Lila decided that this autumn was chillier than past ones in Massachusetts. Not because of the physical temperature, however. Lila was quick to remove her bolero when pinning up cobwebs and cartoonish pumpkin decorations to the front porch. She wrinkled her nose at the slightly-lopsided decorations. She considered straightening them before deciding that it wasn't worth her time or breaking her leg. She carefully descended the rickety old home-improvement ladder. As she set the empty box down, Sabrina came through the front door with yet another box.

"Don't you think this is a little overkill?" Lila scanned the porch. It was an autumnal wonderland, Halloweentown itself. 

"I just want this to go well." Sabrina set down her box and planted her hands on her hips. "The entire Speech and Debate team is coming, and some of them are bringing other friends, and now it looks like the entire school is going to be here."

Lila raised her eyebrows. "And your parents are okay with this?"

"They're out of town." Sabrina shrugged and folded her arms over her chest. If Lila hadn't known her for so long, she might have believed Sabrina's facade of nonchalance. "We'll be able to get everything cleaned up in time."

"Are you sure?" Lila couldn't hold back her concern. "You never hosted parties before."

"Well, you've been busy lately." There was the coldest part of autumn. "So don't get mad that I've made other friends."
"Sorry." Lila held up her hands in surrender. "I'm so sorry that I've been busy—but I'm here, aren't I?"

Sabrina's eyes softened. "You are."

She then looked down to the box. "And I guess this should be enough."

"It will," Lila assured her. "The only thing left is to make a rocking costume."

"Oh, I've already got that taken care of." Sabrina grinned. "Who doesn't love a good Halloween witch?"
"Especially when it matches your best friend."

Sabrina beamed—only to for her smile to dim. "You can invite your new friends, by the way."

"Are you sure?" Lila couldn't help but fear she had wandered where angels feared to tread—the hurt feelings of a childhood friendship on the rocks. 

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sabrina stared straight ahead at the porch, her eyes intense. 

This was a challenge—but Lila would meet it. Maybe if Sabrina just got to know Kira and Aideen, maybe she would understand. . . 

"I will," she said, as she felt a colder wind blow through the warm Saturday morning. 

Lila was the one to answer the door to Sabrina Hollestelle's house. Kira remembered the pink-haired girl from her first day at Luddington High. She didn't know her all that well, but she was just happy to be invited, and that she could go with none other than Galileo. 

"You guys look nice." Lila smiled, but there was a strain to it, a certain tightness. 

Kira tried to smile back, more genuinely. She didn't have to look at Galileo to know that he was beaming, with that sunny disposition she'd come to adore. It chased all of her gray clouds away. "I hope you don't mind, you said that I could bring friends—"

"Oh no, I don't mind," Lila promised as she closed the door behind Kira. "In fact, Galileo was exactly who I was thinking of."

"Thanks." Galileo was dressed as the Mothman in a onesie he'd ordered online half a year ago. Which meant he didn't match Kira in her Robin Hood costume, but it was the thought that counted.

Kira mouthed her own silent thanks to Lila before moving into the living room.

When Kira had heard that the majority of the guest list was the Speech and Debate team at Luddington High, she'd expected the party to be full of dorky students arguing pedantics about things no one really cared about. 

What she didn't expect was a rager on equal footing to the ones at the various fraternities at all the universities Dr. Gershwin worked for. Students were strewn across the place and each other, with red solo cups littering the living room. The music on the speakers was deafening, and Kira felt a little dizzy, a little out of control, as if the feeling were contagious.

She looked to Galileo, who had somehow already picked up a punch cup. He frowned as he sniffed it. "Is this spiked?"

"Hand it to me." Kira had plenty of practice from spending time unsupervised on college campuses while Dr. Gershwin was attending some professional event or working late in her office. She instantly gagged. "Oh yeah—how did you miss it?"

"I've never had a good sense of smell," Galileo confessed. He looked around. "Are Sabrina's parents here?"

"No, they're out of town." Lila had somehow gotten behind them without them realizing—probably due to the party music and general cacophony. Her eyes widened as she registered the cup in Kira's hand. "You didn't drink that, did you?"

"No, no." Kira quickly set the cup down on the bookshelf. 

"I'll get you some un-spiked punch, I did some in the fridge."

"Oh, that's okay—" Kira's protest was interrupted by Lila's disappearance into the crowd. 

Galileo leaned in. "Did she look a little frazzled to you?"

Frazzled was an understatement. Before Kira could answer, however, she was ambushed from behind.

"Sorry I'm late!" Aideen hugged Kira. "I had to get my costume."

Kira broke free and turned to see Aideen in a blue ballerina dress with a silver tiara and white swan feathers styled into her golden curls. 

"I would not have taken you for the ballet type," Kira admitted.

"I'm the Swan Princess," Aideen giggled. "I mean, I am royalty."

Galileo blinked, clearly perturbed. "You're popular in high school."

Kira laughed, maybe a little too loudly. But before she could try to redirect the conversation, a loud crash cut through the music. 

"That was not a toy! That was an antique! Mrs. Hollestelle's going to kill us—"

Galileo, Aideen and Kira shared a troubled look. Then they immediately ventured deeper into the party to find Lila.