by Penn Cassidy
I smiled to myself as I took the black dress off the hanger and laid it on my bed. It was the same flowing princess dress I’d stolen from the theater. When I’d first put it on, I’d done so with the intention of returning it soon, but when I stumbled into the hall that day and all those theater people were clapping, I knew the dress was forfeit. We’d call it payment for my lost pride.
Under the dress, I wore a black lace bralette, matching lace panties, and stockings with garters. There was just something about nice lingerie that I’d always found appealing, and now that I had four men who would actually get to see it, it was all the more fun. I stared at myself in the mirror. My lips were black and my liner was winged. I looked like some kind of gothic fairy princess, the dark orange of my hair contrasting with my pale skin and onyx dress. This was my vibe. This was perfect.
I knew I’d have to face the music and join the others downstairs. I wished I had some kind of nose plug, because the second I opened my door, I staggered at the stench. Someone really needed to have a talk with Pip before I was forced to move into the greenhouse.
I glanced to my right at the door that never used to be there. The portal lay behind that door, and I could hear the knocking every once in a while. All that power, just shoved behind a door. It was overwhelming just to think about. There was an entire world just on the other side—our old lives.
I knew in my heart that I never wanted to return to the mortal world. This place was the home I never knew I was yearning for. My parents were buried here, my aunties were here, and my heritage was all around me. I finally felt like I was exactly where I needed to be, and all the tiny holes that had been ripped into me over the last year were starting to fill—pun fully intended.
I padded down the hall and down the stairs with a smile on my face. When I entered the kitchen, all my guys were sitting around the table with cups of coffee. They looked up as I entered, eyeing each other a moment later. I knew what they were seeing—a happy October, with a smile on my face.
Maddie squealed from the kitchen, running over and pinching the skirts of my dress between her fingers. “Holy fuck, Tobs! This dress is gorgeous, where’d you find it?!” Then her eyes went wide, and she burst out laughing. “Oh my god, is this the theater—”
I shushed her with a palm over her mouth and glanced at the aunties, whispering to Maddie, “Dude…”
“Sorry,” she mumbled against my palm, eyes alight.
I wasn’t ready for my aunties to hear that particular story. There were just some things I needed to keep to myself if I ever wanted to look them in the eyes again.
Pip was bustling around in the kitchen, covered in flour and flakes of dried herbs. There was a cauldron bubbling over the stove with a large wooden spoon stirring itself. Auntie Fe was sipping a mug of tea, flipping through what looked like a newspaper. They were both dressed even more outlandish than usual, in long dresses of purple, orange, green, and black with frills and lace and buttons, and matching witch’s hats. They really did look like true cottage witches.
Maddie didn’t look too shabby herself. Her festival outfit was a long black peasant skirt with a thigh-high slit up the side and a blood red crop top that she dug out of my goth closet. It matched perfectly with her red lips and expertly curled midnight hair. The hair change was starting to grow on me, to the point that I couldn’t even picture her as a bottle blonde anymore.
I looked at the guys and narrowed my gaze on Norman and Freddy, who were smirking at the dress. If it weren’t for the burn of lust in their eyes, I would have flipped them off. Jason and Michael were studying me carefully, eyes running along the narrow bodice where my breasts pushed up invitingly. I wore a lace choker around my throat, with a tiny amethyst spider pendant dangling from it. There was approval in their eyes, all of them.
Satisfaction filled me as I took a cup of offered tea from Auntie Fe. Breathing in the jasmine steam, I let myself relax as we all watched Pip piddle around the kitchen.
“What kind of poison are we making this morning?” I asked.
“Oh! Only the most deadl—” Pip spun around mid-sentence with narrowed eyes and a hand on her hip. “You think you’re clever, don’t you?”
Maddie snorted, taking a seat at the table. “Smells like someone threw up in there…”
“Oh hush,” Pip admonished. “Before I decide to have you test out the cookies I made for the bake sale.”
Maddie snapped her mouth closed, eyes going wide as I said, “It’s a good thing most of Midnight Hollow’s residents are already ghosts…”
A spoon came flying through the air, straight towards my head, and I dodged it just in time, laughing until tears pricked my eyes.
“I’m heading to the festival early. Mr. Hottie—I mean, Baen has a booth set up, and I’m sure he could use some help,” Maddie said.
“Help with what?” Jason teased, his eyes dancing with mischief. “Unbuttoning his pants?”
Maddie’s eyes went round, and she blushed furiously, stammering, “I-I don’t know what you’re insinuating, perv!”
“Sure ya don’t,” added Michael, casting a knowing glance at Jason as the two of them bumped fists.
“Well, I was going to invite you guys to join me, but now I don’t think I will.” Nose in the air, Maddie stood up and took a cloak from the coat rack and swept out of the room.
“Mads, hold up!” I called after her. I glared at my smiling guys over my shoulder, muttering, “You guys must have a death wish…”
“Love you too!” One of them yelled as I crossed the threshold, and I staggered a moment, catching my balance as my heart soared. I knew how they felt, but hearing it would probably catch me off guard for a while.
Maddie stood with her arms crossed by the front door, smirking at me. “You know, these walls are mighty thin.”
Rolling my eyes, I pulled the door open, and we walked into the moonlight. “Maybe you should plug your ears then,” I mumbled.
“And miss all the entertainment?” She held a hand to her chest. “Honey, let me live vicariously through you for a while.”
I laughed, looping my arm through hers as we made our way towards town. I could see the festival up ahead as the aunties’ street blended into Main Street. “You don’t seem to be struggling in the man department.”
She sighed, but when I glanced sideways, her cheeks were flaming. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t get why you’re pretending,” I said, squeezing her arm. “Everyone saw the way Baen and Cal were fighting over you at the bonfire. Clearly they’re smitten.”
“Smitten?” She laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“Think whatever you want, but I know what I saw. Baen looked like he wanted to physically eat you in the best way, and you’ve had Calvin wrapped around your finger since you sashayed into school the first day.”
“Oh my god, that’s so not true! He was all over you! I was just the sidekick. Besides, I'm still kind of peeved about him not telling us about the Society.” Her face dropped.
“Maddie, you could never be a sidekick. You’re the main character, babe, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Besides, there's nothing going on between Cal and I. He doesn’t even like me like that, and I could never…” I shuddered just thinking about it. “Not to mention he’s pretty much always staring at you or your ass whenever you’re not paying attention. Maybe he had his reasons for keeping the secret society a, um, secret,” I air quoted.
“Maybe you're right, I mean it’s a secret for a reason. I don’t know. But for real…he stares at my butt?” She squealed, pushing my shoulder with hers. A smile lit her eyes, and I felt warm all over.
I’d been worried about Maddie since we got here. I could tell behind the façade of bubbly humor, she was struggling with this transition.
We reached the start of Main Street, and I could already smell the sweet and savory scents of cooking food, coffee, tea, and candy. Jack-o’-lanterns were everywhere,
and twinkling lights hung in the trees like little fireflies. Torches were lit up and down the sidewalks, and the street lanterns were blazing, lighting up the whole area in a warm orange glow that matched the moonlight. I was starting to enjoy the perpetual night here. No more sweating my ass off under the glaring sun or worrying about my skin burning to a crisp. It was always pleasant.
There were some clouds in the sky, but not many, just enough that there was a small breeze flowing between the buildings and booths.
Booths lined the streets on either side, while the townspeople dressed in their best, selling handmade crafts, treats, and fresh harvested crops. I saw a booth for the blood bank, run by vampires stationed out front as one passed out flyers with a fangy smile. They were advertising flavor infused blood, sold in little glass bottles that you could carry around with you and add to your drinks. I’d have to snag a sample for Norman at some point.
Toil and Trouble Tea had a booth too, set up right outside their shop. Cauldrons were bubbling and ladles were pouring as the witches handed out small mugs to passersby with infectious cackles. My mouth immediately watered for more of that witchbramble tea. I had no idea what was even in it, but it was delicious.
“Oh, there's Baen,” Maddie whispered, staring off to her left with a dreamy look in her eyes.
“You mean Mr. Hottie?” I teased.
“Shut up, he can probably hear you!” She gasped loudly as he turned our way, a smile aimed right at Mads.
“Oh, he heard all right, judging by that hungry smile. I wonder what he is? Does he read minds, you think? I wonder if he knows how much you think about his butt?” I laughed as her cheeks turned as red as a tomato.
“I swear to the great pumpkin, October—”she threatened, but it was too late.
“Hey, Baen!” I called out, waving my hand over my head before Maddie could finish her empty threat. It was time for Operation Get Maddie Laid.
“Get Maddie what?!” she screeched.
“Oops…did I say that out loud?” I had to bite my cheek to hold my laugh at her outraged face.
Baen stopped stacking books on the table in front of his shop and waved at us, eyes never straying from Maddie. Yeah, dude had it bad. I didn’t understand why Mads couldn’t see it.
We were about to head over to help Baen out, but someone intercepted us first. “Fancy meeting you two here.” Cal stepped in our path with his hands in his pockets as he attempted to smile, but it fell short.
I grimaced at him, before forcing it into a smile. I knew deep down, he probably had nothing to do with what happened to Jessica, but I still couldn’t stop picturing him ripping off that hood. I watched his eyes flicker over Maddie, and something flared in their depths before he forced himself to look back to me. I could tell he was into her, but he was suppressing it, and I needed to know why.
“Hey, Cal,” Maddie said as she gazed at him with her arms crossed before she looked away with disappointment when he barely nodded.
“Maddie,” he said in a dismissive way.
I could physically see the way Maddie’s heart dropped to her stomach as he disregarded her. Shit, she really liked him. He liked her too, so why was he acting like an ass?
“October, can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked, eyes clearly straining to look at me and not Maddie.
Her eyes were glossing over, and she looked anywhere but at him, biting the inside of her cheek again, this time probably to keep from crying.
“What do you need?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest, ready to rip him a new asshole for treating my sister from another mister this way. “My strong as fuck, grumpy ass boyfriends will be here any second, so you might want to hurry up. They aren’t feeling so kind when it comes to liars lately.”
His eyes turned wary as he said, “It’s nothing like that…” Clearing his throat, he shifted on his feet, looking visibly uncomfortable. What the hell is his deal? Where did the suave Calvin go? “My dad wants you to be in this year’s festival portrait for the Society… You know, since your parents aren’t around anymore for it.”
“Why would I want to be in that after the shit Payton pulled?” I demanded, looking at him like he’d lost his mind.
“None of us had anything to do with that,” he pleaded, begging me to trust him as he stepped forward to talk down to me. “Trust me, October, what she did to your familiar was vile. She won’t be coming back, my father made sure of it.”
My eyes widened. “You’re serious? He actually kicked her out of town?”
“Yeah, fuck her. But we still want you to join, and we’d really like it if you come with us for the portrait in front of city hall.” He was really pushing for that portrait as he started walking backwards, nodding his head for me to follow him.
I glanced at Maddie, who looked ready to bolt. Her eyes were flitting to Baen every few seconds as he stood there with his arms crossed, looking like he was about to come over and drag her away from Cal by the hair.
To save her from a jealous tirade on Baen’s part, I said, “Sure, Cal, let’s get this stupid protrait over with.” I gave Maddie an apologetic look. “I’ll be quick, and then I'll come right back here when I’m done. Can you keep an eye out for Jessica while I’m gone? She woke up kind of late after all that shit yesterday.”
Maddie’s face softened, and she smiled. “Of course. Go take a good picture. It’s a good thing you wore your lucky dress…” She stifled a laugh behind her hand, her eyes light with mirth.
“Oh my god,” I groaned, while Cal just looked confused. I tugged him away, while Maddie just winked and turned back to head over to Baen.
“Why is that your lucky dress?” Cal asked, eyeing me up and down as we continued down Main Street.
With a snort and blood rushing to my cheeks, I said, “Trust me, you don’t want to know.” As we got closer to Toil and Trouble’s booth, I suddenly had a hankering for some tea. “Wanna grab a cup?” I pointed to the brewing cauldron.
“We’re already kind of late,” he said, glancing at his wristwatch. His amber eyes were shifting over my shoulder, as if he was looking for someone.
Groaning, I shuffled past the delicious smelling tea when he said, “Let’s cut through here, we can shave off a few minutes.”
He headed for a side street between two buildings, and I halted. Flashes of my last encounter in this area of town slithered into my brain, making me second-guess taking the long way around. Zombies, zombies everywhere. “I—”
“Come on. It’ll take forever to get through that crowd, and they’re all waiting on us.” He kept walking, so I decided to bite the bullet and catch up after glancing at the hustle of the streets.
It was dark on this side street and quieter than the bustle of the crowd back on Main. My eyes were flitting back and forth, jumping at every shadow. A rat scurried from a trash can onto a drain pipe, and I swore my soul departed my body for a second there. I was walking so fast now that I was overtaking Cal in a powerwalk, and I probably looked like a fucking spaz.
“I swear to the great pumpkin, Cal, if your phone starts playing ‘Thriller’—”
I choked as something was placed over my face from behind. My nose and mouth were immediately filled with something sharp and pungent smelling. My eyes burned, and I began to cough as a strong arm wrapped around my torso, holding tight. Thrashing side to side, I tried to shake my head and bite through the scratchy cloth covering my face, but I was losing the battle. Suddenly, my arms felt leaden, and my vision started to swim.
I’m being drugged…
Who would do this…?
Who would…
Cal.
That was the last thought that ran through my head before darkness descended.
It was pitch black when I came to. My eyes felt like they were filled with sand, and my mouth was as dry as a desert. It was cold, bone chillingly cold. I shivered, cringing as my teeth gritted together.
I tried to move, but I was immediately met with resistance, my right knee slamm
ing into something hard. “Fuck,” I muttered, sticking my hands out in front of me.
Light was beginning to creep in through the blurriness of my vision, and I realized that if I stood on my tip toes, I could see out of a little rectangular slot fitted with four small iron bars. Panic set in as the sight of the orange twin blood moons shone back at me from behind the bars. I was obviously outside still, and I could feel just a small amount of frigid wind on my cheeks when I pressed my face closer to the bars.
I felt around in front of me, and to my horror, I realized I was completely caged in on every side with about half a foot to move. The walls were made of dark stone, and it smelled like moss and soil. Standing on my toes again, I looked outside and realized exactly where I was.
Midnight Hollow Cemetery. I must have been on the very top of the narrow hillside, because I could see the road far below and that arched wrought iron gate past a sea of headstones. Fear coiled in my gut.
How the fuck did I get here?
I thought back to the moments leading up to nothingness and froze. Calvin. He’d done this to me, but why? He drugged me with some kind of potion and brought me to this stone coffin like some kind of serial killer. He freaking kidnapped me and was probably going to bury me alive! My veins ran ice cold, and I suddenly wished I’d forced Jessica to wake up. She could have fled and alerted someone, told them what Cal had done.
I could see my mother and father’s graves from my perch on the top of the hill. They were less than thirty paces away, and when I squinted, I realized that was exactly where another source of light was emanating from. There were black pillar candles scattered around the base of my parents' headstones and a pewter bowl between them. An athame rested atop the stone, gleaming in the flickering light.
