chapter 1 (introduction)

"Okay, break this down for me one more time, Miri." Said Gabrielle as she straightened her costume over her abdomen. The tight, forest-colored lederhosen had been adapted from an old Octoberfest outfit and stained with fake blood to go with a comically unrealistic toy butchers' knife. Her sandy blonde hair was cut boyishly short, but sprayed with temporary bright blonde highlights. She fretted with how the costume clung to her bottom; but she always fretted over it no matter what she wore.

"It's a fairytale themed party." Miriam replied distractedly as she adjusted the fine details of her witch makeup. She'd settled on a getup more akin to Elvira or Morticia Adams than a classic witch. She overdid her eyeliner and put droplets of fake blood at the edges of her lips. Miriam swayed her hips and posed with her arms over her head to check the flexibility of her costume. She tousled her done-up black hair and applied another spray of temporary crimson affect. She stood a few inches higher than her friend, but part of that was due to heels.

"Right, but why couldn't we be Hercules and Megara or Aladdin and Jasmine?" Asked Gabrielle.

"That's Disney." Answered Miriam. "Which would have been better, but everyone else voted for Grimm's Fairy Tales. And when I drew our choice out of the hat, we ended up with Hansel and Gretel."

Gabrielle posed with knife in one hand and a huge spiral lollipop in the other, turning around energetically in front of a full-length mirror. The illusion was, including the gore, that of a fairly pretty, rosy little Bavarian boy ready for a night of frolic and murder. Miriam put on a frilly, grandmotherly baking apron with fake blood stains and tucked a plastic gingerbread man into the front pocket. She came up behind Gabrielle and patted her sides.

"Hmm, too skinny for a proper Hansel. It's a shame I didn't fatten you up for the role." She teased.

"Miri, the kitchen you work in has a Michelin Star. I don't earn enough to have you fatten me up." Gabrielle pouted playfully, then frowned. "Besides, I'm filling out again anyway."

"You are not. You haven't even been chubby since sixth grade." Miriam pulled her friend into a hug. "You okay? You've got a look like you're not quite into this."

"I... I'd love to just stay in tonight, watch Netflix, eat something unhealthy, and laugh it up with you." Gabrielle smiled and lingered in the hug. "But that'd be antisocial and besides, I know I'll have fun once I get to the party and unwind."

"I tell you what, let me buy dinner... something unhealthy." Miriam held on gently.

"You know, it's shit like this that makes all our friends think that we're lovers." Said Gabrielle with a wry smile.

...

"My diet starts Monday." Gabrielle grinned and led her friend up the main street, dodging crowds in costumes.

Bars were filling up with college kids from the local university, about to drink themselves stupid on Halloween concoctions. Restaurants were already full of families fueling up their tiny terrors for a few hours of walking around. There were relatively few other graduates with actual jobs... the horror, the horror... like Miriam and Gabrielle wandering about, dressed up as if they had a sense of fun. Everywhere they went the wait times were already unreasonable and getting worse by the minute. It wasn't until they spotted a big, colorful "grand opening" sign that the pair thought they might be able to get a seat and some chow.

Miriam was sure that the diner they walked into had been an empty building last time she'd been by. It really didn't seem like there'd been enough time, less than a week, to renovate and decorate the disused space, but here they were. The diner was shiny and chrome all over, decorated in proper 1950s style, with generous amounts of tacky Halloween decorations everywhere. Gabrielle found herself taking the place in, admiring the vintage jukebox and goofy jack-o-lanterns. Strangely enough, she didn't seem to wonder why there weren't any other customers and she didn't even glance at the lone waitress.

"Have a seat, dears, I'll be with you in a moment." The voice from behind the main counter was sweet but... distant? It was like hearing an echo or a conversation on the other side of a loud, crowded room. The girls knew that the waitress had spoken to them, but didn't really pay her any mind.

Miriam led them to a big, comfy booth with a gingerbread house on the table. They settled in and started shooting the breeze. It turned out that they both had reason to celebrate. Miriam was getting a promotion; her boss was a hardass, pompous chef but he thought she was mastering the more difficult recipes quickly. Gabrielle had submitted paintings into the local art show, taking home the blue ribbon. After a few rounds of congratulating each other the girls coyly held hands and blushed, not bothering to care what any onlooker might think.

"You're... not bothered by my teasing earlier, are you?" Asked Miriam.

"From anyone else... I would be." Said Gabrielle. "But it's you, Miri. We've been friends since kindergarten. We went to college together. We own a car together. We rent an apartment together. When you tease me... I dunno, it's like... It's just one of those affectionate things you do."

"I try not to tease you too often." Said Miriam. "I know you still worry about your weight, and I don't want you to. You were adorable as a little girl and you're... well, you're just gorgeous now."

"Even with the whole tomboy look?" Asked a blushing Gabrielle.

"Even with the tomboy look." Said Miriam.

When their meals came they dug in with gusto. It wasn't until they were halfway through that they realized they hadn't placed any orders to begin with.

"Why are you having a greasy burger, I thought you were trying to go vegetarian?" Asked Gabrielle.

"Why are you having dessert without a real meal first? Won't that just upset your stomach?" Asked Miriam.

"Where is everybody? The street was packed... why isn't anyone else coming in here?" Asked Gabrielle with increasing alarm.

"Where's the waitress? Did we even speak to her?" Asked Miriam, looking around.