It doesn’t matter.
Tonight was the beginning and end of it.
I’m not going through heartbreak again for someone who walked away so easily.
They all leave, don’t they?
Everybody leaves…
Chapter 11
Twisted fantasies,
arriving before,
the killer at our door.
The costume store is too far from where I live to walk to—but I wouldn’t have—even if I could. That car followed me last night, I know it. Managing the fear and paranoia while costume shopping should be a real feat.
I open the glass door, reflecting the beginning of a pink sunset behind me, and enter the giant outlet store, decorated with pumpkins, witches, and ghosts costume displays at the front by the checkout counter. Stokes’s laughter comes from the back of the store, and as I duck down one of the aisles, following his voice, Lucie approaches from the other end.
“Hey, glad you made it.” She stops in front of me. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you without the others.”
About my performance? Something bad about last night?
“Okay.” I grip my bag strap and brace for impact.
“I saw you leave with Taylor,” she whispers, folding her hands together and checking over her shoulder. “How do you know him?”
“We used to, I don’t know, see each other? Back before college.”
“Oh. Well, a friendly piece of advice. Keep your distance.” She pushes her hair over her shoulder and stares at me, waiting for something.
I frown. “Why do you say that?”
She takes a step back and checks over her shoulder again. “I just know his type, and he’s not a good guy. Not someone you should be hanging out with.”
“And how do you know who I should be hanging out with?” I scoff, trying to control the edge in my voice.
“I know who you shouldn’t, and he’s on that list. Just trust me. He’s on the scene and he takes advantage of people and situations. I don’t know if you really know him like you think you do.”
“Do you know him personally?”
She purses her lips and checks over her shoulder again. “I just know things about him, and it’s better to stay away. Now I’ve said it, and you’ll do whatever you want, but I had to say it.”
“Okay,” I whisper and roll my eyes as she turns away.
How does she have the right to tell me something like that without any explanation? She doesn’t even know me. I open my mouth to tell her that, but Stokes rounds the corner.
“Lyn, there you are, get over here.” He grabs my arm and pulls me past Lucie down the next aisle of intense fluorescent lighting, and she follows us. “For the show on Halloween, we all want to dress as our favourite horror characters from movies, books, whatever.”
Royal has a Jason mask in his hand, examining it beside Cline as he digs through a pile of masks.
“I call dibs on this one.” Royal holds it up with pride.
Favourite horror characters. This is easy. “I know who I want.” I step beside Cline and dig through the masks. Once the white, Michael Myers mask is revealed, I reach for it, and Cline does the same, taking it before I can.
“You like Michael?” he asks, putting the mask on.
“Yeah. Halloween is my favourite horror movie.”
“Oh yeah?” His muffled voice comes from behind the mask. “Hear my voice? And you were really going to dress as Michael Myers? No.” He says the last word in an obnoxious tone. “Maybe you should be Laurie Strode, a la original movie. That’s more your type of outfit, don’t you think?” He wheezes with laughter I’ve never heard from him and Royal smiles before putting his mask on to hide it as I scowl at him.
“Actually.” I take a step toward the pile of masks. “If you’re such a fan of Michael, maybe you want to wear his first mask, a la original movie.” I pull out a clown mask and grab a red, round clown nose from beside it. “It’s more your type of outfit, don’t you think?”
Royal bursts out laughing and Stokes and Lucie smile at each other without much understanding in their expressions.
Cline takes off his mask, and he’s smiling. “You really are a fan.” He shrugs with a smirk and I raise my brows, smiling. “Respect. I still got it first, though.”
“I’m going to be Jigsaw,” Stokes says, holding up a mask. “Lucie, you got yours?”
“Mika and I are going as the twins from The Shining,” she says.
“They were actually just sisters in the book,” I say, at the same time Cline says something about “not twins”.
“Okay horror aficionado,” Cline says. “Who are you going to go as now that I’ve claimed Michael?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I will go as Laurie, circa 2018. Or maybe…” I turn around and scan the aisle for costume ideas. “I’d be ghost face if I didn’t have to sing. Maybe I could be Annie Wilkes, or maybe…” I see a plain, white dress and pick it up. “I could dye this blue and black and be Samara, fresh from the well.”
“She wasn’t too fresh,” Cline says and we both laugh. “Your hair fits the bill. Long and dark. You could pull it off.”
“Maybe I will.” I smile and tuck the white dress under my arm.
“Are we dressing up for the show tomorrow night?” Lucie asks.
“Yeah, definitely.” Stokes grabs some white and red face paint. “Free for all. Whatever you want.”
“Be whoever you wanna be,” Royal says to Lucie with a smile before passing her and turning down another aisle.
Cline and Lucie dig through a pile as Stokes walks the other way down the aisle and I follow him.
“Seriously, Lyn, sucks you didn’t stick around last night. Some of our fans wanted to meet you.”
“Like Howard?” As soon as I say his name, Stokes turns around.
“Ah, did you happen to meet him on your own?” He laughs. “He considers himself to be our biggest fan. Been coming to our shows since before college. He can
