“You’ll see on Halloween,” he said with a sultry voice. “And not a day before. You want to be scared, don’t you?”
“Will it be open to everyone?” I asked.
“You mean you? Or vampires?”
“I mean all of us.”
“It will be open to the locals. I think that includes you. Will you be coming?” he asked Stormy.
“I’m hoping to go trick-or-treating,” she said.
“What? You have to come here and see me!” Luna said.
“I know,” she said. “But I’m going trick-or-treating with some friends.”
“Friends?” she asked. “And who would they be?”
“Uh, just some kids I met.” It was unclear why she wasn’t telling Luna who they were. I figured perhaps because one of them was my brother and she didn’t want Luna to feel competitive with me.
“Well, if you’re not coming to the Crypt, then we should at least shop together and help pick out Halloween costumes.”
“But what about Raven?” Stormy asked.
“Raven? I’m not sure that’s a good idea. She’d be a third wheel,” she whispered.
Stormy squirmed. I could tell she was struggling with including me in her and Luna’s adventure.
“I think we vampire girls should stick together,” Luna said, her pink lips triumphantly stretching across her porcelain face.
Stormy took
a breath and looked up at Luna. “I think it will be fun to shop together, but I want to go with Raven as well.”
Luna’s smile turned into a frown. She was stunned by Stormy’s declaration. “Well,” she said, “I think we’ll talk more about this later,” she said. “I have to go see Romeo.” Then Luna spun away from us and headed to the bar.
“I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings,” Stormy said, looking at me. “I was just being honest.”
“I think she’ll get over it,” I said, secretly knowing she wouldn’t.
11 Prada-Bees
The following day at school, the students were abuzz about Jagger’s haunted house.
“Jagger is going to have a haunted house at the Crypt. I can’t wait. I know it will be a real scream!” I heard a Prada-bee say in the hallway.
“I know I’ll faint for sure,” her friend squealed as they grabbed books from their lockers.
“Well, maybe Trevor can catch you,” another teased.
“Don’t you know?” the first girl, Heather, asked. “He’s been hanging out with that skank—the one with over-dyed scarlet hair and tattoos instead of jewelry.”
“Oh yes, that’s old news. But I was hoping it wasn’t true. You nold m" wknow how he is. Fixated on Raven. I think he likes that new girl just so he can feel like he’s dating her.”
“Nuh-uh!” the first one said.
“Yes.”
“What do you think you’ll go as?”
“I don’t know. I really didn’t have an idea for this year.”
“We should go as Raven,” the first one said loud enough for me to hear.
“What?”
“We can get tattoos and streak our hair.”
“Gross!”
“And wear black lipstick.”
“We’ll look like we’re dead.”
“Isn’t that the point? It’s Halloween.”
The second one sighed. “Trevor seems to be, like, in love with her.”
“I wonder how he’ll feel about me if I dress like her.”
“You think?”
“He likes Raven. He keeps dragging that scarlet-hair chick to games. I think he really digs that look.”
“That look—or Raven’s look.”
“Whatever. You want to go out with Trevor, don’t you?”
“Duh!”
The first one took her friend’s affirmative answer as motivation and headed to me.
Becky and I were grabbing textbooks from our locker.
“Hi, Becky,” the first one said.
“Hi, Becky,” the other said.
“Hi, Heather,” Becky responded politely. “Hi, Courtney.”
“Uh, Raven,” Heather began. “Where do you get your clothes?”
“Off of dead people?” Courtney mumbled with a laugh.
“ s"3">TSsh!” Heather said to her. “No, really, I want to know.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. I knew on the one hand they were trying to make fun of me. And then on the other hand, if they wanted to see how the other half lived, they might actually like it.
“We want to go goth this year. Any hints?” Heather continued.
I didn’t want to divulge my secrets to them. They wore what they did to be “in.” I wore what I did because it was me. It was my soul. It was my being.
Last year I went as a tennis player. And a tennis player should be able to dress as a goth. It was, after all, Halloween.
But I didn’t feel like making it too easy on them.
“You can go to the thrift store,” I told them. “I think they should have something black that you can rip up and make look really funky.” I was pleased with myself that I gave them some helpful tips.
“Ooh,” Heather said. “Wear something someone else has worn?”
“Not in this lifetime,” Courtney added.
I rolled my eyes.
Just then Trevor turned the corner.
“Hi, Trev!” Heather said to him.
Trevor was passing out orange flyers with black writing. He handed them each one, and they read them to themselves.
“This looks like fun,” Courtney flirted. “We’ll see you there?”
“Oh, you’ll see me, all right, but you may not recognize me.” The two girls giggled and then headed back to their lockers. Then he looked at me. “You don’t need a flyer,” he said. “You already know.”
“I’d still like to have one,” I insisted.
His gaze was cute but menacing. “For your scrapbook of horrors?”
“Yes, right next to my picture of you.”
I snagged a flyer from his hand before he took off.
Becky and I read it.
HAUNTED HAPPENINGS
LEAVE YOUR FEARS AT THE DOOR sOR<
BE THE FIRST TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE
DATE: THIS SATURDAY NIGHT
LOCATION: THE CRYPT
“I will be clinging to Matt for dear life!” she said.
“And I’ll cling to Alexander.”
“But you aren’t afraid of anything,” Becky teased.
“Well, I still can cling to him, can’t I?” I said with a wink.
“Can he see in the dark?” she whispered. “Or does he have night vision?”
“Yes, he can see.”
“How cool! I knew he had superhuman powers.” “He’ll be my hero for the evening. He can save us all from the creepy monsters!”
Becky looked at me as if to say, “Why should I be scared of a guy dressed up as a ghost when I’m standing by a real vampire?”
“Believe me,” I said. “It’s Jagger’s haunted house. It will be scary—even for a vampire!”
Becky and I screamed out loud, then giggled until we couldn’t breathe while the Prada-bees shot us looks like we were insane.
Shortly after sunset, Becky and I picked up Stormy and we headed over to our seasonal Halloween store, which had a great selection of costumes. Scarlet and Onyx were waiting for us inside.
“Is Luna coming?” I asked. I knew Stormy wanted her to be a part of the group. But Luna had made it clear at the Crypt that she insisted that it be the two of them only, and that left Stormy with a difficult choice.
“No,” Scarlet said. “I told her to come, but she seemed to be put off that we were all coming. Her loss.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess you’ll have to settle for us.”
“That’s okay.” Stormy smiled. “It’s a shame she feels that way. It’s really too bad. You are my friend as much as she is.”
I am? I wanted to say. It was so sweet of her to say and so cool to
hear. I had made it into Stormy’s inner circle. “Thanks,” I said.
Stormy seemed so mature. She headed off to one o s ofseasf the costume aisles.
“So, are you meeting up with Trevor?” I asked Scarlet.
“No, he wants to work the haunted house,” she said, disappointed. “I’ll have to see him afterward. But I told him he’ll have to make up for lost time.”
“You really like him, don’t you?” I asked her.
“I do,” she said.
I was happy for Scarlet that she found someone she liked. However, I wasn’t so happy that it was Trevor. I still wasn’t sure how much he cared for her, and I didn’t want my friend to get hurt.
“What do you think of this?” Scarlet asked, holding up a cute devil outfit.
“It looks cool!” I said.
“I like it, too, but I’m thinking of going for something different. Out of my comfort zone.” She buzzed off into another aisle.
“So who is your official date for Halloween?” I asked Onyx as she eyed the costumes. “Sebastian or Jagger?”
“I’m thinking of going solo,” she said. “Jagger will be busy that night with his operations. And there will be tons of girls there. Sebastian will have his hands full—he is a flirt, you know.”
“Not since he’s set his sights on you. Other than dancing with Stormy, he seems fixated on you,” I said with a wink.
“You think?” she asked.
“I know.”
Becky modeled a pink-and-purple butterfly costume. “I think it’s adorable,” she squealed.
“I think you should wear this,” I said to Onyx as I held up a Cleopatra wig and costume. “It seems fitting. Marc Antony or Julius Caesar?”
“Yes,” she said. “I love it!”
“I can’t find a thing,” Stormy said as she tore through the costumes.
“I think I found what I want to wear!” I pulled it over to find Scarlet holding the same outfit. It was a preppy school uniform.
“I wanted to embrace the lighter side,” she said. “And I thought Trevor would love it,” she said. “I guess you had the same idea?”
“Not the Trevor part,” I said. “But I usually go preppy on Halloween. son ="3">
“Really?” she asked, surprised. “I bet no one in town recognized you.”
“It’s fun to dress up differently for the night,” I said.
“Why don’t you wear it?” she suggested. “I’m sure Alexander is dying to see you all prepped up.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said, spotting another costume. She held up a red-and-white soccer uniform. “This one is perfect for me. I’ll have Trevor really drooling.”
I examined my preppy uniform. Though it wasn’t me, it really was quite pretty. I couldn’t wait to get all decked out.
“I can’t find anything!” Stormy’s temper began to flare.
“It’s okay,” I said. “There are tons of costumes here. We’re bound to find you one.”
She tore back into the aisles. “I found it,” she said, holding up a Princess Leia outfit. “I know Billy and Henry will love it!”
“Yes,” I said. “It will be their dream come true!”
12 Haunted Happenings
It had been a year since I’d trick-or-treated at the Mansion, Trevor had tried to graffiti the outside walls, and I had seen a dark figure standing in the attic window. And a year later, I was dating that mysterious shadow—a handsome vampire—and he was taking me to the Haunted Happening at the Crypt.
I waited for Alexander and Stormy at my house. I was dolled up in a short plaid pleated skirt, white socks and loafers, and a white Oxford. I topped it off with a blue headband. I caught myself in the mirror and actually liked the way I looked. I found my brother and his nerdmate in the family room. Henry was a Jedi Knight and stared at me as if I were the girl of his dreams.
“Raven?” Billy asked, dressed as Luke Skywalker. “Is that you?”
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I think now you might actually have a chance of getting into college,” he said.
The doorbell rang, and I was met by Stormy dressed as Princess Leia and Alexander dressed as Jack Sparrow. Alexander looked gorgeous in his swashbuckling outfit, and Stormy was the perfect Star Wars princess.
< v>Storpening aspan>When Stormy entered the hallway, Billy Boy’s and Henry’s eyes almost popped out of their heads.
“I’m ready to go!” she exclaimed.
The boys grabbed their bags and headed out of the house.
Alexander and I watched as the threesome walked down the street. Stormy quickly waved good-bye to us as she slipped into the night with her friends. She didn’t even bother looking back. The Star Wars gang laughed and talked as they headed up a neighbor’s driveway and rang the bell, ready to load up on candy and a full evening of treats.
Alexander and I got in the Mercedes, and he drove extra cautiously as we passed several werewolves, ghosts, and witches.
This night was another dream come true for me. I’d been to our local radio station–sponsored haunted house when I was a little girl, but I hadn’t been spooked by any of the adults trying to act ghoulish.
We met Matt, as Superman, and Becky, dressed in her butterfly outfit, at the gravel road by the abandoned factory. There was already a long line of screaming girls with guys trying to be their haunted-house heroes. I wasn’t sure what was so scary, but I was excited to find out.
As we approached the club, the scene was as frightening as it could be. There were several bodies lying on the gravel road that led to the Crypt, and body parts poked out of the ground.
“Gross!” Becky said, freaking out. “I’m so scared.”
“This is really cool!” I said. “Jagger spared no expense!”
There was no way to enter the Crypt without stepping over a few fallen bodies. This obviously was part of the plan. Would they awaken from the dead and grab our legs? It was so dark, it was hard to tell which ones were real and which were fake.
I held my breath and stepped over.
“It’s all right,” I said, trying to coax Becky. “They’re just props.”
My best friend was frozen with fear. She wasn’t about to move—even to flee the gruesome scene.
“It’s okay,” I encouraged. “I did it. It’s not real.”
She closed her eyes and took a shaky step forward. When her foot landed, she opened her eyes and moved to bring her other foot to the doorway. As it made its way over the body, an arm crept up and grabbed her ankle.
She shrieked so loudly, I thought she’d have a heart attack. She tried to wrangle her foot away, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The zombie sat up and {ie no laughed a monstrous laugh and released her. She raced into Matt’s arms. Then we all laughed hysterically—even Becky.
We walked up the rickety bloodstained stairs to the Haunted Happening. We gave a bouncer our tickets and headed inside.
We walked down a long hallway that resembled an ancient tomb.
“Have we gone the right way?” I asked when we hadn’t seen any hauntings.
Then, all of a sudden, out of the darkness popped a dismembered head, which hung from a rope in front of us. Becky and I screamed. Even Matt was startled. It swung back and forth. When it began to speak, we screamed again.
“Welcome to the Haunted Happening,” it said.
We turned the corner and discovered a monstrous school setting. The teachers were zombies, and the students were passed out.
The zombie teachers came out to the edge of the setting where a rope separated the attraction from the visitors. They leaned over and tried to grab us.
Becky hid behind me and Matt.
The next room was the Chainsaw Massacre. We could hear the sound of the chainsaw but only saw the bodies and a bloody girl who was strapped to a chair, begging for our help.
When the serial killer raced in with his chainsaw, Becky screamed and clung on to Matt.
But
I waved the frightful guy over.
“Do you need a hug?” I asked.
He was very startled and taken aback by my question. Several Prada-bees yelled around us.
The deranged lunatic came over to me and gave me an awkward embrace. Becky shook while Matt and Alexander cracked up.
We went into the next area, which was dark except for a few glowing candles.
Just then I was grabbed around the waist.
“Alexander,” I said, but then noticed Alexander was on the other side of Matt.
This time I screamed. I turned around. It was Trevor, dressed as Nosferatu.
Alexander and Matt laughed, but I continued to scream.
“Get off of me!”
“I’ve come to suck your blood!” he said with a ghoulish laugh.
“Help!” I cried. “Get him off.”
When he came for my throat, no one seemed concerned.
“Alexander—Becky!”
It was evident to me that Trevor was about to kiss me. But I wasn’t sure anyone else was aware of that.
Finally Alexander noticed. He pushed Trevor away from me and glared at him. “The actors aren’t supposed to touch the patrons,” he said, his fists clenched.
“I’m not an actor,” Trevor said, and disappeared behind the scenes.
We made our way into the next room, which was pitch black. We held hands and reached out to find our way through the maze. Alexander wasn’t any help, letting Becky, Matt, and me flounder in the darkness.
“Gross!” I said as I felt something soft on the walls.
“It feels like … people!” Becky screamed.
“I think it’s brains,” Matt said.
“I feel a door handle,” I said.
“Open it and get me out of here!” Becky was almost crying.
I turned the handle and threw open the door. We found ourselves in the Crypt—just a few yards away from the main dance floor. Jagger was a genius. Everything he did was one hundred and ten percent spooky.
I spotted two goths by the dance floor and did a double take. I was surprised to realize they were Heather and Courtney, two of the Prada-bees.