Bradford Manor

XX-20

Things started to go back to normal well mostly. Arie was sitting in her room quietly watching outside the window when Mila walked in silently and touched her shoulders.

Arie jumped and fell to the floor. "Oh I'm sorry dear. Just trying to get into the Halloween spirit." Mila said helping her up.

"How about I take you into town surely you miss your mortal friends. That way we can visit the graveyard and show you some of my old friends." Mila excitedly clapped.

"I'll be in the limo." She walked out the room and Amaimon appeared. "Going into town huh?" He floated around me. "Must you be so nosey?" I asked flipping through my closet finding one of his hoodies and putting it on.

I walked downstairs and got into the car with Mila. Nostalgia hit me as I drove though my old public school neighborhood. We stopped in front of a flower shop and got out.

"I'm gonna pick out some flowers. You have fun and meet at the graveyard in an hour." Mila started smelling roses..

I looked across the street and saw some of my old friends from Nackerville High. "Is that Arie?" My ex crush Josh squinted. He was talking to my old friends Marie a black girl with curly hair and glasses and Nicky a scrawny nice guy with blonde hair and some other people.

I smiled and walked over to them. "Arie you're alive." Nicky and Marie hugged me. "I for sure thought you were dead the cops went to your house and everything not a trace of you." Marie looked sympathetically at me.

"Yeah I'm sorry about what happened to your parents where do you stay now?" Nicky asked. "Yeah if you're close by maybe you could make it to the party we're planning. A costume party." Josh looked me up and down.

"I live with some family friends now in a huge mansion outside of town." I explained. "Cool. Creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere perfect for the party." Josh patted my back.

"Maybe not. They have a lot of kids and they're kind of weird you guys wouldn't like them." I shook my head.

"How old are they?" Marie asked. "16,17,18, 19 they're all brothers." I replied. "It'll be fine then. Wait till I tell everyone about this. Arie you're awesome." He hugged me.

"What's your number now?" Marie asked and they all put it in. "We can have so many sleepovers, you said they're all brothers is one of them hot?" Marie joked.

"Oh shit has it been an hour?" Arie said seeing a clock in the window of a shop. "I'll see you later!" Marie shouted and Nicky waved he was always the quieter one.

Arie met Mila just in time at the cemetery. She rushed in and stopped by her side, "Sorry I'm late." Arie panted as Mila placed flowers on some of the graves.

"I thought all your ancestors were buried in the garden." Arie quietly whispered. "Only Ulysses's great grandparents are there I used to be a fairly common girl.

"Before I was bitten." She added stepping back and looking at all the graves. "We're leaving town tomorrow." Mila sighed.

"You'll be alone with the boys. Luther has council business to attend to with his brother. I hope you won't mind." She turned around.

"Not at all." I shook my head. "We'll be back tomorrow afternoon." Mila said.

When Arie got home she riled up the crew. "Hear me out." She pleaded. "No." Gabriel interrupted her. "A party." I clapped and the room stayed dead silent.

"A party?" Savonn chuckled. She pouted at their disapproval of her idea even Amaimon was ignoring her. "Girls. Fresh blood lines up from here to the driveway. Think about it." I wrapped my arm around Savonn. "That does sound tasty." Cassius picked his lips.

"I guess." Laos contemplated. "Great. When is it?" Gabriel stood up dusting off his Pete coat.

"Tomorrow." I stood up and pranced off to my room. "Wait! We only have a day to decorate it's gonna be a disaster." Gabriel came back down.

Marie, Nicky and Josh spread the word like wildfire. Especially Josh.

The next morning she was woken up by Amaimon bursting into her room floating above her bed. "Come on. We have work to do." He lowered himself into her bed.

"Just a minute." She rolled over and he left. She finally got up and got dressed and headed downstairs.

Gabriel was zooming around frantically trying to get everything together. "Arie what did you skip sleeping or something it's like way past sunset." Gabriel glanced at his wrist watch. "Still trying to adjust I am mortal you know." I fixed a cup of coffee and then spit it out.

"Hang the garland for me will you?" Gabriel asked before leaving.