The clock was ticking towards the afternoon, and my sister and I still saw no sign of our mom and dad. We promised each other that we would tell them everything that occurred in this haunted mansion during their absence and hopefully convince them to live in our old mansion until another one that was not haunted was for sale.

"What about Arnold?" Annie said. "We cannot possibly leave him behind. He has dealt with the ghosts for far too long and needs to be in a home where he will not have to constantly listen to a piano when he is supposed to be sleeping."

"You read my mind," I responded. "The ghosts will not end his life because he is not an Archer, but they will sure drive him to madness. He does not deserve that."

"Exactly. Which is why he should move in with us. Our mansion is not as huge and nice as this mansion, but there are no dead people wanting to murder us."

The grandfather clock struck at twelve o'clock p.m., and Arnold, Annie, and I heard the doorbell ring. Arnold promised that he would be right back and handed me a device. I asked what the device was, and he said that it was a taser.

"You mean like the taser that cops use?" my sister guessed correctly.

"Yes, Annie. Before I worked for your grandma and grandpa, I used to be an officer."

"You did? That must have been exciting."

"You had better believe it. My job was to supply doughnuts for the other officers, and I got to experience robberies and murders." He sighed happily. "Those were the days. Too bad that I had to be let go because there were hardly any crimes in the town of Forlot."

"You used to be a Forlot cop?" I said.

"One of the best. Unfortunately, the station shut down, and most of my buddies moved to the town next door to continue being great officers."

I could not help but feel bad for him. "I am sorry that you lost your job."

He shook his finger at me. "Those are the exact words that your grandma said to me when I first met her and your grandpa. They were good people."

The doorbell rang again. And again. And again. Then loud bangs occurred on the front door.

I hoped that Mom and Dad were here, and as if Annie could read my thoughts, she said, "That has to be Mom and Dad. Who else could it be?"

Arnold hurried out of the living room. Seconds later, a group of girls shuffled their way into the room, and the lead one who was named Abigail gave me a smirk.

"Hi, Ann. Are you excited to see us?"

I groaned and wished that the ghosts would scare the living daylights out of them, for these girls were a challenge to look at and talk to. The three girls were the same age as me and the so-called "friends" that my mother and father set me up with. They are nothing like me and not interested in any hobbies that I enjoy. They are full of themselves and bully kids who are not rich like us. Rich people like them were giving rich people like me a bad name.

Abigail was the leader and made the decisions for the other two girls regardless if they liked it or not. She had darker skin, and her black hair was tied in a bun. She was wearing a purple, sleeveless dress that stretched to the floor and was covered with glitter. She had a purple fan in her hand and was fanning herself.

Mira and Clover were Abigail's best friends. They both had pale skin. Mira had short, brown hair and was wearing a green, long-sleeved dress that touched the floor and was made from fake scales. Clover had short, blonde hair and wore a red, short-sleeved dress that also reached the floor and had red bows around her waist.

Mira uttered a gasp. "My goodness, Ann. What in the world happened to you?"

Annie was about to tell them of the ghosts that haunted the place, especially the one that almost killed me, but I stopped her and whispered, "Do not mention the ghosts. They will never believe it."

"Did you fall down the stairs or something?" Clover asked.

"Yeah," I lied. "I tripped and fell. I am so clumsy."

"Will you recover by tonight?" Abigail said.

I quirked an eyebrow. "What is happening tonight, Abigail?"

"The girls and I heard from reliable sources that you and your family were moving to this mansion and living here for free. At first, I was angry with you because you did not say goodbye to us. But then, I came up with a brilliant idea. You will host a goodbye party in your new mansion. It will be a sleepover in your room, and Clover, Mira, and I will be your guests."

"I do not think that is such a hot idea," Annie stated.

Abigail frowned at her. "Beat it, pipsqueak. The grownups are chatting."

It was Annie's turn to frown. She stormed up to Abigail and kicked her shin. Abigail cried out and rubbed her shin. She growled and grabbed my sister's wrist.

"If you hurt me again, pipsqueak, I promise you that you will regret it."

"Hurt me, and you will be charged for harming a defenseless girl," Annie shot back. "I have the puppy eyes to prove it."

Abigail let go of her wrist, and Annie rushed back to my side and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"The sleepover will start at seven o'clock, but Mira, Clover, and I will not arrive until it is eight o'clock."

I rubbed Annie's back. "Then why start it at seven o'clock?"

"We are going to be fashionably late. Duh," Clover replied.

With that, the girls finally left.

This was not going to end well.