Chloe was proud of her GPA that fall. It was one less thing to worry about as Halloween approached. It was her sophomore year of college and she was already on the verge of burnout. Her sisters helped her into advanced biochem placement and she was already regretting it.
Chloe is a coven sister to a small clan of modern witches that live in the Deep South. Chloe was on course to become a True Witch. She had just turned nineteen and had recently completed all the requirements. It was time for her sacred Halloween initiation. She expected everything to change after Halloween. She would have a stronger body, a stronger mind, and stronger magic.
Chloe's friends and coven sisters Samantha and Becky were preparing her for the Halloween ritual. Samantha was the daughter of the coven matriarch. Chloe had watched her grow from an awkward little redheaded girl into a charming young woman. She was the head of Chloe's sorority by age twenty one. Only True Witches, and potential True Witches, lived in their sorority house.
Samantha and Becky visited Chloe in her room that Friday before Halloween. Chloe smiled when she heard them knocking.
"Come in!" she called.
"Good evening, Chloe. Are you ready for some real magic?" Samantha asked with a huge grin as she and Becky came into the room and plopped down on Chloe's bed. Chloe was sitting at her desk feverishly typing up the last paragraph of a research paper due before midnight.
"God am I ever, Sam. I hope my life is as fun and charming as yours after tomorrow night," she sighed in frustration as she tried to think of a clever closing statement.
"That's assuming you meet all the initiation requirements," Becky added with a grin as she watched her frustrated sister.
Chloe looked tired as she sat leaning over her laptop. Her long blond hair was pulled up in a bun with pencils and she was already wearing her favorite pajamas. It was only six o'clock.
"I'm good at being overly prepared," Chloe said as she glanced at Samantha and Becky.
She paused for a moment to admire her beautiful coven sisters. Samantha was wearing a tight fitted sweater dress. It was made of brilliant red wool cut low in the front and back. It made her pale skin and strawberry red hair almost glow in the light of the window. Becky was dressed in a little black dress that matched her long black hair. They both looked ready for a night on the town.
"Oh shit," Chloe said in sudden realization. "Are we supposed to go out tonight?"
"Yes," Samantha said with a huge smile. "You have an important selection to make," she whispered.
"I cannot believe I forgot that so easily," Chloe groaned as her stomach flooded with butterflies. She hated socializing because she didn't have anything to talk about with strangers. Her sisters and school work were her life. She was forbidden to talk about her coven to non-witches, and her research could bore a person to death.
"Poor little sister," Samantha sighed as she stood and wrapped her arms around Chloe from behind. Chloe felt her muscles relax as she leaned into her warm hug. "Make a good choice tonight so your initiation will be blissful. This Halloween will be life changing for you. I promise," she whispered and kissed her cheek. "Meet us downstairs in twenty," she ordered before she and Becky left the room.
Chloe gulped and scrambled to finish her paper so she could get dressed. Twenty minutes later, she was wearing her tight white dress and rushing downstairs to meet her sisters in the foyer. Samantha and Becky looked up and smiled as they admired her. Chloe was stunning when she put a little effort into her outfit.
"There's our innocent sister. You look like a naughty angel if I ever saw one," Samantha announced as she held Chloe's flowing white shawl out to her.
Chloe blushed and rolled her eyes. Samantha always pointed out embarrassing personal things to her. Chloe was required to keep her purity in tact to be eligible for the True Witch initiation. That wasn't a problem for her considering how antisocial she was.
"Innocent?" Becky scoffed. "Have you seen the power tools in her nightstand?" she asked as she typed away on her smart phone.
Chloe looked at Becky in slight mortification as she retrieved her shawl. Samantha burst out laughing.
"Place holders for the real thing do not damage her virtue," Samantha said with a smirk as she pulled the pencils out of Chloe's hair letting her blond locks tumble over her shoulders. "Very beautiful. Your eyes are sparkling. I can feel your magic growing already," she whispered before she kissed her blushing cheek and handed her a Halloween mask. It was covered in white peacock feathers to match her dress.
The sisters were a spectacular sight leaving the sorority house that evening. Each witch wearing her chosen color. Anyone that saw them was slightly spellbound by their beauty. They walked a few blocks down the avenue to a non-magical sorority house where the biggest Halloween party in town was in full swing. Everyone stared at the beautiful sisters when they walked in. The house was tastefully decorated like a haunted mansion. Cobwebs, candles, jack-o-lanterns, and creepy paintings were the main decor.
Chloe's stomach was fluttering as she looked around the room at the handsome frat boys in their Halloween costumes. Samantha and Becky immediately began working the room. They introduced Chloe to droves of young men, but none of them sparked her curiosity. Chloe was such a wallflower Samantha had to practice extra patients when dealing with her.
"Hmm, it's a bit stuffy in here," Samantha announced to her sisters. "Let's explore the patio by the pool. I heard they have a small bar with a professional bartender."
Chloe was happy to be out of the house and under the stars again. She smiled at the floating jack-o-lanterns in the swimming pool. There was a fog machine on the patio making the backyard rather enchanting. The night air spoke to Chloe's senses and her sisters could feel it. They knew someone special was close by.
They stepped over to the bar in the corner where a handsome vampire in a tuxedo was mixing drinks. Chloe's mouth dropped when she saw him.
"Caleb?" she announced catching his attention. He looked in her direction and his eyes grew wide for a moment.
"Oh my God, Chloe?" he laughed in disbelief. "You look fantastic," he said shaking his head.
"So do you! What are you doing here? I thought you were working full time for my brother," she said with a smile as she approached him.
Samantha and Becky exchanged knowing smiles.
"I guess that's him. Chloe has impeccable taste," Becky whispered as she admired Caleb.
"She's had many impure thoughts about him," Samantha said with a smirk.
It was an understatement to say Caleb was simply handsome. He was outright charming. He had dark brown hair and big hazel eyes under brooding eyebrows. His smile could change the atmosphere of a room. He was the kind of person that could actually make Chloe laugh at a party.
"I'm doing a favor for my cousin tonight," Caleb said with a smile flashing his prosthetic fangs. "These events pay pretty good so I can't complain. Not to mention it's a treat seeing you here," he admitted.
