Author's Note: TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of a panic attack

If anyone reading this takes anything away from this chapter, I'd like it to be this: PLEASE make sure you're looking after your mental health. Self-care isn't something that should be put off until you experience a mental/emotional breakdown. You are never a burden when you're honest about how you're feeling, especially if what you're feeling isn't exactly positive.

I also wanted to clear something up before we get started: Floyd will be referring to Devon and Grim as 'Ramshackle fry' instead of Shrimpy and Sealie like he normally does. He'll officially give them those nicknames during the Octavinelle arc, so I needed to give them a placeholder nickname for now.

"Is it me or has this place gotten even more crowded since we left Ramshackle?" Devon asked Grim as they made their way back toward Main Street.

"It's definitely not just you," Grim agreed, hopping onto Devon's shoulder after nearly getting stepped on for the tenth time in about as many minutes. His blue eyes narrowed into a glare. "Y'know, we probably could've avoided most of this if you hadn't stayed holed up with Leona for so long. What were you guys even doin', anyway?"

"Just vibin'…," Devon replied, too distracted by trying to avoid looking at any group of people that might possibly be a family. It was getting harder and harder to push her homesickness to the back of her mind when there were so many reminders of what she was missing wandering the campus.

"Hmph… Well, whatever. Go ahead and keep your secrets," Grim pouted, crossing his arms before looking out at the crowd again. "Everywhere we look, there's people from off the island. It really does feel like something special's goin' on, huh?"

"It sure does," Devon agreed quickly, briefly catching a glimpse of a couple walking together with their young children and promptly jerking her head in the opposite direction.

"Yo~! If it ain't the Ramshackle fry!" called a voice from behind them.

Devon and Grim turned to see Floyd, Ace, and Jamil walking toward them. Devon heaved a sigh of relief, grateful for a distraction, even if it came from Floyd.

"Happy Halloween!" Floyd greeted once they got closer.

"Happy Halloween!" Grim greeted back. "Hehehe, I'm basically a Halloween pro now!"

"I… Wow…," was all Ace could say as his eyes swept over Devon's form, trying to take in everything at once. He could feel his heartbeat speed up and his cheeks warm as he registered how form-fitting the corset-like top was and cursed himself inwardly when his flustered state only worsened at the sight of the sheer material covering her shoulders. 'C'mon, Ace, get it together! I can see Sebek freaking out over seeing someone's nearly-bare shoulders, but it shouldn't have any effect on me, no matter how hot Dev is. What's next?! Am I gonna pass out if I catch a glimpse of her ankle-' His breath caught in his throat as his gaze drifted down to Devon's legs. It wasn't like he hadn't seen them before-she normally wore a skirt with her NRC uniform, after all-but something about the way they looked in the stockings and heels she was wearing made him feel some type of way. 'Dammit! She's already the coolest person I've ever met, now I've gotta find out she's the hottest too?!'

It was at this moment that Ace realized he'd been gaping at Devon for way too long to try to play it off. He was sure his face was almost as red as his dorm leader's hair by now and the amused smirk on Devon's face wasn't helping. He knew there was no going back now, but he was determined to at least try to salvage what remained of his pride. He cleared his throat before flashing Devon and Grim his signature cocky smirk. "New York, Grim. Nice to see you both decided to dress for the occasion."

"Smooth, Crabby. Real smooth," Floyd mocked. "You're about as subtle as a brick to the head."

"Don't try to act all cool, Ace," Grim said with a smirk of his own. "We already know you talked to the ghosts about our costumes. I didn't realize you were such a sweetheart!" He let out a cackle. "Nyahahaha! Since you're so worried about us and all, why don't ya take care of my meals and do my homework while you're at it!"

Ace glanced off to the side, his face still burning as he refused to make eye contact with anyone. "I don't know what you're talkin' about…" He took a step back as Grim hopped off of Devon's shoulder and began rubbing against his leg. "Oi! Don't rub against me like that! You'll get your fur all over me!"

Ace's protests died on his lips when Devon stepped toward him and pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks for telling the ghosts we didn't have costumes," she said as she nuzzled into his chest.

Ace felt his heart start to race at the contact and he began praying to whatever higher power existed that Devon couldn't hear it. "I-I mean… S'not a big deal, y'know…" He carefully wound his arms around Devon, resting them just above her waist. "Deuce and I were just laughin' about how it looked like you and Grim would be havin' a pretty lame Halloween since ya didn't have costumes and all." His body heat rose even higher when he felt Devon tighten her grip slightly as an amused huff left her lips. "I'm serious! It was just a coincidence, pure coincidence, that we happened to be in front of Ramshackle at the time. So…y'know…" He struggled to keep his eyes on anything but the girl in his arms. "If you wanna thank anyone, you really oughta be thanking the ghosts and Wisps…"

"Fair enough, but we still appreciate it," Devon replied. She smiled up at him briefly before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

If Ace hadn't been about to combust before, he definitely was now. He could almost hear the cartoon-y steam whistle sound effect as he struggled to put a coherent thought together. "I- Um- Well- Th-That's… Yeah, good," was all he managed to come up with. The amusement dancing in Devon's eyes did nothing to calm him down. 'Uuuggh! She knows exactly what she's doing, doesn't she?!'

"You're adorable, y'know," Devon commented with a giggle as she pressed her forehead against Ace's.

"Sh-Shut up…," Ace stammered. He was back to refusing to make eye contact with her, but he made no move to put any distance between them.

"So I take it you and Grim have been able to see all the Halloween venues then, Devon?" Jamil interjected quickly, pulling the girl's attention away from Ace. His eyes lingered on Ace's arms around Devon's waist and a dark look flickered over his features, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"We sure did!" Grim replied as Devon and Ace stepped back from each other. "We went around to all seven and it was lunchtime before we knew it."

"Hang on a sec, I thought you guys were at basketball practice," Devon said. She pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time. "I figured you'd still be there for a little while."

"We ended up wrapping it up early," Ace explained. He shot his usual smile, doing his best to avoid focusing on his still-racing heart. "It's the first day of Halloween Week, after all!"

"Frankly, I'm not sure why we even bothered holding a practice session to begin with," Jamil commented with an exasperated tone. "It's not as if the freshmen were able to focus at all."

"Oh please. As if you have any room to talk," Ace countered with a smirk. "You were on your phone pretty much the entire practice too. Were you that worried about how Scarabia was doing?"

"That's… I just wanted to make sure I was available in case of an emergency," Jamil defended.

"Y'all really love Halloween up here, don'cha?" Floyd asked. His normal bored expression brightened as he smiled. "Well, to be fair, I do too~!"

Devon wanted to ask what Floyd had meant by "up here", but he loomed over her before she could ask, his serrated teeth visible as he smiled at her menacingly.

"So? Whose Halloween display did you like best, lil' Ramshackle fry?" he demanded. He attempted to take another step closer, but stopped short when Zephyr's Wind Whip cracked right next to his ear. He turned his manic grin toward the angrily crackling Wisp for a moment before holding his hands up in a placating gesture and moving back a small step. "You liked Octavinelle best, right? It's got the spookiest Halloween vibe."

"Stop trying to intimidate her," Jamil interjected, glaring at Floyd before moving to stand between him and Devon. He turned back to Devon and smiled, leaning closer and lowering his voice to a near whisper as he spoke into her ear. "Surely you agree that Scarabia's venue and costumes are far more sublime." He smirked inwardly at Devon's flustered expression. "You do agree with me, don't you?"

"Hey now, don't cave to those two just because they're our upperclassmen!" Ace cut in, none too pleased at how close Jamil was getting and even less pleased that Zephyr was doing nothing to stop it. He slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from Jamil. "C'mon, you know Heartslabyul's got the best costumes and venue! It's spooky and fun!"

"You think my dorm's the best right?!" all three of them asked eagerly, causing Devon to take an uneasy step back.

"I… Honestly, I can't choose," Devon replied.

Floyd deflated immediately. "Whaaaat? Well, that's boring."

"Hey, don't sweat it, New York. It's gotta be pretty tough to admit that you like Heartslabyul best when our upperclassmen are standin' right here," Ace said.

"Hmph. Those blatant lies aside, it's clear you haven't the foggiest notion of the word 'modesty', now do you?" Jamil scoffed.

"Why're you guys gettin' so worked up about this?" Grim asked. "It ain't like there's gonna be a competition to see which dorm put on the best Halloween, right?"

"C'mon, just admit the skeletons were the best," Ace urged, ignoring Grim completely.

Jamil took one of Devon's gloved hands and began to rub gentle circles on the back with his thumb. "You don't have to humor Ace just because he's your classmate, you know."

"That's right. Don't let him force you to lie," Floyd agreed. "Just go ahead and say you liked Octavinelle the best."

"I'm with Grim. Why are you guys so hung up about this?" Devon asked.

"I'd say we have good reason to be," Jamil told her. "Night Raven College's reputation does hinge on Halloween, after all."

"You remember what Professor Crewel told us, right? The locals are one thing, but we've also got non-islanders dropping by to check us out," Ace reminded them.

Grim tilted his head. "Non-islanders?"

"Yeah. People from outside Sage's Isle," Ace elaborated. "Actually…you two might not know this, especially since New York hasn't left the island since she got to this world, but this place is actually pretty remote. We can use the Dark Mirror to travel home for school holidays and stuff, but if someone outside the school wanted to come to this place…" He pulled in a deep breath. "They'd have to take a train from the nearest airport, then transfer to a bus, then board a ferry, then transfer to another ferry, then hop on another bus…" He shook his head. "Point is, getting out here is a giant pain!"

"We're really that far out in the sticks?!" Grim exclaimed.

"You could at least call it mysterious," Jamil huffed.

"But that means that drawin' in a bunch of visitors really helps out the island's economy n' stuff," Floyd added. "Whenever the campus hosts open events like Halloween Week and the Spelldrive tournament we had earlier this month, it's a huge boost to our tourism industry. Which means that if we do anything that makes us look bad, it'll cause problems for a whole buncha people well beyond the staff and students at the school."

"Precisely. That's why we have to stay on the ball for the entirety of the event," Jamil agreed. "The number of visitors has increased in recent years since more and more people are coming specifically to see Vil, and we're expecting larger than average crowds this year as well. But more importantly…"

Devon and Grim exchanged a look. "Hmm?"

"I want someone to say that my dorm was the best!" Ace, Floyd, and Jamil chorused.

"So it all comes down to ego then, huh?" Devon remarked dryly.

"Dunno why you sound so surprised, Dev. Some of the students at this school have egos bigger than Ramshackle," Grim said in an equally dry tone.

"The students in every dorm pulled together and spared no effort to make this Halloween Week a success," Jamil stated matter-of-factly. "None of us want to hear guests say that they didn't find our dorm impressive."

Floyd smiled lazily. "Exactly! It's all about boostin' our reputa-" His sentence was cut off when a small girl barreled into his leg, quickly catching everyone's attention.

"Ow!" the little girl said, shaking her head.

Floyd blinked down at the girl. "Hmm?"

"That kid just barreled right into ya, huh?" Grim commented.

"Awww, you're so tiny~!" Floyd said with a smile. "No wonder it felt like a tiny minnow just bumped right into me!"

"Eeep!" the little girl squeaked, stepping back as Floyd loomed over her. "I-I'm sorry!"

"You're scaring her, Floyd," Jamil chided.

"For real. I'd be terrified if someone twice my size was towerin' over me like that," Ace agreed.

Heheh, I guess you're right," Floyd said before turning back to the girl. "Sorry about that, lil' minnow. Here…" He crouched down so he was nearly eye level with her. "Is this better?" He smiled again, his tone gentler than any the others had heard him use before. "You gotta watch where you're goin' around here, okay? You could hurt yourself if you're not careful."

"I'm sorry…," the girl apologized again. "It's just… I couldn't find…"

"Couldn't find what?" Jamil asked.

"Did you get separated from your mom or somethin'?" Ace chimed in.

Devon couldn't bring herself to say anything. The conversation earlier had managed to distract her from her homesickness for a moment, but it was returning with a vengeance now.

The little girl shook her head in response to Ace's question. "No, nothing like that. I was just looking for where you're supposed to go once you get all the stamps."

"I know where that is. C'mon, kiddo. I'll take you there," Floyd offered.

'Didn't know Floyd was so good with kids,' Devon mused. 'Then again, maybe he's just acting the part since this girl's a guest…'

"Yo, Jade!" Floyd called out as he and the rest of the group led the little girl to the school's front gate.

"Hello, Floyd," Jade greeted. "You've brought quite the crowd with you, I see."

Floyd nodded. "Mmhmm. This little kiddo here wants a word with ya."

Jade blinked. "With me?"

"I got all seven stamps!" the girl declared proudly, showing her stamp rally card to Jade as he and Floyd crouched down to her level again.

"Ah! So you have!" Jade said with a smile as he looked over the girl's card. "All that's left is for you to say the magic phrase."

The little girl giggled. "Trick or treat!"

Devon let out a soft, shaky breath as Jade handed the girl her bag of candy. She could just barely register Grim asking what trick or treat was and the others explaining it to him, but her mind was somewhere else entirely. Once again, her thoughts drifted back to the family she was missing. She watched the girl take her candy and eagerly ask if she could come back to play again. Memories of attending Halloween parties at classmates' homes with her brothers (pre-Lopez Halloween Bash, of course) flashed through her mind in rapid succession and she began to feel a hollow sensation in her chest.

Zephyr pulsed with concern next to her. Devon could only offer them an unconvincing smile and make a futile attempt at assuring them nonverbally that everything was fine.

'Time and place, Dev. Time and place,' Devon reminded herself. 'You heard what Jamil said; the school's reputation rides on Halloween Week being a success. How bad's it gonna look if people see you whinin' about how much you miss home?' She pulled in a deep breath. 'It's fine. Everything's fine. I'm totally fine-'

"Don't you think, New York?" Ace asked, snapping Devon out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Devon asked dazedly.

"I was just sayin' that I thought it'd just be a pain to have to walk on eggshells around a bunch of randos for an entire week, but now that I'm seein' everything in action, maybe doin' this kinda thing once a year isn't so bad!" Ace replied. He nudged Devon's shoulder with his own. "Besides, we get waaaaay less homework during Halloween Week. That's always a plus, right?"

Not trusting herself to speak, Devon forced a smile onto her face, but it didn't quite meet her eyes.

"Heh. It's true," Jade agreed with a close-lipped smile. "I quite enjoy his holiday as well. It's such a treat to see so many guests enjoying themselves after all the effort everyone has put into this event."

"Is it really necessary to make everything you say sound so shady?" Jamil snarked.

"Alright, alright, enough yakkin'!" Grim cut in. "Is anyone else feelin' hungry?"

"Ooh, me! Why don't we all get lunch together?" Ace suggested. "You guys are good with that, right?"

Jamil eyed Ace suspiciously. "You just want us to pay for your meal, don't you?"

"Whaaaaat? Can't a guy just wanna eat lunch with the upperclassmen he respects so much~?" Ace deflected, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ugh," Jamil sighed. "Utterly shameless, this one."

"How 'bout you, Jade?" Floyd asked as he turned to his twin.

"I think I'll join you as well. It's almost time for my break, anyway," Jade replied.

"Great. Let's get moving, then," Jamil said.

Devon's thoughts began racing again as the boys were talking; things she'd spent the better part of the month trying to avoid thinking about were starting to come to the surface. Seeing all the families exploring the campus had made Devon hyper-aware of how much she already missed her family. She had no trouble admitting that, but now the rapidly growing concern that she might never see them again was taking up an increasing amount of headspace. She tried to keep a lid on it as best she could, but repressing those concerns for so long had done her mental health no favors. The dam was about to break and she knew it.

Without realizing what she was doing, Devon crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to hide the fact that her hands were shaking as the hollow feeling in her chest worsened. 'Just hold it in, girl. Time and place. You can worry about all that another time. You're fine and you'll keep being fine. Even if you never make it back home. Or see your family again. Or have to miss Val and Monique's wedding because you've got no way home. Or hang out with your brothers ever again…' Her eyes began to grow misty and she was starting to find it hard to breathe.

"Let's go, Devon," Jamil said, pulling her from her thoughts. "We need to get to the cafeteria now before the lines get too long."

Devon could sense the oncoming breakdown; if she went with them, she wouldn't make it through lunch. She knew any smile she gave at this point wouldn't be entirely convincing, but she gave it her best effort all the same. "A-Actually, I just remembered that I left something back at the dorm, so I'm gonna run back and get it." She looked over at Grim. "You can go with 'em if you want to, bud. I'll catch up in a bit."

"Nyahaha! Ya don't have to tell me twice!" Grim exclaimed eagerly as he hopped down from Devon's shoulder.

Jamil studied Devon's face for a moment. "Are you sure? You're feeling ill, are you?"

Devon shook her head. "I'm fine, really! Like I said, I just left something at Ramshackle. I'll catch up with you later, okay?" 'I'm fine. Everything's fine…'

Jamil still didn't look convinced. "Alright…if you insist…"

The smile stayed plastered on Devon's face until the boys were out of sight and earshot, at which point she pulled out her staff. "Flapjack…get me back to Ramshackle. Now."

'I'm…'

One quick warp later and she was standing in the foyer, but the familiar dorm did little to stop the pit from forming in her stomach. It didn't appear that the ghosts were back yet and she was grateful for that; she didn't want anyone seeing her in such a state. The hollow feeling her chest grew even worse, to the point that the few times she managed to try and pull any substantial amount of oxygen into her lungs it felt as though her chest cavity was empty, like she had no lungs for the air to go to. Breathing itself was a chore now and her body was starting to grow uncomfortably hot, her heart racing as a feeling of dread washed over her.

'I'm not fine…'

Her thoughts were an absolute mess as well: She was overcome with the urge to just get away, but she didn't know where she was trying to get away to or what she was trying to get away from. Her immediate thought was to go home, but she was already at the closest thing she had to one in this world. Even so, she couldn't just stand still. Her body was screaming at her to move, so she made for the staircase and headed toward her room, Zephyr following close behind worriedly. She just barely registered Regina's concerned pulse, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. All she could think about was getting to that bedroom.

In what felt simultaneously like an instant and an eternity, she threw open the bedroom door and stepped inside. The bedroom made her feel the slightest bit better but she was definitely still in the middle of a panic attack. The curtains had been pulled closed the moment she stepped in, courtesy of Regina, but the room still felt too open to Devon. Without realizing what she was doing at first, she walked over to the bed before sinking to her knees and crawling underneath it, curling into a ball to make herself as small as possible.

Devon was finally able to pull in a few deep breaths once she was convinced she was completely out of sight and her heartbeat began to slow as well. She felt a gentle, cool breeze blowing against her cheek and looked over to see Zephyr using their magic in an attempt to cool her down.

"Thanks, Zeph," she said with a shaky smile. "Sorry about freaking out like that. I just…" Now that the panic was ebbing away, Devon was hit with the full force of the homesickness she'd been trying to repress. Her eyes began to water again and this time there was no stopping the tears. A choked sob escaped Devon's lips before she could stop it. "I just miss home…"

She curled herself into an even tighter ball, refusing to move out from under the bed. She felt something drape itself over her and glanced up to see one of the spare blankets covering her now, a golden aura surrounding it indicating that Regina was the one that moved it. The remaining Wisps moved closer as well, their concern obvious despite their silence.

Devon buried her face in her arms, her muffled sobs the only sounds in the darkened room. What neither she nor the Wisps realized was that, underneath her gloves, the Sending Stone on her bracelet began emitting a faint glow.

Dominic looked up when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He'd just been hit an overwhelming feeling of sadness, but he had no idea what had caused it. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie before muttering a quick, "It's open."

DJ poked his head in a second later, tears visible in his own eyes as well. "Did you just get incredibly sad for no reason too? And homesick, even though we're…at home already?"

"Sure did," Dominic confirmed. "I know mood swings are supposed be a normal part of being a teenager, but I don't think I've ever had one this extreme."

"About that…," DJ began, holding up his arm to show Dominic the glowing Sending Stone on his bracelet. "I don't think this a mood swing."

Dominic's eyes widened as he yanked back the sleeve of his hoodie and saw that his Sending Stone was glowing as well. He shot up out his computer chair and was about to take off for the mirror in Devon's room before DJ stopped him.

"I've already been up there, little bro. I waited in front of Dev's mirror for a hot minute, but nothing happened. I didn't even see that weird foggy void like last time when the connection was severed," DJ said. "I thought it was weird that you didn't come to Dev's room too, so I came lookin' for ya."

"So if our bracelets aren't trying to connect us to Devon somehow-" Dominic began.

"That's just it; I think they are," DJ interjected, wiping his eyes. "I think we're feeling what she's feeling." He sighed. "As much as I hate the thought of her being this upset about anything, it's the only explanation that makes sense." A thought struck him. "You were able to see what she was seein' when that…" He snapped his fingers, trying to remember how Dominic had described what he saw.

"Angry lion guy went on a rampage with a patchwork Scar standing behind him?" Dominic finished, sniffling.

DJ brightened a bit. "Yeah, that! Have you been able to see anything else since then?"

Dominic shrugged. "Yes and no. I haven't been able to see anything as vividly as I did that time, but I have been getting snippets here and there. Most of them are just there for a split second and it's hard to make sense of them, but from what I've gathered wherever Dev is celebrates Halloween too and they've been getting ready for some kind of school-wide event."

"No kiddin'? What are the odds that Halloween transcends worlds?" DJ asked rhetorically. "I'm glad she's still able to celebrate it, even if she can't be with us."

"Same," Dominic agreed. A warm smile formed on his lips despite the tears in his eyes. "I think I saw her carving pumpkins not too long ago. There were a bunch of people with her and they were sitting outside. I think Grumpy Lion Man was there too, actually."

"Good to know she's made nice with the guy that tried to kill her," DJ snarked. "I guess that's just like her, though."

Dominic nodded. "Yeah." The smile dropped off his face. "I just wish we could be there for her now. If what we're feeling is what she's feeling…"

"Same, my dude," DJ agreed. "Same…"

"Thanks for coming with me to check on Dev, Cater," Deuce said as he and Cater made their way toward Ramshackle.

"No worries, Deucey~!" Cater chirped. "I've been meaning to stop by and see how Ramshackle's doing, anyway. Besides, you know I've been worried about Devon too."

"You must be if you're using her actual name," Deuce replied.

The sun was beginning to set, but the campus was still packed with visitors. Deuce had received a concerned text from Ace earlier that afternoon asking him to check in on their friend. Apparently, she was supposed to join Ace, Grim, and some of their upperclassmen for lunch but said she had to get something from Ramshackle. Apparently, she'd never linked back up with them and hadn't answered any of Ace's calls or texts. Deuce had attempted to reach her as well, but she wasn't picking up for him either. At the time Ace had reached out to him, Heartslabyul's stamp rally location was too busy for him to slip away, but he tried not to let his concern get the better of him. After all, if Devon truly was in some sort of danger, he knew at least one of the Wisps would've alerted them by now. He decided he would wait for the crowds to thin out a bit and take the first chance he got to step away. Cater had caught him as he was leaving and opted to come along as well.

As the two approached the derelict dorm, they noticed a sizeable crowd gathered at the front gate. As they got closer, they realized that the crowd had gathered around the three Ramshackle ghosts with many people clamoring for a picture. The ghosts were eating up the attention, happily smiling and posing for pictures with the guests.

"Mmhmm. I had a feeling Ramshackle would be the hottest spot on campus," Cater said.

"There's so many people… Sounds like your hunch was right on the money," Deuce agreed.

"Oi! Deuce! Cater!" called a familiar voice. The duo turned to see Grim making his way through the crowd to them, hopping onto Deuce's shoulder to avoid being stepped on. "What's the deal with all these people, huh?"

Cater smiled as he pulled out his phone. "Take a look at this."

Grim blinked. "At your phone?" He leaned closer to get a look at the screen. "Is that Magicam you've got pulled up?" His eyes widened when he saw the picture Cater was looking at. "Hang on. That's the picture I took with the ghosts! What does that have to do with anything?"

"Take a look underneath the picture," Cater told him. "Check out the number of likes this pic has."

"Lemme see…" Grim's mouth dropped open when he saw the number. "What the-?! It has 10,000 like?! How are there so many?! Cater, I think your Magicam's busted!"

Cater shook his head. "Oh no, it's working fine. It's really not so surprising when you think about it. I mean, have you ever seen a ghost show up in a picture this clearly? Not to mention, it's a ghost selfie and it's got a cat in it, a Magicam favorite! Add in the fact that it's Halloween and I'd be more concerned if this pic didn't go viral."

"But I'm not a cat!" Grim protested. "Besides, the ghosts said they only had about five followers. How'd this picture end up with so many likes?"

Deuce shrugged. "Someone stumbled across the photo and gave it a like. Then that person's followers saw it and liked it, then their followers liked it, and it just kept spreading from there."

"It started getting more attention the closer it got to Halloween, but what really got the ball rolling was when a popular Magicammer saw and liked it too," Cater explained. "That's when the likes really started flooding in."

Grim looked amazed. "Whoa… So that many people have seen this picture of me…?" He studied the picture for a moment. "Ugh, I just realized those ghosts caught me right when I was about to blink! This picture doesn't do me justice; I'm actually way better-looking than this!" He looked at Cater again. "Quick, Cater! We need to erase this picture and replace it with one that really captures how cool I am!"

"Moot point, Grimmy," Cater replied. "Thousands of people have already seen the picture as it is. Besides, even if you took the picture down now, there's no guarantee that copies of it aren't circulating out there on the internet. That's the thing about social media; it reaches all corners of Twisted Wonderland. Even if you have zero followers, you can't assume that other people won't see what you post."

"Hey, isn't that the kitty from the ghost's selfie?" a woman standing nearby asked. The question drew the attention of nearly everyone within earshot and soon a small crowd had formed around Grim, Cater, and Deuce.

"Huh? Cat?" Grim looked around before realizing that everyone was staring at him. "Wait, are you talkin' about me?" He smirked. "I ain't no pet cat, thank you very much! I'll have you know that you're in the presence of The Great Grim, the soon-to-be greatest mage in the history of Twisted Wonderland!"

"Oh, it can talk!" someone in the crowd exclaimed. "Guess it's a cat-like monster, then."

"Awww, just look at his little hat!" another woman gushed. "Are you all dressed up for Halloween, little guy?"

"That's got be the cutest thing I've ever seen~!" the first woman said.

"No! You're supposed to say I'm cool, not cute!" Grim argued as he jumped down from Deuce's shoulder.

Some squeals erupted from the crowd as they pressed closer. "So adorbs~!"

"E-Everyone's crowdin' around me…," Grim said. Cater and Deuce almost thought he seemed a bit intimidated and were about to step in if the needed to…until a big smile burst over Grim's face. "I've never been this popular before! I'm a viral sensation!"

One of the women in the crowd giggled. "The ghosts and this monster are beyond precious~!"

"I know, right! I always thought ghosts were scary and mean-spirited. If I'd known some of them were this cute and friendly, I'd have tried to make friends with some a long time ago!" another woman agreed.

"I can't remember the last time I was fawned over like this," the skinny ghost commented. "Makes me glad I became a ghost!"

"Halloween's the best!" the short ghost agreed.

"Nyahaha!" Grim cackled. "This is great! Usually Devon's the one that ends up drawin' people's attention, but now it's like I'm the star of the show like I was always meant to be! Keep the praise comin', everyone!"

Deuce shook his head. "Seems like both the ghosts and Grim are letting this viral fame go right to their heads…"

"Excuse me, ghosts. Would it be alright if I took a picture with you?" someone in the crowd asked. "I'd like to post it on Magicam since it's Halloween and all."

"Y'know, I've been thinking ever since we passed through the front gate," a man in the crowd said, "Night Raven College really is the perfect Halloween spot!"

"Let's post a bunch of pictures to Magicam and spread the word!" another man shouted, earning a round of cheers in response. The snap of camera shutters picked up almost instantly.

"Well, the visitors seem like they're having a good time," Deuce said as he and Cater stood back to observe. "It's rewarding to see so many people smiling and enjoying the venues we all worked so hard on. Right, Cater?"

Cater nodded with a smile. "Mm. Sure is." He lowered his voice and allowed the crowd to drown out his voice as he muttered to himself, "Let's hope it stays that way…"

Deuce was about to ask Cater to repeat that last part when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He quickly fished it out and sighed with relief upon seeing he had a text from Devon. "Good news, Cater. Devon just text back!" He read the message quickly. "She says she's sorry she took so long to get back to us. She also asked us not to worry about her; she's just feeling a little tired." He reread the text with an uncertain expression on his face. "I don't want to call Devon a liar, but I'm not so sure I believe that. Not after what Ace said."

"Agreed," Cater replied. "I think she's definitely making a molehill out of a mountain. She probably just doesn't want us to worry." He thought for a moment. "I say we should respect her wishes for now and give her some space, but you and Acey need to keep an eye on her tomorrow, okay? You three are all in the same class, so it shouldn't be too hard. If she still seems off, let me know and I'll see if I can get her to spill what's going on."

"Are you sure we should really be leaving her alone right now?" Deuce asked.

"I don't like it either, but it doesn't seem like she's ready to talk just yet," Cater replied. "If we're too pushy about getting her to open up, she might just close herself off even more." He gave Deuce a reassuring smile. "Besides, she's not completely alone right now. The Wisps are with her, right?"

Deuce still looked unsure, but he nodded his head all the same. "If anyone in our dorm can put Dev at ease enough to talk about whatever's bothering her, it's you, I guess. Alright, I'll let Ace in on the plan."

Ending Notes: We all knew this was coming, but dang, this chapter was hard to write. It had to get worse before it gets better, though, and Devon's at least admitted to herself and the Wisps that she's not okay.

On a lighter note, have y'all seen the new Masquerade event on the Japanese server?! Those new outfits are incredible and I cannot wait to see how the event story plays out! I'm definitely planning on covering it, but I'm going to have to finagle the timeline a little bit since it's a Halloween event implied to take place during Yuu/MC's first year at NRC (given that all the juniors are still on campus), so it would interfere with the Halloween event I'm covering now if I went by the official event timeline. I'll have to see how everything plays out, but for now I'm planning to cover it after the events of the Ignihyde arc. There are a few developments concerning some people very important to Devon that I have planned to occur during that arc that could potentially make the Masquerade event more interesting. I won't say anything more for now, but I hope all of you will be looking forward to it as much as I am!

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are more than welcome! Geekinthepink, out!