Chapter: Thirteen


Halloween morning Salem woke up sitting against the edge of his couch, with Ash’s sleeping head on his lap. Gently he moved her head from off of his lap and placed it on to the couch. Quietly he crept out of his room, so quietly that he wouldn’t awaken Ash. In the bathroom he showered and fixed his hair so that it was dry and hung almost perfectly straight down from his head. After he applied his black eyeliner and decided that it was looking well enough for the long day that was ahead of him he went out of the bathroom and flipped the lights off.
“Good morning Ash”, he could remember himself saying after he went inside of his room only wearing black boxers and holding the rest of his clothes in his arms.
“And a morning of goodness I wish to you”, She said in a nerdish voice that she could manage to pull from her vocal cords. Salem was on the other side of his room putting on a fresh clean pair of clothes when Ash said,
“I don’t even remember anything that happened last night”.
“Well that’s a good thing for me I guess, at least this way I can’t be reported for sexual harassment”, Salem joked with her.
“Well it wouldn’t be sexual harassment if I was willing, now would it?” Ash played along. The slight grin on Salem’s face disappeared as he slid a tight black thermal shirt on over his white body. And over the thermal shirt he put on another black shirt this one considerably looser then the one that he had just put on.
“Well either way, happy Halloween”, Salem said.
“Yeah you too… Hey are you going to come with me over to my house so that I can show you my costume?” Ash asked.
“Of course”, Salem replied.
“Well then we should start heading out soon”, Ash pointed out as Salem was finishing putting on a pair of comfortable black socks.
“Alright then just let me get my shoes on and we’ll be off”, Salem replied as he began to tie his boots onto his feet.
"Let’s go?" Salem asked after he was finished tying his shoes.
"Okay," Ash said and grabbed Salem’s outstretched hand, which helped her up off of the couch. His grip was strong on her soft hand. Salem followed her down the narrow stair way, flipping the lights off as he continued through the attic. Outside of the house rain was falling, not quickly but heavily and cold. She didn’t live very far in fact it was only three blocks. It only took then minutes of walking down the cold desolate streets before they were standing in front of her door waiting as she unlocked it. As he waited for her to open the door he turned and looked at the houses in the vicinity, vintage old houses that looked like they belonged on the beach. But still they were expensive. Shielded from the rain, they walked through the screened porch that led into her house. Salem followed her down the stairs that led into her basement.
He had been over to her house plenty of times before, but her mom was rarely at home with her. She pushed her key into the brass door knob and turned the key which unlocked the white wooden door. Then she turned on the light and opened her dresser. Salem sat down on her bed and watched as she pulled her costume out.
“You can’t really see it unless I’m wearing it”, she said.
“Oh, that’s okay”, Salem said.
“But I want you to see it!” she complained.
“Then put it on and show me”, Salem suggested.
“Okay then”, she agreed unbuckling her belt. Her skirt fell off and the studs from her belt clanked against her polished wooden floor. She had paper white legs that were shaved and visibly smooth. With one hand out she took off her black and dark pink socks and with the other she brought her fish nets down to her feet. One foot at a time she put her fish net stockings on and then pulled it up to her waist, covering her black thong that she wore underneath. She then put the studded black belt back around her skirts belt loops, and then lifted her tight black shirt over her head and off her body. Then replaced it with another tight black shirt covering her black laced bra. The shirt was tight enough to make her breasts push it out and make them look bigger than what they really were. The sleeves of the shirt were longer then her wrists and went to where her fingers started.
“Wow….wait can you tell me the difference between this costume and what you normally wear?” Salem asked.
“Shh…I’m not finished yet”, Ash said as she pulled out a pair of dark black demonic like angel wings that she put on around her back. Struggling, she put her arms through the elastic straps that went under her arm pits.
“There”, she said and gave a sweet little smile.
“Wow…you look way pretty”, Salem complimented.
“Thank you "she said with a small jokingly bow.
“You’re going to stay here while I shower okay?” Ash asked.
“Okay…?” Salem asked a bit surprised.
“Alright, then I’ll be out in a little bit, oh and you know my mom’s rules, no smoking in the house. So if you need to then jut go outside,” Ash reminded, and then casually walked out of her bedroom door. Salem watched as her fish netted feet carried her step by step out of the room, silent footsteps against the finely polished floor. He sat and thought of how much he loved and wanted her, not only wanted but needed her. He laid back onto her bed and looked up at her ceiling. From down the hall he could here the shower, he decided to get up. Sitting up he stood off the bed, having no idea that this would be the exact place where he would hold Ash as she bleeds to death in his arms, walked over to he dresser looking at the picture that had been taken of him and Ash on her birthday. The sight of this picture brought a smile to his mouth. He went back outside of her room and then climbed her stairs going outside so he could catch a smoke before Ash got out of the shower.
She didn’t like him smoking but she didn’t let him know and she didn’t complain about it. Once he closed the glass door he pulled the pack of cigarettes and Zippo lighter out of his pocket. Leaning against the wooden wall of her house, he lit his cigarette and looked off the porch to the outside world that was still raining cold, heavy drops now, windless so that each drop fell straight to the ground. He relaxed against her house and smoked his cigarette into smoke and ash, got down to the butt, and then flicked it out off the porch and into the wet cement ground. He didn’t go inside immediately, instead he stayed leaning against the whit wall, after waiting outside for a little bit he decided that it was time for him to go back inside. Hearing the hair dryer in her bathroom on, he walked on past the bathrooms door and then walked into her room. Only seconds after he got into her room he checked the time. Breathing on the back of his neck sent chills down his back and spine. Turning around he closed his cell phone and looked into the grey eyes of Ash who was standing behind him in her costumed and fresh black eyeliner and fresh dark black lipstick.
“Boo!” she said in monotone.

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