And if Hope was finally with the program, it would start working.
Mamie scrambled out of his lap to crawl to Greta and sit on her knees behind her, hanging over her shoulder and pointing out things even as Shaw pointed out things on the controller, teaching her how to move her character in the game, shoot her gun.
Mamie kept hanging over Greta’s shoulder as Shaw started a new game and Greta got shot to shit within five minutes, giggling herself sick the entire time, jabbing her controller at the screen just like Corinne had done.
“You’re terrible at that!” Mamie yelled happily.
“Go again, Shaw. I’m gonna get this,” Greta declared determinedly.
“Your funeral,” Shaw replied but he wasn’t done. “Videotastically literally.”
Greta burst out laughing, Shaw joined her, Mamie collapsed on Greta’s back and did it too, and for the first time in fourteen months, Hix sat back and watched, enjoying the fuck out of the ride of life.
Well Done
Greta
THE DOORBELL RANG.
I tottered to it on my high heels, the girls moving in behind me.
I then hit the outside light switch that meant the porch went dark, but the revolving lights that Hix had put out that displayed dead trees and cats with their backs arched and witches flying across full moons could be seen, the images covering both sides of the porch along with hanging fairy lights with ghosts on them.
Everything at the ready, I opened Hix’s front door for the umpteenth time that Halloween night.
I bent low, and in a ghoul’s voice, said through my fake fangs, “Good eeeeeeeevening.”
I then stepped aside.
That was when Mamie and three of her girlfriends, all in tattered tutus and leotards with blood dripping down their fronts from two fake holes in their necks, faces made up pale, eyes shadowed, hair in perfect ballerina chignons (makeup and hair courtesy of me), flitted out with arms gracefully held out to their sides.
They arrayed themselves, two by two on either side of the door. They then got up on pointe, arms curled in front of them, and did a pirouette. They stopped and raised their arms over their heads, but with heads drooping to the sides, staring down at the five trick-or-treaters (a Harry Potter, two Reys from Star Wars, an Elsa and a Captain America).
All five trick-or-treaters stared among the dancers in awe.
“Oh no! The sheriff and his deputy!” I cried, and all the ballerinas flitted back into the house as the kids whirled around and watched Hix and his deputy, Bets, walking up the front steps wearing jeans, boots and their sheriff shirts, both carrying big, orange jack-o’-lantern, handled buckets filled with candy.
“The sheriff,” Captain America breathed.
“Hey, kids,” Bets greeted, coming to the top of the steps.
She got a couple of waves (from both Reys) but the other three were staring at Hix.
“Candy after you promise to look both ways when you cross the street, always let your parents know where you are, brush your teeth morning and night and you never talk to strangers. You with me on all that?” Hix asked.
“Totally!” Harry Potter exclaimed, jumped toward Hix’s bucket and Captain America followed him.
Elsa went to Hix (not surprising). Both Reys went to Bets staring up at her in wonder (also not surprising).
Hix looked at me.
I’d talked him into doing this. He’d only agreed when I’d allowed him to lecture the kids (slightly) prior to them getting candy. Bets was all in since she said giving out candy alone sucked.
“You’re the awesomest vampire I’ve ever seen.”
I turned my head to one of the moms (who was also one of Lou’s clients, I thought her name was Georgina), and smiled.
My makeup was the bomb. I had pale skin, winged brows, dark makeup around my eyes that gave way to a bright purple and dribbling blood coming down the sides of my mouth. My hair was fabulous and huge and sprayed black. And I was wearing my blood-stained cocktail dress from the night of real terror in my kitchen.
That night made for a far better memory in that dress than the last time I’d worn it, for certain.
“Thanks,” I replied.
“Right, kids, say thanks to the vampire and the sheriff and his deputy and let’s go,” the other mom said.
The kids cried their enthusiastic thanks. Hix and Bets wandered toward me. And as they left, I heard one child say, “We’re totally coming to this house every year.”
That made me smile again.
I loved Halloween. It was my favorite holiday (not counting Christmas because Christmas was in a league of its own). Last year, I’d gone trick or treating with Lou and Maple and some of Maple’s friends (Snow declared she was too old to go with us, she’d done something with friends). It had been great, but I missed handing out candy.
This was way better.
I felt Hix’s lips at my ear. “I’m totally fucking you in that getup later, but you’ll have to lose the fangs.”
Oh yeah.
This was way better.
We moved in and I saw Andy standing with the girls, smiling at me.
“So . . . awesome,” Andy said.
I smiled at my brother too.
He was also done up as a vampire. We were taking turns opening the door. And if there was ever a time his scar worked for him, this was it. Even he said so, declaring after I was done with his makeup, “I’m scaring even myself. I’m Scarface Vampire!”
“It’s getting late, girls,” Hix said to his daughter and her friends. “You wanna go out, the time is now.”
They looked undecided.
I knew why. They were having a blast doing our thing with us.
It was Mamie’s time with her mom but when I talked to Hix about doing this with him and Andy, she’d been around and said she’d wanted to join in. She’d then asked her mom if it was okay and Hope had said yes.
Mamie had been elated.
It had been only just under two weeks since Hix talked to Hope, during which nothing had happened, so it showed progress from Hope.
That made me elated.
Hix decided for the girls.
“Next year you’ll be freshmen, too old for this, so pack it in. Get out on the sidewalks, and Mamie, like we talked about, two block radius and you’re taking Greta’s phone.”
“We got great costumes and totally awesome makeup, we should,” Mamie told her friends.
“Pointe shoes off,” Hix ordered.
“Right, Dad,” Mamie said. Then to her girls, “Let’s go!”
They ran up the steps.
I slid my fangs out and looked to my brother.
“It’s up to you and me now, bud,” I told him.
“I’m in!” he replied.
The doorbell rang.
A cacophony of ballerinas instantly could be heard storming back down the stairs with Mamie screeching, “One more time!”
Hix gave me a look I liked a whole lot, full of sweetness and tenderness and hotness and promise, before he and Bets took off to go out the back and walk around the house.
So when I turned to the door as Andy rushed to it, I did it smiling.
I was riding Hix and getting close when his hands at my waist lifted me off.