Sorry for the wait! Thanks for your amazing reviews, I am REALLY SORRY FOR THE WAIT! Loads of homework, and I wanted to get this chapter perfect. I also wanted to update quickly so I apologise for any mistakes!
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Chapter Twenty # Crashing Halloween#
Tali put on her other earring and grinned at her reflection in the mirror. She had enjoyed a couple of eventless days and was preparing to go to meet Jamie Hojem in town. She frowned and fiddled with her hair for a moment, before shrugging and letting it fall loose around her shoulders and leaving the house.
"Hi, Tali." Jamie grinned as she arrived.
"Hey. I hope I didn't keep you waiting?" Tali smiled.
"Not at all." Jamie grinned. "Well you did, but I don't mind when you turn up looking like this."
She glanced down at her short dress and smiled. "Shall we go shopping?"
He grinned. "Definitely. So, what do assassins where then?"
"Well, normally plain clothes to fit in, but I was thinking of something a little more dramatic." Tali mused.
"I am all ears."
Tali led him around the shops until they were finally happy with the outfit.
"Look, it's just about lunchtime. Let me buy you something to eat."
"Okay." Tali nodded.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Days passed, turning into fortunately uneventful weeks. Atwater won the first major football game, and the second and third, with Nick becoming a hero when he scored three touchdowns (including the winning one) against Liston High, the current champions of the league they were in. The students continued to go to detention every day after school, bar Mondays. Sara was a natural horse rider and grew in confidence every week, and the day before Halloween Nick decided to take the horses out the following week. To his great relief, Greg got rid of the crutch two days before Halloween. Tali went on several more dates with Jamie before announcing to the group that they were going out. Morgan was the only one who noticed how upset Nick was when it happened.
Finally, the day they were all waiting for arrived. Morgan arrived early at Greg's house to help set up and he gaped at her costume.
"Wow..."
She giggled in a very un-Morgan like way, her high, Abby-ish ponytails bobbing. "You like it?"
Greg stared at her girly make up, the tight cheerleading top that stopped about an inch above her bellybutton, the tiny skirt that sat on her hips and barely covered her bum and the small cheerleading shoes. She even carried two pompoms. The only thing ruining the perfect cheerleading picture was a deep gash across her throat in very convincing make up, a fake blood trail leading down towards her top.
"Dead cheerleader?" Greg spluttered, and Morgan's face fell.
"You don't like it?"
Greg shook his head with a grin. "I love it! You look awesome!"
Morgan grinned. "Ryan said that since I said I wouldn't be caught dead cheerleading it would be funny."
"You look really hot." Greg couldn't wipe the grin off his face. "You can put your bag in the cauldron."
"The cauldron?" Morgan frowned.
"In the den." Greg elaborated.
Morgan stepped into Greg's house and gasped. "Oh, wow..." the whole house was covered in cobwebs, spiders, realistic body parts, and all sorts of other decorations.
"My parents have their bedroom and the attic for the next two days. It's the deal. They're no go zones." He explained, leading Morgan passed the doors with huge "NO ENTRY" signs on into the den.
"Oh my god, Greg this is amazing." She breathed.
"I didn't want bags and stuff ruining the atmosphere, so you can put your bag in the cauldron." Greg pointed to a large black cauldron in the corner.
"Where's your costume?" Morgan asked.
"In a minute. I just need to finish decorating."
"What else is there to do?" Morgan cried.
"Come with me." Greg smiled, leading her into the back garden. Morgan gasped again.
"I am very impressed..." the large swimming pool in the middle of Greg's yard was filled with deep blue water. Small tea-lights floated around on fake hands, illuminating faces glowing on the bottom of the pool.
Around the garden other decorations were scattered, including a life sized half open sarcophagus and escaping mummy.
"Come over here." Greg led her to the shed, which was covered in a blood red splatter, a red axe leaning casually against it. The climbed into the shed, and Morgan's mouth dropped open.
"Archie helped." Greg shrugged. "This controls all of the electronics. Here..." he took her hand and pressed one of many buttons. Suddenly music filled the yard and house. "We already warned the neighbours."
Morgan turned to Greg. "Who helped you put these up?"
"My mom, my dad, Ryan, Archie, Jamie, Emily and Lily, Jamie's sister." Greg listed. "But everyone else was only allowed in one area."
"Wow, Greg, I can't wait!" Morgan squealed.
"You're even acting like a cheerleader." Greg grinned, and Morgan elbowed him. He glanced at his watch. "Okay, I'm gonna go get changed!" he ran into his room and Morgan sat down on the sofa bed in the den. It was covered in little spiders. She grinned.
Greg came out about five minutes later. "What do you think?"
Morgan studied Greg's costume. He was wearing a hockey outfit covered in blood splatter, and a devil's tail snuck out of the back. His hair was spiked up as if he stuck his finger in a socket, and the tips were dyed red. Two red horns poked up underneath the spikes.
"Demon hockey player?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Is it okay?"
"You look really hot." Morgan grinned, and Greg touched the side of her face.
"That was my line." He smiled, before kissing her softly. Then his watch beeped. "Okay, ten to seven. I need your help! We need to light all the pumpkins in ten minutes."
"How many are there?" she asked.
"Seventy."
"Ah. Let's get moving then."
They danced around the house and garden and met in the middle, finishing just as Ryan, the first guest knocked on the door.
Greg pulled open the door. "Come in, come in. What happened to you?"
Ryan rolled his eyes. "I spent so long getting Emily ready for trick or treating that I forgot to pick up my costume so I improvised."
"Impressive..." Morgan looked him up and down. He wore baggy trousers and a torn plain white T-shirt which were both covered in 'blood'. What looked like a six inch nail was sticking out of his left eye which looked as if it was swollen shut.
"A little make-up." Ryan shrugged with a grin.
Sara was next to arrive. She wore a short orange dress, with a bushy fox tail. Her hair was curly and ragged, with two large orange fox ears sticking out. Her nose was painted black with a couple of fake whiskers sticking out.
"Whoa, you guys look good." Sara bit her lip, feeling a little stupid.
"Those whiskers are awesome!" Greg cried. "Where'd you get them?"
She smiled slightly. "That party shop in the mall."
"I love it!" Morgan announced.
Greg turned to Ryan. "How'd you come up with it?"
"Well, Tali and I were talking and I joked that we should get Sara to dress as a bunny, but Tali said that she ate girls like that for breakfast. So we thought that foxes eat rabbits for breakfast." Ryan grinned, and Sara laughed slightly.
"Greg, your house is amazing."
The doorbell rang again and Nick looked in awe at Greg's house. "Aw, man this is awesome!"
"I thought you were going as a cowboy?" Sara asked. "That's what Tali said on the phone."
Nick winked, and Ryan turned to Sara. "We knew that people would eavesdrop on the phone so we said something ridiculously obvious."
"I had most of the stuff for this lying around anyway." Nick grinned from underneath the hat.
"You actually look like Indiana Jones." Morgan remarked.
"Thanks. I love your costume, Morgan." Nick grinned appreciatively and Greg frowned.
"Hey! Eyes off my cheerleader!"
"Possessive much?" Nick raised his eyebrows with a grin. Greg scowled.
Morgan turned back to Greg. "Don't be stupid. You know I love you."
"Don't be ridiculous, you know I need ya!" Nick sang.
Sara caught on to the song. "Don't be absurd, you know I want ya!"
"Don't be impossible, oh, oh, oh." Ryan finished as the doorbell chimed again.
They opened the door to Tali who was in a black tutu, long gloves and black ballet slippers. Her hair was slicked up in a tight ballet bun, and a black masquerade style mask covered the top part of her face. It was trimmed with lines of dark blue and glitter, with a single black feather tuck to the right side.
"A black swan." Greg murmured. "I love it."
Nick's mouth hung open slightly. "You look amazing." He breathed as she shyly walked in.
They didn't bother closing the door as Archie got out of his car. He wore a large white lab coat that looked singed and his hair was spiked up. He wore safety goggles with sparks on a string hanging off either side.
"Mad scientist. Suits you!" Sara grinned.
"Right, everyone you can put your bags in the cauldron in the den." Greg announced and they copied the route Morgan had taken. "Everyone else should be arriving soon."
A car honked outside. "Hey, looser!"
Greg grinned suddenly and Archie stared at him. "You didn't say they were..."
"Hey, after last year they aren't missing it!" he grinned, as the two boys raced to the door. Outside were four teens piling out of a car.
"Guys, these are friends from San Gabriel." Greg explained. "This is Mandy Webster-" he pointed to a girl dressed as Miss Moneypenny from James Bond who waved. "Jacqui Franco-" he gestured to a curly haired girl dressed as a fortune teller. "Henry Andrews-" a small boy dressed as a Hawaiian dancer waved, "and Bobby Dawson." A curly haired boy dressed as a soldier saluted. Greg introduced the others and they all headed into the living room to start the party.
Abby, McGee, Lindsay and Anya Boa Vista arrived next, dressed as Cinderella, a punk rocker, a fairy and a ghost respectively. Jamie Hojem arrived in a leather jacket, black jeans, and a balaclava. About twenty other kids from school and Greg's relatives arrived before a final doorbell sounded.
"Warrick!"
"Sorry I'm late." The boy grinned. "My grandma's car wouldn't start. I had to run."
"S'okay. Loving the costume."
Warrick had ditched his glasses for blood red contacts and wore dark jeans and a white vest top covered in blood.
"Thanks." He grinned, flashing pointy teeth as he did so. "Trouble is I can't see a thing."
Greg laughed and led him into the house. Everywhere people were dancing and laughing.
Ryan watched as Nick twirled Sara around the room, narrowly avoiding other couples as they went. Morgan danced away from Ryan to dance into Greg's arms.
"And she said 'te amo'
Then she put her hands around my waist.
I told her no she cried 'te amo',
I told her I'd never run away,
But let me go..."
Morgan and Greg danced around the room, moving quickly to the fast beat of the song, staring into each other's eyes as they went, and Ryan smiled and shook his head.
"Hey, will you dance with me?" A bold voice asked.
He turned to look at Anya Boa Vista and couldn't look away. She wore a short white dress that seemed to shimmer as she moved, and her face was covered in white make up, which emphasised her brown eyes and wavy brown hair that hung an inch or two above her shoulders.
"Sure." He responded automatically and they stepped onto the dance floor. Anya swayed to the music happily and Ryan grinned as he danced with her.
Warrick danced with Sara and Nick danced with Mandy, they continued to switch partners. Nick couldn't help but catch his breath when Tali danced into his arms.
"You look gorgeous. Jamie is one lucky guy." He smiled softly.
"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself." Tali grinned. She twirled back to Jamie and once again Nick found himself dancing with Mandy again, and he had to admit, she was looking pretty hot.
"You again." She said in faint surprise.
"Ditto." He raised his eyebrows. She laughed happily and they danced rapidly and elaborately through the crowd.
Suddenly the music cut and an ominous voice crackled through the speakers. "Anyone who values their soul should get into the yard before the clock hand reaches half nine!"
A couple of people squealed in excitement as they passed into the garden. Greg stood on top of the shed, a grey megaphone in hand.
"One of you is a traitor, and a killer!" Greg cried in a very un-Greg like voice, ominously waving his hockey stick above the crowd. "To flush out this treacherous murderer, we're going to have a little game of murder in the dark!"
A few people started to murmur but Greg hushed them. "The murderer already knows who they are, so this is how it works. You will each be given a partner, and each pair will be let back into the house. What you have to do is protect your partner from being taken by the murderer, who will wrap their arms around their victim. If the pair can't get the murderer off within five seconds, the victim must allow themselves to be dragged to the cauldron and the partner is alone. You may go anywhere in the house and garden apart from the shed and the no entry doors. Now, only one person has the power to stop the murderer. They aren't allowed in the same area as the den, as that would be too easy. They must figure out who the murderer is and put this bag-" Greg held up a sack "-over their head. Then the game is over. Any questions?"
"Can I please not be chucked in the pool this year?" Henry frowned.
Greg shrugged, his voice returning to his own for a minute. "Sure, just stay out of the garden, Henry." He coughed dramatically and reached into an old wizards hat. "The one with the power to capture the traitor will be the mighty and brave - oh, wait. It's just Warrick."
Warrick rolled his blood red eyes as Greg pulled another name out of the hat. "And his partner will be Tali David. Shoo."
They hesitantly walked back into the suddenly pitch black house. "Next pair, Nick Stokes and Jamie Hojem!" Jamie grinned at Nick who smiled back happily which made Morgan frown, until Greg announced her name along with Sara's and they skipped into the house, Morgan a lot happier than Sara.
Anya grinned happily at Ryan as their names were called out together. Archie paired up with a reluctant looking Henry. When everyone else was paired up, Greg joined Abby who looked surprisingly realistic as Cinderella in a short dress. As they headed into the pitch black house Greg felt his stomach curl in excitement.
"Look!" He hissed with a grin, pointing at a figure at the end of the hall grabbing Anya Boa Vista from behind, her white dress illuminating in the pale light. She screamed and laughed at the same time and Ryan tried to pry her out of the guy's arms.
"This is awesome!" Abby grinned.
"I know, right?" They laughed as Anya was carried towards the den and Ryan regretfully called "sorry!"
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Sara froze as Anya screamed. "Sara, it's okay! It's just the game." Morgan reassured her friend. "I know. I just don't like the dark." Morgan bit her lip. Suddenly light assaulted their eyes as the lights began flashing an Omen by The Prodigy began playing loudly. They squealed as they saw a figure at the end of the corridor.
Nick's grin illuminated in the strobe-like lighting as he began to run towards them. They screamed and raced down the hall, knocking spiders and skeletons as they ran. Nick steadily gained on them as they reached the end of the corridor. They turned to Nick who grinned.
"Got ya!"
Sara frowned as the lights showed someone walking up behind Nick. She screamed as a zombie shoved him to the floor.
"Hey!" He protested and Morgan frowned. She hadn't noticed any zombies before at the party.
"What are you doing?"
Eddie Willows took off his mask with a grin. "Party crashing!"
Morgan scowled, putting her hands on her hips angrily. "Get. Out. Now!"
"We do what we want, bitch!" Rick Stetler's unmistakable voice came from behind a mask.
"You guys are just a bunch of little pains in my ass," Willows spat. "So we're just gonna wreck your evening a little, yeah?"
"Get the hell out!" Nick yelled angrily, standing up and facing Eddie Willows full on.
"Ethan isn't here now, Stokes." Stetler stepped forward, taking off his mask and flexing his arms, towering over Nick. Nick didn't move. "I've wanted to do this from day one, you little son of a bitch."
Stetler launched his fist into the side of Nick's head with a single blow that threw him to the floor.
"NICK!" Sara cried, furious and frightened. One of the boys behind the other two kicked Nick hard and he slumped against the wall.
"Greg!" Morgan called. "Greg!"
"Aw, calling for your boyfriend?" Willows pouted as he and Stetler advanced towards her. Sara launched herself at Stetler, who grabbed her by the shoulders, kneed her in the stomach and threw her to the floor, giving Willows enough time to pick Morgan up clean off the floor and sling him over his shoulder.
"Get off me!" Morgan screamed, panicking. "Let me go, let me go!"
"Aw, you scared, little freshman? Don't worry, we'll take good care of you on the scary Halloween night!" Eddie crooned.
"Put her down!" Nick ordered, shakily climbing to his feet. Sara shook her head and Morgan cried out as Eddie squeezed her ass.
"Don't touch me, get off me, get off me! Let me go, let me go, leave me alone!" Morgan shrieked. "Just leave me alone! Get off me!"
"Hey, Stetler, you think Sanders'll be pissed that we're takin' his bitch?" the boy who kicked Nick laughed. His voice was familiar, it was Jake Berkeley, another senior.
"Probably!" Willows laughed.
"Put her down!" Sara yelled angrily.
"Greg!" Morgan screamed.
From the end of the hall, Greg turned. "Wait-" he put a hand on Abby's retreating arm. "This is wrong. That's not Nick, the den's not that way...Oh my god, shit!"
Greg advanced down the hall, flicking a switch at the top of the stairs. The music stopped, the lights glared on and flashed red and a loud, automated voice announced "Intruder alert!"
A confused crowd gathered at the bottom of the stairs. Greg halted just in front of Eddie Willows, his hands tightened around his hockey stick, a look of cold fury on his face. Eddie jolted towards him and Greg flinched slightly.
"Oh, you scared, baby boy?" Willows sneered.
"No one crashes my parties and no one touches my girlfriend without her say so. No one."
"I do what I want."
Greg's hands shifted slightly and Morgan was slightly alarmed at the look in his eye.
"No one."
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Everyone cheered and laughed as Eddie Willows, Rick Stetler, Elliot Stabler and Jake Berkeley crashed into the icy water of Greg's pool, screaming as they fell.
"I told you." Greg stared at them, his arm wrapped around Morgan's waist. "No one. You ruined a perfectly good game of murder in the dark. Now, get out right now."
The teens clambered out of the pool and scrambled over Greg's fence, casting furious glances over their shoulders as they scarpered.
"That was awesome!" Nick grinned from underneath the growing dark bruise on his face.
Greg shrugged. "I meant it." he hugged Morgan tightly.
"Oh my god! I love this song!" Tali squealed as Levels by Avicii began playing.
"Victory dance!" Nick cried and the teenagers happily flew into the craziest dance moves they could imagine.
Since Greg's parents had rules there was no alcohol, but no one could have cared less. They were all so hyper on fizzy drink and the buzz of pool dunking bullies that it didn't even register in their minds. They danced, laughed and sang around the house solidly for hours until minutes before midnight the music slowed right down to a much slower song.
Morgan wrapped her arms around Greg's neck.
"I thought you didn't like JLS." she smiled.
"I don't really. I like their emotions, though, their lyrics." Greg shrugged.
"Hey, Mr. DJ, I can't see straight
What am I gonna do when the last song's over?
Sorry, Mr. DJ, hey, excuse me
What am I gonna do 'cause I can't let go of her?"
Morgan sighed softly. "Greg? Thanks for earlier."
He touched the side of her face. "They were assholes. Anytime, Mo. I wouldn't let them hurt you."
She smiled again. "Look." she nodded to the corner where Ryan was slow dancing with Anya, staring into her eyes, though she only looked at the one of his without the makeup.
"Aw, sweet!" Greg crooned.
"Let them be." Morgan lightly tapped Greg's shoulder.
"I am!" he protested.
She smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Hey, Mr. DJ, can you hear me?
What am I gonna do when the last song's over?
Sorry, Mr. DJ, did you hear me?
Tell me what to do now that last song's over."
When the song ended the other guests slowly trailed outside to be picked up. Nick clapped Ryan on the back as he watched Anya glance over her shoulder.
"Wow. She's hot, man."
"Hell yeah." Ryan grinned.
"Well, you got her number, right?"
Ryan blanked and Nick rolled his eyes. "Get your ass over there!" he shrugged Ryan along and he stopped her just before she got into her sister's car.
"Hey, Anya, can I have your number?"
She smiled. "Sure." She grabbed a pen from the car and wrote the number on Ryan's hand, kissing him on the cheek before driving away. As Ryan came back, Nick sighed and shook his head.
"Ryan, Ryan, Ryan, what would you do without me?"
Ryan pushed him half playfully.
Greg looked at his seven best friends with a smile. "Let's get this sleepover started!"
Please please please review? Was the first part of the party as good as you hoped or should I edit it? Please tell me!