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Author's Note: Here's something that has yet to be done, an EOF original, not in any universe, creating right from my own mind. I had a lot of fun with this one. I know I'm breaking the mold a bit by not writing a holiday story based in the Center universe and starring Melanie Crane but I thought I'd try something a little different. I'd like to thank my gracious beta readers and my wonderful editor, djkauf.

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Life is precious, that’s something my mother used to always say. When my sisters and I were younger she used to drill it into our heads over and over again. I can clearly remember a time when my little sister Megan brought a baby bird into the house, crying as she cradled it close to her six-year-old body. We had this huge maple tree in the front yard and the bird apparently fell from its nest. Megan wanted Mom to take the bird and make it all better. My mother was a doctor and no amount of talking could convince Megan that she was a people doctor and not a birdie one. But my Mom tried her hardest. She set the bird’s wing, put it in a shoe box and spent the next three hours trying to get it to eat. In the end the little bird died. After all, it didn’t really have much of a chance anyway, it was small and that nest was really high up in the tree.

That was the first time Mom said life was precious.

She made a big deal out of it too, like one of those fucking after school specials. She sat us all around the kitchen table and told us all how we should value life and how it had meaning. She made it sound like life was the most important thing in the world and I suppose in many ways it was. It was joyous and happy and worth living. Well worth living to everyone except that little bird. Its life was over and it was lucky. The harsh reality of the world, the shit that everyone had to live through day to day, that little bird didn’t have to experience any of it.

But life is precious, so says my mother.

I’d like to say I’m one of those people that had a really shitty life but I’d be lying. We were always very well off. Mom had a small private practice, the only family doctor in town. We lived in a big house, my sisters and I each had our own room, hell we even had two cars in the driveway and white picket fence. Dad was a lawyer, not a senior partner in the firm, but he did well enough. He and Mom were the happy couple. They didn’t fight all the time, didn’t shout at one another or scold us if we did something wrong. They made sure we had everything we ever wanted. My sisters took ballet; I was in the boy scouts and played Little League Baseball up through middle school.

My sisters and I got along great too.

I was the oldest in the family, three years the senior of my sister Dawn. Megan was the youngest, six years from me, and two from Rebecca my third sister. We had the kind of relationship that any parent would dream of. We fought rarely and when we did, we always resolved it quickly. We never had that sibling rivalry that other children had. I loved my sisters and they loved me. We were happy. Happy smiley people, who lived in a giant white house, got along splendidly and lived happily ever after.

Well almost happily ever after.

What is it they say about big families and secrets? I think it’s the bigger the family, the bigger the secret. In the case of mine, the secret was astronomical. My happy family was a great big lie. Well everyone else was happy, well adjusted and felt the world was precious. Hell, life was precious in our family. When it comes down to it, the only one who wasn’t happy was me. I was the secret, the black sheep that no one wanted to talk about. I had a problem, not that any of them would ever call it such a thing. I’m not really sure what to call it actually. It happened when I was younger, old enough to know that there was something different about me. Something that made me scared.

You see unlike the other boys my age, I felt wrong.

It started when my sister Dawn started ballet. Being only a few years apart, I had to suffer through going to a lot of her stupid dance classes and recitals. I remember sitting on the bench while she practiced her little heart out and being bored to hell by it all. Then something happened and that boredom somehow turned into jealousy. It kinda excited and scared me at the same time. I was jealous of my sister, jealous that she got to wear that cute pink leotard and I couldn’t. It frightened the hell out of me and I tried to suppress the feeling. I did so for a while but eventually I lost the battle and found myself wearing it one day while my family was out getting ice cream. I was always a small child, thin and slight for my age. I easily fit into the leotard without stretching it. As soon as I did so that first time, I was hooked.

After that, it wasn’t just the leotard that interested. I found myself wearing her clothes whenever I could. It excited and repulsed me at the same time. Boys weren’t supposed to wear skirts and tights and actually like doing it. I tried to fight the feelings but no matter how much I did so they just kept getting stronger. I’m not sure if Dawn ever found out what I was doing and if she did, she never said a word. My love for girls’ clothes followed me all through grade school and middle school. When I got to high school, I took things to a whole another level. I started to grow my hair long and stopped trimming my nails. It worked because I pretended to be into the alternative scene. Not really punk, not really Goth. We called ourselves Emo but there really wasn’t a definition for it.

I loved it and hated it. Puberty hit and brought with it some changes. Though I had somewhat feminine features I got tall, about six one and had trouble fitting into my sister’s stuff. Luckily, I wasn’t one of those guys that got broad shoulders and big hands and my voice only got a little deeper. I still kept a lot of my softer features, which I was truly grateful for. But the worst was the hair. I hate hair. I hate shaving it and how it covers my whole body like I’m a fucking Sasquatch. I’m not saying I was a hairy beast, quite the opposite actually. But every guy has hair; mine was fine, barely noticeable in fact. But I still hated it. I made a habit of shaving every bit of hair from my body, except my head. It felt fantastic to have smooth, hairless arms and legs. My parents never thought it was weird because hey, I was a bit weird to begin with.

I tried to stay off the radar in high school. But it didn’t always work out like I planned. I was the freaky kid with the long hair who wore eyeliner and black fingernail polish. I thought I was the coolest thing in the world but there were a lot of assholes who saw me as a threat. Just because a guy who wore eyeliner that somehow reflected badly on their masculinity? Suffice to say I got my ass kicked more than once. The principal never understood either. He used to scold me for it, telling me that I somehow brought it upon myself. Narrow minded pricks in a narrow minded town. It was worse with my parents, they just ignored it. I think they knew what was wrong with me but instead of trying to get me the help I so greatly deserved they decided to sweep it all under the rug. It happened so often that my Dad started calling it “One of Kyle’s little problems”. He always said it in a real condescending tone too, like I was the worst thing that ever happened to him.

High school was hell after that. Four years of spending time with the worst bastards on the face of the planet. It’s funny because you always see this shit in movies and on TV but it’s so dramatized its funny. Unfortunately, in real life it happens just like that but not to the normal kids. Sure, there are bullies and dicks but when you’re different, that’s when the real bad shit happens. So I came home with a black eye one day, a swollen lip the next. It was the same old and it got so tiring that I actually got used to it. When I finally graduated, I made sure I picked the farthest college I could, far away from my family and small town with the narrow minded bastards.

In college, I found out how precious life really was. The first day there, I met my roommate. His name was Steve and when I walked in with my long hair, lack of body hair and makeup, he looked at me and stared for a long time. Then the words that defined our relationship came out of his mouth: “What’s up, dude. You know you look like a chick right?”

That was it. No insults, no slurs, no threats. Steve was a big ass dude, built like he could put my head through the wall. He took one look at me and didn’t care.

He might not have looked like it but we had a lot in common. We both loved late night study routines, both ate the same toppings on our pizza and both loved Halloween. Steve liked horror movie marathons and wicked parties. Me, I loved the fact that I could dress like a girl and no one said shit about it. Hell it was Halloween and stuff like that---dudes as chicks---it was something no one even second guessed.

A month into school, the two of us were sitting on our beds, trying desperately to beat the shit out of one another in Mortal Kombat, when Steve brought up the idea of Halloween plans.

“You do anything special?” he asked as his Sub-zero took another serious beating from my Katana.

Gotta love a chick who can kick so much ass. Her dual wielding fans are an all time favorite of mine and that outfit, it’s to die for. I’d kill to have a body like hers.

Did I do anything special for Halloween, if only he knew? My parents always went to some big bash that my father’s firm held. My sister Rebecca took Megan trick r’ treating every year and Dawn always had a boyfriend, the two of them hitting the high school party scene. That left me alone with my hobby. With no one in the house, I would go all out. I always got the best costume, the sexiest I could find. The tradition started as soon as I was old enough to stop going out myself and had the house to myself. So for three full years I got to girl it up on Halloween. Last year it was Pocohontas, the year before that it was a sexy fairy and the first year I lived out my dream as a ballerina. None of the kids who came to the door ever pegged me for a guy. I used to time it well, too. I would pass out candy and always slip back into a male costume by the time my sisters got back from candy begging.

This year was going to be sweet though. There were a lot of parties on campus, too many to count. I planned on hitting as many as I could, dressed as sexy as hell. Halloween was still a week off so I had some time to pick the right outfit. It was a tossup at the moment between a French maid or a sexy kitty cat. This year was going to be different too because I actually had some cash from a part time job at the library. I was able to buy myself some padding and breast forms, stuff to make the illusion as real as possible. I was so fucking stoked.

I paused the game and shrugged. “I was going to sit around here, watch a horror movie marathon on whatever channel has the best movies.”

Steve shook his head. “That’s fucking pathetic you know that?”

I shrugged again. “I’m not really into the whole Halloween party scene.”

“Seriously?” Steve shook his head. “Well just looking at you I know that’s bullshit.”

Yeah so, I looked like I just crawled out of Elvira’s closet. Don’t know who that is, look it up. Suffice to say after leaving my tiny town; I decided to go all out. I’m not saying I went full-blown Goth or anything but I didn’t leave much to the imagination. My wardrobe now consisted of mainly black things; one of my favorite items was a pair of black leather pants I got from this little S&M shop. They were really cool and looked absolutely perfect with my black combat boots. I only wore the pants on occasion though and never anywhere public. I just liked the feel of them. They made me feel feminine and helped to shape my figure nicely. I may be tall with broad shoulders but very little of me was fat. Just because I quit sports a while ago didn’t mean I wasn’t still in shape. I made sure I went to the Gym regularly and the leather pants really showed that.

I swam a lot too so you might say I have a swimmer’s physique. I seriously considered joining the swim team in high school but that would have meant cutting my hair, something that no one in their right mind could ever get me to do. My mother constantly tried to get me to cut it though, it being too long for a boy. My father never minded though, said that during his younger days he had quite the mop as well. Though I think, he made it abundantly clear that he didn’t expect me to have my hair that long once I finished college and got into the workforce.

Steve was staring at me, giving me a once over. Today I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Unbeknownst to my roommate they were actually a pair of girl’s jeans I got from the Good Will. Not that you could really tell, they were just as worn and faded as every other pair I owned. I bought them for that reason actually. I didn’t want to stand out. I wore guy’s jeans to class and when I went to different events but in the dorm, no one saw me but Steve. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything. Today just happened to be one of those days that I didn’t look like an extra from a vampire movie. I guess you could say I’m slumming.

“You say that and all I can do is laugh.”

He smirked. “Usually you look like you fit right in with the holiday; today you’re just freaking me out. Being all normal and junk.”

I sighed. I knew where this was going. Steve tried to talk me into partying with him last weekend. He just took a while doing it. He knew I didn’t really like the scene---well his party scenes anyway---so he tended to beat around the bush a bit. Last week it took him almost an hour to ask me to go with him and it took me less than thirty seconds to say no. Today I couldn’t wait that long so I decided to cut right to the chase.

“You want me to go to some stupid Halloween party with you, don’t you?”

He laughed. “Am I that transparent?”

“I can see right through you.”

We laughed. Then he ran his hand over his buzzed head. “Well it’s like this. Do you know that chick Theresa from our Bio class?”

I thought for a second. I tried to visualize all the girls in Bio. Steve had a specific type he usually went for. He liked blonde with big boobs, the typical male delicacy. But none of the girls in class really fit that description. In fact, the only Theresa I could think of was a girl that sat in the back row, up in the far corner where very little light ever reached. She was a pale red head, kept mainly to herself. She was barely noticeable in fact. I’m not sure how Steve ever spotted her because the only time I ever made eye contact with her was the first day of class. I caught myself staring at her for a moment or two, deciding that although she and I seemed almost kindred there was something about her that said, “Stay away or else I’ll tear off your balls.”

It boggled my mind that Steve would even consider Theresa worth his time.

“Care to explain to me how you and Theresa…?”

I wasn’t even sure how to word it.

He smiled. “It was weird really and honestly it kinda freaked me out a bit. But I was in the Union at my usual table with some of the guys” The guys being those who he hung out with besides me of course. “Then she sorta popped up, real freaky like. She gave all of us a once over and then pulled this flyer out of her purse and put it in the middle of the table.”

“A flyer?”

Steve nodded, then pulled a folded piece of orange paper from his back pocket. He tossed it at me, not even bothering to unfold it. So I did the deed and what I saw actually surprised me. Theresa was actually a sorority sister and her sorority---Delta Beta Zeta---was throwing a big Halloween bash. But it seemed to be pretty exclusive too, only those who presented one of the flyers at the door were permitted inside. What made it even stranger is that at the bottom of the flyer, it said bring a guest.

“She gave this to you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steve shrugged. “I think it was for all of us. Anyways, the guys thought it was pretty freaky and none of them want to go.”

“And you do?”

“It’s a party; I never turn down free booze. Plus it’s in a sorority house, full of desperate women no doubt.”

I looked at the flyer again then back at Steve. I groaned. I knew where this was going and I didn’t like it one bit. “And you want me to be your guest?”

Steve laughed. “I don’t want to there alone. That Theresa chick freaks me out.”

I laughed. “So I’m your date?”

Steve didn’t think it was so funny. “Not my date dipshit, my wing man.”

I groaned. I knew if I didn’t say yes he’d bug me from now until the night of the party. But if I did say yes then that meant I couldn’t get dressed up and find my own party. The whole idea of finally getting to be myself was the bonus that Steve wouldn’t be around to see it. I was hoping to finally be able to let my hair down and bring forth the girl inside. I looked at Steve he was now giving me his sorry attempt at a puppy dogface. I’d say it was pretty cute but there was nothing cute about a guy his size making that face. Shit, I hated being the guy that everyone seemed to be able to sway so easily.

“If I go with you, you promise not to bail on me as soon as the two of us walk through the door.”

Steven crossed his heart with his fingers. “Hope to die dude.”

I nodded and sighed. Steve smiled. Shit, I really was going to regret this.

There were ten Halloween parties going on at once. Six of which were just wild bashes that the sororities and fraternities were throwing. The rest were something that some of the dorms were organizing. My original plan was to wait for Steve to head out for the night, slip into my costume and hit one of the lesser-known parties. I had to make sure it was one that I knew Steve wouldn’t go too so I had picked a party I knew there wasn’t going to be alcohol at. Well the best laid plans and all that.

After he talked me into going to Theresa’s party, Steve didn’t bring it up for the rest of the week. But on the weekend, the two of us drove into town. It was one of those small little college towns, a place to relied fully on the college crowd to keep it going. It was a cute little town, reminding me a lot of the one I grew up in. Most of the shops were on one central street. They were quaint little things, barely big enough for the large crowds that usually crammed them. But they had everything that a small town might need. When I first got into town, I spent a day exploring things, getting a lay of the land as it were. I know knew where to find everything a growing boy might need.

On the corner of the main street, they had a shop that apparently stayed vacant when no holiday was coming up. On the holidays, it was transformed to fit a shopper’s needs. So coming upon it now one would find a costume shop bustling with Halloween merriment.

“I think I’m going to be a zombie quarterback,” said Steve as the two of us made our way to the skeleton decorated door.

“If you suggest I be your zombie cheerleader girlfriend, I’m kicking you in the nuts.”

Steve stopped and gave me a funny look. He stared a bit longer than I would have liked then laughed. “You could pull it off, you’ve got the figure and the face for it but there’s no way in hell I’d walk in there with you on my arm, dude.”

I was hoping he’d say yeah it was a good idea. Not that I wanted to be his “date”. Steve was cute in that oafish kind of way but there’s just no way in hell. Would I have loved to be a zombie cheerleader---oh hell yeah. But just not one if I was going to be seen as Steve’s anything. I only agreed to go with him so he didn’t bug me about it. After I agreed to accompany him to the party, he barely said one word about it. He mentioned costume shopping just yesterday; shrugging it off like it was no big deal. It was clear that his only true love for Halloween was getting drunk while hopefully scoring with some equally drunk bimbo.

I decided to play it cool. “That’s not funny.”

Steve smiled then laughed. “Just messing with you.”

He gave me a strange look again. His eyes lingered on my face a little bit longer than either of us would have liked. I playfully punched him in the arm, hoping it would shatter any freaky stare that he was giving me. The punch worked because the trance was broken. We had a good laugh. Steve continued to stare though, which was a little unsettling. I decided to get his mind off me by pushing him into the shop. A screaming foam monster head was what ultimately and finally broke his staring. We both nearly jumped ten feet in the air and had a good laugh. My heart was pounding a mile a minute as I slipped away from Steve while he wandered off to browse. I found myself lingering toward the section devoted to the female costumes.

I tried to look like I belonged there. I was wearing the leather pants today and a baggy black hoodie. My nails were painted black, my hair had a red strip in it and I was wearing a bit of makeup, nothing too noticeable though. That was the great thing about being semi-Goth. I could be a guy, wear makeup and get away with it. It helped that I was on the more feminine side of androgynous too. I might have been a bit too tall to be a girl---almost six one but I made up for it by trying to stay under the radar. It was a good thing that a lot of people dressed like me this time of the year or else I really would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Come winter I was probably going to find it harder to blend in but I’d climb that hurdle when I got there.

I started rifling through some really great looking Zombie dresses. I say zombie ones because they were tattered and dirty to make them look like they were all worn out. My sister dressed up as a zombie one year, taking an old dress of hers and really giving it the works. Her friend was an artist and did her face up to look really cool. The look was fantastic, the costume was killer. I remember seeing her in it and feeling extremely jealous. She had a perfect body to pull off the dress too. I remember watching as she walked down the stairs and all I could do was see myself wearing the dress. It was a strange, surreal moment for me. It was another Life is Precious moment for Mom. For me it was a Life is Unfair kind of moment.

I sighed heavily, pulling a tattered black dress from the rack. I rubbed the material between my thumb and forefinger, trying to figure out what it was. As I was doing so, I didn’t notice the girl standing next to me.

“Its really cute, you should totally get it.”

I jumped slightly, her sudden appearance surprising me. She seemed to come out of nowhere but that could be because I was so engrossed in my task. Now that I knew she was there, I turned my head slightly to speak. I was surprised that the voice didn’t fit the look. Here standing next to me was a girl about my age, shocking pink hair past her shoulder blades, black eyeliner, and long black fingernails. She looked like she was already dressed for Halloween too, having gone a bit too far on the Goth front. Mess top over a tank top, tattered black skirt, spider web stockings and black boots.

I recovered from the fright she gave me rather quickly.

“I’m still looking actually.”

She nodded. “That dress is still killer though, it suits you.”

I was unpracticed for this type of thing. It was clear that this girl thought she and I used the same restroom on a regular basis. I’d been mistaken for a girl many times before but never in a situation like this. I actually tried to avoid real girls as much as I could. Partly because I wasn’t sure what to say around them and partly because I didn’t want to be exposed. I knew how to act around girls in some part by watching my sisters and their friends but I was still scared that I wasn’t good enough. It was terrifying standing next to her now, wondering when and where I was going to screw up.

So I panicked. I stuck the dress back on the rack and turned away. MY heart was pounding in my chest as I started to walk, hoping that I didn’t insult the girl too much. I didn’t but I must have done something wrong because she followed me. I walk fast, thanks in part to my long legs. I was halfway on the other side of the store and she still managed to catch me. Not only catch me but actually get in front of me. She put out a hand to stop me, resting it on my chest. When she did, a look crossed her face. It was quick but it was there. She knew. I bit my lip, wishing to crawl into a hole and die. I was waiting for her to say something, to out me. Instead, she smiled.

“What’s your name?” she asked, still smiling.

I bit my lip. “Kyle”.

There was a hint of fear in my voice.

“Its ok, I didn’t know until I touched your chest. You’re really pretty, prettier than most girls I know like you. Kyle is a good name too; the best part is that you don’t have to change it if you don’t want too. I knew a girl named Kyle but she wasn’t half as pretty as you.”

I blushed. It’s not every day someone tells me I’m pretty. In fact, no one has ever told me that. Ok, so I’m prettier than most guys but I usually get razzed because of it, not complimented.

The pink haired girl chuckled at my blush. Then continued. “My name is Degna, my friends and I are throwing a Halloween bash and we’d love to have you there.”

She pulled a very familiar flier from her purse, which I laughed at.

“I’m going actually.”

She smiled. “And now I’m the embarrassed one.”

She handed me the flier anyway. Then she did something I didn’t expect her to do, she leaned forward and kissed me. I’m not talking about the cheek either. When her lips touched mine, I felt a spark of life escape them. I’d been kissed once before by my prom date. But she was just a friend from school and it was a light peck on the lips, a more of a thank you than anything. The kiss Degna gave me was not light in the least. In fact she gave me a little touch, even went so far as to grab my lip with her teeth when she was pulling away. She drew blood, dabbing her finger on my lip and sucking on it. It was by far the strangest thing I’d ever seen.

“Taste like strawberries” she said with a giggle. “I foresee us becoming great friends, Kyle.”

Then she turned and walked away, disappearing down an aisle.

“Dude” said Steve as he idled up beside me. “Who the hell was that?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

I reached up and touched my lip. I looked at my fingers a second later, seeing the blood.

Life was Precious indeed.

“Dude, you’re freaking me out”

I tried to ignore him as I finished applying my lipstick, black of course. Steve was standing behind me, dressed in his Zombie Linebacker costume. I could see his reflection in the mirror, looking none too happy that I was taking so long. But applying makeup took a while, especially if you wanted to do it right. I was a perfectionist when it came to how I look. Steve on the other hand was sloppy; his gray face makeup looked like a five-year-old applied it. I offered to help, to make it look really cool but he passed. He didn’t want to look cool; he just wanted to look good enough to score. He was convinced girls liked the whole Zombie thing and that they’d be lining up to try to bring him back to “life”. When he said the choice phrase, he kept pointing between his legs.

Me, I wanted to look nothing like myself.

We left the costume shop the other day with me empty handed. I couldn’t decide on what I really wanted to do. Ok, so I knew but I didn’t really want to get razzed by Steve. I really wanted that dress, the tattered black one. For some reason it seemed to call to me. But the idea of buying a dress with Steve around was just asking for trouble. So we left after Steve bought his costume. He spent the rest of the drive back to campus with Steve trying to get info on my pink haired hottie. The only thing I was able to tell him was her name. But that didn’t stop him from asking about her. Hell, it didn’t stop me from thinking about her either. The rest of the week, I kept my out for her, hoping to run into on campus. A girl kissing you like that and you can’t help but think about her.
But my search turned up nothing. It was like she fell off the face of the planet.

“How in the hell do you know how to put on makeup so good?” groaned my impatient roommate.

I sighed, capping the stick. “I have three sisters.”

Steve shook his head. “Since when does Dracula wear black lipstick?”

“I’m not Dracula per se,” I said, turning from the mirror, my black cape whipping around me as I did so.

A few days after leaving the shop, I went back. I decided that I could do a vampire and make it as androgynous as I could. After all, lots of male vampires looked pretty feminine. The only thing I ended up buying at the shop though was a black cape. I did look for the black dress though. I had decided I was going to buy it after all and hide it my trunk back at the dorm. But sadly, someone must have seen it and snatched it. Not being able to buy the dress damped my spirits. But the cape was a good buy. The rest of my costume I already had. I bought a black silk shirt a while ago and decided to pair it with my leather pants and a pair of unisex looking black boots.

So with the cape and my makeup, I looked like a modern day bloodsucker and I didn’t glitter.

Adding the lipstick was a last minute addition but it definitely worked even if Steve thought I was a little weird doing so.
I walked away from the mirror and over to the dresser where both our flyers were sitting. I decided it might be easier to bring both just in case. I discovered upon looking at the two flyers that mine was a bit different from his. It didn’t tell me to bring a guest for one thing and his also stated that the party was men only. Apparently, the girls at the sorority didn’t want any female competition. I’m not sure if Steve was happy about that or not. He almost wanted to back out of it when I pointed that little detail out to him. It pissed him off a bit that the party was probably going to have more guys than girls.

“Ok so are you finally done preening, princess?”

I groaned. Steve was still a little peeved that Degna was interested in me and not him. He came across as the big man on campus back from whatever high school he came from. Women there seemed to throw themselves at him. But here he was one of many faces in the crowd, a small speck in a large pond. He still got his girls but the idea that someone like her would be remotely interested in someone like me, that probably didn’t even register in Steve World. So he’d been kinda antagonistic toward me all week, making snide remarks and getting annoyed at stupid things.

I didn’t even respond to the preening remark. Instead, I nodded and the two of us finally left the room.

The Delta Beta Zeta house was only a few blocks from campus, well within walking distance. Steve and I left the dorm building right behind one another, but as soon as we got through one of the quads, he forged ahead. Apparently, he was still pretty miffed that a hot chick didn’t notice him first. As far as I was concerned, he was acting pretty damn childish. I tried not to think too much about Steve’s juvenile behavior. Instead, I looked at all the freaks around me. The guys were dressed in an assortment of masks and capes, very few of them fully dressed like Steve and I. The girls were wearing the skimpiest things imaginable, which kind of made me jealous. I say kind of because it was currently forty five degrees out and there was no way I wanted to wear something that small in this cold weather. My cape barely covered me and I was definitely second guessing the silk shirt.

When we got out of the campus proper, the freaks and the idiots---i.e. the girls---were all moving en masse off to their respective parties. Because the fraternity and sorority houses were actually in the town, the older kids started mingling with the little ones. It was weird to see giant costumed freaks slipping among joyous children. The college town was small but it looked like it was a busy night for Trick R’ Treaters. There was a lot of laughing and running and even some yelling. I couldn’t help but smile, thinking about my own little sister and how she used to enjoy things like this. Megan was still young enough to go out but she was getting older, her interests starting to turn toward other things.

While walking I lost sight of Steve but I finally managed to catch him. He was up ahead a ways, chatting it up with a Zombie cheerleader of all things. I pushed my way past a Cowboy and Indian couple and called out to my roommate.

When I approached, the girl gave me a look of daggers. Then turned to Steve. “You told me you were single.”

She stomped over; Steve gave me an almost identical look.

“Thanks a lot Captain Buzz Kill; I was going to score tonight.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Steve, that girl had the IQ of a gnat.”

“Exactly how I like them,” he said, wagging his eyebrows.

For a moment, it seemed like he was over whatever was bothering him but then he added. “Can you walk a few steps behind me; you look so much like a chick everyone thinks we’re together.”

Nope, he was still being a dick.

I dropped behind him, annoyed. This whole thing was Steve’s idea in the first place. Sure going to this party meant I might see Degna again but I really hated keggers. I was going to hit a few of the dorm parties, try to look inconspicuous. But no, he had to drag me out of my comfort zone. A small part of me hoped that he’d forget the whole thing and go find another party. But apparently, he was adamant about hitting the DBZ one. I think it confused him that Theresa wasn’t interested in him either. After giving him that flyer he tried his hardest to get her to talk to him---before and after class but no dice. She just didn’t seem too interested, which was strange considering she gave him and his friends the flyer. I checked around too, not everyone got them. In fact, I was hard pressed to find anyone who got them. Which was strange, considering how exclusive the party seemed to be? Usually.

The DBZ house was on the end of what they called Sorority Row, like that movie. There were five or six white houses all lined up along one side of the street. The Fraternities were one block over, in an attempt to keep things separated I guess. It surprised me that there were so many sororities in the school. It surprised me even more to see how many morons were filing into the other houses. At two of the houses, the parties had even spilled out into the lawns. I saw Steve look longingly over at one of them who was in a pair of blonde bimbos dressed like German Bar Maids were bobbing for apples.

Our destination didn’t look all that lively. In fact, it looked downright creepy which I suppose worked for the night. Looking at the house though I couldn’t help but shiver. It didn’t help that there was barely a moon out tonight, sending everything in almost total darkness. The only lights came from hand carved Jack-O-Lanterns lining the drive leading up to the house. They were all cut to look scary; some of them looked professionally done. No one could say anything bad about the Girls of DBZ; they really knew how to get into the Halloween spirit. They even had fake cobwebs dangling from the branches of the huge willow tree in the yard. It definitely added to the spooky ambiance of the night.

When Steve and I got to the house, there was already a line forming at the front door. At the front of it, was the Cowboy and Indian. They were boyfriend and girlfriend apparently. The Cowboy was arguing with a black robed girl at the door, apparently pissed about something. His voice carried through the line, rather loud and laced with a bit of alcohol.

“You said we could bring a guest,” he said, his voice raising another octave.

“A male guest.”

“I’m not some fucking queer, why would I bring a dude.”

“Because there’s enough girls here to satisfy you.”

The robed figure gently stroked a hand across the Cowboy’s cheek. Her nails were long and painted black, her face obscured by her big hood. It made her look exceptionally creepy. The Cowboy seemed to like it though, the Indian not so much. She stomped on her boyfriend’s foot and stormed off. The Cowboy looked back at her, pissed for a moment. Then the girl at the door stepped aside and he shrugged it off, stepping into the darkness that lied beyond. After that there didn’t seem to be too much of a problem. Everyone else in front of us were guys and they were let in without complaint. When the line got to Steve and I, the girl gave me a once over.

“Ummm….”

It made me feel good to know that she couldn’t tell my gender. In fact, I smiled a bit.

Suddenly another black robed girl appeared behind her, I caught the slightest bit of pink under her hood. “Jasmine, this one is Kyle, the one I told you about.”

The girl at the door nodded. “Then you’re most welcome here.”

Steve scoffed as she stepped aside and let the two of us in.

Degna slipped up next to me, slipping her arm through mine. “Sorry about her, she’s a bit catty when she hasn’t eaten.”

I nodded. “Maybe she should get something then.”

Degna laughed. “Oh she will, all in due time of course.”

The interior of the house reminded me a bit of the Addams house on the old Addams family show except a little less creepy. The girls really went all out decorating it, including the black curtains, those were fantastic. I let Degna lead me by my arm through the little foyer, past a staircase and off into a side room that looked like an 18th century parlor. The furniture was all dark wood and red velvet, really sophisticated. I tried to see if there was any refreshments but there didn’t seem to be any. In fact, this place didn’t look anything like a room where a party might be held, there wasn’t even any music. Degna led me over to a chair, making sure I sat.

The room had a few guys in it, Steve was one of them.

“You sit tight here I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Degna disappeared, taking the arm of another guy and leading him off down the hall. Apparently, this wasn’t the only place where they were taking their guests.

“Looks like your new girlfriend isn’t as one man as I thought. I might have a shot with her after all,” said Steve, nudging me with his elbow.

I ignored him. I wasn’t even sure if I liked her in the manner he was suggesting. She was attractive but I was always a bit confused. I also found men to be slightly attractive too. Steve was cute, I’d never consider dating him but he was cute. Not that he’d ever swing my way in the first place but I needed to get that out there. It’s strange when I think too much about it actually. I’ve read a lot online about these things, about people wanting to be girls all their life. I never felt like that growing up. I mean would life have been easier if I’d been born a girl, I think so. But did I want to change myself into one? I wasn’t really sure about that. I liked wearing the clothes and I loved the idea of having breasts of my own. But when looking at Degna---feeling the thing stir in my pants--- I wasn’t sure how I felt.

I liked her. But was it a boy liking a girl or was it something else?

I watched Degna with interest. She kept leading guys back through the house, one at a time. I’m not sure how many there were but I’d guess at least twenty or more. When the last guy was finally through, she swung back around to our little parlor. There were five of us in it, including myself and Steve. I looked at the others, A monster, a Werewolf and a Clown, believe it or not. I’m not sure who they were in real life because two of them were wearing masks and the clown’s face was all painted. But they were clearly guys that were just as confused as I was.

Degna crouched down next to my chair. “In a few minutes the girls are going to come and collect each of you, taking you to different parts of the house.”

Steve overheard her. “Private little parties then huh?”

She looked at him and nodded. “Something like that. We do this each year before the real party begins.”

Then she stood up, looking at the large grandfather clock. She turned back to me. “It’s about to begin, I have to go meet the other girls.”

She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and disappeared. I looked at my own watch, wondering what the hell was going on. It was quarter to nine; most of the little kiddies outside were probably all at home now. I couldn’t help but wonder if Megan enjoyed what she had called her last Halloween. I used to trick r’ treat up through middle school but I guess the times they were a changing. I looked from my watch to the clock on the wall then toward the stairs. Time passed slowly but eventually it reached ten, the chime of the grandfather clock filled our little parlor.

The Clown fidgeted a bit in the chair next to Steve. “I don’t like this.”

“Scared?” asked the Monster, his voice muffled by his mask.

The laugh he and the Werewolf shared muffled out most of the chimes.

I looked toward the stairs after the last chime sounded, finally able to hear it when the laughter stopped. Down the stairs they came, a line of girls in black hooded robes, walking in single file. When they got to the bottom, they split off into groups of five and disappeared together off to parts unknown. Well fifteen of them anyway. The last group stayed with us but as I counted heads I realized there were only four and couldn’t help but wonder who might be left out. I looked at Steve and the other three, trying to see which one the girls might leave behind. The Clown was still fidgeting, looking toward the door. The Monster and the Werewolf were laughing still, except it wasn’t as loud and it was more like snickering. Steve looked at each women in turn, noticing what I noticed.

“There’s four of you, which one of us is not going to get lucky tonight.”

One of the robed figured stepped forward, dropping her hood. The face underneath was exceptionally beautiful. She had long raven black hair, a face that was almost white it was so pale and green eyes that seemed to sparkle. Those eyes rested on me for a second before they lingered around the room, finally falling on Steve. A slight smirk curled her glossy black lips when she looked at him. Steve didn’t notice, none of the others did.

“Evening gentlemen,” she said, her voice sexy as all hell. “My name is Wisteria Stone; I’m the President of DBZ. I’d like to welcome you to our little party tonight.”

Steve rubbed his hands together. “Bring on the booze.”

I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t remember why I was ever friends with him in the first place. We got a long great when the semester started but now he was a real dick. I was beginning to wonder if it was too late to change my dorm room.

Wisteria smiled. “All in good time. First we like to do a little getting to know you exercise.” She waved her hands and the other girls came forward, one each moving toward our chairs and standing in front of them. “You will be paired off and led upstairs; there you will get better acquainted with the sisters for a while.”

Steve looked annoyed. Wisteria was now standing in front of the Clown. Two other girls were in front of the Monster and the Werewolf. Hell even a girl was standing in front of me.

Steve was the man out and looked pissed. “What the hell” he said, crossing his arms.

Wisteria smiled. “We have something special for you, a new pledge actually but she’s not ready. So sit tight and she’ll be with you shortly.”

Steve didn’t look as pissed after that.

Wisteria reached down and took the Clown’s hand. His fidgeting stopped, in fact he looked like he was about to pee himself. Wisteria was definitely quite a woman, any guy would love to have her lead them off to a dark corner somewhere.

“Ladies let’s begin.”

The girl in front of me bent down and took my hand. She pulled me to my feet in a surprisingly strong gesture. All I could do was follow as she led me out of the parlor and up the stairs. The others were being led toward the stairs too. I caught sight of Steve, who still looked kind of peeved. He shot me a nasty look and all I could think of was not wanting to see him again for the rest of the night.

As soon as the two of us got into our designated room, the girl locked the door behind us. She turned slowly, pointing to the bed. I did as I was told, sitting calmly on the edge of it. I watched her, studying her body language. It took me all of ten seconds to realize who she was and my assumption was proven correct when she finally dropped her hood. Degna smiled at me, her pink hair done up in cute pigtails with a skull barrette holding her bangs to one side. She looked remarkably cute, her makeup done up in a dark red, almost contrasting the vibrant color of her hair.

She sighed heavily. “I’ve been waiting for this day all week.”

She reached up and pulled a little tie at her neck. The tie apparently was the only thing holding the robe on her body. AS soon as it was undone, the robe dropped around her small frame. Underneath she was wearing an outfit of black silk and lace, completely see-through. I saw something similar in a Victoria’s Secret catalog. It made me jealous to think that I could never really pull off wearing something quite like that. Degna on the other hand pulled it off nicely. I looked down at her feet, noticing the heels. She stepped out of them slowly and sauntered over to me, dropping on my lap with her legs spread wide, straddling my body.

She ran her fingers through my hair slowly. “You look real pretty tonight.”

“Umm…thanks.”

She smiled. “You don’t have to be embarrassed sweetie, you’re not the first guy in the world to ever like dressing and looking like a woman.”

My face flushed a bit. “There was this boy I used to know named Eugene,” she said, twirling a finger through my hair as she talked. “He used to be the same way. He was a pretty boy too but really shy. There’s no way he would have ever gone out in public like you. The guys at his old school used to pick on him mercifully because of his looks, they used to beat him up constantly. They put him in the hospital once.”

She had a faraway look when she mentioned the boys, followed by a smile.

“Whatever happened to him?”

She slipped her fingers from my hair and slowly slid off my lap. “Ask me in a couple of hours. But first I have something I want to give you.”

She walked slowly across the room, making her way over to what I could only guess was a closet. She opened the door and reached inside. What she pulled out brought a small smile to my face. It was a black dress but not any black dress, it was my black dress. Well, ok, not exactly mine but I one I really wanted to buy. She smiled big as she walked over to the bed, carrying it with her. She laid it on my lap, sitting on the other corner of the bed.

“I saw how much you wanted it but were too afraid to buy it,” she said as I ran my fingers over the fabric. “Do you like it?”

I found myself tearing up slightly. No one had ever bothered to do something like this for me. “I went back for it but it was gone.”

She smiled again. “You want to try it on?”

I bit my lip. I wanted to wear it but at the same time, I knew that eventually I’d have to take it off to go back to the dorm. I sighed and shook my head. “If I wore this back to the dorm, Steve would throw a fit.”

“What if I told you that Steve won’t even notice?”

I laughed. “You plan on blinding him tonight?”

She laughed too. “No but he will get exactly what he deserves.”

I’m not sure I liked how she said that.

Degna slipped off the bed again. This time however she went over to a little end table next to the bed. I looked over and saw a goblet sitting there. But there was no drink to pour into it. Degna stood for several moments with her back to me. When she finally turned around, she had the goblet in her hand. She gave me a look, one that said that she wasn’t quite sure about something. Instead of bringing the goblet over to me however, she set it back on the table. She walked back over to the bed and sat down next to me, taking the dress and putting it aside.

“What if I told you that there was a way you could wear whatever you like and no one would ever say anything wrong to you about it?”

I smirked. “I’d say wake up.”

She smiled weakly. Then she took a deep breath. Instead of saying anything, she took my hands in hers. They were ice cold to the touch, which surprised me. A warm bodied girl like her. Then she leaned forward, kissing me. First, it was gentle but then it started to get a bit rough and forceful. She pushed me back onto the bed, showing me more of that strength of hers. She climbed on top of me, ripping open my shirt. I found myself enthralled by it all. I’d never been with a girl before and never dreamed of being with one who was rough like this. A small part of me kind of liked it though. I was always kind of weak and submissively, bold in some things but scared in a lot more. Like telling my parents the truth about me. I started the conversation a hundred times in my head but was never truly ever able to finish it. I always chickened out in the end. Right now, I felt like doing the same but there was something about letting her take charge that made everything totally different. Even if she did like to bit my lip when she kissed.

She bit pretty hard too. “Damn” I snapped as she literally sunk her teeth into my bottom lip, even pulling slightly.

I pushed her back a bit. When I did, I saw some of my blood dribbling down her chin. The look of horror on her face scared me.

“Shit” she gasped, turning her head away. “I’m sorry…I can’t….I mean I want too but I just can’t do this…”

I gently touched her arm. “Its ok, we can just talk. We don’t have to do anything. Maybe next time”

I wiped my bloody lip on the back of my hand.

She shook her head. “There isn’t going to be a next time, not for you, not if I don’t do this.”

I’m not sure I really liked what I just heard.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, slowly sliding away from her.

I think there’s a few things I neglected to mention about the room. For one thing, the lights were all off. And for another the window was open, allowing what little moonlight there was to stream inside. It was the only light in the room. It was how I was able to see the things she’d been doing before. Now when Degna turned around to face me, I saw something else, something that turned the blood in my veins cold. Her eyes, they weren’t normal. They were silver in color and they were glowing. I stumbled bit, finding myself pressed against the backboard. Degna sighed lowering her head.

“You were special, not like the other guys.” She wiped at her eyes, possibly wiping away tears. “You were meant to be my first, meant to be my Convert.”

“Convert?”

She nodded. “We chosoe one every year, guys like you, like us or rather like we used to be. It’s something to do with the change, we bite them and they become like us.”

She reached up and quickly touched her chest.

“You said bite? You mean like…”

She nodded. “I didn’t believe it either until they did it to me. It was freshmen orientation; they saw how lost and confused I was. Theresa did, said I was special. Told me that I was to help recruit others into the fold. They’d been scouting you too. They let in fresh blood every so often; you were supposed to be the second one.”

Fresh blood? What the hell was she talking about?

She slid off the bed and walked over to her robe, picking it up off the floor. She put it on quickly and turned to me, her strange eyes glowing in the dark. “I can’t do it though, not to you.”

She grabbed the black dress and threw it at me. “You need to get out of here; you need to live your life to the fullest. I was stupid, weak.”

I got off the bed, leaving the dress where it was. I walked over to her as she turned from me, placing my hands gently on her shoulders.
“If converting me is all you have to do…”

She shook her head. “No, you lose everything. I can’t do that to you. We have to wear loads of sun block to even go to class and even then, we can’t stay in the direct sunlight. I’m from Tampa, I can’t even go home. Can you imagine how bad that would be” She shook her head again, crying. “We have to get out of here; I have to get you out of here.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door quickly. She grabbed the knob but it opened before she could even turn it. AS soon as it was open, a figure stood there. She was outlined in the faint light coming from the hall. Degna looked up into her face and then turned back to me, tears running down her cheeks. I looked into her glowing silver eyes and they were the last thing I saw before her entire body exploded into a shower of dust that crumbled gently to the floor. The figure stepped into the room, revealing herself to be Wisteria, holding a wooden stake in her hand.

She shook her head, toeing the black robe on the floor. It was all that was left of Degna, the girl I might have loved, the girl that wanted to save me.

“Such a waste” said Wisteria, tossing the stake into the corner of the room. “She was a sweet girl, had those doe eyes that men melted into. She’s going to be a hard one to replace.” Wisteria sighed. “Oh well, moving on.”

I looked from the pile to the door and back to the pile. I took a chance and made a run for it. I didn’t get very far. Wisteria put a hand out, barely touching me in the chest. I flew backwards through the room, landing hard on the bed. She laughed loudly, walking slowly toward me. She crawled onto the bed, moving on top of me, quickly pinning my arms down.

“She was innocent.”

Wisteria laughed. “None of us are innocent, not anymore. She was special, like you, like I was when it happened to me all those years ago. Now I’m ever more special, the best woman in the world. You have no idea how could it feels” Then she smiled, revealing her fangs. “But you will”.

I tried to struggle but it was no use. “I’ll fight it, I’ll be like her. I won’t let you do this to anyone else.”

She laughed. “You’re the last for the year sweetie. We’ve filled the quota. It’s a shame for you that you didn’t accept so willingly. But that can’t be helped now.” She ran her hand along my cheek then gently touched my hair. “Such lovely hair, I think I’m going to enjoy braiding it for you.”

A tear rolled down my cheek as she leaned in and sunk her sharp fangs into my neck. I screamed as the world sucked around me and the blackness came.

Steve sat impatiently in the little Goth room. He was always an impatient person, hated waiting. Being the youngest of five, he found himself constantly at the end of things. His older brothers hogged the showers in the morning, all the food during meals, even the car when he learned how to drive. His parents didn’t help either, always telling him that life was worth the wait. When he finally got out of the house, got to college, he thought things were going to be different. But it turns out the lines were just longer and the wait even crazier. It was like all his life everyone was trying to force him to wait for something, for anything.

He was tired of all the damn waiting.

Now here he was tonight waiting some more. He looked at his watch and groaned, finally pushing up from the freaky chair. Two hours, two fucking hours. That’s how long those bitches had him waiting tonight. Hell even his dweeby, faggy roommate got to go off with a hot chick. But no not him, not Steve the Waiter. It pissed him off. He wanted to trash the damn place. He looked around the room at the black curtains and the dark wood furniture. There was a fake fireplace with a creepy picture above the mantle. The girl in it looked a lot like that Wisteria chick but she was dressed all funky. Wearing some old person’s dress, her hair down up in a bun. It was probably her ancestor or something. He scoffed, wondering if the guy who boned her once upon a time had to wait for it.
Stupid bitches.

What pissed him off the most was that they took Kyle first. Kyle of all people, Kyle over him. He thought Kyle was cool at first, a little strange with his gothy stuff but still cool. They had some stuff in common, played some of the same games. But after living with him, for a bit he couldn’t help but notice how truly gay Kyle was. The guy wore lipstick and polished his nails for Christ’s sake. Hell he wouldn’t be surprised if the dick wore women’s underwear too. Then somehow, through some miraculous miracle, Kyle lands a hottie. Ok so he didn’t land her but close enough. The chick started macking out with him in the middle of the costume store. She was scary hot and she picked Kyle.

Fucking Kyle, fucking pink haired chick. Fucking stupid sorority bitches.

He started to pace, cursing, using every word he could think of. He should of left, hell he wanted to leave. The only reason he didn’t was the possibility of finally getting some tail. He got a lot in high school but he was definitely looking for some Grade A college girl goodness. Now he had the potential to land the best kind: sorority girl. It pissed him off that he was the only one not getting some too. The other guys were off with their chicks, probably screwing the hell out of them. He heard some moaning earlier, even some screams. It was probably that pussy dressed like a clown, first time and all. But the girls must have really known how to put out because none of those guys had yet to come back here.

Shit, they’re having a good time and here he was fucking waiting.

He looked at his watch and cursed. “Fuck it, I’m out of here.”

He stomped out of the parlor, making sure he was as loud as possible. He got halfway to the door when he heard someone clear their throat.

“Leaving already, Mr. Tobias” said a voice.

He turned and saw that Wisteria chick standing at the top of the stairs, a robed figure behind her.

He shrugged. “I have class in the morning, thought I’d turn in early for a change.”

Wisteria sighed. “What about your roommate?”

Steve laughed. “Kyle is a big boy, can take care of himself. Besides I’m sure that little hottie is doing a good job of that.”

Wisteria smiled. “That she did. It’s a shame that you’re leaving so soon though, I have a friend here who was dying to meet you.”

That piqued his interest. He looked past Wisteria to the girl standing next to her. He couldn’t see much of the girl because she was hooded but he could tell she was a hottie. She was tall too, he liked them tall. He rubbed the back of his head. “Well seeing as she’s here, I might as well stay for a few more minutes.”

“Excellent” said Wisteria as she took the girl gently by the hand and led her down the stairs. “He wants to play with you after all Kaitlin my sweet, why don’t you show him a good time.”

Steve went back into the parlor, sitting in his chair. He rubbed his hairs together then blew on them, sniffing them to check his breath. He supposed it was good enough. Wisteria and the girl came into the room. The girl let go of Wisteria’s hand and walked over to Steve. She didn’t waste any time, straddling his lap quickly. He caught a peek down her robe, getting a nice look at her chest. They were at least a C, just how he liked them. He licked his lips, grinning happily.

“Hey babe why don’t you drop that hood so I can see that pretty face of yours.”

“Whatever you say, baby?” she said in a sexy, sultry voice.

She leaned up and dropped the hood, revealing the beauty underneath. Skin as white as porcelain, hair that was long and black. She was one of those gothy chicks with too much eyeliner but he could deal with that. He even liked the little silver ring in her bottom lip; it made her glossy black lips looked delectable. She leaned back, pulling at the tie of the robe, shaking her bottom as the robe slid away. She was wearing red see-through lingerie, just like he liked it. She reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face with long black nails. Something about the gesture clicked. He squinted his eyes, getting a really good look at her.

What he saw boggled the mind.

“Kyle?” he asked, shocked.

“What do you think Steve, the makeup look good on me now?” she said, smiling evilly, revealing pearly white teeth and fangs.

Steve screamed as the girl who had once been Kyle lunged forward and bite viciously into his neck, sinking her brand new fangs into his juicy flesh.

A small part of Kyle wept inside his head, now a prisoner to the lust of Katie, Wisteria’s latest creation. He tried to fight it, tried to scream out but he was gone. He could feel himself slipping away, being consumed by the monster. The last words he thought before he fell into darkness forever were those of his mother, words that he wasted until now:

Life is Precious.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF