Three Lost Kids & the Death of the Sugar Fairy, The by Kimberly Kinrade

Chapter 1 – The Haunted House
     
    My first double-digit birthday should have been the most amazing birthday ever, especially since it took place on Halloween. And it would have been, too, if my irritating little sisters hadn't spent the whole day arguing about costumes and candy and complaining that they didn't get any presents. Well, duh, it was my birthday, after all. I didn't get presents on their birthdays, either.
    Still, we had a whole night of trick-or-treating ahead of us, so I didn 't let their sour moods spoil my special day.
    The wind outside howled with the voices of the dead . That's what I liked to imagine, anyway—that all the stories about Halloween were true, and tonight the veil between the living and the dead would be so thin that we could connect with spirits. How cool would it be to actually talk to a spirit on Halloween?
    " It's mine, give it to me!" Bella grabbed the brush from Lexie's hands and Lexie screamed at the top of her lungs, right outside my bedroom door.
    I slammed it shut, grateful we 'd moved to a bigger house and I could finally have my own room.
    " Girls, it's time to go," Mom said. "Are you ready? Bella, please don't take things from people's hands. It's rude. Lexie, please don't shriek like a wild banshee. It's annoying and rude."
    Mom was so funny sometimes.
    I checked my costume one last time and straightened my black Fairy wings, then made sure my dog TayTay's wings were centered. He stood on his hind legs and smiled at me, excited to be going trick-or-treating. We couldn't take River, our Chihuahua, because she'd just bark at everyone and be a pain. I wanted to dress the kittens up and take them on a leash, but Mom and Dad said "Absolutely not!" in that kind of voice that I knew I shouldn't argue with. At least I got TayTay.
    We left the room and Lexie, my six-year-old sister, stood by the font door in her angel costume, looking so absolutely adorable you 'd think she'd just fallen from heaven... if you hadn't just heard her whining two minutes ago. Bella, my eight-year-old sister, had the best dragon costume ever. I almost wished I'd picked that too, but then I looked in the mirror and smiled. Mom had put black eyeliner on my face in neat designs, and my dark Fairy costume fit me perfectly.
    I grabbed my plastic pumpkin and TayTay 's leash, and we all headed out.
    Mom and Dad wore the same costumes they always wore. Mom was a witch and Dad was a sorcerer. They held hands and kissed as we left , and Bella stuck her finger in her throat like she was gagging.
    I laughed, because Bella always made faces when Mom and Dad kissed, which was all the time.
    Mom turned and smiled at her. "Better we kiss than fight, don't you think?"
    We all nodded. I had friends whose parents fought all the time , and I totally preferred that my parents kissed a lot, even if it did embarrass us.
    The night was colder than we 'd been told, and I quickly regretted not bringing my jacket. It would have ruined the look of my costume, anyway, and my wings would have gotten smooshed, so I dealt with it.
    We walked to a neighborhood that everyone said always had the best decorations and candy anywhere, and so I couldn 't believe what I saw when we got there.
    Nothing. Well, almost nothing—a few dying jack-o-lanterns with their candles snuffed-out, and one lonely ghost hanging on someone's tree.
    We went to the first house and knocked, but no one answered. Same with the next three.
    Finally, we came to a house with a light on. Mom and Dad waited for us on the sidewalk as we walked up the sidewalk. When the door opened, we held out our buckets and yelled "Trick-or-Treat" in unison.
    The old woman at the door smiled and held out a bowl for us. "Go ahead and take a few. I can tell it's slim pickings this year." Her breath smelled like onions.
    I couldn 't help but ask, "What's going on? Why aren't more people handing out candy or decorating?"
    She shrugged, then winked at me. "The magic of the season is fading.