True As Cheese

October 31: Don't mess with Tessa

          Screams echo as women ran for their lives, a masked maniac chasing them with a bloody knife. Michael clung to my arm as a killer clown came into vision, blood dripping from his mouth as he smiled at Michael. Leo grabbed Michael and me, tugging us away from the chaos and into the haunted house. White lights flashed around us, the smells of sweat filled the stiff air. Bear lead the way, not even flinching as monsters and murders jumped out at him.

           Giggles travel throughout the air as young girls run after their friends, Michael Cryers chasing after them quickly. Creepy music plays throughout the room, smoke machines setting the creepy mood perfectly. Bear scans the room, his eyes meeting every single person. Leo speaks quietly with Michael Cryers, pointing to Michael with a smirk.

           He nods before slowly making his way over to us, arms open. It's too late when Michael finally notices, his fighting futile. Michael wraps his arms around us, hugging us tightly to his muscular body. Holy shit, Michael Cryers is hugging us. Leo laughs loudly, snapping a picture quickly. Michael flips, threatening to pull his gun out if he didn't have his personal space in the next 5 seconds.

           Bear calls us calmly, smiling and waving for us. I was about to question why he was being weird before it clicked. He's trying not to draw attention. He found Devin. We nod in understanding, Michael looping his arm around mine. Leo texted quietly on his phone, probably letting the rest of the men know where we are. We all split up, hoping it would help us find him quickly.

           Just as he finishes the text, a little girl dressed in a costume runs by, grabbing his phone and taking off. He yells for her to stop, chasing after her.

            "Michael, follow Leo and help him. This could be a distraction, Tessa stays with me." Great. We still haven't talked about what happened in the elevator and now I've got to be alone with him. Michael chases after Leo, leaving a very awkward situation with us.

          Bear opens his mouth to speak before his eye is captured by something across the room. I look over my shoulder, seeing a man staring directly at us. Bear looks away quickly, pretending not to see him. Without a second thought, I begin to make my way in his direction, he doesn't know me, I can use this to my advantage.

           I grab a bag of cotton candy from a small child nearby, popping some in my mouth before smiling kindly. He raises his eyebrow, a smirk growing on his face. I cross the room swiftly, never losing eye contact. Out of my peripheral version, I see Bear curse and head a different direction, probably pissed at my actions and trying to figure out a plan. Walking up to Devin, I hold out the cotton candy, offering him some.

           "Thanks, I'm Devin." He grabs a pinch, shoving it in his mouth before looking around suspiciously.

           "I'm Tessa, it's nice to meet you." Michael runs in the room, looking around quickly as he tries to find something. His eyes meet mine over Devin's shoulder, his eyes growing wide.

           "I presume you're here with friends? Where might they be?" He raises an eyebrow, his brown eyes staring into mine curiously.

            "Probably causing trouble, one of them just hugged Michael Cryers!" I laugh, meeting Michael's eyes again. Fury stared back at me, making me shuffle my feet.

           "Oh. He's your friend?" Devin takes a step back, glancing me over. Did he see Michael and me before? Maybe he didn't recognize Michael? His eyes meet mine, the friendliness was gone. He knows.

           "You're going to come with me, you're not going to cause a scene." He looks around quickly, nodding to people before looking back at me.