Exhausted and barely functioning on any decent sleep, Genevieve’s life was all about survival since her twins, Lily and Lucas, were born. Days blurred into nights, and taking care of her two newborns left her with no energy for anything else. While the entire neighborhood was buzzing with excitement over the approaching Halloween, Genevieve could hardly keep up with the usual suburban festivities.

And then there was Brad, her next-door neighbor. Brad was the self-proclaimed king of Halloween. Every year, his elaborate Halloween display turned his house into an attraction, complete with gravestones, skeleton dioramas, and giant jack-o’-lanterns. He relished the compliments from the neighbors, his smug grin becoming more insufferable with each one. But for Genevieve, none of that mattered. She was too busy trying to stay awake to care about Brad’s haunted circus.