Annie and I were sick of this cat-and-mouse routine. No more. If we had to reside in a haunted mansion, we would have to show the ghosts who were the bosses. We needed to face our fears and stand up to them.

Annie rolled up her sleeves. "You are going down," she said to the female ghost. "Or up. Wherever the spirits are supposed to go after death."

We charged at the ghost, and she took off running. Er, floating. Despite that she had a tail instead of legs, she was faster than us. My sister and I chased her for what felt like hours until we ended up in the library. We stopped to catch our breaths as the ghost passed through a wall. We may have lost her for now, but I had no doubt that we frightened her.

"Great," Annie choked out. "She is gone."

"This will not be the last that you see of her," our friend Rebecca stated. She was behind us, and we spun around. Her hands were hiding behind her back. "I was following you. That is how I knew that you were in here."

"We were chasing the ghost," I explained.

She squinted as if studying us. "That is what baffled me. Why the heck would you defenseless humans attempt something that could cause your deaths? Ghosts are not creatures that you should mess with, especially if they are trapped. Like your relatives. Trapped and in despair."

"What do you mean that the ghosts of our relatives are trapped? Aside from being dead and evil, they seem fine."

Rebecca strolled over to the table and pulled out one of the chairs. "Have a seat, you two. There are tons of secrets that you do not know about your ancestors."

Annie and I glanced at each other and shrugged. What did we have to lose? We sat at the table, and Rebecca revealed to us that our ancestors were never nice people. It began with our great-grandparents. When they were in their teens, their families moved to a new town. The neighborhood was filled with rich kids. They were so rich that their shoes were made from real gold.

I looked under the table at my shoes. I am not rotten like most of the rich...am I?

Our great-grandparents came from poor families and could not afford much except food and clothes. They met and fell in love a year before graduation, and when they passed high school, they skipped college and started their own business, which is the same company that our parents run.

"I do not understand," I admitted. "They worked hard on making their dream come true. What is so evil about that? Did they construct their building on land where trees were?"

"Although that I am one with nature, it has nothing to do with plants or the environment," Rebecca said. "Want to know where they got the money?"

"Uh, they worked three jobs?"

"Good guess, but no." She breathed in. "They stole the money."

My eyes were so wide that I thought that they would pop out of my sockets. I should have expected that. The opposite of hard work is stealing. And yet...I was in shock. My great-grandparents stole people's money? Why? Just...why? Yes, they were poor, but that does not justify stealing.

"You are probably asking yourselves why they would go down a dark path," Rebecca said. "They are not the kind great-grandparents that you and the fans assumed. They spent time with the rich kids, and their hearts turned rotten. Spoiled rotten."

My sister was rocking back and forth in her chair. She does that when she is worried. "If the company exists because they stole money...does that mean...?"

"Ann!" Arnold called. "Your friends are here!"

I groaned and looked at Rebecca. "Sorry, Rebecca. We are going to have to cut this short. My worst nightmares have arrived."

"So the ghosts are not your worst?"

Abigail, Mira, and Clover were, as they called it, fashionably early. They were excited to hang out with me and had a list of activities that they were letting - forcing - me to do. No thank you. I am not interested in putting skeleton heads on my nails. It is bad enough that I am being stalked by ghosts.

The four of us were in my bedroom and playing my least favorite game. Truth or Dare. If I were playing with anybody else, I would not mind it. But Clover, Mira, and Abigail are obsessed with True or Dare to the point that you question their mental health. If you pick truth, they will ask you a personal question. Not who is your secret crush. Something like...have you ever killed someone by accident? What kind of messed up question is that?!

Should I even venture into what they dare? Should I spare you readers? Nah. If I am suffering, you are suffering with me.

One time, Abigail dared me to jump off the roof. I did not do it because I have common sense. Too bad that common sense is uncommon nowadays. I told Abigail that if she wanted to witness it, then she should jump. The only way that she will learn is if she feels the pain.

Finally, it was my turn. My "friends" snickered and asked if I wanted to tell the truth or take a dare. I was not participating this time. I was putting my foot down and telling them once and for all that I would not be part of their twisted game. It was then that we heard screaming.

"What was that?!" Clover exclaimed.

"Sounds like that it is coming from down the hall!" Abigail announced.

The scream definitely belonged to a young child. We scrambled out of my room and to another. Annie's bedroom.

I opened the door - and was beyond horrified.

Annie was pale. Annie was motionless.

Annie was dead.