Madison sat in her living room watching some scary movie on tv. It was almost dark, and she still hadn't found a costume. She had been invited to a party at a friend of a friend's house, but she wasn't really sure if she wanted to go. She knew that everyone would be drinking, and, even though she had turned twenty-one six months ago, she didn't really have an interest in drinking. Not having a costume gave her a suitable excuse though, so she muted the movie and called her friend.
"Lacey?... Yeah, I don't think I'll be going to the party... No. I don't have a costume... No... Really, It's alright. I'll hand out-- Lacey?..."
"Lost signal," she said as she looked at her cell phone.
She tucked the phone away into the pocket of her jeans as she turned off the tv. The movie she had been watching was over, so she decided to go buy some candy for the trick-or-treaters. She got up and crossed the living room, grabbing her keys as she passed the table in the hall. She reached for her jacket and hesitated a moment before opening the door and leaving without it. The cold never really bothered her much. Besides, the sun was out and she was only planning to be gone a few minutes. She walked to her car and climbed in. Just as she started it, her phone rang. After digging it out of her pocket, she answered the call.
"... Yeah, I kinda figured that... I'll just hand out candy... Really?... He asked about me?... Well, maybe I'll stop by... If I can find a costume... Yeah? Good idea. I'll come over now... Bye."
She put the phone away then backed out of the drive and headed towards her friend's house instead of the store. Twenty minutes later, Madison pulled up to a blue house and shut off the car. As she opened the door to get out, a blond woman of about the same age stepped onto the porch.
"Madison!"
Madison smiled and jogged up the steps to meet the blond at the top. The two girls said hello and hugged, then Madison followed Lacey inside.
"Madison, you remember my cousin, Kyle. He's a movie-makeup guy now. Awesome, right?" the blond said in a peppy voice.
"Hi," Madison gave a little wave.
Kyle looked the redhead over, then, after a brief silence, he spoke, "You'd look hot dead."
Madison looked to her friend, who just laughed at the man's odd greeting.
"He's a little strange, but harmless, really. And I agree," she said as she handed a black case to her cousin.
"Oh," Madison laughed sheepishly as she realized he was talking about a costume. "Let's get started then, shall we?"
"First, you need something to wear," the blond said as she started down the hall, "To the attic!"
Halfway down the hall, she opened a door and walked up the stairs into the darkness. Madison and Kyle followed a moment after.
"It's really dusty up here," the blond said, after sneezing.
"Bless you," the other two said in unison.
After finding and turning on the light, the Madison glanced around for a moment as Lacey began to search for something.
"So, what are we looking for?" Madison asked, breaking the silence.
"That depends on what you want," Lacey replied, moving an old picture frame out of her way.
Kyle, who had thus far been silent, looked at Madison and questioned, "How do you want to die?"
Both girls looked at Kyle and burst into laughter. He frowned, an eyebrow rose slightly.
"I'm serious. I can make it more realistic if I know how you died."
"I'm sorry. Lemme think..." the redhead replied as she stopped laughing.
"How about a vampire bite victim?" the blond offered curiously, and after a short pause, she added, "I think Rick is going as a vampire. Wouldn't that be interesting?"
"I can do that," Kyle said, looking to Madison, "But it's up to you."
"Sounds good," Madison replied, a smile on her face, "Now, what do I wear?"
Lacey pulled a suitcase out of the way and moved to an old trunk. She opened it and dug through the clothes, most of which looked like Victorian style dress. She pulled out some dresses and handed them to the nearest person, who just happened to be Kyle, then motioned down the stairs.
"We can see them better down there, and you can try them on," she said as she closed the trunk.
Navigating her way back towards the stairs, the blond followed the other two out of the attic.
"Oh, I like this," Madison said as she reached from one of the dresses.
She tugged on the black and red corset dress in the middle of the pile as she followed Kyle down the hall. When he tossed the dresses on the couch, Lacey glared at him. Madison finally got to the dress and pulled it free, holding it up to herself, she spoke.
"So, what do you think?"
But before anyone could reply, she started down the hall, "I'll go try it on."
When the redhead returned to the living room, Kyle and Lacey had their backs to her, looking through the same black case as before. She assumed it was Kyle's makeup kit. She smoothed the black and red dress as she waited for one of them to notice. Kyle saw her first, from the corner of his eye, and turned to face her. His mouth opened, clearly he was stunned, but he didn't speak. He nudged the woman beside him, who turned to say something to him, but instead saw her friend.
"Hey, Sexy!" Lacey spoke excitedly as she moved towards her friend.
"I wasn't sure if these would fit right," she said as she spun the redhead around.
After a few moments of silence, Kyle closed his mouth and nodded. "Uh, you look hot."
The girls paused to look at each other, then giggled a bit at the man's delayed response.
"A bit late on that, huh Kyle?" Lacey teased her cousin.
He grinned sheepishly, then waved the girls out. "You better take that off, least you want makeup on it."
