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“That’s exactly right,” Jessica said and
beamed.

That time I did roll my eyes. “The only thing
Akira Yamaguchi nurtures,” I said darkly, “is his own reputation.
He probably thinks that it makes him look bad if he hangs out with
jocks all the time, which is why he decided to sit with us. And now
he’s trying to show off his ability to . . . to . . .” I waved my
hand and ground to a halt, because I couldn’t think of a single
thing and everyone was staring at me like I had lost my mind.

“Bitter much?” Ryan asked and gave me a
quizzical look.

“Sorry,” I muttered. “Just stressed and
taking it out on him, I guess.”

“I get it,” Jessica said as she laid her hand
on my arm. “Maria’s been out for two and a half weeks now, and I
know you’re worried about her. We all are. Just don’t forget that
you have other friends here, too.”

I stared at Jessica as the rest of the table
nodded firmly. It was so easy to get wrapped up in my own head, and
I had been so focused on Maria for so long that, despite my weekend
call to Jessica, I had almost forgotten that I had other friends
who cared for both of us and were as worried about her as I was. A
genuine smile lifted my lips for the first time in weeks at their
affirmation of support.

“They’re still not really sure what’s wrong
with her,” I admitted. “She’s holed up in her room tighter than a
tick, and I can’t get any answers from her directly. According to
her mom, blood work keeps coming back negative for anything and
everything, including mono and Lyme’s disease, so the doctors are
just going with mono based on her symptoms.”

“Is she still refusing to see you?” Danny
asked.

“Yeah,” I said and my voice cracked slightly.
“Mrs. Dupree says that Maria says that she’s worried I’ll catch
whatever she has, and while I told Mrs. Dupree that if it IS mono I
can only get it if I kiss her, which I do not want to do, thank you
very much, or drink or eat after her, Maria still won’t let me in
or even talk to me. She won’t answer her phone, texts or emails. I
don’t get it. I was able to see her last week. I mean, if she’s
contagious, then I’m already infected, you know?”

“I just can’t believe she’s treating you so
coldly,” Kat said and her face twisted into a scowl. “I didn’t know
Maria that well, but it just sounds like she’s being extremely
selfish and cruel. She could at least talk to you on the
phone.”

“I know,” I said. I had debated about forcing
the issue, but at the same time I just didn’t know what I would
say.
I want my friend back, stop acting like such a bitch, don’t
forget that I’m here?
Everything sounded so hurtful and just
bitchy in my head that I wound up not following through and instead
retreated myself. Maria’s mother kept asking me if anything had
happened when Akira and I had visited her last week, but I couldn’t
tell her what Akira claimed he had been trying to do, so I just
said no, things had been fine when we left, though Maria had seemed
a little tired.

My eyes glanced at the empty chair that we
always saved in case Maria made it to school in time for lunch.
While the days had seemed so ordinary and normal, there was always
that something that was missing, and it made getting through the
day all the harder. I had asked Mr. Baker for more hours in an
effort to drown myself in work and try to lessen the sense of loss
and anger that were my constant companions now. Mr. Baker had
grumbled, and mentioned how disappointed he was that Akira was
unable to work for him while basketball season was going, but I was
very thankful for small favors, even more so when he agreed to my
request.

Mom had also backed off a lot, and Dad had
stopped asking leading questions during our scheduled Skype
sessions. I figured it was because I was so busy with work that I
didn’t have “time to get into trouble”, which began to heal the
rift that had opened up between my parents and myself due to my
mistake.

“Don’t forget about tonight!” Ryan’s voice
dragged me from my thoughts.

“Huh? What’s going on tonight?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot,” Jessica moaned as
she gave me a pitying look.

“Forgot what?”

“We’re all getting together to go
trick-or-treating, remember?” Ryan asked.

“Oh, crap! Tonight’s Halloween!” I cried and
smacked my forehead with my hand. “Ow.”

“Yep, and we’re meeting at Danny’s to get
ready for the big night of candy pillaging and plundering,
yaaaaaaar,” Kat made her voice sound rough and burly.

“I’m so, so sorry,” I pleaded. “I totally
forgot and Mr. Baker has been really nice about letting me work
extra hours. I really don’t want to risk him going back on his
promise by calling out tonight at the last minute.”

“Bummer, it’s going to be so much fun!”
Jessica said.

“I know, I’m sorry! Maybe you could swing by
the bookstore and drop me off a piece of candy?” I pleaded. I
batted my eyes for good measure.

“Are you going to be in costume?” Danny
asked.

“Um, I don’t think I really have one . . .,”
I trailed off when every single one of my so called friends shook
their heads and gave me disapproving looks.

“How can you not have a costume?” Kat asked.
“It’s not like Halloween is a surprise this year or anything.”

“Been busy,” I replied with a shrug.

“No costume means no candy,” Ryan said.

“Ya’ll are completely heartless, you know
that?” I demanded and scowled. “What kind of friends refuse to
bring their buddy a piece of chocolate on Halloween simply because
she doesn’t have a costume?”

“The kind of friends that have actual
Halloween Standards,” Danny said.

“What standards?” I grumbled.

“It means that unless you put on a costume,
even if it’s just something cobbled together, you will not be
receiving any candy from us tonight,” Jessica informed me
cheerfully.

“This is revenge for forgetting, isn’t it?” I
grumbled, then groaned when every single one of them nodded in
unison. “Great, just great, see if I ever do anything for ya’ll
ever again.”

“Don’t worry, Alexander,” a familiar and
rather unwelcome voice said behind me. “I’ll bring you some candy
if you wish.”

I stiffened as Akira slid easily into the
other empty chair that the group had designated as “his” even
though I told them he hadn’t been around long enough to deserve
one. I fought the urge to scoot my chair away from his, and instead
plastered a smile on my face.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry, Akira,” I said
so sweetly I should have given him cavities instantly. “I’m sure I
can find a costume that my so called friends here will approve of,
so you don’t need to change your plans at all. I wouldn’t want to
trouble you, after all.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” he said cheerfully.
“Mr. Baker would probably like some candy, too, and it’s the least
I can do since he was so kind to loan me those books.”

I gritted my teeth and went to retort, but
the bell rang and interrupted what I was going to say, and with a
smile and wave Akira was on his feet and gone. I used the bell’s
excuse to get to my own feet and escape my friend’s curious eyes.
They most likely wanted to interrogate me about Mr. Baker’s books
and Akira’s almost flirty offer to bring me candy. There was no way
I could tell them that he was batshit insane and one of the
cruelest people I had ever met. Not through any loyalty to him, of
course, but more because I was a coward and worried that my friends
would think that I was the insane one.

The rest of the day was uneventful,
especially since it was one of the few days where we didn’t work on
our projects for Mr. Miller, so I didn’t have to spend any enforced
time with Akira. I was actually surprised that I didn’t see any
more costumes than what I did now that I knew it was Halloween, but
one of my classmates reminded me that they were having a pep rally
to launch the official start of the basketball season since the
first game was the next Tuesday, so everyone attending the pep
rally had forgone costumes in order to over do the school spirit
bit. I shook my head at my own forgetfulness, though I suppose I
had more of an excuse than most with Maria basically disowning me
and working with a crazy partner on a project. And then there was
the fact that the last two days I had felt a cold, icy touch on the
nap of my neck followed by a strange burning as if eyes were boring
into the back of my head.

I told myself to stop being so paranoid as I
drove home in order to scrounge for a last minute costume. All the
times I had thought I was being watched had turned out to be a
fluke, because no one would be around me when I looked. Most likely
my mind was making stuff up that didn’t exist after Akira’s little
explanation of all things spooky and soul consuming. It certainly
hadn’t helped my nightmares get any better. Just thinking about the
one where the gas attendant turned into something long and lean
with disproportionate arms and legs that leered at me before it
tried to eat my head made me want to simultaneously throw up and
find Akira so I could break his nose.

I said a quick hello to Mom as I pounded up
the stairs to my room and rooted through my closet for something
that I could turn into a costume. It wasn’t long before I pulled
out an extremely colorful, blowsy skirt. I looked at it, wondered
just where it had come from and what it was doing in my closet,
before I dove back in. In rapid succession I pulled on the skirt, a
tight black T-shirt, wrapped a pretty gold colored scarf with
little coins that clinked together around my waist, dragged on some
comfortable brown ankle boots, wrapped a brilliant red gauzy scarf
around my neck and a bright blue bandana around my head. I put on
some gold hoop earrings, a couple of gold chains, some large wrist
bangles, brilliant red lipstick, and grinned. Perfect in a hurry
gypsy outfit.

I had just enough time to grab a soda from
the fridge before I got back in my car and headed to Mr. Baker’s. I
was very lucky that he didn’t have a dress code, especially when it
came to special occasions. All he did was lift an eyebrow as I
clinked my way in, then glanced at the calendar that he kept behind
the register.

“Ah,” he said. “Samhain again, is it? If you
wish, Miss Alexander, I do not mind performing the register duties
this evening if you desire to go out with your friends.”

“No, Mr. Baker, it’s ok, really,” I said as I
set my book bag and things down behind the register. “I agreed to
work this evening and I will. It’ll probably be a lot saner in here
than out there, anyway.”

“Indeed,” he said as he peered at me over his
glasses. “Miss Alexander, I am not exactly happy with leaving you
on your own this evening, but I know that suggesting to stay would
infringe upon your independence. So I will simply ask that you call
me if, at any time, things in the store get uncomfortable or you
need someone to escort you places. Otherwise, I shall see you in a
little bit so that you may go and partake of dinner.”

“Thank you, Mr. Baker, but I’ll be ok. A
couple of my friends promised to drop by, so I won’t be alone the
whole time tonight.”

“Very good. Well then, until later, my
dear.”

He left at the same time that a few families
with elementary school kids came in and began to browse our
selection of books about ghosts of the Blue Ridge. I grinned at
their costumes. I recognized a few super heroes and one or two
characters from one of the more popular Japanese animation shows
that were on TV, and I idly wondered what Akira thought about all
the people that enjoyed shows and comics from his country. I
snorted when I realized where my thoughts had gone, and as I rung
up the small group’s purchases I promised myself that I wouldn’t
think of Akira anymore that evening.

I was only partially successful, though,
because whenever someone came through dressed as an
anime
character, I’d almost always think of him, which only served to
make me grumpy and even more irritated than before. I was
professional enough to not let it show in my dealings with the
customers, but internally I raged against my brain and where the
thoughts tended to take me. Before long Mr. Baker returned to
relieve me so I could go and get some dinner, and I grabbed up my
bag and headed out the door with a cheerful wave. Before I could
fully escape I had to reassure him yet again that I was fine on my
own, there were enough people out and about that if something
happened I’d start screaming and surly someone would come and
help.

What I didn’t tell him was that I knew as
soon as I stepped foot onto the path through the park, the chances
of running into another person were slim at best. Most of the
trick-or-treaters were staying in the lighted area where all the
shops and restaurants were, and it was highly unlikely that anyone
would be venturing through the woods considering that the sun had
started to go down and deepening twilight cast dark shadows of
purple and black throughout the place.

I hummed a cheerful tune to myself in order
to keep from being distracted by the weird shadows that appeared
out of the corner of my eye, and it worked . . . up until my skin
erupted with a weird, prickling sensation. I was being watched. I
stopped and listened, but I couldn’t hear anything past my
breathing and the pounding of my heart. I steeled myself and
turned, only to be confronted by an empty path. I laughed weakly
and resumed walking towards the distant shops, but despite telling
myself to stop being paranoid the feeling persisted. I spun around
as something rustled behind me, but again, I saw nothing. I was
about to walk off when the rustling sounded again, and I peered up
into the trees. There was just enough light left that filtered
through the partially bare branches that I could make out the
figure of a very large bird, likely a raven from the way silhouette
of the beak appeared slightly curved at the end. It gazed down on
me with its head cocked slightly to the side.