The Disappearance of Samantha Mourey

THREE

Friday came quickly. Minutes, hours, seemed to drag by during the day, but the weeks always went quick as I found myself trying to find a collared shirt and Mary Janes while detangling my nearly hip length curls, hoping that the makeup people don't get some Halloween goop or fake blood in it.

In the mirror, I flattened my shirt, adjusted the skirt and decided this was the best I was doing tonight. 5:06 and no sign of Mel's car gave me hope that they forgot about me as I walked outside and sat on the front steps. I could hear the drum beat of the basketball next door, and when he heard the door shut behind me, held the ball and walked over.

"Hey." He waved, and then as he got closer, started to evaluate me. "Ha, where are you going tonight?"

I rolled my eyes, making sure he knew I did not approve of wearing something other than jeans. "Oh, you didn't hear?" I said, standing up so he could have the full view. "I'm working at Barrett's Haunted House. Are you scared?"

Jason looked back with a half chuckle, confused. "Um... what are you going as? An escapee from a private school?"

I sat back down. "Actually, something like that. They are doing our makeup once we get there. Zombie student or something."

He nodded with a smirk. "Ahh, okay. That sounds like a good time."

"I guess."

"Why do you still hang out with them?" he asked, knowing without asking, who I was waiting for.

"It's complicated."

"It doesn't seem like it should be."

"Yeah, well you're not a girl. It's different." I said, but even I was unsure of why.

He dropped it. "Well, as long as you're gonna keep bein friends with them, maybe set me up with Mel sometime? At least use them to my advantage?" he smiled, tossing me the ball.

I threw it back hard at him. "Ha, careful what you wish for." I said.

I could hear the car taking the turn into my driveway before I saw it, and saw two faces in the front as they pulled in, beeping even though they saw me.

Amara rolled down her window as Mel put the car in park. "Hiiiii Jason." She said in her sticky sweet voice. I tried hard not to roll my eyes.

"See ya." I said, as I headed to the Honda Civic, his dark skin turning a shade of burgundy. He waved back not looking at me, with a stupid smile at the car.

I hopped in the car to hear them both giggling at making fun of him.

Amara turned back to me as I put my seatbelt on. "Seriously Sam, when are you just going to admit that you are in love with him?"

"Ew. He's like my brother." I said and meant it. Jason and I were born months apart from each other, and returned home to houses next door to each other, with 80's moms who met in the backyard in those days and released us to the grass and the woods freely. He was my first friend and now, family.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She said, both of them laughing still. I didn't like the way they laughed at him. And I didn't like that I just sat there while they did. Jason was attractive in a way that girls would notice in college, but in high school, he wasn't popular because he didn't care to be, and to them, that made him a nerd.

By the time we arrived at Barrett's I had already contemplated jumping out of the car more times than I could count. It was one of the major malfunctions of my brain. Lying to myself. Planning escape routes and then sitting in the same spot, never moving. The huge parking lot was only half filled, and bloodied people sat outside the trailer we pulled up to, drinking sodas and waiting. To the right of the trailer, the haunted mansion stood, huge and looming. The huge Victorian home was once lived in by families, but long since abandoned. For years they used it as a wedding venue but there were so many ghost stories surrounding the building that soon no bride would get married there. The home was well known, sitting on a main road and once painted pink. The new owners had haphazardly repainted the building gray, leaving some bits of pink exposed like flesh underneath. The entire house gave the impression of being slumped over. The rumors of a bride dying in the bridal suite on her wedding night only increased sales for the haunted house, once opened, and since then, 10 or so years ago, the 'haunted mansion' had attracted group after group of teens, adults and brave families throughout the month of October. Next door, as if from a different planet, stood another building, a restaurant that was open year-round, and fed many people after their haunted walkthrough. As we pulled in, I could see a line that wrapped around at least a hundred people deep, inside a tent with flashing strobe lights.