Chapter six:

"Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good… to eat…" Lilia stopped half way down the basement steps. "Hmm…"

Tate and Violet were sitting at a make-shift table with a spirit board. Their fingers were lightly touching the little arrow. Lilia had seen one of these before, Maria's little housemates used to mess around with it. Sitting on the bottom step she watched them. Tate was busy telling the same story she had told him about Montgomery's. She wondered if he'd tell Violet her story. She hoped not.

But when Violet got up, saying she didn't believe a word Tate said, Lilia got annoyed. Wasn't true? Of course it was true! Every word of it! Jumping to her feet Lilia marched over to the spirit board and began to move the arrow about.

"Whoa! H-hey!" called Tate.

Violet stopped climbing up the steps and looked back, her eyes widened at the piece moving on its own.

"No way…" she gasped.

"H-E-L-L-O, M-Y N-A-M-E I-S L-I-L-I-A A-N-N-A-M-A-R-I-E H-O-W-A-R-D…" read Tate, his eyes darting to follow the words being spelt out.

Violet looked over his shoulder, her jaw hanging open. "Wow…"

"I lived here in 1928 with my father, step-mother, step-brother and half brother." Tate kept reading what Lilia was angrily trying to say. Then he paused.

Looking up he could see Lilia's cold stare and her blank face, daring him to say it.

"This is my house…" he murmured, taking the arrow off the board and looking away.

"We should go on a date." Mumbled Violet, the whole incident didn't seem to faze her.

Lilia bit the inside of her cheek. "Cocky bitch."

Xxx

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Troy had left the house earlier to go visit someone, he wouldn't tell Lilia who, so it was just Lilia and Bryan. Not that she minded. They were planning on going trick or treating together, like they did every year, except this year it was just them.

While everyone was out of the kitchen, Vivien and Ben were upstairs getting dressed, Lilia wondered over to the apple bobbing barrel. She peered over the brim. It had been years since she tried it. Chad getting thrown about last year ruined her chance.

"Some little snotty brat needs to get away from the apple barrel." Chad tutted, pinning up a bat.

Lilia glared back at him. "And someone needs to move on and get the hell out of my house."

"Who bought it?" Chad chimed with a sarcastic smile.

"Who died first?"

Chad sniffed and went back to hanging up bats.

Lilia held out her hand, in a silent way of asking Bryan to hold hands with her. With a little blush, he took her hand and together the two of them wondered down the street. Lilia hummed a little tone, swinging her pumpkin shaped basket and walked in step with Bryan.

Halloween was the only day they were free from the house. Her first Halloween she went and visited her baby brother, her second, she went back, only to find that he had been adopted. After that, she didn't leave the house much, there was nothing to see outside the large wooden doors. That was, until Troy and Bryan came along and told her about Halloween and trick-or-treating.

It was the time of year the boys could come out of hiding and show their slit throats and cut faces. Truth be told, Lilia hated the sad sight of their mangled necks when she found them. They were handsome boys and Thaddeus really did a number on them. She had been blessed with just a simple pillow to snuff out her light, no marks on her ghostly body like they had.

Bryan always saw a change in personality in Lilia when she left the house on Halloween. It was like she was a little girl again, sweet, innocent, full of life, not cold, blank and deadpan like she normally was. They had figured out early on that Lilia was only a year younger than them, but was short for her height, as it was for her time. But her personality changes were a bit odd.

They knocked on the first door and the mother pretended to be scared of Bryan's 'costume' and praised Lilia on her artistic outfit. Of course, Bryan really looked that way and Lilia just dug out her best dress and hair bow for the occasion. They thanked the woman and moved on to the next house.

Lilia pulled out a lollipop, unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth. "What do you miss most about being alive?"

He had to think about it for a moment. "I dunno, being able to go play outside I guess, maybe being able to taste food. I'd really like a big, juicy hamburger."

Lilia giggled, which startled him. He had never heard her laugh. It sounded like light bells on a windy day. It was small and girlish, a sound you'd never think she could make, but she did.

"Really? I guess I do miss tasting food too." She looked up at him and smiled brightly.

Bryan thought a different person was standing next to him. Lilia caught the look on his face and only sighed.

"Yes, I know what you're thinking. Enjoy it while it lasts." She stuck the lollipop back in her mouth and rang the doorbell to the next house. "Because the moment I step back into that hell hole of a house, it's gone."

It was later that night, when all of the trick-or-treaters were tucked away safely in their beds that Lilia and Bryan sat at a nearby park, trading their candy and eating little bits of it. The one's that Bryan recognized, he describe to her, and if he didn't know them, he would try them first and tell her what they were like. It didn't matter though, they couldn't taste it, but they didn't mind.

In total, Lilia had eaten five lollipops, six chocolate bars, four boxes of caramel-chocolates and seven small bags of gummies. Bryan only ate half of his, intending to save the rest for when he met up with Troy again, the two would trade their findings later.

Lilia sat her basket down and began to gently push herself on the swing.

"So, what do you miss most about being alive?" asked Bryan when he had gotten bored of the silence.

"Breathing." Admitted the blonde, kicking her legs higher. "Sometimes I even miss my period, as short lived as it was."

The redhead blushed and looked down at his feet, his companion only chuckled.

"Speaking of which…" she dug her heels into the mulch, stopping herself. Peering at the still blushing boy, hiding his gaze, she added. "Are you… a virgin?"

Bryan felt his face heat up and he bit his lip. "Y-yes… are you?"

"Nope." She said it as if it was nothing and Bryan's heart plummeted. "I was raped by my step-brother. So I was never able to save it for Mr. Right."

She bent a little, trying to get a look at his hidden, red face. "Why are you blushing?"

Suddenly he stood and grabbed hold of the chains on her swing. He bent over her, gazing into hear eyes, their faces close.

"Can I be it?" he mumbled.

"Be… what?" Lilia felt faint, closing her eyes, she could feel his breath on her lips.

"You're…" it was like their lips were drawn to each other. They grew closer and closer… "You're Mr. Right…"

His lips caught her bottom one in a soft kiss.