Little Vicky Adams gazed at herself in the mirror, admiring her ensemble. She was dressed as a Victorian gentleman, looking quite sharp with a dark blue wasitcoat, paired with blue trousers, a vest, and a black tie. She turned her round face to put the finishing touches on gluing sideburns down her cheeks to form mutton chops. Picking up an old portrait of the man she was attempting to resemble, she observed the placement of his facial hair to imitate. After placing the frame down, she gleefully rested a black top hat on her head and held up her silver cane. It was quite an odd gettup for a little girl but Vicky was proud of the results after a week of sewing and gluing. Halloween has finally arrived and the little girl was ready for Trick-or-Treating. It would be her first year joining the fun at last.
Before taking a last glance at herself, maybe to catch a few stray lints from her coat, she heard her door has swung open and a harsh voice scolded. "Victoria Adams! What in the world do you think you're doing?!"
Vicky gasped at the sight of her mother seen through the mirror. Her expression was not pleased at all. Slowly turning around to face her, the little girl frowned as her chubby face stared at the floor.
She answered softly. "I'm going Trick-or-Treating with the other children this year, Mother. I'm dressed up as great-great grandfather Thomas. I've worked on it all week. Do you like it?" She threw a hopeful glance at her mother with her large, emerald eyes. She knew that her mother would not be happy of her going out but little Vicky had to be adamant. She worked so hard on her costume.
However, her mother shot her a disapproving glare. "Absolutely not. You're not going out on this silly holiday, with a silly costume only to accept sweets from silly strangers. If you wanted sweets, we have plenty downstairs! You know that!"
Vicky pouted. "But Mother, it's not the same…"
"I am not going to allow you to leave this house. You have much studying to do, Victoria, and that is final." She placed her hands on her hips sternly.
The girl rolled her eyes. "Ugh! I don't need to do more studying, Mother! I've received perfect scores in all of my exams all week! I've finished my schoolwork as well!"
The woman huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "So has that little brat, William Wonka! Honestly, Victoria, if you are to be anything like your ancestors, you know perfectly well you have to be several steps ahead. Especially a young lady such as yourself will not get respect for mediocrity! You have to be the best! Taking part in Halloween will not help you be the best!"
"Mother…" The little girl fumed. She was not going to throw away the hours she put into making her costume. She glared at her mother. "I've always wanted to be like grandfather Thomas and I thought dressing up like him for Halloween would be fun. All the other kids are out there…"
"Enough!" Mrs. Adams bellowed as she stormed at her daughter and ripped the mutton chops off the sides of her face. Little Vicky shrieked in pain as tears started streaming from her eyes, stinging her plump cheeks.
Mrs. Adams' lips were trembling at the sight of her daughter in tears but she remained standing sternly. "That was for your own good, Victoria. You are to get out of those silly clothes and into your nightdress. And you are to study this cover to cover." She picked up a chemistry book, shoving it in Vicky's hands.
The little girl stared blankly at the book in her plump little hands and remained silent. Before she could argue, she saw her mother storm out of the room. When she heard the turning of the key outside the door, Vicky realized she was locked in her bedroom. She ran over to the door, frantically pulling the doorknob but it would not budge.
She shouted, banging on the door. "I HATE YOU! I'M NEVER SPEAKING TO YOU AGAIN!"
She kept banging on the door and shouting until she realized her mother was no longer outside her room. It was useless fretting now. Vicky Adams had missed yet another Halloween.
Once she calmed, the girl removed her coat and threw it across the room. It was of no use now. She sat at the windowsill, gazing down at all the children happily frolicking around with their creative costumes and buckets of candy. Oh how she wished she was among them. Although they were the same children who ridiculed her on a daily basis and were quite annoyed with her perfect grades, that did not matter to her. All Vicky wanted was to be finally out of that house to take part in the holiday.
Perhaps her mother may be right. How could she let that Willy Wonka get perfect grades alongside her? Maybe it was best to read ahead and maybe put in extra credit work to beat him. If it was not for him, maybe Vicky could have been out Trick-or-Treating instead. How dare that boy ruin her fun. That was so typical of the little brat with the braces and metal helmet.
Vicky huffed as she picked up her chemistry book and notebook. She began reading and jotting vigorously. It only took a few pages for her to absorb what she needed to know in the first chapter. She was on yet another studying high and it did not take much when it came to new information. That Willy Wonka would not know what hit him when she showed up the next morning with an extra credit assignment ready for the teacher. Perhaps her thesis would help her teacher prep for the next lessons to come.
After more pages of her notebook were filled, she took another glance out the window. More costumed children came to ring the doorbell of the jolly old woman across the street, Mrs. Blaine. Vicky recognized the children were Ruthie, Veronica, Terrance, and that very familiar orb under a ghost sheet. When the boy revealed who he was, Vicky noticed the metal all over his head. It was Mr. Metal Helmet himself. That very brat, Willy Wonka. Of course that boy was allowed to enjoy Trick-or-Treating and was not required to be locked in his room to study. Though it amused her knowing Willy won't be allowed to eat any of that candy, she was still jealous. And she could not control it.
She scowled watching the children receive handfuls of candy. All of them left one by one until Willy was the last to receive his handful of sweets. She watched the brat count all he had with that all too familiar smirk behind those braces. Oh boy was he annoying. Before he would step down from the door, Willy's eyes gazed up across the street at Vicky's window. The children spotted each other and Vicky immediately pulled the curtains to cover her. She was supposed to be studying and how dare Willy Wonka distract her. However, she took one more peek at him and saw he was walking across the street toward her house, still fixated on her window. He continued playing that annoying smirk on his mouth full of metal before taking off toward his house.
Humiliated, Vicky shut the curtains once and for all. She was going to hear it in the morning for sure and she was not looking forward to it. Gazing at her great-great grandfather's portrait, she let out a deep, exasperated sigh. She was going to make him proud one day. All it took was to prove her father she was capable of running the family business. How foolish of her to even think of having fun on a silly holiday when there was much work to be done. She shook her head, opening her Chemistry book again and continued to jot down more notes, hoping to take her mind off her yet another lonely Halloween night.