Progenitor: A Witch's Treats
A/n: I was truck by a whim and decided to do this.
Taylor
Alright, One more time.
I looked over my collection of resources once more, making sure everything was in order. Maps, logs, photos, charts, and even a list of objectives. All put together made for the ultimate plan.
I knew who gave the best treats from notes gathered over years past. I knew where they all were in the three areas we'd be trick-or-treating, as well as the best routes and times for maximum treats. Everything I'd done was to maximize the amount of candy I could get on my run.
On my last run.
Everything's here, I nodded to myself, pushing down those lingering doubts, I've made my plan and checked it twice.
"It's perfect." I whispered.
I picked up my notes and research materials and moved to stuff them into my bookbag. I'd need to bring them all with me, even re-reading them day and night for three weeks straight didn't mean I could remember them perfectly. I opened up the bag to put them in, when suddenly there was a bright flash in front of me.
I squealed in surprise, stumbling and fumbling with the papers in my shock. Temporarily blinded, I managed to fling them all out onto the floor, and only just barely caught myself on a chair. I blinked back the spots in my vision and looked up.
Only to see a very familiar face staring back at me.
And in her hands was a camera.
"Amy!" I whined.
At my reaction, a smirk crawled its way across her face.
"Is something wrong, sister dearest?" She asked innocently, falling into character with ease.
"Stop taking pictures of me!" I pleaded, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment, "I'm not a kid anymore."
"Oh~" she began theatrically. "But my sweetest sister, you are still so young and innocent. It is a state that shall not last forever. I take these images, so that I might forever have your youth to guide me."
And with that, she revealed the photo she'd taken.
It showed me, in my purple and pink witches dress, tripping over my own feet and throwing the books all over the floor. My glasses were sliding off my face, revealing my now bright red eyes. My currently dark blue hair spilled out from under the matching witch's hat I'd gotten with a golden crescent moon on the buckle.
I could feel my face heat up even more.
"Noo" I whined, "Get rid of it!"
"No such luck, dear sister. This image is far too precious for me to lose."
"But it makes me look like a klutz! It's so bad."
"And yet, to me, it is the brightest star in the night."
"I'm not a kid anymore." I pouted, "I'm almost done middle school."
"Almost," She noted smugly.
"You're only 2 years older!"
"2 and a half."
"Don't go thinking you're special just because you helped make my costume...or collect my notes...or color my hair...or get my contacts…" I trailed off, deciding to shut up when the list of things only got larger and larger.
"Oh no?" She mocked, "Only that? Anything else you care to add?"
I stewed in my indignant fury, glaring up at her with all the rage I could muster.
"I'll catch up," I growled, "You'll see."
Her eyes widened, showing her now golden orbs staring at me with incredulity. I'd gotten the best of her. I'd shown her my inner metal, the determination in my heart, and she'd-
"Oh you're so cute!"
Suddenly I was picked up and all but thrown into the air. Amy's arms wrapped around me like the arms of a bear, keeping me pinned to her chest. She was rubbing her cheek against the top of my hair, nuzzling me as she cooed, "You're just so cute when you think you're being scary."
"Amy!"
Our first stop was Emma's house.
I knocked on the door and waited for someone to let me in. From inside I could hear a distant "Coming!"
Before we could really get on with "The Plan", we had to round up the gang. Afterwards we would circle back through all the places. Dad had driven me out here and was currently waiting in the truck for us.
I spent a few minutes while waiting to inspect the Barnes's lawn. It had the display of casual wealth a lot of houses in this neighborhood did. Which is to say, a litany of lawn ornaments and displays, each one lighting up the Halloween night. Jack-O-Lanterns lined the steps up to the door, and more than one blow-up ghost stood by the sidewalk.
Personally, I kinda thought the bought props were a little gaudy. I preferred the hand-carved Jack-O-Lanterns myself.
Just as I was inspecting the artificial pumpkins, the oak door opened.
"Hey, Aunt Zoe!" I turned back and chirped politely.
"Hey, Taylor," She said with an amused smile. "Having fun?"
Aunt Zoe actually stood nearly at eye level with me. She was wearing what I think was supposed to be an outfit the mom wore in some old show, I think it was called Adam's family?
"Well, I mean..." I looked down, feeling my face heat up. "I'm trying to make it special, because…"
"Yes, yes." She chuckled, inviting me in with a wave of her hand. "You girls are so close to going to High school already. Can't be seen trick-or-treating in high school, now can you?"
I got a distinct impression she was mocking me. "Nope!" I said proudly instead, puffing my chest out and lifting my chin, "So I came up with The Plan to give us the Ultimate Halloween night!"
As we passed by the kitchen, I caught a glance of Alan wearing what I assumed was the complimentary dad outfit to go with Aunt Zoe.
"Well then," Aunt Zoe commented "I guess that explains the theme."
"Yep." I nodded. "I've been planning this night for weeks. Everything needs to be perfect! So Emma had better be ready for the most candy-filled night of her life!"
Aunt Zoe snorted. "Well…" She trailed off.
She opened the door to reveal Emma sitting in the backyard with her costume.
And a knife.
She was sitting on an upturned cauldron beside a little treasure chest and what looked like a doll with a half-carved pumpkin for a head. In one hand, she was acutely focused on what was clearly a manual for pumpkin carving. The other hand held a large knife that she looked about 3 seconds away from accidentally butchering the pumpkin with, given the perplexed look on her face.
And all in a black and orange witch's dress.
"Emma!" I called out to get her attention.
She looked up from the book, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Wait, what?" She said, blinking at me in complete confusion. "Taylor, why are you here already?"
"...Because we're going trick-or-treating?" I said, more than a little confused myself, "You know... The Plan?"
"Yeah…" She nodded slowly "But that's not until 8, right?"
I stared at her blankly for a long moment before turning to her mom. Aunt Zoe looked at me with a knowing smile that screamed 'Yep, that's Emma alright'
I turned back to Emma and said, "You...do know what time it is, right?"
Emma blinked slowly, then looked up at the sliver of a crescent moon hanging in the night sky.
"Eight?" She guessed.
I nodded.
"Oh."
"...How long have you been trying to carve that pumpkin?"
"...I don't want to talk about it."
"You girls have fun!"
Aunt Zoe waved at us from the front lawn.
"We will Mom! Bye!" Emma waved back distractedly, trying to buckle her seatbelt.
I looked up towards the front seat to see Dad humming along to some kind of Halloween tune on the radio. He was wearing a Frankenstein's Monster costume, one based on the original book, not the more modern liberties taken with the character.
Amy had done his makeup just like she'd done mine and her own. I don't really know how she managed to do it so well. Like magic, she could make anyone look like anything, it was incredible.
"Why's she here?" Emma asked, pointing her thumb at the person in the passenger's seat.
As Dad started to drive off, said person turned around and gave us a ghost of a smile.
"Something wrong, girls?" Amy said in a far too pleased voice.
"Supervision." Dad answered Emma's question.
"You mean a shackle," I huffed.
Emma nodded along in solidarity.
"Awe, come on guys, I can be fun." Amy grinned, breaking character for a moment.
"Nope." Emma shook her head. "You're old."
"Mhm." I agreed with a nod of my own.
"What?" Amy pouted. "I'm not old."
"You're a high schooler," Emma pointed out. "That means you're old."
"And everyone knows old people ruin the fun," I added.
"Wow." Dad chimed in with a flat voice.
"See, dad's smart," I explained, "He knows he'll ruin everything, so that's why he's staying out of it."
"I can turn this car around," he commented.
"And he'll ruin it because he's too much fun." I corrected smoothly.
"Better,"
"But you guys are almost in High school too." She pointed out.
"Almost," I said, twisting her own argument against her.
Amy gaped in shock. I held my stony and resolute expression, refusing to give an inch. Emma sat beside me, my sister in arms.
"I'm stealing all your candy."
"Noooo!"
Knock knock knock.
Finally, we'd arrived at the last leg of the introduction. We were rounding up the final member of the gang.
Dad was standing behind us, letting me take the lead, but still here to say hi. He was going to be returning back to Emma's house to hang out with Alan and Zoe for a while, and at the same time we were going to stick around here to begin the second stage of The Plan. All we had to was retrieve the last member of the gang.
And when the door creaked open, there she stood.
"Hey, Charlotte!" I greeted her, "Ready to begin The Plan?"
"Am I ever?!" She smiled right back, just as excited as me. "You ready to get going Emma!"
"Yep!"
"Dear god, they haven't even had sugar yet." Amy deadpanned behind me.
"And now you know why I volunteered you for this," Dad whispered to her.
I watched Charlotte's dad step around the doorframe from behind her, his pursed lips showed a worried, yet hopeful, expression.
"Hey Danny." He nodded.
"Hey Tom," Dad replied somewhat stiffly.
"Amy." Tom nodded at my sister.
Amy gave him a familiar grin. "Hey Mr. Charlotte's dad."
Tom groaned and rubbed his face with a free hand.
Charlotte was more my friend than her parents were Dad's. Dad was acquainted with them, but they didn't really grow up together or work in the same circles, so there wasn't too much overlap. I think both fathers were just happy their daughters had managed to make more friends.
Amy knew Charlotte's parents more than dad did, but that was to be expected.
I pulled Charlotte and Emma into a group huddle to talk about the plan while my dad and Charlotte's talked about something.
"Alright," Charlotte began, "So the plan is to start here since this is the closest place to Taylor's house, right?"
"Then we're going by Taylor's neighborhood," Emma agreed, "And finally mine at the end of the night."
"Which is where Dad'll be hanging out, so he can drive us all back home." I finished for her. "And all and all-"
"You should be back by eleven," Charlotte's dad supplied sternly.
Charlotte looked up at him, surprised.
He shrugged. "It's Friday, and Danny promises me that you'll be safe with Amy. Especially in Emma's neighborhood."
The implications were painfully obvious, especially in a city like Brockton Bay. Even Charlotte couldn't ignore it, given the grimace that flashed across her face.
"And I got a taser," Amy supplied, waving the object in her hand casually.
Charlotte's dad frowned, Dad looked like he choked back a laugh, and I just rolled my eyes. She was so proud of that thing.
"Trust me," Dad said to Tom, "I promise they'll be in safe hands with Amy."
Charlotte's dad gave him a dubious look, but eventually sighed. "Alright, Danny. I trust you."
A few moments later, dad had left, and we had left Charlotte's house. The three-Four of us were at the start of our journey. The Plan was in motion, and tonight would be the greatest night of our lives, the Ultimate Halloween.
Nothing could possibly go wrong.
A/n: A nice little Halloween snippet. It's a touch late for , but I hope you like it all the same.
This is part one of two, dunno when two is coming out.