Hello friends! I yet live once again. The world is going a bit belly-up, but we still have our media, right? Sigh.

There's a slight update at the bottom of the chapter. On to the story first!

It was a simple time in a simple town, but people still locked their doors. Good thing the teen stayed in the entryway long enough for Hallow and Jack to slip in unnoticed. The youngster did glance in their direction for a second, but he shook his head and closed the front door before walking to another room.

"So how do you work, exactly?" Jack asked. Hallow was standing stock-still, having frozen every muscle from the moment the teen glanced their way. "I know most people can't see me at all these days."

"I, ah, I have more of a glamour," Hallow whispered. He glanced down the hall to make sure the teen was truly out of sight. "People can't see me unless we touch, and it'll only last while I'm in their way. Sensitive or younger people might get a glimpse out the corner of their eye, though. And animals. Animals can see me completely."

"Oh yeah, same here with the animals." Jack nodded. "Makes pranks loads easier!"

"So, what is our plan again?" Hallow looked back at Jack. The winter spirit seemed deep in thought, looking all around the hallway with his hand to his chin.

"We're gonna mess with 'em a little bit. A scare for a scare."

"Uh...should we really, though?" Hallow heard laughter from the room to the right side. "I mean, they're..."

"Teens, yeah, but we're not gonna hurt them!" Jack said. "I swear, just a prank back at them, and then we'll go."

"...alright."

"I've got an idea," Jack waved his staff in front of him. "They can't see me, and can only see a little bit of you, right? So if I set up the right atmosphere, you can put on that hood of yours and make like you're a ghost!"

"Ah- okay," Hallow grabbed the hood of his cloak and hesitated just a moment before putting it on.

The plan was decided. Hallow peered into the living room to examine the party. The youth from the door was sitting on the loveseat, confidently telling a story to his friends about some sort of adventure at school. A brunette girl dressed as a devil sat next to him, seemingly regaled, while two clown-costumed twins fought over a bowl of popcorn and a girl in normal clothing tried to get the TV working. They didn't seem to notice the cool breeze drifting by as frost trailed over the back window. Hallow shuffled his skinny frame to the far corner of the room.

By the time the youths had flicked off the lights and settled down for their Halloween picture show, Jack and Hallow were both in position. Jack shot Hallow a devilish grin, and Hallow took a deep breath.

"Gosh, this stuff gives me the creeps!" the brunette girl muttered, snuggling deeper into the blond boy's arms.

"That's the point, right? It's a Halloween movie." said the plain girl from the other couch.

"Hah, the monsters don't look so tough," blond boy scoffed, giving his girl a squeeze. "I bet I could take 'em down-"

"Shush!" one of the clowns glared at him. The group went silent and focused on the movie again. It wasn't too bad, Hallow thought, though it wasn't in color like some of the ones he saw in other homes and theaters. The movie had some creature following a couple, terrorizing a town with haunting shenanigans. Not too far off from a real ghost, Hallow supposed.

It was here that Jack's plan sprang into motion. He swirled his hand around, forming just a bit of ice on his fingers - just enough to spread a chill. He passed his hand behind one of the clowns. The teen flinched and glared at his twin.

"Will you knock it off?!"

"What?" the other frowned at him. "I didn't do anything!"

"You just breathed on my neck!"

"Did not!"

"Eeek!" the plain girl hopped up from the couch and turned around to examine her back. "What was that?"

"Did it get cold suddenly for you, too?" Clown 1 asked.

"More than that - I could've sworn something touched me."

The brunette sat up from her boy's shoulder, scowling at the rest of the group. "What are you all going on about? There's nothing-"

Before she could finish, there was a sudden spark from the TV. It powered off, plunging the room into darkness. Hallow saw Jack fall onto his butt, and the wind rushed into the house through every crevice it could find. The teens jumped up with confused shouts and screams. Hallow started toward Jack, but the spirit raised his hand and shooed him back. Hallow stumbled into the one of the teens-

And the light popped on.

"Who's that?!"

Hallow turned and bolted from the room, into the hall. He felt a rush of cold air following him, and the footsteps of someone in pursuit. He slipped into another room, the kitchen, and pressed himself against a wall, right between the refrigerator and counters. Curse his height; he definitely poked out over it, but

"Who's there?" the blond boy's voice came from the entrance of the room. "My dad's got a gun, you know! I'll go get it, so you better show yourself!"

"Bobby, are you crazy?!" the brunette shrieked from afar. "Let's get out of here!"

The blond boy didn't move. Hallow was tempted to peek further, but then he saw Jack sidling past him and into the room. His eyes were wide but he was grinning- a bit unsettling really. Still, he reached out his staff and hooked it around the door of the closest cabinet. It was half the size of the counter and situated on the wall, impossible to reach unless one was right in front of it. So naturally, Jack yanked his staff down and let the cabinet fly open. The blond boy yelped and backpedaled into the hallway. He and his friends were gone out the front door by the time the wood slammed into the wall. Hallow squeezed out of his hiding spot, heart pounding while Jack doubled over in laughter.

"Now THAT was fun!" Jack wheezed. Hallow smiled, though he held out a hand.

"Are you alright? What happened back there?"

"Well, the spark plug got me," Jack took his hand and stood up straight. "I shoulda been more careful. But hey, it worked out! I think you appearing right in front of them sold it even better!"

"That...that was pretty fun," Hallow nodded. He looked around the room and gently closed the cabinet doors.

"What're you doing that for?"

"Their parents might get mad if the house is in disarray. Maybe I should check their TV, too..."

"...We'll work on ya," Jack rolled his eyes, though he smiled.

I'll start by saying that this story, and the others on my account, are all still being written. I have no promises for what the rest of this year will hold, but these stories are not over. I have not gone back over this one with any new changes and I'll just be picking up where I left off. I will say this also: I can't believe I didn't mention this in the earlier author's notes, but these characters are shared with my closest friends and have been in the works since we were in high school. It's a bit hard to swing back into the groove of a fixed story with fandom OCs that get adjusted as we get older ourselves. That's why I hope to make more stories that flesh them out better as time goes on.

Also...I'm becoming a bit more inclined to post on AO3. I don't have more stories there than here...yet? But it's a work in progress like most stuff these days. I hope everyone is doing alright and staying safe! Thanks to everyone who stuck by this story.