Under the Same Moon as Mathias| Original

xviii

"You two are complete dorks." Sunny shakes his head at Mathias and I as we adjust our Hogwarts robes.

Mathias colored his hair a platinum color and got Slytherin robes to be Draco Malfoy. While I curled my hair and brushed it out to be Hermione for Tate's three person Halloween party we just got back from. I shoot him a mock offended look with a hand to my heart. Mathias scoffs, fixing Goldie's Dobby ears.

"Says brown Freddie Mercury."

"Freddie Mercury was and always will be, A KING. Don't at me, Mathias." Sunny flips him off, pulling up his high waisted pants. "Like you're one to talk anyway, brown Draco Malfoy."

Seth shakes his head, having been huffing and puffing about losing a bet with Sunny. He's currently dressed as Edward Cullen, and he pulls it off so well I almost did a double take when I first saw him.

Sunny claps his hands together, "You guys ready to give little kids cavities?"

"Of course." Mathias and I smile.

"Remember, one candy bar per child. No candy to bedsheets, we don't serve lazy ghosts around here." Sunny jokes, but shoots us a warning look.

After about an hour, Sunny and Seth take off to do whatever they do. This leaves Mathias and I in the house alone, watching scary movies and handing out candy. Just as the victim is going to be killed, the doorbell rings. Mathias pushes the bowl of candy he had been eating out of towards me, mumbling a 'your turn' with his eyes trained on the screen. I sigh, rubbing my eyes as I pick Goldie up and set him in Mathias' lap. I grab the bucket of candy and make my way to the front door.

"Hey--"

I inhale quickly, the air in my lungs swirling with shock. Sier stands in front of me, looking at me with a her pale face and blue hair. She's dressed as a witch; with black robes, a pointed black hat and curly tipped shoes with green socks. I slam the door in her face, scrambling to lock the door before she can force her way in. My throat closes, preventing me from calling to Mathias as I see her hand holding her 'trick-or-treat' bucket push it's way through the door.

"Ridley, is everything--?" Mathias rounds the corner and I trip on my own feet, falling back on my ass, causing the candy to fly through the air. As soon as he appears by my side, the hand is gone.

I push him away as he reaches for me and scramble to my feet. I take a deep breath and run my fingers through my hair. Mathias looks at me with an amused smile, but before he can tease me, I brush him off, stepping around him to get up the stairs. When I get to my room, I slam the door and lean against it. I rub my face and eyes, taking steady breaths to calm my racing heart.

I hear Mathias pause outside my door, and I picture him raising his hand to knock. But it never comes and I slowly slide down the door until I'm on the floor. I hug my knees to my chest and press my forehead to my knees. Tears spring to my eyes, but I will them away and convince myself that seeing her was just a figment of my imagination. I've been seeing her since I got out of the hospital, in my dreams, in reflections.

I jump when Mathias' voice suddenly comes through the door, "Look we don't have to talk about it, but I know you're not okay,"

A crinkling of a wrapper as Mathias shoves a fun sized Twix under the gap between the bottom of the door and my carpet. He continues to do this until there's a small pile next to me. I smile to myself, pick up a bar and unwrap it. As I munch on the bar, Mathias starts talking to me through the door. I focus on his voice and the way he enthusiastically talks about this one Halloween when he was young when he ate so much candy he was sick for days and even started to plan his own funeral.

It was nice to hear him talk to me, I used to think my friends were just boy crazy when they talked about liking a guy's voice. I fall more in love with his deep and soft voice every time I hear it. It is soothing, calming my frayed nerves. I allow myself to be comforted by him, realizing this is his attempt in doing so. I almost want to ask him what made him start talking to me all of a sudden, but I don't. Instead I chuckle with him during a story about how he took his younger brother trick-or-treating and convinced his brother one of the neighborhood houses was haunted and crawling with monsters. His brother was so scared, he peed himself.

"Mom whooped me all the way out of the house when we got home." He laughs, the sound viberating through the door.

"Goldie wants in." He says after a short silence. Realizing my baby is out there, I quickly stand and open the door.

Mathias had shed his robes and holds a sleepy looking Goldie in his hands. He hands the puppy to me and runs a hand through his still platinum blonde hair. I bite my lip, fighting myself as to whether or not I should tell him. I would hope he'd tell me if something like this were bothering him. But the fear that he will call me crazy has a strong hold on my throat and squeezes every time the words make their way up.

I hold Goldie's warm body close and take a deep breath. When have I ever let fear stop me? My father would be so disappointed if he found out that I was letting a fear control my life.

"Do you remember that rogue with the blue hair?"

Uh yeah