Project Chaos: Disneyland

Chapter Twelve

It was a cool morning, the sun blank and flat, offering little heat to burn away the mist that crawled between the headstones. Teddy was walking stiffly around a cluster of graves, trying to encourage warmth back into his limbs. He wasn't the only one - a handful of other Spooks were stomping their feet or blowing into their hands or strolling around while they waited for training to begin.

After Teddy's declaration the night before, a few other Spooks had volunteered as well. Wren had grinned at all of them and told anyone interested in becoming a Ghoul to meet in the graveyard the next morning.

Teddy was joined in his laps by a quiet Baz, who was somehow perfectly fine in a loose tank top and thin sweater.

"Used to the cold?" Teddy assumed, and Baz flashed a grin.

"I grew up in the mountains not too far away," he replied. "This is an average morning for me."

Curious, Teddy asked for more about Baz's life before Project Chaos. He learned that Baz used to be a passholder - like Hayato - and came to Disneyland nearly every other weekend. He'd been going to school for a degree in video game design, working as a tattoo artist, when Project Charm was released. Baz had believed that Project Charm was just a gimmick for children, but he gave it a try with his tattoos.

"They're animated," Baz explained, lifting his head to show off the Greek letters around his neck. As Teddy looked closer, he saw them changing, shifting into different sets of letters. They were only simple transformations, barely noticeable, but it was hypnotizing to watch once Teddy could see it.

"That's creative," Teddy commented, feeling cheerful of the fact that not everybody had used magic for evil things, like Hayato had made it sound. Faced with something small and delightful like that, Teddy truly understood Grimm's opinion that the magic itself was not the root of the evil that had been done, and that not everyone was driven by a destructive, selfish desire.

Hisses rattled across the graveyard as a breeze chilled the Spooks all over again. Teddy looked around, taking in all the faces. Hayato wasn't there. He'd refused to budge all night, despite Teddy's frequent attempts at bribery and persuasion.

"What part of 'Hell No' is not making it through the record-breaking thickness of your skull?!" His roommate finally exploded at around one in the morning. "Any talents I have, I use for myself and me alone. You can go ahead - with my blessing - and become one of those self-sacrificing idiots who still think honor is a valid achievement in this wasteland of a world, and I'll be sitting here, ready to have the room back to myself so I can get one, God-blessed, good night's sleep without your incessant and unholy nagging!"

Teddy simply felt that long-winded rebuttal deserved an award.

Murmurs around the graveyard drew Teddy's attention to the path beside the mansion, where a cluster of people approached. Wren was in the lead, the pale sunlight bleaching her hair into the lightest shade of blue as she marched, a hand at her hip, resting on the hilt of an impressive saber. Behind her came Nick, yawning loudly and stretching his arms, a set of daggers strapped to his thighs. His roommate, Ark, strolled along beside him, flipping a gleaming bullet between his fingers. Behind them came a pair of men, twins, with wild blond hair. One of them wore glasses while the other popped a bubble in his gum; both of them had pistols strapped to their legs. Behind them came a few more people, looking either bored or vaguely amused as they headed towards the gathered Spooks.

These were the original Ghouls, fully trained and here to teach the new volunteers in turn.

Just as they spread out in front of Teddy and the rest of the Spooks, he noticed a familiar figure slip out from behind the twins. He stared, somehow surprised, as Cass went to stand right beside Wren. The rest of the Ghouls eyed their trainees from behind the pair of women.