"Trail of Fears"

"Bye Mom! I'm going out!" Serena called as she opened the front door, grabbing her coat.

"Hold on, young lady!" Serena's mother grabbed her by her pigtail, stopping her. "Your father and I are going to a ball in thirty minutes, remember? You promised to watch your brother!"

"But Mom! I'm already like majorly late!" she groaned, trying to struggle out of her mother's grasp.

"Stay here and watch him or you're grounded for two weeks!" she suddenly grew stern.

"But, but..." Serena stammered, then, coming up with an idea, she proposed a compromise, "How about I take him along with me? I'll watch him just like the responsible young lady I am!"

"Fine... I suppose that will have to do, where are you going, by the way?" her mom asked.

"On a nature hike! In the forest... near the Cherry Hill Temple!"

"Isn't that where your friend, um what's-her-name, um... Raye lives?"

"Yeah, Mom. She's the one taking us. Can you let go of my hair now?" she begged.

"Oh yes, sorry!" her mom laughed nervously, letting go of her daughter's hair. "And if anything happens to Sammy, I'm holding you responsible!"

"Okay Mom! Sammy hurry up! I'm late!!!!!!!!" Serena screamed towards the stairs.

"Where's Serena?" asked Raye.

"Late," Molly answered cheerfully.

"I know that much!" snapped Raye.

"Well, Melvin, what should we do?" Molly pondered, looking up towards the branches of the trees giving them shade.

"Chinese fingercuffs!" Melvin announced, pulling the object out of his pocket. He stuck his right thumb in it, and Molly put in her right thumb on the other side, as well.

"I can't get it out," said Molly, and giggled.

"Hey people I'm sorry I'm so late!" Serena yelled as she approached the others sitting on a bench. "I had to bring my little brother with me!"

"It's not like I wanted to tag along," Sammy pointed out.

"You again??" asked Aurora annoyed a little.

"Shut up, Miss I'm-so-valley-girl!" Sammy responded.

"Okay, everybody, ready to go? We've all got our backpacks and cantines. Let's go!" Raye announced, and got up, walking into the woods through a samll clearing of the trees, as wide as a path. Behind her came Serena and Mina, then Molly and Melvin (who were walking sideways due to the fingercuffs), then Sammy, and then Aurora.

"Brat," muttered Aurora as she kicked Sammy's heel, all seven of the hikers on a path into the heart of the forest.