"Hi, Kathy, sorry to call you out so late…" Isaac said as he opened the door for Katherine Andrews, she stood there, clad in a long flowered dress, a white sweater over it. Kathy was a slender pale girl, with long dark-brown hair – always worn in a braid – and large serious hazel eyes. She was around Isaac's age, maybe younger, no one had ever asked.

"That’s okay…" Kathy stepped in as Isaac invited her, her voice tone was nervous, she looked around the dark hallway. "I kind of jumped at the chance to have company…someone just gave me a weird phone call…"

Zac was standing at the back of the hallway, and Isaac dreaded that Zac would burst out laughing. However, Zac kept a straight face, and just smiled brightly at Kathy – in his usual polite manner – and said "Hi." He tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear – he'd tied his hair back to avoid recognition, he hoped it would work.

Kathy nodded. "Hi," she said.

"This is Zachary…just call him Zac…" Isaac said, motioning to Zac. "He’s the one I want you to sit with.

"Okay," Kathy agreed.

Isaac looked at Zac. "I shouldn’t be long…" he reminded his little brother. "Promise you won’t tell mom and dad about this?"

"Cross my heart, poke my ribs, see my lips? They tell no fibs," Zac said playfully, smiling impishly.

"Okay," Isaac nodded. "Kathy…I’m only gonna be across the street, but if Zac starts giving you any problems, the number on the speed-dial is ten, okay?"

"Gotcha," Kathy nodded.

"Okay, thanks. I’ll see you later," Isaac said and dashed out the front door, closing it behind him.

Kathy locked the door instinctively, and then looked to Zac. "So what are you watching on television?" she asked as she made her way to the living room, with Zac following suit.

"Halloween," Zac answered.

"That’s what I was watching…" she admitted.

"Have a seat," Zac motioned to the couch, and he took the chair. "And help yourself to the potato chips and popcorn," he said. "That can of unopened soda was Ike’s, but you an have it if you want…"

"Thanks," she said, smiling in a slight and almost nervous way as she sat on the couch.

Immediately, the two began watching the movie, Zac was engrossed in the story instantly, he loved scary movies.

"Isn’t it utterly cool how Michael Myers manages to disappear in seconds?" Zac asked. "Its sort of like ‘Now you see me - Now you don’t’!" Zac jumped behind the chair, to demonstrate his sentence. "Now you see me!" he jumped up, peeking over, giggling. "Now you don’t!" he hid behind the chair.

Kathy laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean, how come all these horror-villains and maniacal maniacs are so fast at disappearing?" she wondered.

Zac grinned. "Maybe its magic," he suggested. "Magic moments, when some guy is killing, magic moments when the blood is spilling, da do da da do, da do da da do, da da da da da da," he sang cheerfully, making weird faces.

Kathy chuckled, her eyes glittering. "You’re crazy, Zac…"

"Yeah, I know," Zac said, he felt a slight breeze touch his hand. "Dang, even when the window is closed, the cold still gets in," Zac groaned, he turned to the window. He couldn’t see anything out there except a few glowing stars. He didn’t know why but the window seemed to be beckoning him closer, he got up, and began to walk over, intent on pulling the drapes. Just as he reached out to pull the drapes, he spotted something – or rather someone – standing in their lawn, it was too dark to see who – and they were too far away to make out the face – but it appeared to be white – a ghostly white. Images of what Zac had seen at the kitchen window earlier flashed into Zac’s mind.

Whatever it was, was looking right back at Zac with a strange gaze. Eye contact seemed to be made although Zac could not see its eyes, he shuddered. He stood perfectly still and just looked, and whoever it was just looked right back at him, not moving at all. Zac gasped, then he ducked low under the window.

"Uh…Zac?" Kathy asked, getting up. "What are you doing?"

"There's someone out there…" Zac whispered, tugging her down with him so they were both kneeling, Zac was shaking a little.

"What?" Kathy asked, she leaned up to peer over the windowsill. "Zac…there's no one out there…"

"Yes there is, right next to the rock on the lawn, I saw someone!"

"Well, there's no one out there, now…" Kathy motioned to the window, Zac leaned up and peered out, she was right enough, there was no one there. Whoever it had been had just disappeared, as if they’d never existed at all.

"You’re just imagining things," Kathy smiled and patted his shoulder. "Probably because of the movie," she added.

Zac blinked. "But I saw something before I was watching the movie…it was at the kitchen window…" he tried to explain.

"You’re just imagining it because its Halloween," Kathy helped him up. "Maybe we shouldn’t watch the rest of the movie…"

Zac looked at her. "You don’t believe me!"

"I believe you probably seen something in your mind, that’s all," Kathy gave him a gentle smile, and she stroked his blonde hair back from his face in a kind way.

"No…it wasn’t in my mind!" Zac tried to assure, he looked out again, but still saw nothing, he sighed in frustration, and turned back to her.

"I'm calling your brother," she said sternly.

"No…there's no need…why would you want to call him?"

"What number did Isaac say to call? Speed-dial ten?" She picked up the phone and pressed the speed-dial number, and then waited. "Hello, is Isaac there?" she asked.

Zac pressed the speakerphone button, and took the receiver from her, and placed it down, instantly as he did, loud music began booming out of the phone, the song unrecognisable.

"Hi, Ike here…"

"Isaac…its me, Kathy," Kathy said into the Speakerphone. "Zachary…is, um…seeing things?"

"Seeing th—?" Isaac tried to ask but was interrupted.

"I’m not seeing things..Ike, there was some creepy guy hanging around outside our house!" Zac said into the phone.

"When?"

"Just now," Zac answered.

"I saw Zachary at the window and he ducked under the window, and then told me he’d seen a guy outside…"

"A guy in black clothes, and his face was reaaaaaally pale white…"

"Okay, Zac. It wasn’t a creepy guy, it was probably Peter…"

"P-P-Peter?" Zac asked.

"Yeah, he dressed up as Michael Jackson," Isaac’s laugh came through the line. "He was probably just walking down the path and you saw him or something."
"Oh…" Zac’s answer came. "But, Ike…I saw someone at the window before that..." he then admitted. "When I went into the kitchen, I saw a flash of white at the window…and I didn’t turn in time to see if it was him or not…"

"Zac…its Halloween, people are playing pranks tonight, there's a chance that what you seen was some kid trying to be funny…" Isaac's assuring voice came through the line, and Zac calmed down a bit.

Kathy rubbed Zac’s shoulder in a comforting way. "See, its okay…"

"Okay, Ike…I guess I’m just being paranoid," Zac sighed. "When are you going to be home?"

"I don’t know…" came Isaac’s answer. "Zac, do you think you’d mind if I went to the graveyard with Tay and the others for a short while?"

"I…guess not…" Zac said. "Where’s Tay?"

"In the bathroom throwing up," Came Isaac’s chuckle. "I think someone gave him a glass of something…possibly Vodka…"

"Aw, man…he’s not drunk, is he?" Zac asked worriedly.

"No, I don’t think so. Remember not to tell mom and dad," Isaac reminded.

"Yeah, I know…"

"Then I’ll be back probably around half past midnight or something, I won’t be much longer, okay?" he asked. "So don’t worry, besides, you have Kathy there, and I doubt she’s gonna let anything happen to you," Isaac said.

"Okay," Zac sighed.

"Bye, Animal," Isaac said, and then hung up.

Zac hung up too.

"Why does he call you animal?" Kathy asked, taking her seat again.

Zac moved back over to the window and closed the drapes quickly, not even bothering to look out fully this time. "Because I’m hyper a lot of the time," Zac admitted. "Like Animal from the Muppets," he added.

Kathy laughed softly. "I didn’t picture you for being that hyper…I know you’re a little crazy like a few moments ago, but…"

Zac folded his arms childishly. "Yeah, well…tonight’s different, any other night you’d see me run wild."

Kathy got up and walked over to the fire to get warm, she noticed a picture of the three brothers on the mantle. "I thought you only had one brother…" she said.

"Three actually," Zac answered. "Why?" he asked, moving over, noticing the picture she was looking at. "Oh…right…" he said. "That’s Tay…" Zac pointed out. "He’s at the party…along with Ike. He’s second oldest next to Ike, then me," Zac explained. "I do have another brother," he said, he pointed to another photo which was on the wall. "That’s Mac…he’s three…"

"Aw, he’s cute…" Kathy smiled.

"I have two sisters…Jessica…and Avery," he said, he pointed to a photo of his sisters.

"Big family," Kathy said, clearly impressed.

Zac heard a thud, it sounded like a loud vibrating thrash, and he recognised it too. "What the—?" he asked, startled.

"What was that?" Kathy jumped.

Zac frowned. Sounded like my cymbals, he thought. Someone thrashing on them with their bare hand.

"Zac?" Kathy asked.

"Its okay," Zac admitted. "Probably the wind on the screen door or something…"

It sounded like a crash somewhere in the house…" Kathy looked around.

Zac began to make his way to the door. "Its okay, I’ll go check it out…you wait here, okay?" Zac deliberately kept his realisation from Kathy, he knew she was completely unaware of the brothers fame. He left the living room and made his way to the garage, the house was dark, and Zac couldn’t resist turning on every light as he passed. Eventually, he was standing in the doorway of the garage, and he look in, turning on the light timidly. There was no one there, and no sign that anyone had been there at all. The drums, the keyboards and guitars were all set out, but there was no one near them.

"Weird," he thought aloud, he then felt something brush against his leg – he looked down, seeing Taylor’s cat Mama. "Oh, gee, Cat," Zac knelt down and picked the cat up, and stood again. "You must have been the one making the noise," he smiled in relief, and he petted the cats head. "You’re not supposed to be in here," he said, turning off the lights. Just then he tripped over something he could have sworn wasn’t supposed to be there. In fact, he was pretty sure it was something that belonged in the basement. A container of turpentine had been lying near the door, and Zac tripped. He went falling, the cat jumped out of his arms, knocking the container over. The lid – not properly on – came flying off, spilling its contents on the floor, and got it all down Zac, it soaked through his clothes, touching his skin – a few cuts on his leg from a previous fall rollerblading suddenly began to sting. Zac let out a loud cry, and hissed in pain. "Fffffffffffffff!"

There was a confusing faltering of footsteps moments later, and Kathy appeared down the hall. "Zac?!" she asked in shock, seeing him lying on the floor, covered in turpentine. "What happened?" she asked.

"Someone left this stupid container lying in the doorway," Zac muttered, holding his leg. "Ow!!"

"Did you get hurt?" Kathy asked, helping him up.

"No, but I have scratches on my leg that weren’t really healed, and the turpentine got into them," Zac groaned.

"Ugh…the turpentine is all over you, you stink…" Kathy held her nose.

Zac looked down at himself, his clothes were now soaked in the stuff, he’d been lying right in it. "Oh, great…this stuff is flammable too…I better get changed…"

"I’d shower if I were you, Zac…that stuff isn’t good for your skin," Kathy explained in a warning tone. "I think it burns or bleaches your skin or something…" she shrugged.

Zac began pulling off his shirt carefully, trying not to get any of the foul stuff in his hair. "Yeah, you’re right…I’ll go take a shower and get changed," he said. "I won’t be long, okay?"

"Okay, I’ll go get something to clean this up…"