I put my pendant around my neck, making me look like a Dinaurian. I look at my reflection the mirror and smile, knowing everyone's going to love how realistic my "costume" is.
"C'mon Red!" Todd calls from the hallway. "We gotta get going! The rest of the gang is waiting for us!"
"Alright, alright!" I call, walking out of my bathroom, and through my room into the hall way. Todd's wearing his helmet, a white shirt, a tan archeologist's shirt over it and tan archeologist's shorts, a brown belt, and brown boots tightly laced up, while he holds a brown archeologist's backpack.
"Wow...is that he pendant you told me about?" Todd asks, point at the pendant around my neck.
"Yep!" I tell him, smiling. I have a bag that looks like a container the Dinaurians make, it being white with yellow lines and a single green, large dot. "You're is perfect! You already had the helmet!"
"Yup!" Todd says happily. "Now let's go!" We hurry down the hallway and down the stairs, then out the front door, to see Xavia's waiting for us. Her hair is in a spiky ponytail, she wears teal goggles with black tinted lenses, a dark teal over shirt, pale sea green shirt, dark teal finger less gloves that come to the middle of her forearms, a brown belt with pouches all around it, black cargo pants, and brown boots that come to the middle of her lower legs and are tightly laced. On her back is a black oval with a glassy looking, large light blue circle in the center, two glassy looking green cylinders that are rounded on the ends clip onto the black object under the blue circle, and clipped to the side is some kind of high-tech blaster that's black, glassy blue, and glassy green, with a grey tube attached to the end of the blaster, and then attaches to the black object on her back, up at the top.
"Cool costume!" I say, looking at her.
"Thanks man!" She tells me. "I'm a ghost hunter."
"Coooool..." Todd and I say in unison.
"Hello friends!" We all look to see Rupert walking towards us. He's wearing a velvet red cape, a white dress shirt, dark royal purple vest, black pants and fancy brown boots that come to his knees, while a leather satchel hangs at his side.
"I'm guessing you're prince charming, rich boy." Xavia says.
"Correct." Rupert tells her. "Ghost hunter?"
"Yup." Xavia says, nodding.
"I have to admit, I'm starting to get eager about Pauleen's, Joe's, and Sarisa's costumes." I say.
"Yeah." Todd says. "They just keep getting better and better!" I notice Xavia's snickering.
"What's funny?" I ask.
"I know what Joe's going as." She snickers.
"How?" Rupert asks. "He wouldn't tell us."
"He lost a bet." Xavia tells him. "I told him I could beat him in a staring contest, so, if I won, he'd have to go as whatever I told him to, and if he won, Sarisa would get to choose my costume."
"Why Sarisa?" Todd asks.
"Because." Xavia tells him. "She'd get me something really girly that would make people obsess over how adorable they think I am."
I'm sure Rupert wouldn't mind that. I think, hiding a snicker at the thought. "What's Sarisa going as?"
"I'm not sure..." Xavia says. She then smiles happily. "But I'm sure she'll look cute."
"She always looks cute." Todd says.
"True, but-"
"OOOOGA-BOOOOOGA!" Someone yells, jumping up out of nowhere making Todd, Rupert and I all jump back and let out yells of fear.
"Good one Pauleen." Xavia says, completely unfazed.
"Thanks, digadig!" Pauleen says. She's wearing a robe that looks like her grandfather's and come to her ankles, her feet are bare, she holds a staff that looks like her grandfather's in one hand, a brown leather bag in the other, and she has a black mask that has glowing, angry orange eyes, white teeth bared with long canines, and the cheeks are white with black streaks going down them. She lifts up her mask, allowing us to see her smiling face.
"That...scared me..." Todd pants.
"At least you get that feeling of adrenaline." I tell him sadly.
"Cool costumes though, digadig!" Pauleen tells us.
"Thank you..." Rupert tells her, his hand over his heart.
"You guys know what Joe's going as, digadig?" Pauleen asks.
"Xavia does." I tell her, all of us looking at Xavia who's snickering again.
"How, diga?" Pauleen asks.
"He lost a bet." Xavia snickers. "And I really enjoy the way it turned out!" Xavia says.
"I hate you." We all hear Joe say. We then all look, and burst out laughing. He's still wearing his cowboy hat, but he has on fur boots that go up to the middle of his lower legs, leather pants that stop at his knees, and a fur wrapped around his waist that stops at the middle of his upper legs, and a leather satchel with a fur pad over his shoulder.
That's it.
No shirt, allowing us to see his thick, muscled arms and chest.
"IT AIN'T FUNNY!" Joe yells, his face flushing red.
"YEAH, IT IS!" Xavia laughs.
"You had him be a CAVEMAN?!" Rupert asks.
"Yes...YES I DID!" Xavia says happily. "And I enjoy it too~!"
...That sounds...lecherous almost. I think.
"No, I am not lecherous." Xavia says. "I just enjoy making you miserable for my own enjoyment, Joe!"
"...I hate you..." Joe says again, while we keep laughing.
"You better not." Xavia tells him. "People who hate me are my enemies, and my enemies are always in the hospital."
"...Then I strongly dislike ya." Joe tells her.
"Aw, being in hospital wouldn't be THAT bad Joe!" Xavia tells him happily. "After all, Sarisa could nurse you back to health!" We all burst out laughing as Joe's face turns red.
Is it me, or is she enjoying this too much? I wonder as I laugh.
"Why do you hate me?" Joe asks.
"I don't hate you!" Xavia tells him. "After all, if I did, I could've gotten something a LOT more embarrassing!" She turns her back to him. "Now, let's go get Sarisa!"
"What could ya have gotten that'd be worse that this?!" Joe asks. Xavia looks over her shoulder at him, a sly, devious grin on her face.
"Oh, I dunno..." She says. "Maybe a Sheppardess costume?"
"..." Joe gets a look of horror on his face while we burst out laughing. "...Yer joking." Joe says.
"..." Xavia just cocks an eyebrow.
"...Would ya?!"
"Whelp, the night ain't gettin' any younger an' ye gotta lotta houses to go to!" Xavia says, looking forward and smiling happily. "Let's go get Sarisa!" She says, walking down the side walk.
"...I think she would Joe." I say. Joe hangs his head and grunts miserably, while we all start walking after Xavia, Joe trudging along. We stop at some houses along the way, getting some candy, then get to Sarisa's house. Xavia rings the door bell, and we all wait for a second before Sarisa opens the door. She's wearing a white nurse costume with a short turtle neck that covers the bottom half of her neck, is buttoned up over the middle of the right side of her torso, it stops at the middle of her upper legs, her hair is in two braids, she had a nurse hat on her head that has red cross on the front of it, and she has white dress shoes with red bows on the top.
"..." None of us says anything, but out of the corner of my eye, I notice Joe's eyes are wide and his face is deep red.
"...Well?" Sarisa asks, brushing her bangs aside, and smiling shyly.
"...It makes me wanna give you candy." Todd says happily. Sarisa laughs some.
"I told you guys she'd look cute." Xavia tells us happily.
"That's perfect for you, digadig!" Pauleen tells her.
"Thanks!" Sarisa tells her happily. "But, I'm just wondering one thing..." She looks at Joe. "THAT'S the costume Xavia made you wear?!" Joe face turns red, and he pulls his hat down over his face as we all start laughing.
"I told ya it'd make ya laugh!" Xavia laughs.
"Ya TOLD her?!" Joe exclaims.
"She told me I'd laugh and that's it." Sarisa tells him. "She ALSO told me about that staring contest..." Sarisa says, looking at Xavia.
"..." Xavia smiles awkwardly. "Yeah...That was a hologram."
"..." Joe looks at her with shock.
"Yes, you had a staring contest with a hologram." Xavia tells him. "I planned it."
"..." Joe's left lower eyelid twitches, and Xavia just smiles smugly.
"But, in the future, just remember that I can go without blinking for over thirty minutes."
"..." Joe just buries his face in his hands.
"Well, that aside, let's go get some more candy!" Xavia says, throwing her fist in the air and walking down the walkway.
"You really should've seen that one coming." Sarisa tells Joe. We all walk after Xavia, Todd, Rupert, Pauleen and I ready to get some more sweets.
After awhile...
"Man, we're doing good!" Todd says, looking in his back pack which is almost over flowing.
"Yeah!" I say, looking in mine. "Good thing we've got high metabolism, eh?"
"Indeed." Rupert says, looking in his satchel, and leaning back against a short brick wall around a yard.
"Honestly, my favorite part has been watching Joe trying to avoid fan women...and fail." Xavia says, sitting cross legged the brick wall. It's true. Joe had to run three times from rouge fan women when they saw him. Unfortunaly, Xavia won't let him go home to change out of his costume. He's managed to escape from them each time, but it's only a matter of time before they actually catch him.
"Speaking of Joe, here he comes, digadig." Pauleen says, pointing. We all look to see Joe walking over to us, panting.
"I...hate...this..." He pants, his hands on his knees.
"Aw, don't be so pessimistic Joe!" Xavia tells him happily.
"..." Joe just looks up at her.
"So, how many more houses?" Sarisa asks.
"Eh, I think that's it." Xavia tells her. "We moved pretty fast."
"Indeed." Rupert says, closing his satchel and standing up. "I just hope Father won't limit how much I can eat..."
"Heh heh!" I laugh. "Todd and I don't have to worry about that!" I say, putting my arm around Todd's shoulder.
"Yep!" Todd says happily.
"I wish we could diga-do this again, digadig." Pauleen says. "Then I could scare the three of you guys again, digadig!" Pauleen tells Todd, Rupert and I.
"And, I could find something else to put Joe in!" Xavia says happily.
"WHAT IS WITH YOU TWO AND TORMENTING US?!" Todd, Rupert, Joe and I all yell in unison.
"Because, you guys just have no idea how much fun it is." Xavia tells us.
"..." We hang our heads.
"They're just teasing." Sarisa tells us. "That's what friends do. They tease."
"Yeah..." Joe sighs. "But-"
"THERE HE IS!" A woman yells. We all look to the rouge fan women.
"Ya might wanna start running Joe." I tell him.
"THERE THEY ARE!" We hear a girl yell.
Eh? I think, looking to see an even larger group of fan girls.
"It's Red Broke!" A girl squeals.
"And Rupert Regiuuuuuus~!" Another girl squeals.
"Todd Monte..." A girl swoons.
"Well, since half of our group is being chased, all of us might as well run too." Xavia say, hopping off the brick wall.
"RUUUUUN!" Pauleen yells, all of us taking off.
"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" A fan girl yells, running after us along with the rouge fan women. We run, Xavia running ahead of us, then yelling back at us which way to go. We run out of the housing area, into the woods, and then come to a large, stone building which we run into. Xavia slams the giant doors, throwing a door bar down.
"Okay..." She says. "We're safe now."
"Why...do...they have to...exist?" Rupert asks, his hands on his knees while Todd and I are lying on our backs, Pauleen with her hands on her hips and her head leaning back, Joe sitting against the wall, and Sarisa leaning against one.
"They're...torment..." I pant.
"Well, I gotta...enough...torment ta...deal with..." Joe pants, looking at Xavia, who just smiles.
"Why...aren't you...panting?" Todd asks.
"High endurance." Xavia tells him.
"Pipsqueak?" We hear a voice ask. We all quickly look up to see a ghost with blonde hair and glowing brown eyes.
"JACOB?!" Todd and I exclaim in unison.
"You know him?" Rupert asks, straightening.
"He was in our house." Todd tells Rupert. I stand up, and look up at Jacob.
"How ya been?" I ask.
"The same." Jacob tells me. He then floats past me, and stops in front of Xavia. "Pipsqueak?"
"...What?" Xavia asks, confused.
"Pipsqueak." He says again, smiling. "You're still young."
"...OH!" Xavia says, realization appearing on her face. "No sir, I'm not who you think I am. I'm her descendant. She was my ancestor."
"..." Jacob peers at her. "...Ah...Aye, I see now." He looks at all of us, stopping as Sarisa. "..." He cocks his head. "Are you an angel?"
"N-no I'm not." Sarisa says, taking a step back.
"Ah..." He looks around at all of us again.
"Hey Jacob." Todd says, making Jacob look at him. "Why are you here?"
"On Hallows Eve, your world and mine grow so close that the line between them blurs, so I was able to return here." Jacob tells Todd.
"What're you doing here though?" I ask.
"What're YOU doing here?" He asks.
"We were running." Rupert tells him.
"From what?"
"Well, Joe was running from fan women while Red, Todd and I were running from fan girls." Rupert tells him.
"Makes sense." Jacob tells him. He then pats Rupert on the head. "Handsome lads, you are."
"Thank you." I say.
"Oh, while you're all here..." Jacob says. He flies upward, going through the ceiling. We all watch the spot where he disappeared, and then a second later, dozens of other ghosts including Isaac, Jennifer, Andrew, and Wendy.
"Zuh?" Pauleen asks, lifting her mask up and looking around.
"We fought in the rebellion." One of the ghosts says.
"These are my comrades." Jacobs tells us, floating down through the ceiling. "We were all at the Castle Downfall."
"I see what you did there." Xavia says.
"What?" I ask.
"'The Castle Downfall' is what they called it when they took over the castle according to my ancestors journal." Xavia tells me. "Not to mention it was a literal downfall since then fell into the ocean."
"Ah..." We all say in unison.
"But, there is one problem..." Jacob says. We all look at him.
"What?" Todd asks.
"There's a group of ghost bandits, and they're not very nice." He tells us. We then hear threatening sounds and ghostly moans from down a hallway to our left, and we look down it. The group of bandit ghosts are heading straight towards us.
"DIE MORTALS!" One of them yells. Xavia suddenly does a forward roll, coming up down on one knee, the blaster in her hands, and her goggles down over her eyes.
"NOT TODAY." She says in a commando voice. She then fires the blaster at the bandit ghost, sending a glassy green ray with lightning blue hoops around straight at the ghost, which is then sucked into the ray with a flash of light, and I notice one of the containers on the black pack like object on her back is glowing light blue.
"Wait...THAT THING WORKS?!" I exclaim, shocked.
"Yeah it does!" Xavia says, standing up, smiling and pushing up her goggles. "It's called the Ectocatcher! It's guaranteed to catch ghosts!"
"AWESOME!" Todd says.
"Uh...Ya might wanna use it...NOW!" Joe says, pointing at the ghost bandits that're heading straight for us.
"Uh...It's a prototype..." Xavia says. "It can only handle so many ghosts, so...yeah. RUUUUN!" She yells as we all bolt. I run down the hallway to the left, while everyone else runs different directions. Some of the ghosts come after me, so I run faster.
I WISH I HAD AN ECTOCATCHER RIGHT NOW! I think.
Meanwhile, with Rupert and Xavia...(Oh boy.)
Rupert and Xavia dash down a hall way, running as fast their legs would go while some of the bandit ghosts came after them.
"What do we do?!" Rupert asks, looking at Xavia.
"I have an idea!" Xavia tells him. She pulls out a glassy red disk, handing it to Rupert. "When I get down, throw this at them!"
"All right!" Rupert says, taking the disk. Xavia then spins around, facing the ghosts, gets in a firm stance, and holds her hand up in a 'stop' motion.
"HALT! FUS RO DA!" She yells. The ghosts all stop, and look at her with confusion.
"...WHAT?" They all ask. Xavia then jumps to the ground, using her arms to absorb the shock. Rupert throws the disk at the ghosts, it hitting the ground right in front of them. The ghosts all look at it, Xavia suddenly kicks her legs up making her flip forward, landing on one knee, her goggles down over her eyes and her blaster in hand. She fires the ray at the ghosts, sucking them into the Ectocatcher.
"BOO-YAH!" Xavia say triumphantly, jumping in the air and throwing her fist up .
"That was amazing!" Rupert says, amazed. "I didn't know you could do that!"
"Thanks man!" Xavia says, happily smiling. "Now, I just gotta pick up the Phantom Containers."
"...The what?" Rupert asks. Xavia holds up the glassy green container that was attached to the Ectocatcher. Rupert looks at the ground to see it littered with the containers. "..."
"Prototype. Remember?" Xavia says.
"Ah...yes..." Rupert says. "Well, let's pick them up." He says, picking some up.
Meanwhile, with Todd and Pauleen...(This should be good)
Todd and Pauleen run around a corner, coming to a dead end.
"We're dead!" Todd says, looking behind them to see the ghosts.
"Diga! Digadig!" Pauleen says, panicking.
"DIE MORTALS!" The ghosts say again.
"Pauleen, since this is the end, I gotta tell you something." Todd tells her, looking at Pauleen his face growing warm.
"D-diga...?" Pauleen asks, looking at him her face turning red.
"I-I..." Todd looks at her mask, and an idea comes into her mind. "I need your mask!" He says, pulling it off Pauleen's head. He quickly puts it on, then jumps at the ghosts. "OOOOGA-BOOOOGA!"
"GYAAAAH!" The ghosts shriek in terror, and fly away from Todd and Pauleen.
"I did it!" Todd says, jumping in the air.
"That's what you wanted to tell me, digadig?" Pauleen asks sadly.
"..." Todd turns back around to face her. "Well, since I've said those words and we're alive, I might as well."
"...Might as well what, digadig?" Pauleen asks, confused.
In response, Todd spins Pauleen around, dips her down, and kisses her lips.
...! Pauleen's eyes grow wide and her face flustered. D...D...D-Diga! DIGADIG! DIGADIGA! DIGA! She thinks, shocked. Todd pulls back, standing her up. He then smiles awkwardly.
"That's...want I wanted to tell you." He tells her awkwardly.
"..." Pauleen stands there shocked, then grabs his head and kisses him.
Meanwhile, with Joe and Sarisa...(Anyone notice something about the match-ups?)
Joe and Sarisa run down a hallway, the ghosts coming after them.
"What do we do?!" Sarisa asks.
"Uh..." Joe spots a wooden door. "In here!" He throws open the door, pulls Sarisa in, slams the door and pushes a crate against it.
"If they're ghosts, can't they just-"
"SHH!" Joe says, putting his hand over her mouth cutting her off. She nods, and he removes his hand.
"Where did they go?" The hear one of the ghosts ask. Sarisa puts her hands over mouth, her eyes wide. Joe makes a 'come here' motion with his hand, making Sarisa go over to him. Joe pulls her close and they get down on the ground in the corner.
"This way." They hear another one say. Joe and Sarisa sit there, waiting. Nothing happens.
"Okay..." Joe sighs, leaning his head against the wall.
He then realizes he's still holding Sarisa.
...! His face turns crimson. "S-S-S-Sar-risa...?" Sarisa lifts her head up off Joe's chest, looking at him
"S-Sorry." She says, smiling awkwardly. She sits up, her hand running down his chest. She quickly pulls her hand away. "S-Sorry..."
"..." Joe says, nothing but feels his face grow warmer. They hear a creak, and the floor under them suddenly gives way.
Joe blacks out.
Meanwhile, back with Red...(Skipping 'round a lot, eh?)
I run into a room, slamming the door and putting a chair up under the knob, making it so the door can't be opened. I lean against it, panting.
Ooh...This is insane... I think. I see some of the Free Caliostean ghosts in the room, surprisingly messing with a hand held stereo. "Where did you guys get THAT?" I ask, walking over. They look at me.
"We found it a few years ago." One of them tells me. "Ever since then, we've kept it here and listened to the small band inside it play."
"...Okay then..." I say. The stereo starts playing a song, and the ghosts all get ready to do some dance.
"Wanna join in?" One of them asks.
"Yes sir!" I say, smiling. "Thank you!" I get ready.
"Callin' all the monsters,
Callin' all the monsters,
Callin' all, Callin' all,
Callin' all the monsters.
Oh yea, aye!
Oh yea, aye!
Oh yea, aye!
Heart thumps and you jump,
Comin' down with Goosebumps!
You dared to go there,
I'm a, I'm a get you so scared!
We're wantin' to,
We're hauntin' you,
We're wantin' to,
EHH, EHH...
Y-You stayed in too late to be getting afraid,
This scene extreme...
I-I-I-I'm a get you so scared!
We're wantin' to,
We're hauntin' you,
We're wantin' to,
EHH, EHH...
Gonna get, your, body shakin'
Wishin' you, would, just awaken...
Here we go!
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
We're coming to getcha!
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
We're coming to getcha!
If, you're, only dreamin',
Why, I, hear you screamin'?
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
We're comin' to getcha!
We're comin' to getcha!
Callin' all the monsters,
Callin' all the monsters,
Callin' all, Callin' all,
Callin' all the monsters!
You hide, or you try...
Kiss tomorrow goodbye!
We thrill to your chill...
B-B-B-Buckin' for a freak-out!
We're wantin' to,
We're hauntin' you,
We're wantin' to!
Yeah,
EHH, EHH...
We might just bite underneath the moonlight!
More fun if you run!
I-I-I-I'm I'm already chasin'!
We're wantin' to,
We're hauntin' you,
We're wantin' to!
EHH, EHH...
Gonna get, your, body shakin'!
Wishin' you, would, just awaken!
Here we go!
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
We're comin' to getcha!
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
We're comin' to getcha!
If, you're, only dreamin',
Why, I, hear you screamin'?
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
We're comin' to getcha!
We're comin' to getcha!
Callin' all the monsters,
Callin' all the monsters,
Callin' all, Callin' all,
Callin' all the monsters!
Gonna paint it red, get inside your head, head, head...
Like a demon choir playing with fire, fire, fire...
Gonna get, your, body shakin',
Wishin' you, could, just awaken...
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
We're comin' to getcha!
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
We're comin' to getcha!
If, you're, only dreamin',
Why, I, hear you screamin'?
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance!
Comin' to getcha!
We're comin' to getcha!
Oh yea aye,
Oh yea aye,
Oh yea aye...
We're coming to get you!"
"..." None of us say anything, but stay how we ended dancing.
"...Does anyone find it strange that fog appeared in the room and wolves howled while we were dancing?" I ask. Everyone agrees.
Back with Rupert and Xavia...(The only no slash match-up left!)
"Alright! We got 'em all!" Xavia says, putting the last Phantom Container in the Ectocatcher.
"Do you find it strange that we heard people singing a song about monsters coming to get us while we got the rest?" Rupert asks, handing Xavia the glassy red disk.
"I thought it was kinda cool!" Xavia tells him, accepting the disk. "After all, it kinda added a mood, ya know? 'This scene extreme'?"
"True..." Rupert says, looking at the disk. "What is that by the way?"
"This is the Ghost Disk!" Xavia tells him. "It weakens them, so I was able to catch them."
"Ah..." Rupert says, understanding. Xavia snaps the Ghost Disk into place on the back of the Ectocatcher, to where it faced her back.
"All right! Let's find the others!" Xavia says, walking down the hallway. "There's no more danger of the ghost bandits now, so we should be a-okay!"
"Well, that's good to-" A net suddenly flies up from under Rupert and Xavia, making them hang in the air, trapped in the net.
"...Well." Xavia says. "Did NOT see that one coming."
"S-Sorry." Rupert stammers. He was uneasy being so close to Xavia.
"Eh, don't worry about it." Xavia tells him. "I can get us out! I always carry a knife with me." As evidence, Xavia pulls out a knife, the blade long and sharp.
"..." Rupert just looks at the blade, then back at Xavia. "Where do you need to cut?"
"In a place where we can easily slip out." Xavia tells him. "I've been caught in these before, so I know how to get out." She suddenly leans forward, making Rupert lean back, his face growing warm.
"Wh-what...?!"
"It's difficult to move around in these with multiple people, so this is really the only easy way." Xavia tells Rupert, her face about an inch away from his face, her thin, slender arms on either side of his neck as she begin to cut the rope with her knife. "Just be still. I don't wanna accidently nick ya with my knife."
"Th-That's f-fine..." Rupert stammers, his face warm with Xavia's so close. "T-take your time. Don't rush..." He couldn't take his eyes off her full, red lips. He strongly resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her and pull her closer. After a minute, Xavia sits back, putting her knife back in its holder on her belt.
"All right, you first." Xavia tells Rupert, who then slips out between the ropes, his feet safely getting him to the floor. Xavia climbs out after him, then stretches her arms above her head and cracks her neck. "Ya know rich boy..." Xavia starts, then looking at Rupert.
"For some reason, I get feeling that you enjoyed that."
"..." Rupert says nothing, but feels his face flush.
Back with Todd and Pauleen...(HERE we go...)
Todd's helmet sat on the floor next to him, while he sat leaning against the wall, Pauleen next to him. He had one arm around her while the other held her chin, and while Pauleen held Todd's head in her hands, running her fingers through his hair while they were kissing and their eyes were closed.
Back with Joe and Sarisa...(Let's see what happens~...)
"Joe?"
"...W...Wha...?" Joe asks, cracking open his eyes. He was sore, but nothing too major. He blinks away the blurriness in his eyes to see he was lying on the ground, one arm lying across his stomach, and one leg bent, so it stuck up in the air.
His face then turns crimson when he realizes his head rested on Sarisa's lap.
"You okay?" Sarisa asks, holding his head in her hands and bent over to where they looked each other in the eye.
"Uh...Y-Y-Y...Y-yeah...!" Joe stammers out. Sarisa just blinks, then smiles a small smile. Joe feels his insides melt at the sight of her smiling.
"Can I ask you something Joe?" Sarisa asks.
"Uh...C-Course...?" Joe asks, nervous.
"I was just wondering..." Sarisa says. She moves her head down some, to where there was just an inch of space between their faces. "Why do you always get so shy around me?" She whispers, twirling one of the locks of hair that hung down on either side of Joe's face around her index finger. Joe could smell her. She smelled nice and clean.
"I...W-well, I-I...Y-Ya just..." Joe takes a deep breath. "...I don't know."
"..." Sarisa blinks again, and smiles a bit more. "Well, I think it's cute." She tells him, making Joe's face get warmer and his eyes wider.
"..." He just blinks, speechless. Sarisa just smiles, and helps him sit up. "You should be able to walk it off." Sarisa tells him, still holding onto his arm. "Just don't do anything to extreme too fast. You could get stiff, and the soreness could worsen."
"..." Joe says nothing, but just sits and looks at Sarisa's eyes. How his heart always pounded so hard when he looked into them. Sarisa's hands go down to his wrist, to where her hands were on top of his. They were so soft and smooth. Joe suddenly feels something in the back of his mind yell at him, the yell from some unfamiliar instinct. He puts his other hand on the other side of Sarisa, and leans in, his heart starting to pound and his face grow warmer.
"What...?" Sarisa asks, her voice quiet as she leans back some, her eyes getting wider and a blush surfacing on her face.
"...Ya...Ya look real cute when ya blush..." Joe tells her, still leaning in some. Sarisa's blush deepens, and she leans towards Joe some.
They share tender, gentle kiss.
Back with...uh...(okay, who's turn is it...?)...Red...
I retrace my steps through the stone building, looking around as the Free Caliosteans float throughout the corridors, chatting, laughing, joking and telling stories. I finally come back to the room where we first entered, and lean against the wall, wondering if I should go find everyone else or just sit back and wait.
"Hey adventure boy!" I look up to see Xavia and Rupert walking into the room, Xavia smiling casually while Rupert's head is down, and with my enhanced vision I can see his face is flustered some.
"Hey guys!" I say, smiling. "What took ya so long?"
"Got caught in one'a those net traps." Xavia tells me. "I had to cut us out." I notice Rupert's face gets redder at the mention of the trap.
"Hm-Hmmmm...I see..." I say, my chin between my thumb and index finger, nodding.
"Hey guys!" We all look to see Todd and Pauleen walk in, Pauleen's mask up, allowing us to see her face, and Todd's helmet sitting crooked over his messy hair.
Hm... I mentally hum. I have a feeling that they were enjoying themselves... I think.
"You guys seen Joe or Sarisa?" Xavia asks. They shake their heads. "Alrighty, I'm gonna go look for 'em." Xavia says, walking towards one of the hallways.
"I'll come with you!" Rupert blurts, running to catch up to her.
"I got nothin' else to do." I say, walking after them.
"Let's go Todd!" Pauleen says as they hurry along with us. We walk through the building, and eventually come to a hallway with a door at the end, which Xavia opens.
Sitting there, leaning back against a crate, is Joe and Sarisa tenderly kissing with Joe having his hands on either side of Sarisa, his palms against the crate, while Sarisa has one hand on Joe's jaw, and the other over where his arm connects to his torso.
They open their eyes and quickly look at us, their eyes getting wide and their faces red. I notice Xavia's grip on the door tightens to the point where to old wood cracks some.
"Xavia, don't hurt him!" Sarisa quickly says. "We just got like this! He didn't pin me up against it or anything!"
"...FOR YOUR SAKE COWBOY..." Xavia forces out between grit teeth while her lips form a smile, yet her face is mad. "YOU BETTER BE GLAD SHE TOLD ME NOT TO HURT YOU..." Joe quickly jumps back away from Sarisa. "C'mon." Xavia says, helping Sarisa up. "Let's go. They walk past us out of the room, Xavia holding Sarisa's hand.
"Well, you heard the ghost catcher." I tell Joe, helping him up. "Let's go." We all walk after Xavia and Sarisa, who I can barely hear talking.
"Just don't hurt him." Sarisa tells Xavia. "He didn't force me to kiss him."
"I know, I know..." Xavia says sadly. "It's just...he'll want you all to himself, so I won't get to spend as much time with you."
"Don't worry." Sarisa tells Xavia, smiling. "You'll understand when you meet that special someone."
"..." Xavia says nothing. "...I'm sorry, but that's not possible."
"Why not?" Sarisa asks, looking at her.
"Because." Xavia tells her. "There's just no possible way."
"..." Sarisa says nothing, but looks back forward. We catch up to them, and exit the building. As we walk down the path back o the housing area, I look back at the stone structure, to see it shimmer, and fade to nothing.
"..." I say nothing, but look back forward and keep walking.
A few minutes later...
"SLEEP OVER!" I say, opening the door to The Base. Todd, Rupert and Joe follow me, ready to have a sleep over. We had all agreed the day before for us boys to have one here, and the girls have one a Xavia's house. I shut the door, then turn around to ask them what snacks they would like to eat, when Todd cuts me off.
"I KISSED HER!" He blurts out, his voice giddy with happiness.
"WHAT?!" Rupert, Joe and I all exclaim, looking at him.
"I kissed her!" Todd tells us again. "I kissed Pauleen!"
"How does it feel?" I ask.
"I COULD DIE WITH NO REGRET." Todd tells us. We laugh.
A few more minutes later...
"So THAT'S why your face was flustered!" I laugh, while Rupert sits on his sleeping bag in his pajamas like the rest of us, hugging his knees and his face red while Todd and Joe are laughing.
"Don't laugh at me!" Rupert says, embarrassed. "Joe and Todd have kissed the ones they love, but how would you feel if you were in my place with...um...whoever you love, Red?!" Rupert demands. I smile.
"I'd pull her close and give her a loooooong, loving kiss!" I tell him, smiling happily. Rupert sighs.
"You're braver than me then." He tells me sadly.
"Hey Joe!" Todd says. "Tell us your Romantic Halloween moment!"
"Alright." Joe says. He tells us about how he and Sarisa narrowly avoided the ghost bandits, how he blacked out when the floor gave way, waking up to find Sarisa holding his head, and him kissing her.
"You didn't even know, and yet you could kiss her..." Rupert says sadly.
"It seems to me that all you really want to do is kiss her, and you'd be a happy man." I tells Rupert.
"Well...!" Rupert's face turns red. "Todd! Tell us about Yours!"
"Sure!" Todd tells him happily. He tells us about how he and Pauleen were cornered, Todd about to tell Pauleen he loved her when he used her mask to scare them off, then kissed her since he already said the words 'I just want you to know that'.
"..." Rupert just falls back, his head landing on his pillow. "Why can you two do it, but not me...?"
"Aw, don't worry!" I tell him. "There's always next time!"
"It's gettin' late." Joe says. "Night y'all."
"Night." I say, getting up and turning off the lights while everyone else gets into their sleeping bags.
"Night!" Todd says happily.
"Good night..." Rupert says, still sad about not kissing Xavia. I get into my sleeping bag, and lay staring into the night.
This was the BEST Halloween of MY WHOLE LIFE... I think. I then mentally smile and laugh. We should all do this again next year! I again mentally laugh, then feel my stomach growl. I get up, quietly leave the room, then head down stairs into the kitchen. The house is dark, but I can see with my night vision, so I head over to the fridge, open it, and pull out a slice of chocolate pie, sticking the end in my mouth as I shut the door. I bite off the end, and as I turn, I can see straight out the window.
I stop in mid chew.
Standing there, right outside the front gate, is a tall, broad-shouldered person that's glowing.
They're wearing a dark royal purple robe with gold around the waist and edges, they have a midnight black cape that flaps in the wind some, and an object one their head that looks like some kind of crown.
They look over their shoulder, looking me straight in the eye.
Despite the fact their eyes are half lidded...
...I can see their cold, cruel, unforgiving ice blue eyes with reptilian slits for pupils.
The grin evilly some, showing teeth that're longer and sharper than they should be.
They look away from me, and walk forward, fading away into the night.
AN-WOOOoooOOOooo! Yeah. I had to make the ending like this since none of this is really 'scary'. But, it is romantic! Just something sweet to read while y'all are munchin' on your Halloween Candy.
So, as my treat to you guys, here's a Halloween Story!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD FRIGHT!