"You look fantastic," Sera said.
"Thank you," she replied, sweeping back her long black hair. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks, you ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's get Danielle."
Sera opened the door, and Kathleen swept past her, swishing her hair as she went. They moved down the hall, dodging the bats, spider webs, and witches hung from the ceiling. Kathleen knocked on Danielle's door and pushed it open. An eerie howl greeted them, and a skeleton laughed as its glowing green eyes lit.
"Hey guys," Danielle greeted as she shoved a pile of clothes on the floor.
Danielle had managed to get one of the few single rooms in the dorm. In her first three years, she hated her roommates. This year she'd decided she would rather be alone. She was much happier with the arrangement.
"You look so cute!" Kathleen gushed.
Danielle cast them a flashing grin as she tossed back her long brown hair. She’d dressed in a fitted gray leotard. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, and gray ears were placed securely on her head. Whiskers decorated her face, and she had painted the tip of her slender nose black.
"You two look amazing."
"But of course," Kathleen cried as she spun in a circle.
"I'm ready." Danielle grabbed her small gray purse. "I hope this party is good."
"So do I." Kathleen bounced over to Sera as she opened the door. "The school party last year sucked! So, this one had better be good."
"It's a frat house," Sera said smiling. "Drinking, dancing, and passing out like always, only in disguise this time."
Kathleen laughed and skipped down the hall. "Like we won't know who it is through a mask!" she called, punching the button for the elevator. They stepped into it as Kathleen pushed the button for the first floor. "I can't wait to bob for apples in Budweiser, the Coors caramel apples, and beer bottle bats!"
They laughed as the doors opened and they stepped into the lobby. A handful of people were gathered, costumes on, waiting to go to parties. Streamers flowed from the ceiling to the floor, and decorations covered the walls in preparation for the trick-or-treaters tomorrow night. The three of them crossed the hall and exited through the thick wood doors. The crisp air and the smell of dead leaves instantly filled Sera's nostrils. Students strolled along the sidewalks, almost all of them wearing costumes, as they made their way toward whatever party they were invited to or bar they were spending the night at.
"Got your invite?" Danielle asked.
"I can't believe they sent out invitations," Kathleen said, pulling hers from between her breasts. "When did they get class, Sera?"
"Liam said they were doing something different this year, and they didn't have enough room for a lot of people. There will be no underclassmen unless they're in the frat or a girlfriend."
"There are still about a thousand people in the upper-class." Kathleen pulled her dress down to expose more of her ample chest.
"They only sent out a hundred invitations."
"There are more people than that on the dance floor most nights," Danielle muttered.
"They're opening it up for the kid's tomorrow night," Sera said. "Everyone is invited afterwards."
At the frat house, they discovered a line winding all the way down to the sidewalk. "What is this?" Kathleen demanded.
"They're having a haunted house," a girl in an elf suit replied. "They're taking us in ten at a time."
"Yeah, but once you go in, you don't come out," a boy dressed as Robin Hood added with a sinister laugh.
"Oh cut it out, John," the girl replied, slapping him on the arm.
"Cool." Kathleen's eyes sparkled mischievously. "This should be fun!"
Sera stared up at the house. Jack-o-lanterns sat in all the windows on the lower floor, and candles flickered inside the pumpkins. In the attic, the lights were on, and a few people were moving across the windows. Sera realized they were the ones who had already gone through and had now begun the party. The line inched forward as they moved toward the doorway.
Halloween music poured out as the door opened to let in groups of people. No one appeared in the doorway, and no lights lit the foyer. Sera tried to peer inside, but it was impossible to see anything in the darkness. She glanced back through the line, her eyes landing on an Egyptian princess in a body-hugging gold dress. All her exposed skin was painted gold, except for her face, which was exquisitely layered with makeup. Her brilliant red hair flowed around her shoulders, and a gold tiara topped her head.
Sera felt a wave of annoyance as she stared at Michelle, who was flirting with a man dressed as a musketeer. He touched her shoulder, but Michelle slapped his hand away as she snapped at him not to mess up her makeup.
"How did that bitch get an invitation?" Kathleen demanded, hands on her hips.
"Kathleen," Sera warned.
"No way, Sera, that was the best thing about tonight!"
"She comes to all the parties here; I'm sure she's made more than a few friends. Just ignore her."
"You know I can't. She gives you dirty looks at all the parties, and she still won't lay off Liam. All she does is talk about what a jerk he is, but you know she's just waiting to make a move on him."
Sera felt extremely uncomfortable as she glanced back at Michelle. She was amazingly beautiful, and tonight it showed. She knew Liam couldn't stand her, but she had to be tough for a man to refuse, and Kathleen was right, Michelle did want Liam.
Finally making it to the front of the line, they found a man dressed as a troll who took their invitations. The door swung open, and Sera found herself faced with complete blackness. "Welcome to the House of Hell," a voice from behind the door said. "Enter at your own
