Master

October Third

Jayden can't convince Elizabeth to cut the invite list from fifty to twenty people. She didn't have to invite the entire class or her family. Elizabeth doodles a snowman in her planner. The captain reads this is Bob! Jayden sees it and smiles.

"Bob's cute," Jayden mumbled.

"He is, it's he?" Liz smiled.

"You heard that, but not the 15 reasons I just listed," Jayden exclaimed.

"I heard you, and I agree. I must decide who to exclude from the list. It's difficult to do." Elizabeth said. The invitations have a black background and a small white bat in the center. The envelopes are black with white lace lining on the back. She was addressing the invitations to Jayden and Grayson, but stopped at Anna's invite, unsure if she wanted to include her in the festivities. She started at the gold ink drying on the invitations. Debating, going through a list of "Thinking about inviting Anna?" Jayden asked.

Elizabeth hesitated. "I'm not going to."

"I'm taking you shopping." Jayden declared. Slamming his laptop shut.

"Shopping for what?" Elizabeth asked.

"Halloween?" Jayden stated.

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide and sparkling. "Let's go!"

Liz carefully packed up her ink and pens, double-checking to ensure the inks were closed, and placed them in a small wooden box.

"Have you thought about college?" Jayden asked.

Liz didn't answer right away. Her teachers expected a lawyer or a politician. Her mother expected Liz to become a Doctor.

Elizabeth's father wanted her to start her own business. Even Marie, Elizabeth's older sister, had expectations. "I don't know," Elizabeth replied.

Jayden dropped the subject. Elm Park is in the center of the town. Elizabeth found American Elm along the path she and Jayden took to Mountain Street. The breathtaking yellow leaves lining the cobblestone path had them stopping to take a few pictures.

Lake in the Hills is a small town with a population slightly above 5,000. It was a tourist, The Vampire's Vault, moved into the space that housed the old bookshop. The front had a small sign in gold lettering against a black background with a white bat on top of the golden cursive V. It had an old money imperial look to it. Vampire's Vault's architecture looked a lot like towns to the south of Lake in the Hills. 

The Vampire's Vault moved into the space that housed the old bookshop. The front had a small sign with a white bat on top of a golden cursive V in gold lettering against a black background. The Vampire's Vault's architecture looked a lot like towns to the south of Lake in the Hills. It looked like an old money imperial family.

The bookshop's location puzzled Elizabeth. It was right next to the library. They filled the three-story building with anything from children to adult books and a huge reference collection. She wasn't the only one that would look at books, then popped next store to rent the book instead of buying it. To the right: the main shopping area for locals. Mountain Candy Shop is a favorite of all the teens in the area. Grayson came walking out the door, spotting Jayden and Elizabeth.

"Hey, Guys!"

"Hey, where are you heading in wanting to come?" Liz asked.

"Sure."

The Vampires Vault had ales upon ales. The old bookshelves hosted Halloween props, everything that made Halloween the dark, gritty version. Dimly lit, the three teenagers' pupils expanded. Elizabeth's eyes widened as a smile grew on her face. Around them was everything she loved about Halloween.