The few weeks that followed were frustrating for both Harry and me. Only able to sneak a few alone moments at school, we could never just be together. We had to careful not to be labelled a couple by the other students in case the word got out to whoever was after Harry's family. This only led to guilt, since I had to lie to my closest friends about what was going on. And there was still Harry's premonition to worry about - he was angry because he couldn't stick to my side to keep me safe, and I was getting jumpy any time I was out after dark. The whole situation added up to stress for us both. Too threats too many.
'Something happen between you and Harry, Ken?' asked Lisa one afternoon as we helped decorate the form room for Hallowe'en.
I hung a row of punpkin lights over the whiteboard. 'No.'
'You seemed on the point of something until he gave you that black eye. Was there more to that then you said?'
Yeah, just a bit, but I couldn't tell anybody - strict orders from Harry and his family.
'Like what?' I asked.
She shrugged, looking uncomfortable. 'He didn't hit you or anything?'
'No!'
'Just that the Styles are a little strange. No-one really gets to know them. We talk about them, of course, but no-one from school's dated them that I've heard about. Who knows what secrets they're hiding up there?'
I decided to fight fire with fire. 'You mean like their mad granny locked in a celler? Or the voodoo dolls hanging by their necks over the corpses of their victims?'
She looked shamefaced now. 'Ken, I wasn't thinking that.'
'Look, Harry doesn't beat up his girlfriends.'
'So you are his girlfriend?'
Oops.
'Not really,' I said. A total lie. 'Just a friend.'
'Must admit I'm relieved to hear that.' Lisa stretched out some cobweb material over the notice board. 'Did you know David went round with him about what he did to you - that black eye.'
'He didn't!'
'Yeah, in the guys' changing room after basketball practice.'
'I told him it was my fault, not Harry's!'
'David has his protective streak a mile wide. You must have noticed. I think it's his version of his grandmother's desire to keep all tabs on us all.'
'Did anyone get hurt?'
'No. Coach broke it up and put them both in detention. Harry's on the watch list again for suspension.'
'I didn't want this.'
'What?' she asked. 'Boys fighting over you? You should be flattered.'
'They're idiots.'
'Yeah, they're boys. It goes with the terriotory.'
I crossed my fingers. 'Harry and me, we do like each other. But it's not going to go any further.'
At least not until we'd sorted out this death threat.
'All right. I believe you.' But I could tell she wasn't convinced. 'So you wanna come Trick-or-Treating with us?'
I frowned. 'Isn't that for little kids?'
'Doesn't stop us big ones having a party though, does it? We get dressed up, enjoy the show on the streets then go hang out back at someone's house. My mom said we can go to mine this year.'
'What kind of dressed up?'
'Any kind of fancy dress. Witch, ghoul, voodoo-doll-hanging-over-the-corpse-of-a-dead-granny-from-the-cellar - that kind of stuff.'
'Sounds fun.'
***
To my embarrassment, it was Dean the one to help me with my Hallowe'en costume. He was really into the idea of it, using materials in his art and getting carried away. But it's a good fatheer-daughter bonding time. With Debbie decorating the house, Dean was helping with mine, making Debbie one, and also pitched himself one together.
'You're not thinking of coming with me?' I asked in horror as he placed the masks in the kicthen on Hallowe'en morning.
'Of course.' His tone was deadpan but I caught the laughter in his eyes. 'Just what a teenager wants: her parents tagging along to her friend's party after her first evening out after being grounded.'
'Tell me he's lying!' I appealed to Debbie.
'Of course he is. But we need costumes for when the Trick-or-Treaters come round for sweets,' said Debbie.
'You're gonna hand out sweets dressed like that?'
'Yep.' Dean tapped his skull mask affectionately.
'I'm glad I won't be home.'
***
My friends met up outside the shopping market at seven, forming a gaggle of witches, ghosts, and zombies. The atomosphere was perfect: dark, moonless, and there was even mist to add to the ghoolish theme. Zoey had dressed in a fantastic vampire outfit. Lisa chose the warlock look, pointed hat and long cap, face painted with silver stars. David came as zomblie - ha, to no surprise. I fel a bit self-concious in my figure-hugging skeleton suit.
David tapped on the top of my plaster skull. 'Knock, knock, who's there?'
'It's me - Kenzie.'
'It's me, Kenzie who?'
'Shut up, David.'
He laughed. 'You look great. Where did you get the suit from?'
I took off the mask. 'Dean made it.'
'Awesome.'
'Can we get moving, Lisa?' I asked.
'Yeah, let's.'
Lisa handed me round pumpkin-shaped lanterns on the end of poles and we processed through the streets, enjoying the show. Little children paraded past with their parents, dressed in a bizarre selection of costumes.
As we neared Lisa's house, a werewolf emerged from the mist to join our group, complete with full-faced mask sprouting hair from ears, and a pair of shaggy paws. On any other night, this would have be cause for an alarm; on Hallowe'en, no-one batted an eyelid.
The werewolf slipped through the crowd and sidled up to me. Bending down, he growled in my ear.
'Harry?' I yelped.
'Ssh. I don't want people to know I'm here. And don't, you know, think to me, in case someone's listening in.'
I started to giggle, absurdly glad he had sneaked out to see me. 'Ah, Wolfman, you are a master of disguise, fooling the bad guys with your cunning.'
'I blend in, don't I? I knew you'd be out after dark, so here I am.'
I really didn't need a reminder of the real horror haunting us on this night of pretend horrors, but I could feel happier now he was beside me.
A shaggy paw insinuated itself around my waist. 'I'm not sure I approve of this costume of yours. Can't you put on a cloak or something?'
'I feel really cold. Dean didn't think of this when he made it for me.'
He shrugged out of his coat and slipped it over my shoulders. 'Your dad made this? Are we talking about the same guy that wants to lock you away until you're thirty? Has he hate a personality change since I last saw him?'
'It's artistic. He wasn't thinking about how his daughter looks - just getting the right shape. He and Debbie are at home in identical outfits.'
He chuckled softly.
'So, did you tell your parents you were going out?' I asked.
'No, they still think we should keep our distance. I'm tinkering with the bike in a garage. Liam's covering for me.'
'How will they react?'
He frowned. 'I can't see - it's hard with family. I noticed the closer I get with you, the less I see about you.'
'Does that mean I can beat you at cards now?'
'Probably. But I might not be able to help with your goal-keeping either, so there's a drawback.'
'That's fine by me.'
We reached Lisa's house. She'd really gone to town: carved pumpkins grinned in every window and the porch was festened with spiders, bats, and snakes. Her mum opened the door dressed as a witch. I could see Lisa's older brother at the back, forking garden trimmings on to a bonfire.
'Let's go in and stay for a while, then slip away,' suggested Harry. 'I really want to be alone with you for an hour or so. It's killing me to have to steal all these moments at school, always worrying about someone walking in on us.'
I nodded. 'But I can't bail out too early.'
'I'll keep away from you while we're inside. If someone recognises me beneath this costume, they won't think anything of it. Lisa did invite me.'
The party gathered in the kitchen. Lisa's mum had a huge cauldren full of popcorn for us to eat and green jelly which we had to feed each other blindfolded. Not possible when wearing a skull mask, so I took it off and joined in. Harry hung back, keeping his werewolf gear on.
I drew David as my jelly feeder with Lisa shouting instructions. Inevitably he got more on me than in my mouth.
'Yuck! I'm gonna need a shower now!' I squaked as the spoon hit my neck and jelly fell on my chest.
'Apple bobbing!' suggested Lisa, ducking as Zoey flicked water at her.
I had to be home at midnight, so if I wanted to spend some time with Harry, I needed to make my excuses at ten-thirty.
'You gonna be all right getting back?' Lisa asked, shuffling the songs on her iPod to start dancing.
'Yes, I've got a lift arranged.'
'OK. See you tomorrow.'
'Thanks for the party. It was brilliant.'
She laughed. 'I love it when you speak Brit, Kenzie. It was brilliant,' she mimicked. Crackling with laughter, she swooped on David and hauled him into the middle of the kitchen to dance.
I emerged on the porch to see Harry waiting for me.
'Ready?' he asked.
I nodded. 'Where we going?'
'Let's head up to your place. There's a coffee bar on Main Street that should be open.'
'Is it safe?'
'Should be. We'll go to one of the booths at the back. As much as I apprieciate the value of blending, I don't want to sit with this mask on all night.'
I held out the skull. 'Should I put this back on? I feel really stupid wearing it.'
'You might want to think that people can see who's wearing the skeleton suit if you don't.'
'Good point.' I put it back on and I couldn't help laughing at us. 'This is our second date, right?'
'See, I told you I'd come up with something better.' He laced his fingers with mine: hairy claws to skele-bones.
***
When we arrived, I saw the coffee bar was packed full of parents having a warming break after wondering around door to door with their children all evening. We had to wait for the back booth to come free.
'What'll you have?' Harry asked.
'Hot chocolate with all the trimmings.'
He carried over a tall glass brimming with cream and marshmallows, a choclate stirring stick on the side. He'd chosen black coffee for himself.
'You don't know what you're missing.' I sighed with ecstasy as I took a hit of gooey marshmallows mixed with chocolate syrup.
'I think I'm probably getting as much pleasure by watching you.' He sipped his coffee. 'I know it's a cheap date - sorry about that.'
'Yeah, you know me: I'm sitting here calculating how much you spend. Next time I'm expecting caviar at a five-star restaurant.'
'I can stretch to a burger at the diner if you're hungry.'
I tugged a paw off. 'Don't be daft. My treat next time, OK? Let's keep this equal.'
He stroked the back of my hand, sending a host of tingles dancing down my spine. 'I don't mind splitting the bill, but I kinda prefer buying for my date. I don't think I'd like it if you paid of me.'
I laughed. 'You grew up with cavemen, right?'
'You've met my dad and my brothers. I rest my case.'
***
We walked back through the now much quieter streets. The snow-capped mountains gleamed in the moonlight , the stars flecks of white in the black sky, so distant but actually bright.
'Makes me feel so small,' I said, imagining all the miles between us and the nearest of them.
'I hate to break it to you, Kenzie, but you are small.'
I batted him in the stomach, and he obligingly let out an 'oof' of ait, though I doubted I'd done any injury to him.
'Do you realise you're shining in the moonlight, Kenzie?' Harry pointed out. 'I've never had a date do that before.'
'And just who have you dated, Mr Styles?' Lisa says your family don't go out with girls from Wrickenridge.'
'That's true. You're the only exception. I dated a few - from Aspen mostly.' He squeezed my waist. 'How about you?'
I blushed, wishing I hadn't started this conversation. 'Back home, boys were the last things I needed to worry about. But a few of my friends did manage to set me up with this boy I really liked. It was a disaster. He was so in love with himself, it wasn't true.'
'So he wanted you for arm candy?'
'What?'
'For image.'
'I suppose. Only went on the second date before I got fed up. So you see my experience is pretty limited.'
'Can't say I'm sorry to hear that. Did you enjoy the party?'
I shrugged but nodded my head. 'The games were silly but fun.'
'I hope you'd mention them. I was particularly intrigued by what happened with that jelly.' He started nuzzling my neck. 'Hmm. Yep, you definitely didn't get it all off.' I felt something wet make contact with my neck. It was Harry's tongue - and he was licking my neck!
'Harry!' My protest was only half-heartedly - I was enjoying his attention far too much.
'Ssh! I'm busy here!'
When 'clean up' as he called it was over, we turned into my road. As we did so, two boys dressed as axe murderers ran out of the mist, yelling at the tops of the voices. Their hands were bloody and they had fake knives in their heads. One carried a blade in his hands.
'Here's some more massacre! Kill the wolf! Kill the skeleton!' he screamed. 'Charge!' He ran straight for me; his bag of candy burst, scattering sweets all over the sidewalk. He didn't slow, his blood very convincing. The knife came plunging towards me as I tried to duck out of the way. I screamed, half afraid of him.
Harry went crazy. He grabbed the boy's wrist and twisted it so the knife scattered to the ground. He then jumped ontop of him, pinning him down, wrenching his arms behind his back with no difficulty.
'Stop it, Harry!' I shouted, tugging my mask off. 'He didn't mean any hard - it's fake.'
The other boy leapt on Harry and fists begin to fly, the three of them rolling around. I couldn't get anywhere near to pull the boy off Harry.
My screams and swearing from the fighters brought the neighbours running.
Mrs Bailey bustled out of her door. 'Police! I'll call the police!' She disappeared back inside.
'No, don't! Stop it, Harry - stop it!'
Worst thing: my parents came out, recognising my voice from the rest.
'Kenzie, what the hell's happening?' Dean shouted, sprinting towards me.
'Stop them, Dean, stop them!'
Dean weighed in and caught the smallest of the three by his jeans. The little guy came up swinging just as a cop car turned into our lane. There was a short burst of siren, then revolving lights illuminated the scene. The other neighbours reached the scuffle before the policemen could get out of his vehicle; they separated Harry from the remaining axeman.
The cop took one look at the mayhem and sighed. 'Who's gonna tell me what this is all about?' He took out his notebook. 'I know you, Harry Styles, and these are the Gordon twins, yes? And this little ... er ... lady skeleton?'
'Her name's Kenzie. Kenzie McIntyre, my daughter.' Dean said stiffly. 'She wasn't fighting.'
'You're the English family, right?'
'Yes, sir.'
'I know these boys - they're good boys,' he said, looking at the twins. 'We've never had any trouble from them. So who started this?'
The policeman's gaze turned to Harry and me. He thought he knew who was to blame.
'He attacked Kenzie,' breathed Harry, wiping blood from his split lip.
'Well, duh! I was just playing man: it's Hal-oh-een, remember? Harry went ballistic, Officer Hulk.' The axeman hugged his ribs.
'Let's take this down to the station, boys. I'll get the duty officer to take a look at you and phone your parents.'
'Aw, officer!' groaned the twins.
'In the car.'
Harry shot me a desperate look. Our secret date was about to get exposed big time.
'And you, young lady, I think we're going to need your side of the story too. Perhaps your parents can bring you down. I seem to have my hands full of psycho killers and werewolves.'
'I'll take her,' said Dean in clipped tones.
Great. Date number two ends at the police station.