The Beautiful Monster

"Tights and some makeup probably," Alyssa replied as she looked through some of the makeup palettes. She grabbed one with glittery, bright colors.

She would have to look up a few tutorials to pull off a good fairy look, but she believed that she could pull it off.

"White tights?" Elias asked as he pulled a pack off the rack.

"Yep. I think that\'s it," Alyssa said as she looked down at all of the things they held. She hadn\'t expected this to go so easily.

She thought that they would be scrounging around for something to wear for at least an hour, but they did a good job finding what they needed.

"Want to grab lunch? I don\'t want to take you back just yet," Elias asked. "Unless you need to go back."

"I\'m starving," Alyssa said with a bright smile. She was glad that he wanted to spend more time with her.

She didn\'t want to just go back to her dorm on a Saturday. She wanted to be out doing things with her time. She worked so much and so hard during the week, whether it was her classes or her job.

"You get to pick the place this time," Elias smirked, making her groan. He led her to the checkout counter so that they could buy their costumes.

"Aw, a vampire and a fairy. How cute," the older lady running the cashier said as she handed them their bags. She gave them a warm smile as she looked them over.

"Thanks," Elias and Alyssa replied at the same time. They exchanged a smile before walking out of the store and to the car. They threw their bags in the backseat before getting in the front.

"Thanks again for coming with me. I don\'t expect any trouble, but…" Alyssa trailed off with a shrug as she put her seatbelt on.

At least she hoped there wouldn\'t be any trouble. She just wanted to go to a party where there wasn\'t any sort of drama. She wanted to have fun with her friends.

"Like I said, I dare them to try anything," Elias said.

"Did you… the whole ADP party ban. Was that you?" Alyssa asked, stumbling over her words slightly. She was going to keep the question to herself, but she couldn\'t help her curiosity.

He was the only one she had heard threaten ADP, and then they got in trouble. She couldn\'t help but draw connections between those two.

Elias remained quiet for a few seconds after he turned on his car.

"I might\'ve filed a complaint," he said with a shrug. "They deserve worse."

Alyssa blinked in surprise for a few moments before reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze.

She couldn\'t help but hold him right now. She really wanted to express how grateful she was for everything he had done for her.

"Thank you for looking out for me. No one has ever done that for me before," she admitted. Someone would really have to care to do that for her, and she couldn\'t believe that was him of all people.

She felt like she had hit the jackpot when they came across each other.

Elias smiled and squeezed her hand back.

"I\'ll always look out for you, whether it\'s at a party or not," he assured her.

Alyssa held onto his hand for a few more moments before they broke apart. The space between them felt so tense, so electric.

She couldn\'t believe the energy she felt between them, and she hoped that nothing ever made them lose it. 

"Smile!" Zoe squealed before taking yet another picture of her, Alyssa, and Elias in their costumes.

The flash lit them up as they stood outside in the dark down the street from the KDP sorority house.

Alyssa rubbed her eyes to try to clear the brightness from her vision.

"I think that one is good, right?" she asked, wanting to get the night started. She didn\'t mind one or two photos, but she didn\'t need a complete photo album of this night. There would only be one or two decent pictures of her anyway.

"I just need one of you two," Zoe replied with a devilish smile. She moved away from them in her Raven costume.

A purple cape flowed behind her as she moved. Her body piece was form-fitting, hugging her curves in the right places. She looked incredible and badass

Alyssa managed to do a good job with her makeup, adding some glitter and blush to her face to give herself that fairy look.

Her costume fit well, and she was glad she got the tights because the skirt was a little shorter than she anticipated it to be. She could admit that she looked pretty good, though, and she added waves to her hair.

"Come on," Elias chuckled as he tucked Alyssa under his arm. Instead of holding her by his side, he brought her close to his chest.

His other hand rested on her elbow as they looked at each other. He flashed his fake fangs at her. "Smile."

Alyssa couldn\'t help but laugh, seeing the flash go off in the corner of her eye. She wasn\'t ready for the photo, but she didn\'t even care.

She was pressed up against Elias dressed as a vampire, and he looked incredibly good. He looked so good her stomach felt all hot and fluttery