The Unlikely Resident of Room 313

Chapter 38

Time crept in with an early winter frost, and before I knew it, the countdown dwindled down to seven days.

One week until it would all be over. One week until I'd live my life as a normal, average, everyday psychic with her ghostly boyfriend.

And then, finally, the day came. Halloween.

Roy's Death Day.

My divorce from the Dark Man.

"The Dark Man has a thing for DTE, so Melody, Roy, and I will meet you there," I reminded Eric over the phone.

Halloween was sacred to Oracle University. The Halloween Block Party was the culmination of his devotion. The night would start on campus. From there, I would lure the Dark Man to the site of one of his greatest evils: the basement of the main house of Delta Theta Epsilon.

The place where the Dark Man's possession of my father led to Roy's untimely death. This was personal right from the very start.

There was a magic to Halloween that was unmatched by any other day. Woven between the wind, the trees, and the anticipation of glee, the magic was electric. It was anticipation. It was dark desires and seductive smiles, screams of fear and glee, and being anything you'd ever dreamt of being.

This sense of magic crackled in my lungs as I looked out at the crowded streets of Oracle University. I flexed my fingers, recalling the feeling of Roy's hands clasped tight with mine, and march onto the green.

I remember what Roy told me before I got ready. We had been in bed, our limbs tangled, sweat and happiness buzzing through our minds.

"If you feel scared at any time, call for me," he said. I traced the corner of his mouth with my fingers. He kissed them tenderly. Nothing else mattered.

"I know you'll be there to protect me," I said honestly.

Mischief glinted in his eyes. "Not that you need much protection. I would hate to be on the other side of your wrath."

I smiled. We promised to be in contact as much as possible. We embraced each other—mind and body. After Halloween, that connection that felt like the end of the world would be gone.

I shook the memory away.

It would be for the best—no matter how much I hated the thought.

I looked over at Melody, who insisted that we dressed for the occasion.

"We need to blend in!" she insisted.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that I could dress in full camouflage and the Dark Man would still find me. She wore nude glitter tights beneath a pair of white shorts and a white t-shirt. Her wings and halo bounced with every determined step, and she clutched a small white bag to her chest protectively. An avenging angel. That's what she was.

I, on the other hand, chose a more fitting costume for my plans this evening.

I chose to be a Ghostbuster.

But instead of a Proton Pack, I had a backpack full of ritual supplies, and my utility belt was stuffed with even more trinkets and sacred objects needed to finish the ultimate vanquishing job.

Gods and goddesses, fairies and mermaids, vampires, and zombies moved around us. On one of the quads, the university hosted trick-or-treating for faculty families and kids from the surrounding town. Adorable, truly. But the moment I saw ghostly figures standing by some of the children—smiles plastered on their faces—I froze.

The ghosts watched the children lift their little buckets and pillowcases, smiling. They looked just as excited to see the children as the parents standing on the sidelines. As one ghost moved closer, I clutched the talisman around my neck, ready to spring into action, but stopped when she simply giggled at the googly-eye glasses a little boy pushed to the top of his forehead. The eyeballs attached to the glasses lurched out of the frame with a comical pop. The ghost, a little girl, looked barely eleven years old. When she reached down to touch the white and green plastic eyeball, it flew across the quad.