Chapter 35
Ellie's POV
The afternoon sunlight streamed through our dorm window, illuminating the chaos that was Halloween preparation in full swing. Costume pieces, fabric scraps, and glitter—so much glitter—covered every available surface in Dorm 304. I sat cross-legged on the floor with a hot glue gun in hand, carefully attaching silver stars to a witch's hat while Megan stood in front of the mirror, dramatically swirling a vampire cape.
"Ladies, I vant to suck your blood!" Megan announced in the worst Eastern European accent I'd ever heard.
Lily looked up from her laptop, where she'd been browsing costume websites for the past hour. "Megan, you sound more like a Russian spy than a vampire."
I couldn't help but laugh, setting down my glue gun. "Are you sure you want to go to the party like that?"
Megan shrugged, grinning. "Why not? CVU's Halloween party is literally the event of the year. Last year I was too busy maintaining my GPA for college apps. This year, I'm making up for lost time."
"Speaking of the party," Lily said excitedly, "Student Council is doing a 'Best Costume' contest. First prize is a two-hundred-dollar gift card."
Megan's eyes lit up. "Two hundred dollars? Okay, now I'm taking this seriously." She turned to me. "Ellie, what are you thinking of going as?"
I hesitated, my mind immediately going to the obvious—the irony of a real wolf dressing up as a fake one. But with campus crowded and the full moon just past, that seemed like tempting fate. "I haven't really decided yet. Maybe something simple."
"You should totally go as a werewolf!" Lily suggested enthusiastically. "With your gorgeous amber eyes, you'd look so realistic with just some makeup."
My heart skipped a beat, but I forced a smile. "A werewolf? That's... creative."
"Right?" Megan laughed. "Plus, like half the campus will probably be werewolves anyway. It's all fake, just for fun."
If only you knew, I thought, the bitter irony not lost on me. "Maybe. I'll think about it."
I quickly changed the subject. "Where's the party being held?"
"Some big warehouse near Oak Square Mall," Lily said. "Student Council rented it out. There's supposed to be a DJ, dance floor, the whole works."
The conversation flowed easily after that, and I found myself genuinely relaxed for the first time in weeks. After everything—the surveillance incident, the silver candlestick attack, the performance—it felt good to just exist as a normal college student, making Halloween plans with my roommates.
This is what college should feel like, I thought, watching Lily and Megan argue playfully over costume accessories.
Later that evening, we ordered pizza and settled in to watch Halloween on Megan's laptop. Megan spent most of it hiding behind a pillow, squealing at the scary parts.
"And you want to dress as a vampire?" Lily teased. "You can't even handle a horror movie."
"At least I'm not scared of werewolf movies," Megan shot back.
I laughed. "Small mercies."
It was perfect. Simple. Normal. Everything I'd been craving.
Sunday afternoon brought more of the same comfortable chaos. Lily had decided she wanted to be a fairy instead of a witch, which meant starting her costume from scratch. Megan was obsessively perfecting her vampire makeup tutorial. And I was constructing a decorative tombstone out of cardboard and spray paint, complete with the inscription "RIP Common Sense."
My phone buzzed with a text from Jackson.
Hey, how's your weekend? Are you ready for Halloween?
I smiled, typing back: Pretty good. My roommates are going crazy with decorations. You?
Working on a special music playlist for the party.
Thanks. I appreciate it. Will you be at the party?
Probably. Someone needs to make sure the 'wolves' don't get out of control.
I actually laughed at that.
"Who's got you smiling like that?" Lily asked, noticing. "Jackson?"
My cheeks heated. "Just talking about Halloween."
"Uh-huh," Megan said knowingly. "Jackson Wilson. You two had crazy chemistry at the performance."
"We're just... collaborators," I protested weakly.
"Collaborators?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "Girl, he looks at you like you're the only person in the room."
"Okay, okay, focus on your costumes," I said, desperately trying to redirect.
But as I returned to my tombstone, I couldn't quite shake the warmth in my chest. Jackson was... different. Understanding. Safe.
---
Sunday night shattered my peace.
I'd just gotten out of the shower, dressed in comfortable pajamas, scrolling through next week's class schedule on my iPad when my phone rang. The screen displayed "Lucas Miller," and I froze.
We hadn't spoken since our confrontation outside the dorms. Since he'd defended Samantha. Since he'd almost exposed my healing abilities.
I hesitated for several seconds before answering. "Hello?"
"Ellie... it's me." His voice was tense, awkward.
"I know. What do you want?" My tone came out colder than I'd intended, but I didn't try to soften it.
He cleared his throat. "Um... tomorrow is my dad's birthday. There's going to be a small dinner at home. My dad—he wants you there."
I frowned, mentally flipping through my calendar. Richard's birthday. Shit. With everything that had happened—the surveillance incident, the silver candlestick, the performance—I'd completely forgotten I'd promised to attend weeks ago.
I opened my calendar app, checking Monday's schedule. Two classes in the morning, but the afternoon was completely free.
"What time?" I asked neutrally.
"Tomorrow afternoon, one PM. Meet at the school gate. We'll drive to Mapleton—should arrive around four. Dinner's at six."
I took a breath, weighing my options. For Richard and Caroline, I could do this. "Fine. I'll go. But only for Richard and Caroline."
"Thank you, Ellie. I know this is—"
"One PM, school gate. Don't be late." I ended the call before he could say anything else.
Monday afternoon, I arrived at the school gate exactly on time, dressed casually in black jeans, a gray sweater, and white sneakers. A small overnight bag hung from my shoulder as I waited by the parking lot, scrolling through my phone.
A black SUV pulled in—the Miller family vehicle. Lucas stepped out from the driver's side, looking tired and nervous in a clean shirt and jeans.
"Ellie, you came," he said carefully.
"I said I would."
Then the passenger door opened, and Samantha emerged.