Scales like leather and sandpaper, nails jagged and coarse. All I can here is laughter and shuffling but I don't take a lot of it in. I'm letting it all swirl around me, a distant part of me searching for something familiar. Suddenly a hand is reaching for me, a black glove, a distant melody...I feel dizzy, what's going on?

"Ra!" A voice growls in my ear and I jerk my head up from the cold desk as someone pounces on me and I can already tell who it is by her giggle.

"Reggie. Can't you pick on someone else when they're sleeping?" I ask.

"Of course, but you're cuter when your scared." She laughs and moves to sit where my head was, folding up her legs daintily she hardly takes up half my desk.

"I wasn't scared."

"Liar."

"Yea, okay. Whatever." I shake my head.

Suddenly her eyes grow serious and her usual grin slackens as she stares at me.

"Same dream huh?" She asks.

"What does it matter?" I glance away, we've been over this nearly every day for three weeks.

"There has to be someone you can talk to about it. What about that sister I always hear your parents talk about?" Reggie pushes.

"Half-sister, and she doesn't visit really. I haven't seen her since I was a kid." I shake my head.

"So?"

"So, I'm sixteen Reg. That's fourteen years I've basically been an only child. How am I supposed to pour out my troubles to a person I barely know?"

"I don't believe that's how you feel. When we were kids you used to brag about her all the time. Just because she hasn't come home doesn't mean she's not your sister. So you have separate lives. She's like what, thirteen years older than you? That's like a whole different life time, it's natural." Reggie shrugs.

"Since when did you become the expert?" I ask, already smiling.

"My mom's friend has two kids fifteen years apart and they hardly ever talk. They still love each other and hang out at family stuff but they basically live totally separate lives. It's the way the dice fell Toby, nothing wrong that." She put a sympathetic hand on mine and that's when I noticed she was wearing gloves shaped like Goblin hands.

"You like?" She asked when she realized what I was staring at. "My dad sent them. Says they're really popular in Russia."

"Still on business?" I ask.

"Yea." She shrugs but her eyes don't meet mine. "But, he says he'll be home by Christmas."

"Cool."

"Yea."

It's an unspoken thing, about her parents. They're so work oriented it's hard to imagine they've been parents for fifteen years. I try not to compare our situations but rather use mine to be an advantage for us both. Reggie practically lives at my house and sleeps at hers. I'm almost surprised she doesn't have her own drawer in our guest room.

"Still coming over Friday to help give out candy?" I try moving to another topic.

"Sure, as long as I get to scare a few of them." Reggie winks.

"As long as you remember mom's rule: ten and up or spoiled brats only." I joke, happy to have moved into lighter topics.

"Agreed." She nods. "Oh hey, did you hear? Principal Mann is letting us dress up Friday. Halloween spirit and all that."

"Fun." I roll my eyes but her punch is light, she knows I'm joking.

"Just because it scares some people-"

"I don't get scared, I just don't see the big deal." I argue.

"Okay." She teases and then sighs as the bell rings.

Classes here are small and so everyone typically talks about the same thing. And seeing as it's Wednesday all anyone wants to talk about are costumes and candy. I tune most of it out but I keep an ear on possible pranks. I've learned the ins and outs of this school building and dodging pranks is one of my specialities.

Once school is over I'm one of the first people out the door and to the cars where my mom waits in the same spot she always has. In one swift motion I open the car door and swing my backpack onto the floor as I slip in, closing the door behind me.

"Hey Catch, what's the rush?" My mother teases, she calls me Catch because she says I'm one of the best mannered boys on the East Coast.

"No rush, just glad to be out." I shrugged.

"Reggie coming?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think she had to pick up an art project first." I said.

Even as I spoke my eyes caught sight of her bright purple jacket as she darted between the cars and made a B-line for the backseat. Before she could get in though she pushed in a large four by four canvas framed by a black frame our mutual friend Jake had made. He was a wood-tech genius but his parents never took it seriously.

"Is it finally finished?" My mother asked.

"Yup, I'm super stoked." Reggie beamed and then started looking bashful. "It's kind of inspired by Toby though."

"Oh?" My mother winked and I shot her back a warning glare.

As she flipped the canvas for us to see I turned and stretched around to be able to see it better. It was a grey base with a young blonde boy reaching up to a black gloved hand in the middle of a large black and grey swirl. You couldn't see the boys face but I already knew which one of my photo's she'd used. I was six and reaching for a glass on a table. I couldn't say I was mad, really I was impressed in how good the details were. She looked worried but I gave a nod and a small grin to show her I approved.

"Oh wow, Reggie, that's beautiful. Are you sure your only in Art II?" My mother smiled making Reggie beam.

"Mrs. Carr said she wants me to be in an advanced class but prerequisites and such won't allow it." Reggie shrugged but her pride was to obvious.

"We'll have to find a nice place to hang it, what do you think Toby?" My mother asked as she focused back on getting us out of the congested parking lot.

"Sure." I agreed.

"There is always that one spot on Toby's wall where he got rid of all those festival posters."

"You took them down?" My mother glanced at me.

"They were from last year." I shrugged, not wanting to explain my growing dislike for anything Halloween related. Halloween meant all sorts of weird creatures that I didn't want to think about.

"Oh! I almost forgot, your father is having a few of his bosses associates over for a Halloween party. It seems his boss's daughter wanted a party but their house is being repainted so Dad offered our place, won't that be fun? You get to wear your costume two days early." My mother smiled, but I couldn't suppress my groan. "What?"

"I don't have a costume, guess I'll just have to hang out in my room."

"You know you can use any of the theater costumes your father keeps in the garage." My mother frowned.

"Come on T-man, it'll be fun." Reggie laughed. "We'll play keep away from Becca."

"Now behave you two, Rebecca Flack is a nice girl." My mother warned.

"Yea, nice enough to take my arm prisoner for a whole night and talk of nothing but all her big plans for her future."

"Not to mention his." Reggie teased as I rolled my eyes.

"It'll be fun and you won't hide the whole night Toby Allen Williams." My mother said.

"Yes ma'am."

"You too Reg."

"Yes ma'am."

To escape having to face my dad's questions about helping prepare for the party I slipped into the garage as soon as we made it home, Reggie following behind.

"Maybe we can put a mask on you and Becca won't notice you for at least the first hour." Reggie proposed as she rummaged through the nearest bin.

"Maybe." I scoffed. "Or maybe she's finally put a tracking chip in me one night while I was sleeping."

"Nah, she'd have one of her daddy's men do it." She snickered.

I settled on the Hamlet costume with a simple black masquerade mask while Reggie settled on the Queen Elizabeth costume and a white mask that looked like porcelain. Changing into the costumes took up most of the time I had before the party so I escaped grunt work but I still didn't like what was going to happen. My house was going to flood with rich kids who don't even know me or my family all in freakishly expensive costumes and their parents are going to stand around and talk about business like it's way over our heads.

"Tell me why I'm not slipping out the backdoor and running as fast as I can?" I asked.

"Because no one else is going to take you seriously in those tights." Reggie offered.

"Fair enough." I sighed. "Stay by my side?"

"Like I want to be alone with those harpies? No thanks, I'll stick with you." Reggie smiled and nudged me with her shoulder. "Your mom said she's going to put my painting on an easel in the living room and we can hang it up later."

"Yea okay."

"Do you really like it?" She asked.

"Of course, you've always been the best artist I've known." I nodded.

"And your not mad?"

"Why should I be? At least one of us can express how we feel about it." I sighed.

"I wish I could do something to help you."

"And I wish the Goblins could send me help." I teased. "I guess I'll have to settle with you and your gloves."

"Hey, respect the gloves." She bumped me and started walking to the kitchen, me following reluctantly behind.

"Hey Sport, carry these trays out to the deck for your mother will ya?" My father greeted me by placing two trays of food in my hands and two more in Reggie's.

Before I could reply the doorbell rang and I made my escape. This was going to be a very long night in my mind.

"Uh-oh." Reggie breathed but it was too late, Rebecca came flaunting out in an authentic looking flapper outfit, feather boa and all.

"Toby!" She grinned and walked over touching my arm. "Or should I say King Toby." She giggled.

"Hey Becca." Reggie piped up first, making her voice seem high pitched and fake.

"It's Rebecca, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Reggie smirked.

"I think it's just wonderful of you to open your house for my party." Rebecca curled her arm around mine and had a smile just as twisted.

"Um, sure." I glanced at Reg who look torn between laughing and glaring.

"You've really come to my rescue Toby. I'm not really sure how to make it up to you." She baited, her eyes gleaming.

"Have you tried the food?" I blurted, unsure how to respond.

Her grin faded for a second and she glanced politely at the table before shrugging nonchalantly.

"I'm trying this veggie diet with a couple of friends but thanks for the offer." She grinned one last time before the back door opened and she was completely engrossed by the company of her usual friends.

Happy to have my arm back in my own possession I walked farther onto the deck with Reggie who was snickering behind a fan she'd pulled out with the rest of the costume that I hadn't noticed before.

"What?" I asked.

"Have you tried the food?" She mimicked me, laughing more at herself now than me.

"What? I couldn't think of what to say." I said.

"More like you couldn't think." Reggie teased.

"Whatever."

"Mhm." She grinned.

I managed to avoid Rebecca thanks to the swelling crowd of teenagers who came out and signaled the music to start so they could dance. Several people from school had come with their parents and were willing to talk seeing as it was my house. Reggie supplied most of the entertainment with her fun energy and corny jokes for nearly every costume she saw.

"Heads up man, B-Queen is looking for you." A fellow classmate, Scott, whispered as he passed us.

"Care to dance?" I asked Reggie who paused, actually surprised.

"Of course, King Toby." Reggie grinned and I shook my head as I twirled her onto the floor.

"Is this retribution for making you my dance partner all through the eighth grade?" She asked playfully.

"Only when Rebecca is looking." I teased.

"And when she's not?" Reggie asked.

"Then it's because I want to impress you." I tilted my head, making her blush.

"Dork." She breathed.

We spent the rest of the night evading people we didn't like and dancing, and as much as I didn't want to admit it I had a lot of fun. Escaping among the crowd, lost in letting myself just have fun. Reggie left early because her mother called and I took the chance to escape upstairs and wrestle out of my costume. As I finally stripped down to the thin undershirt and tights I grabbed my towel and headed to the bathroom but before I could reach the door it opened and Rebecca stepped out.

"Oh! Toby, I didn't know you were up here." Rebecca blushed and looked away. "Changing costumes?"

"Um, nah." I shook my head. "I'm partied out for the night, so I figured I catch a shower while I could."

"Oh, okay." Rebecca nodded and it finally dawned on me how awkward this was.

Discreetly holding my towel in front of me I stepped to the side to let her leave but surprisingly she didn't.

"It was a great party though." I offered.

"Only because you saved it." She smiled. "I honestly thought I was going to die of embarrassment if I had to mass text my party was canceled."

"Well, you'll be popular for another day I guess." I blurted. "I didn't mean it-"

"Yes you did." She finally looked up at me, a small smile still on her face. "You've always meant it that way."

"I should probably let you get back to your party." I shifted uncomfortably.

"Yea...see you tomorrow, Toby." She nodded.

"See ya." I watched her move to the stairs before I admitted to myself she might not always be the Queen Bee people make her out to seem, how she makes herself out to seem.

"Hey Flack." I called to her, making her stop at the top step. "You're not just a popular kid, I mean it."

"Thanks." She smiled and continued down the stairs, a genuine smile.

Standing in a dark hallway by myself started feeling weird so I pursued my original plan of showering. Letting the hot water run I couldn't help feel as if something was just outside the door, outside the windows hiding behind the thumping beat of the music.

Something that was waiting for the right moment.