"How did the studying go?" Father asked when I returned to his office. I folded up the purple flyer and placed it into my pocket before I got there. He had started working on a few large folders, and I had a feeling that now wasn't the best time to talk to him about Quigley's upcoming Halloween Party. "It was good. Quigley says that he's not good in History, but the truth is, he's good," I answered.

"He may have average grades, but that kid is very good in History I will admit that!" Father chuckled as he wrote down something in his notebook. He gave me a few quick errands to do while I waited for him to finish working. That same night at the dinner table, I could feel the corner of the flyer poking into my leg, and I pulled it out and carefully unfolded it under the table, hoping that mother wouldn't ask what I was looking at.

Beatrice let out a loud squeal, making me jump slightly in my seat, causing me to hit my leg on the table. "Oh god!" I hissed in pain as I rubbed a hand on my aching kneecap. "What's that in your hand?" Mother asked. I looked down and could see that in the midst of soothing my knee, I accidentally revealed the flyer to my parents. I passed it so Mom could see it, and I started hoping that she wouldn't make a big deal about a boy inviting me to a Halloween party.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, looking up at me for a moment before looking back down at the paper. "Quigley gave me a flyer to his Halloween Party in a few weeks. I wanted to show it to you after dinner, but now," I trailed off. She passed the note to my father, and his eyes quickly scanned the paper. "I don't see anything wrong with going to a Halloween party. Besides, Quigley seems like a good student," Father said after a long moment of silence. Mother's eyes grew wide as saucers as she continued to stare at him as he ate his meatloaf.

"You can be serious. You're really thinking about sending our eldest daughter to a Halloween party? Do you know what kids her age do at parties? DRINK AND DO DRUGS!"  It was tempting to roll my eyes as mother went on one of her lectures, but I abstained and just looked over at Beatrice. "Look, honey. You may be right about the drug and alcohol part. But, Dusk has proven to us that she is more than capable of handling herself. We should be able to trust her with making the right decisions," Father responded after the lecture had finally ended.

Mom let out a frustrated sigh and looked over at me with seriousness in her eyes. "I guess you can go to that party. But, if I found out that you drank even the tiniest bit of alcohol, you will be grounded for the rest of your life," I thanked her and looked back over at Dad, wondering how he managed to convince her in the end.

*******

A few weeks later...

"So, how do I look?" I asked as I came to a stop on the last step of the staircase. My parents and I recently went Halloween costume shopping, and out of all the costumes they had at the store, I decided to dress up as an angel. Mom kept asking me if I was sure that I wanted to wear that a Halloween party, and I told her that everything would just fine. "You look beautiful!" Mom smiled as she grabbed her camera that hung loosely around her neck.

We snapped a few pictures together. Some with me and my father. Others with my mother, and last but not least, my baby sister. Beatrice was dressed in a little pumpkin costume, and she was so adorable. Father carefully passed her to me, and I smiled as she waved hi to my camera, and Mother snapped a few pictures. "Alright. Well, you two should probably get going. You don't want to be late for the party," Mother said as I carefully passed her Beatrice.

Before I walked out the door, she grabbed my arm with her free hand and pulled me close to her face. "I meant what I said about the alcohol and drugs," she whispered. I nodded, and I followed my father to the car. Soon we came to a stop in front of The Quagmire Mansion. "Have a good time tonight, Okay? I'll pick you up later," Dad said as I got out of the car. "I will! Love you!" I said as he pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street out of view. "Now, let's get this party started!" I smiled to myself.