The SVE Club

39. Costumes

Wednesday morning, Sam couldn't believe her eyes for two reasons.

     Reason number one: Her 'Dress Like a Villain Day' plan had actually worked. With the help of the rest of the SVE club, she'd distributed the fliers that she and Midas had designed (which looked pretty spiffy, if she was being honest).  The posters gained some speculation, but, not wanting to take any chances, Sam once again contacted Natalie Walker, who was partly responsible for the popularity of the SVE auditions. Once Natalie Walker knew about the event, it was safe to say that everyone knew about it- And what a response it had gotten.

The halls were filled with students dressed in outlandish outfits. Some were dressed as prominent villains. Sam spotted more that a couple Overdrive, Insomnium and Opal Empress costumes. Mixed in were different interpretations of what 'villain' meant, including movie villains, book antagonists and more original looks.

Sam was one of the originals, sporting her hand sewn super suit, which was purple with yellow accents. Her purple mask was handmade too, and she'd somehow managed to get it to fit to her face without an elastic strap. Her boots, which had once been plain white, had been spray painted to match her outfit. Her bag, which seemed unusually full, thumped against her hip as she hurried through the halls. She'd been running late all morning.

Now, as she went on her way, Sam got strangest feeling that others were staring at her. Heat began to rise to her cheeks. She'd straightened her usually curly hair and had taken the time to put on a little makeup that morning, but she hadn't meant to attract so much attention to herself. This was the second reason for her surprise.

"Sam?" someone called. She turned to find Rachel and Willow grinning at her in disbelief.

Rachel pushed Sam's shoulder playfully. "You clean up pretty nice, Sam," she laughed.

Sam smiled hesitantly. "Thanks?"

"You look great," Willow complimented.

"You guys do too!" Sam replied, glancing at their costumes.

Willow wore converse and a long black dress coat over a summery yellow dress. Her hair was braided into a dainty updo. Her mask, which covered around her eyes, was golden with a row of rhinestones along one side. She somehow looked gentle and sinister at the same time.

Rachel, on the other hand, looked ready for battle. Donning black jeans and an orange shirt, the main features of her outfit were her leather jacket and the fabric, ninja-esque mask she wore tied around the head, which matched her shirt.

"Come on, we should find the guys," Rachel said excitedly, taking Sam and Willow's hands and pulling them down the hall.

"Sam! Hey, Sam!" someone called behind them. They turned around and found that Mrs. Hayes, who had decided to dress like Cruella De Vil, was rushing towards them, smiling proudly. "Girls, you all look lovely today."

There was a chorus of thanks.

"Your outfit is cool too, Mrs. H," Rachel said approvingly.

Mrs. Hayes laughed modestly. "These are all my mother's things," she admitted. "But anyway, I wanted to talk to you, Sam."

Sam turned to the others. "You guys go ahead, I'll catch up."

"Sam," Mrs. Hayes began after the others had left, "This was all a very good idea. Thank you for organizing... all of this." She held up the flyer that she'd brought, and Sam recognized the border she had designed and the black mask Midas had drawn at the top.

"Well, it wasn't just me," Sam replied. "I had some help."

Mrs. Hayes nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, the SVE club. Who would have thought that a villain club would have such a good effect on the school?"