Happy Halloween everyone!
"Is my headpiece on straight?"
Marinette glanced up from fighting her sweatshirt strings to find her best friend staring into the mirror, scrutinizing the golden tiara-shaped band that wrapped around her forehead and trying to figure out if the star was centered.
"C'mere, I'll help you."
Alya turned and let the blue-haired girl adjust the piece slightly, fidgeting with the lasso tied around her waist and making sure that the fasten was secure as she did.
"There you go. Don't forget the rest of the accessories, you only have about a thousand." Marinette rolled her eyes and grinned through her own sarcasm.
"Ha ha, soooooooo funny Marinette." Even as she said this, Alya couldn't help but to smile back.
"First you have to put on your costume – you haven't even told me what it is yet!"
Finally getting her sweatshirt off over her head, Marinette pulled a hanger out of her closet and slipped a long, dark-colored robe over her black shirt and shorts. She gently lifted the hood off of her head to free her hair, which was soon to be secured in a French braid with silver ribbon. Alya, nodding approvingly, was amazed at her friend's skill (Marinette had insisted on making her own costume – it was cheaper than buying one like it online, and this way she knew that it would fit perfectly). While the outer layer of fabric was black, the inside of the hood and sleeves were a deep shimmering blue that matched the seal on the left side of the torso. The robe itself zipped from bottom to top, with a small silver fasten at the collar.
Alya motioned for Marinette to spin so that she could get to work on her braid. Alya's own hair, loose and wavy, was held in place by the gold metal band.
"I like the colors," she added, mumbling around the bobby pins in her mouth. "Ravenclaw suits you."
Marinette grinned, pleased that Alya agreed with her choice in Houses. She had offered to make her friend a matching outfit, but Alya had been planning her own costume for months, ever since the movie came out featuring her second-favorite superhero.
Alya finished the braid quickly, and gave Marinette space in the mirror to look. Mari turned her head side to side, elated with the shimmering effect that was created when she moved.
"Girls, are you almost ready? We should leave soon if you want to make it there by 6 o'clock."
"Almost, Mama!" Marinette called, grabbing her (fake) black-rimmed glasses off of her desk and helping Alya secure a gold band on her upper arm and silver bracelets on her forearms, which reached from her hands almost all the way to her elbows. The leatherette straps across her shoulder and around her waist where the last thing to go on (Alya had opted to leave out the shield, to avoid having to carry it around all night). Marinette slipped into her black flats and Alya grabbed the scarlet-and-gold boots that matched the top of her costume.
As a final touch, Marinette wrapped a blue and silver scarf around her neck (it was cold outside, after all), and fastened a delicate silver comb into the side of her hair, on the crown of her head above her right ear. The hair pin had been a lucky find, and had shipped just in time. It resembled an eagle, with a curving head and wings made up of dozens of small metal beads. Marinette's favorite part, however, was the bright blue gem in the middle, reminiscent of Ravenclaw's lost diadem.
The girls stood side by side in the mirror, making sure that nothing had been forgotten. Marinette tucked her handmade wooden wand into her left sleeve and Alya double checked both of their faces. She had done Marinette's makeup as well as her own, giving her friend soft blue and silver to match her eyes (Marinette suggested the colors), and gave herself dramatic red and gold.
"You know," Marinette thought out loud, "I bet Diana would be a Gryffindor. I mean, she already rocks the House colors."
Alya grinned, thinking the same thing and smiling at the differences between them. Marinette, in her billowing black robes and silver-blue hair, looked like a phantom in the mist, while Alya herself looked sharp and metallic, ready for battle in her red and blue armor (the skirt of which, Alya had ensured, was slightly longer than that of the original).
Marinette held out her arm, and Alya looped hers though it. "Let's do this thing."
When they got to the mansion, the gates were already open and waiting. They had arrived in the middle of the crowd, and had avoided being both first and last to arrive. The party was being hosted by Adrian, who had gotten help from Nathalie to convince his father to let him throw it while Mr. Agreste was out of town. Alya, full of confidence in her armored outfit, boldly knocked on the large door. It opened slowly and dramatically (even creaking a little, like in the movies), revealing a tall boy in a black cape pulled in front of his face. His blond hair was slicked back, and his arm lowered to reveal a dripping smile – literally.
Marinette jumped and Alya shrieked, worried that something was wrong. Half a moment later, they realized that the blood dripping from his fangs was fake.
"Got ya!" Adrien cried, flinging his cape behind him and grinning even wider as he laughed. The inside of his high-collared cape was blood red, and he had on black pants and a black-and-silver vest over his white shirt.
Still chuckling, he gestured them inside. "C'mon in, there's food and stuff over there if you want, and Nino already has the music pumping!"
The entrance hall was covered in black, purple, and orange crepe paper, and tables along both sides by the stairs featured Halloween-themed treats and a cauldron of punch that was smoking slightly. A fog machine in the corner made the entire room misty and festive-feeling. The dining room to their right had been converted to a dance floor, with a familiar-looking DJ at the booth. Nino, sporting tan pants, a plaid shirt, black cowboy boots, and a blue bandana around his neck, stood out against the dark sheets draped over the wall behind him. His Western hat, on the table beside him, had been temporarily replaced by his headphones. He waved at the girls as they walked into the room, the music blasting and multi-colored light flashing around the walls.
"This is amazing!" Alya yelled, both in excitement and to be heard over the pounding bass. She pulled Marinette into the middle of the crowded dance floor and started jamming out, waving her arms and startling those around her. Marinette, moving much more calmly, danced slowly next to her, laughing at the faces of the people around them. It seemed like most of the school was there, as Adrien had taken advantage of the rare opportunity to throw a party. After a couple of songs, Nino set the music on shuffle and joined them on the floor, dancing almost as hard as Alya.
"I'm gonna go get some food!" Marinette called to her friends, waving in the direction of the front hall. Alya nodded and waved, singing along to the music (is was Nightmare Before Christmas now) at the top of her lungs.
Marinette stepped off of the makeshift dance floor and onto the bright white marble. She wandered her way over to the tables, wondering vaguely what was making the black punch bowl so smoky.
"Dry ice."
She jumped and pulled her wand out of her sleeve, spinning around and pointing it at the source of the voice. Adrien put his hands up and leaned backward slightly to avoid being stabbed in the chest by the perfectly-made weapon.
"Adrien!" She tucked the wand back into the sleeve of her long shirt, securing it under the arm of the robe. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry 'bout that, Mari! I just saw you looking at it and figured you were wondering. It's a pretty safe guess with you." He gestured to the cups beside the drink. "Do you want to try some? Our cook helped make it, so it's really good."
"Sure," she said, turning back toward the table. He moved to stand beside her and pulled a silver ladle out of the foggy bowl, filling up two cups with red punch and handing one to her. Marinette looked skeptically at the dark liquid.
"The dry ice won't poison it or anything, it just makes it look cool, don't worry," Adrien grinned. He took a drink of his own punch, turning his lips red to match his fake fangs. Marinette took a cautious sip, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it tasted like strawberries. Rose, coming up behind them, looked unsure about the bubbling beverage.
"What is that?"
"Delicious," Marinette assured her as Adrien got her a cup too. "I love your dress, by the way!"
"Thank you!" Rose squealed, spinning around and causing her puffy pink dress to twirl and sparkle. The glimmering wings, silver and pink crown, and shimmering star-shaped wand cemented the image of Glenda the Good Witch, which perfectly suited Rose's sparkly personality.
"Juleka must be around her somewhere…"
Turning around, Marinette found the girl in question pouring over the cookie options, unsure of which one she wanted. The blue-haired girl giggled – Juleka's black dress, pointed hat, and green hands and face made her Rose's opposite. Thanks to her dark hair and quiet personality, she made the perfect Elphaba, Wicked Witch of the West, complete with purple lips and eyeshadow to match the streak of color in her black hair. As Rose skipped away, drink in hand, Adrien turned back toward the girl in blue and black.
"So where did you find that robe? It's so cool!"
"I made it," Marinette responded quietly, fidgeting with the sleeves. "I made the wand, too."
"That's so cool!" Adrien was fascinated by everything from the robe itself to the ribbon and pin in her hair. Smiling, Marinette pulled back her left sleeve to show him the piece of fabric looped around her forearm to hold the wand in place. She had cut the top part off of a tube sock and wore it like a sweatband on her wrist, with the wand tucked through it against the underside of her arm. With the wand handle at the base of her wrist, it was completely concealed but still within easy reach.
The doorbell rang, and Adrien disappeared momentarily to answer it. He was met with a shriek of surprise from the girl standing on the other side. He laughed and waved her in, and she moved slowly out of the doorway. Her costume was instantly Marinette's favorite yet; the Stitch onesie, complete with ears and a tail, looked amazing soft and completely out of the ordinary on little Sabrina, who had mastered the use of the hood. She had traded her usual white headband for a blue one, with shimmering blue nails to match. She walked shyly toward Marinette just as Alya popped out of foggy crowd, landing with her feet apart and her hands on her hips.
"Hey girl! Find anything good?"
"Too much!" Laughed Marinette, reaching for a second bat-shaped brownie. Alya, who had a slight sugar addiction (which she always denied), was swept away by the treats in front of her.
"Those are so cute!" Sabrina, having made it to the table, was marveling at the tray in front of her. The sugar cookies in question featured a miniature upside-down Reece's cup in the middle, with eight chocolate lines branching from each. Complete with frosting eyes, Marinette found the spider cookies both intriguing and disturbing.
"OMG yes!" Alya squealed, grabbing one for herself and doing what she did best – she struck up a conversation with the shy redhead. Sabrina, much more relaxed without Chloe around (she was away at a Mayoral campaign with her father), began chatting away, laughing as Alya jumped around in excitement. Wonder Woman, taking a few treats for the road, pulled Experiment 626 over to the dance floor with her, both soon disappearing in the mist.
"How do you get your fangs to do that?"
Adrien had returned to the table, his sharp upper teeth once again dripping red. He grinned and pulled a small, plastic, bulb-shaped pouch out of his pocket. It connected to a thin tube that ran through his shirt and connected to the side of his mouth. He squeezed it slightly and bared his fangs, grinning as they slowly dripped with fake blood.
"You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve, ya know!" Marinette smiled and shook her head, trying hard not to laugh at the terrible pun. Adrien carefully disconnected the small tube, capping the end to prevent the sticky stuff from continuing to drip.
"Now for the 'treat'…" Picking out a ghost-themed cake pop, he carefully broke it into pieces small enough to fit around his fake teeth.
"Hey Marinette, why are people that throw Halloween parties so scary?"
Still trying (and failing) not to smile, Marinette played along. "Why are they so scary, Adrien?"
"Because they're g-hosts!"
She groaned, pretending to hold her head in shame. "That was terrible!"
He moved beside her and bumped her shoulder, finishing his treat and smiling stupidly. "You know it was a good one, Mari! C'mon, admit that I am humorous." Holding up his hand, he pointed at his upper arm. "Humerus!"
"I'm walking away now!"
"Not before you admit it!"
"Still walking!"
"All right guys and gals, it's time for the costume awards!"
The lights rose slightly, and Marinette turned to face Nino at the DJ stand, still dancing with Alya beside her. Nathalie had collected the voting slips from the boxes on the table at the side of the room and counted them as an impartial judge. Nino now had the list of winners and was ready to announce them. Adrien appeared out of the crowd beside them and cheered (he hadn't put himself on the voting ballots, to avoid both bias and having to stand on the makeshift stage).
"Drumroll, please!"
The sound of several dozen pairs of hands clapping rapidly grew in response.
"The award for best pair goes to…Ivan and Max!"
The "drumroll" turned into applause as the boys took the stage. Small Max was decked out in his geekiest suspenders and glasses, and was carrying a green stress ball. Ivan, his 'angry' counterpart, wore a green muscle suit and ran through the room, jumping onto the stage and yelling "Hulk smash!" as he did so. Nino handed them each a large matching ribbon and sent them on their way.
"Best group costume goes to…Alix, Kim, Mylene, Nathaniel, and Aurore!"
Cheers rang out as the cast of 'Inside Out' took the stage, with Aurore in a yellow dress and pigtails, Nathaniel in a purple suit, Mylene in all blue, Kim with fiery red hair, and Alix in a green long-sleeved shirt and hat. The group got a trophy of a multi-headed dog; the heads of the dog had small paper nametags around their necks, each representing a different member of the group.
Adrien, knowing who had won ahead of time, cheered loudly as each name was called. He winked at Alya as Nino continued.
"Best accessorized goes to…Alya!"
The girl in gold grinned graciously and gave Marinette and Adrien her best queen wave as she weaved carefully in and out of people and moved her way to the stage. Nino presented her with a large glittering necklace with a star pendent reading "Best Dressed" in curly black letters.
"The award for the best staying in character is a 3-way tie! Congratulations to Juleka, Rose, and Sabrina!"
The cheers were twice as loud as before. Rose bounded forward to accept her certificate, bright and bubbly in both costume and personality. Juleka 'sulked', a slight grin making its way through her tough demeaner. Sabrina, flabbergasted, stuck true to character and crawled up the side of the stage, blushing but pushing forward all the same. Since her arrival, she had grown more and more comfortable around the other party-goers and managed to come out of her shell, acting more and more like the curious blue creature that she had adopted for the night. Nino grinned, handing her her own certificate and laughing as she scampered back off of the stage and into the crowd. He took up the mini-microphone once again, catching Adrien's eyes in the crowd and nodding at the blue-haired girl next to him.
"Our final award, best homemade costume goes to…Marinette!"
Adrien whooped, earning a laugh from both Alya and Marinette. Marinette moved quietly to the stage, hearing congratulations come from all around. She made it to the raised platform and successfully climbed one of the two stairs before tripping over her own long robe. Thankfully, Nino managed to catch her before she completely lost her balance. He winked at her and handed her a beautiful, homemade, silver-and-black ribbon with a button reading "Best Design" in the middle. Marinette beamed, realizing that it was mostly likely Adrien himself that made it. Looking out into the crowd and seeing his reaction, she knew that she was right.
"Now let's finish out this party with a Halloween classic!" Nino slid a CD into the machine in front of him, and Michael Jackson's Thriller pounded through the whole room. Marinette carefully pinned her prize to the right side of her robe, opposite the blue-and-silver seal, before jumping off the stage and making her way back to her friends.
They say Halloween is supposed to be scary, she thought, getting closer and watching the blond vampire show off his fangs once again and earning laugher from Diana. But it's not really about the costumes at all. All that really matters is the people that wear them.
"Come on, Marinette!" Alya pulled her into the line of dancers that was starting to form as the chorus of the song began to build. With Alya on one side, Adrien on the other, and a houseful of people that she cared about, not even a true vampire could've stopped Marinette from starting to dance.
'Cause this is thriller
Thriller night…
What's your favorite Halloween song? Are you trick-or-treating? Let me know, and stay safe, everyone!