These last few days felt like years. Long, agonizing years. I didn't have the energy to do anything. I wanted to stay home, but knowing my teachers they'll blab to the principal and the principal will call my parents and my Mother will be on my ass faster than I can breathe. How irritating. All I've done these past few days was go to school, finish homework, and laze about in my room. Hell, I didn't have the energy to watch movies or play video games. Yeah, that's how pathetic I've become. My servants stayed clear of me. They can already tell to keep their distance. As soon as they finished the day, they left without another word. I didn't bother stopping them. I wanted to be alone. They gave me my space.
Here I am. In my room, I just push my mechanical pencil from side to side. Did I do the right thing? I told Leo about the past life thing. Was it enough? I told him everything... okay, not everything. I was hoping I don't have to tell him about the "disappearing after eighteen" topic after I get my shit together. I already made my to-do list. I just need to get in contact with my aunt. Easy, right? Not! Every time I tried calling her, it went to an automatic voicemail! Ugh! I get she's a brilliant scientist and all, but she couldn't have a lot of projects to complete! Does she?
Man, maybe I should've sent an email.
My bedroom door opened, and I immediately hid my list. I don't know who to trust these days. I saw a tray with a newspaper and a mug of steaming coffee. I looked down to see my unwanted roommate, Mrs. Cuddles. After my dark side incident, Cuddles insisted on staying with me. She followed me around, compliment me, staring at me; I would've been irritated but like I said I didn't have the energy to tell her to fuck off. Her visit would be insufferable if she stopped calling me Master every five seconds.
"I've got your newspaper, Master!" she chirped with praise, "And I've made you a fresh cup of coffee!" Who reads the newspaper? But I don't mind coffee.
I grabbed the tray and put it on my desk. "What did I say about calling me Master?" I asked.
"To not do it!" she answered, hoping onto my bed. How was she so chipper?
"Then why are you keep doing it?"
"Because I respect you!" I sighed. Why was I having a conversation with a talking rabbit from a kids' show? "I thought you like all those other humans, weak and worthless. Then, I get to experience something I never had before. I felt my fear!" I arched an eyebrow. "Before I was kept in that prison, I harnessed fear. Screams were my nectar! Anyone who screams gives me power. But... not once did I face anything that frightened me... until you, Master! Your display of carnage and destruction was a work of art! I never felt so scared in my life. At that moment, I saw my life flash before my eyes.
"...it wasn't a good life. So! I vowed to be by your side as your loyal slave until my last dying breath! I'll follow your orders! I am your servant to command. Punish me if you see me do something you dislike! You are my one and only master." it's official. She's psychotic.
I released a heavy sigh. "Go jump off a building and leave me alone." I laid my head on my desk. I don't need a slave, especially a demonic rabbit who's simping over me.
I heard my balcony door open. I quickly turned around seeing Cuddles on the banister preparing to jump. "What Master commands is my desire!" my face turned mortified. I ran over to her before she leaped. I pulled her back in closing the glass doors in a rush.
"Have you lost your mind?!" I yelled in her face, holding her long ears in my fist. Her body grew a bit. I groaned. How did I forget about her nifty little trick? "What possessed you to jump off the balcony?"
"Master ordered me to jump off the building and to leave him alone. Did Cuddles make a mistake?" Her honesty was annoying. Of course, I told her to jump off the building, but I didn't think she would take that literally!
I released her ears. "I was being sarcastic. Don't take things too literally. I'm known for my sarcasm." I went to my bed and lay on it and stared at my ceiling.
Cuddles went to my line of vision. "Why does Master look drained?"
"Because Master isn't in the mood to deal with people." I turned over to my side.
She went over to me to look me in the eyes. "Why not Master go do something?"
"Because Master doesn't want to do anything. And why am I speaking in the third person?" I turned over again.
Cuddles went to my side again. "Cuddles think you need to go out and have fun!" I grabbed her head and tossed her to the other side of my room. "Oh, Master! Yes, punish me! I've been a bad bunny rabbit!" I groaned again. I turned on my stomach as I placed a pillow over my head. I liked it better when she was just a ridiculous puppet. I heard paper crumbling. A soft paw poked my side. I removed my pillow, spotting the light blue rabbit holding the newspaper underneath her arm. "Cuddles think Master should read the newspaper." She really wanted me to look at the newspaper.
"Do you know no one reads the newspaper? We, humans, have a magical device called a cell phone. I'm surprised you even found one in the big city." I grabbed the paper and looked through the pages. "'50% Off Sale at the Mattress 'R Us'? Was this what you wanted me to see?"
Cuddles chuckled. "No, silly. Look at the front page."
I humored her as I looked at the front cover news. "'Beware of the Halloween Murderer', what is this?"
"Isn't it obvious? There's someone out there killing every Halloween night for five years! No one was able to capture them. Not even the human authorities. What better way to hone your powers than to hunt the vermin infesting your territory? No, the vermin who have the audacity to infest your kingdom! What are your orders, Master? What are you going to do?"
I scanned the front page. For five years, his homicidal maniac has gone through a killing spree whether it be a man, woman, or child. They go on a killing spree all in one night. No one knows what they look like; no description whatsoever. Even finding the remains was a mystery. The NYPD, FBI, and even CIA couldn't crack the mystery. The remains they found were just pieces of costumes and clothing with bloodstains. Not much to go from there. Not gonna lie. It got me intrigued. The unsolved murder case. Who wouldn't wanna be on board? Okay, maybe a sane person wouldn't.
I tossed the newspaper aside. "Not a damn thing." it's true. It's not my problem. Why should I get involved?
"WHAT?!" she let an exaggerated gasp. "Why not? This is the perfect opportunity to find out who is behind these murders."
"It's not my problem. If I happened to cross paths with them, I'll beat them. No one knows what they look like so, why bother looking for them."
Cuddles hummed. "I see... you want to draw them out. Let them come to you... Brilliant! Master, you're so smart and wise!" I rolled my eyes. Sure. Whatever makes her happy.
My phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and quirked an eyebrow. Alex was calling me. I answered. "What do you want?"
"Where you are?" they asked.
I don't know how to answer that question. "At home?"
"Oh, good... then, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR! Do you know how long I've been standing outside in this autumn air? I could feel my hair frizzy as we speak." I had to remove my phone away from my ear from becoming deaf from their shouting.
"Why are you outside my house?"
"Have you forgotten? Costume? Halloween? Ring any bells?" huh? I get Halloween is today, but that... doesn't... explain it...
"Wait. You made my Halloween costume?"
"Ding, ding, ding! Congratulation, dipshit! Now come and let me inside before I break myself in. Again." I hung up and took the elevator down with Cuddles following me. I went to the front door. I opened it to see Alex tapping their foot impatiently. They saw me. "Finally! Took you long enough. Move aside I have precious cargo here." they pulled in a rack of covered clothes. Many more than before.
I closed the door and followed them to the living room. "What are you doing here?" I asked, watching them inspect each bag. "Aren't you just doing mine?"
They turned their attention to me with their hands on their hips. "Don't tell me your anxiety is messing with your memories. I made costumes for everyone. You, our friends, the turtle, even O'Neil, even though I don't like her I was kind enough to make her my best outfit. She should worship me."
"I don't have anxiety", I muttered. Cuddles was trying to sneak a peek at the bags, but Alex kicked her away. "Alex... I'm not in the mood to go anywhere. Can you hold my costume for next year? You could still use my place as your workshop just leave me out of it."
They huffed. I felt guilty telling them to leave me alone. I just want to lock up in my room just staring up at my ceiling. When did I get pathetic? I was suddenly yanked by my collar. My face was met with a raging emerald inferno. "Listen here, you sack of depression! I crafted these dresses using blood, sweat, and tears! You think you have problems! Ha! Don't make me laugh! I didn't get an ounce of sleep! Do you want to know why? Because I would rather be focusing on my projects than think about the giant idiot that had the nerve to make me cry! Me! Alex, the Future Fashion Trend of New York!" their hand quivered. "I'm afraid if I fall asleep then my mind will go back to Raphael's words and his words will have my father's voice. Father will appear to say I'm nothing more than a waste of existence... do you want to know how I ignored that? Well, I kept moving forward. Because one day I'll prove the doubters wrong the moment I'm placed on the cover of VOGUE magazine. And that's what you need to do, Merrill. Move on."
"Alex..." taking a closer look at them, I saw baggy bags underneath their eyes. They really didn't sleep at all. "You need to sleep. You're going to pass out. At least take a nap in one of my guest rooms."
They released their hold. "I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've messed up my sleep schedule. I'll take a long sleep tomorrow. Scouts honor."
"You're not even a boy scout."
"Shows what you know." They went to the rack and gave me the bag marked with my name. "The others are coming soon. I want you to wear your costume as soon as possible." I nodded. I went back to my room. Sadly, Cuddles followed me again.
It took me a few minutes to get dressed. My outfit was a white buttoned-up dress shirt, smooth gray dress pants, a gray tailor coat with twin tails embroidered with silver details and cuffs, soft gloves, comfortable black shoes, and a checkered necktie. I styled my hair, parting my hair to show my face. There was something about this outfit that seemed familiar. There was one last piece of clothing. Inside the bag, I pulled out the disk. I tapped the disk, and it became a top hat with a gray ribbon tied around the body; a card was tucked in. I knew in an instant I was dressed as the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.
How cliché.
Cuddles praised me for how amazing I looked. I put the hat on ignoring her. I stepped out of my room. I looked up and heard the bathroom door across from me open.
Leo walked out of the bathroom at the same time as me. He wore a puffy blue dress with long sleeves, white lace stockings, and black Mary Janes shoes, his white apron had card suits over the bottom hem and wore a mid-length blonde wig with a black ribbon tied over his head. Wow. He looked amazing. He became Alice from the fairy tale.
Leo's face turned red. He looked away avoiding my gaze. The atmosphere between us became intense. How was I not aware of his presence? How long did it take changing? "The gang and I got here five minutes or so. Alex told me to change in this bathroom." I felt like Alex planned this ahead of time. "I'm going to use the toilet." He tried to make a break for it, but I quickly closed the bathroom. Leo shrunk.
"I know I'm pushing my limit, but I can't stand the tension between us. What happened to us, Lee? Not long ago, we were hanging out. We were just enjoying spending time together. Was it something I said? I know I kept it a secret, but I wanted to tell you at a better time. I thought I made the right choice." I looked at him. "Know this... I never meant to hurt you."
Leo looked up, still anxious. "Can we... talk about this another later? For one night, let's forget about everything that happened and just enjoy the night."
I wanted to continue where we left off. I don't want to fake a smile and pretend everything's great. But tonight, it won't be about us. It's about spending time with our friends. With a heavy heart, I nodded. I decided to offer him my arm as a chivalrous gentleman. He gladly accepted it with a small smile. Yeah, we'll have our talk soon. For just one night, we won't dwell on our problems. We're not Leo and Merrill'; we are Alice and the Mad Hatter.
I escorted Leo to the living room on the ground floor where a chorus of voices was heard. As soon as we entered, it was like meeting the Wonderland cast.
April was the Cheshire Cat. Her clothing was of purple faux fur. She wore a short purple faux fur coat over a pink tank top, purple shorts with pink tights, and purple faux boots. Purple cat ears and cat tails were present.
Donnie was the Caterpillar. He wore a violet blazer in the form of a tailcoat with its tail extended with many light purple gloves glued to it, underneath was a white ruffle button turtleneck, tight purple pants, and black dress shoes. He had a headband with insect antennas instead of his goggles. A small silver fancy curvy bottom was strapped to his hip with a long tube with a nozzle. I'm assuming it's a fake hookah.
Raph and Mike were the Tweedle Twins; knowing who was playing was up to them. They wore black and white striped long-sleeved shirts, black pants with red suspenders, and black sneakers.
Alex was both the Red Queen and the White King. Their out was two outfits combined into one. Their red side was decorated as half of an elegant red dress with black laces and one red heel. The white part was half of a white tuxedo suit with one white ankle boot. Their blond hair was tied in a loose braid with white roses with splotches of red paint on them. A cross-fusion crown of red and white was placed on their red.
Katie and Lydia were Beauty and the Beast. Lydia was Belle with a short yellow dress which was below the knees, white pantyhose, and yellow slip-on shoes; her hair was loose with part of her hair in a messy bun. Katie was the prince after the transformation. She wore a blue tailor coat, white dress pants, black boots, furry mittens with claws, and furry ears.
The fashion designer noticed us entering. "Finally, the couple of the hours are here!" Alex announced. I rolled my eyes. They planned this ahead. I'm glad they managed to turn their mood into a 180-turn. It's better than seeing them upset.
"So, are we going to do this thing or what?" I asked not to let go of Leo's arm.
Donnie was typing on his wrist computer. "I've made a route and trajectory of where to get the best candy..." everyone was paying attention to the soft shell's description. This night was all about us having fun. Just humans and mutants hanging out.
Man... I was wrong...