• BURN ME •

• 27

You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween

~ Muse

Flame

The seven princes of hell, or the seven deadly sins, people call them whatever they want. But everyone knows what they represent: lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. The seven deadly sins are considered the root cause of all other sins. And people are admonished to avoid them. The sins are considered the antithesis of the seven heavenly virtues. The seven sins have been frequently depicted in art, literature, and religious education to visually symbolize moral depravity and the downfall of humanity. My favorite depiction of this type is Dante's Inferno from Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. In it, Dante describes the journey through the nine circles of hell. I don't know how many times I've read this, but each time a different image forms in my head for the different sins. So no one really know what they look like, which is why June also decided to dress up as three of them for Halloween. And I still can't believe that Nacho actually convinced me to go to that stupid Halloween fair with him and June. Of course, in his case it's just because he wants to see Lopez, I can't blame him. I don't know why June wants to come though, maybe just because she likes Halloween. I don't care why she wants to go.

Right now we're on our way to the same hotel where Sophia and her friends are staying. I hold the white Venetian mask tighter in my hand, my fingers gliding over the swirling gold pattern ornaments that cover more than half of the full-face mask. The mask stares at me with big black holes for eyes, normally the gang doesn't use these masks anymore. Because they're way too impractical for everyday use, also because they're not really comfortable to wear for long periods of time. But June thought it would be a good idea to use them for Halloween, and she's not wrong. Nacho, who is behind the wheel, and June in the back seat are going to wear the same masks, but in different colors. Nacho's is white with silver patterned ornaments and June's is bronze. I don't know if we'll find Sophia's group at the Halloween Fair, but we'll definitely find them at the hotel. Rock music is playing softly on the radio, and Nacho and June are humming along quietly. "Do you know as what they're dressed as, Flame?" June asks from the back seat. I shake my head, no, I have no idea at all. Nacho pulls into the hotel parking lot and parks the car before we grab our bags from the trunk and then check into the hotel. And I'm glad this hotel doesn't look to run down, and the room I'm in looks very inviting too.

The entrance to the Halloween Fair, a large archway, is decorated with carved pumpkins and fake cobwebs. The sounds of spooky carnival music, screams, and laughter echo through the air. It's teeming with all kinds of spooky costumed people, vampires, zombies, and witches. But most of them walk around wearing cheap Halloween masks from the dollar shop. The masks from slasher films like Scream or Friday the 13th are particularly popular. I sigh, the fairgrounds are on the edge of a thick dark forest. Skeleton-like trees sway in the autumn breeze, their bare branches stretching into the dark sky. Nacho and June pull me through the crowd, our masks, and hoods covering our faces. Sometimes people bump into us, but we don't care because we're still trying to find Sophia and her friends. My eyes wander over the various attractions at the fair, carousels and other rides. Fog machines pump out billowing clouds that swirl around the ground, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. At various booths, costumed performers beckon visitors to test their luck at ghoulish games of chance. The smell of caramel apples and other sweats fill my nostrils. It takes a while till we find Sophia and her friends, who are gathered at a table near the Ferris wheel. Drinking, eating and laughing, while having conversations. We buy some drinks ourselves and then gathered at the table next to them, listening to their conversations. My gaze glides over Snow or rather his costume, different from Nacho, June and me, his costume and the ones from Nathaniel and Luca are light. And somehow they remind me of angels, what an irony. I smirk under my mask, as I lift my gaze I look at his beautiful face. Which is adorned with light make-up, his eyes are outlined with eyeliner and some light flakes of glitter.