A/N: And here I am, back to you, my faithful readers! I have to apologize because as I write it seems to me in the beginning this story isn't going to be as smooth as its first part was. Honest criticism is welcome, as I have been always mentioning. Enjoy and let's see where it goes!

Chapter 1. Halloween.

The darkness inside the house was thick, deep and bluish – like the ocean water near the bottom. The night poured in through closed windows and surrounded the big circle of candles, not daring to crawl inside. Around it the darkness backed off a little, afraid of that orange light. It tried to cover the orangeness with its waves, but the circle was secure. It was a little round island in the sea of darkness. In the middle of this island there shone a warm star – another circle of candles, but a much smaller one. The candle light gave orange and golden shades to the clothes and skin of four young men sitting on that island of light and warmth. The tallest one leaned forward just a little bit. His concerned good-looking face was orange with the candle light, with deep cold shadows. His eyes sparkled, he played with his long fingers semi-nervously semi-excitedly.

- So she was preparing to sleep in her and her brother's bedroom…

Three heads inched closer to him. One was blonde and smooth, with orange flares and deep purple shadows. The young man's face was ridiculously serious and concerned, he was biting his lower lip. Another head was curly and quite dark, it was really a great head of hair. His quite asymmetrical face, far from the ideal, but wonderful to watch, was quite relaxed. The last one was all so pretty, in the most girlish way on the first glance, with silky chocolate hair and wild-honey coloured eyes, so deep in the sparkles of candle light. But if you looked closer, his face with high cheekbones and full lips (he kept his mouth half-opened) was handsome in the manliest way. The storyteller's own dark hair made a mysterious contrast with his skin.

- …And then the woman went out of the room and nobody ever saw her again. Neither her, nor the boy.

- Boo!

- Micky!

Micky poked Peter's ribs with his elbow.

- Hey Pete, calm down. I'm just not letting y'all get too shaky! Look at you; and aren't we telling just our old faithful ghost stories?

Mike smiled at them all.

- Well, to be honest it's all true; I read it in a little newspaper I know I can trust.

- Oh knock it off! – Micky sniffed. – Better listen to one little story I'll now tell! It happened to me personally and was really dangerous, by the way. Could have happened to anybody, you know!

It had been quite a long time since the mystic and could-be tragic accident in the Pad and everybody seemed to have forgotten about it. Well, everybody tried his best to at least not show their memories – they weren't all too pleasant. All in all, everything had quite calmed down and went on as usual. Nothing special had appeared between Mike and Davy – which Mike might regret or might not, he wouldn't tell anybody anyway, - and between all of the guys. They had a party in honour of Mike and they took care of themselves better, but all in all everything was like before. Nobody thought of kissing, nobody suspected anything like a romance between Mike and the little one, so all in all Mike was quite relieved. At least he seemed so.

The goings, though, didn't pass so lightly without a trace. The relationship between Mike and Davy became somehow deeper, they could just look at each other and know what the other one was about to say, each felt when something wrong was happening to the other. It all didn't bother anybody and just made their life a little easier.

So, that Halloween Micky had a great idea – he suggested a night downstairs with candle light and different scary stories: nightmares, ghost reports and so far - just so they were real or semi-real, to be more afraid. Mike thought he would have the most to tell, but he was mistaken. All of the guys had a lot behind them and they longed to share it. So they all were sitting downstairs right on the floor in a circle or candles, all somehow pleasantly tense and excited – they were enjoying tickling their own nerves. But some stories ended just hilariously and it didn't let the guys stay with a weakness in their knees.

But it should've happened so that they once ran out of stories.

They'd been sitting shoulder to shoulder for quite a while just staring at the candle light, when suddenly Davy suggested:

- What do you think if we tell each other about the monsters we used to believe in as children?

The guys glanced at each other and smiles appeared on their faces. It sounded like another portion of fun.

- And you surely have something to tell, - Mike stated by only a look at Davy.

- You always know, - Davy answered, smiling at him. – Yes, I do. I had some really curious monsters and, to be honest, I'm still not sure they were only my fantasies. No, really, just let me tell.

- There you go, - Micky shrugged. – I'll be glad to hear what made you go mad.

- Micky, don't say that, - Peter said, looking at Micky how only he could look. – Just let Davy tell, don't insult him.

- Oh God, you'll be quarreling longer than my story will last, - Davy smiled. – Just listen, will you?

But everyone was already staring at the little one. He adjusted his shirt, smiled with the corners of his lips and began:

- Well, you know, when I was a little boy, I lived with all my family in our house. And one night I found out there was not all so calm and quiet. I'll now tell you how it all happened, you just promise not to laugh at me. One night I couldn't sleep because of some scary book I had read secretly, stealing it from one of my sisters' bookshelf.

He laughed.

– Gosh, I love recalling my adventures as a child. It was so happy, and such a pity when I was fourteen I had to grow up so soon… - he shook his head, throwing the sad memories away. – But I'm not telling you this. I couldn't sleep that night and I was just tumbling in bed when suddenly I heard some strange noise, – he pressed the soles of his feet together with his hands, bit his lower lip a little and went on: - You know, I was so frightened, though if it hadn't been for the horror book, I'd have jumped from the bed in excitement. I had always dreamt of saving my family from burglars or whoever. Little hero, my…

He smiled.

– Well, but that night I thought of some monster immediately. I curled up in my bed and covered my head with the blanket in a hope that it, whatever it was, wouldn't find me. I waited and seconds were like hours. Suddenly I felt as if somebody sat on my bed. I thought that maybe it was mum, as everything was silent and there was no sign of a monster any more, so I threw a blanket off my head and…

He swallowed hard and shook his head with a grin.

– Li-isten… I'd never wish my enemy to see something like that! I saw a large head or some creature. In the moonlight its bare skin was greenish, it had two big holes on each side of its head instead of ears, its nostrils flared right in front of my face, like it was smelling me. Two front legs with large claws were standing on each side of me and a mouth with giant sharp teeth was half-opened. But the worst thing was that it had no eyes at all. Just that reptile skin on something I can call its forehead. Of course you can imagine what I did. I screamed and the creature gasped – you won't believe it, like a human, like 'Ah!' and it jumped off of me and under the bed. And my mum ran into the room and to me: 'Davy, dear, what happened?' I told her everything. And she kissed me and told me: 'Little one, it was a terrible dream. You're with me, and I'm with you. Hush, calm down. I love you'. And I just heard that strange noise again – and I knew that the creature ran away.

He looked at the guys. Everybody was listening to him with genuine interest.

- Well, okay, - Davy went on, nodding quite delightedly. – The next morning when I woke up it was early, everybody was still sleeping and I decided to find out where the monster ran. Like every little boy I knew that monsters don't show up in daylight. So I crawled under the bed and towards the wall, as there was nothing on the floor except for loads of dust. There was some stuff under the bed and I checked it, but there was no trace of the creature. So I reached the wall and touched the wallpaper. And I knew immediately that there was a hole in the wall under it. I examined it to estimate how big the hole was – it was really enormous. And, of course, little curious me, I poked my nose into that hole. What I saw was really surprising. I saw a tunnel made inside the wall. My arm was too short to touch the other wall, so I just touched the floor of the tunnel. I saw scratches and something like bites.

He looked at the guys to make sure they were still listening and went on:

- And that's when I gave these monsters a name. I called them the wall biters. They bit their tunnels in the walls and made quite a mess. Before my mum came to wish me goodnight, they would rumble and scratch, but as soon as she said she loved me everything stopped. And so I figured out that all they feared was the phrase 'I love you', but I couldn't scare them away like that. Only mum could. Maybe it should have been said with all my heart, who knows…

- He-ey, - Mike put his hand on Davy's shoulder and looked at his face, frowning. – Is that true?

Davy nodded.

- Absolutely. You can believe me.

Peter wouldn't be Peter if he didn't tap Davy's another shoulder and say:

- Hey mate, don't worry. This house doesn't seem to have any wall biters.

And it all sounded so utterly serious that Micky laughed.

- Oh knock it off, does it bother you at all? We're adult people.

- Well, right, - Davy answered with a tricky smile, - but who knows! Guys, does anybody have anything else to tell? Because I'm tired.

Mike shrugged.

- I've never believed in monsters. Well, you know, before some things that happened to me, - and he smiled. Micky laughed - he didn't seem to get the hint.

- Man, you didn't have a childhood! I myself thought that something lived in my wardrobe and came out at midnight to eat off any part of my body that wasn't covered with a blanket. I bet we all did!

- I did! – Peter jumped up. – And I also thought that a large beast lived under my bed and wanted to bite my feet off if I stepped on the floor. It feared light. Though I've never actually seen it.

Everybody laughed.

- Well, I think it's time to go to bed, - Mike stated with a smile.

- Okay daddy! – Micky replied mockingly. But he was the first to rise, then he went and turned on the light. They all went out of their circle, knelt down near it and started putting out the candles. Finally Mike rose and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He'd never tell anybody, but he had that little weakness in his knees.

- Who else wants to go to bed?

- I haven't had a shower, - Micky reminded.

- Don't worry Mick, I'll walk him, - Davy said teasingly. – Or he'd check the walls for the wall biters.

- Hey! I didn't even say a word about 'em!

- Do you think I don't see you tremble?

Mike sniffed crossly.

- I'd better walk you.

- Deal. Only walk me upstairs, - and Davy winked at Mike and ran up the staircase.