Page 1 of Casper
CHAPTER ONE
LUNA
I bounded along, excited by the costumes and the spooky vibes. Halloween had always been my favorite time of year. I paused to glance back at Athena and Ripley who were taking their sweet time ambling through the park.
“Hurry up, you guys,” I called. “We have to meet Storm and Codie. They said they’ll wait by the freak show stage. I want to get there in time for the sword swallower. That shit always creeps me out.”
A girl passing by stopped to compliment me on my Cheshire Cat outfit. Since my hair was a blend of chunky pink and purple, I’d opted for a pink and purple Cheshire Cat costume this year. An adorable striped tutu with a corset top and fuzzy cat ears clipped into my hair atop my head.
“Thank you.” I beamed at her before telling her I loved her fantasy elf costume.
“Slow down, girl,” Athena said when she caught up. “I don’t have half the energy you have.”
“Maybe we should get you a coffee or something.” I scanned the food vendors for a place with coffee options.
I couldn’t help that I was a relatively high energy person. Although I couldn’t fault Athena for being less than enthused.She’d helped move Ripley into her apartment earlier in the day. Codie had recently moved out to live with her boyfriend, Stray Hurley, so Ripley had taken her room at Athena’s.
Athena made a face. “Coffee? On Halloween night? I think not. Let’s find some booze instead.”
Her dark green eyes sparkled playfully. She wore her long brown hair tied back in a braid to go with her Lara Croft outfit. Next to her Ripley McKay absently chewed a painted pink fingernail. She was dressed as an anime character I didn’t know. In a pink and white dress with white knee-high boots and her shoulder length blonde hair, she was getting attention from fellow anime fans.
“I could go for a drink,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”
I continued to lead the way through the vendors and costumed attendees until we reached the stage at the back of the grounds. Every year Wintervale put on a Halloween event filled with haunted houses, crazy performers, and various activities like escape rooms and a house of mirrors. An effort from our small city to create community. It was a nice way to kick off the evening before the partying began.
“Luna,” Codie squealed my name as we approached. “You look cute as hell. I love the outfit.”
She stood with Stray in a small group that included his friends, Casper Callahan and Rebel Kane, along with our close friend Storm, Rebel’s new wife. The guys were three of the five men known as the Graveyard Kings. Campus crime dealers that specialized in black market goods. Some of the stories I’d heard from Storm and Codie were beyond crazy. I couldn’t imagine being with someone like that.
Our group stood to the left of the stage, away from the growing crowd. Currently the stage was empty, the lights low. Good. We hadn’t missed anything.
“Thanks.” I nodded at her simple black cat costume. “You went all out like usual I see.”
I followed up with a roll of my eyes. Codie Edwards never had been one to put much effort into a costume despite how much she loved clothing. At least she tried.
“Of course. You know me.” She grinned. “At least I dressed up. Not like Casper here who couldn’t be bothered.”
Casper’s brilliant green eyes landed on me. His gaze travelled over me before finally reaching my face. With his angled jaw and slightly crooked nose most likely from fighting, he was ruggedly handsome. Blue streaked black hair and one arm inked in a full sleeve that started with a black raven wing on the side of his neck added to the appeal.
He offered me a small smirk of a smile before signing something in response to Codie’s remark. Casper Callahan didn’t speak. From what I’d heard, he watched his parents die a gruesome death as a kid and hadn’t said a word since.
“Casper is a ghost,” Stray translated for him. “He doesn’t need a stinking costume. Those are his words, not mine.”
“Ahh I see,” I laughed with a shake of my head, taking in Casper’s blue jeans and the black t-shirt that showed off his hard body. “I guess there’s no arguing that.”
“How come nobody’s talking about my costume?” Storm broke in. Turning in a circle to show off her Corpse Bride attire, she pointed at Rebel who wore the suit to match. “I even convinced Rebel to do a couple’s costume.”
Rebel snickered. “Only because you made me a promise. If I dressed up with you tonight, then you would—”
Storm clapped a hand over his mouth, keeping him from finishing that sentence. “I don’t think we need to share that with our friends. New subject. Who wants to check out the haunted houses after this? They’re supposed to be pretty scary.”
Lights on the stage began to flicker. Creepy music started up. Something was about to happen.
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck prickled, giving me the sensation of being watched. I glanced over to find a guy in a hideously grotesque monster mask staring at me. At least I thought he was staring at me. The mask made it impossible to tell for sure. A shot of fire went up from the stage, drawing my attention. I forgot about the guy in the mask.
For the next twenty minutes, I stared in awe at the performers. People breathing fire, swallowing swords, and juggling knives. It was amazing. At some point, Codie and Stray moved over so I found myself standing between Athena and Casper. I couldn’t help but notice his spicy cinnamon vanilla scent. Damn that was nice. He’d smelled as good when we walked down the aisle together at Rebel and Storm’s wedding.
When the show ended, we all dispersed with the rest of the crowd. We started with the house of mirrors. The narrow maze-like halls were too skinny for us to go as a group. Codie suggested that we split off into pairs, conveniently pairing me with Casper.
