All folks in this story belong to me

Cast
Brandon Bikket-a twelve year old lab mix. He's lived a very sheltered life with his super religious family, and is just going to public school for the first time this year. meeting so many new people and experiancing so many new things is making him think a lot more about his life than any boy should have to do, but at least he has a few good freiinds standing by while he does.  (( https://inkbunny.net/submissionview.php?id=1201429 Brandon's about a year older in this picture and more 'himself')
Riley Bikket-Brandon's eleven year old cousin. there is an amount of bad blood between his father and Brandon's due to their vastly differing lifestyles, but Riley's been working hard to get his uncle's favor, attending church more often and taking part in whatever activies he can. It's mostly just so he can be with Brandon, ut his uncle dosen't have to know that. 
Abigale Bikket-Riley's younger sister. She's gonna be a princess for halloween.

Brandon was so excited! Halloween was coming up. He knew his parents didn't approve of halloween, and he knew he's been worng and sort of sneaky to volenteer for the church's trick-or-treating party, but it was for the church, so it couldn't be that bad? In any case, he'd go to confession and tell the preist what he'd done, asking to help without his parents permisson, on thurday when he went with his dad. His brother had football practice he wouldn't have to go.
It was going to be so much fun though. It was worth it. All the little kids with super adorable costumes, and his cousins were going to be there! He loved his cousins, and his aunt and uncle. He was going to help make food and put up decorations. He wished he was old enough to help with sunday school,or at least with the childrens group that took place during t he main sunday mass for little ones. 
He didn't have a lot of time for that right now anyways. He'd just started serving as an altar boy, his parents were of course, very proud of him. he was proud too be chosen to serve. Right now though. he was far more excited about the halloween party. He wondered if that was a sin. It seemed everything was. He sat at his desk and stared up at the clock he couldn't wait for the school day to end. he just wanted to run over to the church and get to work. Riley was going to be there too. He loved his cousin, they always had so much fun together. He wished his father would let him spend more time with him. 
Finally the bell ran and Brandon gathered up his books. He had time to walk to the church, though the bus would be quicker, help make decorations and still get his homework done before supper if he planned carefully. He knew if he didn't finish homework before dinner there wouldn't be any TV tonight, which in itself wasn't very bad, but knowing his brothers chores were unfinished, and his brother wouldn't be home..he figured he'd better stay on his parents good side. 
He hurried on his way to the huge white church. He always thought it was a beautiful sort of place, up on a hill with lots of greenary around it and even a garden with a  statue of some animal loving saint in them middle. further off, there was also a huge graveyard ,surronded by an iron fence, amongst the mess of hills and trees.You could explore there for hours and likely still not see everything, and maybe if you wern't careful you could even get lost. It took up a few blocks if brandon remembered correctly, but he wasn't sure. Brandon didn't much like thinking about that graveyard. It was too creepy. 
The church was looking espcially nice now Brandon thought as he started up the drive twords the building, with the orange and red leaves scattered everywhere. The air smelled nicely of fall and it was quiet and calm. Not exciting, but very pleasent. As he got closer, he could hear the sounds of people talking and laughing in the building behind the church. It was old and brick, and was where sunday school classes and many church activities took place. 
He headed for the building annd pushed the door open, listening closely. it sounded like it was pretty crouded. Everyone was exctied for the halloween party, not just him, so it couldn't be that bad. Right? He headed down the hall carefully skipping across the checker floor only landing on the teal tiles and avoiding the black ones as he moved down the greenish hallway, filled with lockers and lots of art  done up by kids youngner than he was. He pushed open the door to the art classroom and peeked in. His cousin Riley was at onne of the tables cutting out orange circles which from the looks of things he'd be using to make pumpkins, as he already had several finished ones infront of him. 
There were other kids Brandon recognized well, either from mass or school. He sort of loved school, weird as it was. It was his first year being allowed to go to public school (though his brother had been allowed) and even if some things were, well difficult for him and contridicted what his parents had taught him, he loved having all of the new kids to talk to and meet, even if some of them, he learned quickly were not very nice.  That was fine. He didn't have to get along with everyone, as long as he could make a few friends. Of course, whatever friends he did make, he'd have to be careful with as it was fairly likely his parents wouldn't approve. Brandon watched his cousin from the doorway, still thinking.
Riley was a year younger than Brandon, and not as slim, and not as tall. His fur was white, and his nose was a light brown color. He had cute, dark blue eyes, and Brandon thought they were quite pretty, unlike his own mismatched eyes, one which was pale blue and the other which was dark brown. No one else in his family had eyes like that, and he didn't think it was very attractive. Riley's hair was nicer too, sleek and shiny and straight, dirty blond, closer to brown really, but nice, and about jaw length. Brandon had been letting his hair get quite long. his parents didn't really like that, but, they were allowing it, for now.
He liked Riley's slightly rounded babyish face, and his full lips, somthing he and his cousin shared, and he liked the spots on his cheek that looked so much like cartoonish freckles. He liked the way riley's hips were a little  bit wider than his and how he was just softer looking in general, and he really liked it when Riley smiled. His smile was adorable. Brandon suddenly felt a rather strong urge to go in and cuddle his younger cousin, but, that would be really embarassing, for both of them really, so he didn't. Instead he finally stopped blocking the door way and walked in to sit acrosss from him "Hi Riley." he said brightly "Need any help? Sorry I'm late."
Riley smiled at him and wagged his tail "Sure!" he said and slipped some paper and glue over to Brandon. " Just gonna make a few more jack-o-lanterns and then I'm gonna paint the sign for the bake sale."  the slightly younger dog chattered happily at his cousin. Riley loved Brandon just as much as Brandon loved him,even if neither of them really knew it. They really were very close friends.
Brandon took a peice of orange construction paper and a pencil and started to doodle the outline of a pumpkin shape. "I can't wait for halloween." he examined his work and carefully continued "It's going to be so much fun. What's Abby going as? I've got an angel costume." he giggled "How about you Riley?"
Riley smiled "Uh, well I haven't gotten one yet, but I was thinkin maybe a vamprire, just the fangs and the cape though..nothin' scary cuzza the little kids.."
Brandon smiled sheepishly "do you think thats really a good idea? Even if it is halloween.." He rubbed his arm "Isn't it kind of, you know.."
Riley blushed "Uh,well my dad thought it'd be fine...I know your dad won't really like it though, and I..was kinda hoping we could have a sleep over after so i'll think about it again." 
Brandon felt a little annoyed at himself for spoiling his cousin's fun. He knew that Riley's parents weren't nearly as strict as his own, which was one of the main reasons they didn't get to spend much time together. Brandon's father had never been fond of his younger brother, who didn't go to church every sunday, and who celebrated things like halloween, and drank and..did all sorts of things Brandon's father just didn't approve of. Brandon liked his uncle. 
Of course Brandon's parents wern't monsters. They were nice. They loved him. They just wanted him to grow up right and righteous and do the things he was soposed to. He'd been dissapointing them a lot lately, and that really hurt. He didn't like to let them down. He kicked at the floor as he stared at the orange paper infront of him. He should have suggested and all-saints day party instead. His father would have approved of that.  
Riley was feeling a little embarassed now too "Uh well, I dunno...I think that my sister is just going to be a princess or somthing. I figured that'd be fine..and cute right?"
"Oh! you could be a knight." Brandon said "Like St.George. that'd be great, and the two of you would match." He smiled brightly "Yeah! You could be her knight in shining armor."
Riley laughed and looked down at his soft, fairly girly looking body "I'm not sure that I'm really knight material." he rested his chin on his hand and considered "But it would make Abby pretty happy. Maybe I'll keep it a suprise. She'll be super exited.." He smiled "Yeah. I'll do that. Your dad...you could tell him..I'm that other guy." he smiled akwardly. Riley didn't really know his saints or anything like that.
Brandon never cared about that though. He started to cut out his pumpkin "We've got a few real pumpkins to carve for the steps don't we?" he asked, almost wistfully. "I really would love to get to carve one this year.."
"I wish you could come trick or treating..My dad asked yours and I thought he was gonna flip out." Riley sighed "Dad's gonna let me stay out late and everything." He looked at his own pumpkin as he started to draw the face out on it.  "Dad..said we..should think about sleeping over at your house and sneaking out."
Brandon's eyes went wide "Oh, no. I could never, ever do that. I would be grounded until I was thirty and I would be doing chores for the rest of my life. They might even pull me out of public school." he sighed and slid his hand over his pale hair before looking back down at his pumpkin. "I..did he really suggest that?"
Riley frowned and shrugged "I've uh..gotta go to the bathroom Brandy. I'll be back in a little while." he slid out of his chair and padded for the door. He really felt bad for Brandon. It seemed like his family never let him have any sort of fun at all. He didnt much like Brandon's father at all. He always seemed very kind, but, he was really judgemental Riley thought, and he hated his dad,for not being just like him. Riley loved his dad though. He could talk to him about anything really trust him, and his mom too. Sure he had a bedtime and a curfew and he had to do chores, but he still got to have fun, and dress how he wanted and be friends with whoever he liked. That seemed like a much better life than what Brandon was allowed. He thought as he headed for the bathroom which he didn't really need. He wondered what he could do to  make this halloween more fun with his cousin. He might have to do somthing sneaky.He was kind of fine with that though. He and Brandon were going to have fun this year, after all at eleven and twelve they didn't have a lot of halloweens left. It had to be a good one. 
Brandon felt miserable when Riley left. He knew he'd opened his mouth too many times. Why did repeating what his parents said and doing what they told him always make him feel so bad? He wanted to be a good son, as good as his older brother who they always showered with praise. They did praise him too, when he got good grades or did somthing helpful, but, never to the amount of his brother. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. Maybe, just once it would be fun to disobey. He was awful for thinking it but..Riley'd seemed so dissapointed. Maybe he could sneak out, just go to a few  houses and then come back in and go to bed. he could confess the next week..and maybe his dad wouldn't find out..he had a lot to think about. He didn't have much time left until halloween. He looked down at his half finished decoration and smiled faintly. It wouldn't be too bad to disobey just once. Right?