"Let's go!" Amy called up the stairs to her friend, Beth. Amy stood at the base of the elegant staircase. Her long copper red hair was tied up into a half ponytail, allowing the rest of her hair to wrap around shoulders and her hips. "Come on!"

"Coming!" Beth called down. A few moments later, Amy watched her friend walk into view and hop onto the staircase railing. Amy stood back as Beth slid down the banister to the base of the stairs where she easily hopped off. "Ready," she said, tossing her own long blonde hair aside. She strode past Amy with a confidence Amy knew all too well. In her sneakers and her knapsack on her shoulder, Amy strode out the front door after Beth.

"So where do we start?" Beth asked eagerly. Amy quietly pulled out a small wrinkled map from her knapsack. Beth snatched it up so quickly Amy didn't have a chance to look at their route for the day. "Hmm..."Beth said in her classic tone. "Well, we're here," she said pointing onto the small parchment. "And here's our destination," she traced her finger along the thinly drawn blue line.

"Um, I don't think so, Beth," Amy began. She picked up Beth's finger and moved it from the blue line to a thickly drawn red line. "That's the route we take. The blue line is the river." It was now Amy's turn to gloat in the moment. Beth shoved the map into her jeans pocket and followed Amy as she began walking down the street.

For the first mile, neither of them said a word. They walked silently, listening to the sound of their sneakers against the dry, summer pavement. They were lucky to have had such a nice day to take their trip.

"So what should we expect for this?" Beth asked, breaking the silence.

"Well," Amy said, recalling the map from memory, "We're actually on the streets the whole time. Something new she set up for us. I think she's testing us. You know, to see if we can really handle it?"

"But why? She's seen us swim the river before. And that was the best walk about we ever went on, I might add. Why would she wonder if we can make the trip on pavement?"

"I just think it's the distance. Come on, let's start gathering," Amy said, jogging ahead of Beth. Bethpulled out the map, looked at it once more before jamming it back in her pocket and jogging up to her friend.

The morning had begun a little cold, but it was now beginning to get hotter. Amy had tied all of her hair into one large draping ponytail as Beth did the same. They had jogged through the first half of the map, collecting items as they stopped at each rest mark on the map. "We should have brought a larger bag," Beth said quickly between breaths as they continued to jog. Amy's knapsack was overflowing with flowers, chips of concrete, leaves, newspapers, and even some wrapped meat.

Amy nodded her head but didn't speak. She had completed too many walk abouts to know she wasn't good at jogging and talking. She kept her eyes ahead of her and tried not to look back at Beth. Amy could hear Beth breathing quicker as she always had on long walk abouts. Before Amy knew it, Beth was calling for her friend to slow down and rest.

"You know there's no rest stop here and we have at least seven more stops to make," Amy said as Beth was bent over, supporting herself with her hands on her knees.

"I...know...but...just...give me....a moment," Beth breathed shallowly. "Where...is...the last...stop?"

Amy reached into Beth's pocket and carefully pulled out the wrinkled map. Beth followed Amy's eyes as she scanned the little paper. "Well, you're not going to like this," she started. Turning the map to Beth, Amy pointed at the small symbols to the top right corner. Beth's eyes widened as she realized where they were going.

"Oh no! Not there!" Beth stated firmly, regaining a regular heartbeat. "I am not going into that spooky cemetery!"

"We have to, Beth," Amy began. "We need to collect five flowers that only grow there."

Beth shook her head. "No way, uh, uh, nodda zip!" She said firmly. "You can go in there, but I'm walking around the side. I'll watch you. If we were there right now, maybe. A big maybe. But by the time we get there, it'll be getting dark and I don't go in there after dark."

Amy looked at her friend with a blank expression. She had known Beth for three years and she had never heard her friend speak so strongly about anything before. "What was it about a cemetery that scared her so bad?" Amy wondered in her mind. She didn't dare ask. Not now at least.

"Well, let's continue on for now," Amy said in a compromising voice.

"Ok, sure, fine," Beth said. "But I'm not going to the last stop." Amy nodded her head and checked the map one last time before walking away from Beth. Beth stood in the hot summer sun staring at her friend. She shook her head. "If she only knew," Beth whispered to herself before walking after Amy.

The sun was in the far west as the two friends trudged to the Hillside Cemetery. No one ever went there; even if someone had a family member there, they still did not go. It seemed the cemetery had been abandoned for many years, but when the girls made it to the top of the hill, they saw the grave sites covered in flowers. Amy looked at Beth with wide eyes. "I never knew," she breathed. Beth just stared at the grave sites, her expression unchanged.

"I'm staying out here," Beth said. "I'll hold onto the knapsack while you get whatever flowers she wants."

"We're supposed to go in together," Amy said. "It says so on the map. She said she would know if we didn't."

"I can't go in there," Beth said firmly. "Bad things happened in there. It's dangerous." Beth looked to the west. The sun was still in plain sight. She looked back at the cemetery. It was still lite with the summer light. With a heavy sigh, Beth stepped forward. "If the sun disappears while we're in here, I'm hopping the nearest fence."

Amy smiled at Beth. "Agreed." She walked to the large iron gates; they seemed to welcome her. Amy smiled as she stepped in. Beth right behind her was cautiously looking around. Being sure to stay in the sunlight, Beth reached into her shirt and clutched a charm she wore on her necklace. "I can't believe she is having so much fun," Beth thought. "Look at her, smiling, looking at the flowers. Well, what can I say? When you're not like me, I suppose the cemetery would be alright."

"We need flowers from a certain grave site," Amy said. Beth stopped in her tracks.

"A certain grave site? Let me see it," Beth said, snatching the map away. Her eyes widened as she read the name. "I'll get them," she said, holding the map tightly. "I happen to know where that site is."

"Really? I thought you never came here?" Amy asked, following Beth.

"I just know," Beth said quickly. She followed the wrought iron fencing to the back of the cemetery. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the sun slowly setting. "Hurry," Beth called to Amy. "We haven't much time."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, jogging to keep up with her friend.

"Here," Beth said, stopping. She stopped in front of a grave still immersed in the sunlight. The grave was covered in Gladiolus flowers. The name was difficult for Amy to read. Beth began picking flowers from the foot of the grave.

"Who's grave is this?" Amy asked, walking to the headstone.

"No!" Beth said, jumping to her feet, but it was too late. Amy had already pulled the flowers back and revealed the name: Bethany Michele Larkspur 1982-1999. Died in a car accident.

Amy read the headstone over and over. She finally looked back at Beth. "Beth?"

Beth stared at Amy with her mouth slightly open. Her eyes were tearing up and her mouth began moving, but no words came out.

"Beth," Amy said, beginning to be frightened. "Bethany Larkspur?"

"I'm sorry, Amy," Beth said. "I'm sorry I never told you. I couldn't tell you. I never imaged my mother would send us on a trip so you could find out."

"Mrs. Larkspur is your mother?" Amy's eyes were now wide with fright.

Beth looked behind her. The sun was near setting. "We have to get out here, Amy," Beth said, her own voice frightened. She grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her to the fence. "We have to leave this cemetery now!" Beth jumped the fence, but Amy stood on the other side.

Looking at Beth, Amy practically whispered, "Why?"

"I know this sounds crazy, but if you're in there after nightfall, you're stuck in there for eternity," Beth answered. "This cemetery has a curse. My mother didn't know that when I was buried here. She pulled my spirit out to save me from the torture of the evil spirits that have been buried here. They are always trying to pull me back in, but as long as I'm out here, they cannot harm me. If another soul as pure as mine is caught in there after dark, they will pull your spirit from you and you won't be able to get out. Ever. Now please, jump out!"

Amy looked at the setting sun. "I-I can't move," she said. Beth looked her. She began shaking her head. "I can't move Beth!" Amy said again, her voice trembling from laughter. "I can't move! Come in and get me!" Beth watched as Amy began laughing hysterically.

"No," Beth whispered. "It can't be true. You couldn't have been evil. Not all these years."

Amy's red hair was pulled up as a fierce wind blew around her body. Her facial features began twisting and changing. A transparent gray wall was made from the wind around Amy's body. Beth fell backwards onto the ground, watching the evil spirit transform back to it's original self. The wall broke and Amy's body was slumped over on the ground. The spirit hung above the body, floating. "I almost had you, child!" The spirit called to Beth. Beth just stared at the twisted face.

"The train wreck," Beth recalled. "He was the one in the train wreck. His face mangled from the tracks."

"Yes, child," the spirit called out. "I am the train wreck. And I almost had you back! Arrrgggghhhh!" The spirit lunged to the fence, but Beth thrust the necklace charm in from of her. The spirit was zapped like a bug when it reached the edge if the fence. It fizzled and jolted before the energy left and spirit fell limp to the ground. Beth slowly stood up. She looked down at the cross charm she had been buried with. Beth boldly walked up to the fence and peered inside at Amy's body; it was blue now.

"My dear friend," Beth whispered, moving her hand as though she could touch Amy's face and hair. Beside Amy's body lay the map. Beth stared at it. The sun had now set and a light summer breeze blew the map to fence. Beth carefully picked it up at look at it. The map had disappeared and cursive writing was in it's place.

"Bethany, Amy was never alive. The spirits knew when and who saved you. They created a body to possess and bring you to the cemetery. They based Amy from everything they knew about you–your hair, your personality, your style of clothes. They made a twin of you to become friends with. They created the map to lure you to them. It is time to come home, Beth. Come home to peace. Signed, Mother."

Beth's eyes began tearing up. She jumped to her feet and ran from the cemetery. She ran east as fast as she could. She ran back home.