Page 12 of Death

Before I can reply, she spins around and bolts through the front door, leaving it wide open for me to follow.

An apology preemptively gathers on the tip of my tongue as I walk over the threshold, my borrowed-heels clacking along the hardwood floor. “Sorry if I’m a little late,” I say. “Dina dragged me downtown and we just kind of lost track of time…”

Mom closes the door and swiftly locks it behind us. “That’s all right,” she says, hugging her stash of candy as she flicks the porch light off. “I think you’re early, actually.”

“Oh.” I nod. “Cool.”

“Did you guys have fun?” she asks.

“We did, yeah.”

She looks down at my short skirt and I stiffen.

Here we go…

“Well, go throw on your jammies and come back down,” she says, somehow ignoring my bare knees completely. “We’re gonna binge the rest of this candy and watch Great Pumpkin.”

I snort. “We watched it earlier. And twice yesterday.”

“Baby, I didn’t raise you like that,” she jokes, forcing me to laugh. “There’s no such thing as too much Great Pumpkin.”

“Thinking I might go to bed, actually,” I say. “I’m pretty beat. Rain check for next year?”

She takes a deep breath. “Sure. Of course. Get some rest.”

“Tell Dad goodnight for me.”

I lean in and she kisses my cheek.

“Goodnight, honey,” she says.

“Goodnight.”

I head upstairs, happy that I seemingly got away with my little act of All Hallow’s Eve rebellion. Or maybe, just maybe, my parents have decided to let me grow up a little bit. Crazy concept, I know, but maybe…

As soon as I reach the top, I bend down to unhinge the medieval torture devices on my feet and relish in the plush, warm fibers as my toes graze the carpet.

“Finally,”I mutter, staring daggers at the heels dangling from my finger as I walk down the hall to my room.

I waste no time stripping the night’s costume off and tossing it deep into my closet in favor of thick, flannel pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I’ll have to return Dina’s heels tomorrow; a task that I’m actually looking forward to a little. It’s not every day I get to enthrall her with tales of my night with a man.

If I can even call it that.

I take a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up and brush my teeth before hopping into bed. I cocoon myself in blankets, getting nice and warm before turning off the light.

Another Halloween in the books.

I lie down on my pillows and my thoughts instantly drift back to him.

Ari. The mystery man who saved my life.

Happy shivers dance along my arms and legs as I replay the encounter over and over again. One moment, I’m blinded by fear and the next… I’m not. I’m looking into his eyes and feeling more alive than ever before.

Soon, my eyelids weigh heavy and I flutter them closed, though my thoughts stay with him.

His face. His smile. His voice…

I slowly fall over the edge into a deep sleep but, just before I drift off completely, I’m struck cold by a single, frightening thought.

I know where I’ve seen him before.

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