‘That’s fine by me. It’s not nice knowing you see so much al the time. Makes me feel, I dunno, caged by the future.’

‘Yeah, I prefer it this way. It feels more normal.’

We reached Tina’s house. She’d real y gone to town: carved pumpkins grinned in every window and the porch was festooned with spiders, bats, and snakes. Her mum opened the door dressed as a witch, with massive false eyelashes and crimson nails. I could see Tina’s older brothers out the back, forking garden trimmings on to a bonfire.

‘Let’s go in and stay for a while, then slip away,’

suggested Zed. ‘I real y want to be alone with you for an hour or so. It’s kil ing me having to steal al these moments at school, always worrying someone’s going to walk in on us.’

‘OK, but I can’t bail out too early.’

‘I’l keep away from you in there. If anyone recognizes me beneath the costume, they won’t think anything of it. Tina did invite me.’

The party gathered in the kitchen. Tina’s mum had a huge cauldron ful of popcorn for us to eat and green jel y which we had to feed each other blindfold.

Not possible when wearing a skul mask so I took this off and joined in. Zed hung back, keeping his werewolf gear on.

I drew Nelson as my jel y feeder with Tina shouting instructions. Inevitably he got more on me than in my mouth.

‘Yuck. I’m going to need a shower now!’ I squawked as the spoon hit my neck and jel y fel on my chest.

‘Apple bobbing!’ suggested Tina. ‘That should help.’

I proved useless at getting my apple. Zoe was the best.

‘It’s her big mouth,’ explained Tina, ducking as Zoe flicked water at her.

I had to be home at midnight, so if I wanted to spend some time with Zed, I needed to make my excuses at ten thirty.

‘You OK getting back?’ Tina asked, shuffling the songs on the iPod to start the dancing.

‘Yes, I’ve got a lift arranged.’

‘OK. See you tomorrow.’

‘Thanks for the party. It was bril iant.’

She laughed. ‘I love it when you speak Brit, Sky. It was brilliant,’ she mimicked. Cackling with laughter, she swooped on Nelson and hauled him into the middle of the kitchen to dance.

I emerged on to the porch to find Zed waiting for me.

‘Ready?’ he asked.

‘Uh-huh. Where are we going?’

‘Let’s head up to your place. There’s a coffee bar on Main Street that should be open.’

‘Is that safe?’

‘Should be. We’l go to one of the booths at the back. As much as I appreciate the value of blending, I don’t want to sit with this mask on al night.’

I held out the skul . ‘Should I put this back on? I feel real y stupid wearing it.’

‘You might want to think that people can see who’s wearing the skeleton suit if you don’t.’

‘Good point.’ I put it back on then couldn’t help laughing at us. ‘This is our second date, right?’

‘See, I told you I’d come up with something better.’

He laced his fingers in mine: hairy claws to skele-bones.

The coffee bar was busy with parents taking a warming break after traipsing round after their hyper kids al evening. We had to wait for the back booth to come free.

‘What’l you have?’ Zed asked.

‘Hot chocolate with al the trimmings.’

He carried over a tal glass brimming with cream and marshmal ows, a chocolate stirring stick on the side. He’d chosen black coffee for himself.

‘You don’t know what you’re missing.’ I sighed with ecstasy as I took a hit of gooey marshmal ow mixed with chocolate syrup.

‘I think I’m probably getting as much pleasure watching you.’ He sipped his coffee. ‘I know it’s a cheap date—sorry about that.’

‘Yeah, you know me: I’m sitting here calculating how much you spent. Next time I’m expecting caviar at a five star restaurant.’

‘I can stretch to a burger at the diner if you’re hungry.’

I tugged a paw off. ‘Don’t be daft. My treat next time. Let’s keep this equal.’

He stroked the back of my hand, sending a host of tingles dancing down my spine. ‘I don’t mind splitting the bil , but I kinda prefer buying for my date. I don’t think I’d like it if you paid for me.’

I laughed. ‘You grew up with cavemen, right?’

‘You’ve met my dad and my brothers. I rest my case.’

We walked back through the now much quieter streets. The snow-capped mountains gleamed in the moonlight, the stars flecks of white in the black sky, so distant but acutely bright.

‘Makes me feel very smal ,’ I said, imagining al the miles between us and the nearest of them.

‘I hate to break it to you, Sky, but you are smal .’

I batted him in the stomach and he obligingly let out an ‘oof’ of air, though I doubted I’d done any injury to him. ‘Look, I was having a moment here—

one of those “isn’t the universe mind-blowing?”

things. Have some respect.’

He grinned. ‘It’s a chal enge when you’re wearing a bone suit. Do you realize you’re shining in the moonlight? I’ve never had a date do that before.’

‘And just who have you dated, Mr Benedict? Tina says your family don’t go out with girls from Wrickenridge.’

‘That’s true. You’re the exception. I dated a few—

from Aspen mostly.’ He squeezed my waist. ‘How about you?’

I blushed, wishing I hadn’t started this conversation. ‘My friends back home did set me up with a boy once. It was a disaster. He was so in love with himself, it wasn’t true.’

‘So he wanted you for arm candy?’

‘What?’

‘For image.’

‘I suppose. Only went out twice before I got fed up.

So you see my experience is pretty limited.’

‘Can’t say I’m sorry to hear that. Did you enjoy the party?’

‘The games were sil y but fun.’

‘I hoped you’d mention them. I was particularly intrigued by what happened to that jel y.’ He started nuzzling my neck. ‘Hmm. Yep, you definitely didn’t get it al off.’

‘Zed!’ My protest was only half-hearted—I was enjoying his attentions far too much.

‘Ssh! I’m busy here.’

When ‘clean up’ as he cal ed it was over, we turned into my road. As we did so, two boys dressed as axe murderers ran out of the mist, yel ing at the tops of their voices. Their hands were bloody and they had fake knives through their heads. One carried a blade in his hands.

‘Here’s some more to massacre! Kil the wolf! Kil the skeleton!’ he screamed. ‘Charge!’ He ran straight for me; his bag of candy burst, scattering sweets al over the sidewalk. He didn’t slow, his blood lust very convincing. The knife came plunging towards me even as I tried to duck out of the way. I screamed, half afraid of him.

Zed went crazy. He grabbed the boy’s wrist and twisted so the knife clattered to the ground. He then jumped on top of him, pinning him down, wrenching his arms behind his back.

‘Stop it, Zed!’ I shouted, tugging my mask off. ‘He didn’t mean any harm—it’s a fake.’

The other boy leapt on Zed and fists began to fly, the three of them rol ing around in a mix of pretend blood and squashed sweets. I couldn’t get anywhere near to pul the boys off Zed. My screams and the swearing from the fighters brought the neighbours running.

Mrs Hoffman bustled out of her door. ‘Police! I’l cal the police!’ She disappeared back inside.

‘No, don’t! Stop it, Zed—stop it!’

Worse, my parents came out, recognizing my voice above the rest.

‘Sky, what the hel ’s happening?’ Simon shouted, sprinting towards me.

‘Stop them, Simon, stop them!’

Simon weighed in and caught the smal est of the three by the back of his jeans. The little guy came up swinging just as a cop car turned into our lane. There was a short burst of siren, then revolving lights il uminated the scene. Two other neighbours reached the scuffle before the policeman could get out of his vehicle; they separated Zed from the remaining axeman.