When hinges creak in doorless chambers,
And strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls.
Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still —
That is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!
It was that time again for the residents of the town.
The Halloween season was upon them!
As the leaves turned their different colors, people were excited to spend time preparing for the holidays. Halloween was one such where everyone wanted to participate. Pumpkins were gutted and left outside with various facial expressions. Children and adults alike were in the stores to get their last pieces for their costumes. Candy bags were flying off the shelves to give out to hungry guests. All around town, everyone was getting ready to celebrate Halloween in style.
Everyone, except for Lilith Vegapunk.
You see dear readers, across town laid a section that was known for being the "science hub". That part of town held the most brilliant minds, amazing scientists, and other doctors that helped people. It was futuristic, new-age, and quite the spectacle for anyone visiting.
The heart of this part of town was the academia for those future scientists known as the Egghead Institute, founded by one Dr. Vegapunk. This school was dedicated to mathematics and science, pumping out dozens upon dozens of bright scholars. There were many tracks to take from medical science to cybersecurity. It was said that if you went to this school, you were guaranteed a full-ride scholarship to any university. This was the school where Law attended and where Marco the Phoenix graduated from.
Since he was funding the school, Vegapunk required that his children pass with flying colors and bring honor to the family name. In fact, from their birth inside test tubes, he had planned out their lives. From school activities, clubs, and even who they were allowed to hang out with, none of Vegapunk's kids had a life of their own. It was fine for them since it allowed for no distractions for their future endeavors.
That means no Halloween festivities whatsoever.
"Come on Lilith! It's Halloween and everyone is going to be at the biggest party of the century! You have to come!"
"I see no reason to attend such a frivolous party. Halloween was a holiday dedicated to satanic rituals and capitalism. All it does is make you gain weight from all that disgusting candy and promote the wearing of slutty outfits for females. Count me out, thank you very much."
Walking down the hallways of the Egghead Institute, two girls were chatting after a long day of classes.
One had wild blonde hair that stuck out in all directions while an aviator helmet rested on top. She had big brown boots on with her uniform along with a pair of goggles around her neck. Gloves also covered her hands to prevent her from touching any surface she deemed disgusting. Her face was down inside a book while avoiding any obstacle in her way.
The other had dark cocoa skin with white spots in certain areas like her hands and left cheek. Her hair was tied in two puffy dark brown ponytails held together with two purple ribbons. Her hazel eyes glinted with mischief and her braces sparkled in the sun. She wore a cute pair of sneakers that were doodled on and had a purple coat tied around her waist. In her arms were a ton of books from all her classes and her backpack spilled her school supplies.
"Lilith, you take the fun out of everything." The dark-skinned girl complained, shaking her head. "Would it kill you to have fun for one time in your life?"
Lilith paused, turning her eye upwards. "No can do Mela. I have a career to focus on, a life that's pre-planned for me, and a college to attend. One silly party will not deter me from my set path."
"Halloween is cool. You should come to the big party at the community center! You can relax, eat some goodies, and maybe have time for some romance~!"
Lilith rolled her eyes at Mela's prodding. She sure didn't want to spend Halloween with a bunch of adolescent females and males. A party was just another breeding ground for germs, sex, and other unfavorable acts that they would regret the next day. Lilith only did what she felt would benefit her in the future like stealing books from the library or blackmailing those who weren't good enough to stay at the school.
Then again, there was one thing she hoped for in life. Despite her father telling her it would be a waste of time, she wanted to have a boyfriend to call her own. Someone like in those romance novels that Mela had lent her one summer. A strong, kind individual whose intelligence didn't trump hers and who wanted to spend time with her. Surely there was no boy or man alive that had the brain power to have a conversation with her. It was a preposterous feeling and Halloween would just make things worse.
In any case, if she were to go to this party, she would want to go with the guy of her dreams.
Highly illogical, but she could dream.
Mela patted her arm, snapping her out of her thoughts. They had left school and were walking downtown to the community center. How foolish! She let herself be dragged by her crazy acquaintance!
"Mela! How could you lead me astray like that? Why are we even in this awful place?"
"We've got to find you a sweetie to score for the Halloween party. Someone who, no matter what outfit you wear, will make you the star of the show. I heard from Law that he hangs around guys that will make your mouth drool."
"Ugh...this is ridiculous. There's no one I am compatible with and there will never be a man that will make me swoon like some hussy."
Mela rolled her eyes and pushed her into the gymnasium. The scent of sweat and body odor hit Lilith's nose as she pressed her fingers to her nostrils. Before she could snap at her friend, her eyes gazed over the array of hot, sexy guys that were pumping iron. All of a sudden she felt her whole brain short circuit at the sight of gorgeous men. Her father never allowed her or Atlas to ever interact with the male species, telling them that boys were only a distraction. If anything, the only men she had met outside her family were the police captains and the strange robotic mechanic who worked with her father.
Now, as she was surrounded by men her age, she knew why her father forbade boys.
Mela squeaked in shock as Lilith passed out in her arms.
Reiju Vinsmoke had a big problem with her hands.
The Halloween party of the century was nearing and almost everyone she knew was going to be there. Sure, last Halloween was a fun little play at her school where everyone saw her perform, but this party was different. This was the year when all the schools let the young teens go to the community center to have one big bash. Costumes were already planned, dates were arranged, and the day after would have all the details down to tell those who missed it.
The only problem was that she had no date.
Given that her dad was one of the biggest assholes in the city, no guy dared to date her. Not only her dad, but her brothers were no help whatsoever. Except for Sanji, her brothers chased away anybody who wanted to take her out. The only place where she could be away from their influence was school.
The pink-haired girl was so out of it that she wasn't paying attention to her chemistry work.
"Uh, Reiju-san? Is our beaker supposed to bubble that hard?"
Her lab partner was the infamous Monkey D. Luffy, whose eyes were bulging at the sight of the beaker boiling over. Everyone noticed this and screamed for her to stop the fire. Reiju snapped out of her thoughts and acted quickly. Putting on her gloves, she grabbed the beaker and tossed it out the window. A large explosion rocked the building, causing the chemistry cabinet to crack. Luffy gave the girl a puzzled expression before wiping up the spill.
"I'm so sorry Luffy! My mind was wandering somewhere else." Reiju blushed, bowing. "My mind was on the Halloween party."
"Oh yeah! I heard everyone was going to be there!" Luffy grinned. "I'm going by later to help with the decorations and setup. What's got your mind in a tizzy though?"
Reiju turned away, fiddling with her fingers. "I need...a date."
Luffy stopped what he was doing and gave her a look. "Who said?"
"I heard that all these girls were asking guys from other schools to take them to the Halloween party."
"Does that mean you need a date or do you want a date?"
"Yes, no, I don't know what I want! To be honest, I'm trying to figure that out myself."
Luffy hummed in thought. Sure, he was all in for going and eating at the party. Maybe he'll see his guy friends along with some of his new girl friends. However, seeing Reiju fret like this caused him to feel bad for her. From what Sanji informed him, his big sister never went on a date before due to his terrible family. Even he had trouble dating Pudding since his brothers were jealous brats and tried ruining every date they went on.
Seeing such a smart and talented girl feel down made Luffy want to do something.
"Hey, if you like, maybe I can escort you to the party? That way, if anybody asks, you can say you went with me!" Luffy suggested, pointing to himself.
Reiju blinked, not expecting that sort of response. "Are you serious right now? You want to take me to the party?"
Luffy rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I mean, you are a cool girl and don't want to see you so upset. Last year you had so much fun around this time. I want to see you smile again."
Fresh tears sprouted on her face as Reiju leaned down and hugged him tightly. No boy had ever said something so sweet to her before. Day by day, she warmed up to this guy being in an all-female school. At first, she was adamant about him attending this school and tarnishing their reputation. Now, after all of the slander and mockery, she was seeing a more mature side to him. No matter how hard the world pushed him down, he kept bouncing back like rubber.
"Thank you, Luffy. I would be honored if you were to take me to the Halloween party."
Major spoilers for the manga with the new Vegapunk character. Since we only have an inkling of her personality, I tried my best to make her a fleshed-out character.
Time for the yearly Halloween special! This time, we get one starring Reiju and Lilith Vegapunk. Luffy will meet Lilith next time and the Halloween party will go off with a hitch. Can he handle taking these two sheltered girls with crazy families? Will Lilith learn to let go? Will Reiju gain her confidence back?
Find out next time!
