Hey, this fanfiction will contain graphic violence (child abuse, manipulation, character death, murder, torture). So viewer discretion advised!
I do not own Star Wars: Rebels nor any of the characters except Kevin (he's an oc).
Ezra scoffed and rolled his eyes as he continued shoving his notebooks into his backpack. The kids sprung alive with the final bell, throwing around idle gossip as soon and the teacher yelled over the chatter, wishing the students a fun Halloween weekend while, weakly, trying to remind them of their homework in hopes of someone actually listening. It was the month of October and just like every year, the gossip was centred around old legends, fable stories passed down from one generation to the next. This year, the main scare was the abandoned mansion that rested in the dense Forgotten Forest on the outskirts of town, supposedly haunted by its previous owner who had been brutally murdered.
His classmates only stopped chatting when they heard Ezra scoff and gave him a hard stare.
"Don't tell me you actually believe in these rumors?" Ezra asked, baffled. His classmates shared glances, obviously not pleased at Ezra's lack of spirit.
"Well, this is the main legend of our town. There has to be some truth to it," Zare deadpanned before smiling. "Unless you're too scared to believe in it?"
"Ghosts do not exist," he bit back, looking unamused. The town he had moved to two years ago was ridiculous with their notions at the existence of unworldly creatures. The kids laughed at him.
"Then you won't be afraid to go to the Mansion of Dathomiri," Jai said, grinning mischievously.
Ezra rolled his eyes and went back to clearing his desk. "There is no point as there would be nothing to see there."
"That is something a chicken would say," Kevin joined in and Ezra glared at him.
"I am not afraid," he countered. And it was true, he wasn't afraid of fabled tales. He just thought it was a waste of time to go to the Forgotten Forest to visit the abandoned building.
"Then spend the night in Dathomiri," Zare challenged, smirking as he knew Ezra would not be able to resist proving them wrong if provoked enough.
"Fine," Ezra replied, taking the bait. "I will prove you wrong. But if I'm right, you guys owe me a hundred bucks."
Their lips thinned at the demand but reluctantly nodded their heads in agreement. "Fine, but you have to stay there the whole night on hallows eve."
"Deal," Ezra smirked. This would be easy money and then he would finally have enough to buy that bike he had been eyeing for over a year now. He zipped up his backpack before swinging it over his shoulder and left behind his leering classmates.
The walk home was a short but weary one when rain had started to pour from the grey skies and he cursed at himself for forgetting an umbrella. Fall was one of his least favourite seasons. It was always wet and cold and grey and the sun would begin setting earlier and earlier every day, casting the world into shadows. It did not help that he had lost his birth parents during this time on a damp, misty night when their car lost control and crashed. He had been the only survivor, and Ezra felt grateful beyond words to have gotten adopted into the family he had now.
Hera and Kanan were amazing parents, and although they could never replace his birth parents, Ezra loved them to bits. Then there was of course his adoptive sister, Sabine. She played the role of the annoying sister well, but they were best friends despite occasional minor disputes. He smiled at the thought of his family as he walked up to his house.
Ezra slammed the door behind him, slumping his shoulders in relief when he had finally made it inside. Throwing his backpack onto the ground next to his wet shoes, he quickly made his way into the kitchen for an afterschool snack. Opening the fridge, he eyed the contents before grabbing a juice package.
"Pfft, you're looking great," a voice said from the dining room that was connected via an archway. Ezra turned to glare at Sabine, who was hunched over a text book covered with notes, her orange and purple hair pulled away from her face by hair clips. His older sister always had to comment on everything, picking on him for her own amusement.
"Yeah, much like you," he retorted as he plopped down on the seat across from her. She rolled her eyes and went back to her notes. "What is that gibberish you're reading?"
"For your information, this is calculus," Sabine said as she continued scribbling away calculations. "I have a big test next Tuesday."
"Right after Halloween weekend, that sucks."
Sabine scoffed. "Well unlike you, I have grades to keep up if I want to get into University of Mandalore so I don't have time to do kiddy things like 'trick and treating'."
"You're no fun," Ezra grumbled as he chewed on his straw.
The front door opened and closed, and Ezra turned to see Hera walk in with groceries. She had her hair in her usual fishtail braid and, much like Sabine, their mother also dyed her hair, choosing a green colour to compliment her eyes. Hera smiled when she saw her children at the dining table and put the kettle on the stove.
"Hey kids, I have brought home a treat," she said, pulling up a dish from a bag. Hera owned her own bakery in the centre of town which had become a huge success since they had moved here two years ago.
"Hey mom," Ezra got up and helped put the few remaining groceries away before turning off the flame on the stove, the kettle indicating that the water was boiling with its insistent screeching. The tea brought an aroma of warmth against the dreary autumn weather that stormed outside. Ezra eyed the treat that Hera had brought home with excitement, his mouth watering at the morsel. It was one of his favourite treats of that time of year, pumpkin pie and nothing could beat his mom's pumpkin pie.
"Why are you all wet?" Hera asked, amusement sparkling in her soft eyes.
Ezra blushed and mumbled out, "I forgot my umbrella." Before she could question it any further, Ezra brought up a piece to his mouth and closed his eyes to savour the taste as it melted on his tongue. "Mmm, this is so good, mom!"
Hera chuckled as she took a bite from her own pie. "I'm glad you like it. I have some more in the fridge, too."
Sabine, who had moved her study notes to make room on the table, leaned in mischievously. "Just make sure you save some for dad, Ezra," she warned but her voice held no malice as her eyes twinkled with mirth. She knew how much her brother loved pumpkin pie. Ezra rolled his eyes as he stuffed the last piece into his mouth.
"Won't be my fault if he doesn't come home in time for his own piece," he said, shrugging as he contemplated whether to go for seconds now or later. They shared a laugh when the door opened.
"Speak of the devil," Hera murmured out, smiling as Kanan walked in.
"Is that pumpkin pie I smell?" He said as he ran his hand through his wet hair. Looked like someone else had forgotten their umbrella too, Ezra thought to himself amused.
"Yeah, better get some before Ezra inhales them all," Sabine chuckled.
"Hey!" Ezra glared at his sister but could not hide his smile. When Kanan joined them, setting down his cup of tea and plate of pie, Ezra hesitantly spoke up. "So, what are your plans for this weekend?"
"Is there something happening?" Kanan frowned, wondering if he had forgotten something.
"Well, I was sort of invited to this sleepover," Ezra lied and tried his best to not avert his eyes as guilt started to take root. He rarely ever lied to his family and it was not something he had wanted to do, but he couldn't tell them that he was going to spend a night in an abandoned house in the middle of a forest. They shared a surprised stare.
"That's great, dear," Hera was the first to speak up, a smile breaking out. "I'm glad you're finally making friends."
Ezra smiled weakly. It was true that he had not made any friends since they had moved here, which made his parents worried. So it came to no surprise that they would gobble up his lie with eagerness and Ezra could not help but to feel awful about it.
The day went by faster than Ezra had hoped for and before he knew it, it was time for him to leave and finish this pointless bet. Halloween had fallen on a Saturday that year, although the weather had been less merciful, bestowing them with a layer of fog and grey clouds that threatened to release rain at any given moment. Ezra sighed as he threw his stuffed backpack over his shoulder. He was certain he had everything he needed, not being able to think of anything else, and trotted down the stairs.
Hera popped her head out of the living room when she heard Ezra coming down and smiled. She was dressed in a long, black dress along with a witch's hat.
"Not dressing up tonight?" She asked, eyeing him up and down. He was wearing his favourite orange hoodie over a pair of jeans.
"Ah, no," Ezra grimaced and rubbed the back of his head. "It's not that serious of a Halloween party, mom."
"Already so grown up," Hera said as she ruffled his hair. Ezra smiled tightly, pushing down the guilt that threatened to surface. "I made something for you and your friends, hold on."
She scuttled to the kitchen and grabbed something off the counter before giving him a ziplock bag. They contained Halloween themed cookies, all neatly decorated with icing and it took all of Ezra's strength not to confess to his lie then and there.
"Thanks mom," he choked out and hugged her before she could get a better glimpse at his half smile. She returned the hug, pulling him closer before parting.
"Everything alright, dear?" Hera asked as she cupped his cheek in worry.
"Yeah," he breathed out and gave a more believable smile. "I should probably get going. Don't want to let the boys wait too long."
Hera smiled and followed Ezra to the door after he managed to stuff the cookies into his already full bag. He bounced down the porch steps and waved to his mom as he ran down the sidewalk. The cold bit at his face, making him slightly regret his choice of attire but did not want to head back inside to grab a warmer jacket.
"Have fun!" Hera yelled out after him from the doorway, waving her hand back.
"I will!" Ezra replied. When he was finally out of sight, he slowed down and allowed the feigned smile to drop. The walk to the edge of the forest was not a long one and he reached it within ten minutes, tightening his grip on the steps of his bag when he spotted his classmates already waiting.
"Took you long enough, Bridger," Kevin sneered. "We almost thought you had decided to back out."
"I never back out," Ezra leveled, glaring at the boy. They snickered at Ezra's defensiveness.
"Good to know," he smirked and Zare shoved a paper into Ezra's chest. It was a map with the location of the mansion, which was rather pointless considering that everyone, including Ezra, already knew where it was found. He realised it was more to insult him than to help him.
They stepped to the side to make way for Ezra to walk into the whispering forest. Zare extended his arm out in invitation. "To your death then, Bridger."
"No need for dramatics," Ezra said as he rolled his eyes. He pushed forward, shoving them with his shoulder as he walked past and ignored their shared snickers of laughter. They were so annoying and he was almost glad that he had no friends if these kids were the only options to choose from.
The path was barely visible, covered by damp, autumn leaves and creeping vines, having not been cleared in a while. He had already had to throw his arms out a few times, gripping to the branches of nearby trees to prevent himself from falling as he slipped in the shallow mud, spilling out a string of curses. It had already begun to get dark during his walk, the skies parting to allow the rising full moon to peer over Ezra, allowing slivers of light to guide him through the mist.
His steps faltered when he had reached his destination, his breath catching in his throat. Surrounded by a warped fence that towered over Ezra with its thin, black stems adorned with spikes on top, stood the once beautiful Victorian home, now crooked and deformed. The outer wooden planks splintered and bent from years of rotting, causing the house to look as if it had been titled. On top of the roof, the tiles had begun to crumble away, exposing some of the skeletal frame underneath, much like the flesh breaking off a decaying corpse. The dark windows, some shattered, stared back at Ezra with a sense of hollowness that sent a shiver of unease down his spine.
The mansion was a lot more imposing than the photos he had seen on the postcards, and he blamed it on the fact that it was the night of Halloween and the fog was not helping to ease the mood. There was an air about the place that caused the hair on his neck to stand on end and his muscles screamed to run, but Ezra ignored it all as he stepped forward. What was the worst that could happen?