I'd Sell My Soul

Chapter 22: Halloween Horror

Allison Monroe's POV:

Halloween 2022 fell on a Monday. So as Sophie was finishing her cheerios, I entered the kitchen and scanned her up and down.

"Where's your costume?" I blink.

"Only the nerds wear costumes to school." Sophie scrunches up her nose at me in between spoonfuls. I yawn and wander over to the coffee pot and start to brew myself a fresh pot. Katie comes bounding into the kitchen.

"Who is so excited for tonight?" She exclaims sliding across the linoleum floor to the fridge where she retrieves a yogurt cup.

"Does she have an off button?" Sophie glares at me and gestures to the very much wired Katie, who definitely does not need the coffee.

"Unfortunately no. I've been looking for decades for that off button." I sigh as the coffee pot starts sputtering. All attention in the kitchen turns to the coffee pot as the whirring sound gets louder before a pop sound can be heard and blue sparks start shooting out. Sophie yelps and I instinctively jump in front of her and hold her behind me. That's when Katie comes flying around the corner with a wood broom and she starts smacking the machine with the broom, unplugging it as it clatters to the floor in a heap of plastic and screws.

"And stay dead!" She smacks it once last time as if for good measure.

"And somehow that's the least weird thing she's done since she moved in a few weeks ago." Sophie mumbles to me.

"Yeah I didn't say she'd be a normal roommate." I sigh and release my grip on Sophie who saunters off down the hallway to finish getting ready for school.

"Farrah's just saying hey." Katie shrugs as she sweeps up the mess.

"Don't joke about my dead sister being a ghost." I frown as I text Levi to come over with coffees.

"You texting Sophie's new step dad?" Katie asks as she dumps what was our coffee maker into the trash.

"What are you talking about?" I scrunch my nose up at her after hitting send on the message.

"Sophie and I were just chatting. She thought you were getting together with him and having him move in." Katie explains.

"No. Levi and I are just friends. Nothing more." I fold my arms.

"Good." Katie shrugs and turns to the refrigerator where she grabs a carton of milk to make her morning cereal.

"What do you mean by good?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Nothing I just think it's unnecessary drama." Katie says with her back to me as she pours the milk over cheerios in a bowl.

"Are you interested in Levi?" I press and take a couple steps towards her.

"What?! No!" Katie whips her head around and stares at me in shock.

"Okay well you just...you're very close to him when you didn't even like him in high school." I point out.

"He's my boss. We are close because we spent a lot of time together and went through losing Farrah together. Grief draws people together. See Allison I feel like I just got the tiniest flash of high school you coming back." Katie puts her hands on her hips.

"What does that even mean?" I sputter.

"You know. The prissy blonde cheerleader just came through." Katie scoffs.

"Look, Katie I just mean if you like him...go for it." I say defensively. The minute the words leave my mouth I feel a wave of regret wash over me.

"Gross. That's like my brother...ew." Katie shivers.

"Okay well...I'm just saying it's not like that with him and I. That ship sailed." I sigh.

"I don't think he thinks that." Katie starts eating her cereal while sitting on the counter top, swinging her feet.

"Well. I mean I haven't exactly been romantic with him so I don't know why he thinks that." I reason.

"Oh please he's been your knight in shining armor throughout this whole serial killer business." Katie rolls her eyes.

"Who called him instead of 911 when the house got busted into?!" I huff.

"Both of us." Katie smiles smugly.

"Fair." I sigh as Sophie walks in the room with her backpack on. I turn and look at her. She scrunches up her nose at me for staring. "Okay rude."

"Don't be weird Allison." Sophie scoffs as the front door opens.

"I have coffee." Levi calls from the foyer. He walks in the kitchen with a carton holder of coffees. Sophie snags one from him.

"Thank you. I'll be in the car." She walks off without another word.

"Geez. We'll call that one mine." I sigh at my niece's indiscretions.

"You know who she reminds me of-" Levi starts to which I hold up a hand. Sophie's head pops back around the corner.

"Oh and aunt Ali, you don't have to pick me up til 5. I have cheer tryouts after school." Sophie adds. Katie and Levi both gesture to her at me.

"Sounds good Soph. Have a good day!" I smile at her, ignoring the two idiots.

"Alright. Time to go Katie." Levi turns to Katie who's rinsing her bowl out in the sink.

"See ya, Ali!" Katie says as she leaves the kitchen.

"I'll see you tonight, dinner is pot roast." I call after her. Levi follows her out as well. We'd slipped into this routine of Levi picking up Katie and Sophie so he can drop Sophie at school on his way into town and then get to the saloon. He does this so I can start work on time and uninterrupted. I wander out to the makeshift office I had created in the corner of the living room. I'd taken an old desk out of the garage and placed my computer set up on it with a dining chair to sit on. I sat at my computer and logged on before getting to work. The next time I looked up from my computer the time read 2pm. I clocked out for lunch and fixed myself a sandwich and salad. I finished out my day at 5pm and rushed into town to grab Sophie from the school. When I pulled up in front of the gym she wasn't there. I tried her phone three times, it went to voicemail each time. My stomach dropped and I got a sick feeling. I parked the car and got out. I started wandering around the high school looking for Sophie. I opened the double doors to the gym and was blinded by the fluorescent lights....