Chapter 44 - Halloween

“Holy cow,” Chanyeol whistles as the pack enters the school building. Ara can’t help staring in awe at the decorations – Mina has really outdone herself.

The hallways are dimly lit, some of the lights keep flickering, and there are spider webs everywhere on the lockers and the doors. Some of the walls have weird symbols painted on them in what seems to be fake blood, black skulls are hanging from the roof here and there, and the school in general seems like a haunted place.

“Oh, no,” Tao groans, and he’s clinging to Sehun’s arm, a scared frown on his face, and Sehun starts laughing, playfully shoving Tao against some of the skulls when they pass them. Tao’s almost on the verge of crying when the gang reaches the gym hall, and the decorations in there are even better. 

In addition to spider webs, skulls, skeletons, there is a fog machine hidden somewhere, producing an abundance of thick, white fog, creating an eerie atmosphere. The lights are changing with the bass, and the room is awfully cold.

Students are dancing and laughing, the bass is so heavy it drowns out all sounds, and Ara worriedly throws the boys a glance. But none of them seem bothered by the loud music, and before she knows it, all of them have dispersed in the crowd, enjoying themselves.

Someone is suddenly tapping her on the shoulder, and Ara turns around to find a grinning Mina.

“What do you think?” she shouts over the loud music, and Ara can barely make out the sound despite standing close to her, and so she has to rely on her lip-reading skills, a small frown on her face.

“It’s amazing! You’ve really done it, girl!” Mina grins and flicks her long, braided wig behind her shoulder, and then she grabs Ara’s hand and pull her closer to the throng of students, both of them slowly but surely loosening up.

Ara feels all her worries vanishing, and she barely pays any attention to the time as she grins, jumping and dancing along to the music.

Sehun has gained everyone’s attention some time during the night, and he is vigorously shaking his to a “Run the World” remix. Tao has completely forgotten about his fear off ghosts, and he’s laughing like a hyena, filming everything.

Baekhyun joins Sehun and then Chanyeol is there, his arm around the puppy’s neck, both jumping along to the music, and Kris and Suho grin as they join them. Ara has been laughing so hard she has to step away from the dancefloor and lean against the wall next to the refreshment table.

She chuckles when Xiumin and Lay start break dancing, and Kyungsoo reluctantly joins them. Luhan manages to squeeze out from between the students, and he’s panting, a wide grin on his face as he leans against the wall next to Ara.

His white coat is open now, and his shirt underneath is barely buttoned up, sweat shining on his pale chest. 

“Man, I miss high school,” he yells as he quickly leans forward to the snacks’ table and grabs a cup of punch, taking huge gulps from it. Ara smiles and shakes her head when Luhan offers her some.

“I’ll miss it too,” she says, thinking about the few remaining months until she graduates. Luhan sighs and slings his arm around her shoulders, and Ara grimaces when her face is pressed against his sweaty neck.

“At least we’ve got each other.” Luhan grins down at her and then winks. “Wanna join me for another round? Sehun has got to teach me those moves.” Ara grins but shakes her head.

“I’m going out for some fresh air, it’s too hot in here,” she says, and Luhan shrugs, grinning as he turns around and yells “Yo, yo, yo”, disappearing in the crowd. Ara sighs and pushes against the wall before leaving the loud hall.

There are a few students lingering about in the hallways, and despite being dressed in awfully scary costumes, Ara feels a little safe having them around. Mina has really done a good job with the decorations.

When she finally finds the exit and steps outside, she shudders, completely unprepared for the harsh coldness of the night. The moon is up, shining brightly in the dark sky, and Ara presses her cloak closer around her body, huffing out a cold breath.

Her purse is in her locker, so she can’t really check the time on her phone, but she’s more than sure it’s way past ten. She thinks about Kai and wonders what he’s up to, if he’s sleeping or if he’s reluctantly watching a Halloween movie.

“No, you listen to me.” Ara stops rubbing her arms, eyes widening at the harsh whisper. She’s standing right outside the school entrance, and to her right, a few feet away there’s a wall and then a small opening. 

The voice is coming from there, and it sounds awfully panicked. “I’ve searched every damn place in this stupid town, and there are no signs of her. Yes. What? No!... Sure, but you need to call me the second you’ve got something, ok? Fine, bye.”

Ara knows she shouldn’t be doing this alone, but she can’t help it, her curiosity taking over. Plus, the voice seems like it belongs to someone young, and the more Ara nears the wall, the more she can sense his magic. It’s pure, so he can’t be hostile. 

But Ara doesn’t trust too easily, and she mentally recites a limb-locking spell, just in case things get out of control. When she finally steps out into the small clearing, she takes in the sight of a young boy leaning tiredly against the wall, and he jumps when he senses her magic, eyes wide in panic.

“Oh no,” he gasps, and he stumbles away, hands held out in defence, and Ara frowns, her heart beating faster, because the boy is afraid of her. “Don’t come any closer!”

“Who are you? What are you doing on my territory?” 

It feels weird to say those words, but Ara is the Luna of the pack, and she has to remind herself that the territory is partly hers too. The boy gulps nervously, his eyes never ceasing to return to their normal size, and Ara feels guilty for causing him discomfort.

“I’m not here to cause any harm, please don’t hurt me,” the boy squeaks, and Ara frowns, taking a small step closer to which the boy responds with by taking a step backwards. “Please, don’t come close-“

“Why are you so afraid of me?” Ara interrupts, and she stops stepping closer to him when she notices there’s no more room for him, his body pressed against the brick wall behind him.

“Y-you’re the mage everyone’s been talking about,” he whispers, and Ara blinks in surprise.

“Everyone? Who knows about me? What do you mean?”

The boy has still got a panicked frown on his face, his body digging into the wall behind him, and Ara wants to pull him away from it before his skull gets smashed in because of the pressure, but she decides to stay still in case he actually does end up hurting himself.

“Witches, vampires, tricksters.” At the last word, Ara feels her shoulders tense up, and she frowns.

“Why are they talking about me?” Her heart starts beating faster when the boy gives her an incredulous look.

“You do realize you’re the most powerful mage in the country right now, right?” He gulps and then softly adds; “I didn’t ask for your permission to enter this territory because I was scared you’d treat me like you treated that trickster and beast.” He suddenly shudders and holds a shaking hand out. “I was here just for today, I was searching for someone but I didn’t find her, so I will leave immediately, like right now.”

“Wait, maybe we can help you,” Ara says, subconsciously stepping closer, and the boy squeezes his eyes shut, a grimace on his face.

Ara freezes, her heart beating hard in her chest, guilt and a little pride rushing through her veins. She feels sup