Dead End: Midnight Hollow

by Penn Cassidy

  What the fuck is wrong with me?!

  “There you are!” Auntie Pip said, rounding the corner. “Find any good books back here?” Tilting her head to the side, her eyes ran over me from head to toe, probably noting how disheveled I looked.

  I knew I was blushing furiously, and my paleness didn’t help. I quickly grabbed the black leather necromancy book off the ground, waving it at her like a mad woman. “Uh, yeah! Right here. The book. Right here. Book.” I stumbled over my words, and she reached forward to place her hand over my forehead.

  “Hmm, no fever.” She clicked her tongue a few times. “Why is your hair in such a disarray?” She patted my wild hair down and pulled away to lick her fingers, ready to groom me again, but I dodged her reaching hand.

  “So…I got lost, you see—and fell. Yeah, I fell. The books fell on me. Ouch. We should head to the front. I think I hear Maddie calling me. Coming, Mads!” The words tumbled out without a filter, and suddenly, my feet couldn’t carry me away fast enough.

  Bad October. Well, at least I can mark getting fingered in a bookshop off my bucket list, even though it was technically never on there to begin with. Bad October. Was that slutty of me? Probably… Do I care? Nope.

  Maddie’s giggle snapped me out of my embarrassing thoughts as I came around the corner near the entrance. I looked up to find her leaning over the counter as she straightened Baen’s bow tie. I rolled my eyes. She was such a relentless flirt.

  He didn’t seem to notice anyone else in the room, and I swore he started rumbling as she patted his chest before leaning away with a sly grin and a wink. That little shit knew exactly what she was doing. Once Maddie set her sights on a lucky son of a bitch, it was game on every time. Her dedication to the game was fierce, and she went after men she wanted with her whole heart. Baen was in some serious trouble.

  “Can we get the hell out of here?” Norman snapped, leaning against the front door frame. “I’m ready to pass out now.” His glare pinned me in place, those emerald eyes washing over me from head to toe. His black hair was disheveled, and it only made his skin look even more translucent in contrast.

  Freddy walked over next, coming from the opposite end of the store. He threw me a cursory glance before heading to his brother. Leaning in, Freddy whispered something to Norman before folding his arms over his chest and squaring his shoulders.

  “What happened to your shirt?” Norman asked suddenly, eyes traveling over Freddy suspiciously.

  “Did you drink?” Freddy asked at the exact same time, and the two of them stared at each other in silence for a few tense heartbeats.

  “No,” Norman said, his voice like a whip, before turning away. “Let’s just get out of here. I’m sick of this little excursion.” He walked out of the store, letting the door slam shut behind him. Freddy glanced at me one more time before following his angry twin outside.

  “Did you get what you needed?” Auntie Fe asked me before slapping Michael’s hand away from the tote bag by her feet. “For the last time, don’t touch the potions unless you want to be turned into a hairy rat. Men. I swear you never listen.” She huffed and grabbed the book from my hand with an eye roll before I could say anything as she paid with silver coins at the register.

  “See you around, Bae.” Maddie caressed the love struck fool on the cheek. He didn’t look like he was even breathing as she twirled away, her skirt lifting a bit and showing a little leg. “I hope Bae is okay with you. Baen is such a mouthful…” She winked, licking her lips suggestively, and it was all I could do not to snort.

  “You can call me whatever you like, gorgeous,” he drawled back, eyes glued to her retreating form, and pushed his glasses up his nose with a loud audible gulp.

  That poor, poor, sexy man…

  I gave Baen a sympathetic look before following Maddie out the door, with Jason hot on my heels. He’d been so silent, but I’d felt him staring at my messed up hair and slightly askew skirt the whole time. I got ten paces away from the store with Jason practically breathing down my neck. I was about to turn around and demand to know what his problem was, but my attention was suddenly elsewhere.

  Right by the door to another shop a few spaces down stood a guy about our age, leaning against the building while causally flipping through a book. His midnight dark hair shone almost blue under the moonlight and brushed his wide shoulders. He looked up from his book when we got closer. Amber eyes outlined in black liner and thick, feathery lashes skimmed over the guys, paused on Maddie for a split second with a raised brow of interest, then landed on me.

  With a cocky smile that tilted his lips invitingly, his shoulders left the wall. He was dressed in all black from head to toe, even his fingernails were painted black, and he wore a choker collar around his neck. My kind of people—goth and hot.

  “I heard we had some newbies in the neighborhood, so I’d thought I’d introduce myself,” he said with a dramatic bow that on anyone else, would have looked cheesy as hell, but on him, it just fit.

  He peeked under his lashes at Maddie, who just twirled her hair and popped some gum in annoyance. He flickered his eyes from her toes to her lips, smirking before he turned his attention to me.

  “We’re good here, man,” Jason said with a dark glare as he grabbed me and slung his arm over my shoulder. “We already got the tour.”

  I could only stare at Jason, wondering if he’d finally lost his mind. What the hell was going on with the guys all of a sudden? They hadn't been this touchy in over a year. Did I miss something, or was this all one big prank to them?

  “Are you going to tell us your name or keep us guessing?” Maddie asked, pretending to be uninterested as she inspected her nails, but she kept flipping her black hair over her shoulder. She could fool everyone else, but she couldn’t fool me.

  “Kind of you to ask, little raven.” He reached out and pinched a lock of Maddie’s dark hair. “The name’s Calvin, but everyone just calls me Cal.”

  My eyes widened and I had to cover it fast, because Maddie was blushing deeply. I was in shock. Maddie never got flustered around guys, not ever, but she was fully blushing right now as Cal grinned down at her.

  My aunties came outside arm in arm as they whispered with their heads bent together, until they noticed us standing in the doorway in awkward silence. Jessica crawled out of Auntie Fe’s maroon hood and skittered over to me, shooting her web onto my forearm and disappearing into my hair. In such a short time, I’d come to adore the little creepy crawly, but that made me shiver every time.

  “Calvin,” Pip hissed, uncharacteristically snippy with the newcomer. “What are you doing here? Is your father around?” Her eyes shifted from side to side, just as the sound of shoes tapping on concrete echoed down the dark street.

  “Speak of the devil, and he shall come,” Fe added in a grumble.

  A fog rolled in, and a tall figure stepped out of the mist with a bright smile stretching his lips. The flickering lamp post illuminated his six foot four, slender frame. He had a long face that was baby bottom smooth, with wavy brown hair tied in a ponytail falling halfway down his back. He wore a strange looking top hat, and a long duster jacket made of dark green velvet.

  “Ichabod,” Auntie Fe gritted through clenched teeth, reaching up to clutch the pendant hanging around her neck. It was clear she didn’t like this man, Ichabod.

  The man clasped Cal’s shoulder, still smiling brightly, and I noticed the way Cal tensed ever so slightly under the weight of that ring clad hand. “Lovely evening for a stroll, isn’t it, Hallowells?” I swear his teeth actually sparkled for a second.

  His eyes landed on me, and he gestured towards me with an open palm. “And who do we have here?” he asked. “My, my, you look familiar. I have to admit, it’s been a while since I’ve seen those eyes…”

  I stepped back, tensing as I shot my aunties a worried look.

  Ichabod scoffed and waved his hand as he said, “Forgive me, where are my manners? My name’s Ichabod Addams, Mayor of Midnight Hollo
w, and Calvin here is my son.”

  He grinned down at me before taking his top hat off and bowing at his waist, brushing his cape out of his way with a flick of his hand.

  The freaking mayor of the city looked like he just stepped off the set of Interview with a Vampire. But in all honesty, his strange clothing had seen better days. Did he steal that coat off a corpse? And who wore a top hat anymore? I supposed I should have taken into account the fact that we were in an entirely different dimension, where vampires and demons were a thing, so fashion should have been on the bottom of my list of things to worry about.

  He and Cal were polar opposites, and it was hard to believe they were father and son. They didn't share any features, save for the color of their strange whiskey eyes. I realized how uncomfortable this conversation had become as he continued to stare at me without really blinking. Immediately, Auntie Pip stepped in front of me.

  “Sorry, Ichabod, but we must be on our way. They start at the university next week, and I would hate to get a late start. Nice chatting with you…” She cringed even as she said it, and I knew it was all bullshit. She really didn’t like this guy.

  She gestured to Auntie Fe behind her back where Ichabod couldn’t see, but Fe quickly caught onto the signal because she started ushering us away as Pip blocked the mayor's view, throwing out weak apologies and fake smiles.

  I felt his gaze digging into my back as we walked away and was grateful when the guys surrounded me. They must have sensed the way his bright, charming smile felt a little deceiving. Jason was at my back, guiding me with his big hand on my hip and kept shooting daggers behind him at Cal, who just stood there smiling and waving.

  “Keep looking at her again assh…I’ll rip your eyes from…sockets…”

  Jason’s voice was so clear and loud in my head that it caused me to flinch. I didn’t bother to look at his lips, as I was growing more accustomed to recognizing the whispering, far away quality to their voices. I’d come to the conclusion that somehow, I could hear their thoughts when they were strong enough.

  “He was pretty hot, though, you have to admit.” Maddie caught up, adding a sway to her hips. “I swear he was giving me some serious vibes back there. Pretty sure he wanted me to sit on his lap and have my wicked way with his bod—” She slammed her mouth shut as all the guys turned to glare at her.

  “They’re warlocks,” Michael said, scratching at his side right over his snake tattoo. He kept glancing over his shoulder with his brows scrunched. “I can sense it…” He seemed confused as to how he could possibly know that.

  “Right you are,” said Auntie Fe. “So, to be on the safe side, let’s everyone stay away from him and that son of his. Ichabod has always been a bit peculiar, even by our standards. Always rubbed me the wrong way, ordering this and demanding that. Nothing but trouble, those two…”

  Auntie Fe sighed with relief when Pip came jogging after us with a scowl on her face. Pip didn’t scowl very often, so I knew they had to have something serious against Ichabod.

  “How did you know they’re warlocks?” I asked Michael, and he turned to stare down at me before he looked straight ahead again, shoving his hands in his pockets with his shoulders hunched in an uncomfortable way.

  “Don’t know. It felt off but…I just do.” He shrugged, running his fingers through his silvery moonlight hair, his cheeks puffing up on a nervous inhale.

  “So this college thing is really happening then. Like, on Monday?” Freddy groaned, and I had to bite my lip to hide my mirth because he’d always hated school, even though he was really smart. He just hid it behind sports in high school.

  “Yes,” said Fe with a chuckle that was a little on the dark side. “Dangerous times are ahead, and you must be prepared for the worst at any moment. You're stuck here, so you might as well get to know the place.” With those damning words, Auntie Fe dragged Pip away to talk privately as we walked the short ways to the manor.

  All that was going through my head right now was the terrifying fact that if I didn’t gain control of this necromancy stuff, I might as well just hand my soul over to death himself. Also, my lips still tingled a bit from that explosive kiss in those darkened corners, like a well kept secret…and I wondered what it all meant.

  They say mirrors let you catch a glimpse into the soul, but as I slicked back my brown porcelain locks, I knew they were lies—lies to fool the mind, but I was no fool.

  Only a detective lived inside me, the type of fella who lived to solve mysteries and put the bad guy behind bars like the scum they were. The night was young, and after scoping out the Hallowells’ manor for hours, I knew the gals’ schedule like the back of my breakable hand.

  I lay in wait under the lamp post like some sort of chump, but luckily, it was dark enough that I blended in with the shadows before sneaking across the street to the Pumpkin Eater.

  The place was booming, packed with greedy kids as they stuffed their faces with candy, and gave me the perfect opportunity to sneak in undetected. I worked fast and got the job done under the cloak of disguise. I thought for a hot minute the one they called Jessica would rat me out like a low life, no good punk, but no one believed the furry creature as she pointed me out.

  I was one with the shadows.

  “I feel so out of place…” Maddie groaned. The group of us stared up at the towering structure that looked nothing like what we remembered. “How do we even know we’re really enrolled?”

  “I’m guessing the aunties took care of all that,” I said with a shrug. In truth, I had no idea.

  Everything was so muddled and confusing. We'd been holed up at the manor for the last week, trying to get our bearings. The guys had been pretty reclusive and mostly avoided me like the plague when they could. Unless they were glaring at me or hissing assholish names at me in the hallways under their breaths. I was still worried about them though. I could see each of them struggling with different aspects of being stuck here, and I wanted to offer help, but I knew none of them would accept it.

  Back in the mortal world, they’d been enrolled at Sunset U, while I was still undecided. I wondered if the guys were still on the basketball team…or if there was even a team to be on. I pondered if Maddie would be a cheerleader. She’d always dreamed of going pro and then one day becoming an instructor. Were all our dreams and aspirations suddenly out of our reach here?

  “Looks like Hogwarts,” muttered Freddy, a small hint of his geekiness shining through. He was trying to hide his excitement by being tough, but I could see past the disguise.

  He was standing to my right with his arms folded over his broad chest, glaring up at the school. He’d been trying not so subtly to get me to look at him all morning, but I’d actively avoided it. After what happened in the bookshop last week, I was feeling more off kilter than ever. What had it meant? Had he been messing with me? Was it another trick? Fuck, I could still feel his fingers on my skin. My body quivered just thinking about his talented digits and how far we’d taken things in The Wicked Quill.

  I knew he was thinking about it, too. Anytime our eyes met, his would heat like a match being struck. But he was still being an ass, just like always. Norman might have noticed something was off between us, because I’d seen him glancing back and forth a few times today. I decided to pretend our bookshop moment had never happened and focus on right now.

  Freddy was right. It did look like the fictional wizarding school. It was brownish grey in color, made of stone archways, spiked turrets, stained glass windows, and stone bridges. The twin moons overhead only added to the fantasy of it all, and for the millionth time, I wondered if this was all a dream. A week-long dream…

  Instead of the pristine white sidewalks and gardens of Sunset U, we were now standing on a cobblestone pathway lit by tall wrought-iron lanterns flickering with real flames at the entrance of Midnight U. There were trees scattered around the grounds, but they were so black, they looked charred. Their spindly branches curled upwards and were barren of any leaves, flowe
rs, or fruits. Interspersed between the trees, there were statues, crumbling slightly with overgrown roots and disturbed soil. They looked ancient and grotesque.

  Some were depictions of monsters, the likes of which I’d only seen in movies. There were massive minotaurs, towering werewolves, and hunched goblins. I saw witches holding broomsticks, even a few gargoyles here and there. I even spotted a few more of those near the top of the school’s roof line, as if perched up there as guardians of the strange student body. I wondered if those gargoyles were simply that, stone relics meant to warn away danger, or if perhaps they were magical like everything else in this world seemed to be.

  “What do you think, Coraline?” asked Jason from my other side. “Your people like this shit, don’t they?” His smirk was cruel, but I was beginning to feel numb to it.

  “My people?” I raised a brow, looking him up and down. “You might want to change your tune, big shot. You’re gonna get eaten alive if you keep running your mouth in there. Probably literally.” I looked around, eyeing the student body warily.

  “Ohh burn, sucka!” Jessica hissed at Jason. I saw him glare at her, so I turned away, shielding my spider with my hair.

  People milled around us, looking for all the world like straight up trick-or-treaters. I saw cloaks, horns, hooves, claws, capes, and witch hats. There were inhuman beings of all kinds mixed with regular looking people, all laughing and chatting like it was completely normal. Just like our trip into town. I still couldn’t get over it. I saw students basking in the moonlight, some of them leaning up against those spindly dead trees with old books in their hands, just minding their own business.

  The guys might make fun of my newly adopted goth aesthetic, but I had a feeling they were going to be the odd ones out in this place. Perhaps it would finally teach them something. At Sunset High, they’d been top dogs all four years, but here, they had no idea what they were in for.