“You’re excited.” Tabby comments, amused as she watches Hazel all but bouncing at the door.
“Of course I’m excited!” Hazel returns, practically shouting. “I never get to see Thorn!”
“I don’t get why not.” Tabby hums. “He’s welcome anytime.”
“He knows. He’s just… Thorn’s a busy guy, he doesn’t have time.” Hazel explains, going sombre for a minute before immediately bouncing again. “I can hear him coming!” She squeals. Tabby can’t but she’s always trusted Hazel’s ears so it’s not surprising when, a moment later there’s a knock at the door.
“Thorn!” Hazel shouts as she yanks the door open, jumping on her childhood friend.
“I missed you too.” Thorn returns, amused. He’s already in costume, in a pretty-impressive scarecrow outfit with a pumpkin on his head. Suddenly Tabby’s feeling a little underdressed in her black dress and witch hat.
“Hi.” She greets, waving from the couch. “I’m Tabby.”
“Nice to meet you Tabby.” Thorn returns, nodding. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Me too.” Tabby smiles. “Neat costume. Although can we even see out of that mask?”
“Barely.” Thorn says and Tabby gets the impression he’s smiling beneath the mask.
“Come on! Come on!” Hazel cries, tugging on Thorn’s hand and almost tripping on her vampire cape. “We’re going to be late.”
“He just got here.” Tabby reminds. “At least let him get a drink.”
“I’m fine.” Thorn assures. “We mustn’t keep the party waiting, right?”
“Exactly!” Hazel agrees, all but running out the door. Thorn and Tabby follow, laughing about their friend and getting to know each other.
--
It’s only a small party. Just their group of friends plus an extra or two. Still Tabby thinks it’s going perfect.
Or at least it is until Win and Jack start messing with an ouija board. And then start messing with the rest of them.
“Cut it out guys.” Tabby huffs, glaring at the pair. They’ve jumped back from the board, both screaming at it and shouting about a ghost or a demon or something, Tabby can’t quite decipher it.
“We’re not messing with you!” Win claims, scrambling away from the board.
“We fucked up, we fucked up, we fucked up.” Jack chants. Tabby huffs again, rolling her eyes and looking away.
Then the ouija board slams into the window by her head.
“What the heck!” She shouts, turning back to glare at them.
“They… they didn’t do that.” Violet whispers, staring wide-eyed at the place the board used to be.
“Not you too.” Tabby frowns. “Of course they did that.”
“We didn’t Tabs, I swear.” Win tries. “Move away from the board. Now.”
“I’m not falling for another of your dumb jokes.” Tabby argues.
“I don’t know Tabby, I don’t think they’re messing with you.” Hazel tries, tone quiet and serious.
“Ghosts aren’t real Hazel.” Tabby claims, starting to get annoyed that all her friends are trying to do this.
“I think you’re in for quite the shock then.” Thorn says calmly. Before Tabby can retort, the light above them explodes.
“Believe us n-” Jack cuts off with a slam and a scream that gets progressively quieter. It sounds… it almost sounds like he’s being dragged away. But that’s ridiculous. He’s just messing with them.
Right?
“Everyone get against the wall!” Hazel orders. Tabby doesn’t move but she doesn’t need to. She feels Violet and Win huddle up against her, can hear Irene and Yusef scrambling over as well. “Thorn can you see Jack?” Hazel asks, sounding like she’s just in front of them.
“We can’t see anything, it’s pitch black in here!” Win claims, panicked.
“Don’t worry.” A high-pitched voice assures. A sudden blue glow appears in the centre of the room, revealing a girl whose… whose not really a girl at all. She’s hovering above the ground, barely corporeal. “You’ll see your friend soon.”
“Stay back.” Hazel warns, she’s standing in front of them, posed like she’s going to fight a ghost.
“Hazel you can’t fight a ghost!” Yusef shouts.
“I don’t need to. Right Thorn?” Hazel assures, turning to her friend whose still sitting calmly in his chair.
“You think you can stop me?” The ghost laughs. The sound makes Tabby’s ears want to bleed. The ghosts hands raise to her neck and, with a sickening sound, she pulls it off.
“Want to watch me do that?” Thorn asks, finally standing from his seat. If Tabby was paying more attention, she’d have noticed his pumpkin mask was smirking.
“You can’t fool me with your mask mortal.” The ghost says. “I will claim your souls.”
“Who ever said anything about masks?” Thorn returns. The pumpkin slips up, off his neck, and… and there’s nothing underneath. Beside her, Violet screams. “I think you should go on home, little ghost.” Thorn claims, the mouth of the pumpkin moving as he speaks.
“After you return our friend.” Hazel adds, growling in a way that doesn’t sound human at all. The ghost looks as startled as Tabby is, head falling back onto her neck and form moving back. Then she frowns.
“Fine.” She huffs. “If you want to have all the fun.” Tabby’s eyes pop and suddenly the room is returned to how it was before Jack and Win started screaming, both are even sitting where the ouija board had been.
“Well.” Thorn starts. The pumpkin is once more resting on his neck, it’s mouth moving with his words. “That was more eventful than I thought mortal parties could get.”
“I told you, my human friends are great!” Hazel grins.
That’s about all the weird I can take, Tabby thinks, before everything goes black.
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