She walked along the cemetery gravestones, occasionally stopping to glance at the information engraved onto the stone. The world around her seemed to have vanished in the hazy white fog hovering just over the ground. A breeze lifted the colorful leaves on the ground, from time to time, but other than that, it was deathly quiet.
All Hallows Eve brought with it frightening nights; that is, if you were alone. If you had just listened to a rather quiet and haunting rendition of the Mudman song: Something Wicked This Way Comes. The moon was not quite full, but it was enough to illuminate the fog in such a way, that the tales of ghosts and ghouls, vampires and werewolves seemed to be real. It made goose bumps rise along your arms. And goose bumps pretty much covered her entire body at the moment.
She didn't know why she was here. There was always danger of the occasionally human teenage group coming for a stupid dare. And if they discovered her, what then? It was the first vacation she had had in nearly 4 decades and it wouldn't do to have a mindwipe done. Trouble would never let her forget it, as he was the one who had finally agreed to help her get the vacation in the first place.
And so she walked along, liking the thrill and chill this spooky cemetery gave her. Artemis was back at the manor, waiting for his two young siblings and parents to come home, because they were all out doing that strange American custom of going out dressed in silly costumes and asking for sugar filled candy. He had not thought that it would be an interesting experience to be out here. Holly was, therefore alone.
She wondered briefly what time it was. She hadn't really brought out any type of clock. She hadn't thought it was necessary. Same with any sort of communicator, though that probably had been a bad idea. And she noticed the pure stupidity of it now. She wondered deeper and deeper into the desolate graveyard, soon finding herself among the grave sites for the richer families. The wind picked up suddenly, howling in the cold night. Holly got more and more frightened.
Then… there came the sound. The crunching of leaves. It came just behind her, although Holly knew it couldn't be, or else she'd see it through the fog… right? It seemed someone was following her.
As soon as she hit the next row of gravestones, Holly turned right onto its path and walked slightly faster.
She suddenly felt as if evil magic was lurking its way up the path. But Holly knew that wasn't possible. Every fairy knew that the Evil magic had been banished and entirely taken out over a millennium before hand. It couldn't be there at that moment…
The sound of crunching leaves had been getting farther away now. Holly felt relieved that she had finally lost what ever had been chasing her. She came upon another T- road. She turned left.
But still that feeling of evil flowed around her, calling out every little anger she'd ever felt. She turned once again, fearful of whatever was making her think hateful thoughts, and immediately, the crunching sound neared her again. Holly's steps started to quicken once again. But the sound just came closer… and closer… Holly couldn't believe it, but it seemed to be right in front of her now!
A figure suddenly stepped out of the shadows right in front of her! "Damn, this fog is so thick!" Holly thought as she almost crashed into the rather short Mudboy. She could tell he was male, because the sound of pain he made from having crashed into her was kind of low in pitch. Not that much, though.
"Holly!" A strangled voice cried. He apparently had had the wind knocked out of him.
"Artemis! It's you!" Holly stood up and helped the boy to his feet.
"And what, pray tell, did you hit me for?" Artemis asked, rather miffed at having been knocked over.
"I'm sorry, I just- I sensed something." Holly immediately whipped her head around, looking in the ever-thickening fog. Artemis was not as evil as he used to be, he couldn't have made that feeling floating around.
"Holly, we must go back to the Manor," Artemis said, ignoring what she had said. "It is nearly midnight and the temperature seems to be dropping steadily." Holly then noticed that he was right. It was getting chillier.
"Alright," Holly said. And so they walked along. Soon they reached the gate of the graveyard. Once they traveled a few more streets, they would reach the Manor. But just as Holly's foot stepped past the gate, a large wind blew through the night, whistling eerily. Both Holly and Artemis shivered involuntarily. They both gave each other surprised and slightly scared looks, then walked quickly along the road, each step bringing them a little more comfort.
Nestled in the trees, at the back of the graveyard, two fairies stood. Or rather, one stood, the other knelt, both facing the graveyard. One a Pixie, the other an Elf. "Is it time yet? It must be time," said the Pixie in a high-pitched voice. She was shaking in anticipation, waiting and watching for the right time. Her fingers dug into the earth beneath her, black magic ebbing around her hands, ready to explode outward at any moment.
"Not yet. We must wait for the next full moon," replied the young Elf, the patient one.
"But it is the 31st! Now must be the time—" persisted the Pixie, her brown hair sliding in front of her golden eyes, giving the impression that she was hiding something mystical in them. And who knew? Maybe she was.
"Not now," the Elf responded. "We must wait, Stella. You know that. The female Captain and the Mudboy will come back eventually, and when they do, we will be ready."
Stella huffed, blowing the hair away from her eyes. They were nearly ready. But she felt ready now. But she knew enough to listen the Elf. Eventually, they would get their revenge. For all the wretched MudPeople had done. One day, they. Would. Pay.
