July 28th 2021

Chapter 209
Our Party For Disguise

"How's it going out there?" Maya asked Summer as they crossed each other in the kitchen, refilling candy bowls.

"I scared a couple of little kids, did you see that?" she smiled, looking even more macabre through her makeup.

"I saw, yes. Heard, especially," Maya chuckled.

"You know, since Tori was born, it's not the same when I hear kids crying."

"Oh, yeah, I get that, too. Sometimes I swear I had a bit of it all the way back to when my little sisters were born, but once Marianne came into the picture…"

"Taylor knows I'm me, by the way," Summer revealed, giving the bowl a shake, to get the different candies properly mixed up.

"He does?" Maya was surprised. "You told him?"

"No, he just guessed."

"What'd you tell him?"

"Nothing. I stayed in character," Summer mimed. "He thinks I'm just here as a volunteer, to help in the maze and at the games. I don't think he'll tell. He was kind of sweet about it," she smiled. Maya gave her a curious look and Summer straightened up a bit, maybe realizing what her teacher and friend was thinking. "I'm not… I mean, I don't… with boys right now, it's not a good idea. And sweet boys, they get attached…"

She was afraid of what would happen if he found out about Tori, even just as a friend. Maya knew exactly what Summer was getting at. He'd want to be involved, and it might confuse things. She didn't want to hurt him, nor did she want to pull him into teenaged stepdad mode.

"So long as you know it's right," Maya gave a nod, and Summer returned it. "Just make sure you're not forcing your eyes closed when they need to be open, okay?"

"I won't," Summer vowed.

By this time, they'd normally be at the point where they'd be helping Marianne wind down ahead of bed. Exceptionally on special occasions they might choose to relax that rule just a bit. If Hallowannie didn't qualify as a special occasion, then what would? It wouldn't be much longer before she was taken up to her little bed, but until that moment came, the pumpkin fairy was free to continue roaming under 'Petey Pan's' care. Lucas carried her in one arm, following the lead of her pointing finger. She was just now starting to show signs of getting sleepy, and he expected that in no time she would lay her flowered head against his shoulder. Until then, he was all too happy to serve and to watch how excited she was about… oh, everything.

With the way Marianne and the others of the little kids in their circle were growing up, still no more than toddlers and babies on the whole, they'd seen to the addition of a few small games better suited to their size and skill. They had been a big hit earlier, when the others had been here, and now that they were gone, well… Marianne still had her father take her to play a few times, just the two of them, and she almost looked happier when it was this way.

"Daddy, we go fishy now?" she pointed her finger to the small 'pond.' Her head finally went and set itself on his shoulder even as she did so. Lucas smiled and turned toward the house instead.

"I have another idea. A surprise, you want to see?" he asked. She was almost asleep; there was no resistance.

"Uh-huh," her hand settled at his neck as he cocooned her up some more in his arms.

"Thought so."

They ran into Maya as she and Summer were on their way back out of the house with refilled bowls. Maya briefly stopped and kissed her fellow fairy good night, promising to come see her a little later. Up the stairs she was carried, and unless she perked up again – which was unlikely, once Lucas put 'the arms' to work in easing her to sleep – there would be no need of this surprise of new books courtesy of Tracy Coleman out in Houston. There would also be no resistance in the removal of the flowers, but then Marianne had nothing to worry about. Maya had already instructed him to carefully set them aside. She would later press them and see about preserving them in memory of the day, this second birthday.

With the pumpkin fairy turned back into a regular little sleeping girl, she was placed in her bed, tucked in with her pea pod. Lucas could leave her in peace, knowing there would be someone inside the house at all times to look after her if needed, but as he looked at her, he had difficulty tearing himself away. He would just look at her and he would be overrun with the same realization he'd been having all day. Two years… Two whole years of this little fairy of a girl in their lives. He didn't know what was harder to believe, that it had been that long or that she hadn't been there longer than that… all their lives…

After bending forward to lightly kiss her head, Lucas left Marianne to go on sleeping while he made his way back downstairs and outside. The costume contest would be kicking off before long.

For having come up with it as short notice as they did, they had come up with a solution easily enough. This year at least, they had four categories, four age groups – babies and toddlers, kids, teens, and adults. Maybe next year they'd have a distinction for solos and pairs and groups, depending on how this first year shaped up. They had four prizes ready to be collected, and from what Sam and Dora had been telling them – as they'd volunteered themselves to handle their 'contestants' – they already had several takers, waiting for the 'judges' (everyone who saw to the games and the maze and the candy) to make their choices.

Maya had had plenty to keep her occupied between the makeup she did on some of their group, and then being out there, looking after this and that, and watching Marianne while she'd been going around with Lucas. On top of all this, she was keeping an eye out for some friends from a galaxy far, far away. She still had not seen any sign of them, and the longer this went on, the more she'd be left to wonder if they would come at all. This didn't mean that they wouldn't still be together. Maybe they had decided to just do something else, go to a party… Or the suggestion hadn't panned out, and if that was the case, well, there wasn't much she could do about it now. She would have tried, and that would already be something for her to hold on to, even if she wished…

As she would soon learn, they had decided to surprise her. They accomplished this by approaching her while she had her back turned. Once they were a few feet away, their presence was announced with the familiar sound of a light saber. Maya turned around at once, and yes, there they all were, a newly minted golden trio in the making. Henry and Stevie looked just as they'd done back at school, with the addition of the light saber for Henry, which would have been prohibited and confiscated if he'd brought it there.

But then there was Cade, joining 'Luke and Leia' as Han Solo, and this felt brand new in so many ways. There were the clothes, the borrowed costume from Henry which fit him perfectly. It wasn't that Cade usually wore the same thing every day, but there really wasn't much variety in his wardrobe from what she'd seen of it up to now, all of it falling into that category of not trying to stand out even a little. She'd seen several of those over the last five years. Then there was the hair, naturally just sort of… on the border between short and long and with a waviness to suggest little effort put into brushing or combing or anything at all after being washed. Now, with the costume, there had been some work done in making his hair as 'Han like' as possible, and it was such an effective transformation that she could have mistaken him for someone else.

As to his face, his expression and posture, all of that, well… Maybe he wasn't going around like he was trying to imitate the guy, but this was easily the most relaxed and light she'd seen Cade Foster in the time she'd known him. Oh, he wouldn't even have shown up here tonight if he wasn't on board with all this, but he still looked unsure of himself. He knew Henry and Stevie from being in class with them, but he hadn't been talking to them, same as they hadn't been with him or really with one another. But then today had happened, and between matching costumes and the prank this morning, maybe they'd all been brought together at the right time. And for the better. They all looked at ease with one another as they stood before their teacher, so it could just be that this would be the start of something great for all of them.

"You guys look great, wow!" she laughed, moving a step back to really take them in together, as a trio. "I'm so glad you came," she told them all. "If you haven't gone yet, you need to go see Sam over there to sign up for the contest, alright? And then just, go around, check out the games, the maze…" she pointed them around.

When they walked off toward Sam and Dora, Maya watched them go. Even from behind, it was easy to pick up on some of what might have been going through their heads. Henry was actually really excited about all this, about being here with Stevie and Cade, like he had felt the potential, too, and it made him hopeful. Whether he and Stevie would become fast friends and only that or something more, he could have been wholly satisfied regardless. As for Stevie, Maya got the impression that, if she had met other Star Wars fans – which she probably had – they hadn't gelled nearly as well as she and the boys were gelling in this moment, and that made her as happy as coming out here tonight.

And as isolated as Cade had accepted himself to be for so long, from one thing after another, he now found himself with two classmates who had taken him in to join them, and it felt unexpectedly wonderful. If he felt in any way doubtful of their intentions, as though this was just an extended joke that they were playing on him, he wasn't showing it. On the contrary, he looked like he'd already had the best few hours in a long while, from when he'd left school, and possibly gone to the Hillard house to receive his makeover, before ending up out here tonight. For how his day had started, the prank was now far out of his mind, where it belonged.

The toddler prize had been awarded some time ago, naturally, and the kid prize had been as well. The adults' winner would be given at the party after the games. This left the teen winners, and while she trusted that her friends and fellow judges would be completely honest and impartial, on the inside Maya had hoped and hoped that those three would walk away with the victory. When they did, Lucas – who was standing next to her with his arm around her shoulders – casually pressed his hand over her mouth to stifle the squeal, which turned into a laugh for the gesture. She turned a smile up to him and he leaned down to kiss her before they could look back up and watch Henry, Stevie and Cade go and claim their prize from Sam and Dora. It was the first time she saw Cade Foster smile.

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners