Spooky

Chapter 28

-Shadow's POV-

The four of us meet out in the parking lot, as agreed-to previously, Rouge bringing the blood and Steel some bags for us to go trick-or-treating with if we so desire. I hadn't initially been planning on doing that, but Steel talked us into it, and Scourge was enthusiastic about it too, so I guess that's what we'll do. We're standing in the lot, putting fake blood all over ourselves and each other, when Blaze and Silver show up. Silver has painted his eyelids pure black, and a skeleton mouth over his in a way that looks really quite disturbing. Blaze is wearing a Cheshire Cat costume, a violet-and-pink-striped morph-suit minus the head and a long fluffy pink scarf of sorts draped across her shoulders.

"Oh, wow," Silver laughs as he catches sight of me, fake blood splashed across all my clothes and my face as well as in my mouth and dripping down my chin. "I see you guys went for the gorier side of Halloween, huh?"

"Yeh," I slur past the plastic teeth. Good thing I barely talk normally. "Cooh faysh pain'!"

"Thanks," he beams. "Blaze helped a lot."

She nods shyly, and I turn my focus to her. "Yeh did greh, an' yeh looh greh too."

"Thank you," her tail curls around her feet as she smiles.

Rouge lets out a giddy whoop, bouncing up and down on her heels as she takes Blaze's hands in hers. "We are gonna have so much fun tonight!"

Scourge casually steps up beside me and laces an arm behind my back, beneath the jacket so it can't be seen, and I restrain the urge to lift my arm and look down at it, feeling my face heat up a little. "Are we ready to go?"

"What are we gonna do with the rest of the fake blood?" Steel asks. We'd used about half of it, but I don't think any of us wants to just toss the rest. It'd be a waste.

"We could leave it in my mom's car," Rouge answers. "As long as we screw the lid on tight 'n it doesn't spill, she'll be okay with taking it in her car. And then I can just keep track of it 'til next Halloween."

I nod; the rest of the group seems in agreement as well, and so it's settled. The six of us chat pleasantly, planning out our evening; Silver and Blaze are, of course, going to stick together no matter what. I really want to go through the haunted houses, but Blaze really isn't fond of those. Scourge and Rouge, however, will gladly go with me, Rouge because she loves haunted houses and Scourge because the whole time we've been talking his arm has been around my waist. Steel is willing to go with either group, and suggests we figure it out whenever we get there.

Before too long, Rouge's mother shows up, and Rouge puts on her witchy hat with a grin as she steps up to the car. The rest of us shuffle awkwardly, though Scourge finally drops his arm from my waist. It feels a bit colder without him there, but I brush it off, crossing my arms uncomfortably. I used to hate hugging and cuddling and all that shit, but something's changed. Now I miss the feeling of his arm around my shoulder or waist...but school is absolutely no place for that. Too risky, even here. The doors to the minivan open, and we step up to them in a line, ready to go.

•~

The drop-off point is about a half-block away from the edge of the event, where it's a little less crowded. Of course, that's pretty relative, as the streets are still packed; we huddle together to devise our precise game plan.