Page 14 of Dead Serious Halloween Special

“Who won’t be much longer?” Harrison asks as he steps up beside us.

“Danny,” Aidan and I both say.

“Sam’s not here either.” Harrison’s brow wrinkles. “Not that I care,” he says quickly.

“Sure you don’t, Prickles.” Dusty snorts. Harrison glares at her, but she simply blows him a kiss and smirks.

“Is it just me, or do you get a weird feeling?” I ask Harrison.

“I’ve had to readjust my definition of weird since meeting you lot,” Harrison replies dryly.

“I mean with theyou know.” I widen my eyes at him, as if that should be sufficient to indicate that I mean the naked, chubby, hairy, person from earlier.

“With what?” Aidan says, pulling his tentacle beard down enough to raise his cup to his lips and sip before setting it back in place. “Are you talking about the naked, hairy dude who exploded into glitter?”

We all stare at him.

“Does Chan even know how to keep a secret?” Harrison sighs.

“No,” Dusty replies with aplomb.

Aidan shrugs. “We pretty much tell each other everything. Besides, with all the weird shit that goes on around here, he wants to make sure I’m safe.”

I huff. “I feel like we’re getting a bit of a reputation.”

“To be fair, honey, he has a point. There is a lot of weird shit.” Dusty nods.

“Actually, Tristan,” Harrison interjects, “I think you’re right. I have a feeling our night is about to get a lot more dramatic.”

“What makes you say that?” I ask worriedly.

“Because we have an unexpected visitor.” He lifts his hand and points one slender finger.

I follow his direction and see Olivia, the American witch Harrison befriended, making her way towards us through the crowd, a rather determined look in her whiskey-coloured eyes.

“Oh, this can’t be good,” I mutter. “Last time she had an expression like that there was a naked demon climbing out of the floor.”

“Are all the creatures you encounter naked?” Aidan asks curiously.

“Not always,” I murmur as Olivia stops in front of us.

“Olivia,” Harrison greets her with a polite nod. “You remember Tristan and Dusty.”

“Dusty’s here?” Aidan pipes up. “I wish I could see dead people,” he adds with a sullen pout.

“No, you don’t. Trust me, kid, it’s more trouble than it’s worth half the time,” Olivia tells him.

“This is Aidan,” Harrison introduces him.

“Love the costume.” She nods, then turns her attention back to me and Harrison. “I’m sorry, this isn’t a social call.”

“I gathered that,” Harrison replies, his brow drawing down again. I swear he’s going to have more wrinkles than Ian McKellen by the time he’s forty if he’s not careful. “What can we do for you?”

She cuts straight to the chase. “Did you get the shipment of books Roni sent over?” He nods. “Uh-huh. And you didn’t happen to come across a really heavy, old leatherbound book with metal hinges and a giant-ass lock, all wrapped in duct tape, did you?”

“The one that creepy green smoke escapes from when opened?” I say.

She sighs. “Oh, please tell me you didn’t open it.”