Chapter Nine: Trick or Treat

Discovering where the party was taking place at the school was easy. All I had to do was follow the sound of the low, rumbling bass reverberating across the campus grounds, leading to the source from which it came. The central courtyard was now covered with what looked like the entire school's student population, with everyone either dancing, laughing, or participating in some sort of activity that I had to assume was part of the Halloween traditions.

This is what an Elite-free environment looked like: everyone felt free to be themselves without worrying about their autocratic student representatives trying to dim their shine. It warmed my heart immensely, and I would ensure we would get more opportunities like this. Soon, they will all see that we can be free if we stand together.

There was an eruption of cheers when my presence was sighted as I entered the courtyard. Several party attendees stopped me to express their gratitude and what the race's victory meant to them. Though thrilled to hear how our success impacted them, I was anxious to find Rachel and Gar and hear how they reigned victorious over their Elite competitors. I politely acknowledged them with a few kind words before trying to push through the crowd to find my friends.

"Kory! Over here!" I saw Karen waving her arm frantically over her head to capture my attention. She stood by the courtyard's fountain with the two people I sought. I beamed at all three of them and jogged over to them immediately, doing my best to avoid eye contact with the other party attendees so I would not be stopped.

"I heard about how you were able to outrun Wally!" Gar greeted me with exuberant enthusiasm, "Clever thinking on your part! Garth tried to pull a fast one on me in the pond while I was looking for my key, but I was able to outsmart him."

"Oh?" I replied, glancing at Rachel in time to catch her rolling her eyes. A small, playful smile remained on her lips as she looked over at Gar.

"Please," I urged him, " tell me more, and do not leave out any details."

I listened intently to each of my friends retell their story of how they were able to get the better of each of their Elite competitors. Karen's story was probably my favorite, as it sounded like she had left Victor in a 'sticky' situation.

After they told their stories, Karen and Gar invited me to participate in the game of 'bobbing for apples.' Rachel then warned me on how it was probably the most unsanitary thing one could do at a Halloween party, but Gar tried brushing her off comment by calling her a party pooper.

"I will meet you over there," I said after giggling at the funny name Gar had called Rachel. "I have not had anything to drink since before the race, and I am quite parched."

"Sounds good! See you over there!" Gar said while grabbing Rachel's arm before she could fly away.

After making my way to the refreshment table to pour myself a cup of blood-colored punch, I looked over the sea of happy faces laughing and dancing to the loud and upbeat music. And then, probably for the first time since I found myself on Earth, I felt pure contentment. The everlasting thoughts of being worried for my home planet and wondering if I would be able to see my family again did not seem to trouble me at that moment. My guilt of being the root cause of my planet's fall was replaced with the hope that maybe I was given a second chance to do something meaningful in a different world. A new home, perhaps?

I smiled into the black plastic cup I was sipping from at the thought of calling Earth my new home. Only a month ago, I was complaining about being forced to live with other humans and be assimilated into their ways. But now, I cannot help but feel like I am living a more free and enjoyable life than my life in the Tamaranean court. Yes, the Elites have made several of my experiences here on this planet a little unpleasant, but besides that, everything in my life before Earth had been controlled, and I was never allowed the time to have fun with other Tamaraneans my age, nor was I really permitted to be around them.

My days as Tamaran's princess were filled with either training with the warlords of Okarra or being present at every council meeting my father had to attend since I was next in line to take the throne. Any social gathering I was at usually consisted of only the nobles in the court and some of the noble's children would be there. Still, we were never allowed to behave like how the human adolescents were acting at this Halloween party. It was refreshing to see so many of them being themselves without worrying about how the elders and other high-ranking nobles would view them. It was something I never had as a child, and it gave me such joy knowing that I was given a chance to live like a normal teenage human. Well, mostly normal.

As I finished another sip of my punch, I felt a strange sensation as if I was floating, and once that realization hit me, I lost my balance. Once I felt my feet touch the ground, I fell backward.

"Whoa!" I heard a boy call out as he caught me by the arms before I fell over completely. "Careful there! You wouldn't want to spill punch all over your pretty little costume."

I turned toward my rescuer and saw a boy with orangish blonde hair dressed in a Renaissance-era-looking costume. He had a quiver of arrows strapped to his back and a funny-shaped hat on his head. I recognized him as one of the boys who whistled at me the day I arrived at the school.

"Uh..thank you..." I paused at the awkwardness of the situation. I did not lose my balance easily, and I did not want to give this boy the impression that I was a clumsy girl.

"I don't think I actually introduced myself yet," the boy began, "My name is Roy Harper. Of course, I already know your name. You're quite the talk of school these days. And now you are the hero...saving the day with those killer archery skills."

"Oh, it was nothing, really. I am just happy that we won." I said passively while looking to see where Rachel and the others had gone. I usually would not mind starting a conversation with a new friend, but I could not help but feel Roy had an ulterior motive for starting this conversation with me. That, and I remembered what Rachel told me about how many of the boys were 'dogs' here, and after she explained to me what that meant, I did my best not to get too friendly with some of the boys she pointed out as 'dogs.'

Roy attempted to move back into my field of vision when he added, "You know, my talent is being one of the best archers in the world. I can always give you some private lessons so that you can improve your skills even more."

I was half-listening to what he was saying when I saw an unexpected figure walking down one of the outdoor corridors who looked like he did not want to be noticed by the party attendees.

"That is interesting," I murmured, not sure if I was responding to Roy or if it was my thoughts being verbalized as I watched Dick disappear into the darkness leading in the opposite direction from the Elite's mansion.

After a pause of the confusing response, Roy asked. "Would you like to dance?"

I blinked at him, almost forgetting that he was there. "Um...perhaps another time."

I was unsure if Roy said anything after that, nor did I really care. My curiosity of wanting to know where Dick was going had taken over any objectives I had previously. As if hypnotized, I found myself walking in the direction where Dick had gone. He certainly looked like he did not want to be followed, which gave me all the reasons to follow him. I wanted to know what he was up to when everyone else at the school was distracted.

Not wanting him to notice that I was following him, I made sure to stay back far enough in order for him not to become suspicious but close enough so that I would not lose sight of where he was going. I ensured my steps were light against the ground and watched my footing so I would not step on a twig or leaf that would give me away. I was not going to make the same mistake I did when approaching the spider-human creature I came across a month ago.

I had to let my eyes adjust to the darkness once the lamps from the campus were far behind me, and I could no longer rely on them to light my way. While my eyes were adjusting, I had lost Dick as soon as he entered the tree line of woods just off the school's property.

When I approached the tree line, I had to listen hard for any sign of footsteps breaking twigs or bushes being rustled with someone walking through them. But the environment around me remained silent. Either Dick was also very good at remaining stealthy, or he was already too far within the woods for me to hear anything. All I could hear was the swishing of leaves and the creaking of a few tree branches as they swayed from the night breeze.

Still determined to follow Dick, I entered the woods without any sense of direction where he could be. I only had my intuition and the moonlight to guide me now, and I prayed that X'hal would give me that mysterious source of light again. But no matter how much I prayed and whispered some random incantations, that green light never appeared, and I was left to track Dick on my own.

I must have wandered around the woods for at least ten minutes without so much of a hint of where he might have gone. I knew I should have been concerned about getting lost in the woods if I kept going, but I was too stubborn to turn back now. I needed to know where Dick went and what he was up to, and then maybe I would have my answers to what was happening in Cold Springs.

As I was beginning to lose hope, I noticed a small golden light flickering straight ahead in the distance. My heart skipped a beat in excitement when I saw it, and I quickly and quietly proceeded toward it. The golden light began to expand and morph into more of an orange color as I got closer. Only then did I realize the light source was coming from a cave dug into a small hill. However, the entrance of this cave was blocked off by several vertical iron bars spanning from the ground to the cave's low ceiling. They were clearly placed there to keep any curious explorers out. But the light flickering within the cave meant that someone had to be there to light the fire illuminating the cave walls.

I could have tried to bend the bars wide enough so that I could slip through, but that would have caused too much noise, and I was still trying to remain hidden in case it was Dick inside the cave. I could have also looked around for another entrance since there had to be another way to get in, but that would take too much time, and I might lose this opportunity to figure out what Dick was hiding if I were to leave the entrance of the cave.

I opted to remain silent and still as I considered my next course of action and then listened closely for any voices within the cave. But there was nothing. Everything was completely quiet. Even the breeze and the sound of all the night bugs and creatures seemed to have been muted.

Then, out of the eerie silence of the cave, a horrifying screech reverberated against the cave walls, so loud that I had to cover my ears. And from that screech, a shadow emerged against the illuminated cave wall of a human twitching violently. It twisted in agony until its head began to distort with shadows of worm-looking creatures erupting from different parts of its head.

I covered my mouth to stop myself from screaming at the gruesome sight. More shadows started moving around the tortured creature as if they were attempting to hold it down, and it was at that point I knew I had to do something. No longer concerned about making noise, I bent the metal bars away from one another and felt the metal warp in my hands. It was not long until I had a wide enough opening to slip through.

I no longer cared about who I would come across in that cave. If it were the Elites, I would be ready to confront them. With how easily I could crush the iron bars with my bare hands, I knew I could rip them from the cave's entrance and use them as weapons if needed.

As I began moving through the opening I had created, a face emerged only a few inches before me, and I screamed at its sudden appearance. I fell backward and found myself on the ground, looking up at what startled me.

Behind the now-bent iron bars, I could see a white mask shaped like a human skull that seemed to at first be floating in mid-air. However, after letting my eyes re-adjust, I discovered that this mask was worn by someone wearing all black and was camouflaged well within the night's darkness. From what I could see, this new figure appeared male based on his body shape.

He made no attempt to try to pass through the opening I created. Instead, he continued to stare at me. His head slowly tilted to one side as if studying me. With that slight change of position of his head, the mask glowed in the moonlight to reveal a red X above where the eyes should have been.

"Who are you?" I asked dumbly, knowing full well from watching horror films with Rachel that every time someone asked that question, it usually ended with a grisly fate for them. But I was bewildered by this masked man's intentions. He seemed in no hurry to attack the trespasser.

The masked man said nothing and responded by raising a black-gloved hand through the iron bars toward me. Motioning as if he wanted me to come forward to him. I began to crawl away from him, not liking where this interaction was going. I probably should have ran at that moment, but a small part of me wanted to believe that this masked man might have been Dick since the body types appeared similar in shape once I got a good look at him. Foolish curiosity was the reason that was keeping me rooted in that spot.

When I started to back away, he seemed to have flickered out of sight and rematerialized in front of the iron bars, his arm still outstretched toward me. I heard the rustling of leaves coming from several different directions around me. Then, I saw multiple cloaked and hooded figures emerging from the darkness, all hastily making their way to me.

Pushing past my curiosity about who this masked man might be, I decided my safety was now more critical. I instantly jumped to my feet and ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I did not look back at the masked figure, but I wondered for a brief moment if he was still in that same chilling position, with his arm reaching out toward me while he watched me run away.

However, my main objective was to escape these cloaked figures chasing after me. I did not know how many of them were out there, but I did not want to risk fighting back, only to be outnumbered and end up like that unfortunate shadow who was still screaming in agony within the cave.

So I continued to run, unsure of where I was going or if I was heading back to the school. I was also unaware of where those cloaked figures could have been at that moment. For all I knew, I could have lost them in the woods, or they could have been directly behind me. But all I could think about was getting back to the Halloween party as quickly as possible, and then maybe I would be safe or at least find help.

I ran and thought about nothing else until I felt someone or something grab one of my arms and then pull me hastily to the ground with them. I let out a short scream of alarm until that noise was muffled by a hand being placed over my mouth, and then felt my back press against something warm and hard.

"Quiet!" A voice hissed roughly in my ear, and then I immediately ceased struggling against the person who had grabbed me.

Though it was dark and I was not in a position to see my captor, I knew that voice belonged to Dick. He had apparently pulled me into his hiding spot, or at least I thought he was hiding from the cloaked figures I was running away from. And even though I wanted nothing more than to continue to struggle against him to be released from his hold, the way he spoke to me in such a harsh and dire way told me that we were both in danger. Therefore, my body obeyed, but in my mind, I was still fighting him.

I almost felt violated by the way he had a hold on me. With one hand still over my mouth to keep me quiet, his other arm was wrapped around my bare waist, clutching me close to his body. I could have easily pushed off him with my strength, but any movement at this point could have given away where we were to the chasers. I had no choice but to settle with being pressed against him like this until we were safe to move. It did not bring me any joy to be this close to him, regardless of the odd thrill that seemed to be running through my body. It must have been the adrenaline of the situation that we were in.

I could hear the sound of crunching leaves getting closer and closer to us as the cloaked figures approached where we were. I let out a long exhale and felt my body relax into Dick's chest to activate my respiratory bypass so that I no longer had to breathe and eliminate the risk of being discovered due to any bodily sounds. And still, even though I had remained perfectly motionless and silent, Dick had made no attempt to loosen his grip on me. I felt as if our bodies were meshing into one as I felt his heartbeat thumping against my back, listening to the figures pass over us while we remained frozen in the ditch we were hiding in.

We waited there until the sound of footsteps had disappeared entirely. Then, the only sounds left were the night insects resuming their song and the occasional breeze going through the tree branches. I felt Dick loosen his hold on me, and immediately I tried to push away so that I could get away from him, but he must have known that I would have done that, for he took ahold of one of my arms the second I moved and pulled me up to my feet as he stood up.

Saying nothing, Dick pulled me with him as he started walking back in the direction of what I assumed to be the school. I harshly pulled my arm back so he would let go of me and said, "I can walk myself, thank you."

He glanced over his shoulder briefly but did not stop walking when he said, "Then stay close behind me and remain quiet." The anger and annoyance was evident in those words.

"I do not need your protection. I am perfectly capable of defending myself if necessary. And who were those people chasing us?" I asked him, not wanting to wait for any possible explanation of why he was out there.

"I said stay quiet," Dick repeated more forcefully this time. "Do you want those things to come back?"

I rolled my eyes but compiled nonetheless. I assumed he knew his way back to the school, and considering I lost my sense of direction while running away from the cave, I was not in a position to argue with the one person who would lead me back to the school. However, I was dreading the conversation we were to have once we were back on campus and out of potential danger. I was sure I had lost my privileges to join the combat classes again from this little venture, but it was a small price to pay for what I had discovered in the forest.

We remained silent for the rest of our journey back to the school, but the moment we reached the school grounds, Dick rounded on me. "What the hell were you doing out there?"

I obviously was not about to tell him the truth, so I said the first thing that came to my mind, "I left my bow at the obstacle course, and I wanted to retrieve it, but I must have gotten lost."

I could tell by the look on his face that he did not believe that. To be honest, I did not blame him. That was not my best response, and my skepticism in my own lie was a little apparent.

"The neutral territory is on the complete opposite side of the school," he remarked. "And you're telling me you somehow wandered over on this side?"

"Yes, I have a terrible sense of direction," I hastily said and then turned this interrogation on him before he could say anything else, "What were you doing out there exactly? Going for a leisurely night stroll in the woods?"

"I thought I told you to stay." He started, but I already knew what he could say next, so I finished his sentence for him.

"Stay out of your business? Yes, you have made that point clear to me already. But even if it is not, it does not change the fact of what I saw. Who were those people? And I assume you know of that cave and what was happening there. Are you not worried about it being so close to the school and the potential danger the students could be in?"

"You don't know what you saw," Dick said, "And it will be wise of you not to tell the others about what happened either. There's no reason to cause alarm if there isn't any immediate danger."

"No, you do not know what I saw then!" My voice began to rise in anger. I was getting really tired of Dick trying to manipulate everything I had to say or witness. "Maybe you did not see what happened in that cave, but I witnessed someone being tortured, and you cannot tell me you did not hear that, at least. I think that is enough to cause some concern. And if you think I will just stand by and pretend nothing is happening, you are foolishly mistaken. I have been taught to do everything I can to protect my people and..."

"This is not your world!" Dick yelled, his patience now seeming to end its course. "You've only been on this planet for a few months, so stop pretending you know everything when you clearly don't. And these are not your people to protect since you shouldn't even..."

His voice trailed off before he could say more. But it was too late. The truth was finally starting to come out. "What?" I asked him while looking him straight in the eyes. "I should not what, Dick? I should not be at this school? Am I a disruption to your plans here?"

As soon as the last question was asked, he looked away from me to stare at something in the distance. I had finally got him.

"Get back to your party," Dick said so low that it was almost a whisper. Yet, I could hear the icy intent within his voice. He knew he made a grave mistake in his choice of words and was trying to find a way out of this verbal conflict. But I was not going to let him off that easily. Not after everything he had put me through.

"Is that why I have been such a target for you? Controlling and watching my every move because I am the anomaly? An outsider who does not belong in your perfectly controlled world? Why have you not expelled me if my presence here is such a nuisance to you? Why even bother to put me back in the combat classes if that is your true intention?" I was growing angrier with each question. Fury clouded my mind until I was barely conscious of what I was saying.

"I already told you I can't expel you," Dick said while squeezing his eyes shut, either from impatience or not wanting to look at me.

"I am sure you can find a way," I said, still blazing, "Have your wealthy father send more money to the school to send me somewhere else because it is evident you do not want me here!"

"ENOUGH!" Dick bellowed so loud that I could hear his voice echo around us. I would not have been surprised if everyone at the party heard him as well. Even over the loud music that was currently playing there.

I froze, but not in fear this time. I wanted to remain quiet to enjoy the moment a little longer. I had just earned my second victory of the night, and that was getting Dick Grayson to slip. He was now looking at me straight in the face, and though his handsome human features masked a sense of eerie calmness, I could see the anger in his eyes, but there was a hint of despair flickering deep within them.

We said nothing for a while as we continued to stare at one another. I knew he was attempting to intimidate me into complying, but I would not give in. "I know something sinister is happening in the town, and you are trying to keep it away from the students. What I do not know is if you and your so-called Elites are behind it. You hiding me away from those people chasing me does not change anything to make me suspect you less."

"And what do you suspect of us doing exactly?" he challenged. The mockery he was trying to conceal did not go unnoticed. "Do you think my colleagues were the ones under those cloaks?"

"Well, they were not at the party," I pointed out. "And they all seemed to have disappeared shortly after the race was over—after they lost." I made sure to empathize with his Elites' failure to defeat us.

"Acute accusation," Dick said blandly. His compliment sounded a bit artificial. "But then, why would I hide from my own people?"

I have not considered that, but I was not about to let him know. "It could have been a trick to make me believe they were not. I do not have all of the pieces yet to this puzzle, so I can not say for sure that they were. But I will soon."

Dick closed his eyes momentarily, and when he opened them again, the anger that was once there had been replaced with amusement. Then, what happened next was so unexpected that I was left speechless for the first time since the start of our argument. I heard a deep chuckle rumble from Dick's throat before he said, "You want to play detective now...how cute."

My throat seemed to have gone instantly dry, and suddenly, I could not think of anything comprehensible to say. It was like a spell had just been cast, and all inhibitions were lost. The underlining purr whenever he said my name had become the dominant tone, and he spoke in a way I had never heard him speak with anyone before.

"You want to play games then?" Dick asked as he took a step closer to me, those exquisite blue eyes boring into mine. "Very well. But to complete a puzzle, you will need every piece to get the complete picture. You only have a couple of those pieces; therefore, you have the skeleton of that picture."

I should have stepped away as he continued to get closer to me, but I refused to show any trace of fear in front of him. I felt flushed when he stopped only inches from me, and my heartbeat quickened. He was so close that I felt his warm breath over my face.

"But who's to say you have the correct pieces to the right puzzle?" Dick continued, and I did my best to maintain my eye contact with him. Even though I wanted nothing more than to squirm away. This was too close. Being pressed against him in the woods was enough for one night. For any night...

"We shall find out." That was all I could say; my voice was hoarse from dryness.

The only explanation I had for Dick to behave in this way had to be something to do with the traditions of Halloween because to hear him give that deep chuckle more than once was uncanny. "I guess we shall," He smirked slightly and added, "Just know that I hold the key pieces to the puzzle you are so desperately trying to assemble. And I'm not going to give them away that easily. Play at your own risk, Koriandr' "

I felt the blood drain from my face the moment I heard my birth name come from his lips. "How do you-"

"Like I said," Dick interrupted, "I hold the key pieces." He brushed his shoulder ever so slightly against mine as he made his way to leave me, causing me to shiver, and I prayed to X'hal that he did not notice.

Once he was far enough away that I could breathe and regain my rational thoughts, I turned around to call back to him. "I will play your stupid game! And I will start by not telling anyone about what I saw tonight...at least...for now."

He stopped, and this time, the smirk came from his eyes instead of his lips when he said, "Trick or treat."

A/N

Confused yet? Good. I actually didn't mean for this scene to get this intimate, but as I was writing it, Dick's perspective of this scene kind of took over, and I thought it might make things a little more interesting for Kory. I would like to write Dick's POV of this in another story/novel, but we'll see if time allows me to eventually. His would be rated M, considering it gets slightly darker, and his thoughts are pretty perverted. But let me know if that would be something you all would be interested in reading in the future.

Once again, thank you for reading! :)