by Kristen Day
“You look great Phoebs!” I looked her up and down, “Ian might even let you drink his blood,” I smiled darkly and raised an eyebrow at her.
“A girl can dream,” she snickered. “Now sit down so I can spray you.”
“Blood comes in a spray bottle?”
“If you want I could stab you and let it spray out naturally?” she asked in all seriousness.
“I think I’ll go with the spray bottle,” I frowned at her.
“I had a feeling you might.” She grinned at me and began to spray blood in specific places on my dress. I had to admit, it looked pretty real.
“What’s Ian going to be for Halloween?” I asked her as she worked.
“He and Ricker are going as something together, but Ian wouldn’t tell me what.” She smiled adoringly and a pang of jealousy hit me. I pushed it away. “Okay, close your eyes so I can do your face.”
She pulled out a tube of blood this time and went to work. When she was done, I looked in the mirror and laughed.
“That looks amazing, Phoebs!” I had blood dripping out of my mouth and from the corners of my eyes.
“We aren’t done,” she instructed. “Come with me.” I followed her out into the living room where Carmen waited with something in her hand.
“My god, Phoebe. She looks like she took a blood bath!” Carmen exclaimed, and Phoebe and Willow died laughing.
“You’ve been waiting to say that all night haven’t you?” I accused her.
“It’s possible,” she grinned, “Now come here so I can really make you look dead.” She proceeded to cover my entire body with thick white powder. Next, she attacked my lips with a light blue lipstick and then two shades of blue eye shadow to enhance the circles under my eyes. Once half the compact was empty, she was happy with her work of art. Fearful that I would resemble a dead Smurf, I was pleasantly surprised when I looked in the mirror and simply saw a dead bride; Carmen standing behind me grinning from ear to ear. It was hard for me to look at her without laughing; her sexy nun outfit the definition of contradiction. She had also lacquered her lips with bright red lipstick. Willow looked like she was born to be Rapunzel. I had a feeling she was secretly wishing she could dress like that every day. She looked like she belonged in a different century.
Thirty minutes later we all stood in the kitchen, marveling over each other’s costumes and taking pictures on our phones. A vampire biting a nun. A vampire biting Rapunzel. A dead bride biting a vampire. And last but not least, a nun strangling a vampire with Rapunzel’s hair. If that wasn’t going on the front of the scrapbook, I don’t know what would.
As we walked across campus, we passed by anything from Lady Gaga in her infamous meat dress (thankfully no hungry animals were trailing behind) to a walking IPhone. Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation ran by, along with the Dumb and Dumber guys decked out in orange and blue tuxes. A walking breathalyzer test with the words ‘Blow Me’ across the front was chasing two Playboy bunnies, and we were almost run over by three sexy crayons (pink, blue, and yellow in case you were wondering). By the time we made it to The Hole we were having trouble breathing from laughing so hard.
We were greeted at the entrance by Kira (AKA Princess Leia) and one of her friends dressed up as Carmen Sandiego. They gave us orange wristbands and ushered us into The Hole. Or what used to be The Hole. Our normal lunch destination had been cleared of all its tables for standing room only. The stone planters that normally overflowed with colorful flowers were now teeming with skulls, pumpkins, and tombstones. Black lanterns had been strung up all over The Hole, producing an eerie light; dancing and casting an eerie glow over the entire place. Cobwebs and dark purple string lights entrapped the branches of the trees; enhancing the haunted atmosphere. Several fog machines had placed a thick layer of fog at our feet that swirled and danced with the movements of the party goers. The massive amount of people had incited an air of excitement and fun that I could feel down to my bones.
I grinned as the power of the music pumping out of the massive speakers wrapped around me and sent a rush of energy through me. This was exactly what I needed to distract me from everything.
We soon merged with the throngs of witches, vampires, and sexy nurses and found a spot to dance and hangout.
“You are the hottest vamp I’ve ever seen.”
We all turned to see Ricker and Ian grinning at us. Ian planted a big kiss on Phoebe before she pretended to bite his neck.
“This is a Halloween party, not a funeral,” Carmen looked them up and down skeptically.
Standing before us in matching black suits adorned with black ties, I had no idea what they intended to dress up as until they reached into their coat pockets at the same time and pulled out black sunglasses.
Ricker looked over at Cage.
“I make these look good,” he smirked, and they both crossed their arms dramatically.
“IRS guys?” Willow asked; completely clueless as to what they were.
“We are…” Ricker started. Ian finished, “The Men in Black.”
“If I get abducted by aliens, you two are the last ones I’ll call,” Carmen snickered.
“If you get abducted by aliens, we’re throwing a party,” Ricker countered.
“Whatever. You know you’d miss me,” she declared, hands on her hips.
“Doubtful,” Ricker grabbed her arm and pulled her close, “but tell yourself whatever you want to get through the day.”
“You make me sick,” she smiled at him.
“Good,” he retorted with a sexy grin. They definitely got the ‘Most Dysfunctional Relationship’ award.
“This hot vamp wants to dance,” Phoebe announced, taking Ian’s hand and leading him away.
“So does this hot nun,” Carmen looked expectantly at Ricker.
“What are you looking at me for?” he asked, trying to sound surprised.
“Dance,” she said simply; venom lining her eyes.
“Nah.” He turned his attention to the crowd, but couldn’t hide the amused grin.
“Do you really want all these people to see you get beat up by a nun?” she threatened.
“Hmm…Maybe you’re right,” he commented in all seriousness, “I’d hate to get this suit dirty while I’m kicking ass.” He grinned at her almost coyly and she dragged him out to the dance floor with a laugh. I looked at Willow.
“You want to go find something to drink…“ I trailed off as I followed her eyes to a tall, blonde headed guy in khaki pants, a light blue button up shirt and a brown jacket. A brimmed hat adorned his head and a brown leather satchel was strapped around his body. His right hand clutched a leather whip; rolled up and menacing.
He must have noticed us staring, because he turned and grinned crookedly. He sauntered across the Hole to where we stood.
“Ladies,” Liam greeted us with a tip of his hat.
“Out chasing down crystal skulls on this lovely Halloween night?” I joked with him.
“The much younger version of Indiana Jones at your service,” he corrected me, “I haven’t yet discovered the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. Currently, I’m on a quest to find the Holy Grail.” He stood tall and struck an Indiana Jones-esque pose, then removed his hat and bowed formally to Willow.
“You look amazing,” he cooed as her cheeks flushed and her blue eyes lit up. Feeling like a third wheel all of the sudden, I stepped back to give them some privacy.
“We’re gonna go dance,” Willow told me, clearly brimming with joy. “I’ll be back.”
As I watched Willow and Liam walk away, I felt a crushing loneliness darken my heart and rip open my soul; allowing the contents to spill carelessly onto the stones beneath my feet. My thoughts inevitably drifted to Finn; eliciting an immediate onslaught of burning tears. Instead of pushing them down, I reveled in the pain; reveled in the sadness. To feel nothing at all would be my heart’s true demise. He brightened my world in such a way so that his absence had created a massive black hole; sucking out any and all li
ght into its infinite depths. What was he doing right now? What was he thinking about? Could he feel my entire being reaching out and craving his presence? Had he found a way around Persephone’s decision? No. I couldn’t allow my thoughts to travel down that hope laden road. The stakes were too high.
“Don’t cry, Stasia.”
I let out a yelp as Bianca materialized right in front of me.
“Don’t do that! You’re gonna give me a heart attack!” I grinned at her through the tears. Her presence swept away a portion of my loneliness. Several people around me looked over and stared at me like I had lost my mind.
“Am I the only one who can see you?”
“Right now, yes.”
“You can control who sees you?” I said a little too loudly; causing more people to look over.
“Yes.”
“Think you can teach me how to do that?” I said under my breath with a grin.
“I think you’d have to be a ghost,” she looked at the ground, “and you don’t want to be a ghost.”
“It might be better than the alternative right now.” I wiped at a tear that had escaped down my cheek.
“Do you have a dagger?” she said randomly, glancing around guiltily.
“I have one that my mother gave me,” I told her, confused by the sudden change in subject.
She scooted closer to me and spoke softly.
“A divine dagger is the only thing that can kill an immortal. You must promise to take it on your journey.” She glanced around again, “You will be at a disadvantage in her river.”
“Her…river?”
“Nadia’s river,” she explained. It took a moment before I realized what she was talking about. Nadia was a nymph. She was attached to a certain body of water. Was that body of water in the Underworld? I guess that would make sense. A shadow of dread washed over me.
“Which river is hers?”
“The River Styx,” she answered ominously. Of course. Why would it be any other river? I put my head in my hands. Things were going from bad to worse.
“She already has what she wants. Why doesn’t she just leave me alone?” I asked; desperation evident in my tone as well as in the frustrated tears that were once again rolling down my cheeks.
“She doesn’t want you to figure it out.”
“Figure what out?” She jerked her head to the left and her features turned to stone.
“I have to go.” She began to fade.
“Bianca, wait! Figure what out?” But she was already gone.
“Stasia?” I looked up into the eyes of Willow and Liam. I quickly wiped some rogue tears off my chin. Willow sat down beside me and put her arm around me.
“Do you want to leave?” she asked gently.
“It’s okay,” I looked down at my hands and ran a finger over my trace that was looking slightly dulled.
“You just say the word and we’ll bounce,” Carmen came up to stand in front of me; Ricker on her heels.
“Plus, Dr. Drake is calling….” Phoebe bounced up on my left and kissed me on the cheek.
“We wouldn’t want to leave him waiting.”
“Yeah, the last thing I need is to have some insane dead guy stealing my heart,” Carmen said.
“I thought I already did?” Ricker sneered; putting an arm around her.
“Maybe I’ll let Dr Drake steal my heart after all,” she lifted an eyebrow at him.
“It’s too late for that,” he pretended to tear her heart out as she wiggled away from him. A light change in color in my peripheral vision had me turning my head to the right - just in time to see a small gray tendril twist and writhe; vanishing behind several dancers about twenty yards away.
Chapter 28
On my feet in seconds; I pushed away from my roommates and launched into the throngs of monsters, witches, and fairies. With my head on a swivel, I spotted a second gray tendril as it precariously hovered above the head of a younger girl dressed up as Pocahontas. I watched in horror as it spiraled down onto her shoulder and slid around her neck. As I was about to reach out and swat it away from her it disappeared. Pocahontas gave me an odd look as I continued past her in pursuit of the evil smoke.
It reappeared several yards away, floating innocently and flippantly through the cool, night air. I concentrated on keeping it in my sight as my eyes followed it across the Hole. Suddenly obsessed with the tiny tendril and fearful for the hundreds of people gathered in celebration, I scanned every shadow and stone ledge in search of the only evil being I knew to produce such smoke. The loud music faded behind me as I followed a sidewalk around the history building. The festive ambiance created by the Halloween party in The Hole faded with it; eclipsed by a more sinister darkness that I could feel weighing on my heart. Even the shadows scaling the side of the stone buildings were darker. I could feel them watching me; imposing and leering above amongst the scraggly shadows of the tree branches.
A stinging sensation on my hand had me glancing down. I jerked away when I spotted several gray tendrils attempting to wrap around my left wrist; around my trace which had begun to dull in brightness. Looking in every direction, I still only found my ever-watchful night companions: the towering trees and ever-taunting shadows. A movement to my right quickened my pulse immediately and my breathing spiked considerably. Feeling vulnerable and exposed out in the open, I began to walk.
Slowly, the number of pin pricks on my back increased in number and in the level of pain where my skin was left bare by the style of my dress. I began to feel them along my arms and on the sides of my face. My legs stopped abruptly, I squeezed my eyes shut, and then spun around as if evading a swarm of killer bees. Considering a swarm of killer bees would be an upgrade from my current situation, I didn’t expect my futile attempt to work by any means. The next instant, the prickling sensation vanished and I felt a strong presence right behind me. Spinning around on my heel, I braced myself for what I would find.
“Stasia?”
“Phoebe!” My crudely constructed resolve shattered and my body began to shake.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked as she grasped both my arms in concern.
“I just thought I saw something.” I shrugged my shoulders, trying to play it off as no big deal.
“Haven’t you watched scary movies?” She put her hands on her hips.
“Huh?” How did we go from me seeing things to scary movies?
“Something bad always happens when a person walks off by themselves because they saw something or heard something. The only thing worse is when the dumb girl runs up the stairs when the killer’s after her.” I linked arms with her and let her chatter on as we walked back to the Hole. “I mean where does she think she’s going to go? Her bedroom? The roof? It’s tragic, really. So I’m going to have to make you promise to never be the dumb girl in the scary movies.”
I smiled at her; grateful for her wispy approach to the situation. “I can assure you I will never be the dumb girl in a movie. I’m a horrible actress.”
“Well that’s a relief. You had me worried!” she exclaimed with a smile.
Upon returning to the Hole, the party was still in full swing, so I tried to lose myself in the mass of people dancing and laughing. I blocked out anything related to Finn, Nadia, or my journey, and just pretended I was a normal girl dancing with my friends at a normal Halloween party. I pretended there were no evil princesses trying to steal my soul. I pretended my boyfriend wasn’t betrothed to the aforementioned evil princess. I pretended I didn’t have to travel to the Underworld in order to fulfill my destiny and become an immortal. And it worked. Until we left.
* * *
“That wasn’t break dancing. That was broke dancing.” Carmen jumped down off the stone wall she was using as a balance beam and sneered at Ian.
“It’s called b-boying or street dancing,” Ian replied in all seriousness. “And it’s not as easy as it looks.”
“All I know is that it looked like you were having a seizure.” Carme
n did a bad impression of Ian’s popping and locking moves; leaving us all gasping for breath from laughing so hard. We had left the party and were walking down a shadowed road on the marsh side of the island towards the famed, haunted Drake House. Large live oak trees covered with Spanish moss flanked both sides of the road. The elegant moss hung from their deformed branches as it swayed in the ocean breeze; enhancing the spooky factor tremendously.
“You’re a regular JabbaWockee, Carmen,” Phoebe told her sarcastically.
“What’d you call me?” Carmen stopped mid-step and turned to face her. She gave her a sympathetic smile, “I need to pray for you.” She bowed her head mumbled something inaudible, and then looked up; shrugging her shoulders. “Nope, too late. Your soul’s not salvageable.”
“It’s alright. I’d rather be a vampire for the rest of eternity anyway. I’m starting to get used to my fangs.” Phoebe touched her teeth extensions delicately, “Just think how fast I’ll be able to eat corn on the cob!”
“What in the world is a jabachoochie?” Willow asked them.
“JabbaWockee,” Phoebe corrected her. “It’s that group that was on America’s Best Dance Crew. You know, the hip-hop group competition?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Ouch!” Willow screeched as Phoebe stepped on her long fake hair; ripping her head backwards.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” Phoebe jumped back.
“Let’s see if we can get this under control,” I muttered as I stepped over to Willow and began to gather her hair and twirl it into a massive bun on top of her head. The whole group stopped with us, watching and snickering.
“I think you should keep the extensions in. Gives you that ‘damsel in distress’ look,” Ricker joked. “Or is it the big jelly donut look? I can’t tell the difference.”
“Your real hair is much more beautiful,” Liam put an arm around Willow, who was staring daggers at Ricker.
