“What do you want, Eve?” The question came from her mom. These were the first words Eve Lancaster’s mom had said to her that night. Eve was standing next to the recliner her mom had inherited from her parent’s estate. A laugh track mixed with a subtle static filled the small living room. The soft glow from the T.V. illuminated her mom’s tired eyes as if she had spent the whole day working and just wanted a moment to relax. In truth, after the inheritance came in neither of her parents continued working. Eve didn’t know where her dad was tonight. The bar most likely.

“I want to go trick-or-treating,” she responded in a high-pitched voice that one day, she hoped to abandon.

“Aren’t you a little old to be doing that still?” her mother responded. “Besides if you want to go so bad, just go. What do you need me to go with you for?”

Eve turned eleven today. It was obvious her mom forgot, but a part of her still hoped reminding her that it was Halloween would trigger some memory that the two events should be related. Their world had changed so drastically over the last few months and Eve wanted one last day to feel like it did last year when they were a family. She held back her tears as she said, “fine, I’ll go with my friends.”

That seemed to satisfy her mom returning her full attention back to the wine in her hand and the sitcom on the screen. Fake friends for a fake mom, Eve thought to herself. The black witch hat felt heavy in her hands as she walked to the front door. Carter decided a few weeks ago they would go as classic monsters for their last Halloween. She chose a simple witch.

“Why not this one?” her mom had said when they were in the store. She was holding a complicated costume from some dumb popular show. It was the most expensive option in the store. Eve knew it was the only reason her mom wanted to get it. Her arms were full of cheaper black clothes and pieces that complicated the perfect witch costume, in her mind at least.

“I don’t even watch that,” she responded.

“Of course you do!” her mother said grabbing the items from Eve’s arms.

“No,” Eve said in a hushed yell. “You see commercials for it when you watch T.V. All my friends are going as old school monsters. Mom, just stop. Let me choose!”

The argument stopped there. Her mom shoved the pop culture costume back onto the rack ripping the packaging nearly shoving the whole display over and dropped the witch costume on the floor. At this point, a few other adults were watching. Too much attention for her mom. If they were home this would have exploded into a bigger argument. An expensive wine purchase erased the fight from her mom’s memory.

“I’m leaving!” Eve shouted back into the cold house. The T.V. volume raised as a laugh track responded in place of her mother’s goodbye.

Out on the porch, amber leaves swept across the wooden planks. A chair swing swayed gently in the cold October air. The sun would be setting in an hour or so leaving Eve with enough time to find her friends and get her real night started. She left the hope of her mother taking her at the top of the steps as she jumped down onto the sidewalk. Deep down she still wanted her mom to be outside of the house, with her, surrounded by people she liked. The sound of her sneakers smacking the cement would have to do.

The neighborhood was already alive with kids and their parents walking up and down their street. Along the road, trees were shedding their leaves almost like rain. The way the wind pushed them around made Eve think of waves at the beach. They sounded the same too. It was supposed to rain later but for now, the crunch beneath her feet was satisfying.

For the most part, they lived in a safe and quiet part of town. The only sounds residents could expect during non-holidays were a few bikes and the shouts of kids playing some game after school. Each house was unique with a mixture of different colors. Eve liked the Victorian architecture. It made her feel like their homes were old but since the families took care of them they all had modern twists. Except theirs. Their house was her grandparents, though her family was living there most of Eve’s life. As prideful as he was, her grandfather didn’t have the strength to keep up the yard. Her dad worked thirds and her mom was always tired after working in the hospital all day. The mess of their lives reflected on the property.

“Eve!” a voice shouted out to her from across the street. The pounding in her ears almost made her miss her name. It was Carter. The boy was standing beside their group of friends. His face was painted with dark browns and green. She almost didn’t recognize him with his dark brown hair greased back. He was a few inches shorter than her but the sleek black jacket and long black pants made him look taller. A zombie and a witch. Classic.

She checked that the coast was clear and ran across the street. As she approached a girl standing beside Carter grabbed his arm and pulled him close to her. Eve felt her heart sink a little. The girl was basically the most popular girl in their class, Jenna, and she was wearing the costume her mom had tried to make her get. It was the kiss on the cheek that made her feel sick.

“Did you invite her?” Jenna asked Carter loud enough for Eve to hear.

“I didn’t tell her where we’d be,” he responded in a quiet voice. “We were already planning to go together last weekend. Classic was the theme!”

“Is that why you look like a homeless person?” the girl quipped.

“He’s a zombie,” Eve said catching her breath.

“Sure,” Jenna responded. “What are you supposed to be? A homeless witch? Couldn’t your parents afford a better costume?”

“I was headed to your house,” Eve said ignoring the girl. “I thought we planned on meeting there. Where is Tommy or Preston?”

Carter laughed nervously. Jenna and the other kids began to walk down the street. Their indifference to her existence was what she was used to.

“I forgot to tell you,” he began. “After school last Monday my bus was running late. Well, you know Jenna takes the same bus I do, right? Well, we started talking and joking and she’s actually really nice and funny. I know it’s different when the jokes are about you, but they’re still funny. Not that the jokes about you are funny, just the jokes in general. Anyways, we waited like half an hour and then we sat together on the bus the whole way home. She gave me her number.”

“Is that why we didn’t talk on the phone after school this whole week?” Eve asked.

“That’s part of it,” Carter responded. “My mom has also been needing the computer a lot recently. With you being suspended and everything I haven’t had a chance to tell you but we are boyfriend and girlfriend. It's crazy! She even lets me kiss her!”

“Alright!” Eve yelled. Realizing she sounded a little angry she laughed. “I don’t need to know all the details. “Hey man,” she said. “I’m happy for you. With a face like that, I didn’t think you’d ever get a girlfriend. Especially not Jenna. She’s pretty. How’d Pres-giga-ton take it? He had a huge crush on her.”

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Eve’s throat felt coarse.

“Well,” he said shyly. “She doesn’t want to tell anyone yet that we’re together. So I haven’t told them. Tonight was the night we are telling everyone. That’s why we’re trick-r-treating together. I don’t know though. She seems angrier than normal. She’s looking at me. I’m coming!” The lovestruck boy’s attention went from his best friend to his new girl. Eve almost didn’t get a chance to respond as he started to walk in Jenna’s direction. “Hey,” he interrupted himself. “The guys might be at my house still. Can you go with them?”

“Yeah,” she responded. Although she said the word, she didn’t think Carter even heard her. He was already halfway down the block jogging to the other group.

Eve stood alone on the corner as a cold breeze nudged her hat. It leaked through her clothes. She was sure the pit in her stomach was colder. Her hand was cramping from how hard she was squeezing the handle to her bag. She watched as Carter disappeared behind a house with a smile on his face. The smile was for Jenna. It was probably a joke about her.

“There you are!” a familiar voice called out to her. Eve blinked and the dusk turned to night in an instant. All around her kids screamed and teenagers wailed. Halloween was in full swing. The streetlamps were on and it was sprinkling. How long have I been standing here?

“What happened?” she asked confused. Her face felt warm and she couldn’t tell if the water on her face was rain or tears. Admittedly, she felt like crying.

“We’ve been looking for you guys all night,” Preston said to her pushing her shoulder. “Nice witch! Can you tell what I am?” Her head spun as she turned around.

“I can’t,” she responded. Tommy caught her before she fell into the street.

“Woah, hey,” he exclaimed. “You okay?”

“I’m a mummy!” Preston yelled. “Were you crying?”

Eve threw her hands to her face wiping the moisture into her sleeves. She took the opportunity to shake her head. After a few moments, her senses went back to normal. Her two friends were standing around her. Preston was right, he was a mummy. From head to toe, he was wrapped in some tan fabric. All that was left exposed was his face. The usually dorky kid looked concerned. Tommy still had an arm around her but she could see he was a vampire. It had only been a week since she last saw her friend but tonight he seemed older somehow. The makeup? Was he taller?

“I’m fine,” she said pushing Tommy off of her. “You’re a mummy and he’s a vampire. You guys look good. I’m a witch and Carter’s a zombie. We’ll look cool once we get together.” She suddenly remembered what happened. “Wait! Have you guys seen Carter?”

“No,” Tommy responded. “We thought he was with you. I assumed you guys just ditched us to go make out or something.” Preston thought that was the funniest joke in the world. The two boys laughed together.

“No!” she yelled in defense. “He’s with Jenna!”

The vampire and mummy became quiet. “Really?” Preston asked.

“Really,” she responded. “That’s not all. They are boyfriend and girlfriend and he did ditch you guys, but he also ditched me too. He’s been with Jenna and her friends all night.”

“Screw him!” Tommy shouted. “We don’t need him anyway. If he wants to go be with those idiots then fine. That doesn’t mean we don’t get to enjoy our Halloween. Let’s go get some candy!” Tommy walked away from the other two. Eve was looking to Preston still waiting to see how he took the news.

“Preston?” she asked. “I didn’t mean to say it like that. I know you liked Jenna. Carter’s a jerk.”

“It’s fine,” he responded. “She’ll break his heart. I don’t care. At least I still have you two.”

Eve smiled. She could tell he was holding back tears. She looked around for Tommy.

The vampire was standing at the door to the house on the corner. He was waving to them.

“He’s right,” she said to Preston. “Let’s get some candy.” Preston nodded in agreement. The two of them ran over to him through the yard. The lawn was decorated with tombstones and lights. A small tree had some cobwebs and spiders scattered all over. Eve thought it was cute. The lights seemed to flicker and glisten like she was in a dream. The cold air felt nice. At the front door, some adult was holding a bucket full of candy.

Eve’s favorite candy was this obscure brand that mixed crackers with chocolate and marshmallow. In her mind, if she got at least one of those bars tonight, maybe it could be a good night. Her stomach growled as the thought of the candy bar swirled in her mind. It’s what she wanted, but not what she expected.

“They’ve got full bars!” Tommy yelled as he hoped down from the porch. Preston ran up first and said trick or treat. Eve watched as the adult smiled and threw some name brand bar into his open bag. She was next.

“Trick or treat!” she shouted.

“Aren’t you a cute witch!” the old lady exclaimed with a smile. Eve watched her reach into the bucket and randomly grab at the candy. She pulled out a bar with a full white wrapper. It was her favorite! The lady looked at it confused and said, “I don’t remember getting these.”

Without another thought, she tossed it into Eve’s bag and then went to the next kid in line. Eve followed Preston down the stairs and the kids reviewed their loot. The first candy bar she got tonight was her favorite. She pulled it from the bag, tore the wrapper off, and took the biggest bite she could manage. It tasted better than she remembered. She couldn’t remember the last time she had one.

“Weren’t those discontinued?” Tommy asked her.

“Hm?” she asked through her chewing. Preston was also munching on his candy.

“Yeah,” he continued. “Those were pulled from shelves. Something about something in Africa or whatever. My older sister was furious when she heard. Those were her favorite.”

She shrugged. She savored every bite. Before she knew it the whole thing was gone.

“I don’t care if it’s old or not,” she said. “They’re so good!”

“Let’s get more!” Preston yelled.

The three kids ran to the next house. This one was not as decorated as the one before. A single pumpkin sat beside the porch. It wasn’t even carved. Most of the other kids were skipping the house. Preston ran up and knocked hard. Tommy and Eve reached the door just as it opened. It was an older gentleman. He seemed tired, but he was holding a bucket with candy.

“Trick or treat!” the three of them yelled at the same time.

Lazily, the old man grabbed at the candy and put one into each of their bags. There it was again. The white wrapper. It couldn’t be, Eve thought to herself.

“Did you get another one?” Tommy asked her as they walked down the steps back to the street. Eve reached into her bag and pulled out another of her favorite candy bar.

“Is that even possible?” Preston asked.

A car pulled up beside the kids before any of them could respond. It was her mom’s car!

“Mom?” Eve mumbled.

“Eve!” her mother yelled through the rolled-down window. She slammed on her brakes and put the car in park. “I’ve been looking for you all night!”

Her mom threw the car door open and exited. Her long brown hair was in a messy ponytail and she was still wearing her pajamas under her new leather jacket. She looked frightened.

“Why?” Even asked as her mom approached her. The sudden hug took her by surprise. Eve could feel her mom’s heart beating in her neck.

“Boys,” she said ignoring her question. “Go home. Your parents have been looking for you too. Do either of you need a ride?”

“Mom!” Eve yelled not letting them respond. “What’s going on?” Her mom looked at her with tears in her eyes and hugged her again.

“I’m so sorry, Eve. Carter was in an accident.” Her mom couldn’t go on.

“What are you talking about?” Eve said pushing her mom off of her. “Is he okay?”

“He’s…” she tried to finish. “There was a car. A drunk driver. On Halloween of all nights. He’s gone, Eve. It happened down the street from our house. I thought you were with him but it was just him that got hurt. Some girls with him saw the whole thing. I heard it over the T.V. I thought you were with him…”

Her mother started crying and held onto Eve so tight it was hard to breathe.

Is this what she wanted?