Chapter 8

Chapter 8


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I tap my foot under the desk in rhythm to the ticking of the clock. It seems to be moving slower and slower with every passing second. My eyes dart from the board, where Mr. Bryson is explaining the confusing, rare, and powerful charm of Reality Warping, to the clock. I try to pay attention, but between the Halloween dance tonight and Nate being MIA from today's Charms Basic's, I'm finding it very difficult. I haven't seen Nate all day in fact, he wasn't at breakfast and I haven't seen him in the hallways. I'm starting to get worried.

"So one recap before we leave. What can people with the charm Reality Warping do?" He pauses to wait for a few kids, mostly the braniacs, to raise their hands. "Charlie?"

A girl sitting in the middle of the class with orange hair with dyed yellow highlights, making her almost look like she's got flames flowing from her head, answers. "They can, well, warp reality in extreme ways. Creating things out of thin air that are as real as we are and making them disappear just as fast. An example would be, them making a room full of candy or money or making a copy of themselves. They are really powerful."

"Very good. Does anyone know what category they belong too?" I think to myself for a second before I realize to my surprise, I remember this question. So I shoot my hand into the air. "Elina?"

"Physics and Reality Manipulation." I respond confidently. Mr. Bryson smiles.

"Correct. Okay guys, one more question. Does anybody know how many of these charms there are, that have been accounted for?"

A boy near me in the back raises his hand. "Twenty-one?"

"Good! Now, you all don't have any homework for the weekend. I'll see you all at the dance tonight!" He yells the last part over the ringing of the bell, but by this time I've already gotten my stuff packed and am halfway out of my seat. I want to get down to the lunchroom as fast as possible to see if I can find Nate. 

To my dismay when I get down to the dinning hall I see no sign of my friend anywhere. I ask Kierra and she says she hasn't seen him either. I wait patiently for the others to get here to ask, but when they get here their answers are the same as Kierra's.

"I'm sure he's fine." Remi reassures me. "There have been days where he doesn't come out of his dorm, he hasn't done it since you got here though."

I shrug and start eating my food halfheartedly. Maybe he's sick or is pretending to be sick so he doesn't have to help with the decorations and go to the dance like I pulled him into. Throughout the lunch period I keep an eye out for him, but he doesn't show.

"Are any of you guys staying to help decorate?" I ask during the break in the conversation. They all shake their head.

"I was banned from helping after the incident that happened last year." Kierra scoffs.

"What happened last year?" I question.

She half smiles. "Let's say a lot of last years ornaments are no longer here due to the fact that they are now ash and charcoal. RIP Halloween decorations 1600's-2013." 

We all burst into laughs. I've heard a lot of "Kierra catching things on fire" stories since I got here. I think the best one yet is the one where she was trying to cook a ham they took from the kitchen one winter when the power was out and she caught everything on fire except the ham. Kierra and her other roommate at the time, who moved before the rest of them got here, had detention for two weeks, one for stealing the ham and another for catching the dorm on fire.

As lunch comes to an end I wave goodbye to Kierra, Remi, Tanya, and Macy as they go to get ready, Macy is getting ready at our dorm tonight. I watch as most of the cafeteria clears out, leaving only about a hundred of us. Still no sign of Nathaniel.

After a few minutes of small chatter a large amount of supplies comes flying through the door, followed by Ms. Woodhouse and another teacher that I don't have. Both of them having the charm of levitation, or something of that sort. I watch as they fly around the room and land on two of the dining tables in the center of the room. All things from ribbons, table cloths, fake webs, rubber bugs, black paper, orange, black, and white streamers, punch bowls and so much more. 

We all get up and start to gather around the table after watching them fly in awe. Once we make it to the table Mr. H follows us close behind and begins to explain what we need to do. What goes where, who does what, things like that. He assigns me to putting things up that need put up high and other sorts of stuff some of the other charms can't do. I smile as I realize that this will be a perfect time to practice channeling my emotions and to use my charm for something other than personal gain, which is what I've wanted all along.

"Wait, Elina." Mr. H stops me before I get too far away from the table. "It seems we are missing a few supplies, can you go get the fake skeletons out of the supply closet. Supply closet six to be exact. You know where that's at right?" 

I pull out and gesture to the school map that I still have to use sometimes. "Yep. Will do, Mr. H."

"Thank you!" He calls after me as I start towards the door and out down the hall. The supply closet I'm looking for isn't too far, about two hallways and a turn down. I open up the closet and flip on the light before walking inside, it's not too large. About seven by seven square feet. I notice this is where a lot of the Halloween supplies is. I find the skeletons fairly quickly, there is about four or five life size, plastic skeletons. I start laughing at the cheesy realization that they are skeletons in a closet. You know, like how people say there might be skeletons in their closet? Yeah, anyways...

I decide that I can't carry them all by hand, so I'm going to have to use my charm to help. I focus and push all my emotions to the back of my mind. Once I've successfully done so, I slowly pick up the five skeletons and lead them out of the supply closet. I grin proudly, wishing someone were here to see my success of not blowing them up. I lead them down the hall and back to the dinning hall carefully, trying not to let my excitement get the better of me. 

But that changes once I get inside the dinning hall and find that Nate is finally here. I'm able to just drop four of them, but one of the skeletons fly across the room and lands in front of a girl who was hanging up fake spider webs, scaring her and causing her to scream. I cringe and wave in apologies. After recovering she gives me an "it's okay" type of smile. I sit the other ones on a table and make my way towards Nate, who is trying to assemble some cardboard cut outs, but having difficulties due to his gloves.

I walk up behind him, and after coating my hands in energy like I did several nights ago, I cover his eyes with my hands from behind. "Guess who!" I can feel his cheeks lift up in a smile. I can feel some of his emotions, happiness, nervousness, and... affection?

He loves it when I do this. I can never do it for long before my energy weakens and the "coating of energy" leaves, but I try to do it every now and then. I'm still determined to get him to where he can control his powers, but this will have to  be enough for now. I couldn't imagine being in his place, it would be unbearable. 

"Um, let me guess. She has black hair, brown eyes, is incredibly normal and human..." He jokes.

"Oh shut up." I move to in front of him and start to help him with the cardboard cut out, that is of Victor from the Corpse Bride. "Where have you been all day?"

He shrugs nonchalantly, but some what guiltily. "Um, I just overslept somehow. Alarm didn't go off." 

"For seven hours?" I raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't sleep much last night." He explains, but for some reason I still have a feeling of doubt.

"Well I'm just glad you aren't sick or anything." I sigh with a smile. "Well, I have to go throw some streamers through the air and put spider webs on the chandeliers that we never use."

"Okay, I'll come to help in a bit. I can't do much but I can hand you things I guess."

"Great." I smile and take off towards the supply table. I grab up a roll orange, black and white streamers. I take the ends and tie them together before using my charm to weave them through the high rafters. I then tangle some spider webs along the heavily dusted chandeliers. I look to my side and see Lucas with some cut out bats. I watch him curiously. Then, to my amazement, he covers the paper with his hand and lifts it up to reveal a three denominational paper bat that then proceeds to start flying around the room. I stare at it as it flies in between the streamers and then swoops down to almost floor level. Unable to stop, I watch him make a few others. This is definitely an amazing way to spend your first, real Halloween.

I did go trick or treating once when I was eight, before my parents decided to keep me at home at all times. I got around to a few houses before one of the decorations scared me and I ended up blowing the bowl of candy out of the ladies hands and caught a tree on fire. I have never been able to catch anything on fire since, but regardless my parents made me stay home on Halloween and never let me watch scary movies after that. You think I would hate them for keeping me so isolated, but I am kind of glad they did so I didn't put that many people in danger.

Nate comes over after a bit to help me with some things. We try and decide where to put the skeletons and end up putting one hanging on a chandelier with the spider webs, one nailed to the wall, one standing next to the drinks with a cup in its hand, and one in a chair beside the DJ's with headphones and hands on the equipment. We are about to put the last one behind the bar as a bartender when I'm interrupted.

"Need any help?" I turn around to see Damian standing with his hands in his pockets. He smiles at me, but once he sees Nate it disappears and turns into almost a scowl. Nate nervously looks away.

"Um, I think we got it. Thank you though." I smile at him but he doesn't return it.

"Well, I have the charm of levitation so I could be lots of help. I don't see how he could be helping." I frown at him.

"Nate's helping just fine, we are done anyways." I finish putting the skeleton up and turn back towards Nate. "Come on Nate, I need some help with carving some more pumpkins." I move past Damian and towards the table with the pumpkins. Nate and I grab a few and sit down at a secluded, empty table. 

"What's his problem?" I hand Nate a knife.

"The same as everybody else's I guess." He stabs the knife into the top.

"Yeah but, no body else just walks up to you and starts acting like that towards you." I reply observably.

"I don't know, maybe he's just braver than the others." He shrugs. I look at him curiously as I get the feeling he knows something I don't. But I feel like that with everybody I guess, everyone here knows a lot more than I do. "Don't you need a knife?"

"I was actually going to try something." I smirk and start to push all my other emotions to the back of my mind. "Watch this." After all my emotions are focuses, I conjure up as much energy as I can and start to use it to cut into the pumpkin. Nate laughs.

"That's awesome!"

Excitement floods through me. "I didn't think I co--" But I'm cut short as the pumpkin explodes all over Nate and I, stringy insides and seeds stuck in our hair. Our mouths are both open in surprise at first until he bursts into laughter.

"Great going miss wizard!" He wipes some pumpkin off his face.

"I did not expect that to happen." I state bluntly before laughing myself.

"You have pumpkin, well... Everywhere." He gets up slowly. "I'll get us some napkins."

As he walks away I see a few more people staring at us, some giggling, some trying not to, and others with their hands over their mouths in surprise. After a moment they get over it and turn away. I grab another pumpkin as I wait for Nate and decide it best to use a knife instead and spare the lives of the pumpkins... Well, sort of anyways.

After a few more hours, Nate and I are completely cleaned off and the dinning hall is completely decorated. All the tables except for a few have been put up (which I helped with), and the ones that aren't are pushed against the walls for sitting on and eating, draped in Halloween themed table cloths and are decorated with things like skulls, spiders, and tiny ghosts. Those are the tables on the right, on the left side is where the food resides. There are things from Halloween themed snacks, blood punch with fake eyeballs floating around inside, and lots and lots of candy. There is also a chocolate fountain with various fruits and marshmallows to dip in it. The costume contest stage is set up right beside the DJ's table, which doesn't seem like a very good idea to me but oh well. The bar is in the very back of the dinning hall, restricted to students under eighteen, which I find strange. Apparently the Charmed Society thinks eighteen is the appropriate age to be drinking. There are large speakers, ten to be exact, set up around the hall for maximum sound. And there are some games in the corner, but there wasn't much work put into those because apparently not many people play them. All in all, it looks amazing in here with pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons, spiders, and bats flying around. I can't wait to see it when everything is lit up and the music is playing.

"Great job today everybody!" Mr. H informs us as we all gather around him in the middle. "You all did phenomenal work. Remember to show up around eleven tomorrow to help clean up, you can come earlier if you want. Don't worry about getting done before lunch, because with it being a Saturday we can have lunch whenever it's mostly cleaned. Okay, I'll see you all in a couple of hours. I can't wait to see all of your costumes. You're free to go!" As soon as he's done there is exciting chatter floating through the air as everybody heads towards their dorms to start getting ready. 

I hold up my hand for Nate to highfive. After getting notion he obliges. 

"Oh, I can't wait!" I jump up a little bit. "This is going to be great."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm pretty bloody excited as well." I start giggling at him.

"What?"

"I love it when you talk British." He rolls his eyes and shoves me playfully. 

Once we get to my floor on the lift we say goodbye and part, me towards my dorm and him towards his. I walk inside my own dorm and realize instantly that it's chaos in here. All of them are running around frantically while getting ready, well except for Remi who is already ready in her Alice in Wonderland costume and is sitting on the couch reading. Tanya is still in a towel and her hair is dripping wet, Macy is frantically putting on makeup and Kierra is running around trying to find her makeup. She is still in a tank and leggings.

"You better start getting ready," Remi informs me. "if it takes you two hours that is. That's why I got ready hours ago instead of watching TV to put it off." I nod and head towards the bedroom to grab my outfit. I take it with me into the bathroom and start to shower because I still smell like pumpkin.

After an hour and a half I have on my dress, red yarn wig, blue leggings and makeup that consists of my entire face and arms painted blue with stitch like drawings on them, and my dark red lipstick. I look at myself in the bathroom mirror and smile. I walk out and the first thing I see is Kierra in her costume, which I haven't seen yet. She's wearing an orange dress with streaks of different shades of yellow and red, her makeup looks like she has flames coming from her eyes and her lipstick is dark red. Her hair in a pony tail. She basically looks like fire.

"You have got to be kidding me." I laugh, ending with a scoff. She twirls around.

"Isn't it amazing."

"I love it!"

"I really love yours too, I can't wait to see what you and Nate look like together." She smiles with a subconscious hint that I decide to ignore. "I guess we won't be leaving until Tanya is ready though, she still can't find her leggings."

"I was actually wondering if I could go ahead and meet Nate up in his dorm." I say, grabbing my over the shoulder purse. "Just in case, you know, he needs help with his makeup or something."

Kierra sighs. "Alright. Be careful."

"As always." I respond, closing the door behind me. I make my way to the lift and ride it to the top floor. I get out and stumble my way to Nate's dorm and knock on the door. I get a muffled response.

"Um-- Uh-- Come in!" I turn the door knob and walk in, but I have to cover my mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter. I see Nate on the floor, trying desperately to zip up the back of his costume.

"I think I need a little help."

I sigh with a smile and walk over to help him up and zip up the back of his costume. "Glad I made the right choice to come then."

"Thank God. How's my makeup?" He turns around so I can see his face is covered in white and he has drawn on black circles around his eyes and black lines to make up the mouth of Jack Skellington.

"Amazing."

"Your's is pretty amazing too." He smiles. "Ready?"

"Ready Freddy." I quote him from yesterday and we leave the dorm.


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Author's Note

Thanks for reading and thanks for all the feedback! Every little review helps.