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Chapter Three. Fright Night
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WHEN AFTERNOON FADED toevening, Rhiannon rushed home to get ready for the party. She would've forgotten all about the occasion had she not seen a Halloween-themed commercial while she was watching TV with El.
She was pulling on the last piece of her Alice in Wonderland costume now: knee-high stockings from Heather's drawer. She made sure to be careful when she was looking around her mom's room, not wanting to find anything awful again, like that one time she accidentally searched through her nightstand and saw something she shouldn't have and wanted to rinse her eyes out with bleach.
It was a stupid costume for a stupid party, but she wanted this to be a good night. She was trying to be positive. Showing some teen spirit. See, she looked at it from this perspective: she was fine with doing this if it made her feel normal, if the memories of the house and the band and Lori and her freaky possession became fuzzy.
Heather sighed melodramatically, leaning against the door. "You think you're too cool for me— leaving your poor mother here, all by herself, on Halloween."
"Now you're making me feel bad."
"You should. I have nobody to eat popcorn and watch scary movies with," Heather said, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Salem's here to keep you company."
"He hates everyone but you," Heather said. "I bet you won't even miss me when I'm gone."
Rhiannon sent her an unimpressed look. "You're playing that card? And you say I'm dramatic."
"It's fine. I've accepted it. Be back by midnight."
"Too early," Rhiannon whined. "Why?"
"Let me see... Because I said so. Because it's a reasonable time. Because I spent sixteen hours in labor, that's why," Heather said before she kissed her forehead and cupped her chin affectionately, the same routine her mom would always do when she went out.
