"Trick or treat!" A ten year old's attempt at a menacing voice came from behind the mask. In addition to this threat, he waved his cardboard and tinfoil implement from side to side.
"Okay, okay! Just don't hurt me with that thing." He did his best scared-to-death act as he got some raisins packets from his own bag.
The Reaper's face slackened. Stephen only smiled, and opened one them, revealing its less healthy -but more fun- contents.
"Trick." Stephen said as he gave Death his goodies. "Nice costume, by the way."
"Thanks!" And then he was gone. Stephen watched from the doorstep as the black cloaked figure went down the street. Made a change from witches and Draculas.
"I think he was the last one." Laura's voice in his ear made him jump.
"It's after ten already!"
He turned towards her. She slipped her arms around him, and they kissed.
"What brought that on?"
Laura was quiet. Stephen could see his face, reflected in those eyes. "You've... changed."
"How do you mean?" Part of him wanted to hear, but another was afraid of what would come next.
"You. All this." She gestured at the decorations, hung around the place. "I've seen another part of you I didn't know was there. And I love you for it."
Now, he stood in front of the mirror. Stephen's face stared back at him. The days, weeks, years, had been written in its lines. But really, this face was a mask. Behind it, there was something as different as the boy had been, from the image of death he wore.
The real Stephen had died a year ago. It was a hit and run; the driver had been too wasted to even notice. But someone had. Or more accurately, something. In fact, this thing had been waiting for it to happen. Waiting for the chance to take one mask off, and put another on.
The Pretender always knew what to look out for. These people stood out because of the shadows. He thought only he could see them, but sometimes, in their eyes, in their faces, he knew these people sensed something wrong.
Stephen hadn't been one of those. He had been too busy looking for shadows in those around him, to worry about himself. The Pretender had only seen those eyes once, after bumping into him in a crowd, but he remembered.
For a second, he had seen himself in those eyes. Seen himself as this man saw everybody. The truth was, this time Stephen had been right. The Pretender did have a dark secret, hidden away. It was himself.
That had been four days after he had noticed what was hanging over Stephen. When The Pretender touched him, a thing that was at the same time terrible and wonderful took place.
Some new part of The Pretender woke. It saw what Stephen saw. Felt his joy, his sadness. After Stephen had walked away, this part remained inside. Stephen's thoughts and emotions fed it, made it grow. It went on like this, slowly becoming less a part of The Pretender, but almost a separate conscious. Another Stephen, inside his head.
Soon, The Pretender knew, this would not be another Stephen, but the only one. When he had touched Stephen, the shadows around him took shape. In two days time, a car would run Stephen down as he crossed the street, and just keep on going, into the darkness. He saw this, and he knew it would be true. His visions were always true.
Clothing would be the next part- sometimes he could just use what they had on, but usually, like now, it would be a little messy. In his vision, The Pretender saw Stephen wearing his customary grey suit, with black shoes and tie. Only a couple of seconds after, the white shirt he wore would be a liquid, pinkish colour, which darkened to purple-black on the road around him. And the car didn't stop. Didn't even slow down as Stephen came up, over the hood.
CALLENDAR'S. The name flashed up from Stephen's mind. He bought all his clothes there, and on Monday, he was planning to buy a new tie. He might even get a colourful one this time... Or at least The Pretender knew he might, if he didn't have an appointment with the bumper of a Ford Escort the night before.
Well, now he had the name of a shop. The Pretender knew Stephen was a man of expensive tastes, but he had literally a small fortune hidden away, waiting for times like this. He went to Callendar's and bought the clothes he knew would fit Stephen perfectly, paying cash as always.
As Stephen lay awake in bed looking back over the day's events, some part inside The Pretender's mind was looking fowards to his death, and rebirth...
This part of him continued to grow, until The Pretender could hold it back no longer. He hid himself, and closed his eyes. Twelve hours later, a different pair of eyes opened. Stephen- until 10 o'clock that evening only Stephen's double, found himself, lying beside the empty shell of the life he had shed last night.
He had tried to forget this. Tried to lie to himself, make himself believe he belonged here. But now, staring at this face he knew was not his, The Pretender could deny it no longer. Soon it would be time to move on.
"Stephen... I'm waiting for you." Laura's voice broke into his thoughts. He turned out the bathroom lights. The darkness would be his mask for now.