Crown Of Thorns [ Michael Langdon ]

22 - all hallow's eve - 22

{Chapter Twenty Two - All Hallow's Eve}

~ And I am the idiot with the painted face,
In the corner, taking up space,
But when he walks in, I am loved, I am loved ~

- Me and My Husband

"Cordelia's planning something." Michael spoke as he strode into their room, slamming the door behind him with his hand.

"We know." Elora frowned, sitting up. "You're the one who told me not to worry."

"Mallory has no idea who she is." Michael paced the circular room, "But she's beginning to discover her powers. She's wary of me."

"What happened in her interview?" Elora bit her lip nervously. Mallory was quite powerful, so if she gained her memories again she could be a threat. Michael described everything that happened in Mallory's interview, including how she had made the fireplace practically blow up, and how Michael revealed his demon form.

"She survived the bomb, I know she did." Michael fretted, and Elora jumped to her feet, grabbing his arm to halt his pacing.

"It's impossible."

"Don't be naive." Michael snapped, "She found a way, and now she's going to fuck everything up." Elora withdrew her hand, frowning at the ground.

"Sorry for trying to help." She muttered.

"Kind words won't help. We need a plan." Michael said harshly, "I'm going to contact my father."

"Okay." Elora sighed, as Michael marched out of the room. She didn't know what she was doing wrong. Maybe he was just stressed, or maybe he was becoming sick of her presence.

Not sure what to do with herself, Elora wandered down to the library, where some of the others were sitting. Timothy and Emily sat on the couches, and Coco was in deep conversation with Dinah and Elora's father.

Emily and Timothy looked up as she entered, and offered her a smile. "Are you okay?" Timothy asked as Elora sat onto a couch.

"Yeah." She smiled. She felt grateful that at least some people were being nice to her in here. "I heard about what happened with you guys. I'm sorry that happened."

"It's not your fault." Emily smiled.

"And Langdon made sure we weren't punished." Timothy added.

"Yeah, Venable's rules are so stupid." Elora rolled her eyes at the same moment Ms Venable walked in. "Speaking of the devil..."

Timothy and Emily snickered at her comment as the rest of the Outpost began filing into the library. Elora lent back in her seat and watched as Ms Venable and Ms Mead stood at the front of the room.

"I have an announcement," Ms Venable started, "These past several months have been difficult for all of us. And perhaps, in my efforts to keep us safe, punitive measures have been taken too far." Timothy, Emily and Elora exchanged a glance.

"I believe now what we need is a moment of celebration, camaraderie. Which is why this weekend, as a gesture of goodwill, we will have a Halloween soiree." Ms Venable continued. "In the style of a Victorian masquerade ball."

Coco and Gallant exchanged an excited glance. "It's Halloween this weekend?" Gallant exclaimed, a little too excitedly for someone who had just killed their grandmother. "If only my nana were here to enjoy it with me." He added in mock grief.

"We've all lost track of time a bit. And this festive occasion is the perfect opportunity to remedy this. And I encourage you all to use your imaginations, to create what I am sure will be exquisite costumes. Attendance is mandatory."