“Grandma said the big oak was around here somewhere,” pouted Lissy, her little face sticky with popsicle juice.

Erin grinned up at the sky and turned to Anna. “Pretty place, huh?”

Anna flicked a few strands of sweaty hair out of her face. “It’s alright, if you like nature,” she replied loftily.

Anna didn’t like nature. She hated it. She hated the creepy bugs and the itchy plants. She loathed her grandmother’s house and acres of land. What she wouldn’t give to be back in New York City, or to at least have access to the Internet.

“Hey,” Erin said suddenly, “I think I found something.”

Anna laughed coldly. “Sure, Erin. Right.”

“No, really,” Erin protested. She darted forward, running as though trying to escape the clutches of a madman.

Anna and little Lissy stared.

“Erin?”

Their cousin didn’t look back, and they had no choice but to follow her.