A Year of Mini Mysteries. Kathy Passero

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      was the perfect place to spend it, she thought later as she and her friends

      stepped into the twilight, where jack-o’-lanterns winked from porches and

      costumed creatures prowled the sidewalks.

       The girls trick-or-treated until their buckets were almost too heavy to

      carry, and then lugged them back to Brooklyn’s.

       “That was awesome!” said Charlotte, admiring the pile of treats on the

      kitchen table.

       “Beyond awesome,” Brooklyn agreed.

       “Yum! Peanut butter cups!” A giant furry paw reached over Brooklyn’s

      shoulder.

       “HEY!” she cried, looking up to see a

      werewolf leaning over her. Dracula and

      Frankenstein stood behind the werewolf,

      staring hungrily at the candy.

       “Hi, Dale,” said Alex. “Hey, Max.

      Who’s that?”

       Dale’s friend Lucas slid the

      Frankenstein mask up to his forehead

      and dropped into the chair

      next to her. “Whoa, good haul!”

       “Best ever,” said Brooklyn

      proudly. “Bet you wish you’d

      trick-or-treated instead of going

      to that costume party.”

       Dale sat down next to

      Charlotte. “Can I have a piece

      of bubble gum?”

       “Okay . . . sure,” she said.

      Charlotte usually felt shy around Brooklyn’s big brother and his friends, and

      tonight was no different, despite the costumes.

       “Hey, if you’ll share your candy, we’ll let you watch a scary movie with us.”

       “Excellent!” said Alex.

       “What movie?” asked Brooklyn suspiciously.

       “Looking Glass,” said Max. “These kids do a séance and invite this spirit

      named Prudence in through an old mirror.”

       “I’ve been wanting to see that!” Alex exclaimed.

       “What do you say, Char?” Dale grinned at her. “You’re the tiebreaker.”

       “Um, okay,” Charlotte stammered. “I guess I can leave the room if

      I get scared.”

      “That’s the spirit,” Dale beamed. “Get it?

      Spirit!”

       To Charlotte’s relief, the movie wasn’t

      too creepy. The boys’ jokes after every

      jump-scare made it seem almost silly.

      Even Brooklyn laughed in spite of herself.

       “See? Your brother’s not so bad,”

      Charlotte said later as they headed to

      the second-floor bathroom to get ready

      for bed.

       “Trust me, he is,” Brooklyn replied.

       Alex was reaching for the knob

      when the door burst open and all

      three boys piled out.

       “Go ahead . . . if you dare,” Dale

      said with a sly smile.

       “What do you mean?” asked Alex.

       “Nothing,” said Max mysteriously.

       “Did you put soap on my toothbrush

      again?” Brooklyn demanded.

       Dale shook his head.

       “My hairbrush?”

       “I didn’t touch your stuff,” said Dale.

       “He’s always doing weird things with soap,” Brooklyn explained.

       “If you must know, we were holding a séance to try to make Prudence

      appear,” Dale said.

       “But no luck . . . so far,” Max sighed. Then the boys burst into laughter.

       “Night-night, ladies,” said Lucas, shutting Dale’s bedroom door.

      The girls brushed their teeth and scrubbed off their Halloween makeup.

      But the zombie patches Alex had given Charlotte were still stuck to her arms.

       “Could I take a shower?” she asked. “Otherwise, I’m not sure this stuff will

      come off.”

       “Sure,” said Brooklyn. “Towels are in the cabinet.”

       When her friends left the bathroom, Charlotte climbed into the antique

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