The Fray of Werebirds [Discontinued]

Chapter 13 - Departure

"Couldn't you find something better?" I sighed.

"Why I think it suits you perfectly, flower boy," Gregory chuckled.

I stood uncomfortably on the train attired in a ridiculous Batman costume that covered my whole body except for my mouth and eyes, which was enough for me to glimpse my embarrassing reflection on the window. Sirena wore a matching Catwoman costume, which she seemed to be itching to rip off.

Gregory was the only one in our happy little group who wasn't dressed like a superhero geek. Instead he was a fancy butler with a bowtie and a silver tray in his hand. The passengers around us goggled with baffled expressions but kept their distance. I was glad that no one I personally knew lived there.

"Disguising ourselves doesn't necessarily mean we have to look like buffoons so why do we have to wear these costumes?" I asked Gregory skeptically.

"I bought us tickets to a Halloween party."

Sirena seemed to be as perplexed as I was. "Aren't we supposed to be sailing to an island?"

"We are, for this party happens to be on a ship," the butler explained, "It will set sail this evening, slowly turn in a wide semicircle and return to the dock by tomorrow morning. When the ship is at its farthest from the city, we will steal a lifeboat and head for our destination."

The thought of setting off aimlessly into the vast hazardous ocean left me weak at the knees.

"Did you get a map or compass?"

"We're werebirds," Sirena replied confidently, "Our sense of direction surpasses that of a manmade device."

"What about food and water?" I fretted.

"Relax, flower boy," Gregory gestured to the same shopping bag he pulled our costumes out of. "I've got everything ready."

I guess I had no choice but to pray silently and rely on my birdie buddies.

I endured the rest of the ride in embarrassment. Not to mention that we had spent the past several hours underground, so we didn't smell very great either. The humiliation was finally over when the train arrived at the station and we mingled among the horde of people attending the party.

Ghosts, clowns, zombies, witches and other types of peculiar creatures gathered at the dock, chattering eagerly. The attendees were of all sizes and ages, but I noticed the majority were from my generation, give or take a few years. I felt a pang of nostalgia for my past carefree life, back when I didn't have to deal with winged policemen first thing in the morning.

"All aboard!"

The mass began piling into an enormous ship, which was dyed to give the impression of an ancient pirate vessel with a ragged flag of a pumpkin Jolly Roger fluttering on a wooden pole. We handed in our tickets and received in return keys to our rooms, which we weren't really planning on using.

"Ahoy, mateys!" the pirate captain hollered when everyone was assembled, "Feel free to explore me ship of horror, just make sure ye don't piss yer pants!"

The anchors ascended and the ship gradually drifted away from the dock, leaving the city to grow smaller behind us. Unlike most of the people surrounding me, I didn't know when I was going to be back, if ever. I absent-mindedly gazed at the dull grey sky, wondering what will become of me. A few cold raindrops splattered on my face, reminding me to follow Gregory and Sirena down to the ship's interior.

"What do we do now?" I wondered.

"Now we have fun," Gregory winked and disappeared in the crowd.