“I am outstanding company.” I smiled.
“That you are,” Dimitri said.
I yawned. “I’m still tired. I had an exhausting weekend.”
“I’d love to hear about it,” Dimitri said.
“I’ll tell you about it next time,” I said. “I need to sleep now otherwise I will be too tired for school tomorrow.”
“Does this mean I have to go?” Dimitri asked.
“Are you going to miss me?”
“Yes.” Sadness tinged his voice.
“You’re going to miss me even more when my dad takes us away for a weekend.”
Dimitri groaned. “You’ve only just got back!”
“I know. If it were up to me, I’d stay home.”
I pulled the sheets over myself and secretly wished Dimitri would climb under them as well. He liked his space and was certainly not clingy or romantic. Amore was lying on the far side of the bed. She was glaring at Dimitri.
“You can stay until I fall asleep,” I said instead of inviting him to lie down next to me. “I don’t like saying goodbye.”
“I’ll do that,” Dimitri said.
He picked up a pencil and started to draw in my notebook, and I wondered if it was another flower. I enjoyed his company because he was the only person who didn’t drain my energy. My eyes drifted closed, and my breathing depend. The sound of pencil on paper was a lullaby to my ears.
The next morning I woke to an empty, quiet room. I went over to the notebook to look at the beautiful daisy Dimitri had drawn for me. It made me happy.
Then I noticed the brochures next to the notebook. It was an advertisement for a vacation home. George Coleman, Dimitri’s stepfather, owned the place. His name and number was on the brochure. I wondered if Dimitri had left them there for me because I had told him my father wanted us to go away for a weekend. I carried them downstairs where my family was already eating breakfast. I greeted everyone and handed the brochures to my father.
“What is this?” my father asked.
“A vacation place,” I said. “It’s private and in the middle of nowhere. You will love it.”
My father studied the brochures. “There are quad bikes and a small dam with row boats. And it is not too far away from a horse farm for your mother. This is perfect.”
Juan studied the brochures. “It’s close to one of my friends as well. Her name is Audrey.”
“Audrey is the girl that hosted the party at the pumpkin farm, isn’t she?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Juan, this is a family trip. You can’t disappear to visit a friend.”
Juan said nothing, and I knew she was plotting her way around this. The pumpkin farm was surrounded by other farms... And the Red-eyed Lady had been murdered on one of those farms. I shuddered. Maybe Dimitri had not left those brochures, after all. Maybe the ghost wanted me to go there.
Charlotte
“Are you going Halloween shopping?” I asked Juan.
Juan was in her room, looking for her something. She found her handbag and swung it over her shoulder before she looked at me. “Yes, I am. Why?”
“I want to come with you.”
“Did I hear correctly?” my sister asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m going to dress up this year.”
“Who are you and what have you done to my sister? The Charlotte I know hates Halloween.”
“The Charlotte you know has never had a date before.”
Juan smiled. “Is it Dimitri?”
“Yes,” I said.
“You have to introduce me to this guy,” Juan told me.
I must introduce her, but somehow the timing was always bad – either I was grounded and not allowed to have guests over, or she wasn’t home. We went downstairs to Juan’s car. She drove us to the party supply store that was close to our house.
“What do you want to dress up as this year?” Juan asked.
“I have no idea,” I said.
I entered the shop and looked at everything. There were rows and rows full of costumes, shoes, hats, gloves, makeup, and masks. I tried to be open-minded but could not find anything I liked – everything looked plastic, low-quality, and fake. Juan didn’t share my concerns as she quickly found a cute, colourful dress and a wig. She had decided to go as a clown, which did not sound sexy, but my sister could pull off any outfit.
As I wandered through the shop, I eventually found face paint, which sparked an idea. I bought black and white face paint, as well as little red roses instead of a costume.
“What are you going to be?” Juan asked me.
“You’ll see.” I smiled mischievously.
We went home and found Andrea in the kitchen. She had bought several pumpkins and was ready to start carving them. Juan joined in immediately while I took my paint and flowers upstairs and placed them on my dresser. Then I headed back downstairs and helped my family carve. I carved two pumpkins – one with a bat in it and the other a cat. It was hard work, and I did not enjoy cleaning the pumpkin. I did not like the smell, either. Andrea seasoned the pumpkin seeds and put them in the oven to bake. I’d enjoy these as a snack from time to time.
When we were done carving, we placed the pumpkins on the porch. Andrea put a small, happy ghost on her plants. Other than that, we did not have any other decorations. Our house looked neglected compared to the neighbour’s tarantula- and cobweb-covered roof.
“Are there any other decorations you girls would like?” Andrea asked as she washed her hands in the basin.
“No,” Juan said. “I won’t be home anyway.”
“The house looks fine,” I said.
“You are much better at decorating for Christmas,” my mother told me.
“I like Christmas much more,” I said. “It’s my favourite time of the year.”
“I know,” Andrea said. “You love the presents. I don’t understand why you never loved the Halloween candy equally.”
“Because it makes me fat.” I shrugged, and Andrea smiled.
****
Halloween was on a Saturday. When the time came, I wanted my sister to help me with my outfit. Unfortunately, Juan left early that morning. She planned to get dressed at a friend’s house and sleep over.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Andrea offered.
“Thanks, but no.”
I took a bath and washed my hair. I blow dried it then went to Juan’s room to steal hair products and a curling iron. My hair took a long time to style, but when I was done, I was satisfied. I had put tiny curls into my hair and then I braided it to one side of my face. I weaved the little plastic roses I had bought into my hair.
Then I used my face paint. On one side of my face I put on eyeliner and red lipstick. The lipstick only covered the half of my lips that was closest to my hair. That side of my face had to look normal.
The other side was the dark side. I drew a big, black circle around that eye. It created the illusion of an empty eye socket. I coloured half the tip of my nose as well as the side of my nose black. Thus it looked like an empty hole. I painted that side of my face white – like a skeleton. I drew my cheekbone more prominent with black. On that side of my mouth I drew teeth over my white-painted lips.
One side of my face looked like a princess and the other side of my face looked like a skull. I had seen someone else do this before, but I was not ashamed of stealing the idea. It was not like there were any unique costumes on Halloween anyway.
I then went to my cupboard. In the back – where the clothes I never wore were – hung a beautiful black dress. I removed it and admired it in the light. It still had its price tag, and I had never worn the dress before. It was made out of a beaded black material that flowed to the ground like black mist. The dress proved to be a tight fit, but the material stretched so that I could move around easily, and its long, see-through sleeves fell to the ground like a waterfall. I then looked at my shoes. I had beautiful heels that I could wear, but my feet would quickly start hurting
. Instead of heels I put on comfortable black sneakers. The dress covered my feet – thus no one would notice.
I descended to the ground floor like a princess of darkness. My parents observed me from the couch where they were sitting.
“Wow,” Andrea said, “Charlotte! I’ve never seen you look this beautiful.”
Ned’s face was a bit pale. “It’s a bit tight, don’t you think?”
“Dad, I am not ten years old anymore.”
“I know,” Ned said. “Where is this Dimitri? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“I am meeting him at his house,” I said. “He does not have a car.”
I hadn’t told my father about Dimitri’s car accident. He would be overprotective, and he would not want me to drive with him. I did not want my father to think that Dimitri was irresponsible.
“Oh,” Ned said.
I kissed my parents then left the house in a hurry. The sun was setting by the time I reached Dimitri’s house, and I drove a little further so I could park by the guest parking space. Dimitri had told me his dad did not like it when cars parked on their lawn or outside the garage, because it looked untidy. They did live in an upper class area, and I respected their wishes.
Dimitri was waiting for me when I climbed out of the car. His jaw dropped as he took in my beautiful dress. I blushed and twirled so that he could see all of me.
“I’m speechless,” Dimitri said.
His eyes said it all, and his appreciation made me feel like I was a celebrity standing on the red carpet.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I feel so underdressed.”
He was wearing casual clothes – jeans and boots with a T-shirt. It was the kind of clothes one wore every day. His hair was not styled differently. The crazy curls still stuck up in all directions, but his makeup looked fabulous.
“Those wounds!” I exclaimed. “They look so real! Who drew them for you?”
“One of my friends is a makeup artist.” Dimitri smiled.
He had a gash on his cheek. The flesh was red, and the blood dripped onto his shirt. He had minor scars and bruises over his body. The big wound was on the side of his head. It almost looked as if someone had struck him with a baseball bat.
“It’s incredible,” I said.
“Not as incredible as your half-skull,” Dimitri said. “Did you draw it yourself?”
I nodded. “I did.”
“Then you don’t have to take drawing lessons from me,” Dimitri said.
I was flattered and became aware of my every move around him. “What are our plans for the night?” I wondered.
“Ethan is struggling to walk. He is also tired and sleeping,” Dimitri said. “I was hoping we could bring him some candy...”
“Do you want to go trick or treating?” I asked.
We were a bit old for that, but it was for a good cause, so I did not object. Poor Ethan. No child should be sleeping on Halloween.
“Yeah,” Dimitri said. “We don’t have to be long.”
“Let’s do it,” I said.
He smiled at me. “You are such a good sport.”
“Anything for you.” I winked. Maybe I was not boring after all...
Chapter 19
Charlotte
Trick or treating was fun. I knocked on lots of doors, and everyone gave me candy. I received many compliments for my outfit – each made me smile. Dimitri walked with me but waited in the street every time I went up to a house, and I wondered if he felt insecure because we were too old to trick or treat. I carried my own candy and playfully warned him not to try and steal it.
Children were dressed up as monsters, vampires, witches, and anything you could think of. Some people even dressed up their dogs. One dog wore a hot dog outfit, and I thought Amore would look cute in a tutu.
“The bucket is full,” I said.
Dimitri and I had gone all around the neighbourhood. The bucket was Dimitri’s. It had been standing on his porch when he told me to take it so that we could fill it with candy for Ethan.
“We did an excellent job,” Dimitri said.
“I really thought that some people would refuse to give me candy because of my age.”
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?” Dimitri asked. “No one would say no to you.”
I smiled because I felt like a princess of darkness. I felt brave and beautiful and untouchable. I didn’t feel like myself when I wore this costume. I was someone else who belonged in a novel. I most certainly looked the part.
We returned to my car, which I had parked in the guests’ parking space. That was where Dimitri stopped walking.
“If my brother sees me, he won’t want me to leave,” he said sadly. “He has become very needy.”
“That’s understandable,” I said. “I can take the candy to him. I won’t say that you are with me.”
“That would be great,” Dimitri said. “I think he would like to see you again.”
“Don’t look so sad,” I told him.
“I can’t help it,” he said. “I hate lying to people.”
“Then why do you do it?”
“Because the truth is hard to handle,” Dimitri said. “I don’t want to take anyone’s happiness away.”
I understood that the truth was hard to handle. It was one of the reasons why I didn’t tell people I could see ghosts. I also didn’t want them to think I was crazy, to worry about me, and become unhappy. Like me, Dimitri was considerate.
I went up to the house and rang the doorbell. I hoped Dimitri’s mother would not open and yell at me again. Luckily, it was Ethan that opened up the door. He looked sleepy – his clothes were wrinkled, his hair was a mess, and I felt guilty for making him come to the front door in his state. His face lit up when he saw me, and my guilt faded like mist at sunrise.
“Charlotte!” He then looked at my bucket full of candy. “I am sorry but I don’t have any candy for you.”
I laughed admiringly at the innocence of his mistake. “I brought this candy for you.”
“No way!” He was holding his crutches and didn’t have a free hand to take the bucket. “Will you please put it on the couch for me?”
I followed him inside the house to the couch near the front door. I put down the bucket, and Ethan started scratching through the candy.
“You got all of my favourites!”
“You are most welcome,” I told him.
I felt warm and happy inside for doing a good deed. It was really important that Ethan was as happy as he could be.
“You are so kind,” the child said. “I don’t know how I will ever make it up to you.”
“Just enjoy them,” I said. I most certainly did not expect anything in return. I then looked around the big house and noticed how quiet it is. “Where is your mother?”
“She is sleeping,” Ethan said, then stuffed candy into his mouth.
“Shouldn’t she be taking care of you?”
Ethan opened another piece of candy and stuck it into his mouth. “Today, I waited for hours and hours for my mother to come home. When she came home, I greeted her, but she was slurring.”
There was a knot in my stomach, and although I didn’t like where this story was going, I needed to know what happened next. “And then?”
“I limped over to her, in the kitchen, where she was struggling to grab a bottle of alcohol from the top shelf. I asked her if we could do trick or treating but she said she was busy and I should ask George.”
“Where is he?” I asked.
“At work,” Ethan popped another sweet into his mouth. “When I told my mother this, she told me I can’t walk properly, and I’m always tired, so trick or treating was a bad idea.”
What horrible mother made up excuses like that to avoid spending time with her son?
“But I came up with the perfect solution; we can drive from house to house. Then she asked if it looks like she should be driving. So, I asked her if she didn’t just drive home. And then she got an
gry.”
I clenched my hands angrily in my lap and listened without interrupting.
“She found a bottle opener, but she was too drunk and struggled to open the bottle. I begged her to go but she told me to eat the chocolate in the fridge instead. But, there wasn’t any chocolate because Dimitri had eaten it weeks ago! Then the bottle slipped of the counter and shattered. She blamed me, and as I was apologising, she chased me away.”
The knot in my stomach was bigger and tighter now.
“I left the kitchen and only returned when I heard something falling. I found my mother, drunk and passed out, on the kitchen floor. When she fell, she had knocked a pan of the counter – that was the bang I heard.” Ethan’s cheeks were round from all of the candy he had stuffed into them. He should be happy, but after the story he just told, his eyes looked sad.
“Mom was lucky she hadn’t fallen on glass and hurt herself. George would be angry when he got home and found her there. I didn’t have Dimitri’s muscles to carry her up the stairs, and I didn’t have the energy to clean up, either.”
“What did you do?”
“I went back to my couch and swung my favourite blanket over my shoulder. Using my crutches, I then slowly made my way back to my mother and threw my blanket over her.”
“Where is she now?” I asked again.
“Sleeping.”
I didn’t dare ask where she was sleeping, but pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to Ethan. “Call your stepdad.”
“No,” he said. “It’s no big deal, this happens all the time.”
“Call your stepdad and ask him to come home. Or I’ll eat all your candy,” I said lightly.
Ethan laughed and dialled his stepdad’s number. “Hello. Mum’s passed out. Uh-huh. When will you be home? Okay. See you then. Bye.”
He handed back my phone. “And?”
“He will be home in ten minutes,” Ethan said.
“Good.” I got to my feet.
“I have to go now,” I told Ethan. My heart broke as he turned his sad brown eyes to me. We weren’t friends, but he wanted me to stay. Was he lonely despite Dimitri spending so much time with him?
“But you just got here!”
“I know. I have a party to attend.”
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