The next morning, Mallory sets up a lunchtime pool party so Adrian can keep Teddy occupied while Mallory and Mitzi try to contact Anya in the cottage. Teddy happily helps prepare food and is thrilled that Adrian will babysit him. Mallory, who is too nervous to eat, gives Adrian repeated warnings about Teddy’s safety around the pool and reminds him to stay away from the cottage no matter what he hears.

Inside the cottage, Mitzi has transformed the room for the séance by covering the windows, burning sage, lighting candles, and placing a spirit board inside a circle of sea salt. Before starting, Mitzi reviews Mallory’s growing collection of disturbing drawings, including three new pictures that appeared under the cottage door that morning. Mitzi is especially unsettled by the latest image, and she and Mallory sit down at the table with an empty chair reserved for Anya.

Mitzi begins calling first for Annie Barrett and then for Anya while Mallory tries to relax and follow her instructions. As the session continues, Mallory feels herself slipping into a trance and becomes less aware of the sounds from the backyard. Then Mallory feels what seems like a physical presence behind her: something brushes her neck, hair grazes her shoulder, and pressure settles over her hand. The planchette begins to move, but instead of producing a clear answer, it spells fragments and nonsense letters.

Mitzi assumes Mallory is unconsciously or deliberately pushing the planchette and grows increasingly irritated as the movement becomes wilder. When Mitzi lifts her own fingers, the planchette still keeps moving under Mallory’s hand and finally shoots off the table. Mitzi explodes, accusing Mallory of wasting her time and inventing the entire haunting, while Mallory insists Anya was guiding her arm. At that moment Teddy, hiding from Adrian during a pool game, slips into the cottage and sees the setup. Mallory hurriedly claims it is only a toy, but Mitzi contradicts her and tells Teddy the board is real.

Adrian comes over to retrieve Teddy, and the failed séance fully collapses. Mitzi packs up her supplies, declares there are no spirits in the cottage, and storms off, insulting Mallory as she leaves. Mallory tells Adrian that she truly felt Anya in the room even though the message came through as gibberish. Teddy senses the tension and walks away disappointed, while Mallory is left worrying less about Mitzi’s anger than about Teddy telling his parents what happened.