The Phantom Road Trip

Mark stood by his bedroom window, peeking through the blinds at the quiet street below. Behind him, the room was filled with the eerie stillness of the three frozen teen girls, posed and silent like lifelike statues. Phoebe, Gabriella, and Dawn still stood in their line up in the middle of Mark’s room, though all three were now missing their shoes, standing in just their socks.

Katie sat cross-legged on Mark’s bed, scrolling through her phone, thinking. “We talk about how to make these three disappear. We can’t cover them up one at a time,” she said finally. “It’s too much risk. Too many stories to keep straight.”

Mark turned back toward her. “Then what do we do?”

Katie looked up at him. “We keep it simple and make it look like they left together. Just… left on a last-minute road trip once school let out for winter break. No real explanation.”

Mark raised an eyebrow, considering it. “O.K. That could work. People already know they’re close.”

“Exactly,” she said, getting up and walking over to Gabriella. “We leave a note in Gabriella’s bedroom or send her parents a text message. Something like, ‘We needed a break. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be back soon.’ That kind of thing.” She grabbed Gabriella’s breasts though her sweater, causing the Latina to wobble in place on her sock clad feet. “We will need to go to their homes, take some, clothes and other things they would bring on such a trip.”

Mark nodded slowly, now pacing between Phoebe and Dawn. “We’ll also need to wipe their socials. No new posts, nothing suspicious. Just silence. Let people assume they’re off the grid for a while.” Sneakily he grabs both frozen girl’s butts, though they don’t seem to notice this.

Katie smiled faintly, eyes drifting to Dawn’s face. “Everyone will think they’re just being impulsive. Typical teenage drama. Vanished for the thrill of it.”

Mark stepped closer to Gabriella and crouched in front of her. “Hopefully no cops, no investigations. Just people gossiping.”

“Exactly. Once enough time passes,” Katie said, “they’ll be old news. Just another high school mystery only a few remember.”

Mark stood and looked at all three frozen girls, not a concern from them as their future is discussed. They had **** in the mater, and never will again. “When in reality, they’ll be right here.”

Katie walked to his side, “If that’s it, let’s do it.”