emma and Finn if their mother never returns. As they venture out on to the street, they see five older boys approach. One of the boys recognizes Natalie, calling her by name. He then tells them a story about a criminal being captured after eight years in hiding, and about how the authorities spread a story of her children being kidnapped to lure her out of hiding.