Duck, Duck, Goose

Tarts and Games

I didn't hesitate when I neared the front door. I raised my hand and knocked a few times, my heart racing at the idea of what could be lurking in the shadows of the house. I checked my pocketwatch out of habit, trying to estimate how much time I had left.

9:02 pm

The door opened with a loud creak. The owners of the house must have put in extra effort with their house. In front of me stood an old woman. Her hair was curly and completely grey, her face set into a smile that worked around her wrinkles, like canyons that once supported rivers.

"What a convincing costume! I almost thought that an actual ghost came for my candy." Her smooth voice betrayed her actual age, creating the ideal image of the perfect grandmother. I smiled brightly, very glad that someone, for once, didn't question my age for Halloween activities. The smell of something delicious danced across my nose, making me hum in pleasure. The old woman noticed.

"Oh, those must be my tarts. Care to join me? My grandchildren are staying over for Halloween - they don't prefer going out on this night. I'm sure they would appreciate your company." The woman suggested. I thought for a while. I had pepper spray in my skull basket somewhere in case something happened, and my phone was also in there. I heard giggling come from inside, as well as voices having a seemingly exciting conversation.

The smell was tempting.

I nodded eagerly. The woman smiled warmly and stepped inside. Just when I wanted to enter, I heard the voices of my friends calling out to me. I turned and saw them frantically waving from a far distance, Reggie even running at full speed to reach me. I stuck out my tongue at them and walked into the house, the smell of freshly baked tarts surrounding me as the door closed behind me.

***

The inside of the house was nothing like the outside. Sure, it was a bit dark, but I understood that people wanted to save electricity now and then. The furniture was like something out of an old movie. It reminded me a lot of the Victorian era. The walls were decorated with many frames that contained a wide variety of faces. This house had to be at least three generations old. I walked down the hallway slowly, eyeing the different faces that decorated the wall. They were all laughing and smiling.

I was lead into the kitchen, the  countertops gleaming as it reflected the light. My mouth watered at the scent that filled the room, tantalising and sweet. The old woman slipped a pair oven mits onto her wrinkled hands and produced a tray with the heavenly treats, still steaming from heat.

"Here we are. It will just have to cool down. Let me introduce you to the others," she said.

"Uhm, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name, ma'am?" I asked cautiously as I followed her out of the kitchen.

"Nancy," is all she said. The name sounded familiar to me... There was probably someone with the same name in my homeroom. Nancy brought me to her living room. A shimmering chandelier hung from the wall over a long table, able to accommodate eight people. To the right was an open area, where six figures sat in a circle. I was overcome with a feeling of nervousness as their conversation stopped and their gazes turned to me.

"Uhm, hi. My name is April," I said, smiling at them. In hindsight, meeting new people was always welcome, even if they were younger. The town had a reputation for being repetitive to the point of boring a teenager to death - anything to change routine was wanted. Even craved. A girl stood up and strolled over to me. She was shorter than I was, maybe by a head or so. She gazed up at me with dark eyes, her hands holding the ends of her two braids in a childish habit. She grinned up at me, displaying her pearly white teeth.

"What a nice name! April, I'm Anna." She peeked around me and back at Nancy, smiling before she nodded once. Nancy disappeared to tend to the tarts and other goods. I checked my pocketwatch.

9:03 pm

"It's nice to meet you, Anna," I said as I dropped the watch, letting it hang around my neck once more. Her braids swung around her face as Anna spun to face the other five children, leading me to them. Anna pointed to the smallest of the lot.

"That's Lola, my baby sister. She's nine today!" Anna exclaimed happily. Lola smiled shyly. I grabbed a chocolate bar from my collection and offered it to Lola. One part of me wanted to do it out of generosity, while another did it to create a good first impression.

"Happy birthday, then!" I said, smiling as Lola took the chocolate.

"As for me, I'm fifteen," Anna said, puffing her chest out with pride. Shortly after, she pointed at a boy sitting next to Lola. "Charlie is my brother - he's sixteen." I turned my gaze to a boy with a streak of shocking blue running through his blond hair. He waved, his face beaming with happiness. I waved back. Anna pointed to the boy next to Charlie. "That is Gareth, my cousin." Gareth glanced at me and offered a slight smile before looking back at the floor. He was drawing patterns on the carpet. I always enjoyed shy people; they were quiet and bothered me the least. Anna pointed to a girl next to Gareth. "Riley is..." Anna trailed off, a look of confusion on her face. Riley gasped loudly, mocking extreme emotional pain.

"How could you forget your own cousin's age?" she asked, faking total heartache. I giggled at the antics, feeling my anxiety ease away. Anna laughed and waved Riley's protests away.

"She's seventeen," Anna said. Finally, the last figure, a boy, was introduced. "Nathan is eighteen - he'll be going to college soon!" Anna broasted like a proud parent. I looked at him, but he kept his eyes on the ground. A sad expression ate his features away and added a sunken look to his eyes. Anna turned to me again and huffed out one big breath.

"Well, that's all of us!" she concluded. I grinned, happy to see at least one girl my age. The others didn't seem too bad either.

"Nice to meet all of you," I said and sat next Anna, who had moved over for me. What a pleasant group of kids.

"April, I love your costume! It looks so real!" Riley commented.

"Thanks - I have some experience in make up and costume design. I'm in charge of those things at my school's theater." Lola gasped in awe, her wide and curious eyes glued to my costume.

"That's so cool!" she said. "I wish we had a theater." Sadness showed in her tone. I frowned at her sudden change in mood. She noticed my expression and stuttered, trying to form words hurriedly.

"We're home schooled," Anna stated rather coldly as she looked at Lola with emotionless eyes. Lola swallowed visibly and nodded.

"We don't like crowds," Charlie added quickly. "That's why we never go out on days like Halloween. We'd rather spend time with each other." The others nodded in agreement, humming in unison. Nancy suddenly called from the kitchen.

"Who wants tarts?" she asked loudly, to which everyone jumped up and ran to the kitchen as an answer. I followed hurriedly. She chuckled and offered each of us a tart the size of our palms. When I bit into it, there was a blueberry hidden in the centre.

"Why is it so small? And why only one?" Gareth complained quietly after seeing all of the tarts gone. Nancy giggled.

"You need room for more later, dear," she said and resumed baking. Anna snapped her fingers, a knowing look lighting her face up.

"While we wait, why not play a game?" she suggested. We all agreed. I enjoyed games, especially those that came from my childhood. Indulging in child-like things as well as the simpler activities in life were the things that gave me the most pleasure, like dressing up for Halloween.

"Can we play hide and seek?" Riley asked, almost vibrating from excitement. The majority of us agreed, Lola being the only one to not reply, since she was devouring the chocolate I had given her.

"Hide and seek is first, then," Anna said. I checked the time, following the group out into the living room once more as the sounds of eggs breaking came from the kitchen.

9:04 pm