To anyone that didnโt know him well, the sight of Samuel Keats roaming around with a bundle of colorful fabrics would be more than a little unusual. The guy didnโt exactly give off the vibe of being a fashionista, and even though the Fear Fest was on, he was still a sophomore so it wasnโt even like he needed to set anything up. More than a few people looked at him with suspicion, assuming that he was up to something or other, that he had some kind of scheme in mind.
The truth, however, was something very different. Because today, Keats didnโt have time to pick a fight with anybody. Today, he couldnโt care less about his reputation, about Mayweathers or Delphinas or anything to do with any of it. Today, nothing was going to bring him down, because this was the one time of the year that he genuinely looked forward to. Not the summer break, not whatever winter holiday you happened to celebrate, not even his own birthday. No, the coming of the Fear Fest meant one thing. It was Halloween.
And Keats loved Halloween.
He made his own costume every year, had always been the first to set out candy back home, and youโd better believe he had the entire soundtrack of โNightmare Before Christmasโ committed to memory. To him, there wasnโt any competition - and the idea that someone could
not like it was pretty much blasphemy.
So, as he made the journey back towards his room, he couldnโt help but notice one person whose lack of enthusiasm stood out. Eliana Lovelace herself was sitting on a nearby bench, looking gloomier than anyone had the right to be at this time of year. He thought it over for a second, before changing direction, and strolling over to stand behind the bench and dumping the fabrics heโd been holding onto the seat next to her. Resting on the back of the bench, he tapped her on the shoulder with a grin and spoke cheerfully.
โWhy the long face? Itโs Halloween, even you gotta be looking forward to it a little!โEliana glanced up at the overly enthusiastic boy and internally cringed at the amount of excitement emitting from him. This was not the Keats she was use to. Far from it. Someone was excited to get
spooky. She had been holding her phone in her right hand thinking of the possible excuses to tell her mom so that she could receive a get out of jail for free card and not go to the Fear Fest. Yes, she already packed and everything was set in her bedroom but there was still time for her to be like, โhey mom, I could really use today to trainโ.
She
hated Halloween.
This holiday itself glorifies death and people get a kick out of otherโs tears and ultimately their fears. What was so great about that? Donโt get her started with the scantily clad costumes for women. It seems nowadays, Halloween was just another excuse for horny teenagers to get laid. But that is not the problem today. The problem is this event is being hosted by Delphinas and it just smells like an utter disaster waiting to happen. Lucas was going to be there and she was sure he was going to go out of his way to make her life miserable. He could try but at this point in time, his childish antics just bored her. She doubted anything he threw at her could beat the images in her own mind. Regardless of his sorry attempts to get her emotionally stirred, she was still not looking forward to this festival that would give her a chance to have
fun. Fun was not an option when the Tournament was just around the corner and she doubted that anything about the Fear Festival would be
fun.
The further the semester went, the more Eliana wished she was homeschooled. Her friendships were dwindling and if she truly got what she wanted, she would have peace, quiet, and complete solitude. Of course, this day was not one of those days and neither was tomorrow or the day after, or the rest of the school year for that matter.
God, today was going to suck. โ
Oh Keats, this is just how my face naturally is. Canโt you see how excited I am? Iโm literally jumping for joy.โ Her tone was sarcastic and dull. She was not enthused and she doubted he would change her mood.
โTo be fair, your face normally is like that when Iโm around. Still, you really donโt like Halloween, huh?โ he muttered, but wasnโt discouraged by the setback. So, she really wasnโt a fan of all this. Now to most people, that might have been a cue to leave her alone, but Keats took it as a challenge. After thinking for a second, he spoke again.
โWell, I guess that settles it. Change of plans.โ he jumped over the back of the bench, taking a seat next to her.
โSee, normally Iโd leave you alone, but I get the feeling youโre gonna try and avoid the festivities. As an upstanding citizen, I canโt let anyone be left out like that. So, Iโve got an offer you canโt refuse.โ Despite knowing that he was probably annoying her like nothing else, and that they hadnโt exactly been the best of buddies in the past - not to mention the arrogance that unintentionally came through everything he was saying - there was something about Keatsโ tone that indicated it was coming from a sincere place.
โYouโre going to Fear Fest. With me. Because no way in hell am I letting anyone skip this. Like it or not, you are going to have some fun and stop moping around for once.โ Before Ellie could cut him off, he raised a hand.
โAnd if by the time itโs over I havenโt convinced you to start enjoying Halloween, then you can decide on a forfeit of your choosing. That way, at least you know youโll get some kind of entertainment out of this, guaranteed.โ Keats laughed. He was confident enough making that offer - it was mostly just to stop her trying to talk her way out of it. Still, by the expectant look he gave her, it was obvious the guy wasnโt about to take no for an answer.
Raising an eyebrow, Eliana kept silent and contemplated his terms.
A forfeit of your choosing. Oh? Was Keats making this a game? With someone like her? Huh, who wouldโve thought. If she didnโt enjoy herself, sheโd get toโฆ
punish him. This was interesting. Intriguing, even. She already figured he wouldnโt take no for an answer.
Curiouser and curiouser. Would he be able to get her to
have fun? If Keats, someone she wasnโt necessarily well acquainted with, gave her the time of her life - sheโd be surprised. Glancing over at him, locking her green orbs with his blue, she surveyed his expression. There was a glint in her dangerous gaze. Those eyes that were the window to her overwhelming power. She knew better than to get close with others, especially after seeing Elijah with Gianna that one fine morning.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. But for a challenge? Maybe she could make an exception. It wasnโt like Keats had anything to do with the individuals of her past.
After this weekend, they will return back to not acknowledging the otherโs existence. At least, that was Elianaโs plan. โ
Itโs more effort to refuse, so youโre on. Donโt expect this to be easy.โ She pocketed her phone in her backpack purse pouch before standing up and turning on her heel to face him, โ
Mr. Upstanding Citizen, how do I look? Because I am NOT wearing a costume.โ Deep down, Eliana knew her fate, but she could hope he didnโt have any plans on getting her festive. The fact that she was going should be good enough for him! Right?
Looked like she took the bait, worked like a charm. At the costume comment, Keats just raised an eyebrow.
โThat right? Looks like I really am in for a challenge.โ He grinned as he stood up, pausing just long enough to give her some hope before shaking his head.
โBut you donโt really get a choice about this. Step one of Halloween is a good costume. Donโt suppose youโve got one lying around?โAfter a second, he realised that was a stupid question.
โRight. How about any old clothes lying around? That, or I could make you one myself - I donโt think I need this much material just for my own. Not sure how good itโd be if I havenโt planned it out, though.โHeโd clearly decided that this was going to happen, and nothing was changing his mind. Costumes were non-negotiable.
โHow about we check your room, see if thereโs anything lying around we can make into a costume. That way it definitely fits, and I get an idea what youโre okay wearing.โ Of course, if she was really uncomfortable with the idea, she could always refuse whatever he came up with - but Keats was definitely starting to look forward to this. The whole thing was kinda impulsive, he had to admit, but that was just how he operated.
With indifference in her stare, Eliana stood up, grabbed her things, and led the way, in complete and awkward silence for a brief moment or two. A sudden cold breeze passed her by, causing her to shiver slightly. Observing her surroundings, she noticed how
excited everyone seemed. Talking to their friends, wearing costumes, some surrounded by the school newspaperโฆ
โOh did you read the newest article?โ A small strawberry blonde girl gestured a couple of her friends to look at the paper in her hands.
โIt looks like Lovelace is straying away from her good pal, Elijah.โ A tall boy with a hoodie on, rolled his eyes at this new craze around campus.
โDonโt you mean Illeana and Isaiah?โ The tiny girl with the paper looked up and dumbly blinked at him - not realizing that Dear Sophia articles were based on actual people.
โYou know just as much as I do that theyโre TOTALLY based off of--โ He stared at her baffled. This was the third article within these past two weeks and she STILL didnโt catch onto the similarities? Both Eliana and Lucas were basically โhouseholdโ names at Mayweather because of their infamous feud, which unfortunately has settled down a little, causing the fans to agonizingly wait for more. Elijahโs reputation started crawling out of the shadows once Dear Sophia started publishing her articles.
โTeam Lucas! OR Lukeโฆ itโs really the same thing.โ A new female with glasses, two braids, and jumper dress on, entered the conversation.
Eliana brought her attention to Keats and grimaced, โ
Remind me to burn on the school newspapers when I get the chance.โ
Keatsโ expression showed a flicker of annoyance as he glanced over at the students. He hated people like that - people whoโd spread shit around behind peopleโs backs. Part of him wanted to ask how much of this went on, but it wasnโt like they were close. Knowing Eliana, it seemed to Keats that sheโd probably just clam up. Too personal. So instead, he just sighed, sounding almost tired.
โYeah. Donโt blame you.โ
In due time, Eliana found herself back in her room with Keats. Taking a deep breath in before opening the door, she unlocked it and gently nudged it open to see if the Cat was home.
Oh, thank god. She wasnโt.
Elianaโs โgiftโ (the now turn up wedding dress) was on Sabrinaโs bed, since it now became something she scratched every so often, if she didnโt find herself waking up right next to Eliana in cat form. โ
I guess thereโs that?โ She gestured to the expensive fabric lying on Sabrinaโs bed, โ
There was a time it was in good conditionโฆ donโt worry. No one is getting married.โ
Keats looked a little taken aback for a second - he was pretty sure this dress cost more than half his stuff put together, and that felt like an understatement. Guess it wasnโt that important to her, though, โcause that was basically permission for him to use the thing from what he could tell. He picked it up, and sure enough that was actually a wedding dress. For a second, he was about to question how and why this thing was in her room, but thought better of it. Whatever the reason, it probably wasnโt normal.
โYeah, that should work, if youโre sure itโs okay to use.โ he picked it up, looking it over.
โItโs pretty torn up, for sure, so that limits our options. Letโs see...โ There was a pause while he thought through the possibilities. Normally, there were a few things he could offer, but this thing was so well-made that repairing it properly seemed like a no-go. After a second, his eyes lit up, and he looked at her with a smile.
โTell me, Eliana, how do you feel about zombies?โโ
Iโm so prepared for the apocalypse. Iโm just going to assumeโฆ you want me to put makeup on to look dead, so Iโll just do that now. Iโm not here to disagree. Iโve already agreed with you this much, might as well keep the train moving.โ The next thirty minutes were used with both of them getting ready (no, not in front of each other - get out of here) and then they were on their way toward the bus that would lead to the festivities.
The bus driver grabbed their belongings and put it away in the luggage compartment. Glancing up at Keats, her festival partner? Eliana gestured for him to lead the way inside, โ
Entertain me, Keats. Show me what Halloween is all about.โ
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