Iris: The American Dream Series Book One

More Trick Than Treat

Dressing up like Katniss Everdeen was easy. I dug through the boxes we'd sent over from Holland to find my olive green cargo pants, which I tucked into tall brown boots. On top, I wore a black t-shirt with a black leather jacket, and my mom bought me a plastic bow and arrow set to carry over one shoulder as a prop. I took my camera, but with my smallest lens so that it would tuck into the pocket of my jacket; there was no way I'd miss the chance to take pictures of our first American holiday. Oma helped me to put my hair into a long braid that hung over one shoulder, and then she tied it off at the bottom with a scrap of black fabric.

The twins were bouncing around the house and flying off of furniture, begging Pim to join us for trick-or-treating. Romy's zombie princess had required some make-up, and her dress was intentionally ripped-looking and in tatters. She held up her hands, curled like claws, and made a horrible face as she roared at Esmee. Sweet Esmee looked like a mini-Rapunzel, her knee-length blonde wig in a braid, her long-sleeved pink dress glittering with sequins and sparkles. She looked down her nose at her twin sister, preferring to act like a real princess, not a zombie one.

At seven o'clock, the doorbell rang. I tossed the mascara I'd borrowed from Mom back into her makeup drawer and hurried downstairs.

"You look amazing!" Abby said, standing in the entryway to our house with Zach and Felipe behind her. Having them all in my house made me feel shy. Abby looked adorable: she had a doll's face painted on, complete with puckered lips and rosy cheeks, and she wore a tutu over tights just like a doll from The Nutcracker. Felipe was dressed as Dracula, with a black cape thrown over his shoulders, plastic fangs, and a trickle of fake blood running down his chin.

"I vant to suck your bloooooood!" Felipe cackled, already in character. From behind him, Zach stepped into the house wearing an outfit almost identical to mine. His dark blonde hair was combed to one side, and in his hand was a fake knife. Peeta Mellark. We looked each other up and down. Abby and Felipe stood and watched. Finally, we both cracked smiles.

"I guess we probably won't be the only Hunger Games characters out on the mean streets of Stanford tonight," Zach joked, slipping his fake knife into a leg holster. "You ready to go and score some candy? Where are your little sisters?"

Right on cue, Esmee and Romy came barreling into the front room, their empty treat buckets swinging from their hands. "Let's go!" they yelled at the same time, racing for the door.

"Hold on," Abby said, pulling her phone out of her candy bag. "Can we get your grandma to take a picture of all of us before we go?"

"I'd be glad to take one," Oma said, holding out her hand for the phone. "But only if you'll show me how to do it!" Abby pulled up the camera on her phone and gave Oma directions on how to take the picture.

"Okay, all of you together there," Oma said, sweeping us in closer with her hand. "There we go—perfect!" She snapped a few pictures, then handed the phone back to Abby. "Have fun, all of you—and bring the girls back by 8:30!" Oma held the door open, smiling as she watched us file down the front walkway. The path was lit with solar powered lamps on both sides, and the dim lighting made the fabric ghost that we'd hung from the big tree look even spookier.

Out on the street, little witches, angels, goblins—and even one or two Harry Potters—ran from sidewalk to door at each house, checking their goody bags as they made their way back to their parents after each stop. The park was totally changed for the harvest party: the trees were hung with paper lanterns that were lit from within, and there was a giant bonfire in the middle of the park, surrounded by adults in costumes. While my friends searched the picnic tables for treats, I stood beneath one of the paper lanterns that'd been strung between the trees.