Her eyes opened.
Early morning sunlight filtered in from the window. She got up slowly and crossed to it, parting the curtains. Golden sunshine fell upon the surrounding forest. The whole world looked awash in gold, orange, and bronze.
Fiona sighed and brushed her bangs back. "There's no denying it now – it definitely feels like Halloween."
She went to her bedside table and took out her pocket calendar. Sure enough – today was Halloween, and, ironically, there was a full moon tonight. She grinned. What a perfect cliché. Still, a full moon makes everything more exciting!
Halloween – Oh, crap. I never thought of a costume! I've been so busy with practicing and racing… What am I going to do?! She dressed in a rush – putting a sock on backwards in her haste – and hurried to search through her closet. Nothing in here could count as a legitimate Halloween costume, I'm sure. Dang.
She sighed and crossed her arms. Time to get creative. Let's see… I can sew a little, and I have an old black dress… She pulled out a dress that was almost too small, but still fit in the necessary places. A few trims down here… She made scissor-motions with her fingers, picturing the needed adjustments. A jagged hemline and some ragged sleeves, and I'll have the perfect witch's dress!
She laid out the dress and a pair of scissors, along with a spool of dark thread and a sewing kit she borrowed from Myron. "All set to go." Her stomach growled in protest. "Okay… I guess breakfast is higher on the priority list. But after I eat, I'll get this taken care of!"
She skipped lightly down the stairs to the cafeteria. The other racers were already there, eating in their respective teams. She grabbed a tray of pancakes and hot maple syrup (Yum!) and sat down next to Kaz with the rest of Team J.E.T.
"Happy Halloween!" They chorused as she took her seat.
"Happy Halloween!" Fiona grinned. The excitement of Halloween was infectious – that was undeniable.
"So, anything special going on today?" Fiona asked.
"Not particularly," Myron took a bite from his waffle.
"Wait! There is something…" Kaz looked at Diego.
"Oh, right." Diego swallowed his mouthful of orange juice. "Apparently some folks got to talking yesterday about doin' something special for Halloween, so…"
"They're setting up a Haunted Trail for tonight – just for us racers!" Kaz smiled.
"What?!" Fiona gasped. "They planned this in a day?! Do you think they can pull it off?"
"Yeah, I saw 'em outside," Diego munched. "I don't think it's going to be anything super fancy, but they've got a lot of volunteers who'll be working in it."
"Working? As in… scaring people?" Fiona frowned.
"Well, yeah. It's a haunted trail." Myron poured more syrup on his pancakes.
"Hm… Well, are you guys going?"
"Can't. We're volunteering!" Kaz smirked.
"Volunteering?" Fiona's eyebrows rose. "You're going to be scaring people?!"
"Well… no. We're working on 'special effects'. Ya know, like painting signs and fake blood and stuff."
"Oh. Well…" Fiona frowned. "I kind of wanted to go on the trail for fun, but if you guys aren't going to, I guess…"
"Hold on!" Kaz got a mischievous grin. "Fiona, you always act so tough, so why aren't you willing to go on the trail alone?"
"Well…" Fiona blushed in anger. "It's more fun with your friends, right?! And besides, if I don't want to go, I don't have to!"
"I dare you to!" Kaz leaned back, smirking. "I dare you to go on the trial by yourself! I bet you won't last 5 minutes."
"Oh, really?! You really think I'm gonna get THAT scared?!" Fiona grinned back, leaning forward. "You're on! This'll be a piece of cake." She grabbed her tray and strolled off, lost in thought…
This'll definitely be a piece of cake… I hope –
She crashed right into someone who crossed in front of her. "OUCH!" Her tray clattered out of her hands, and she stumbled backwards, rubbing her nose. "Who-?"
She squinted up. It was – (who else?!) Shiro Sutherland.
"We seem to run into each other a lot," she muttered, wiping some syrup off her cheek. "Watch where you're going, will you?!"
"You ran into me, but I guess I can overlook it. Just don't be so clumsy next time," he scoffed. To her chagrin, he was unmoved (literally) by the collision – glass of apple juice still in hand, unspilled, whereas the remains of her breakfast were all over her shoes.
She glared at him. "Sure." She knelt and began to pick up the food. Shiro walked away.
"What a jerk, walking away like that!" She muttered. "I'll get back at him one way or another! Somehow, someway, I'll – "
A pair of footsteps next to her made her look up. "Watch out, don't step on me!"
It was Shiro. Again.
"What?!" She asked, unamused. The nerve of some people!
He held out a wad of paper towels to her.
"Oh… thanks."
"It's nothing."
And with that, he turned away –
"Hey, Shiro!" Fiona called after him.
"Yeah?" He turned back.
"Are you going to the Haunted Trail tonight?" She asked.
"Maybe. I'm going to busy, though," he replied, and left.
Fiona frowned. So he's not going… Well, someone like him doesn't seem to be able to appreciate the fun things in life, so I don't know why I even asked. But… Still. Whatever.
She finished cleaning up the mess and went back to her room. She passed a sign in the hall. In bright marker, it announced the Haunted Trail.
"Starts tonight – at 5 PM, eh?!" Fiona read it carefully. "That gives me plenty of time to take care of my costume!"
Once she was back in her room, she got to work with the scissors and sewing kit. One painstaking hour later she was finished, the costume a moderate success. The hem wasn't quite even, and an inch shorter than she'd wanted it because of a measuring mistake, but all in all, it was fine. She found an old witch's hat, and it was with understandable satisfaction that she dressed in the costume and stared at her mirror with pride.
"Perfect!" She gave a twirl, watching the dress's ragged hem flutter. "Just right. And the unevenness does add a certain air of uniqueness, right?" She sighed. Maybe I'm kidding myself… But, hey, it does look good, for a home creation!
She folded the costume on the foot of her bed and spent the rest of the day outside watching the volunteers set up the Haunted Trail. Hebina passed by her.
"Hey, Fiona, working on the Haunted Trail?" She asked.
"No, I'm saving my energy for actually going on the Haunted Trail tonight."
"Me too. After all, less energy means more fun!" Hebina laughed.
Fiona scowled. "That… doesn't make any sense."
"I know!" Hebina laughed obnoxiously and strolled away.
Fiona blinked. All right, then.
The sun slowly fell lower and lower in the sky. The sky turned from bright blue to glowing orange. Fiona lied back on the grass and watched the clouds and colors in the sky slowly change. Someone set up a stereo, and Halloween music pulsed into the evening air. After what seemed like an eternity, she sighed and sat up. People were starting to flock to the Haunted Trail, wearing costumes of all sorts, and she figured that it was time to get ready.
When she stepped out into the night in her witch's costume, the gentle night breeze swept all around her. The grass crunched under her feet, and the stars were dazzling in the sky. The flashing pinpricks of starlight dulled in comparison to the full moon that was steadily rising above. The excitement in the air was tangible. People were laughing and children were running around. It truly does feel like Halloween.
It was with some anxiety that she approached the Haunted Trail. Going alone might be too much for anyone… Though, considering that they only had one day to plan it, it shouldn't be so bad…
"Hey, Fiona!" DJ greeted her. He was wearing a clown costume that didn't look so much different than his usual attire.
"Hey, DJ. Is the Trail ready?!"
"Yup!" He flailed his arms. "I can hardly contain my excitement."
Fiona tilted her head but said nothing. "So… Can I go in?"
"Oh, yes, of course!" Still flailing, he moved to the side. "Have a spookily good time!"
"Right…" Her smile twitching, Fiona hurried onto the path.
Aw, man, this is really creepy. She bit her lower lip as she sped down the wooded trail, walking as fast as she could without breaking into a run. The tree branches swayed overhead in the cold evening breeze, making dead leaves of every color fall about her. Grr… Kaz, you'll get it for this!
But I can't bear the thought of proving him right.
'sides, there's only people in costumes on this trail. They might scare me, but they won't actually hurt me.
She took a deep breath. But it's still gonna be scary.
"Whatever!" She tossed her hair in impatience and immediately shivered as the cold air swept around her neck. "This trail isn't too long – I'll be through it in no ti-"
"BOO!"
"AUGH!" Fiona shrieked. She stumbled backwards and fell flat on her butt. "Oof – who…?!"
It was Kaz himself, wearing a torn-up outfit and splattered in fake blood. He roared with laughter at her reaction to him. This just pissed her off more.
"KAZ! You phony!" Fiona scrambled to her feet and dusted off her costume.
"Scared yet?" He jeered at her. "What were you expecting, a real monster? C'mon!"
She ignored his snippy comment. "You said you were going to be DECORATING, NOT SCARING PEOPLE!"
"A person in a costume's a person in a costume." He frowned at her.
"Hm." Fiona hadn't considered it in that tone. She put her finger to her chin. "I guess so… Hey, don't change the subject!" She jabbed at him. "I WILL make it through this trail, and I WILL prove you wrong!"
"Sure," Kaz laughed. "You almost wet yourself seeing ME – how're you gonna react to the others?"
"They couldn't be any worse than YOU…. Right?"
"I'm not saying anything. But you get what you ask for." He winked mischievously at her before disappearing into the dark trees.
"Hey!" Fiona reached after him. "What? Ugh." She face-palmed. "Great." Kaz was better than no company at all… But Kaz or no Kaz… "I'm still not afraid!" She straightened up, fists clenched. "I can do this."
She continued down the trail.
The moon rose steadily overhead, and the wind grew frigid. She shivered and pulled her costume tighter about her. The breeze nearly lifted her witch hat off of her head, and she grabbed it by the brim to keep it on.
Aside from the breeze, there was no other sound. Well, besides the crunching of leaves and twigs under her feet, but she tried not to focus on that. The sound of footsteps, especially on Halloween night, gave her chills – even if they were her own.
Then the sound of footsteps – definitely NOT her own – came from her far right.
She stopped dead, her heart faltering for a moment, her body tingling and her eyes wide.
They came closer, and closer, and…
Fiona screamed without abandon and tripped backwards, her body shaking in terror.
Out into the moonlight stepped a cloaked figure in a long, billowing cape. The black, silky material shown an eerie blue in the cold light of the moon.
Her teeth chattering, Fiona raised her arms, half in self defense, half in fear.
"I know you're just an actor!" She shouted. "So drop the act, and leave me alone!"
The figure halted, and rose its face to look at her slowly. Its cape spread out about it in the breeze. She couldn't make out most of the features in the shadow of the hood, and yet… The tilt of the tip of its nose seemed familiar.
The being threw its head back and shook off the hood.
Fiona's arms dropped immediately, but her eyes grew even bigger. A hot, steady, embarrassingly prickly flush rose up her shoulders to her cheeks.
It was Shiro.
"What?" He scoffed at her. "Never seen a vampire before?" His eyes sparked and jumped with the brilliant moonlight.
She gulped. "O…. Of course I have! It's just… I was just putting on an act!" She steadied her voice and crossed her arms in scornful defiance.
"I see." He didn't sound convinced.
A gust of wind picked up around them, blowing Shiro's cape around his figure. His hair drifted in the air, and Fiona felt new shivers of a different kind creep up her body.
"I don't see how you qualify as a vampire anybody," Fiona continued.
"Don't you see the fangs?" Shiro pointed to his mouth.
"Hm…" Fiona tapped her lower lip. "Nope! That's probably because you're always frowning. Why don't you smile real quick, so I can see?"
Shiro scowled for a moment, then lifted his features into an oddly menacing smile.
Sure enough, a pair of fake (Fiona hoped) fangs gleamed. Fiona shivered again.
"Well…" she began again, looking away awkwardly. "At least they dressed you properly."
"Why are YOU dressed up?" He asked her with that haughty attitude of his. "You're not volunteering."
"Uh-!" She made a noise of disbelieving disgust. "It's HALLOWEEN! And on Halloween, even if they're not actually scaring people, humans like to dress up as paranormal or fantasy things. Like a witch." She grabbed the hem of her skirt and did a little sway to show off her costume.
"You're no witch."
"And you're no vampire."
"I'm better at acting the part than you!"
"Oh, yeah?! Prove it!"
"How?! I'm not about to bite you or drink your blood, you weirdo!"
"No! Just…" She twisted the toe of her shoe into the ground. "Do something vampire-ish."
He blinked, then sighed in impatience. "Fine."
He started towards her, and Fiona took a deep breath. He stopped in front of her, and she stared back at him, trying not to flinch. What exactly IS he going to do?
Then he swooped in at her, and she twitched. He was reaching around her, poised as if to bite her neck.
"How's this?" He whispered.
Her breathing became ragged, and she blinked fast. "N-Not bad. But, you know… A real vampire wouldn't leave so much space between themselves and their prey."
"So I should be closer?" He asked.
"Just a little bit." She turned her head to stare at him. "Just close enough to…"
He stared back at her, not moving from his position, his mouth with those shiny fangs just a few inches from her skin. "Close enough to what?"
She gulped. "To do vampire stuff."
Totally lame, but whatever.
He moved in front of her, examining her with comprehending eyes. For a moment, it was almost as if he really were a vampire, taking in his defiant, yet helpless, prey.
Then he leaned in again, taking her chin in his hand.
She didn't dare move an inch, her gaze still hard and unwavering.
Just one move, just one little sign, though, and she knew she would be putty in his hands.
His gaze softened, and so did hers. Then he moved even closer, his lips parted, and –
CRASH!
They jumped apart, yelping, and stared in disbelief at the forest across from the trail.
"Hebina…? Antares…?! What are you doing?!" Fiona yelled, her face bright red.
"N-Nothing." Antares quickly stood and dusted himself off, his own skin a strange shade of purple. Hebina did the same.
"Pesky kids – always interrupting!" She scoffed at them.
"We were here FIRST!" Fiona shouted, not bothering to hide her irritation now. "Get a ROOM!" She stomped her foot.
"Let's get out of here!" Antares grabbed Hebina's hand and pulled her away. As they departed, Fiona could hear him add "and find someplace more private." She gagged. "Gross! What the hell?!"
She turned back to see Shiro standing awkwardly, looking at the sky in apparent discomfort. "What's wrong, Shiro?"
"Nothing," he huffed. "I'd better get back to actually scaring people." He began to trek back into the darkness.
"No, wait!" Fiona called desperately. "Weren't you – weren't you going to…"
"To what?" He asked, turning back. His eyes were expectant, and yet somehow disappointed at the same time. Then Fiona remembered – We were interrupted! No wonder he's upset.
She took a deep breath.
Then she sprinted forward and flung herself at him. Totally taken by surprise, he fell beneath her to the ground. The pressure of his body beneath hers was oddly alluring – she could feel the rise and fall of his chest, the structure of his rib cage, and the fabric of his clothes. She took his face in both hands and kissed him roughly.
She remained there for a moment, carefully plucking a twig out of his hair.
Then, suddenly overcome by the realization of what she was doing, she shrieked and leaped with surprising agility up and away from him. "I'M SO SORRY! I…"
She swallowed. Then she giggled with exhilaration.
"Happy Halloween!"
Then she sprinted down the trail, still giggling, and leaving a breathless Shiro in her wake.
SO Here it is. Another Shiro X Fiona fanfic from yours truly.
BTW, if any of you see her around, thank Kaitlyn Chin for helping to convince me to get off my ass and finish this about two months before schedule. XD Thank you, Kaitlyn Chin, whoever you are!
This has been a work in progress for about half a year now. I just finished it late last night, but I'm pretty happy with it. ' U '
Happy Halloween! And may the Fiona X Shiro live on ;)