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They were finally here and they were finally together. It had been long awaited, everyone wondering when they would find their way back to one another. Dani had mentioned it enough that Allison eventually told her she needed to accept the fact they were moving in different directions. As it turns out, the pair weren't on such varied paths after all. On another 31st of October, the blonde was beside Max, feeling as though they'd come full circle but it wasn't that simple. The very women who had nearly destroyed them over a decade ago were back and Allison had started wondering if it was their resurgence that brought these usual abilities. For the first time in her life, she was keeping her hands close to her body, as if afraid something could emerge without her even knowing. While a part of her wanted to be as far away from this event as possible, the other wanted nothing more than to be there getting to the bottom of what had been going on. "That's two," the blonde said quietly when she caught sight of the second sister. Allison's eyes were peeled waiting to see the final Sanderson and the one she believed could hold the answers to her questions. "You think one year we'll have a normal Halloween?" She asked once her gaze fixated back on her date, arms comfortably wrapping around his shoulders.

Her answer had been an unexpected one: Max had thought she was going to whisk back away to whatever she was doing off the island, without him. He would've considered it this time, but only after the deep regret that had come with not following her the first time around. Instead, Allison was going to stay, and beside being obviously grateful were feelings of shock and relief. At the very least, he could take the time to figure out what he wanted to do, whether it be find a job off the island or simply hope for the best once they'd gotten there. There was no rush now, only time to think on exactly how they wanted to go about this, together. "Okay," he breathed in relief, his head nodding at what she'd implied. "Yeah, no, we can ... however long you need. There's a lot I need to figure out around here, too, before picking up and moving, so, I--I'm really glad you're gonna be here for a bit." Max placed a kiss to her forehead before pulling her close to his chest. "Whatever happens, I love you, okay? I mean that, seriously. And whatever the whole spontaneous combustion thing is, or means, I'm not ... I won't chicken out again. I might be, like, half a brain, but one and a half are better than just one, right?"

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The blonde gave him a look, not needing to say anything when her face said it all. One thing she was certain of was that Max wouldn't be dying alone or at least not in this lifetime. Whether or not it would be her that made sure of that was to be decided but Allison didn't imagine a life without him now that she'd gotten him back. They always seemed to find their way back to one another. Before she was even able to speak up he had beaten her to it and Allison didn't mind listening to his side of their story in their time apart. It had actually been nice to hear that he'd felt the same way as her, unable to replace what they had built together with anyone else. No one had ever come close and the blonde knew now that no one ever would. "I-I don't know," she admitted. With the changes that had been happening to her lately, Allison was coming to accept this could be the only place to find answers. After all of her searching, she'd come back to the Isle where it all started and something felt complete when she did. "There's a lot I still need to figure out here, especially since I've gone all Human Torch and everything." Allison attempted to joke but the reality made her laugh teeter off quicker than it started. "It might not be so bad sticking around Echo for a while..." Her voice trickled off but her eyes took over as they met his hopefully saying what she hadn't.

"You don't know that," he protested, narrowing his eyes at her before giving a disapproving tick of his tongue. "No, you know what--I know you're wrong, because any time I'd even tried to date anyone else, all I could think about was you," Max admitted. It'd been impossible to move on while the thought of Allison one day returning to the island was out there. Had she come back one day, and he'd been with someone else, his heart probably would've shattered. Instead, he'd spent the time alone, hoping, praying, both that she'd come back, and that she'd still want to be with him. "Is that, uh ... what you were planning on, if the borders open back up? You wanna go back out there?" he asked, reluctant in his question. It felt reminiscent of the same way they'd started to fall apart a few years ago. They were different now, though, and maybe, this time, he could be convinced that what was out there was worth more than the comfort of staying. But, the last thing he wanted was to ruin this, now that he had the first taste of Allison back the way he'd wanted her for years. "We don't have to get into it now, like, all the way, I just--I wanted to know, for sure, if that's where your head was at."

[candykeep]

Willa Fitzgerald

Numero Netherlands, August 2024 || 📷: Anka Garbowska

[candykeep]

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The blonde gave him a look of surprise for a moment before the smile food over her features. It shouldn't have been something he questioned after what had happened she understood his disbelief, only further proving to her that it was something she needed to say. They had been in each other's lives again but not in the capacity that she now presented to him for them to go back to the way they once were. "Oh shut up, you were never going to be alone forever you drama queen," Allison responded from his chest, giving him a quick glance before rubbing her head deeper into him as if she'd found her favorite place once again. As he gave her the reasons why she might've wanted something else the blonde stayed comfortably in his touch and a smile grew on her face while knowing very well none of it was true. There had never really been anyone else, not after she met Max and now she'd found her way back to him. "You are a lot more than the record store guy to me." The blonde pulled back then so that she could look at him as she spoke, coming up to brush a thumb across his cheek. "You're the bravest, funniest, and best guy I know. All my travels did was remind me of that and how I wished I could've shared them with you." More nights than he knew when she'd reach over to his side of the bed to only be disappointed at another night alone.

"Really?" Max blurted, the singular word all he could manage while his mind was currently racing between the last time they'd seen each other, the first time, and now, including every moment in between. So much had changed, but the one constant that remained was how badly he'd always wanted exactly what she was offering him now. He'd feared since she'd come back that he could never get her back, or prove that he was even worthy of the person she'd become while he felt so stagnant. All of that was too sentimental for him to even say when Max's heart felt like it could leap out of his chest, run a lap around the street, and still keep him going. All he could do was quickly kiss her again before she could change her mind, still in disbelief that he could do that again and not ruin everything. "Oh, my god, I thought I was gonna be alone forever," he breathed in humored relief, pulling the blonde into his chest as Max let out an unbridled laugh. "Yes, please, to all of it. I'm--I just thought, like, you were gonna come back, and be this incredibly cool, well-traveled version of yourself, which you are, by the way, but want nothing to do with me, the record store guy who's ... still here. I didn't want to make a move, or anything, 'cause I was afraid you'd realize all of that yourself, and, I don't know, maybe I'd make things weird forever. So, thank you, for proving my crippling anxiety wrong."

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Allison shot her a glance, it saying what her words didn't. Whatever claims she made about getting legitimate information from people's palms weren't backed up by anything the blonde would believe. That hadn't been her reason for coming in, there were many scams like this all over the world and it was up to those who came whose word they trusted. Instead, Allison had come in search of answers in regards to real magic, the very same one she nearly lost to all those years ago. "That's fine," she exhaled heavily after already assuming the information wouldn't be shared for free. It didn't feel in Mary's nature to help anyone out in that regard. Allison leaned in a little as her eyes scanned for uncertainty in her establishment. While she'd visited before this time felt more uncomfortable than the rest, never having come to ask something quite so blunt. "Can uh, a curse or contact with some sort of object give someone witch abilities? I can't find anything about it but there's been a case I'm researching where they've... developed suddenly." The fear of revealing too much and now enough kept her from being as well-spoken as she wished. At least it was Mary, who she thought might be able to follow without prying for more information.

Mary was about to go on her little rules and stipulations of her business to the customer but the girl had started going off before she could get one word out. "I'll have you know, I have been studying up on those palm readings, they're getting very accurate. Not bullshit." She'd seen this face before, it's fuzzy on the details of when exactly but the girl had an aura to her, one that she and her sisters held so Mary held off on her reservation. This was quite a new position she was being put in, no one had ever come to her for help, y'know, other than the people that come into her shop that usually look for guidance. But that was the skill that granted the advice, this person was coming into the shop looking for her specifically. It was quite exciting so Mary was intrigued. It came at a literal price but she was willing to give out some of her wisdom. "I'll still charge you but go ahead, whaddya need help with?"

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Maybe it had been too forward, Allison remembering the move she'd made that fateful night when it all started. For a second when they thought they were free, she opened herself up to him and now faced the same problem with uncertainty of what the future held. Even though she'd been researching, this was the first time in years that the blonde had no idea what was to come and nothing she'd studied prepared her for this. For the first time, the magic she was chasing was her own which were answers she never intended to seek. It brought her to realize there was only one thing she was entirely certain of which was (and always had been) Max. "That's never been what this is," the blonde assured him along with her hand coming up to cup his cheek. "It's always been you." Allison searched for the right words to say. The last time they'd been this close was when they said goodbye, words that had left a bitterness on her tongue since that day. "I don't know what's going on with me or what's going to happen but I know I want it to be spent with you. I've lost too much time already and I don't want to lose anymore," she confessed, her eyes flickering up to meet his as they hung in the balance.

There was a hesitation in her answer that Max wasn't sure how to take. Maybe he'd overstepped by asking to stay; they'd hardly gotten back on the right page as friends, nevermind thinking that something more was in the cards. Her answer was taking far longer than he'd anticipated, but his lips remained sealed before he could talk his way out of this one. He hadn't been able to shake the striking self-sabotaging he'd fallen victim to one too many times, including with the girl currently leaning on him, literally. Allison's head lifted, and there was a hesitation in her gaze, like she was trying to decide what exactly to say. Though she didn't say much, there was a clear answer in her lips, one that had taken Max by surprise. It was strange to have had practically no foresight to getting exactly what he'd wanted in the years since they'd left each other. As much as he could've kissed her until he was breathless, Max only broke away briefly, to be sure this was no mistake. To have just a taste of her again, without knowing how long it might last, felt like a kind of torture he wasn't strong enough to endure. "Wait, are you--are you serious? Are we doing this? Because I want to do this, like, more than anything, you have no idea, but ... I can't if it's just--if it's only gonna be tonight, I, uh, I don't think ... I don't know if I could handle that."

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Allison leaned into his touch, accepting the comfort she so desperately needed when she dialed his number in the first place. While most of the time she had been the tough one who never let this sort of thing get her worked up this was an entirely different storm. Right now she needed him and felt that there was no one else she could trust with these strange happenings. The blonde didn't want to push the boundaries of their newly rekindled friendship but a part of her had never let go of the life she left behind. Now that this had fallen into her lap she worried about the future more than the present. Allison's eyes reached to meet Max's, her head on his shoulder while his words bringing out a stifled sigh. Sometimes she forgot what she'd looked like through his eyes and even now when the blonde wished to disappear he made her feel as if she could figure out anything. While he continued talking, her mind didn't follow, only catching some of the words but getting lost on his lips. The question had been the first sentence Allison had followed entirely since her eyes had fallen victim to his facial features. "Yeah, I'd like that," she started in an attempt to bite her tongue from the things that rattled out next. "But you don't need to sleep on the couch." Her voice was soft as the blonde closed the distance between them that had been strung out over miles and years, silently praying he still felt it too.

If things had been different, Max could've kissed her, despite being in the middle of the biggest crisis they'd had in years. It wasn't the right place, or time, to start that back up again--they were finally in a good spot, as friends. Instead, he opted for placing what he hoped would be received as a friendly arm around her shoulder, his fingers brushing lightly where the fabric of her sleeve turned to skin. "You are, to me," he mumbled, the last he would say on the topic of his ex's perfection. "It has to be because they're back, I think. I don't see how it could be anything else, right? I don't know if they did something years ago, and it's just flaring up now, or if ... I don't know, this is a recent thing, them wanting revenge." Max gave her a shrug, feeling suddenly helpless. Had he been researching with her all this time, maybe they could've been prepared for something like this. "Do you want me to stay with you for the, uh ... for the night? I don't mind, y'know, sleeping on the couch, or the floor, wherever. Just so someone's here, if this happens again, or if you have a bad dream, or something." That was a perfectly reasonable excuse for spending more time with her, he thought--it was for her safety, which was more important than anything right now.

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Everything was changing in a matter of moments. While she'd known some things were strange they hadn't been all that different than usual, she did research magic after all. That being said, now that she was experiencing the very things she studied it was a whole new ballgame. His words made her heart swell. Even if they weren't together anymore, Max knew what she needed to hear, and having his support was all she could ask for. This was normally what he wanted to stay far away from but he'd jumped in when she needed him most. "I'm so not but I don't mind you thinking I am," the blonde said while biting into her lower lip to keep herself from overspeaking. Allison wasn't one to get caught up in the moment, but right now she found herself stumbling. After all these years he was still the only person she wanted beside her at a time like this. "You think it could just be because they're here?" The blonde thought for a moment, trying to remember when it had all started. "I think I had the first dream last Halloween, I didn't think anything of it then. As for the other weirdness, it's only gotten worse in the last few months. Do you think they did this?" The wheels were turning now, rising from his shoulder so that she could start to connect the dots. "Thank you for being here," Allison said after a moment of silence, finding his eyes after telling herself to not get lost in them again.

Before he could say anything else, Max had to set the record straight: “Nothing is wrong with you, okay? You’re perfect,” he asserted, positive in at least that much. No matter what happened to her, he wouldn’t ever leave her side—even if that side scared the shit out of him. As she dropped to the bed beside him, he froze, still in the shock of her head on his shoulder while he attempted to process the rest. Even that would be enough for him to freeze, nevermind the rest of her questions. “I’ll be here.” It was enough that he knew would be perceived as a promise, especially when his past had been riddled with flaking on the serious shit with her and his sister. This wasn't something he could ignore like he had done in the past, and after letting them down every day in the past, Max wouldn't be able to stand himself if he did that again. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because they’re back that you’re experiencing this? When did all of it start? Is this the first time?”

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who: @sandersonmary where: mary's shop/residence

As of late it felt like the world was collapsing but that had never stopped Allison before. First, it was the dreams, then the powers and now with hunters back on the attack, she'd felt like a target again. Whatever was going on with her hadn't been getting any better and as much research as she'd done her hands were still empty. There weren't answers no matter how many pages she'd searched through which was what led her to the most unlikely person. Perhaps she'd had involvement or at least be able to give Allison some sort of direction of where to go next. Expectations were low seeing as though this was Mary Sanderson and they hadn't exactly met under the best circumstances when they tried to eat them. The blonde sat across from her at the table, exhaling before she spoke, knowing she needed to explain herself. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this but I need your advice on something," Allison started. "And I don't want your normal run around bullshit like the palms you claim you read. Can we agree to that?"

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Allison hadn't expected to feel guilty for having not told him, never wishing to worry him with things of the magic variety. That was the very thing that tore them apart and if now she was directed linked she feared the worst. He was reacting better than she'd expected, knowing the sight was difficult to explain and alarming to most. "I didn't think it was anything, not like this anyway." In fact, she'd assumed the strange dreams had come from the re-emergence of the women from their past. After seeing Mary she had been unable to get the images out of her head but it turned out to be far more complicated than their witch trauma. "What do you think is wrong with me? Am I cursed? Did I come into contact with an object that possessed power?" The blonde plopped onto the bed and her head fell onto his shoulder in synch with her letting out a heavy sigh. Their closeness wasn't something she'd intended to push but knew for certain the comfort he brought. "Will you help figure out what's going on with me?"

"You've been having dreams?" he repeated in frustrated disbelief. He supposed he couldn't really blame her for not telling him sooner, given his reluctance toward anything witchy in the past, but Max had thought he'd made it clear enough that he was at least willing to try to help, now. "You could've told me," he added, hoping it was more reassurance than anger that came through as his voice calmed. Letting out a sigh, he relayed the events she'd recounted in his head over, trying to make any sort of sense of this that didn't end in this being Allison's fault. There had never been any indication that she'd been cursed, or anything, in the years since that first Halloween, but things could've changed now that the sisters were unfortunately back. It wasn't like her television was ridiculously outdated, or that they generally combusted into flames on the regular, in Max's experience. As much as he feared something like this might happen ten years ago, it didn't make facing it now much easier, especially when he had a feeling the two were in way over their heads, beyond just research. "I don't know, Alli, I don't think ... I can't think of a way that this wasn't you," he admitted quietly.

[candykeep]

@maxximillions

Hocus Pocus (1993) dir. Kenny Ortega

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Allison was equally aware that what she presented was absolutely insane. That's why she'd called Max, knowing that he would be the only one who wouldn't think she was absurd for thinking such a thing. Even she failed to find the words to describe how it had all happened but the sensation from it still pricked at the tip of her finger. As he took a seat on her bed she tucked her hands against her body with crossed arms, suddenly feeling strange having them out so thoughtlessly. "No, not like this," the blonde started to explain. "I had been having those weird dreams and they were about things like this. Things I could do, things I saw that hadn't happened yet." What she thought was a mirror of her day job had actually been a peek into what was to come. Allison wondered if this thing had been in her all along or if it was the Sanderson's convincing her of what wasn't real. "Right before I called you. The remote was glitching again and I just wanted to change the channel so I pointed it at the tv, I guess a little aggressively, because that happened," she said gesturing up at the melted television. "I threw my glass of water on it to stop the flames but there's no way it just... spontaneously combusted, right?" Allison knew the answer, hoping that if someone else said it then she'd actually be able to believe it.

Reluctantly, Max accepted her hand, his apace slow as he followed her into her room. He hadn't been this way in years, the past times having been for a different purpose completely. Now, he felt like she was leading him to something he didn't want to see, and, upon first look at her wall, he could tell his suspicion had been right. His eyes glued to the wall, he avoided Allison's gaze as he accepted what she was trying to tell him. She hadn't burnt it with a candle, or with another freak accident--she'd burnt it herself, probably with her own two hands, from what it sounded. He nodded slowly to himself, before finally meeting her eyes in acceptance. Unlike the Sandersons, he couldn't run from her--he loved her, no matter what she'd done, or what she was capable of doing. Allison would never hurt him like that. "Okay," he said finally, stepping back to take a seat for this one, on her bed. "You've never ... nothing like this has ever happened before, has it? This is the first time?" Max clarified, before hitting the hundred other questions that flooded his mind. "And when did this--the wall, when did you do this? Today?"

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The duo had been through more than one life-changing experience. The night of their first kiss even took place between defeating child-eating witches. That's exactly what she feared tonight as she looked into her apartment which was still hazy from what had occurred. This was everything he was against but there wasn't anyone else she trusted this with. Allison quickly nodded to affirm she was all right after his initial concerns. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she'd been hurt, knowing that would bring forth a different type of fear. "Yeah, I'm okay. No break-ins or anything." This problem was less straightforward but somehow that made it just as terrifying. She didn't know what to do about this in the same way she'd know her next steps if someone had actually broken in. "Kind of. I'll show you," the blonde said while taking his hand to lead him into her bedroom. This wouldn't be the first time but usually, it was under drastically different circumstances. Allison paused in front of the door to take a breath before opening it to reveal her television now hanging crookedly burnt to a crisp on her wall. "I think I did it, I think it came from me.." Her voice trailed off but her eyes didn't leave Max, fearing his response to the sight before him.

There was one person's calls Max would never fail to answer, no matter where he was, or what time. They had been few and far between in the past, but now, things felt like they were more normal than ever, if they could even say that. This one sounded urgent, and Max had all but crashed on his way over with how erratically he'd driven to Allison's. It took a singular knock for her to let him in, and she looked as frantic as she'd sounded in her text. "Yeah, of course, you're okay, right? Not a break-in, or something?" he asked, looking her up and down with worry. A sinking feeling developed as he prepared for the worst, something weird was brewing but he couldn't tell what. If it had anything to do with the witches, he feared that he was in too deep now to back out. "What do you mean, weird? Like, lights flicking on and off, or something?" he asked cautiously, hoping that it wasn't as bad as his worst fears were imagining.

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who: @maxximillions where: allison's apartment

After the night she'd had, there was no reasonable explanation. All that Allison knew for certain was that something was off in a major way. Whether it was good or bad she couldn't tell. Things had been strange, sure, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Spontaneous combustion was a whole new level of peculiarity. The blonde couldn't shake the feeling that it had come from her, a warm sensation left behind on her fingertip. Everything had an explanation, even magic, but this one wasn't adding up. When it came down to it there was only one person she felt like she could trust enough to call about something like this. Witches, warlocks, anything of the sort wasn't exactly his forte but he knew her which was more than she could say for anyone else. Allison opened the door seconds after she heard the first knock, ushering him in before the smell of smoke infiltrated the hallway. "Thanks for coming over so late, I didn't know who else to call." The words came out hurriedly while her brain fired on all cylinders. "Uh... Something weird is going on and you know it's really weird when I'm the one saying that."

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She knew it wasn't intended to sound how it did, giving him a small understanding smile that perhaps he'd read. Maybe one day again they could throw a party like he'd said but Allison knew to not get her hopes up for no reason. Anything could happen, even if things had been going well as or late. It would be foolish to start getting too attached to the idea of them again when they had discussed wanting different things not all that long ago. "Max Dennison celebrating Halloween? I like the sound of that," she replied with her smile growing as she did. "It'd be a lot less stuffy than my parents were I'll tell you that." A laugh followed her words as she reminisced on the Halloweens of her past. Many of which had been spent with Max or the ones with the fondest of memories did. "Actually, I was hoping you might be able to help me with something. I do have a book I've been reading and I just can't pinpoint what it could be. I'd love another set of eyes if you're up for the job?" The blonde asked, her gaze going up to lock with his waiting with the hope that he'd accept.

"Well, now that we're adults, we should just throw one of our own next year," Max suggested, nonchalant until he realized what the implications of putting them together in a hosting we meant. Though he'd asked her to come with him to this, he still couldn't tell whether they were back on track toward dating again. "I just mean, y'know, I'll help you plan it, at your parents' house, or something. That place is huge." Max took a sip of his punch as he hoped she wasn't thinking as deeply into this as he was. "Anyway, I, uh, read that book you suggested, the historical one. Definitely might've taken me longer to get through than a comic book, but, y'know, it was interesting. I took notes, and everything," he admitted, truthfully proud of himself for getting over his fear and actually doing something about it. It was worth it, for Allison. "You'll have to point me in the direction of what to read next, since you're kind of the expert, and all." What she'd given him at first had been probably tame, but there were definitely more intense books out there he would have to take his time to get to.

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who: @nctahousecat where: lottie's halloween masquerade party

It felt like things went haywire quicker than expected but before she knew it everything had shifted. They were here. A moment that Allison had considered what might happen if they were to ever return and everything she'd researched told her it wouldn't happen. Still, that didn't mean it was time to run as far as she was concerned. They had grown since the last time they'd seen the Sandersons and Allison felt like she had been preparing for this moment since. That didn't mean Max understood or agreed, though she knew Dani would, it was Binx who held the wildcard. The blonde had spotted him while scanning the room for any sign of familiar faces and once she had b-lined straight there. "Don't tell me you're trying to run out of here too," she said while approaching the boy. From her bag, she pulled out a salt shaker she had stolen from a table earlier. "A girl's always prepared, okay?" Allison could already feel the comment coming and wanted to get it out first. This was her job after all, more or less. "We need answers so we can send them back to where they came from."

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Maybe it was the time of year, the strange occurrences, or the masks but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her stomach. It helped knowing that they'd been through far worse together and she had learned everything to make sure it didn't happen the same way again. Still, Allison knew that on Hallow's Eve, anything could happen. "Yeah, probably just seeing things, you know," she said waving off the comment and lifting her drink to her lips in an attempt to relax her nerves. It was a prick in her fingertips while holding the beverage but she wrote it off as being from the chill of the ice. "Is it bad that I don't miss them? Not like they ever let me have any of the fun anyway." Allison was always given some useless job like handing out the candy or refilling the punch bowl. She preferred Halloweens spent out in the world than stuck at her parent's cliche parties. "I think the last year they threw one was my freshman year." The blonde reminisced on the days past, cracking a smile as she remembered that night with him. "Only if you don't tell her I completely agree with you," Allison laughed in return.

There were two reasons why Max had agreed to attend the Halloween ball, one of whom stood by his side now. The other was probably off dancing with her friends somewhere in the middle of the ballroom. He and Allison hadn't really defined the nature of them being there, they were in a better place than they'd been before they'd run into each other at the book shop. Beside him, the blonde seemed on edge for a moment before turning to him and the drink being handed to her across the bar. "You did?" he echoed, suddenly feeling a pit of worry in his own stomach. It was Halloween, after all, the day of the year that Max had felt most on edge for a decade. The masks added a strange level of both comfort and anxiety as it was impossible to tell who was behind them. "What? Oh, yeah, those were crazy," Max agreed, his distracted eyes wandering from the crowd and back to the blonde. "When did they stop throwing them, when we were in college? Or are they still going? I don't think they can compete with a hotel and these decorations, though--don't tell your mom I said that."