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  While some of the costumes here are wretched DIY monstrosities like Jenna’s own homemade fairy - complete with cellophane and wire hanger wings - there is still a variety of interesting Halloween costumes to gawk at:

  One boy has dressed up to appear as the video inside of a phone.

  Another has an elaborate robotic suit on with a variety of flashing lights.

  Jenna sees one girl who is dressed up like a fiendish demon, where even her skin is painted bright red. Opaque white contact lenses hide her pupils. The she-devil makes eye-contact with Jenna and smiles, but Jenna nervously hides her glance.

  “I dunno, I think there are plenty of boys here,” remarks Jenna.

  “Exactly,” sneers Chloe while also disappearing into her phone. “We need men, not children.”

  Then Jenna spies an intriguing boy entering from the opposite side of the room. Passing through the sliding glass door, he emerges with curly red hair and perfect skin. It is as if he were sewn from silk, though perhaps his complexion is from a dusting of white makeup. His eyes are as green as a tree in spring and mesmerizingly fetching. His outfit is hard to pinpoint - Vampire? Aristocrat? – but he is dressed in a svelte purple suit and cape with ruffled shirt. And he is insanely good-looking.

  Jenna really cannot understand why her friends are so upset. To be at this graciously hosted party with such an adorable boy just a few yards away, it is a dream come true for a shy girl like her. But she decides not to expose her naiveté any further by challenging their leader.

  “This is all you fault,” Chloe says, turning her aggression now on Maya.

  As Chloe’s roommate, Maya is not afraid of engaging in a rebuttal. Dressed like a cat, she disinterestedly flicks her thumb across her phone while ignoring Chloe’s accusations. “Without me, you would’ve been jacking off at home.”

  Chloe stomps over and slaps at the phone. “I’m serious, bitch. This party sucks. On Halloween, we should be partying our fucking asses off.”

  Maya looks up and snarls, “Then go for it. We’re not stopping you.”

  Chloe sarcastically replies, “I totally would if I didn’t blow everyone else off for this bullshit.”

  A calm male voice says, “Hi there.”

  As Chloe and Jenna have their back to the visitor, they both pop with fright. But Maya coolly smiles.

  A pair of boys stands behind the trio.

  One is a large brute. Over six feet tall with broad shoulders, he looks athletic except for a fledgling beer belly poking out over his waist. He is dressed like perhaps some sort of disco hippie, as his outfit is a mash of 60s and 70s thrift-store accessories like a tie-dyed shirt and bellbottoms. A giant fake afro and shiny purple glasses hide his eyes, but his collar proudly reveals his authentically hairy chest. He wears a crooked smile on his stubble, and his cologne smells like industrial paint thinner.

  The other boy is smaller in size. With neat hair combed to the side, he is dressed like a priest. Though his costume is simple, it is perfect in its execution. This boy is almost afraid to look at the girls too much, shyly batting away any eye contact. This shared trait appeals to Jenna.

  “Welcome. Hi. Glad you guys could make it,” stammers the priest.

  “Glad you invited us,” purrs Maya.

  She slowly rises and points a paw out to each of her friends. “I’m Maya. The fairy is Jenna, and this is Officer Dumbtits.”

  Though everyone else politely withholds any reaction, the disco hippie guffaws loudly. “No, shit! Glad to meet you, Officer.”

  “I’m Chloe,” announces Chloe proudly.

  “I’m Eric, and this is Ace,” says Eric the priest. He gives a polite wave, which Jenna reciprocates.

  But Ace the disco hippie takes Chloe’s hand and kisses it. “Enchanté, officer.”

  Then he quickly licks her hand.

  Chloe giggles in delight.

  “You guys having a good time?” asks Eric.

  “Sure,” replies Jenna enthusiastically.

  The other girls mumble and shrug in agreement.

  “Good. I’m glad. I mean it’s only like 10 o’clock, so things should get picking up real quick any second.”

  Ace laughs and slaps a meaty arm over the smaller Eric. “They sure will, bro, as soon as we get some shotties in these hotties.”

  Chloe titters again at the silly joke.

  “I didn’t see any real booze here,” observes Maya.

  Eric replies, “Oh, we have some liquor.”

  “You can’t just leave the good shit out for any loser to take,” says Ace.

  Chloe nods in agreement. “That’s totally how you have a party.”

  “We’ll show y’all the stash.” Ace swings Eric around to lead the group away.

  They run into the boy in the purple cape. The pale young man is standing firmly before them as if to block their path.

  “Whoa, watch it, dog,” warns Ace.

  “Dog you say?” asks the boy in a thick Scottish accent. His pretty features rumple with alarm. He leans closer and sniffs at Ace’s hairy chest. “Your words, appearance and scent would make you far more canine than I.”

  Everyone laughs but the butt of the joke. “Are you for real, man?”

  “I am real,” sneers the boy. Compared to Ace, the stranger is a bit shorter and not nearly as muscular. But he is hardly intimidated when confronting the larger fellow. “Are you not real?”

  “Wrong holiday, bro. Leprechauns wear green and come out in March.”

  Eric moves between the two bickering partygoers. “Whoa, ease up, guys. Just chill.”

  The fearless pursuit of peace makes Jenna swoon. But Maya quietly scoffs at how big a nerd Eric is being.

  “He started it,” whines Ace.

  “Started what?” asks the pale boy. “All I humbly ask is but for a moment of your companions’ time.”

  This announcement pleases all the girls. “Really?” blurts Jenna.

  “Yo, get your own girls,” replies Ace.

  “What?” snaps Maya angrily.

  “Yeah, he can talk to us,” announces Chloe, relishing the tension between the men.

  She walks over and slings an arm over the pale boy, making Ace simmer with rage.

  “Of course. It’s a party,” stammers Eric. “We’re all just hanging out. And there’s only two of us but three of them.”

  He instantly regrets announcing his arithmetic to the group. “What’s up?” Eric quickly says to move things forward. “So you wanna hang with us, dude?”

  “Ladies,” says the pale boy, his eyes darting between the three during a long, dramatic pause, “may I invite you to a real celebration of Samhain?”

  “Huh?” asks Chloe.

  The boy clears his throat. “A Halloween party.”

  “Oh, no,” moans Eric, hanging his head in defeat.

  Ace pulls him aside for a quick huddle. “Dude, I told you to follow my lead if you want some,” he hisses. “Now, you’ve fucking let this snake into our posse.”

  “I know,” bemoans Eric.

  “You fucked up, but it’s cool. I got this.” Ace slaps his sidekick’s chest and returns to the others.

  “Yo, we ain’t interested. Okay, bro?” announces Ace.

  No one pays him any heed.

  “Is your party better than this one?” inquires Maya.

  They all take a slow look around the room. Most of the other attendees are silently watching them as the most exciting exchange going.

  “I’d wager it would be about a-thousand-revelers better,” says the pale boy.

  “Hell yeah!” replies Chloe giddily.

  “We’re fucking in,” says Ace, clapping his hands together and rubbing them.

  “What?” gasps Eric.

  “Dude, a thousand heads? That’s deep.”

  “But this is my party, man,” pleads Eric.

  “Your roomies can handle the leftovers,” replies Ace. “You can’t say no to shit that epic, dude.”

  On the other side
of the conversation circle, Jenna and Maya hold their own secret discussion. “Are you sure?” asks Jenna. “It doesn’t feel right.”

  “It’s fine, Jenna,” says Maya. “This party sounds crazy. And it’s not ditching if we bring them too.”

  Maya reassuringly grips her friend’s shoulder for a moment to indicate the discussion is over.

  The pale boy begins escorting the girls from the apartment. Ace and Eric tag along behind them.

  “So where is this shindig?” Ace asks. “Is it stumbling distance?”

  “You boys are not welcome,” the stranger announces.

  “Yo, what the fuck, man?” Ace says angrily.

  He grabs the boy’s caped shoulder and wheels him back around.

  The boy hisses sharply at the offense, making everyone recoil. His light eyes seem to become darker.

  But the lad shakes off the moment as if emerging from a trance. He politely says, “You may come, if you insist,” to Ace. But to Eric, “You may not come.”

  “Sorry, bro,” says Ace. “I tried. Peace out.”

  “Why not?” says Jenna.

  The pale boy turns his attention to Jenna, and the two are face to face with one another. She cannot say why, perhaps it is his proximity, but she can feel a dread creeping over her. His face is calm and poised, yet she senses that this person might suddenly attack her.

  “His costume offends me,” the boy finally answers.

  “What?” laughs Ace. “Get outta here.”

  “I can change it,” Eric offers sheepishly.

  Maya can see Jenna is hurt, and steps into the conversation. “Come on… What’s your name?”

  “Benjamin,” says the Scot.

  “Benjamin, right. The clothes are just a stupid joke.”

  “Yeah, it’s stupid,” says Eric.

  Seeing her friends banding together gets Chloe in line too. “Yeah, the more the merrier, Benjy.”

  After studying the empathetic faces of the girls, Benjamin relents. “Fine. You may come, priest. But be warned that others there may take offense with your garb.”

  Chloe laughs and gives the odd fellow a little hug. “Wow, you are really hamming it up. ‘Garb.’ What a riot!”

  * * *

  “This probably doesn’t suck.”

  Chloe gushes at the scene while the rest of the group is speechless with awe. If the last “house” party was a disappointment for being in a tiny apartment, the word “house” does not do this place justice.

  Their mysterious leader Benjamin pauses only momentarily to announce, “We are here,” as pulling on a massive black gate at the entrance. Its aged hinges squeal like dying cattle when it opens.

  They stand before a large mansion, two stories tall and a dozen windows wide. It has a classic architecture with white columns sprouting from the brick patio and small staircase.

  There is nobody outside in front. But the upstairs windows flash with white and red lights while silhouettes fade in and out of view. Throbbing dance music is not loudly heard, but it is felt trembling through the bones and teeth of the group of partygoers.

  “Yo, is this like a frat?” asks Ace.

  Nobody bothers to answer his question.

  The pale gentleman raps the black iron hanger on the door. Despite the loud music pulsing from within, the small lion’s head makes a surprisingly loud boom.

  The group waits in interminable silence.

  “Uh, hello?” asks Chloe.

  The door slowly opens, raising the music from within another few decibels louder. Yet the beat remains muffled and in the distance.

  The friends are greeted by an old man. His complexion is pale and white too like their host. But while young Benjamin’s skin is smooth, this fellow has various bruises and scars coloring his wrinkled flesh. Pale wisps of hair float off his scalp like ethereal tatters of a ghost.

  The man at the door wears an old-fashioned suit. Though it has a smart design complete with black tie, tails and white cuffs, it is also in shambles. The color has faded, and there are numerous tears in the fabric.

  “Cool zombie butler,” announces Ace.

  The servant stands before a dark and empty lobby with black and white tile on the floor. There are no flashing lights or revelers in sight, though the music continues playing from somewhere off behind him.

  “Welcome, sir,” says the butler in a similar Scottish brogue as their host’s. His eyes do not blink as he bows slightly.

  Benjamin shoves past the man into the house without any other cordial acknowledgment to the greeting. “Follow me,” he orders his herd.

  As Ace passes the servant, he waves a hand before the blank eyes of the old man. The butler has no reaction. Eric and Ace snicker at the sincerity of the performance.

  Jenna immediately shivers as she enters the house. She hugs herself for warmth.

  The opening lobby has a large, dark oak table flanked by dual staircases that spiral up to the second story. From the ceiling hangs an intricate chandelier with actual lit candles casting a dim illumination through the dark house.

  Atop the table is a black vase with bright red flowers. Jenna appreciates the decorations until one of the bulbs turns to follow her. The plant quivers when it moves, but then it stops.

  Jenna thinks the outlandish sight is too strange to have been real. Perhaps it was an illusion of the wind or her unfocused perspective.

  Perhaps it was the wine cooler she had earlier. She has not had much experience being drunk.

  “This is my house,” announces Benjamin. “And there is the celebration.” Benjamin flares an arm outwards to gesture to the back of the manor. A pair of large glass doors appears to contain the party in some sort of outdoors area. A dark mass of bodies sway in the flashing lights as bubbling chatter now becomes audible.

  “Sweet!” says Ace.

  “Aw, yeah!” gushes Chloe.

  As she races forward, Benjamin extends his arm outwards to catch her across the chest.

  “What the--?”

  “Before you go, you must observe some rules,” he says.

  “Of course,” says Jenna.

  “None of you may go upstairs,” warns Benjamin. He talks slowly, making stern eye contact with each of the five guests to ensure they completely understand.

  Jenna stares up at one of the upstairs hallways. From the outside, it seemed to host a lively gathering of revelers, but now is dark and lifeless. However, some faint chatter seems to echo from its deep recesses. But maybe that is only an echo from outside.

  “VIP lounge,” says Ace with an elbow to Eric.

  Then a woman seems to scream from the hallway’s depths. The yelp was barely audible but definitely cried. Jenna jumps from the alarm, but thinks it better not to comment upon it. It would be rude to remark upon how others seem to be enjoying the second floor. The cry could have been one of elation.

  “And of equally grave importance is the Master,” posits Benjamin. Once everyone is paying full attention, he continues, “You may not look the Master in the eye.”

  “What?” says Ace.

  “Who’s that?” asks Eric.

  Benjamin smiles slightly. “You will know the Master when you see him. And you will know not to stare upon him.”

  “Lotta rules here for a chill party, bro,” gripes Ace.

  Eric elbows him and whispers, “We’re lucky to be here. Shut up!”

  Oblivious to the side talk, Benjamin now speaks in his most dire tone, “And there is one final rule most important of all.”

  The people brace for another buzzkiller.

  “We must all drink!” He smiles and gestures behind them.

  Upon the table they had just passed now sits six thin crystal glasses. Each is filled halfway with a dark purple liquid. The mottled butler has disappeared, and these beverages seem to have been left in his place.

  “If you insist,” shouts Chloe as she rushes over to the drinks.

  She picks it up to chug it down when Maya suddenly shouts, “Wait
, a second.”

  The rim of the glass hovers an inch from Chloe’s red lips. “What?”

  “That’s a classy drink, dumbass,” says Maya. “We need to do a toast.”

  “Exactly,” agrees Eric quickly. “But to what?”

  “We should let our host decide,” replies Maya.

  All eyes turn to Benjamin, who also holds one of the glasses.

  While the rest are ready to drink, Jenna inspects the strange liquid. It appears thicker than most alcohols, and it has a strange shimmer to its surface when she shifts it about. But she is hardly the expert.

  Benjamin dips his drink heavenwards. “To Samhain!”

  “To Samhain,” echoes the group. Chloe shrieks the cheer with an excited squeal.

  Then the children all down the entire drink in full.

  Seeing everyone else dutifully imbibing leaves Jenna with no choice. She pinches her nose and gargles down the liquid.

  The alcohol feels like slime, leisurely slithering down her throat. It not only has a strangely sour taste, but an oddly thick texture with a slight grit to it. It almost feels like drinking soft reptile scales.

  “Oh, God,” gags Eric.

  Benjamin smashes his glass against the ground. “You do not like it, priest?”

  He moves with preternatural speed over to the boy, and locks his gloved hand onto Eric’s throat. “You dare enter my home and insult my hospitality?” With only one arm, Benjamin lifts Eric a foot off the floor.

  “No! I--” Eric struggles to speak as he gasps for breath.

  “Bro!” Ace turns to attack, and Maya leaps over to restrain him.

  Chloe rushes over and places tender hands upon Benjamin’s coat. “He was just kidding. Chill, Benjy.”

  She rubs her hands over the lapels, up onto his shoulders. “Ooh, that’s nice,” she purrs. “What is it, velvet?”

  The distraction works, and Benjamin’s mood lightens as he releases his victim. “Thank you for the compliment, milady. My coat is actually sewn from the hides of kids.”

  Jenna gasps in shock.

  Ace is disgusted too. “Dude, children? That’s hella fucked up.”