• Mickey walked alone in the woods that were behind her house.
    A tiny baby rabbit scurried past her, making the leaves rattle. Alexis smiled at the petite animal.
    She sighed when the bunny darted into the tall grass, after eating some of the weeds.
    Mickey watched her feet as she walked, noticing the flower buds, some open, some not.
    Her head hit something, something hard. At first, she thought it was tree. But when she looked up, it was the haunted house. Well, a house that Mickey and her friend Lela thought was haunted. It was actually a mansion. The Tracey Mansion.
    That gave Mickey an idea; she will call her friend and see if she can come to spend the night. But they will actually be searching for ghosts in that huge house.
    When Mickey called Lela and asked her, Lela said, “I asked my mom, and she said ‘Okay.’ So, I will be there in a few minutes.”
    Mickey went outside and waited for her friend, when it was about eight at night, Lela came.
    “Hey, Lela!” Mickey yelled and rushed over to hug her.
    “Hi!” Lela greeted her.
    The two girls said bye to Lela’s mom and ran inside and up the stairs, to Mickey’s’ room.
    “So, when do you want to go to the haunted house?” Lela asked.
    “Um… eleven, good?” Mickey said and brushed her short chocolate colored hair.
    “That’s fine to me!” Lela said and pulled out her yearbook.
    Since Lela was two grades ahead of Mickey, but only a year older, Lela got her yearbook first. Lela and Mickey met at Mickey’s yard sale. They exchanged phone numbers and their friendship went on from there.
    “That’s who I’m dating.” Lela said and pointed to a boy, he was blonde, and he had a small face.
    “Eh, I wouldn’t date him… No offence.” Mickey said and playfully punched Lela.
    Lela laughed and asked, “Mick, who are you dating?”
    Mickey blushed and said, “His name is Seth.”
    “Cool… hey! It’s almost nine!” Lela exclaimed.
    “And?” Mickey asked, confused.
    “The MTV movie awards are almost on!”
    “Oh! Let’s watch it…” Mickey said, turning on the small TV in her room.
    After the show, it was almost eleven. Mickey and Lela were getting eager and nervous at the same time.
    “Lela, wouldn’t it be a good idea to get all black clothing on first?” Mickey asked.
    Lela agreed and the girls dressed in black pants, a black jacket and black boots. They pulled on a black hat and wore black make up.
    Once Mickey’s mom went to sleep, Lela and Mickey snuck downstairs, and out the front door.
    They snuck around to the backyard and into the woods.
    Lela kept whining, “Do you think we’re going to get caught?”
    But Mickey rolled her eyes and said, “Lela, we’re NOT going to get caught.”
    Her eyes kept searching the woods for a sign of someone.
    Once they reached the house, Lela said, “This is really creepy.”
    Mickey was going to say “I know!” But instead she said, “Why? Now, we can see if this house is really haunted!”
    Lela nodded and walked up the stairs, Mickey fallowed. Mickey was secretly scared, since the only light they had was the full moon in the sky and two small flashlights.
    The door wasn’t locked, but Lela stopped to put her long burgundy colored hair in a ponytail and then she walked inside.
    Mickey scratched her arm and trudged slowly through the door.
    “Whoa, Mickey! Check out this room!” Lela exclaimed.
    The room was huge, and it had a grand piano that was sheeted with dust.
    There was a small couch that had a checkered design. It was cool.
    Suddenly, they heard a creaking noise from upstairs. Mickey turned her head to Lela, her eyes filled with fright.
    Mickey tip-toed over to Leah and whispered, “Let’s go up there!”
    Lela gulped and nodded.
    They clung to each other in fright as they walked up the colossal staircase.
    Every step they took creaked and moaned under their feet.
    Unexpectedly, they heard a ghostly voice yell, “Mickey… Lela… come… here… children.”
    Mickey and Lela’s eyes grew wide.
    Lela -almost shrieking with terror- quivered as she said, “Mickey I’m so scared.”
    Mickey nodded and said, “Me too, Lela.”
    Even through the trembling in their bodies, they kept walking up the stairs.
    Once they reached the top of the stairs, they took three steps and stopped.
    A dark figure was at the end off the hallway that was in front of the girls.
    Mickey screamed and Lela yelled, “Oh my gosh!”
    The dark figure floated toward them at an unbelievable speed and the girls thought it was going to knock them down the stairs but instead, it flew past them, making a rush of cold air run through their bodies.
    “Let’s get out of here!” Mickey screeched.
    Both Lela and Mickey raced down the staircase, out of the house (not shutting the front door) and into the woods.
    They were sprinting toward Mickey’s house when they heard the same eerie voice shriek, “LELA, MICKEY! COME… BACK… TO… ME!!!”
    But neither Mickey nor Lela stopped dashing down the hill.
    When the girls reached Mickey’s house, they were panting so hard that they could barely breathe.
    Lela opened up the door and walked inside, Mickey fallowed.
    They walked up the stairs and into Mickey’s room.
    “Lela? Are you okay?” Mickey asked.
    “Yeah. Are you?” Lela answered.
    “Yea, a little worried though.” Mickey said.
    “Why?”
    “Because, I read somewhere about ghosts and spirits. How they can attach themselves to someone--” Before Mickey could explain the rest, they heard, “Mickey, Lela… I’m… Here.”
    The girls shrieked as they saw the same black figure standing at the foot of the bed.

    Mickey’s eyes opened and she sat up, yelling.
    “Mickey?!” Lela yelled.
    “Lela? Oh Lela!” Mickey yelled and hugged her friend.
    “Are you okay?” Lela asked with deep concern in her voice.
    “Yeah. I just… had the worst nightmare… EVER!” Mickey yelled.
    “What was it about?” Lela asked.
    Mickey told Lela everything, from the MTV movie awards to the eerie voice.
    When she was done, Lela said. “Mickey that did happen.”
    Mickey’s eyes grew wide and the room spun.
    “Whoa, really?” Mickey asked when she could see straight.
    “Yupp.” Lela said, hopping up from the bed.
    Mickey shrugged, stretched and mumbled, “Weird, I was sure it was a dream.”
    “Well, it wasn’t. C’mon, your mom made breakfast.” Lela said, opened Mickey’s door and walked out.
    Mickey fallowed after her friend.
    Heidi (Mickey’s mom) made chocolate pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast.
    Lela and Mickey ate their pancakes, commenting on how good they were.
    Afterwards, Lela -being the simple minded she is- suggested that Mickey and herself play ‘dress-up’ Mickey agreed humbly.
    Lela, she’s a dork. But they both were, since they knew each other for all their lives.
    Lela tried on something first… which was: A long purple pull-over, slightly flared dark jeans and blue converse. Her red hair, which was in a messy bun, was highlighted with washable pink streaks. The necklace she wore was also blue, to match her shoes.
    Since Mickey invited a four other girls -Jianna, Shelbi, Kellie and Lilia- over, they had a ‘fashion show’ with little cards that said: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The winner got $60 bucks ($10 from each girl.)
    Lela’s score: 36.
    Next, Mickey hopped in her walk-in closet and went through her clothes.
    She came out in a grey tank top, with a green one underneath, a white cut-off jacket and naturally faded skinny jeans that were cut into shorts. Her shoes were converse, also. But they were black and came up to her knees. A green headband held her bangs back.
    Mickey’s score: 40.
    Shelbi ran inside Mickey’s closet before anyone could get up.
    She strutted out in a yellow, spaghetti strapped sun dress. She had a long sleeved baby pink shirt under the dress. Her leggings were white and the shoes she wore were pink flats. Her long blond hair was put up in a ponytail, with a white headband.
    Shelbi’s score: 39
    Jianna stood up, walking over to the closet, coming out in a simple outfit. A black graphic T-shirt and white skinny jeans, her shoes were… purple?
    We started writing down numbers, but she stopped us, saying, “Wait!” and she ran inside the closet again.
    A few minutes later, she came out in the same outfit, only she had a purple plaid skirt over it. Her long (dyed) purple hair stayed down, only she had purple earrings in.
    Jianna’s score: 31.
    Kellie was physically shoved in the closet. She hated dressing up.
    But Kellie came out in a long skirt and a purple graphic T-shirt and yellow flip-flops, a yellow necklace and a purple headband. Wow… colorful, much?
    Kellie’s score: 23.
    Lilia went in the closet, coming out in a gothic outfit… but that is what you get when you put a Goth in a $5,000 dollar wardrobe.
    Her outfit: A graphic T-shirt, black and it said (in red letters) “I wish I could Alt + F4 you…” and black skinny jeans. Her shoes were dark grey high-heeled boots. The only color on her was a baggy red jacket.
    Lilia’s score: 37.
    “Who is the winner?” Lela asked.
    They checked the scores, and Kellie said, “Mickey.”
    Mickey smiled and folded the sixty dollars and put it in her wallet saying, “Thanks you guys…”
    Lela hugged her and said, “Nice…”
    Mickey rolled her eyes and said, “Lela, your not getting any of my money.”
    The six girls laughed and said, “Shopping, time?”



    CONTINUED IN THE NEXT VOLUME IF THE HOUSE IN THE WOODS.