Into the Shadows (8 page)

“Oh, on Sunday, I guess I’ll be watching the debate.
Maybe we should have a Debate Party. I’ll call Crystal and a couple
of the others. We could order a pizza or something,” she
suggested.

“That sounds cool. Just let me know what’s up. Dude,
I’m starving.” He patted his stomach with both hands. They were
entering the cafeteria, their nostrils bombarded by the smell of
burgers, fries and cookies. “I’ll see you later!”

Paivi headed over to her table and dropped her bag
onto her seat. She felt good today. It was Friday, which meant two
days to sleep in. As an added bonus, she would get to see Jason two
extra days. She was also excited because basketball tryouts were on
Monday. Not that the practices were all that exciting, but the
games would be great. She felt the good day warranted a nice big
chocolate chip cookie. They served them hot in the lunch line, the
chocolate still gooey.

“Are you going to get anything Mick?” she asked and
grabbed a dollar from her wallet.

Michaela dug through her backpack and pulled out a
small purse.

“Let’s go. You’re in a rather good mood today,”
Michaela said suspiciously.

“Yeah, I know! How could you not be! It’s Friday,
we’re going to a Halloween party and basketball starts Monday.” She
tried to pull the doofy smile off her face before it gave her
away.

“By any chance is Jason going to be at the party
tomorrow?” Michaela asked casually, one eyebrow raised.

“Yes, but so is his girlfriend, so it’s not like
he’s coming because of me,” Paivi said with a pout. “But he seemed
less than happy about the costumes Melissa wanted them to
wear.”

They shuffled a few feet forward in line. Paivi took
a quick look around to make sure neither Jason nor his friends were
around.

“She wants them to go as Hansel and Gretel!” she
whispered loudly.

Michaela snorted. “Well, I don’t even know them very
well, but I’m beginning to think they’re not going to last very
long!”

Paivi smiled. If only she could tell Michaela what
she knew.

“And I invited him over for Sunday because we are
supposed to watch the presidential debate for class. I’m going to
invite Crystal and some others from class too,” she added.

“Nice move! Ah, finally.” They had made it to the
front of the line.

Paivi followed Michaela through the lunch line,
noticing the tater tots had arranged themselves into her name.

PAIVI

The green beans were apparently trying to get her
attention as well.

I KNOW

She didn’t even flinch at the sight of them this
time. She continued with Michaela down the line, paid for her
cookie and they headed back to their table.

In the weeks since Homecoming, Paivi had seen
numerous messages and her feelings about them had moved from fear
to mild annoyance. She saw the words spelled out in her colored
pencils in her locker and in chalk dust on the chalkboards in her
classes. On her way to and from school on the bus, she witnessed
signs rearrange themselves as they passed. It had even appeared in
her morning Cheerios from time to time. The words were always the
same.

PAIVI

I KNOW

In fact, not only was she annoyed; she was getting
more and more angry. She still kept receiving the icy stares from
Christian Nelson day after day. She was convinced that he was
somehow behind her strange messages, yet she wasn’t quite sure she
was ready to march over to his lunch table and punch him in the
nose. Maybe she could just yell at him. A lot. But until that
moment, she was content with returning his stare. She made sure
when she did that it was equally icy and unfriendly. She might not
be able to send him messages in his food, but she was NOT going to
lose a staring contest.

* **

The evening of the Halloween Party had arrived, and
the air was cool and crisp. The leaves crunched under their feet as
Paivi and Michaela walked up the ridiculously long driveway that
led to Amanda Montoya’s house.

Amanda’s parents were well known in town. Mrs.
Montoya was one of the top realtors in the area. There wasn’t a
house for sale in St. Andrew that didn’t have her picture in the
front yard. Her large, white SUV was covered with her picture and
the logo of her real estate firm. Mr. Montoya owned a very
successful chain of supermarkets called ‘Alfredo’s.’

The girls had known Amanda since their grade school
years at Prairie View Elementary. They had been Girl Scouts
together, and even though they didn’t see her all of the time, she
still invited them to all of her events.

Paivi and Michaela were always thrilled to go to
Amanda’s parties because a party at the ‘Montoya Mansion,’ as it
they referred to it, was not to be missed. Amanda’s parties always
out-did all others. At Amanda’s tenth birthday, her parents had
ordered a small carnival to be set up in their huge back yard.
There had been a Tilt-a-Whirl, a little roller coaster and a huge
Ferris wheel, along with a ton of carnival games.

There was no telling what the Halloween party would
have in store for them. Scattered throughout the front yard were
real gravestones. Moss hung from their decrepit exteriors and there
was a slight fog drifting among them, skimming across the dead
leaves on the ground.

“Wow, Amanda’s parents have really outdone
themselves, if that is possible!” Paivi pulled her cloak a little
closer around herself, trying not to shiver.

Paivi and Michaela had decided to dress as vampires.
Cute vampires, not icky ones. They both had on long, crushed velvet
dresses. Paivi’s dress was a deep burgundy. She topped it off with
a long black wig and a set of fangs. Michaela’s dress was a deep
purple. She didn’t need a wig, as her hair was already long and
dark.

“Ooo, come on, this is creepy!” Michaela grabbed
Paivis arm, quickening her pace. As they neared the door, they
passed one last gravestone, a pile of leaves lay at its base.
Suddenly, the pile jumped off the ground and lunged at them.

“Uhhhhhh,” it moaned, echoing through the front
yard.

The girls let out a blood-curdling scream and ran to
the front door, knocking frantically. The leaf-creature was
advancing on them. They started pounding on the door, screaming.
The door creaked slowly open and the girls didn’t bother to wait
for an invite. They tumbled through the door, nearly falling over
each other. They had not yet noticed the large figure standing
before them. The sound of a chainsaw ripped through the foyer, the
figure held the machine over its head. Its face was covered with a
white hockey mask. The girls screamed again and fell into a heap
against the front door.

At that moment, the light switched on, illuminating
the foyer. Mrs. Montoya appeared, dressed in an elaborate witch
costume. She carried a tray filled with goblets that were emitting
a green smoke.

“Hi girls,” she said, smiling in their direction.
“Sorry about that.” She gestured to the large figure next to her.
“Honestly, Fredo, you are going to give these kids a heart
attack!”

“Hi girls! We were just having a little fun, weren’t
we?” Mr. Montoya removed his mask. “Boy did we get you good!”

He laughed heartily.

“I take it you ran into Chase in the front yard.”
Mr. Montoya boomed as a leafy figure waved through the window next
to the door. Chase was Amanda’s younger brother.

Paivi and Michaela picked themselves up off the
floor and straightened out their costumes.

“Man, Mr. M., you had me scared out of my mind! That
was crazier than the last haunted house I went to!” Paivi’s heart
was still pounding in her chest.

“Well, go on down, everybody is in the basement.
Have fun!” he shouted, revving the chainsaw again.

Mrs. Montoya laughed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t
mind him!”

The girls followed her down the spiraling stairs
into the basement. The Montoya’s basement was hardly normal. It was
considered a wing of their already expansive home. There was a full
second kitchen, where Mrs. Montoya was setting down the smoking
drinks.

“Here girls, try a ‘Witch’s Brew.’ Amanda is down
here somewhere.” She emptied the tray and turned to leave. “Have
fun!”

The girls leaned back against the counter of the bar
and surveyed the scene. Music thumped from speakers hidden out of
sight. A mix of popular and Halloween themed songs, including
‘Monster Mash’ and ‘Thriller,’ had a few people dancing.

In front of them was a huge recreation room. Off to
one side, in front of a roaring fire, was a grouping of fluffy
couches and opposite on the wall ‘The Exorcist’ played on a large
movie screen. There were a number of costumed people lounging in
the cozy corner.

With all of the costumes and make-up, it was hard
for Paivi to tell who was who. She looked to see if Jason was over
there, but she couldn’t tell.

In the center of the large room was a pool table,
where Dracula, Frankenstein, a hockey player, and a banana were in
the middle of an intense game. Off to the side was a poker table,
which at the moment was being used for a Ouija board. Candles were
the only light on that side of the room. Paivi could hear gasps and
shrieks as the crowd around the Ouija board read the messages it
gave them. She could see Amanda, dressed as a mermaid, sitting at
the table.

Beyond the table was a wall of windows with large
French doors that led to a stone patio and fire pit. Paivi could
see more people outside sitting by the fire, roasting
marshmallows.

“Hey, let’s go say hi to Amanda and then go out and
roast some marshmallows before it gets too cold. I am absolutely
dying for one!” Paivi wondered if Jason was outside.

Oh, stop it, she told herself. What is the point? He
would be here with his girlfriend.

Anyways, maybe she would meet a cute guy at the
party to tide her over until Jason and Melissa were no more; there
were definitely plenty of them around!

“I love roasting marshmallows!” Michaela
squealed.

They headed towards the group at the Ouija
board.

“Is it bad when most of your marshmallows end up in
the fire instead of in your mouth?” Michaela laughed.

They approached Amanda’s chair, attacking her with
hugs from both sides, careful not to crush her elaborate mermaid’s
costume.

“Hey!” She jumped up, turning around to hug them
both. “You guys look fabulous!”

“Uh, guys, I think the board has a message for
Paivi,” squealed one of Amanda’s friends, Darcy. “Look, Marina is
writing it down while it moves.”

Darcy gestured to their hands on the small device
gliding across the Ouija board.

“What did it spell out, Marina?” she asked.

“Just a second, I don’t think it’s done.” Marina
waved Darcy off, her eyes following the planchette eagerly.

Their hands continued to move with the device.

Paivi started to get nervous. What was it going to
do, tell her I KNOW for the eightieth time?

“Okay! I’ve got it!” shouted Marina. “Oh my god,
Paivi!”

Paivi could feel her heart start to sink.

“Paivi loves Jeff!”

“Who is Jeff? Is he here at the party?” asked a girl
dressed like Princess Leia from Star Wars.

Paivi laughed and felt a sense of relief wash over
her. “Jeff? I don’t think I even know anyone named Jeff. I guess
he’ll just be my mystery man!”

The banana shooting pool had overheard the girls’
conversation and raised his hand.

“Hey, my name is Jeff! Who loves me?”

They all laughed.

“According to the all-knowing Ouija, Paivi here
does!” Amanda pointed her out. “Jeff, meet the new love of your
life!”

“Nice!” He walked over to Paivi. “Hi, I’m Jeff the
banana. Damn glad to meet you!”

He pumped her hand in an exaggerated handshake.
Paivi blushed.

“Hi Jeff the banana. It’s a pleasure?!” She wasn’t
so sure.

“I’ll be seeing you,” he pointed his two fingers at
her like pistols, pretending to shoot, blew the smoke off of them
and winked, “later! But right now I’ve got to finish my game!
Bye!”

Amanda turned to Paivi and Michaela. “Do you guys
want to play? We can pull up more chairs.”

“That’s cool, we’ll come play in a little bit. We
want to go roast some marshmallows! Did you get stuff to make
S’mores?” asked Paivi.

“Girl, you know I did! Hey, Michaela, try not to
drop all of your marshmallows into the fire this time!” Amanda’s
laughter followed them out the door into the crisp evening.

Amanda’s backyard was a little cozier than
the front, what without all of the gravestones, fog, and scary leaf
monsters. The night was very clear, which made the yard bright,
despite the moon only being at half strength. Paivi and Michaela
walked towards the fire. There were already some partygoers seated
on the outdoor couches, extending marshmallow-laden branches over
the open fire. The flames crackled and licked the marshmallows, as
if it wanted to eat them itself.

“Hey, where did you guys get those sticks?” Michaela
asked.

“We had to go to the end of the yard, on the edge of
the woods there.” Pointed a guy dressed as a pirate. “Wait, do I
know you?”

He flipped up his eye patch.

Michaela took a closer look, leaning towards the
fire.

“Dave? Is that you? Oh my god, I haven’t seen you in
forever!” She moved closer to Dave the pirate, looking eager to
continue the conversation.

Paivi took a look and didn’t recognize anyone around
the fire. There were no open spaces to sit. She set her witch’s
brew down on a nearby table and tapped Michaela on the
shoulder.

“Hey, I’m going to run and get us some sticks, I’ll
be right back.”

“Cool! Thanks, girl!” Michaela turned back to Pirate
Dave.