Of Sun & Moon (Midnight Guardian Series, Book 1)

by Bryna Butler

  Chapter 6: Halloween Bash

  The leaves were soon changing color and a chill tinged the air. It was October and Jumper started making plans for his annual Halloween Bash. Of course, Jumper was a normal teenage boy. ‘Making plans’ to him meant finding a field, building a bonfire, and finding some girls to bring food and drinks.

  This was simply not acceptable to Ann. She decided the make the Halloween Bash her new project. It was now a costume party, held in the ballroom of a creepy, abandoned hotel in the historic district. Ownership of the hotel had reverted to the town, and with his being a major election year and days before the polls were to open, it was easy to convince officials to allow free use of it to provide a safe, teen event. The place had been the source of many legendary ghost stories, which made it the perfect location for a Halloween party. Ann even got the parents to pitch in so she could buy food and book, Sweet Kick, a hot, local garage band.

  By nine o’clock the party was already in high gear. Ann greeted Keira and William at the door when they arrived. William was dressed as a modern vampire. He looked sizzling, but Ann’s eyes were fixed on his date. It actually took her a moment to realize it was her friend. Keira took one bubble gum pink fingernail and pushed back a strand of her blond wig. She wasn’t used to wearing dresses, especially ones this short. She gave it a tug and fussed with the big silver cross around her neck.

  “Let me guess, you’re coming to the party as Brooke?” Ann joked.

  “I’m supposed to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but now that I think about it…”

  The two laughed.

  “What are you? Cowboy? Pirate?” Keira asked. Ann was wearing brown pants and boots with a white shirt and brown leather vest.

  “I wish.”

  Jumper surprised her from behind with drinks in his hands.

  “Oh, I get it,” Keira said looking over the couple. “Lovely, you are, pretty, pretty,” she said with her very best Yoda impression. Jumper had convinced Ann to dress up as Han Solo to compliment his Princess Leia costume.

  “Nice mask, Ryan, very scary,” Jumper grinned. Of course Keira wasn’t wearing a mask. “Actually you look kinda hot tonight, you know, nothing like your usual self.”

  Before she could respond, he put down the cups and turned to Ann, “Help me Ann Solo, you’re my only hope…to get my dance on! Come on, babe. Let’s show these losers some real moves.”

  “Sounds like a challenge to me,” William laughed and they followed their friends up the creaky stairs to the ballroom.

  The ballroom was packed. Ann had thought of everything. Black satin drapes reached from the floor to the twelve foot ceiling behind a temporary stage which was built on the end of the long ballroom. Laser lights beamed across the ceiling and the band’s amps were blasting. Colby and Brooke were already in front of the stage. Colby, the knight in shining armor, had his hands at the waist of his overly-done pink princess.

  “Of course she’s a princess,” mumbled Keira.

  “Princess?” William looked up to see what Keira was talking about then chuckled, “Yeah, the little princess always has to be the center of attention.”

  “You noticed that too?”

  Brooke was certainly over-the-top this time. Keira could see that Colby even wore a big, emerald medallion on his costume, an obvious addition from his girlfriend.

  Brooke and Colby were completely focused on the band, jumping and singing along. The fun they were having was contagious and soon Ann, Jumper, William, and Keira were dancing along too. Unfortunately, their good time was coming to a screeching halt.

  About halfway into Sweet Kick’s second set, a scream rang out. “Stay here with the girls,” Colby directed William. He nodded and took a protective stance in front of Keira. Brooke rolled her eyes and Colby could hear her grumbling about protecting herself as he leapt into action.

  Colby and Jumper dodged through the startled crowd and jumped over a couple of chairs to get to the heart of the commotion. A sophomore girl, dressed as a witch, was standing on a barstool crying and pointing. “There’s something under here. It grabbed my leg.”

  “What’d it look like?”

  “It’s about the size of a raccoon, a little bigger maybe, but much…much ickier. I’m not getting off this chair!”

  “I don’t see anything. Colby, can you see behind the bar?”

  “Yeah and it’s all clear.”

  “Come on, Shara,” her friends urged.

  “I…AM….NOT…GETTING…OFF…THIS…CHAIR!”

  Tears streamed down her face and her hands shook uncontrollably. However, by the end of the song, after tons of coaxing, she timidly eased off the stool and hurried down the stairs with her friends in tow.

  “What do you suppose that was all about?” Colby asked Jumper.

  “She probably just got freaked out. This old place is starting to get to me too. I was back in the kitchen a little while ago and I could have sworn that I felt someone brush past me, but when I turned to look, no one was there.”

  Not a second after he spoke, more screams rang out. This time they were coming from the opposite side of the room. Ann’s shriek was the loudest.

  “Ann!” Jumper bellowed. He and Colby looked at each other and dashed back to the stage. The area in front of the stage had cleared and the band stopped abruptly. Ann was on top of a chair. William had grabbed up Keira, and despite her outrage, was carrying her like a sack of potatoes. Brooke stood in the center of the drama, her arms folded, with a look like she was bored out of her mind.

  People started pouring out of the room and down the stairs to the front door. Some thought it was a practical joke, some thought it was real ghosts, but the most common explanation was a rat. Everyone was okay. Regardless, within minutes, only the six remained plus the two youngest members of the band who were charged with packing up the instruments.

  The guys decided to sweep the floors and look for signs of the intruder. They found nothing. As soon as they finished, Colby headed home to study for Monday’s geometry exam, but Brooke decided to stay and help as the girls tore down decorations and packed up the leftover food. An hour later, the remaining band members headed out and the last streamer found its way to the trash can.

  The gang gathered at the bar in the back of the ballroom to take a break and talk.

  “Did you see that animal?” William asked.

  “No,” said Keira. “You saw it, didn’t you, Ann?”

  “I heard it, but it was too quick. I didn’t get a look at it.”

  Jumper added, “That science girl, Shara, was the first to see it.”

  “Science girl?” Ann and Keira asked together.

  “Oh,” Ann realized Jumper’s rationale and explained. “She won the science fair last week with her additive that speeds up the composting process.” Ann had written an article on it for the school paper.

  “I didn’t see Shara. What was she dressed as?” Keira asked.

  “She was a witch.”

  “Noticed her, did you?” Ann raised a brow at Jumper.

  “Of course I did, she had the same huge necklace that our boy was wearin’,” he replied pointing to Brooke. “It’s kind of hard to miss.”

  “Oh.” Brooke glared at him. “It’s not a necklace, it’s a medieval medallion. Colby was dressed as a knight and they wore things like that back then.”

  “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” William rolled his eyes at Brooke and sighed. “Anyway, whatever it was, it isn’t here now. It was probably just a squirrel and got scared away by all the screaming.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” Brooke agreed as Ann’s phone rang.

  “No way! Yeah, I know her. She was just here. Okay Dad, we’re fine. We’ll lock the doors and stay here until you arrive. Hurry, Keira’s supposed to be home before midnight,” she said.

  “What’s up?” Keira asked.

  “That was my Dad. He said that a kid from our school is missing.”

  Keira�
��s stomach knotted. He shouldn’t have left early. She should have gone with him to make sure he made it home okay. She looked at Ann, her gaze giving her away, but she wasn’t the first to speak up.

  “It’s Colby, isn’t it?” Brooke chimed in.

  Ann scrambled, “No, no, it’s not Colby. It’s…”

  “Shara,” Jumper guessed.

  “Yeah, can you believe it? Oh, here it is.”

  “Are you sure?” Brooke asked.

  Her phone beeped with an incoming text. She rose to show them the message, an amber alert for Shara Nelson last seen forced into a black van by a caucasian male.

  "Can you believe this? We were just talking about her. I hope she’s okay,” Ann said shaking her head.

  “Maybe it’s the same guy that took Bobby,” Jumper chimed in. Everyone looked at him questioningly.

  “You know they finally tracked down that bum. The one that everyone thought took Bobby at the skate park. Well, he didn’t. They found his body in a freezer at a deserted crack house in Virginia. He O.D.’d two days before Bobby was taken. There’s no way he did it, so the police are back to square one.”

  “Anyway, Dad said that he’s coming to pick us up. He wants us to lock the doors until he gets here. I think it’s a good idea. Guys, can you get the front door? I’ll head to the back,” Ann said. Jumper headed to the door as William pulled Keira aside.

  “Are you okay?” He stroked her cheek.

  “I’m totally fine, just a few goose bumps.” She pressed her hand against his as he held it on her cheek.

  William breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re amazing. Nothing shakes you,” he smiled and did that shy look to the ground thing that he does. “I couldn’t imagine what I would have done if you got hurt tonight. You know that I really care about you.”

  “I know. I care about you too.”

  He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “You know, I wasn’t sure about asking you out; I mean, the first time, at the pep assembly. Really, I was kind of pushed into it.”

  She wrinkled her forehead. He laughed, “No, it’s not what you think. I’m just trying to say that I’m really glad that I did. Now, I can’t imagine being apart from you.” He nuzzled her neck. She could smell his cool cologne and felt her heartbeat speed up.

  “Hey, hey, break it up,” Jumper ordered. Keira glared at him.

  As if it were on cue, they heard Ann’s father knocking on the door. Ten minutes later, William said goodbye and thundered away in his red pickup, as the rest tumbled into the Martin family minivan.