“Maybe your cheerleading friends are looking for you,” Salina suggested.

I shook my head. “No, they would have totally called me.”

“Could the person be a guest?” Kevin whispered, shaking his legs.

“Maybe.” I sniffed the air, catching a cherry perfume scent. Totally something a person would wear for a party.

The snapping steps came closer and closer. A tall girl stepped from behind a tree. She stopped and gazed at us like a startled deer. “Oh! I didn’t know there are people out here.”

She has long curly red hair and freckles on her cheeks. She almost looked like Tiffany, except taller and bulky in a brown motorcycle jacket. Totally a biker chick who smelled like cherries from a saloon.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Who are you?”

She approached toward us slowly. Her boots snapped the leaves on the ground as she strolled. “I’m Betty, from out of town. My gang and I are here for Brian’s Halloween party here.”

“A gang?” Kevin asked.

Betty snickered. “Yes, a biker gang. Most people called us a gang, but we considered ourselves a small friendly biker community."

"That sounds ironic," said Salina.

"Are you here for Brian’s party?"

While she stood close toward us, I noticed her eyes were yellow. Wolfishly yellow.

Who the hell has yellow eyes? Unless…..

"Yes, in fact we are," I said, toning down my paranoia.

Betty smiled. "Awesome! Can you bring me there please? I am lost."

How could she be lost? The trail from the dock goes straight to the castle! Unless her group parked their boat on the other side for some reason. Everyone should know docking their boat at the dock is a smart choice.

I glanced at Kevin and Salina. They only shrugged.

"Sssssss-sure, we can bring you there," I said.

"We plan to head back anyway." Kevin held up his right arm, flashing his wristwatch. "Just look at the time. It is already dark out here."

Betty nodded. "Yeah, the moon will be full tonight. Perfect for laughs and screams."

"Yup." I walked forward past her. "This way."

Betty strolled next to me, while Salina and Kevin followed behind us. I wanted to tell Kevin about Betty's eyes without her listening to us. We might sound rude by judging her strange appearance.

Who knows. She could be wearing wolf contact lenses for the party. And she doesn't smell like a wolf at all. Maybe because of her heavy cherry perfume. Like, who in the hell would wear perfume while riding their bike?

Betty glanced at Kevin and Salina. "Are those your costumes?"

"Yes, I am a lumberjack," said Kevin.

Salina rested her hand on her chest. "And I am a rockstar."

Betty narrowed her eyes. "Which rockstar?"

Salina bit her lip, humming through her mouth. After a few seconds, she replied, "Mandy Dawson?"

Betty dropped her mouth into a smile. "Oh, I love Mandy Dawson's music! Which song is your favorite?"

"Cradling on the Grave?"

Betty laughed in joy. "Good choice. Raining Black is my top favorite. I listened to it a lot on the highway."

Mandy Dawson was an edgy gothic singer from the UK. Everybody at my school enjoyed her dark metal music while headbanging through the hallways.

Metal wasn't my cup of tea. I totally preferred pop and dance music.

Betty gazed at me, gleaming her yellow wolf eyes in the dark. "Where's your costume?"

"It's at the castle," I said, stepping over the branch. "You're totally going to like it."

Betty pursed her lips with a little grin. "I can't wait. When I was little, I dreamed about visiting a castle. My mother and father used to read me fairy tale stories with castles. I missed those stories."

"How did you get lost?" Kevin asked.

As Betty opened her mouth, we stopped when a bush rattled in front of us. Two yellow eyes appeared above the bush in the darkness. They glowed like hungry wolf eyes, ready to attack.

Oh crap! I guessed there were wild animals on the island!