Chapter Eight: The Miracle of All Hallow's Eve

            “Aggghhhh!” shrieked an unsuspecting girl as a two thousand pound lizard dropped from the ceiling, blocking her path.  The girl skittered away rapidly, her screams echoing down the dark hall.

            Tank sniggered to himself.  Terrorizing patrons was almost too easy tonight.  God he loved Halloween.

            Stephenie was having equal success.  Every time she leapt around the corner, customers screamed in horror and reeled at the sight of her daunting Krogan costume.

            Grinning evilly to herself, Hilary returned from frightening a group of seemingly stalwart boys.  Her costume was deceptively clever.  Dressed as a normal human, she appeared to be nothing but a regular spectator attending the haunted house.  But as she slowly strode down the strobe-lit hall, she would turn and rush at the patrons behind her, exposing a mangled and bloody face while screaming as shrill as a banshee.  On a few occasions, she even saw patrons wet themselves.

            The Crabcats could not have wished for a better night to end their time with Mass Defect.  The customers reached new notes with their high-pitched screams, and their startled jumps nearly put Olympic athletes to shame. 

It was a phenomenal evening, but alas, the scaring had finally come to a bitter-sweet end.  It was all over; the haunted house enthusiasts had all gone home.  All that remained now was to take down the haunted house one decoration at a time.

            The Crabcats cleaned for several hours before convening on the final box, unloading their laden arms with the last of the decorations.

            “I swear everyone was freakishly skittish tonight,” Jessica remarked as she dumped the very last load into the box.

            “I noticed the same thing,” Holly agreed.  “There was something different about tonight.  It was almost as if…”  She left her sentence unfinished, distracted by a peculiar noise humming in her ears.

“Does anyone hear that humming?” she suddenly asked.  She looked around her and found a strange, blue machine sitting on one of the boxes.  It looked like a perpetual motion machine with a small circle spinning inside a larger one.  “What is this thing?”

“My teeth feel like they’re vibrating,” Jessica complained as she and the Crabcats approached the strange object.

“I can hear something too,” Hilary added, looking at the device quizzically.

“I don’t hear anything,” Stephenie and Tank said in unison.  Some couples may complete each other’s sentences, but Tank and Steph had a gift for saying the very same thing.

“I definitely hear a buzzing,” Holly continued.  “It’s got to be from that weird machine.”

Tank examined the device more closely.  “This doesn’t look like an ordinary gyroscope.” He bent down to get a better look.  “There’s definitely something bizarre about it,” he said, pointing to the strangely glowing blue center.

As the tip of his finger reached the glimmering center, brilliant blue light poured over him, instantly enveloping him and his friends.

            On that sacred day of All Hallow’s Eve, through the magic of Halloween and the power of that peculiar device, a bone-fide Halloween miracle was wrought.  Holly, Jessica, Hilary, Stephenie, and Tank were instantly whisked into a parallel universe far, far away.  At that precise moment, a massive effect had occurred that would change their lives forever.

***

            “Where the hell are we?” Jessica shouted, blinking her eyes from the brightness of the flash.

            Holly looked around her, dazed, attempting to get her bearings.  “We seem to be on some kind of space ship.”

            Then she heard a soul-piercing scream. 

“What happened to me?” Stephenie yelled.  “I’m…I’m… a lizard!”

            “Holy mother of Cthulu!”  Tank shouted, awe filling his voice.  “I’ve got scales too!”  He pounded across the spaceship in search of a mirror to obtain a better look.

            The rest of the group stood gawking at their surroundings.  They were inside a large cockpit, monitors and controls on a silver dashboard in front of them.  Three large chairs were positioned around the dash with a small plaque positioned near the ceiling.  It bore the name “NorWomandy.”        

After absorbing their strange new surroundings, the crew looked at each other.  A few gasped.

            “Umm, Jess,” Stephenie croaked in her reptilian voice.  “You should take a look at yourself.”

            “What? Why?  Is something wrong?”  She started panicked.

Just then Tank returned with a large round mirror in his clawed hand.  He reluctantly handed the mirror to Jessica, knowing she would not be pleased.

“Oh my god!  My hair!  What happened to my perfectly-styled hair?” she shrieked.  “What are these?  Tentacles?  On my head?!”  Jess screamed, and screamed again before taking in a deep breath.  “I’m some kind of… squid monster!”

            “With blue skin,” Tank noted.

            “Not helping!” Jessica bellowed angrily.  She took another petrified look in the mirror.  “I’m hideous!  There must be something wrong with this mirror.  Tank, where did you get this?”

            “I ripped it out of the wall from the bathroom,” he responded matter-of-factly.  “It’s a normal mirror.”

            Jessica glared at him icily.  It couldn’t be true!

            The group took turns looking at themselves in the mirror and then at each other.  They could not believe their eyes were truly relaying the absurdity they saw before them.

            Jessica finally broke the silence.  “How come nothing happened to you two?” she accused Holly and Hilary angrily.  “You look the same, except you have some kind of futuristic haircut.”  She pointed to Holly’s hair.

            Holly had noticed this fact earlier.  While her A-line cut was more stream-lined, she, for the most part, remained unchanged.  The same was true of Hilary, whose only difference was that her blonde hair was now stylishly pulled up into a sleek bun.

            “What are these suits we have on?” Hilary asked, hoping to change the direction of the conversation.

            “Armor,” Tank responded.  “Mine looks nearly identical to the costume I wore.”

            “Same here,” Stephenie added.  “My face even looks like the mask I was wearing.”

            “This is going to sound weird,” Tank began, “but you look hot.”

            If lizards could blush, Stephenie’s cheeks would have turned a rosy color.  But to her delight, she could now feel embarrassed and no one need ever know.  “You too,” she replied softly.

            “That’s enough sappiness from you two love lizards,” Jessica ordered, retching a little inside.  “We’ve got to figure out how to undo this and get back home.  I refuse to look like Medusa for the rest of my life!”

            Before she could continue her angry tirade, an alarm sounded inside the ship.  They turned to face a large monitor flashing the words, “Distress Call.”

            “Distress call?” Tank wondered.  “Who could need help from us?”

            “We might as well answer,” Holly suggested.

            “Are you kidding me, Holly?” Jessica thundered.  “We’re the ones in distress here!”

            But Holly was already reading the details the computer monitor provided.  It was an automated distress call—text only.  It said a ship required immediate assistance and then provided the coordinates.

            “They need our help,” Holly told Jessica.  “We can’t just let them die!”

            “Yes we can!” Jessica retorted.

            “Well, we’re not going to,” Holly told her stubbornly.   “Tank, help me fly this thing.”

            Tank leapt to the other side of Holly and began poking around the controls.  “This interface is surprisingly simple,” he said approvingly.  “It’s touchscreen, and fully automated.”

            “Can you fly us to their coordinates?” Holly asked hopefully.

            “I think so,” Tank answered.  “If I push this button here…and then select these coordinates…”

            The ship lurched for just a moment before the inertial stabilizers kicked in.  The stars whizzed past the cockpit’s clear windshield until they could see nothing at all, a clear indication they were now traveling at FTL (faster than light) speed.

            Holly’s stomach twisted with anxiety.  Who they were rushing to rescue, she could not say.  The only thing the newly transformed friends knew for certain was that wherever they were headed, they were on their way.

Chapter Seven: Crabcats

            Earth circled the Sun twice.  In those two years, the friends won a myriad of competitions, including, but not limited to, contests for Halloween and Christmas, Monster Massive, Comicon, PAX, PAX East, Nerd Prom, the Renaissance Faire, Easter Extravaganza, and—of course—the revered Flag Day Frolic carnival.  The small band of friends was making a name for themselves.  The team was even able to collaborate with several businesses, such as MansCraft Tools, on worthwhile projects that promoted not only the business, but the team’s skills as well.

The group was most proud, however, of the recognition they received from WioBare, the founders of Mass Defect, for their true-to-life costumes they made specifically for the haunted house.  Because the costumes were so exceptional, WioBare asked the friends to assist in several of their promotional projects.  That gesture alone proved the group to be leaders in the costuming industry.

            Despite their relative stardom, money was still an issue.  There simply was not much money in amateur costuming.  They needed to grow beyond that in order to make costuming a lucrative and thus viable career.

Time had affected more than just the friends’ costuming lives.  Hilary and Dave, still happily married, were now discussing the possibility of children.  Graham asked Jessica to marry him, to which she joyfully answered yes, and Tank had finally surrendered to Stephenie’s charms, the two currently enjoying a solid, devoted relationship. 

As for Holly, well, love was as elusive for her as trying to find military strength Bondo in uptight California.

All the awards, recognition, and success had come at a price, however.  They were constantly laboring on projects, entering new contests, performing tutorials and panels, and trying to discover innovative ways to create superior costumes for Mass Defect.  In short, after two years of endless toil, the crew was well-nigh worn out. 

It was the night before Halloween, and all throughout Holly’s apartment the team was laboring furiously on a client’s commission.  In order to complete the furry costume on time, the entire team had stayed up for two days without sleep.  When they finally finished, Holly suggested a sleepover.  Besides everyone being too tired to drive home, tomorrow would be their last night working at Mass Defect together.  A night to celebrate, and experience some much needed shore leave, was definitely in order. 

In Holly’s living room, the friends attempted to play a movie but found no one was willing to get off the couch to put the actual movie in the DVD player.  So instead, they lay where they were and talked dreamily with each other.

“What do you mean we're just monkeys banging rocks together?” Jessica asked puzzled.

“You know,” Holly said defensively and clacked her hands together to show what she meant.

Jessica stared at her blankly.

“Leave me alone,” Holly grunted.  “I’m feeling crabby.”

“What?” Jessica asked not completely hearing Holly.  “You’re feeling catty?”

“No, crabby.  Like grouchy.”

“Oh, I thought you said catty.  I was like, ‘What?’”

            “I’m feeling crabby and catty.” Holly laughed tiredly, still a little delirious from the lack of sleep.  “Crabcatty!”

            “What the hell?  Crabcatty?” Tank repeated good-naturedly.  Of the five, his mind remained the most coherent.

            “Crabcaaaaaaaat,” Holly and Jessica yelled in unison, their sleep-deprived minds completely in tune with each other.

            Soon the others joined in, laughing hysterically and chanting the strange word together as only close friends with a limited amount of sleep can do.

            “I just wish we could take it all to the next level,” Holly wistfully admitted once the laughing had subsided.  She sighed to herself as her imagination showed her newer and grander adventures.

            “Yeah, like getting paid to make costumes full-time,” Stephenie added, having caught the vision.

            “I want to make costumes for movies,” Jessica proclaimed, continuing the vision even further as she chomped on her pineapple flavored gum.

            “Totally,” Hilary chimed, the dream sparkling in her bright eyes.

            Tank grunted dreamily in agreement.

            “One day…” Holly said, her voice trailing off before renewing in strength.  “Our lives will be like a fantasy novel—like science fiction!”

The friends grinned and laughed as they pictured Holly’s words.

Today, reality rocked.  Maybe it was all the awards and hard work, perhaps it was the amazing friendships, or possibly even the sleep deprivation, but tonight—this night—they knew their dreams were possible. 

One day.

Weariness and exhaustion finally got the better of the group, and the Crabcats slowly lay themselves down to sleep.  After running three solid years, tomorrow night would be their last night working at Mass Defect.  It was the last time the award-winning haunted house would exist before finally being shut down, forever.

Chapter Six: Winners and Losers

            The crowd screamed noisily as they watched the colossal Lady of Pain pursue Jessica’s every movement on stage.  The music had been queued perfectly, and there were no malfunctions with either of their costumes.  When Holly and Jessica finished their skit and walked offstage, the crowd was still yelling and shouting excitedly.  Holly stepped out of her costume, and she and Jessica beamed at each other ecstatically.  They were exhilarated.  The performance went flawlessly.

Using the ladder they had brought backstage, Holly and Jessica began to disassemble the Lady of Pain.  As they separated her into her three pieces, Holly realized the pieces were also like the Lady’s multiple names.  Besides being known as the Lady of Pain, she was also known as Her Serenity, and the Bladed Queen—three names and three pieces.  Fitting, she thought, as she and Jessica carried the costume to the Normandy.

Placing the ladder and costume in the Normandy and locking the doors, the two girls eagerly returned to the arena.  There were still a few more costumes to be judged, and shortly afterwards the winners would be announced.

Since there were a few minutes to kill, Holly decided to covertly search for Jack.  She hoped to speak to him again before everyone started leaving.

            Weaving her way through the crowd, she eventually saw the back of Jack’s green Spartan armor.  Moving closer, she noticed he was in mid-conversation with an attractive blond girl dressed as a sexy Pikachu.

            Her curiosity craving satisfaction, she inched closer to get a better look.  It was too loud to hear what they were saying, but she didn’t need to hear.  It was obvious by the way she smiled and touched her hair that Jack was telling the girl sweet somethings.  She continued to giggle and blissfully absorbed whatever comments he made.  Then, they kissed.  W. T. F?

            A hot rage flushed Holly’s face.  Whether her face changed red from embarrassment or fury, she wasn’t sure.  But she was sure of one thing—she wanted to get the hell out of there.

            Hurt and upset, she slipped back into the crowd before she could be noticed.

            “There you are,” Jessica exclaimed as Holly returned.  “I was wondering where you ran off.  They’re about to announce the results!”  Jessica turned toward the stage, the anticipation preventing her from noticing the pain still lingering on Holly’s face.

            “Attention everyone!” said a loud voice crackling through large speakers.  A man looking very official stood behind a podium on stage, speaking into the microphone.  “We had a great competition tonight, and you all deserve a big hand.”  He clapped his hands and the room joined him, filling the air with a booming round of applause.

            “Let’s get right to it.  There are four awards tonight.  We’re giving out first, second, and third place for Best Workmanship, along with a special award judged by the Costume Designers Guild for their official pick.”

            The announcer cleared his throat.  “Is everybody ready?”  Shouts and clapping thundered throughout the arena.  The official proceeded to open a sealed envelope.  “Our Third Place winner is…Jack Pettycock with his striking Halo Spartan costume!”

            Holly’s eyes flared with anger.  Jack.  She pushed her personal feelings aside and clapped with the rest of the audience.  The applause then died as quickly as it started.  Everyone was eager to hear the second place winner.

            “Second Place goes to…Henrietta Cheng for her breathtaking interpretation of Nanael!”

            The audience clapped louder this time, but it too quickly faded away.  Many people crossed their fingers and held their breath.  Who would win first place?

            “And our First Place winner of Best Workmanship, and also the winner of the prestigious Costume Designers Guild Award goes to…the exquisite our Lady of Pain creators, Holly Radcon and Jessica Zanmeri!”

            The crowd erupted into deafening shouts and screams.  The Lady of Pain was no doubt the audience’s favorite, despite a few disappointed looks from some of the other contestants.

            “If our winners would please join me on stage and receive their awards,” the announcer said loudly into the microphone.

The thunderous clapping continued as Holly and Jessica happily received their trophies, one for first place in workmanship, and the other for winning the esteemed Costume Designer’s Guild Award.

            Proudly wielding their gleaming trophies, the two friends walked elated off stage.

            “Congratulations!” said a familiar voice behind Holly.  She turned and saw Jack grinning at her.  She suppressed the urge to snarl.

“You won first place!” he congratulated her.  “I knew your costume was great.  And apparently everyone else thinks so!”

“Thanks,” Holly said flatly.

“You even got the Costume Designers Guild Award—no small feat!  You know, Holly, you’re really something.”

Holly stared at him, her expressionless face matching that of the Bladed Queen’s.

 Undismayed, Jack continued.  “Who could have guessed your stunning beauty would be outmatched only by your amazing cosplay talents?”

            Holly’s eyes narrowed.  Normally such a remark would be high praise.  She wanted to believe him, but she knew better.  Jack thought he was so smooth.  But he was unaware he was actually digging his own grave. 

            “You are rare,” he continued, moving closer.  “I haven’t been interested in someone for a long time.  Well, until I met you, that is.”  He slid even closer, close enough that if he chose to, he could kiss her.  “I don’t know about the whole ‘pain’ part, but you are definitely an enchanting lady.”

            Holly snapped.  “I’ve had enough of your disingenuous assertions!”

“W-What are you talking about?” Jack stammered, attempting to remain cool.

She would have punched him, but Tank was instantly at her side.  He folded his arms and glared irritably at Jack.  Tank was not a small man; he was named appropriately.  While it is true girls named Chastity are anything but chaste, such was not the scenario for Tank.  Tank lived up to his name.

“Leave,” Tank ordered, his voice deadly firm.

Jack opened his mouth as if to say more, but Tank’s fierce stare caused him to think better of it.  Turning around suddenly, he bolted.

“Thanks, Tank,” Holly muttered quietly, hoping he could not see the disappointment in her eyes.

Tank nodded silently.

“I guess we should go,” she commented sighing.  “No reason to stick around.”

 In an uncharacteristic display of fondness, Tank patted one of Holly’s shoulders in reassurance.  He said nothing, but stepped forward and led the way through the crowd.

They soon met up with Stephenie and Jessica, and Holly was shocked to see Graham with them.  He had come to surprise Jessica.  He congratulated his girlfriend on the win, and the two talked together excitedly.  Holly had never seen Jessica happier. 

Hilary had made it too.  She was absolutely thrilled by their victory.  She informed them her husband let her sneak away from handing out candy so she could catch their show.  But, she couldn’t stick around because she was returning home to spend the rest of her night sipping hot chocolate and watching movies with Dave. 

Holly was delighted to see Hilary and Graham and feel their support.  But as they all walked toward the exit, she gazed at her friends and realized something.  Hilary would soon be home snuggled next to her husband.  Jessica was spending the night at Graham’s.  And Stephenie and Tank had linked fingers and were now holding hands as they walked.

They all had someone.  Who did she have?  Suddenly, she felt very alone.

Her heart heavy, Holly pushed the arena door open and walked outside.  Why was it so difficult to meet decent, exciting boys?   Jack had seemed so great at first.  He was handsome, charismatic, and best of all, he was a fellow cosplayer.  But, being a cosplayer doesn’t make up for being a complete douche.

Still holding her two trophies, Holly made another realization.  A smirk began creeping slowly across her face.  It grew until she was grinning broadly in wicked delight.  Jack was a loser; and she totally kicked his ass in costuming tonight.

Chapter Five: Monster Massive

With Stephenie and Tank’s help, unloading was easy.  Now the two were mingling in the audience while Jessica and Holly waited backstage with the other contestants, all eager to unveil the costumes they created.

The place was packed, and Holly was reminded of the crowded lines at the Mass Defect haunted house.  Perhaps she would meet someone interesting tonight.  Hopefully someone cute.

It then donned on her she didn’t get one boy’s number from the haunted house.  Tank had effectively scared away all of her admirers when he fell from oblivion and landed in his terrifying Krogan costume.  Technically she got Tank’s number, but since he and Steph seemed to share a mutual interest in each other, he didn’t count.  What was the point of going to a haunted house if it didn’t yield any prospects? 

A jolt ripped through her shoulder as someone bumped into her.

“Pardon me,” said a voice.  It was a boy wearing green Halo Spartan armor.  He removed his helmet, revealing jet black hair and smoky eyes.  Well, well.

“Sorry, this helmet makes it hard to see,” he apologized smoothly.  “I’m Jack.  Is that your costume?”  He pointed to the enormous Lady of Pain.

“It is,” Holly replied.  Speaking of prospects, she thought to herself.

“I’m impressed.  I thought I had a shot at winning tonight, but after seeing your costume, I’m not so sure,” he said pleasantly and grinned at her.  Holly grinned back.  Damn right.

 “So…” she said, her nerves beginning to fire.  “You live around L.A?”

“Right in Glendale.”

Holly celebrated inwardly.  He lived nearby. 

“How long have you been making costumes?” he asked as he smoothed back his dark hair.

“Almost all my life.  My first costume was taping a pillow to my back and pretending to be a Koopa Troopa.”

Jack laughed.  Holly was glad he found her remark amusing.

They talked a while longer, discussing costumes they’d made, the various contests they’d entered, and how they spent their time when they weren’t costuming.  The two had a fair amount in common, and conversation came easily.

“Hey, I’ve gotta jet,” Jack suddenly announced, hearing his name called. “Wish me luck!”

“Good luck!” Holly told him.  “But I want first place!”

Jack laughed, replaced his helmet, and walked toward the stage.

“Gross,” Jessica said once he was out of ear shot.  “‘Hi, I’m Holly.  I think you’re great, Jack,’” she said in mock imitation.  “‘Hi, I’m Jack and I think you’re hot stuff, Hol.’  God, for a second there I thought I’d have to hide inside your costume to avoid feeling sick to my stomach.”

“Whatever,” Holly said, visibly annoyed.

“Ohhh, does somebody have a cruuush?  You wuv him, don’t you, Holly?”  teased Jessica, enjoying herself tremendously.

“Shut up!” was all Holly countered.  Jessica knew her too well.  Pretending she wasn’t interested would be pointless.  She was excited she met Jack.  Why deny it?

At that moment a girl approached them, putting an end to the mocking.

            “You’ll be on in ten minutes,” the polite young woman told Holly and Jessica.  Her brown hair was short and she wore dark-rimmed glasses.  Behind the glasses shone two brown, intelligent eyes.  Were it not for the playful lip ring, Holly would’ve assumed the refined young woman was some kind of physicist rather than a stage director.

“Ten minutes?  I have just enough time,” remarked Jessica.  “I’ll be back.”

Jessica walked away abruptly, leaving just Holly and the director.

“I love your costume,” she said, indicating the gigantic Lady of Pain.

“Thank you,” Holly replied.  “I’m Holly.  I take it you’re the director?”

“I am.  My name is Lizzy, Lizzy Maier,” she introduced herself.  “I tend to work behind the scenes, but I love my job.  I wish there were more costume contests in L.A.”

Holly smiled.  She had said the same thing herself on many occasions.

 “What the heck, Maier?” a stage manager bellowed in the distance.  “Send the next contestant!”

            “Right away!”  Lizzy yelled back, then turned to face Holly.  “I’ve got to work, but it was nice meeting you.  I hope to see you again sometime.”

            “Likewise,” Holly replied sincerely and watched Lizzy leave to send out the next competitor.  That meant she and Jessica were next. 

            Several minutes later Jessica returned.  “You have no idea how awkward it is to pee in this thing,” she declared, flapping her black robe about her.  “I should’ve gone before we got here.”

            Holly ignored her comment.  “Perfect timing, Jess. We’re up next.  Let’s get closer to the stage.”  She carefully stepped into her Lady of Pain costume and moved closer. 

“All set?” Jessica asked as they arrived.  Holly nodded before disappearing completely into the Lady’s robes.  Jessica gripped her staff anxiously, her eyes lingering on the Lady’s expressionless face.  It looked serene, displaying no indication of anything like nervousness or fear.  Taking a cue from the Lady, she steadied herself.  When the director called her name, she walked boldly onto the stage.

Chapter Four: The Lady of Halloween

Holly and Jessica ogled at Hilary’s wedding ring before saying goodbye.  The diamond was beautiful.  It was large, brilliantly cut, and it sparkled almost as much as Hilary’s eyes. 

The two walked quickly back to Jessica’s to finalize their plans for the day.  Monster Massive was tonight, on this most holy day of All Hallows’ Eve, and they had a costume contest to win.

“We need to put your makeup on in my garage,” Holly told Jessica. “And I’ll need your help loading my costume in the Normandy.”  She paused.  “Come to think of it, why did I come over here at all?  You should’ve met me at my apartment.”

Jessica shrugged.  “That would’ve been a better idea than you driving to my place for no reason.”

Holly and Jessica looked at each other bewildered.  Talk about an oversight.  Oh well, what’s done was done.

“I’ll call Stephenie and Tank and tell them to meet us at my place,” Holly said.  “Before I came over they offered to help us get ready for tonight.”

“That’s really cool of them,” Jessica acknowledged.  She was rarely impressed by others, but Tank’s and Stephenie’s apparent interest in helping them win the contest tonight was noteworthy.

The girls boarded the Normandy-SR2 and were soon pulling into Holly’s driveway.  Holly’s apartment was small, but it had the distinct advantage of offering her a garage where she could work safely.  A garage was crucial because not long ago, while mixing one of her wizardly concoctions inside her old, garage-less apartment, she had nearly killed her roommate.  The noxious fumes had almost killed her as well.  Greg got the worst of it, however, since Holly was at least wearing a white surgical mask.  The doctor informed them that if Greg had inhaled just a little more of the fumes, he would’ve needed a lung transplant.  In other words, he would’ve died.  It was at that point Holly decided to find a place with a garage, and it was at that point Greg decided to move out.

Unfortunately, the potion fiasco was not free from tragedy.  The cockatiel wasn’t so lucky.  Cheepers’ death would have normally been cause for great remorse since Holly was quite fond of avian life forms.  But the old bird was grouchy and bit frequently.  Holly had to ruefully admit it was nice being able to work without its incessant chirping as well.  Once she owned a mage tower, however, she would have plenty of room for a new and nicer bird. 

            Stephenie and Tank were already at the apartment quietly talking to each other by the garage.  Jessica and Holly parked the Normandy on the driveway and walked toward their friends.  Was it Holly’s imagination, or was Stephenie blushing?

            “Thanks for coming, guys,” Holly told them cheerfully.  Steph and Tank smiled and said hello.  Holly entered the code on the keypad next to the garage and it noisily opened.  “I’m so excited.  Let’s do this!”

            The crew walked into the garage and awaited orders.

            “We have a few hours until we have to leave,” Holly explained.  “It should be plenty of time.  Do we want to order some food while we work?  I know I’m hungry.”

“No argument here,” Tank told her.

“I’m in,” Steph added.

“What do we want?”

“I don’t want anything greasy,” Jessica blurted.  “I’m trying to maintain this awesome figure.”  As to her self-directed compliment, she was oblivious.

“What about Indian food?” suggested Tank.

The girls all agreed on Indian food.  Indian food was tasty, but not ridiculously tasty.  It wasn’t like they were going to binge on curry and naan and thus threaten their girly figures.

*

When the delivery boy arrived, Tank was surprised to see a delivery fee attached to the order.  Friggin' America—home of the fee.  He signed the receipt and began closing the door.  Before he could close it, the delivery boy forced the door back open.

“No tip?” he shouted brazenly.

“I’m sorry.  I do have a tip for you,” Tank told him politely.  “Stop charging a delivery fee!” With that, Tank slammed the door shut.  Unfazed, he walked back to the garage and laid the food out on the counter for everyone to partake. 

            Stephenie had painted most of Jessica’s face an eerie black and white, giving her a very witchy appearance.  Jessica wore a cowled black robe to add to the witch effect.  To top the look off, in her hand she clutched a large wooden staff with black feathers on the top that spurted out on either side.

The witch’s costume, however, was only a minor part in the production.  The real costume, the one Holly hoped would win tonight, was an enormous recreation of the Lady of Pain.  The Lady of Pain stood over nine feet tall, her head an impressive display of intricately carved metal completely surrounded by a mantle of golden blades.  The Lady’s hands were ominously concealed inside a black and crimson robe which covered her entire body.  Magical gold chains and trinkets dangled from her robe, their purpose clearly more than mere decoration.

The idea for such an imposing costume came to Holly while working on a commission for a large Meeting Stone.  From that project she understood a real American value—bigger is better.  And since the Halloween contest was called Monster Massive, what better way to win than to create a massive monster?

Holly stepped inside the Lady of Pain and practiced moving its colossal form across the floor.  It was hard to see much of anything outside the costume, but she had just enough light to navigate the nine-foot costume smoothly.  Hopefully things would go equally as smoothly on stage.

With Jessica’s face now completely painted, and their bellies full of delicious Indian food, the girls helped Holly disassemble the Lady of Pain.  It had to be reduced into three pieces in order to fit in the Normandy.

“Make sure to load the ladder,” Holly called out as she ensured they had everything.  Tank promptly loaded the ladder into the back of the Normandy and with that, everything was ready.

“Tank and I will follow you to the arena,” Stephenie told them, noticing there would be no room for extra passengers.

“Is Hilary coming?” Holly suddenly asked.

“I don’t know,” Jessica answered.  “I haven’t heard from her.”

Everyone entered their respective vehicles, eager to disembark.  Before turning the ignition, Jessica noticed her old gum wrapper in the Normandy’s cup holder.  She opened it and happily placed the piece of already-been-chewed gum in her mouth.  Mmm, pineapple—never loses its flavor. 

After a short drive, Jessica parked the van.  They were there.  Monster Massive.  The arena was already filling up, and judging would soon commence.

Anxiously Holly and Jessica stepped out of the Normandy.  Tonight was the night they either reached the stars, or burned like one.

Chapter Three: The Girl Next Door

            The conversation with Tank was fruitful.  He had adroitly avoided answering questions about himself by utilizing his quick wit, but he had informed Stephenie, Holly, and Jessica that Mass Defect was running for a couple weeks after Halloween and could use their help.  The ladies were excited about getting paid to wear costumes and scare people, even if it didn’t pay much and was only for a few weeks.  But for Stephenie, as she listened to Bradley, or Tank rather, she had to admit there was an additional reason for her excitement.

            “Think about it,” Tank said, continuing his story.  “Jesus promised the end of all wicked people.  Odin promised the end of all ice giants.  I don’t see many ice giants around.  Do you?”

            The girls all laughed irreverently.  Tank seemed to be a natural fit, despite his guarded behavior.

            “You’re going to hell by the way,” Stephenie giggled to Tank.

            “The only part that bothers me about hell," he said mockingly while motioning to the girls, "is that I might see all you there."

            They laughed and talked a while longer until finally it was time to go.

            “It was nice meeting all of you!” Stephenie shouted.  “Goodbye, Tank.  Bye, Jessica!  Bye, Holly!”

The new friends said their goodbyes, and with their phone numbers already exchanged, it was time to part ways.

            Jessica and Holly walked to their stellar blue van, the Normandy, and drove home.  As they rode, Holly gazed quietly out the window, noticing the beautiful silhouettes the palm trees made in the dark night.  Tonight had gone fantastically.  Her costume was a huge success, she had a new job lined up, and tomorrow was Halloween—but more specifically, tomorrow was the Monster Massive costume competition.  And with this year’s secret costume, she might just win.

            Nearing home, Jessica turned the van around the corner and into her neighborhood.  She and Holly gasped.  In front of them was a horde of men frantically chasing a lone girl.  Even with their windows up, Holly and Jessica could hear a strange yelping noise coming from outside.  As Jessica drove closer, she realized the noise was coming from the girl’s throat.  Was she yelling for help in some peculiar, frightened way?

            Before they could offer assistance, the girl dashed across the street, heading straight for the house next to Jessica’s.  The boys were not far behind her, still desperately trying to catch her.  One of them was close enough that he reached out to grab the girl, but before he could make contact, the door slammed in front of him.  His hand rammed into the unyielding door and he screamed in pain.  He shook his hand to ease the throbbing and glared angrily at the closed door.  The pursuit now over, the caravan of men dejectedly shuffled off and abandoned their prey.

            Holly and Jessica looked at each other puzzled.

            “What was that all about?” Jessica asked bewildered.

            “I have no idea,” Holly said, also confused.  “She must’ve just moved in though.”  Holly pointed to an orange moving van parked directly in front of the house.  “Looks like you’ve got a new neighbor.”

            Jessica nodded in agreement.

            “Hey, I’m going to head home,” Holly declared.  “Thanks for coming with me to the haunted house.”

            “It was fun.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

            Holly exited the Normandy and walked to her own car.  Jessica pulled inside her garage and docked the Normandy.  She spit out her pineapple-flavored bubble gum into an old wrapper.  Tomorrow was a big day, and it was time to get some rest.

***

The afternoon was surprisingly warm and sunny for the end of October.  Holly waved to Jessica as she walked onto Jessica’s front lawn.  Jessica waved back, her body stretched out on a lawn chair.  She was capitalizing on the good weather, soaking up as much of the California sun while she could.  A perfect skin tone was essential to complement her perfect hair, after all.

Together the girls walked inside and into Jessica’s kitchen, where Jessica promptly began slicing apart a fresh pineapple. 

“I have some bagels in the bread box if you’d like one,” Jessica offered.

“You do?  I completely ran out this morning.”  Holly greedily reached for a bagel.  She took a bite and groaned.  Heaven.  Now if only she had some coffee to go with it.  “So what’s with that girl?  The girl next door?”

“The one that got away?”  Jessica asked before placing a slice of ripe pineapple in her mouth.  “From those boys?”

“Yeah.”

“Her name is Hilary,” Jessica stated, slowly chewing the tasty pineapple.  “She’s a writer, but she makes costumes too.  I met her this morning.”

“Really?  We should invite her over sometime.”

“She might be free now.  I’ll introduce you.”

            Together they walked to Hilary’s house and rang the doorbell. 

            “Jessica!” the blonde-haired girl who answered the door screamed happily.  “Please, come in.”

            Holly and Jessica entered Hilary’s new home and took a seat on the couch in the living room.  Hilary’s long blonde hair cascaded delicately past her shoulders, her eyes a dazzling blue.  When she smiled, she revealed a set of perfectly-aligned white teeth. 

            “This is my friend Holly,” Jessica said by way of introduction.

            “Good to meet you,” Hilary said.  “And please, don’t mind me.” She put a silver spoon into a bowl on the coffee table.  “I’m just having lunch.  After all, it’s good for the soul,” she added, pointing to the chicken noodle soup in front of her.

            Holly smiled.  “Your place looks great.  I can hardly tell you just moved in.”

            “Thanks, but God I hate moving,” Hilary confessed.  “Packing everything up and moving is annoying enough, and then you’ve got to unpack it!”

            “Looks like you’re about finished,” Holly noticed, motioning to the near-perfect living room.

            “Thankfully,” Hilary said and sighed in relief.  “I have a few boxes more, but I’ll do those later.”

            “I meant to ask you earlier this morning,” Jessica finally inquired, “what happened last night?  And what was that weird yelping noise?”

            “I didn’t know what else to do,” Hilary explained.  “I was hoping someone would run outside to investigate and help me.  Luckily I reached my house before they could catch me.”

            Holly still did not understand.  “Who were those guys?”

            “Oh, those are my exes.  They do that every time I move,” she said nonchalantly.

            Holly and Jessica exchanged a quizzical look.

            Jessica turned to face Hilary.  “And that seems…normal to you?” she asked carefully.

            “It’s not normal, but by now I’ve become accustomed to it.  They’ve been chasing me for years.  You’d think getting married would put an end to it, but apparently not.”

            “You’re married?” Holly asked suddenly, somewhat surprised a girl her age was already settled down.

            “We’re newlyweds!” she said cheerfully.  “My husband Dave and I bought this place a week ago and moved in yesterday.”

            “That’s great!” Holly congratulated her.

            “Hilary,” Jessica said, a thought suddenly occurring to her.  “We’re going to the Monster Massive Halloween party tonight here in L.A.  There will be judges giving away awards for the best costumes.  It’s a pretty big deal.  You and your husband should come with us.”

            Hilary smiled brightly, her blue eyes sparkling.  “I’ll think about,” she promised.

Chapter Two: And Then There Were Two…More

            A glowing blue figure scurried eerily toward them.  It wasn’t quite human, and it wasn’t quite machine.  It was like a husk of a human, animated through alien technology—and it wasn’t friendly. 

            Holly shrieked in terror, her fake cry surprising even herself.  It was loud.  Very loud.  But most importantly, the scream worked.  Two strong male types rushed to her side, one sliding his arm around her waist, the other over her shoulders.  God she loved haunted houses.

            Jessica flinched involuntarily as a brown alien with four eyes leapt around a corner and shoved a pistol inches away from her face. 

            “Die, human!” the ugly alien angrily shouted.  Four men rushed to Jessica’s aid.  The men now surrounding Jessica tightened a grip around her body as if to say, “Don’t worry.  I’ll protect you.”  The truth, however, was that they were just as startled by the alien’s sudden appearance as Jessica was.

            The two girls meandered through the unique haunted house, their eyes treated to a sci-fi horror that went well beyond the usual experience.  At certain points, they were even asked to make big decisions—decisions that would impact the rest of their spooky tour.  You could hop aboard a space shuttle and track down a deranged scientist growing organs inside live victims, or instead answer a distress call and battle against an unknown enemy.  And even when you did choose, there were still other choices to make.  Did you kill your enemy, show mercy, or join in on an evil plot?  There were so many possibilities, and the revisit value was tremendous.

            “How do you like it so far?” Holly asked, noticing the throng of guys surrounding Jessica.

            “I love it,” Jessica responded, busily shoving boys away from her.  The haunted house was great, but she had a boyfriend after all.

            They continued through the haunted house, all the while attracting more boys to them.   For Holly, this act was done intentionally.  People in costumes, no matter how good the costumes were, did not scare her.  She could see through them.  Being an expert costume maker, she had an almost super human ability to see beyond the costume and perceive the person inside.  But, being brave does not attract boys.  By feigning fear, she skillfully utilized the much-used but much-underappreciated art of bringing all the boys to the yard—her yard—and all without a milkshake.  Even Kelis would be jealous.

            “Agghhh!” both Jessica and Holly suddenly screamed.  But this time the scream was real.  A one ton lizard had fallen from the sky and landed directly in front of them.  The male admirers bolted, leaving Holly and Jessica to face the gigantic monster alone.

            They ran.

            As luck had it, their flight led them straight to the exit, allowing the two girls to safely escape the giant lizard and put the scary haunted house behind them.

            “That was awesome!” Holly cried out.

            “I thought I was going to have to borrow one of those spikes on your shoulder pads to keep the boys off me,” Jessica commented angrily.  “Hey!” she said all of a sudden, pointing to a hot chocolate stand further up.  “They have free hot chocolate!”

            “I hope they have coffee!” Holly said, greedily licking her lips.

            They did not have coffee, and Holly only threw a minor tantrum.

While carefully sipping their steaming hot chocolate, a young woman, with brown hair flowing past her shoulders, approached the two.

“Your costume is amazing!” the girl told Holly.  “Do you work here?”

“No, I made it for a competition.  I was looking for an excuse to put it on, so I wore it here,” Holly answered, smiling at the girl’s compliment.

“It looks awesome.  I’m Stephenie by the way.  I was thinking about applying to work here.  I make costumes too.”

“Really?” Jessica asked impressed.  It wasn’t often they met fellow cosplayers.

“Hey, that’s a good idea,” Holly said, biting her gloved index finger in thought.  “We should get jobs here.”

“That would be fun,” Stephenie said, clapping her hands in excitement.  “We could all work together!”

Usually Jessica secretly hated people like Steph.  People were fake, always making suggestions they had no intent to follow through on.  But Stephenie was different.  She seemed sincere.

“We should’ve thought of getting jobs at a haunted house forever ago,” Jessica remarked.  “Oh my god, look at that!”  She quickly pointed to two women standing across from them.

            “Jeggings?  Gross!” Jessica declared in disgust.  “And who wears high heels to a haunted house?  You aren’t impressing anyone, lady!”

            Stephenie smiled to herself but said nothing.  She personally didn’t care what people wore, but to reveal this fact would be very un-Californian.  Besides, even she had to admit that jeggings were pretty ridiculous.

            “It’s that lizard guy!” Steph suddenly shouted, pointing at the alien Krogan who had just exited the haunted house.  “He scared the crap out of me!”

            “He got us too.” Holly laughed.  Following Stephenie’s lead, she and Jessica walked to confront the ferocious lizard.

            “You scared the hell out of me!” Steph accused the large lizard, playfully slapping him on an armored shoulder.

            The dinosaur-like creature removed his reptilian mask and flashed her a wicked grin.

            “I’m Steph,” she introduced herself.  “Who are you?”

            “I am Krogan,” he responded matter-of-factly, carefully eyeing the group up and down.

            Steph laughed delightfully.  “I mean, what’s your name?”

            Normally the Krogan never revealed his true name.  But the genuineness in Stephenie’s blue eyes caused him to break from tradition.  “It says Bradley on my birth certificate,” he told her truthfully.  “But if you’re anyone, call me Tank.”

            “Okay, Tank.  Good to meet you,” Steph said sweetly, her smile penetrating Tank’s tough exterior.

            Tank simply nodded in reply.  His face betrayed no emotion, but if he were the Krogan his costume suggested he was, his second heart might’ve started to beat.