It's clear and cold on Halloween, a great night for trick-or-treating. Of course Marie's too old for that stuff. Still, she and Bobby could go keep an eye on the younger kids. It would be fun. There hasn't been much fun lately.

The younger kids talk about their costumes and the chance to show off a little, when no one can see their faces and everyone will assume it's a trick. Marie likes the idea of hiding among all the normal kids who are hiding too, tonight. She's thought of going into town and telling everyone she's dressed as a dangerous mutant. Bobby wouldn't appreciate the joke.

It doesn't matter after Scott stands up at breakfast and says no one's going into town that night, period. Marie knows why. There've been fights in town lately, kids getting jumped by the locals. And on Halloween night people get scared so easy.

There's a party instead, the ground floor a loud swarm of kids in and out of costume. There are fake spiderwebs everywhere; someone's draped them so they hide the scars on the wood paneling in the hall. The lights are down low, so you can't see the scratches on the wood floor.

There's a horror film playing in the rec room, but Bobby's not into it because John's not here. She likes horror flicks, but she won't make the right sarcastic comments to the screen or flick open a lighter under her chin to throw shadows over her face. They hang out in the library instead, where a real fire is glowing.

Jubilee and Kitty and Peter are already there. None of them are dressed up, although Jubilee is wearing black with black lipstick and fingernails. Kitty's the one who suggests ghost stories. She makes Bobby turn out all the lights, so it'll be scarier, although there's plenty of light really from the fire. The story's campfire stuff anyway, a ghostly hitchhiker trying forever to get home. Marie thinks she heard it in Girl Scouts.

"That's an urban legend," Jubilee says. "I saw that one on the Internet." She leans forward, an eerie green glow crackling around her hands.

"I heard once that there was this monster that went into people's dreams and chased them. He could do things to your dreams, make you see things, and if he killed you in your dream--"

"Come on," Peter says. "I have seen Nightmare on Elm Street."

Jubilee scowls at him.

"Spoil it for everybody."

"I've got one," Bobby says. He's looking into the fire, not at Jubilee. Marie reaches out and brushes his arm with her gloved fingertips. "See, there was this family. And one Halloween night, they heard on the news that there were dangerous mutants around."

"Bobby," Kitty says, looking angry. "We were having fun."

"Do I get to tell my story, or not?"

"He gets to tell the story," Jubilee says. She looked at Marie for support. Marie shrugs.

"Like I said, there were dangerous mutants around," Bobby says. "So they locked all the doors, and they locked all the windows, and they turned off the porch light and went to bed early.

"In a little while, the younger boy knocked on his parents' door and said, 'Mom, I heard a tapping on the door. Do you think the mutants can get in?'

"'Don't be silly,' she said. 'We locked all the doors. Go back to bed.'

"A little while later, he knocked on his parents' door again. When the mother opened it, he said 'Mom, I heard a tapping on the window. Do you think the mutants can get in?'

"'Don't be silly,' she said. 'We locked all the windows. Go back to bed.'

"A little while later, he knocked one more time. Well, by now, the mother was angry. She just yelled, 'Go back to bed!'

"In the morning, the mom went in to wake up the younger boy, and found his bed all covered in blood. She ran into the older boy's room, and all she found was a note. It said, 'I was already here.'"

"You have issues, Bobby," Jubilee says after a pause. "Your issues have issues."

"Whatever," Bobby says, and gets up and walks out.

Kitty looks at her hands and phases so that they're transparent. "Some of us were just trying to have a happy Halloween," she says.

"You're taking it too seriously," Jubilee says. She makes one of her hands glow green again. "It's just a little fun."

"Come on, Katya," Peter says. "I am hungry. Are you hungry?"

"Ghosts don't eat," Kitty says.

"I ought to . . ." Marie says.

"You're not his mom," Jubilee says. "Stay and hang with us."

"He's upset," Marie says.

"Like that makes him special." Jubilee glances away. "But I guess no one's interested in hearing some people's stories."

"I have bad dreams too," Kitty says. Peter holds out his hand. She puts her spectral hand over his.

"What do you dream about?" he asks.

"What do you think?" Marie asks. "The real monsters."

There's a pause. The fire crackles.

"I think we need chocolate," Jubilee says. "Lots and lots of chocolate."

"I think we should go watch whatever the boys are watching," Kitty says. "It has zombies."

"And that will cure you of bad dreams?" Peter asks skeptically.

"I'm not scared of zombies," she says.

"Better watch out," Jubilee says. "They'll eat your brain." She waggles her fingers threateningly.

"Find seats," Kitty tells Peter, and he heads off. She looks up at Jubilee as the door swings shut. "So what happens? At the end of your story?"

Jubilee shrugs one shoulder.

"They kill the monster."

Marie stabs an imaginary monster in the heart with imaginary claws. Jubilee nods in satisfaction. Kitty smiles.

There's a noise outside the window. All three of them freeze instantly. Marie can hear her own breathing and the sound of running footsteps in the hall. Then laughter.

Kitty says quietly, "But they know it can always come back."