by Fitz Molly
I ran past Mom, my purple fairy wings clanging against the door as I ran down the stairs two at a time. Zoey’s timing was beyond perfect because now Mom couldn’t ask me a million questions about our plans.
I made it to the door right before Dad pulled it open.
My exuberance faded the moment I saw what she was wearing. “Are those yoga pants?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
By now Zoey was more than used to my habit of fashion policing her, so she only seemed moderately offended by my disgust. “You know I just got off a plane. Right?”
True, but not a valid excuse.
“You’re magic,” I argued, wrapping my arms around her for a quick hug hello. “You don’t have to dress like a schlub like everyone else.”
“I’ll take care of your bags,” said Dad helpfully as he gave us a smile. “Welcome to the Moralis household. If you have a few minutes we can show you around and—”
“Dad, I love you, and I promise we’ll have time to chat tomorrow, but we have a fashion emergency on our hands. Mischief Night only happens once a year, and we need to look our best!”
“That mischief part isn’t a requirement. Or even a recommendation!” He yelled louder as we raced to the top of the stairs.
“Sorry. The plane was delayed,” muttered Zoey as we made it to my room. “But don’t you want to wait for your dad to bring my bag up? I can’t get dressed if I don’t have a costume.”
I turned and looked her up and down with one eyebrow raised. “What costume did you bring exactly?”
“I didn’t have time or money to go shopping, so I took a sheet from campus and cut some holes in it. I’ll be a ghooooooost!” Zoey laughed and did jazz hands like I was supposed to be excited. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to be funny here, or if she was actually proud of herself.
I sucked in through my teeth and shook my head. “Let me get this straight. This is your first real Halloween, and you want to spend it covered head to toe in a sheet?”
Zoey’s smile faltered, and immediately I kicked myself for being so blunt. This was my best friend here. It was my job to build her up, not break her down.
“You’re way too pretty to hide beneath a sheet,” I said, correcting course. “That kind of two-second costume was your old life. Welcome to your magical new life where anything is possible.”
“It took me more than two seconds,” she muttered.
“Really? How much longer?” I challenged with a grin.
Her silence was more than enough of an answer.
“Wait. You actually wanted to be a ghost? Hmm. I guess that’s fitting for the invisible girl.”
Zoey’s eyes widened and she let out a groan. “I never thought about it like that, but yeah.”
We both laughed.
“Ditch the sheet,” I said when we came up for air. “I’ve got you covered.”
Spurred to action, I grabbed one of the first white dresses I could find in my closet. Zoey was a tad bustier than me, but other than that we were about the same size. Besides, I could take care of any last-minute tailoring with my glamour magic.
I handed her the dress, and she stared at it warily. “Do I even want to ask?”
“You could, but we both know you’ll like whatever I dress you up in. You always do.”
“Ugh. Fine.” She turned her back to me as she quickly changed into the dress. It was a fairly basic white spaghetti-strap sundress.
Nothing special.
Not yet at least.
I glanced at the time on my phone. Whoa. I’d really have to rush if we were going to make it...
“What’s the big deal?” asked Zoey. She must’ve seen me checking the time. “I thought we were just going to a casual party.”
“We were,” I said, dropping my voice to barely above a whisper. “But things have changed. I’ll tell you about it when we aren’t under a microscope.”
My parents had never been ones to hover, but they’d barely given me a moment’s peace since I’d come back from Darnborn. All they wanted was to hear about the academy, what I’d learned there, and what my big plans for my life might be.
I loved them and appreciated their support, but couldn’t they let me have some time to myself? This was Mischief Night for crying out loud. It was supposed to be fun!
It was also the first time in months that I could socialize without the shadow of my broken relationship with Eli looming over everything. And that was huge. Sure, I’d been to more parties during my first couple of semesters at Darnborn than I had in all of my high school years combined, but I hadn’t actually felt I was able to let loose or have fun ever since… Well, ever since I found out I was a terrible judge of men.
“We’re going to go out tonight. We’re gonna break some rules. And we’re going to live completely for ourselves,” I told Zoey, eyes wide. “No stupid boys.”
Her phone pinged, and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at the timing. Anyone could be messaging her, but I knew who it actually was without her having to confirm.
“Owen?” I asked, working my best to keep my annoyance out of my voice.
She crimsoned under my gaze. “Don’t worry. He’s spending the night with his family.”
It was odd how the tables had turned. A few months ago I was dating a Slater and showing Zoey the ropes. Fast-forward to today, and I was the single one while she was basking in the honeymoon phase of her new relationship.
But not tonight! I absolutely refused to let boyfriends of semesters past haunt us tonight.
Tonight was a time to celebrate magic and mischief. And what better way to start the night off than by glamming up my bestie?
I ran my fingers over the fabric of the dress and closed my eyes, visualizing how I wanted the entire ensemble to look. Before going to Darnborn, I had been able to maybe change the color of a dress or add some simple embellishments. My studies so far had brought me significantly more control over my abilities.
The magic flowed through me into my hands, which started to tremble, but then everything came together and I painted Zoey like one of those expert renaissance guys.
I smiled at the resulting masterpiece with enormous pride. The simple white dress was now a tattered gown that fit Zoey perfectly. It was ethereal, almost like a Grecian goddess at the top, but the color faded to a dirt brown at the bottom where the hem was torn and ripped. It showed a bit of leg, but I went easy on her tonight and didn’t make the slit too high.
“This doesn’t look like a ghost,” she said as she did a little twirl in the mirror. I would’ve been offended if I didn’t see the little quirk of her lips as she took it all in. As usual, she didn’t understand my methods, but she loved the results.
“Let me just give it some finishing touches.” I closed my eyes again. This one was a bit easier because I’d been using glamour to perfect makeup looks for years and had plenty of practice on my sisters.
When I reopened my eyes this time, Zoey had been fully transformed into a ghost. A sexy ghost. Her face was a pale grey with a dark grey smokey eye and a heavy contour that made her cheekbones stand out. Add a blue tinged lipstick and she looked totally dead. In a good way.
“Wow. You’re getting really good,” she said after a gasp.
“I know. Right?” Modesty was overrated and Zoey looked amazing. This was going to be a great night.
No boys.
No school.
And definitely no trouble.
Uh-huh. Famous last words.
Chapter Two
“We’re not lost,” I insisted, widening the smile on my face as I did. If I smiled wide enough, it would have to be true, right?
“That’s what you said twenty minutes ago,” Zoey pointed out with a sigh.
I had to give her credit. She didn’t seem angry. But Zoey had never been the type to get upset easily. If anyone deserved to have an excellent night out, it was her. How were we going to accomplish that, though, if I couldn’t find the stupid hidden entrance to the party?
I scrolled through my phone and reread the instructions for the billionth time. Nothing new jumped out at me, just as it hadn’t all the times before.
“We’re not lost,” I muttered again, more to myself than Zoey. And technically we weren’t. I knew exactly where we were and how to get home if we needed to. But what I really wanted to know was how to get from here to the freaking party.
“Maybe I can help,” Zoey suggested as she tried to peek over my shoulder at the tiny phone screen.
“Start where the North Star meets,” I read aloud. “And we’re at the intersection of North and Star Street. I double and triple-checked it as soon as I received the invite. There’s literally no other place where the streets North and Star meet.”
“That could mean anything, though,” Zoey pointed out. “What about businesses? Maybe a coffee shop or something.”
I laughed under my breath. “First of all, great parties don’t start at coffee shops. Secondly, I know this is the right spot because I overheard this guy I went to high school with telling his friends about it.”
“Okay, fine.” Zoey’s face twisted in thought. “What’s the second clue again?”
“The second clue is to find the red door.” I held out my arms and spun in a circle. “But as you can see, no red doors!”
Not a front door, car door, garage door. Anything. We’d been walking up and down the street for a good twenty minutes now. Not only had I not spied a single red door, but I also hadn’t seen any other people who appeared to be searching for one. Had everyone made it to the party except us? What a great homecoming this was turning out to be…
“We’ll figure it out,” said Zoey patiently.
“Red door,” I muttered to myself again. I had to be missing something. Sure, a lot of these clues could be a bit dramatic, but this wasn’t some elaborate Darnborn scavenger hunt. It was just a bunch of townies who were throwing a party for the local magic users. The goal with these things was to make it easy for us but hard for the non-magic folk so they didn’t accidentally stumble upon the gathering.
Zoey shook her head. “This is stupid. I don’t need some big party to have fun. Why don’t we just go back to your place and have a girls' night? Watch some movies and eat massive quantities of popcorn.”
I let out a high-pitched whine. I hated when my plans didn’t go the way I wanted them to. “But you look so pretty…”
She let out a snort. “You know you can make me look glamorous anytime you want to. Besides, I’m not here to party with a bunch of people I don’t even know. I’m here to spend time with you, Phina. If you want to keep on walking up and down this street to find some red door that will lead us to some random party, fine. Me? I’d be just as happy to spend the night on your couch in my pajamas.”
I scowled. I would be just as happy, too, but that wasn’t the point. We’d gotten all dolled up, and someone was going to appreciate how pretty we were, darn it!
“One more look around,” I said as I started back to where the rent-a-driver had dropped us off.
“Does that mean I should call an Uber now or wait until that one look is done?”
“Just give me one more—” My foot hit something that let out a loud-pitched screech as I went tumbling to the ground. I held my palms in front of me like a moron and skinned them on the concrete the moment they made contact. Great.
An injury to add to the epic insult of this night.
I rolled over and held my stinging palms close to my chest. At least there was no blood. That would have made this so much worse. Even still… “Fine. I give up. What movie do you want to watch? Pick anything. Even if it’s not streaming, I’ll pay the rental fee.”
Zoey drew closer and stopped. “Um… Phina?” Her voice came out like a quaver.
“What?” I groaned.
“You have a new friend,” my current friend revealed.
I struggled to sit, careful not to use my injured palms in the process. That was when I spotted the tiny black ball of fur pressed against the side of my leg.
Meow? It was such a high-pitched and pathetic sound that it sounded almost like a question.
“Awww,” I cooed as I reached out to stroke the poor thing’s head. “What are you doing here, little one? Are you okay?”
The tiny cat was all black, and his dusty fur shone in the bright moonlight.
“I’m so sorry,” said Zoey. I would’ve warned you, but I didn’t see him until after you tripped and—”
I shook my head. “It’s my own fault. I wasn’t looking.” And as the precious little thing pushed his head into my thigh, it was hard to be mad about my tumble or even about missing the party.
Zoey’s smile lit up her entire face. “Still want to keep looking for that red door?”
“Are you kidding?” I asked as I picked up the adorable little spook and cuddled him to my chest. “It looks like we’re having a party for three tonight.”
* * *
“Phina!” Zoey called from upstairs while I stood in the kitchen with my dad downstairs. I’d left her to look after the cat we’d secretly spirited into my bedroom. I told her I’d be quick, so why was she calling for me now?
“Is everything okay?” asked my dad as he put pretty much every edible item in the house onto a giant tray for us. When I told my parents we were staying in for the night, they were overjoyed and immediately went into overdrive by trying to make sure we had everything we could possibly want, including about a million calories of junk food apiece.
“Yeah!” I shouted, realizing only after the word was out that I was speaking far too loudly. “Everything’s great,” I added in a much more normal tone.
Dad narrowed his eyes but took me at my word. “Well, as long as everything’s great,” he said as he passed the tray over to me.
Could I tell him about the stray cat I was now hiding in my room? Sure.
But chances were he would make me take him to the shelter the very next day, and we definitely couldn’t have that. This poor stray cat had found me, chosen me, and now he was going to be my familiar. Once I was back at Darnborn, my family would have no say in the matter, so why give them the chance to object now?
I just had to keep that seven-pound furball hidden for a few days, and we’d be home free. I’d gotten away with much worse much easier.
“Thanks for the snacks,” I said as I reached for the tray. I’d come down here to grab some tuna, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to open a random can of tuna at eleven at night without making Dad a bit too curious for my tastes. His current willingness to turn a blind eye to my shenanigans would only go so far.
But there was still something I could do for kitty. “Cookies need milk,” I said as I crossed to the fridge and snagged the entire half gallon along with a shallow bowl from the pantry.
“Don’t you want glasses?” asked Dad.
“This is better for dipping,” I said confidently. “Thanks!”
With that, I bounded up the stairs as fast as I could, given how much I was carrying. But before I could tell Zoey about all the goodies I’d gotten for us, she ran to meet me at the door, eyes wide and skin pale.
“What’s wrong?” I shoved everything onto the bed and ran back to Zoey at the door. She’d wrapped the little kitten—who we’d both agreed to call Spook—in a towel with just his little nose peeking out.
“Look at this,” she said as she pushed the bundle toward me.
Spook let out a weak meow as I took him in my arms. “What am I—” I drew short. There were spots of something reddish brown on the towel. “Is that…?”
“I think it’s blood,” said Zoey, confirming what was in my head.
I gasped and stroked the kitty’s forehead with my fingertips. “He didn’t seem hurt when we found him. Only a little weak.”
“That’s the kicker,” Zoey responded in a whisper. “I don’t think it’s his.”
Chapter Three
I woke up early the next morning, eager to check in with my
new best fur friend. I couldn’t wait to hug Spook hello and then spend the entire day coddling and spoiling him. What a perfect Halloween present! So much better than any party.
But he wasn’t pressed against my side under the covers like he’d been when we fell asleep. I bolted up in bed and scanned the room with sleepy eyes.
Aaaaaaah! At the last minute I had the foresight to keep that scream inside my head rather than letting it loose into the house and raising my parents’ suspicions.
The door swung opened and I practically jumped out of my skin, but it was just Zoey. “There are jack-o-lantern pancakes downstairs,” she chirped, wiggling her hips with glee.
I closed my eyes and opened them again, but nope. I was not imagining what I’d seen sleeping on the floor beside my bed. Not my tiny kitty, but rather a giant panther.
I pointed to the great cat, then to Zoey, then to the cat again. “Am I seeing things or has Spook grown exponentially overnight?”
Zoey rolled her eyes. “Nice try,” she said with a laugh. “Playing with your glamour a bit to give my Zia a playmate. How sweet.”
“Noooooooo,” I said barely above a whisper. “I did not do this.”
Zoey’s smile faded, but she looked more confused than horrified. “So Spook’s a little bit magic, too. Big deal. Just magic her back to normal size and come eat pancakes with me.”
At the moment the oversized feline blocked my only path out of bed unless I could somehow disassemble my oversized headboard or punch a hole through the wall. “It’s a he,” I whispered, afraid to move and wake the beast.
Spook stretched up and rubbed his head against the mattress. His eyes were still closed, but he clearly wasn’t asleep. Which meant he’d made a conscious choice not to rip our faces off. This was a good sign. This was progress.
“Okay. First thing’s first,” I said, keeping my voice steady and monotone. “We need to get Spook out of the house.”