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twenty-six

"HAPPY FUCKIN' HALLOWEEN!" MILO CROWED, THROWING HIS ARMS AROUND HIS BOYFRIEND HUDSON. Gen laughed, and then shrieked when Reed came up behind her with a zombie mask on, grabbing her shoulders and yelling, "Boo!"

"Don't do that, idiot!" Gen said breathlessly, narrowing her eyes as she hit Reed on the arm. Her boyfriend was laughing as he tore off the mask, slapping palms with Milo as if he had just created one of the biggest burns of all time.

It was finally -finally- Halloween. To the immense relief of everyone in Slayden, the police had found the Shadowman. Kyle and Jackson had both been locked up, and the teenagers were questioned ruthlessly for two weeks about the attacks that had been formed. The Hallow's Eve Festival was announced to be back on, and everyone had rejoiced.

The Hallow's Eve Festival ran from 5:30 pm to 3 am. Most people usually brought their children for the first few hours of the beginning, and then deposited them with babysitters to go trick-or-treating while the adults drank and participated in the later night activities, and the teenagers slipped from neighborhood to neighborhood trick-or-treating themselves, then heading to a party in the woods, and then eventually crashing (boys and girls alike) at the nearest "Halloween Host House" that people volunteered for every year.

The Halloween Host House for Gen, Milo, Alexis, Hudson, Kayden, Casey, Holland, and Aiden was, of course, Reed's.

"Shit, baby, you ready for tonight?" Reed kissed up his girlfriend's neck, who shrieked and tried to squirm away as he wrapped his arms around her, not letting her go.

"I think the question is is your mom ready?" She asked him pointedly. "She's the one who has to make forty cookies for the festival and prepare for nine of us to stay with her."

"That's crazy by the way," Hudson looked around at Reed. "She's letting all us sleep over at her house. Your mom is an angel."

"My mom knows what she's getting into," Reed informed Gen. "And yeah, she's a saint. I love her."

"Awww," Milo said teasingly, reaching out and pinching Reed's cheek. "You going soft on us, Bodner?"

Gen slapped his hand away, snuggling backwards into her boyfriend as she lifted her chin. "Leave him alone, dickface, he's always been soft."

"Who's soft?" A voice said. The group turned to see Holland and Alexis who had linked arms, Casey's arm around his girlfriend.

The friend group had shifted ever so slightly, and Holland and Alexis had weirdly grown closer. They were attached at the hip, Alexis tagging along with Holland and Casey for dates at the disgusting Chinese food place snug in between shops on main street and Holland pointing out girls and boys that she thought Alexis would look good with.

It was a bit weird, but Alexis had made it very clear to Kayden that she no longer wanted to be close friends. The blow had hit Kayden hard, and it was obvious Alexis was still angry about everything that had happened to them involving Kyle Becker. She kept Kayden at an arm's length, not staying with her for long if the two were ever alone together.

It was strange, however, because the rest of the group had forgiven Kayden with open arms. They understood, or at least tried to understand, what Kyle had put her through and the manipulation he had forced on her brain. But it seemed nothing and anything was going to get through to Alexis anytime soon.

"Reed is," Gen answered, rolling her eyes. "And he's my softie so don't any of you try to steal him!"

"Hey, now," Casey grinned, lifting his hand from Holland's shoulder. "I have a girl, thank you very much."

"Well aren't you a stud," Alexis shot sarcastically, and all of them laughed.

"Where's the lovebirds?" Milo piped up, shooting Gen a glance.

She tilted her head back, heaving a sigh. "They were supposed to be here five minutes ago. Guess they didn't get the memo."

"Or maybe they were too busy sucking face to pay attention to the memo," Reed contradicted, a smirk sliding up his face.

Gen pulled her keys from her belt loop. "I'll call 'em on the way to the car. We have a Halloween Festival to get too, my friends."

"Fuck yes," Holland said enthusiastically, pulling Alexis forward so that both girls stumbled, giggling as they crashed into one another.

The teens were all doing costumes this year, and they needed extra time to get ready. So as the rest of the students at Edgewater High streamed out the doors, chattering excitedly about the festival later that night, the group of friends drank in the autumn air, feeling a collective cloud of happiness settle over all of them.

It was an amazing feeling to have everything okay again.

~

"Aiden," Kayden said breathlessly, pushing his lean body off of her slightly.

He was grinning, raising his eyebrows, "What?"

A blush had risen to her cheeks, and she held up her phone to face him. "The time, you freak. We're late."

His smile curled. "Too bad."

He pulled her towards him again, his lips latching onto the skin of her neck. Kayden couldn't even begin to count the amount of bruises she had tried to put concealer over or hide with her hair that he had patterned up her neck with his mouth.

She wrestled her neck away from his mouth, laughing. "A, we have to go."

He reluctantly tore himself away from kissing her, his arms tightening around her waist. "Mmm, fine. But I get to kiss you the whole night when we're finished."

His eyes met her's. "The entire night."

Her toes curled inside her shoes as a shiver ran down her body, and she ran her hands through her now messy blonde hair. "Deal."

He slipped his hand in her's, opening the door to the janitor's closet. The school was practically empty, besides the janitor himself shuffling aimlessly from other classes with his headphones on.

Kayden turned to her boyfriend, shaking out her hair. "How do I look?"

Aiden scrunched his nose. "Like I've just slammed you up against a janitor's closet wall and made out with you."

He chuckled, and she shoved him. "You're impossible, O'Conner."

He ducked his head, his hair falling into his eyes. "And you're beautiful, Turner."

Kayden felt her stomach dip at the words as they continued down the hallway, hand in hand. From the time they had kissed in the hospital room, it was like everything in the world was alright again. She loved him; and she knew she did this time. Aiden was twisting her world around in ways she didn't even know were possible, and it made her ecstatically happy.

As they rounded the corner, they stopped dead in front of the glass trophy case, all the laughter completely leaving their lungs as Kayden's smile slid off her face.

Words, huge and spiky, were spray-painted ruthlessly on the lockers. They were still dripping, which means it had just been freshly done. Next to the phrase, an upside down cross hung, like an omen of death.

I AM HERE TO DO THE DEVIL'S WORK. THE POSSESSION WILL BEGIN SOON.