We set a fire, as planned, and pulled out the sweets and chocolates. The owls were already out, as expected, and were making a lot of noise. I was so pleased; they were the only thing I wasn’t controlling tonight.

“And, clutching her arm in a vice-like grip, he dragged her into the night,” I finished my story impressively. Looking around the circle, more than one person seemed a little scared. Just then, an owl hooted in a nearby tree, and two girls jumped to their feet, screaming, and tore away through the dense forest. Two down, seven to go. Several hours had passed since we arrived, and mine had been the final of the spooky stories. We were running seriously low on snacks. “Wouldn’t it be really creepy if something like that happened tonight?” I whispered dramatically. One of my friends had a look of sheer terror on her pale face now.

Footsteps sounded behind us all, crunching over twigs and leaves. I had to hold back a giggle; my sister had perfect timing. The most scared of my friends stood up shakily. “I’m going home, right now,” she breathed. “Come on, Jenna.” She tugged another friend up, and they ran through the forest. There were just six of us now, including me.

I yawned and stretched slightly, feigning boredom. “What do we do now?” I asked playfully. A few people shrugged. Then, a booming voice struck. “Let’s play a game!” it sang mockingly. “Let’s not!” said one of my more masculine friends, standing up and staring around. “Let’s play a game!” came the voice again. “Oh, this is so dull! I thought there would be something interesting going on. I’m going home,” he said, and sloped off. I watched him leave, shivering as he went, knowing that he had been scared. It was hard not to laugh. I would have to remember to thank my brother for his brilliant voice disguise later.