Chapter 14: Spooky Times

Marlene didn't know what Sun wanted, but she wished he'd hurry up and tell her. All morning, he'd been lingering near the doorway, occasionally poking his head in to see what was taking her so long.

"Su-?"

He disappears from the doorway like a spooked cat.

Once was amusing.

Twice was a little odd, but still funny.

Thrice was when it started to lose its charm.

"...Is there something on your mind?" Marlene sighs as she follows him out, tilting her head up to make eye contact with Sun.

"Aren't you busy?" He asks, gesturing to the erase board she had put up. On it reads "Working" in a rather hasty and sloppy way.

"Ah, sorry about that." Marlene wipes away the note with the sleeve of her black sweater, "Forgot to clean that off before bed. I don't have work today."

"That's great! Jesse is here, but I want to show you something before they get started."

Sun gives a single, gentle tug at Marlene's sleeve.

"Alright, let's see what you've got." Marlene's eyes scrunch as she smiles, amused by his antics. 'What could he have possibly found that's so exciting?'

Upon entering the kitchen, Sun picks a colorful pamphlet up off the table.

"Costume Circus?" Marlene asks as Sun hands the pamphlet to her, "Huh. I guess they're coming to town to sell Halloween costumes."

"One of their outfits looks like mine! Isn't that fun?"

Marlene flips through the pages, looking at the different costumes with a nod. "That is pretty cool. They come every year for a few days before heading to the next city. It's been a few years since I've gone, though."

"Yeah, sounds about right," Jesse laughs, taking a sip of iced coffee, "you said the job at the Pizzaplex was the first thing in years that brought you around for more than a visit, right?"

Marlene blinks. Had she said that? 'I must ramble too much,' Marlene thinks as she nods.

"That's right," Marlen confirms, scratching the back of her head bashfully before turning her attention back to the pamphlet, "I wonder if they're still any good or if I just remember them being that way. Nostalgia and all that."

"Probably nostalgia, you are rather old after all," Jesse laughs and Marlene gives her friend a gentle smack on the shoulder. Jesse laughs harder.

"If I'm old, you're ancient," Marlene jokes back, grinning, "How old were you again? Thirty-nine?"

"Fuck you. I'm thirty-three and you know it!"

"Do I?" Marlene hums, turning her attention back to Sun, "anyway… was there a particular costume you wanted to show me?"

"Is… is there a way I can go? To Costume Circus?" Sun asks, pulling at his fingers nervously.

Her smile goes stiff.

She had hoped their little adventure in the backyard would curb his interest in the outdoors.

'I was hoping you'd give me more time,' Marlene thinks, eyeing the colorful outfits with worry, 'I still haven't thought of a way for you to join me outside without people recognizing you.'

"Why don't you let him go?" Jesse asks leisurely and Marlene blinks.

"Won't he be too… noticeable?" Marlene asks carefully, sliding the pamphlet back over to Sun. Jesse gives her a blank look.

"It's nearly Halloween. Just say it's cosplay or something." Jesse shrugs, typing away. "Literally no one would think otherwise."

Tick. Tick. Tick. The clock sounds off, gently marching time forward.

"Oh my gosh. That's… actually not a bad idea," Marlene mutters, feeling rather silly for not thinking of it.

"You're welcome."

"So I can?" Sun asks hopefully, his hands stilling.

"Yeah, we can go. When are they coming?"

"They'll be here next week Thursday through Saturday!" Sun replies, clapping excitedly. "Oh boy! This is going to be so fun!"

Marlene flinches as Sun twirls his head with gusto, finding his orange points a bit too close for comfort.

"Let's aim for Thursday or Friday night then," Marlene replies, trying not to look all that startled as she makes her way out, "I'll let you two get to work."

"Alright. So, Sun…" Jesse starts, her voice trailing off as Marline heads back to her room.

Marlene glances around her room, squinting when a beam of light shines in her eyes. Upon further examination, Marlene picks up the offender.

'Sun's bells,' Marlene realizes, giving one of them a soft jingle. The sound was long and gentle.

Some dust sits on the top of the bells.

'Now that I think of it, he hasn't been wearing them too often anymore.'

As Marlene gently sets them back, she notices a colorful picture laying out on her desk.

It was a cute drawing of a flower. Sun had made it with the new glitter glue she had gotten him. Marlene lets out a small laugh as she remembers waking up and seeing it.

'When I complimented the flower, calling it a rose, he got so flustered.' Marlene thinks, staring down at the blue petals.

"It's supposed to be a tulip!" Sun exclaimed, pointing at different parts of the picture, "See?"

To be honest, the picture still looked like a rose to her but she had pretended to have gotten her flowers mixed up instead.

"He's nervous, but he'll leave soon. He's so excited about the world," Marlene mutters sadly, placing a hand where her baby bump steadily grows, "Then it's just you and me."

That thought hadn't been so scary before.

A sudden bout of pain zings through her head, and Marlene moves to sit on the bed. Marlene massages the spot desperately, hoping it would just go away.

The pain dulls, though not by much, as she lays down. Her mind feels sluggish and fatigued, as though she had a head cold.

"Marlene." Sun whispers over her, giving her arm a little shake, "Marlene?"

"Hm?" Marlene groans in response, squinting at him with bleary eyes.

"Jesse's done. You had something you wanted to tell them, right?"

"...Did I?" Marlene asks, staring at him for a moment before understanding hits her. "Oh! That's right!"

Quickly setting out, Marlene combed through her hair with her fingers. "Jesse, quick question."

"Uh, shoot I guess," Jesse raises a brow, slowly packing her stuff away.

"Outside of Halloween, I want to be able to take Sun to see other places and the cosplay trick only works around this time of year. Do you know other ways I can get him outside without people noticing?"

"...I can think of a few ideas."

"Really?"

Jesse gives her an awkward nod and looks away in discomfort. A chill runs through Marlene, who wonders if she was in the wrong for asking.

"... Did I ask for something too difficult?" Marlene asks, far less enthusiastic than before.

"I just need to think about what is possible and what's… a good idea," Jesse replies, suddenly brightening, "Not all of my ideas can be good, Marlene! I'm flattered you think so highly of me."

Their tone was light but their face… didn't seem to match. Marlene looks on with concern, her questions barricaded by the hidden message behind Jesse's sudden change.

Don't ask questions.

"Okay. Then do you want to stay a bit longer? We can have dinner together."

Jesse's expression softens. "I promised to eat with another friend tonight, but thanks for offering Marlene. Can I stay another time?"

"Of course. Drive safe, Jesse."

"See ya!"

And like that, they were gone. Marlene stares at the door for a moment before glancing back at Sun.

"Do you think I said something wrong?"

"I don't think so?"

"I see…" Marlene frowns, "Well, why don't you tell me about your day with Jesse. Was it interesting?"

"Oh! We talked about getting a new battery."

"Yours is bad, I take it?" Marlene asks, sliding into a chair.

Sun follows along, settling down next to her. "It wasn't the best. I had great battery life for handling the kids, but as Moon became dangerous… Well, my battery was suddenly being used full-time instead of part-time."

"Don't you two run on the same battery?"

"Apparently not! Interesting, right?" Sun replies before softly adding, "Jesse says it wasn't supposed to be like that."

"No, I wouldn't think so," Marlene agrees, "...Was it tiring?"

"... A bit," Sun admits, twiddling his thumbs, "It was weird though. I'd check my battery and it would be fully charged and I'd still…"

"...Feel tired?" Marlene finishes, knowing the feeling all too well.

"Exactly. Which is strange… I don't think I was made to feel that way."

Marlene nods, unsure of how to answer.

"Maybe. Maybe not," Marlene replies at last before changing the subject, "Have you thought about what you want to pick out at Costume Circus?"

As Sun spills out idea after idea into the kitchen, Marlene couldn't help but notice the anxious thoughts spreading slowly, like ooze, throughout her mind.