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Authors: Robin Friedman
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through my mind as we crunch the dried leaves. I see brain-dead zombies in every shadow. A sudden breeze feels icy on my bare neck. Every time a branch snags me, I am convinced it is an escaped convict with a long, sharp knife.
We look for the clearing, where everyone is supposed to meet. Some kids believe the strange clearing in the middle of the woods is where the aliens landed in their spaceship when they arrived to kidnap people for their wicked medical experiments. I have to admit it is odd to have a perfect clearing right in the middle of the woods, but I’m sure it has nothing to do with evil aliens. Right?
Someone lets out a bloodcurdling wail.
Before I know what’s happening, I’m grabbed roughly around the waist. I shriek my head off as the person—or thing!—drags me away from the others and pulls me down to the ground. A warm mouth suddenly closes over mine.
Is this a kiss?
The warm lips pull back.
“Kathleen?” the mouth says.
“Eddie?” I croak.
He stands up. Blue eyes twinkle at me. He is dressed as a skeleton in a tight-fitting black bodysuit with white bones gleaming against it. My entire body burns with embarrassment and shame.
“Roxanne?” he mutters. Then, sheepishly, “Sorry, I thought you were Kathleen.”
Kathleen, Gayle, and Liat soon surround me. I get to my feet slowly, feeling dazed.
“Are you okay?” Liat asks.
“Um, yeah,” I mumble. “I’m okay.” I can’t make myself look at Eddie.
“What did you grab Roxanne for?” Kathleen asks, punching him in the arm.
Kathleen didn’t see the kiss! I ask myself if it really happened or if I just imagined it.
Eddie ignores Kathleen’s question. “Come on, let’s go,” he says briskly. He seizes Kathleen’s hand and begins leading her through the woods. Kathleen doesn’t pull her hand away from his. I feel a sharp pang of jealousy.
I shuffle behind everyone, licking my lips slowly. I wonder how a boy’s lips could feel so soft, so sweet. My first kiss! From Eddie!
Except that it was meant for Kathleen. I try to forget that part.
We reach the clearing. Kids are milling around. Some are seated in a circle on the ground. We find a free spot and sit down together. I sit between Eddie and Liat, feeling a strange mixture of euphoria and envy.
Eddie grabs Kathleen’s flashlight and holds it under his chin. The light makes him look like a hideous zombie. His blue eyes glitter when he glances at me. I feel that same burning sensation of lust and humiliation.
“Let’s begin,” he says in a deep, exaggerated voice. “Gather round, my maggots, and we will talk about horror and blood and guts.”
Everyone sits down and gazes at him expectantly. Lots of kids have brought flashlights, and they hold them under their chins like Eddie. The circle looks like a spooky ring of bobbing zombie heads.
“As you all know, horrible creatures live in these woods,” Eddie says ominously. “Creatures who feast on brains and suck blood out of veins and peck eyeballs out of skulls.”
Kids make delighted grossed-out sounds.
“Last year I found the skeleton of Stood-Up Serena in these woods,” Eddie goes on somberly. “Stood-Up Serena was tortured before she was murdered in these woods. They pulled out her fingernails, cut off her nose, sliced off her ears, popped out her eyeballs, and chopped off her toes one by one.”
The taste of six different candy bars rises up in my throat, but I swallow furiously. I know Eddie is making all this up, but does he have to be so disgusting?
Eddie suddenly stops and looks meaningfully at Liat. “We have among us tonight a descendant of Stood-Up Serena.”
An excited murmur travels around the circle.
“This descendant has moved into the Cursed House, that place of horror and evil, to accept the same fate of her long-lost ancestor.”
Kathleen sighs loudly and tries snatching the flashlight away from Eddie. But Eddie resists and continues to talk about the Cursed House, recounting in
We look for the clearing, where everyone is supposed to meet. Some kids believe the strange clearing in the middle of the woods is where the aliens landed in their spaceship when they arrived to kidnap people for their wicked medical experiments. I have to admit it is odd to have a perfect clearing right in the middle of the woods, but I’m sure it has nothing to do with evil aliens. Right?
Someone lets out a bloodcurdling wail.
Before I know what’s happening, I’m grabbed roughly around the waist. I shriek my head off as the person—or thing!—drags me away from the others and pulls me down to the ground. A warm mouth suddenly closes over mine.
Is this a kiss?
The warm lips pull back.
“Kathleen?” the mouth says.
“Eddie?” I croak.
He stands up. Blue eyes twinkle at me. He is dressed as a skeleton in a tight-fitting black bodysuit with white bones gleaming against it. My entire body burns with embarrassment and shame.
“Roxanne?” he mutters. Then, sheepishly, “Sorry, I thought you were Kathleen.”
Kathleen, Gayle, and Liat soon surround me. I get to my feet slowly, feeling dazed.
“Are you okay?” Liat asks.
“Um, yeah,” I mumble. “I’m okay.” I can’t make myself look at Eddie.
“What did you grab Roxanne for?” Kathleen asks, punching him in the arm.
Kathleen didn’t see the kiss! I ask myself if it really happened or if I just imagined it.
Eddie ignores Kathleen’s question. “Come on, let’s go,” he says briskly. He seizes Kathleen’s hand and begins leading her through the woods. Kathleen doesn’t pull her hand away from his. I feel a sharp pang of jealousy.
I shuffle behind everyone, licking my lips slowly. I wonder how a boy’s lips could feel so soft, so sweet. My first kiss! From Eddie!
Except that it was meant for Kathleen. I try to forget that part.
We reach the clearing. Kids are milling around. Some are seated in a circle on the ground. We find a free spot and sit down together. I sit between Eddie and Liat, feeling a strange mixture of euphoria and envy.
Eddie grabs Kathleen’s flashlight and holds it under his chin. The light makes him look like a hideous zombie. His blue eyes glitter when he glances at me. I feel that same burning sensation of lust and humiliation.
“Let’s begin,” he says in a deep, exaggerated voice. “Gather round, my maggots, and we will talk about horror and blood and guts.”
Everyone sits down and gazes at him expectantly. Lots of kids have brought flashlights, and they hold them under their chins like Eddie. The circle looks like a spooky ring of bobbing zombie heads.
“As you all know, horrible creatures live in these woods,” Eddie says ominously. “Creatures who feast on brains and suck blood out of veins and peck eyeballs out of skulls.”
Kids make delighted grossed-out sounds.
“Last year I found the skeleton of Stood-Up Serena in these woods,” Eddie goes on somberly. “Stood-Up Serena was tortured before she was murdered in these woods. They pulled out her fingernails, cut off her nose, sliced off her ears, popped out her eyeballs, and chopped off her toes one by one.”
The taste of six different candy bars rises up in my throat, but I swallow furiously. I know Eddie is making all this up, but does he have to be so disgusting?
Eddie suddenly stops and looks meaningfully at Liat. “We have among us tonight a descendant of Stood-Up Serena.”
An excited murmur travels around the circle.
“This descendant has moved into the Cursed House, that place of horror and evil, to accept the same fate of her long-lost ancestor.”
Kathleen sighs loudly and tries snatching the flashlight away from Eddie. But Eddie resists and continues to talk about the Cursed House, recounting in
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