Storytellers (Getting Even Series Short Story for Halloween 2014)

Part I - Joey

(Joey's POV)

It was Halloween night. I was in my room, lying on my bed, and throwing a baseball up and down in the air. The doorbell rang and my mom got the door, complimenting the children on their costumes and giving them full-sized candy bars. I heard the door close and footsteps walking away. The next I know, my mom is standing in my bedroom doorway.

"Really, Joseph?"

I caught the ball in my hand and turned my head towards her, "What?"

"You're eighteen years old. Shouldn't you be going to a party or something?"

I heaved a sigh and threw the ball into the air once again, "I wasn't invited."

"Well then take your brother out trick-or-treating." She suggested, just as Jett, dressed up as one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, peered around my mom's leg, a childish grin on his face. "Because your dad's not home yet and I have to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids."

"Mom, I don't have a costume."

"Sure you do," She looked over at my closet door where I had my costume for Finnick hanging up. I looked back over at her and she nodded down towards my brother, whose smile was slowly fading as he realized I most likely wasn't going to take him. "Come on, Joseph, it's the least you can do." Jett's lip began to quiver, as if he was about to cry. And I couldn't stand seeing him cry.

"Ugh, fine!" I retorted moodily, walking over and ripping the costume down, "I'll be out in a minute."

My mother smiled and my brother did too. "Thank you, Joseph," My mom said before the doorbell rang again and she left to go answer it. Jett followed her. I heaved a sigh and slammed my door shut so I could get changed in privacy. Once I was in my costume, I walked out and saw my mom and Jett by the door, Jett beaming with excitement as he thought about all the candy he was going to get tonight. He was probably also excited to spend time with me. I never liked hanging out with him, but he sure liked hanging out with me. I rolled my eyes.

"Happy Halloween!" My mother wished the kids after giving them some candy. She turned around and saw me, "Well look at you. You look very nice." I sighed. "Now I want you and Jett to be home by nine, got it? You know Jett gets cranky when he's up past his bedtime. Isn't that right, mister?" She bent down and pinched his cheek, causing him to laugh.

"Yeah yeah..." I retorted, walking up to Jett and grabbing his hand that wasn't holding his pumpkin that was soon to be filled with candy, "Let's go, little guy."

*****

As I was walking down the street, Jett marveling over the candy in his pumpkin, we passed by someone's house. That someone was Kalel Cullen. She was one of the popular girls at my school. She was probably also the prettiest girl at school, with all the guys drooling over her as she walked through the halls, her arm linked with her jock of a boyfriend, Anthony. I didn't talk to her, and she didn't talk to me. Hell, I don't even think she know I existed.

The porch light was off outside, indicating that she wasn't giving out candy and the kids should keep walking. But there were lights inside, flashing all different colors. Red. Green. Blue. Music was blasting from the inside, but from the outside, it came out as a muffled slur accompanied by a beat.

The party my mom was talking about? Well, the one I said I wasn't invited to? Yeah, that was this one. It was the biggest party of the year and almost everyone in the school was invited but me. I sighed, wishing I could be one of them. One of the cool kids.

To snap me out of the daze I had gone into, I heard three knocks. Jett was standing on the porch, excitedly waiting for the door to swing open and a nice lady to tell him he was cute and give him some candy.

"Jett!" I called, "Come back here!" He ignored me. "Jett!" I walked up the sidewalk and grabbed him by the hand, jerking him away from the door. "Come on, Jett, no one's home."

"But I want candy..." He whined as I dragged him away from the house. Just as we were about halfway down the sidewalk, I heard the door click open and someone call my name.

"Joey?"

I slowly turned around and saw Kalel standing in the doorway of her house. Her long, teal hair was brushed to one side and was draped over her left shoulder. Her eye make up was dark, and she wore black lipstick. Gems and jewels (most likely fake) surrounded her right eye. She wore black clothing and had rings on nearly all of her fingers. I froze.

She smirked, "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight."

"Y-Yeah," I stuttered. Jett's grip on my hand tightened - Kalel was probably scaring him. "I-I was just trick-or-treating w-with my brother."

She looked down at him and grinned, "He's so adorable. Is he a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?" Jett muttered something under his breath, inaudible to Kalel and me. "What was that?"

"Tell her what you are, Jett," I urged nicely, squeezing his hand a little and smiling.

"I-I'm Michelangelo!" Jett exclaimed proudly, a wide grin on his face.

Kalel giggled, "Oh, how cute."

"We should really get going though," I remarked, "It's getting late and my mom wants me to be home by nine."

"Why don't you come in for a little?" Kalel offered. My eyes widened, "We won't keep you long." We? I thought to myself. "We promise." Who's we!?! "And I'm sure Jett wouldn't mind getting some candy, would he?"

Jett tugged on my hand. I looked down at him, "What?"

"I want candy," He said in a whisper, as if he didn't want Kalel to hear him, "I want candy!"

"Come on, Joey, don't deny your brother of his well-deserved Halloween candy," Kalel tried to persuade me, leaning against the doorway and crossing her arms over her chest. "You know you don't want to make him cry." I looked down and saw my brother's lip quivering again. I swallowed hard and looked back at Kalel, and I swear I saw her eyes glowing green. But when she blinked, her eyelids shut and reopened, her eyes returned normal. I blinked myself, thinking I was going crazy. "Well?" Kalel inquired.

"I-I'm not sure, Kalel, my mom said-"

"I want candy!" Jett cried, stomping his feet and his lips pouted, "I want candy! I want candy! I want candy!"

"Okay! Okay!" I cried, embarrassed of Jett having a temper-tantrum over some stupid candy he could probably get at the house next door and every house after that, "You can get your candy! Just calm down! Please!"

"Yay!" He exclaimed, running back up the hallway and up to the door where Kalel had disappeared, most likely to grab some candy for him. I sighed and slowly made my way up to the porch, where I stood behind Jett and waited for Kalel to return.

I hadn't noticed before, but the flashing red, blue, and green lights were gone. They were replaced with the pale yellow light given off by a normal lamp. The music had stopped as well. In replacement of that was the TV, some commercial for American Horror Story playing. Okay, either I was going crazy or Kalel got everyone out of her house really fast.

"Why don't you come on in?" Kalel's voice called from inside of the house, "I might be a while!"

"I don't know, Kalel..." I began to reply when my brother slipped his hand out of mine and stepped foot into her house. "Jett, Jett, get out of there!" He disregarded what I said and walked even further into the house. "Jett!" I walked in and looked to my left and right, seeing him nowhere, "JETT!"