I sat in the living room, watching another cheesy rom-com with Grandma. She was curled up next to me on the couch, laughing and smiling as the movie played out on the screen with its predictable plot and cliché love story, but I couldn't help but enjoy it with Grandma by my side. Who knows how much time we have left to spend together? The thought of Death coming here to take her soul sent shivers down my spine.

When the least interesting part of the movie started, I opened my contact list on my phone, staring at Madeline's name. The smile I had a second ago slowly turned into a straight line.

Why couldn't I make myself click on the phone icon? Why was making the first move so difficult for me?

"Are you not enjoying the movie, Lily?" Grandma wondered as she saw me staring at the phone screen.

I shook my head. "I do enjoy it! I was just..." I wasn't able to finish the sentence.

"If something is on your mind, you can count on me. I know that what happened with Alec shook us a bit; however, don't forget that we're family. You're my daughter." Grandma smiled at me.

I reached out for her hand and gently squeezed it. "It's about my friend, Madeline. Friend is most likely a strong word since we didn't talk for weeks." I confessed. "I know you've been angry with me because I didn't tell you about her."

Grandma furrowed her eyebrows. "When was I angry about it?" She looked like she had no clue about what I was talking about.

"Alec told me you weren't happy; I didn't tell you about her," I explained.

Grandma looked confused for a moment. "We never talked about you with Alec. Or, better to say, we didn't talk at all. Sometimes I think I lost parts of my time spent with him." She laughed.

My heartbeat fastened. If Grandma never said those words to him, how come she stood by his side when I asked him to leave?

Nothing made sense.

Grandma looked back at the TV screen, and a smile appeared on her face again. As much as I didn't want to question her anymore, I had to.

"Why did you want him to stay, Grandma?" I asked.

She kept focusing on the plotline of the movie, as something unexpected would happen. "I don't even know." She replied. The way she said it sounded like she had no idea she stood by his side.

That's all I had to know. He both mind-tricked us. And the worst about it wasn't the loss of the memories, but how he managed to do so. Once Alec left our house, Grandma acted herself again and even forgot about Alec if I didn't mention him.

Grandma suddenly got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. When she returned, she held two bottles of beer in her hands.

"I would send you to buy more beer, but when I did so the last time, you didn't bring any and looked like you saw the devil." Grandma laughed loudly. "I should go by myself and buy at least two cases, if not more. Beer in our household disappears out of nowhere." She added.

I chuckled and grabbed the beer she held in front of me when she sat next to me. No matter how much I don't want to go outside, I can't send her there by herself with her barely moving leg.

"Don't bother. I'll go buy it for us, and this time, I'll bring it home." I laughed, placing the beer on the table.

"You better do, Vivienne." Grandma joked with her index finger pointed up.

I chose the grocery store that is farther away from our house than the one I've been going to. Since the last incident, I didn't want to run into Death or other foolish boys.

I walked into the store, looking first at the candy aisle. I usually don't take anything sweet. There's no big reason behind it, though. However, when my eyes landed on the blue cotton candy in a plastic cup, I knew I had to buy it.

I grabbed three cups of cotton candy and two cases of beer, and I was ready to pay. I placed them on top of the counter, but no one was behind it. I analyzed the counter to find a small call bell with a tag on it: USE ME! I gently pressed the top of it, and a ringing sound echoed around the place. I hugged my body as shivers ran down my spine. A cold breeze swept through me, although no windows were open.

I opened my wallet and found out I didn't have much left, and the last paycheck I got was three weeks ago.

When I looked up, I had to blink multiple times to be sure I wasn't seeing anything. Alec was standing behind the counter with no facial expression on his face. When his eyes focused on me, suddenly his whole mood changed.

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I turned around, ready to run away, but then I recalled the words I said to Grandma. I swore I would buy her favorite beer.

I turned my body back in his direction and placed the five dollars on top of the counter. He blocked my items unhurriedly, and as he was done and I tried to pick them up, he grabbed my wrist.

"Not even going to say hello?" He chuckled. Under this store light, he looked unbelievably dangerous, and I couldn't believe I didn't notice it sooner. He played a nice guy to get into my house and take Grandma by his side. God knows what else he planned. Maybe he'd earn our property after he got into my pants and married me.

"I have nothing to say to you." I sneered and withdrew harshly from my grasp. I quickly took the beer and cotton candy and headed out with swift steps.

Who does he think he is? Touching me whenever he pleases. Playing with me like I'm his doll that he throws away at any time he feels like and picks up again.

Before I walked out of the door, he managed to say, "Happy Halloween."

• • •

The movie had already ended, and Grandma slept as usual on the couch. I picked up the blanket we had stored under the table and spread it on her body. She slept like no danger could encounter us. Like Death couldn't take her away from me.

During those two weeks, I stayed home due to the fear that when I returned home, Grandma would be dead, lying on this couch.

I tucked the blanket in and moved to my room. It was close to eight o'clock, and I was getting worried about what would happen. We don't celebrate Halloween, but our neighbors do. When my mother was still alive, it was our favorite holiday to celebrate. We would make our own costumes and go trick-or-treating until midnight. It wasn't our favorite holiday because of the candy, though, but because we could spend more time together as she was constantly working. It's been five years since her death, and not a day goes by without me missing her.

I've become so cold. As when you're holding an ice stick in your hands, but you release your grip around it after a few seconds because you cannot bear it against your skin. You cannot wait to return home and touch the burning mug full of hot chocolate because warmth is much better to sense. Who would prefer it otherwise?

I was ready to go to bed when, all of a sudden, my phone rang. When I looked at the screen and saw Madeline's name, I got so overfilled with joy that I almost cried. It's been weeks since we last talked to each other, and I missed her. I miss talking to a girl who's close to my age rather than those old bastards at work.

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat before I picked it up. "H-Hello?" I said quietly.

"Oh god, so nice to hear your voice! Sorry I didn't come to the bar, but I've been a bit busy; however, I'd love it if you came to my apartment right now." She talked over the loud music that was playing in the background. It seems like she's been partying, and I'm not into such stuff.

"I'm not sure...I don't think I should-"

"Don't be ridiculous! It will be fun, I promise," she said before I could finish my sentence.

For a couple of seconds, I thought of the right choice of words to refuse her invitation, but then it hit me. I've never been to a party. And I should experience it once in my life, even though I'm not into partying.

"Alright, I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Waiting for you." She laughed and then hung up.

The streets were filled with little kids in cute costumes. Girls as witches and princesses, and boys as characters from horror movies, holding fake weapons made out of cartons. Every single house except ours was decorated with carved pumpkins and real-size skeletons in the front yard. But the house that interested me the most was the one at the end of the street.

It had no pumpkins or skeletons. However, there was an old chair on the porch in front of the entrance door. In the chair sat the Grim Reaper, holding his scythe, and on the other hand, a bucket where candy was supposed to be taken. Only the bravest kids dared to walk the path to him. I stopped and watched as a small boy around five years old in a ghost costume walked the stairs to the porch, shivering in fear of getting close to the Grim Reaper. He reached out his hand to the bucket and drowned his hand inside. He grabbed a full fist of candy and dropped it into his bucket. He realized the Grim Reaper wasn't real because, otherwise, he would have scared him. The boy touched his scythe, but nothing happened. He turned around and jumped from the top of the stairs. The whole time he was running to his mother, he was jumping in joy because he was the bravest of all the kids on the street.

I smiled and continued walking. When I appeared before her apartment door, loud music was playing. Before I could have second thoughts about leaving, the door opened in front of my face. It wasn't Madeline, though.

It was a girl with forest green hair and cat-eye-shaped eyes. She didn't have a costume on, but a mini lace skirt with a revealing top, which had a huge cut on the chest area.

"Come in." She opened the door fully with a huge smile plastered on her face.

She closed the door behind me once I was standing in the hall. I looked over her shoulder, where the living room was, to see at least fifteen people dancing and drinking alcohol.

One of the people was a tall woman with red hair in the middle of the room, dancing to a 70s song. She was wearing a short black dress that showed off her legs. Girls surrounded her and moved their hips to the beat of the loud music.

The smell of marijuana was thick in the air. I stood there, feeling uncomfortable and out of place. They were all laughing and having a good time. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and stepped inside.

The girl who opened the door for me walked first into the living room, immediately jumping into the vibe of the music. Madeline stopped dancing right when she caught sight of me. From her point of view, I must have looked like a statue.

She danced her way to me, grabbing my hands and pulling me into the middle of the room, where everybody danced. She placed her hands around my neck, moving her hips from side to side. I left my hands hanging in the air, as I didn't know where to put them.

She whispered in my ear, "Dance with me." I slowly moved my feet, feeling her warmth against mine. I closed my eyes and smiled.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I felt myself getting closer and closer to her. I placed my hands on her waist, feeling the movements of her body. She let out a soft gasp as I felt her body tense. I looked up and saw her eyes darken. I tried to separate our bodies, but then she drew me closer.

Something wasn't right about her. She looked the same and smelled the same. But the look in her eyes wasn't the sweet-nervous one I saw before.

Is it because of the marijuana?

"Let's go somewhere where we can talk privately," I suggested. She nodded, and we moved into her bedroom.