As it always was, the Halloween Party had been split into two parts: the earliest half of the night was to be attended by first to sixth-graders, and the later one was reserved for the older students. What did differ from previous years was the new attraction the senior team had worked so hard to put up.

Thanks in no small part to Elsa's help, Hiccup and his friends had managed to get their haunted maze proposition approved. They even managed to make the headmaster, in his very own words, quite intrigued . What they all probably failed to realize was that the ghost house meant a lot more trouble than any of them expected. Prepping was a nightmare, sure, what with perfectionism and wanting to make something ultra-fucking-awesome coming into play. And smoothly running an attraction of that magnitude also came with a set of technical issues. They were also expected to do the clean-up after the party. If all that wasn't enough, they had to keep an eye open for trouble all the time . Just the mental pressure alone was exhausting, and truth be told, Hiccup could not wait for it to be over.

"When's your shift at the haunted house?" Andy asked at some point as he and Hiccup waited for the girls to show up.

The boys, fully dressed in their trick-or-treating terrifyingly detailed outfits, sat at the bottom of the stairs, and Hiccup absentmindedly played with the rabbit mask on his lap. He sighed, letting his head fall back. "Eleven. You're lucky you're off the hook, Davis."

"You know how it is, Student Council duties and all that. We're supposed to take turns doing rounds."

"Man, I am so jealous."

Andy looked at the other guy with an arched eyebrow. "About?"

"Your name not being on the maze rotation. All that smoke and epileptic lights are messing up with my brain."

"Was I not clear with my warnings about safety terms, boys?" they heard Elsa's voice coming from upstairs, accompanied by heels clicking on the wooden steps.

"Eeeh…" Hiccup awkwardly ran a hand through his hair, a chill of dread running down his spine at the prospect of an incoming lecture.

The boys pushed themselves up, and Andy quickly offered Elsa a hand with the most gentlemanly smile ever. "Ignore him, Elsa. Hiccup's just being a baby because he wants to be released from duty."

Hiccup snorted and crossed his arms. "You lock yourself in that nightmare for five-plus hours straight and tell me you don't go a little funny in the head too, Andrew. I dare you."

"Stop talking," Astrid snarled and motioned for them to get going to the main hall. "The less I know about your stupid haunted house, the better."

Andy chuckled as he adjusted Elsa's hand on his arm. "Aw, come on, Astrid. Even Elsa is on board with it."

"I wouldn't go that far," Elsa protested with a frown. "And Astrid is right. If I could go back to ignorance, I would."

"Loosen up, you guys, it's Halloween! We're supposed to have fun tonight—Which reminds me... aren't you boys dressed up for the occasion?" Violet glanced at the boys, inspecting their outfits from top to bottom.

"You're one to talk," Hiccup retorted, pointing at the putrefied open wound that spread through the area between Violet's neck and shoulders. He knew it was a bunch of tissue paper, red paint, and corn starch, but the realism of it still made his stomach churn.

"You guys sure went down the creepy road this year..." Elsa mumbled.

"We're supposed to work at the haunted house later, and ambiance is key," Hiccup explained.

"I told you to stop talking about it," Astrid grumbled through gritted teeth.

"... Sorry?"

Violet shrugged. "Anyway, I get that Andy's is Chucky," she said pointing at Andy's overalls and red wig, then turned to stare at Hiccup, "but who the fuck are you supposed to be? Easter Bunny From Hell?"

Hiccup scoffed, offended. He rolled his shoulders back and made a point of walking a tad straighter. "Uh, I'm Frank The Rabbit, mind you."

"Was that name supposed to mean anything?"

Hiccup's arms flew in the air. "Are you kidding me? Donnie Darko!"

"Never seen it."

"You're joking."

When Violet didn't deny it, Hiccup let out a strangled cry. He stated, "I'm calling for an intervention. We're watching it tomorrow, Vi—"

"Not interested."

"—even if I have to staple your eyes open for it!"

"... Halloween sure brings out the morbid in people," Elsa grumbled, pressing her lips together.

"You're such a nerd, Hiccup," Astrid said with a roll of her eyes.

Hiccup scowled at her, but her nonchalant expression remained unfazed, and he took a moment to simply take in his girlfriend's appearance. Stunning didn't even begin to do Astrid justice. Leather, fur, and metal constituted most of her outfit, and the myriad of textures and colors enhanced the edgy and intimidating vibe she had going on. She looked like a damn Valkyrie ready for the battlefield, and Heavens saved him he ever stayed in her path.

"You look great, by the way—" He should have expected the punch that flew in his direction, he really should. He groaned as his arm burned with pain. "Why?"

"Stop oozing, you creep," she grumbled, eyebrows knitting together and jaw clenching tightly.

"I'm not—I'm complimenting you!"

As Hiccup's whining continued, Andy pointed at the weapon that completed Astrid's costume. "Please tell me that's not a real ax."

"It's not."

"It is heavy enough to hurt though," Violet informed with a scowl.

Andy laughed. "Learned that first hand, didn't you?"

"There you are!" a sudden shout rang through the hallway, and they all turned to look in the shout's direction.

Hiccup sucked in a breath and unconsciously took a step back. It felt like a scene from a nightmare: A psychotic assassin clown chased them down an endless hallway while ominous music increased its tempo in the background—oh, wait, the music was only playing in his head. And the psychotic clown was just his best friend after some high-rated pimping up.

Violet snorted. "What the fuck is he wearing?'

"I wonder if he did his makeup himself," Andy mused, and Hiccup had to agree, the Pennywise cosplay was pretty spot on.

Astrid shook her head. "Points on the creep-o-meter, that's for sure."

"I need to talk to you," the clown said as he reached their group.

Andy crossed his arms. "What did you do now, dumbass?"

"Not you." Jack's creepy scowl moved from Andy to Elsa. " You. "

Elsa's eye widened. "What?"

Jack beckoned the girl with his hand. "Come with me."

"Why?"

"Just come, Your Majesty!" Jack grabbed her wrist and started dragging her back the way he had come from.

"Frost, what do you think you're doing? Let go of me—"

As Jack disappeared with a displeased Elsa still complaining behind him, Violet turned to the remnants of the group and asked, "Uh, what was that about?"

"Trouble in the maze?" Hiccup suggested with a hint of apprehension.

"And Frost specifically asked Elsa to save him?" Astrid asked.

"Well, if there's anyone out of all of us who could cover up a murder, that'd probably be Elsa."

Violet crossed her arms. "That's because she's a perfectionist prick who'd be smart enough to clean after herself."

"Can't argue with that."

Andy shook his head. "Jesus, Halloween does bring out the morbid in people, huh?"

According to what sources had told her, someone was planning on spiking the punch bowl, and hell would freeze over before Elsa allowed that to happen. Which explained why she had stationed herself at a table with a direct view of the beverages counter. As if it could stop anything terrible from happening, she stared at the glass bowl until her vision blurred and the only thing she could see was blood-red.

"Why are you acting so serious?" Violet asked, biscuit crumbs flying off her mouth as she spoke.

Elsa blinked to unblur her vision, then turning to face her friend, she deadpanned, "I'm a serious person by nature."

"Yeah, but you've been all quiet and secretive since you came back from Frost's kidnapping," Astrid argued.

Elsa hummed, and her eyes returned to the punch bowl. She noticed a pair of her classmates loitering nearby, repeatedly glancing around the room, and she straightened up with caution.

"What did he need anyway?" Violet asked.

The platinum blonde frowned. She was so deadset on keeping her eyes on the suspicious-looking teens that it took her a second to assimilate the other girl's question. "He told me to keep an eye on the punch bowl."

Astrid groaned, and from the corner of her eyes, Elsa saw Astrid's head snapping in the drinks counter's direction as well. "Why? What's he planning now?"

"Apparently nothing, but he said others might, and he didn't want to be blamed for somebody else's screwup."

The conspicuous duo noticed Elsa's eyes, and there was a moment when they just stared at each other, neither of the sides daring to make the first move. Then, a shadow leaned over their table, making the blonde jump.

"Aren't you ladies looking fine tonight?" Snotlout Jorgenson smiled a wolfy smile as his eyes languidly traveled from one girl to the other.

A gagging noise came out of Astrid's throat. "What do you want, Snotlout?"

"With you? Nothing. Sorry, Astrid, but you lost your chance at all of this"—He gestured to his own body,—" when you hooked up with my dearest and less handsome cousin." His attention moved to Violet, and he winked. "As for your friend, you can call me Big Bad Wolf anytime, beautiful. Even with that nasty rash on your throat."

Violet rolled her eyes. "Beat it, loser."

"How about you, Elsa? Just say the word and I'll take you to Wonderland in no time."

Elsa had to hold herself not to hide her costume with her arms. Instead, she pressed her hands together and forced a smile on her face. And maybe her discomfort was too obvious, because before Elsa could turn Snotlout's offer down, Astrid was already getting up and grabbing the guy by the shirt.

"How about I show you the infirmary, asshole?" Astrid snarled.

Snotlout chuckled, but he was anything but nonchalant as his voice thinned into a high-pitched squeal. His fingers quite unsuccessfully attempted to pry Astrid's fist open as he grumbled, "Listen, Astrid, if you want a one-on-one sesh with yours truly, you gotta ditch your lame one-legged nerd first."

Astrid yanked her clenched fist, and Snotlout's shirt closed around his neck. " You listen , you knucklehead—"

Elsa cleared her throat and motioned for Astrid to let go of the guy. "Thank you for the offer, Snotlout, but, as you may know, we are on Student Council duty tonight. Perhaps you can find someone else to become the recipient of your attention."

Snotlout stopped rubbing his reddened throat just so he could puff out his chest and flex his arms. "Hit me up when you're up to some fun, and I'll treat you to a piece of this yummy eye candy."

Elsa bit the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing as Violet and Astrid made gagging noises. Covering a smile with a hand, she nodded. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

With a final wink at the girls, Snotlout sauntered away, and Elsa returned to her previous task of guarding the punch bowl, just to find out that the suspicious pair from before had vanished as well.

"Well, that was fun," Astrid grumbled, getting on her feet.

"Where are you going?" Violet asked.

"I'm going on my rounds."

"Be careful," Elsa warned.

Astrid snorted. "Just because it's dark, it doesn't mean school suddenly becomes this dangerous place, Elsa."

"Just watch yourself, okay? I'd rather not have to add your safety to my list of concerns tonight."

Astrid shook her head, but a hint of amusement hid behind her disgruntled scowl. "I'll be back soon."

Violet glanced at Elsa. "What about you? Are you gonna sit here the whole night?"

"If I must."

"That is so depressing," Violet grumbled, playing with a biscuit shaped like a tombstone between her fingers. "Look at you, a smart, attractive young lady—"

"Why do you make it sound like an insult?"

"—stuck watching a goddamn bowl of fruit punch on what's supposed to be one of the awesomest nights of the year." Violet snapped the biscuit in half with her teeth and stared at the blonde with narrowed eyes.

Said blonde sighed, shifting on her seat. "You're more than welcome to go elsewhere if I'm upsetting you that much, Violet."

Violet shrugged. "Nah, I've got time until my shift at the maze, and, like, nowhere else to go."

Elsa rolled her eyes with exaggerated annoyance at her friend. "Gee. Thank you for making me company, Vi. Your efforts are greatly appreciated."

Smirking, the brunette winked at her. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Jack was in a very good mood. Things in the haunted house were going swell: Kids were lining up at the entrance, excitement buzzed in the air, and the terrified cries that came from inside were like delectable music to his ears. He had just been relieved of his shift, and he hummed a gleeful melody as he headed back to the main hall. During his stroll, he spotted Astrid inspecting the hallways and promptly shouted her name.

"Sup, Hofferson?" Jack nodded as soon as he was within the girl's ears reach.

She had her arms crossed and looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "Embracing your inner clown, Frost?"

He probably should've been offended, but he was too high on his happiness hormones to care, so he just shrugged, choosing to deviate the conversation with a question of his own. "Watcha doing out here by yourself?"

"Hall monitoring."

Jack hummed. "You going to the haunted house later?"

Astrid snorted, throwing her head back. "I'd rather drink bleach than step foot near your stupid haunted house."

"Damn, Hofferson." He pouted and leaned closer to her with a hand cupped behind his ear. "You hear that? It's the sound of my heart shattering into pieces."

"Hear that?" She mimicked his stance. "It's the sound of me giving a fuck about you."

With a final roll of her eyes, Astrid resumed her walking, and Jack sped up to keep up with her pace.

"Come on, I know you're curious," he said, wiggling his eyebrows, and he noticed how Astrid's eyes shifted for the tiniest fraction of time. He smirked knowingly, a new idea developing in his head. "And isn't the haunted house on your inspection route anyway?"

Astrid frowned, and her jaw remained tightly locked.

"Wait, don't tell me you're half-assing your responsibilities now. I bet Elsa will love to hear all about that—"

"You are asking to have your nose broken, dumbass," Astrid snarled, fists shaking, and by the disgruntled look on her face, Jack knew that his victory was only a matter of when.

"Hiccup's probably checked in by now," the silverhead continued, "He could arrange a VIP tour for you…"

Astrid snorted. "You inhaled too much smoke if you think I'd participate in that."

"Come on, Astrid. We put so much work into it, the least you could do as a friend is show some support—"

"Since when are we friends?"

Jack smirked at her. "Face it, beautiful: you got me as a side dish the moment you hooked up with Hiccup."

Astrid narrowed her eyes, and after a solid minute of staring at him, she groaned, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I'm only coming because I'm still in the middle of my rounds."

"Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Astrid grumbled something he couldn't quite catch, and Jack had to mentally stop himself from throwing a triumphant fist up in the air. He really wanted to share the haunted house experience with her, and he knew it would only take one wrong move for Astrid to ditch him. So he kept his lips pressed together as they made their way to the boys' attraction.

Getting there, Jack could easily spot Merida's defying-gravity red hair and Hiccup's creepy bunny costume. Just as scheduled, boy and girl took charge of crowd control at the entrance. Jack and Astrid had a clear view of the pair, but the lined-up students hid the formers' presence fairly well.

Hiccup and Merida were laughing together at something he couldn't hear, and at some point, Merida shoved Hiccup with a forceful push on his shoulder, erupting a new set of giggles from the pair. The interaction seemed somehow familiar, but his brain didn't make much of it—at least not until he noticed that Astrid no longer walked alongside him.

"What—" Confused, Jack looked around, and his question got lost as he took a look at her: The girl stood stuck in place, fuming, fists shaking, and this murderous darkness in the blue of her eyes, and… Oh.

It clicked. That kind of punch-on-the-shoulder flirting technique was straight out of Astrid's book. That was why it felt so familiar. Moreover, Astrid had Hiccup wrapped around her finger since the day they met. She probably didn't know how to share his attention. And for all violent tendencies and punch-first-ask-later way of life that Astrid embraced, the poor girl looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Maybe a deer that was about to punch a hole through the driver's skull would be more precise, but a deer nonetheless. Astrid was having a hard time processing what she saw, and he couldn't help but softening his eyes at her.

"Hey, they're just talking—"

His voice snapped Astrid back to reality, and her wide eyes flared at him right before she turned on her heels and stormed out without another word.

"Wait—where are you going?" Jack rushed after her.

"I don't have time for this."

Jack jumped in front of her and held his arms up as an attempt to stop her. "Astrid, hold on—"

"I'll give you three seconds to get out of my way, Frost," she snarled, fisting her hands.

"You know, why don't we go back to the party then? We could get some punch—"

He didn't even see it happening. He just felt it. A blur of quick movement, and then a throbbing sensation starting right under his left eye and burning through the rest of his face. Jack instinctively curled up, clutching his injury firmly.

"FUCK!"

"... Told you to get out of my way, dumbass."

Andy had switched places with Elsa so she could take her turn on patrolling while he kept an eye on the party hall. So far, nothing too extreme had happened. The expected trespassing and props confiscating, but Elsa had yet to catch whoever had, allegedly, smuggled liquor inside.

She was rounding the outer corridors when she heard muffled conversation coming from the gardens. Taking advantage of the darkness, Elsa trod carefully, her ears attentive to the voices she discerned clearer with each step. Poorly-lit by the closest post light, a group of maybe four or five huddled together in a stone bench, boisterous laughs and shouted insults ringing through the night. Elsa sighed, preparing herself to start another lecture about nighttime rules when she noticed a silver flask the group kept passing between themselves. Warily, she cleared her throat to get their attention but didn't seem to be noticed. She tried again, taking a step forward.

"You should know that the gardens are off-limits," she said, her voice the epitome of authority.

The eyes of her fellow classmates turned in her direction, and Elsa crossed her arms not to let herself falter.

Getting up on his feet, Tuffnut Thorston asked, "If it's off-limits, what are you doing here, huh?"

One of her eyebrows arched upwards. "Mind telling me what's in the flask?"

"Ginger ale," Ruffnut, the female Thorston twin, quickly replied.

"Oh, really? So it is not cheap vodka I smell?"

"You dare call the pride and joy of the Thorston artisanal distillery cheap—"

With a high-pitched cry, Fishlegs Ingerman rushed to cover Tuffnut's mouth with a hand."What he means is that we don't know what you're talking about. The gardener is probably trying out some alternative pesticide."

Elsa raised one of her eyebrows. "How about letting me inspect the flask then?"

Ruffnut crossed her arms. "Why would we do that?"

"Yeah, we're not stupid," Snotlout added.

Elsa held up a hand and huffed. "The flask, please."

"You can't make us," Ruffnut grumbled.

"I'm fairly certain that I can."

"On whose authority?"

As the disagreement escalated, the tense atmosphere surrounding them also intensified. Elsa and Ruffnut confronted one another in a battle of wills, each unyieldingly rooted to the ground and glaring at the other, tunnel-visioned and fuming with rage.

Fishlegs flinched, eyes darting from one girl to the other. "Eh… Maybe we should… leave..."

Ruffnut threw her head back. "What, and let this dictatorial bitch tell us what to do?"

Calmly, Elsa let the air in her lungs out through her nose. "I'm asking this nicely, Ruffnut. Give me the flask."

"You think you can come in here, demanding things like you own the place—"

"Hey!" The sudden shout successfully startled all involved. "What's going on here?"

From the corner of her eyes, Elsa noticed Jack approaching them. His makeup was a mess, and it made him look even more terrifying than before. "This doesn't concern you, Frost—"

"Alice in Wonderland here is being a bitch!" Ruffnut declared, gesturing offensively at Elsa.

Jack stopped right beside her and waited for her eyes to find his. "I kinda need to talk to you, Your Majesty," he told her in a low voice.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm busy."

Jack shrugged, then turned to the rest of the group to suggest, "Why don't you guys go back to the party? You don't wanna be around when Elsa here finally snaps."

"What on Earth you think—" Before Elsa could finish, Jack had an arm wrapped around her shoulders and muffled her words with his hand. She tried to get rid of him, but he easily held her still with his other arm and pressed her closer to him.

"I would get out of here if I were you…" he grumbled whilst trying to subdue all her squirming. "Now."

As Elsa's attempts to free herself continued, the Thorston twins and company seemed to make up their minds, and, grumbling between themselves, they dragged their feet back to the building. Watching them leave, Jack's restraints loosened slightly, and Elsa finally managed to shove him away.

"What do you think you're doing?" she nearly shouted. Her hands flew in rapid movements. "You can't just let them go!"

Jack fished his phone from his pocket and held it in front of her face. "I texted Andy. He's probably intercepting those idiots with Gru as we speak."

Elsa's eyes narrowed, taken back. She closed her mouth, pressing her lips together firmly. Had he really had the forethought to do that?

He put his phone back and crossed his arms. "What the fuck are you even doing here?"

She raised her chin higher and glared at him. "You're the one who gave me the tip."

"Yeah, so you could keep a watch on the fruit punch—"

"Which I did—"

"And definitely not for you to go all midnight vigilante on your own."

She threw her hands in the air. "What, you wanted me to turn a blind eye to them? I'd never do that!"

"Doesn't mean you had to confront a bunch of wasted idiots alone!"

Elsa let out a grunt, holding herself not to scream at him. Combing her hair with her fingers, she turned on her heels to leave, and to her utter displeasure, he went after her.

"Wait up." He took her arm and dared to spin her around. "I really meant what I said before. I need to tell you something."

She shook her head. "I think you've told me enough, thank you—oh, God, what happened to your face?"

The new lighting finally allowed her to take a good look at his face. Patches of skin showed from under smudges of paint, and the swollen dark splotch under his eye contrasted brightly against the paleness of his clown makeup.

"Why? Is it bad? I haven't looked in the mirror yet—OW!" Jack cried as Elsa's fingers touched his bruise, and the girl jumped back, as if she was the one in pain.

"Sorry!" She wrapped her arms around herself, eyebrows knitting together in concern and lips trembling with unease. "What happened?"

He scoffed, rolling his shoulder back. "I'll give you three guesses."

"Frost…"

He held his hands up to pacify her. "Okay, fine. Astrid punched me."

"Astrid—she— Astrid punched you ?"

He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. "I may have pushed her buttons, though."

Elsa's eyebrows furrow. "That doesn't explain anything."

"Look, all that matter is that she's probably upset, and she could use a friend." Jack sighed, running his fingers through his face and turned his head toward the sky. But as Elsa made no effort to move, his glare returned to scrutinize her. "Is there anything else concerning you, Your Majesty?"

She shook her head, disgruntled. "Just promise me you'll at least put some ice on that."

He smirked, and with his hands behind his back, leaned closer to her. "Could you by any chance be worried about my wellbeing, Elsa?"

"I mean it, Jack."

"Alright, I will. You have my word." He winked before pulling back and shooing her with his hands. "Now go, Astrid needs you."

She huffed, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. "I'll talk to you later."

He laughed, shaking his head. "You so can't live without me, Your Majesty."

Elsa scoffed. "You're an idiot."

"Thank you."

"... It's still not a compliment, Frost."

"Hey, William."

Violet gave him a quick nod as she took the seat beside him at the front desk. He was the only other person there, and considering the late hour, it was unlikely that movement would rekindle. Theirs was the final shift of the night, and from the looks of it, they'd be up for a quiet one.

Wilbur stared at her with narrowed eyes. He seemed skeptical about her presence there. "What are you doing here?"

Violet shrugged, looking back at the hall's doors. Faint music and some incomprehensible mass of muffled voices could still reach them, but apart from that, it was like there was no party going on at all.

"Changed shifts with Hiro," she explained. "Didn't he tell you?"

He shrugged. "Halloween became a touchy subject around Baby Hiro. We didn't talk about it beyond the strictly necessary. Poor kid was traumatized…"

Violet hummed. "Well, apparently, Hiro's expertise was required in the hall. Shouldn't you be there too?"

"Nah, I'm sure Hiro and Hiccup can handle things on his own. And they have Frosty with them if anything goes wrong."

Violet laughed, flipping her hair back. "You're relying on Jack as your plan B?"

"I mean, Lady Fate seems to love kissing his ass."

She stared at him as she mulled over his statement, then she shrugged, falling back against her chair. "Yeah, can't argue with that."

They fell silent for a while, but Violet noticed how he kept glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. Annoyed, stared at him with an arched eyebrow. "Can I help you, William?"

He sat up, keeping his eyes directed forward, and for a moment, Violet thought he would not answer her, but then, he mumbled, "You seem to have gotten pretty close to the boys while I was gone."

She snorted. "I've done plenty of stuff while you were gone."

Wilbur's tongue clicked. "Right…"

She frowned, unable to understand why he was being so cryptic out of a sudden.

"I mean, Frost is kinda hot, I guess. He's got this mysterious badboy persona going on and all that—"

"Are you crushing on him?" Violet asked, rotating on her chair to smirk at him. "Because I'd totally support you if you were."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she had to hold herself not to burst out laughing in his face. "... What are you talking about?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" she retorted dryly.

He crossed his arms, puffing out his chest. "Girls can't help falling for him, right?"

"I guess?" She scoffed. "Petty sure I'm not a girl in his book, though."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Disappointed, aren't we?"

"Oh, totally. I am completely devastated." Violet rolled her eyes.

It was at that moment that Wilbur's phone went off, and he quickly moved to turn it off. "Showtime," he mumbled.

They both turned their attention back to the party hall, apprehension sending them to the edge of their seats.

"You think it's gonna work?" Violet asked.

"We're about to find out…"

Almost as if the universe was just waiting for its opening, the music in the hall suddenly stopped, and a deafening silence reigned. Then came a thunderous bang, and the screams started. Violet and Wilbur could only imagine what was happening inside, but the sound of things crashing into the floor, and people fumbling around, and the desperate cries only added details to the chaotic image they were both probably painting.

The doors burst open, and a sea of bodies rushed out, stumbling over each other and desperately flying as far as their legs took them. Some courageous few stuck around still, but the majority of the teens had scattered, and Violet and Wilbur got up for a better assessment of the outcome.

"I believe we can check Operation Blair Witch as a success," Wilbur commented.

"Fuck yeah, we can. That was awesome!" Violet laughed as she made her way to the open doors.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just gonna go check it real quick," she said, treading on the tiptoes.

"I don't know Vi, we shouldn't—"

"Oh, relax, William. The hall is probably empty anyway…"

She was mistaken. The party hall was definitely not empty.

Inside, lights continued to flicker erratically, and loud screeching and thunder blasted from hidden speakers. Thick and white smoke escaped the room like a beast taking form, and there was just this heaviness in the air that the previous week's prepping in the Robotics Room alone could not explain.

Violet poked her head around the door and soon regretted her decision: Right in the middle of the room, Headmaster North stood facing a line of very specific someones. The pungent, sweet smell of the smoke hit her lungs, and she couldn't stop herself from coughing. The sound caught the room's occupants' attention, and Violet found herself suddenly thrust in the spotlight. North's head turned slowly in her direction, and she could see the lines of his tattoed arms pulsing with his clenched muscles.

"Ah, Miss Parr, Mr. Robinson," the headmaster greeted them inside, his too calm voice clashing terrifyingly with the throbbing vein on his forehead. "So nice of you to join your fellow comrades."

Busted.