It was then that I realized that I needed to get out of this mansion. Take a break from the haunting and craziness and get some fresh air. Leaving our new home would not be enough. I needed to leave the property. I would run and find something useful to do with my time. An activity that would help me forget about the ghosts for a while.

"What can you do in Forlot?" I asked Arnold.

Arnold and I were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table. Annie was in the next room and playing with the toys that she brought along. Despite the fact that she is a girl, Annie has a taste for both girl and boy toys. Her favorite toys are action figures and dolls. Sometimes, she would have one of her famous tea parties with her toys. If it is not a tea party like that it was at that time, it is fighting. The action figures are the heroes, and the dolls are the villains.

Arnold and I could overhear her mimicking sounds, and he chuckled. "Annie has quite the imagination," he remarked. He was reading the newspaper and lowered it. "My apologies, Ann. You said something a few seconds ago. What was it?"

"I am bored," I explained. Although that was not the real reason why I desired to leave this haunted place, it was not a lie. I was getting bored by the minute.

"Oh?" He folded his newspaper and laid it on the table. "I am sure that we can find something fun for you. You must have brought some fun things to occupy yourself during the car ride."

I shook my head. "I finished reading my book and completed a game. Those are the only fun things that I have on me."

"Hmm..." He rubbed his chin and stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I will admit that the way that he was staring at me creeped me out.

"W-why are you staring at me like that?" I stuttered.

"I am thinking," Arnold responded in a low tone. He slammed his palm against the table, which caused me to flinch. "And you have what it takes."

What was he talking about?

As if he could read my mind, he said, "I believe - no, I know - that you would have the part in the play. You resemble her and act like her."

Arnold was referring to a play that would be shown to the public next week. Forlot's theater, also known as La Treata, was putting on a play featuring some of the fairytale characters. The director of said play was searching for the best of the best, and Arnold said that I had potential.

I pointed at myself. "Me? But I am not an actress. I have never acted in all my life."

"Just because you have never acted does not mean that the talent is not in you," Arnold claimed. "I will tell you that our writer had no clue that she had the skill until she got up one day and...did it. The talent has always been a part of her. She never had the need to practice because she already knew what had to be done." He reached out and placed his hand over mine. "You will too when you are on the stage."

His words made me curious.Was I destined to be an actress? Was acting a hidden talent that was waiting to blossom? One thing was for sure. I would never know until I gave it a try. Forlot is my new home. Might as well make my presence known to the community.

I was now standing in front of La Treata. Arnold had offered to give me a ride in his car, but I reassured him that I would be alright with walking. All the way down the mountain. You would be surprised, for the mountain is not tough to climb down from.

Both the outside and inside were beautiful. The roof and walls were shades of purple, and the words "La Treata" were written in bright yellow. I pushed open the double doors and stepped inside. The floor and walls were dark red and carpeted. A black sign had a white arrow pointing at another set of doors across from me. I walked and pushed those doors open and was met by people. And no. They were not ghosts.

An adult was standing on the stage and waving her hands around as if she were conducting. I guessed that she was the director. Sitting in the first three rows were kids about my age and older. They turned their attentions to me.

The woman looked up at me and smiled. "Hello. To whom do we owe the pleasure?"

My cheeks grew hot, and I waved. "I am Ann." I decided to not tell them my last name in case that they knew of the haunted mansion. "My family and I recently moved to this town, and I heard that you are holding auditions for people under twenty-one."

"Do you have the passion for acting, my dear?"

"That is for you to decide, ma'am."

The woman got off the stage as I took my time down the stairs. She introduced herself as Ms. Becca Bee and added that she was the director of this play. Ms. Bee's orange hair was shaped like a beehive. Her earrings were also shaped to be beehives. She wore a green, short-sleeved top, black slacks, and green shoes. Like her students, she had a script.

"I suppose that you need a script of the play if you want to participate," Ms. Bee said, still smiling.

"Well, I cannot say it by memory if I do not know exactly what the play is about," I joked.

She handed me her copy. "What character are you interested in portraying?"

Then I heard a whisper in my ear.

"You are going to die."