Hi, guys!
If you've read my other works, hopefully you'll like this as well! (I know I've been agonizingly slow about updating Just Say Yes but I've hit a bit of a creative roadblock. Hopefully writing this will help me get back into the swing of things.) If you're new to my stories, welcome!
I came up with Kailey last October and thought it would be cool to publish the first chapter for this year's Halloween season.
A few things to know:
1. This fic takes place after 3A of Teen Wolf. All of that business with Jennifer happened, except I'm going to lessening the seriousness of the supposed darkness in the hearts of Scott, Stiles, and Allison. But all bets are off from there. There will be Nogitsune, no Void Stiles, no Oni. (That doesn't mean that Kira and her family won't come into play though.)
2. I've moved the events of Halloweentown so it coincides with the Teen Wolf timeline. Marnie and Kailey are in Halloweentown University (the name will be explained this chapter) but the events that happened in Return to Halloweentown didn't happen. (And Marnie is portrayed by Kimberly J. Brown in this, the OG Marnie Piper.)
This is just the first chapter so we'll be delving into more of Kailey's family and their connections to Halloweentown as the story goes on.
I'd like to thank Alice (allybz on here and chlobenet (formerly known as lydamartin) on Tumblr for creating my cover image. It's wonderful!
You can find me on Tumblr as missunderstoodxoxo (feel free to check out my Kailey tags or look her up in the main search) and on Polyvore as earthdiva.
Inspiration for this chapter: "Magic Carpet Ride" by KSM (this was in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie- prepare for a lot of bops from the '00s)
Disclaimer: The only thing I claim right now is Kailey Pemberton and Arlo. Everything else belongs to the respectful owners.
"Jeans?"
"Check."
"Leggings?"
"Check."
"Me?"
"Marnie, for the last time, you can't come with me."
Two young women were currently in their dorm room at the magical school of Halloweentown University, residing in said-town, a world specifically made for creatures who were out of the ordinary. (Although it had been known as "Witch University" until a couple of years ago, the college had ended up changing the name to be more inclusive.) While the pair may have seemed typical to an onlooker, they were anything but. As it were, Marnie Piper and Kailey Pemberton happened to be witches.
"Why not? I could help!"
"Your grandmother asked me to do this. If she wanted you to come with, she would have made arrangements."
Clothes and accessories were being placed into several suitcases, preparing for an indefinite stay. (Marnie had protested multiple times that the cases could be altered to store more, only for Kailey to counter that it would seem odd to her new neighbors if she showed up with only a couple of bags.) So, the two were organizing everything by hand. While magic could have easily solved the packing problem, neither one wanted a bottle of nail polish to accidentally sail across the room and crash into a wall.
"What am I supposed to do without you? Who's going to complain with me when Professor Drederick assigns too much work?" Marnie flopped back onto her bed, a look of exasperation on her face.
"You'll just have to Dread the Dred yourself. Or talk to Aneesa and Natalie about it."
"I don't see why Grandma won't just let me go to the mortal world with you."
"You can visit me, you know? You're literally the one who convinced the Council to keep the portal open."
"It's not the same!"
"You know Aggie better than I do." Kailey shrugged, folding a shirt and placing it into a suitcase.
"Yeah, and I still can't figure out what her ulterior motive is!" The other girl shot up like a rocket, moving to sit cross-legged. "She's not spilling anything."
Both of them suspected that Agatha Cromwell had a few hidden reasons for sending her granddaughter's friend to assist a town that was dealing with some not-so-mortal problems. The older woman continuously had a gleam in her eye and a smile that made it look as if she had a secret. (Well, one specifically involving Kailey. Who knew how many secrets the witch actually harbored?)
"Or maybe she just wants me to help this town out because you've already done your fair share of saving both worlds from certain doom."
"Perhaps. So, all of this is because of some magic tree?" Marnie questioned, propping her chin on one of her hands.
"Basically- except they don't use the word 'magic'; they seem to prefer 'supernatural'."
"That sort of makes sense. Their creatures are a bit more sci-fi, I guess, aren't they? Seriously, what the heck is a 'kanima'?"
"Some homicidal half-man, half-lizard thing."
"We regularly see people with pumpkins for heads and that still sounds a whole lot weirder."
"As far as the Council and their informants know, the Kanima situation was taken care of, so hopefully I won't be running into one while I'm there."
"But you still have to babysit these kids because of the Darach lady they dealt with?"
"They're teenagers, Marnie. You and I are barely out of that stage."
"You're the one who has to pose as a student! How are you going to deal with that every single day? The hallway traffic, the hormones, and the crappy food?"
"Pffft, like there isn't any drama here. Besides, who wouldn't want to go back to high school, am I right?" The redhead questioned, a teasing tone in her voice.
Although she wasn't necessarily excited about going to school with teens every day, she was interested in the promise of adventure.
"And you can't use magic there."
"I can use magic at the house- and in public, as long as I don't get caught."
"Grandma posed as a teacher and her bag ate my principal's bird."
"Look, for some reason or another, Aggie seems to think that I can handle this."
"You're nervous."
Kailey looked up to see Agatha Cromwell studying her from the other side of the table. The two of them had convened at Cromwell Manor, the woman's home before moving in with her daughter and her grandchildren. Their meeting with the Halloweentown Council was scheduled for some time that day, so they had spent their time looking over work that the girl's professors had assigned and discussing books, television shows, movies, and celebrities. (Agatha had become rather fond of certain mortal world pop culture.) The past ten minutes had been spent in silence, a lull in conversation- until now.
"I am… a little bit. This is a big deal."
Aggie smiled at the younger witch, hoping to calm some nerves.
"You have nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be great."
"And you're still not going to tell me the other reason you want me to do this?" The redhead asked with raised eyebrows.
The Cromwell simply kept smiling.
There was a sudden change in the air- and in the blink of an eye, the two had been pulled to the chambers of the Council. Kailey stumbled slightly from the transportation, before being steadied by Agatha, who was characteristically unperturbed.
Five figures sat in front of the witches, gazing down upon them with critical expressions- well, except for one, who sat off to the far right with softer features.
After Edgar Dalloway had been removed from the Halloweentown Council and stripped of his magic, the other members began to search for someone to replace him. That someone ended up being Isla Blackstone, a goblin and, coincidentally, the mother of Kailey and Marnie's friend, Luke. (Rumors had floated around town that Rosalind Lugosi, the vampire, had demanded to have another female inducted.)
"Agatha Cromwell," Bernard Sturgis, the six-armed man who had replaced Dalloway as the Council President, "you stand before us today to discuss the possibility of sending Kailey Pemberton into the mortal world."
"Not just the mortal world," the elder woman corrected with a twitch of a grin, "To be more specific, I believe that she should be the one that is sent to Beacon Hills, California."
There were a few mutters from the other magical creatures, along with exchanged glances. Kailey fiddled with the band of her watch anxiously, trying to keep her focus on the conversation. Clearly this was a meeting of the utmost importance.
"And why, may I ask, is Miss Pemberton the individual you have chosen? Surely there is someone with years of experience who could take on this responsibility." Warren van Pelt inquired, his eyes peering at the young woman from inside of his pumpkin-head.
Horace Chambers sat silently and simply watched the scene. It was widely believed among the citizens of Halloweentown that the reason he never spoke was because his tongue had been removed when being mummified.
"As you have been informed, the majority of supernatural activity in Beacon Hills seems to surround the younger generation, which would would make it far more difficult for a seasoned witch or warlock to insert themselves into their group. While she may be enrolled in classes at Halloweentown University, Kailey could easily pass for a third year student at a mortal high school. She also possesses a certain tenacity and compassion that I think you will find beneficial to this position."
Isla smiled at the Cromwell witch from her seat; if she hadn't been convinced before that her son's friend could handle this, she certainly was after that explanation.
"What about your granddaughter? Marnie has certainly shown that she can take on such tasks, despite… the occasional hiccup."
Kailey managed to keep the giggle bubbling up inside of her throat to herself, having witnessed the otherwise undetected eye roll that Rosalind gave at the 'subtle' jab in Bernard's assessment. Whether the man's remark was directed towards his predecessor or the Cromwells themselves, the redhead was unsure.
"I believe that there is no one better for this job than Kailey." Agatha's voice was filled with complete certainty.
"But-" Bernard began to object, only to be cut off by Rosalind's interjection.
"I must say that I agree with Agatha," the vampire stated, surprising everyone but the aforementioned witch, "Miss Pemberton seems to be a perfect match for the assignment."
"I second that." Isla added, now beaming proudly at the girl.
Horace, who had remained motionless throughout the meeting, abruptly raised his arm and gave a thumbs up, causing Kailey to crack a smile.
Seeing as they were outnumbered at this point, Warren and Bernard's eyes met in a meaningful look before turning their attention back to the others in the room.
"Very well," the six-armed gentleman conceded, a slight sigh in his voice, "Kailey Pemberton-"
The young witch straightened her back and made eye contact.
"Your time in Beacon Hills will be spent helping maintain balance and protecting the townspeople from any antagonists that may appear during this supernatural influx. Do you accept this task?"
"I do." Kailey responded with a determined nod of her head.
"You will attend the local high school and keep an eye on the students there that possess gifts beyond that of a mortal. Doing so means that you will make contact and befriend those individuals if needed. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
For someone that this meeting was centered around, she wasn't doing much of the talking. Vaguely remembering Marnie speaking of her own encounter with the Council, Kailey couldn't help but compare the two.
"The authorities of Halloweentown have agreed to pay the rent of the house you will be living in during your stay. Any repairs that are required, I'm sure you can fix with your magic. Further details will be sent to you soon."
And just like that, with the sound of a gavel, the witches were sent straight back to Cromwell Manor.
"I told you everything was going to be great."
"It's not that I don't think you can do this. I just-" Marnie sighed, glancing down at her lap, "I'm going to miss seeing you every day."
Kailey frowned sympathetically and reminded her, "I'm not leaving forever, okay? I'm going to move back sometime. And we can still talk and visit each other. You know that."
"I know."
It was quiet for a moment before the feeling of dejection lifted from the room.
"You're taking Arlo with you, right?"
"Of course. He will be my ever faithful companion on this adventure."
The two of them glanced over to see Kailey's 'faithful companion', her pet hedgehog, sleeping in his enclosure.
"Yeah, he definitely looks ready for it." Marnie snorted.
"Don't judge my sleepy boy. He's resting up."
Kailey glanced around their dorm room, sighing slightly.
"I am going to mess my setup. Do you know how long it took to perfectly rearrange my pictures and posters?"
"You can always come through the portal whenever you need to."
"For gab sessions and broomstick joyrides."
"Exactly! Who knows? Maybe you'll meet Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome." Marnie wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
With a grin and an eye roll, Kailey chucked a balled-up shirt at her friend.
"Right, because that's what I'll be focusing on."
"You'll have dozens of new options! No guys from your home in the mortal world, none of the boys here- just endless possibilities for potential romance."
"Except I'm posing as a high schooler so men who are the same age as me- and of legality- aren't going to be interested at all. And guys that still have to ask to go to the bathroom are out of the question."
The other witch looked stumped at that.
"You sure you don't want me to just marry Dylan instead?" A smirk played on Kailey's lips as she waited for a response.
Marnie groaned dramatically, tipping her head back in disgust. She did not approve of her brother, Dylan's crush on her friend whatsoever. The whole thing made her skin crawl. The youngest Piper, Sophie, didn't really have an opinion on the matter and their mother, Gwen, thought it was sweet.
"I think I would rather eat a goblin's toe jam."
"I'll call Luke then."
Ah, Luke…. Their goblin friend was one of their best, loyal to a fault nowadays. (Well, ever since that Kalabar business happened when they were all thirteen.) There was a reason he always cheered on the local Hufflepuff Quidditch team that had been created when Kailey and a few other magical folks had decided that playing a sport on their broomsticks was actually an exciting idea; other than being friends with Kailey, who was the team captain and Keeper.
Though there was more than just friendship in mind when it came to Marnie and Luke. Years later and the guy still carried a torch for the young woman. He hoped that maybe one day she'd finally reciprocate his feelings, now that she was single. She had broken up with her mortal boyfriend, Cody, to attend Halloweentown University and had gone on a few dates with Ethan Dalloway, son of Edgar, before the pair decided that they were better off as friends. She hadn't been romantically involved with anyone since then.
"Seriously," Marnie whined as she reached out to gently whack the redhead in the side with a pillow, "just consider looking!"
"Okay, imagine everything is going great. As soon as they catch a glimpse of the real me, they'll take off in the opposite direction. No thank you." Kailey shook her head as she folded another top.
"Ooooor," Marnie drawled, "you could meet someone who accepts you, powers and all."
"Yeah, right – maybe on the day that pigs fly."
"We could make that happen, you know?"