The next morning Delia had cooked breakfast. I made my way downstairs, the intoxicating scent of sizzling bacon and scrambled eggs filling my nostrils. I smiled when I sat down at the table, gazing at the meal in front of me.

"Wow, Delia," Lydia said, sitting down in the chair next to me. "You haven't cooked like this in a while." She skewered a piece of sausage violently with her knife and took a bite.

"Well, I figured since it's (Y/N)'s first day, we ought to do something special!" Delia chirped, and honestly, I could feel the waves of pure happiness wafting off of this woman.

I smiled at her gratefully.

"You really shouldn't have gone through all this trouble for me."

Delia waved away my comment as if it were the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. "Nonsense! I enjoy cooking when I can find the time-" (Lydia snorted at this) "-and I think I speak for Charles, Lydia, and myself when I say that we want you to feel welcome and at home here."

Charles, who was already seated at the head of the large table when I had come downstairs, nodded. Lydia did the same, agreeing with Delia.

"Well, I already feel more welcome and at home than I've felt in a long time," I said as Delia sat down.

We were about halfway through the meal when the loud crash came from what I assumed to be the attic.

Charles, Delia, and Lydia all shared a glance, while I was left in the dark.

"Those stupid boxes keep falling over," Lydia muttered, shoving back from the table, her chair making a loud scrubbing sound on the hardwood floor. "I'm gonna go check on it."

As I bit into a fresh, juicy piece of pineapple, I couldn't help but feel like the Deetzs were hiding something.

And by God, I was gonna find out what.

~

"Now, give us a turn. Oh yes! That's it! That's the one! It's perfect for your first gig!"

I nodded in agreement with Riley as Rita spun slowly in a shiny, iridescent, violet dress that changed to a rich royal blue whenever the light hit it just right. It was low cut in the back, nearly going down to her waist, and had one sleeve that fell off her shoulder. The skirt was cinched at the waist and then cascaded in blue and violet waves down to the floor. Rita grinned at us shyly.

"You guys really like it?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "It's gorgeous on you."

Riley nodded absentmindedly, his right hand resting over his mouth and chin and his right elbow propped on his left arm. He squinted at Rita and the gown, deep in thought.

"The color is perfect, and if we did a similar color palette for your makeup... nothing too crazy, of course..... I think we could really bring out your hair and eyes," he mumbled half to himself, sticking the pencil he had been holding behind his hair and approaching Rita.

"Although... I think we could change up the skirt just a skosh...."

Rita's brow furrowed. "I like the skirt."

Riley grinned. "I know, but I have a feeling you'll love it even more once you hear me out," he told her, expertly arranging the waves of the skirt.

Riley held out his hand, and I passed him his small, spiral-bound sketchbook. He grabbed it and quickly began sketching. After a minute or so, Riley held up the sketch for Rita and me to see.

It was a perfect copy of Rita's gown, but the skirt was curved over and above her knees in the front and trailed down to the floor in the back. Rita clapped her hands and squealed in delight.

"Omg I love it!"

Riley grinned. "I thought you might." He immediately grabbed the tape measure draped across his shoulders and began measuring and making notes.

He finally stood back up a few minutes later. "Okay, if you wanna go change, I'll take the gown back to my place and make the desired alterations," Riley told Rita, who nodded and retreated into the dressing room.

"You know, you really should be a designer," I told him as we sat down on the sofa to wait.

He shrugged. "New York didn't seem to think so."

Riley had moved north from Malibu and had tried to make it in the fashion industry, but had been turned down time after time, the execs claiming he was too optimistic, his designs too bold, or too unpredictable; that he was too much of a wild card; he didn't fit the mold; he didn't obey the rules of the status quo.

In all honesty, I think they were just scared of his raw talent.

So he had given up on that career path, but still pursued fashion and design as a hobby.

"So when do you start at the restaurant?" I asked him, kicking off my sandals and tucking my feet up under me.

"Monday," he told me, throwing his left arm over the back of the sofa.

I nodded. "You'll do great. You've got the winning smile and personality for it. You'll be everyone's favorite."

Riley grinned at that prospect.

He and Rita had actually both gotten jobs at the same place: a local restaurant here in town. It was Bernie's Steakhouse; an old-fashioned, southern-esque establishment. The restaurant was owned by an elderly couple who had moved up from Tennessee back in the sixties, so you definitely got that southern hospitality and air whenever you stepped into the place.

Riley had gotten a job as a waiter, and Rita was hired to provide live music in the evenings.

"Well, this ain't my first rodeo, you know," Riley told me, smiling.

"Huh?"

"I was a waiter when we met, remember?"

I laughed as the memory flooded my mind. "Oh yeah! You were a waiter at Ellen's Stardust Diner and you asked me out my standing on my table and singing 'Shiksa Goddess' from 'The Last Five Years' to me."

Riley's grin got even wider. "Yeah."

"You are such a dork. A flamboyant dork."

"Hey, that flamboyant dork scored himself a date because of that show he put on," he said playfully, winking.

I swatted him playfully.

"So. How about you? When do you start work?"

"Same as you. Lydia and I start buckling down Monday. She's got an exam coming up in a couple of weeks and I've gotta help her get her grade up."

He nodded. "Yeah. Can you believe Halloween is only a week away?"

I chuckled lightly. "I know, right? Where has the time gone?"

"Think I'm gonna go as Jack Skellington," he said thoughtfully. "What are you going as?"

I sighed. "I honestly have no clue. Maybe I should go as me before I've had my coffee in the morning." I chuckled.

Riley's eyes widened in mock-terror. "Yeah, that would be terrifying."

I burst out laughing and he smiled at me.

"But seriously, I got nothing. I need some ideas."

"If I weren't so swamped with Rita's gown and my new job, I would offer to come up with something, but as it is...."

I waved away his apologetic attitude. "Dude, it's fine, I'll figure something out before the party."

The town was throwing a huge Halloween bash, with free candy at all the store fronts and restaurants, games, and live entertainment. Apparently they did it every year, and from the way Lydia went on and on about it, it was a pretty big deal.

Rita came out of the dressing room, gown and purse in hand. She let out a determined huff.

"Okay, I'm gonna go pay for it, then she's all yours to work your magic on, Riley."

He grinned excitedly.

After Rita had paid for the dress, and Riley had carefully stowed it in the safety of his Jeep, we continued down the sidewalks of town.

"Oh, guys, I'm gonna look in here for some new shoes," Rita said, stopping abruptly in front of the shoe shop.

Riley nodded. "I do need some black dress shoes, and it looks like they're having a sale."

I shrugged and followed them inside.

I could use some new high-tops and combat boots.

Rita went off to the section with the nicer heels, Riley went over to the men's department, and I walked down the deserted aisles that held the high-tops.

I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I turned into another aisle and ignored my paranoia.

It was only a minute later when a shiver ran down my spine as someone's ice-cold hands caressed my bare shoulders through the shoulder holes in my crop top. I resisted the urge to scream as my heart-rate sky-rocketed and breathing sped up.

I felt the person jerk away from me quickly. I immediately spun around to face them, only, there wasn't anyone there.

But wait!

Moving quickly around the corner, I caught the movement of black-and-white stripes moving into the next aisle. My mind immediately went back to the close-up I had seen in the hallway at the Deetz's. I rushed to follow it, but when I turned the corner into the next aisle, there was nothing there but the shoes that lined the shelves and a penetrating chill that seemed to seep into my bones.