Happy Halloween! Have a struggling-to cope-but-still-manages-to-have-attitude-about-it Yu Narukami as Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil), shown here after a rough night out.
Note: I remember this being a fun writing post!~ Liam Scarlet belongs to @ankicacicero. <333333333
The night breeze blew like a whistle, making Mari’s shoulders shake with fear and not from mere coldness. Skies above Ever After High were painted black with a lone moon peaking out from the faintest of clouds. Sadly, not even the moon’s illuminous light could comfort the young princess. She truly hated being here. “Here we are!” Older by a few seconds, Mari’s brother stood excitedly in front of an old and worn-looking house. “All we got to do now is ring the bell and get us some of that sweet candy” Jaime, however, loved being here. So much so that he practically dragged Mari and his most closest friend with him. “Aren’t we a bit too old to go trick-or-treating?” said a dangerously handsome young boy. Shoulder-to-shoulder, Mari stood next to him. Even in the dark, she was close enough to see the freckles that were on his face, and his displeasure towards her brother. “Aw lighten up, Liam! It’s Halloween. Don’t you want to get some candy and spook some unsuspecting royals?” Jaime’s brows wiggled until he cracked a grin and made himself laugh. The irony of it all was that Jaime and Mari were truly from a family of nobles. But, how they felt about their destinies was…complicated and had to be saved for a later day. Today, however, was a day that Mari wish she could have spent bundled up in her blankets. Hearing Jaime let out another chuckle made Mari nearly huff out angrily. Oh how she wished she could pull and tug at her brother’s golden locks from pure anger. He knew that Mari hated stories of vampires and witches and ghosts. Truly, anything that gave her a fright would be sure to cause Mari to flip her crown and possibly faint from pure fear. “Or we could just go get some candy at the houses across the street? There’s plenty of royals and rebels walking by too” Mari’s voice dragged off as if she could not convince herself to think otherwise, let alone her brother. “What’s wrong, Mari? Scared?” This time, Liam was the one to start annoy her. The corners of his lip curled in a grin. Mari truly hoped that the night sky could hide her pink tinted cheeks. “N-no! I’m not scared! See!” Putting up a brave front, Mari walked to where her brother stood. In front of him was a very large, wooden door with an odd looking handle in the shape of a gargoyle. She could have sworn the gargoyle had blinked its eyes. Stopping a few feet away from her brother, Mari frowned. “This is a bad idea” She muttered to herself. Luckily, only Jaime was close enough to hear her, while Liam slowly made his way towards the two golden haired twins. “Hey, don’t worry. We’re just going to knock on the door, say ‘trick or treat,’ and then we’ll leave. You have nothing to be afraid of Mari” His words were not as reassuring as Mari hoped they would be. Just inches away from knocking, the old, wooden door creaked open. One second the house appeared dark and the next, the chandelier that hung inside the house had turned on. And yet, no one had opened the door. “Wow! Look at that! No candy! Guess we better go now” Mari turned to leave with a smile, only to be held in place by Liam. “And where do you think you are going?” Liam asked. He appeared less phased than she was. “To get candy from a different and more normal looking house?” Mari pulled at his arm and nearly hissed at him for stopping her. Something that only amused Liam even more. “Sureeee. Unless you are actually scared of the dark” A dangerous light flickered in Liam’s eyes. She might have been scared of vampires, witches, and other creepy crawlies, but never of the dark. Never of Liam. “I’m NOT scared! We came for candy and guess what, no candy!” Mari waved her pumpkin shaped bucket. It was slowly get filled with each house they had passed by, but not this one. “Or maybe the candy is inside the house” Jaime allowed himself in. He took the open door as an invited inside. Then Liam went followed suit. “Wha-…Jaime! You can’t just walk into someone else’s house!” Mari ran inside after them. She pinched at her brother’s arm as if to scold him, but Jaime hardly budged. Rather he smiled back at her. “But, where’s the fun in that? Besides, we could always say they didn’t pay their taxes” Jaime had joked. Slowly, it felt as though Jaime was becoming more and more like their grandfather, which was becoming a cause for concern. It certainly did not help that Liam grinned after hearing the word “taxes.” “I gotta say, whoever lives here must be rich” Ignoring the wilted roses, Liam picked up a gold-colored vase. “Hellooo? Anyone home?” Jaime asked, but the only answer they all got was the sound of the front door closing behind Mari. With a gasp, Mari dropped her bucket filled with candy and practically ran to her brother. “T-the door it…it closed by itself!” She nearly squeaked out with fear. Mari had expected her brother to worry or act more serious, but the hope of him doing either was pointless. Jaime instead laughed in the face of danger, or rather, potential danger. “Relax! It was probably just the wind! See? Someone left their windows open” No matter how many times Mari tried to protest, Jaime merely shut her down. “But-…ugh! Liam, say something! Can you please tell Jaime that he’s wrong?” Shrugging his shoulders, Liam instead turned his attention to the candy that fell out of Mari’s bucket. Bending down, he proceeded to pick them up. Hard candy, soft candy, and candy that came in all sorts of different colors and sizes. “What good would that do? You know that he’s not going to leave without getting you more candy” Bending down to help, Mari quietly picked up the candy. It was quiet until their fingers accidentally grazed against each other. Flustered, both Mari and Liam rushed to pick up the remaining candy before standing back up. “W-we should probably go, Jaime. It doesn’t look like anyone is home” Mari tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she awkwardly looked away Liam and to her brother, who suddenly disappeared. “Jaime?” Mari took one step as she frantically looked around. “Jaime?!” This time, she shouted and called out to her brother, but there was only the sound of a grandfather clock ticking away. Liam was quick to check the nearby rooms with Mari not too far away from him, but he shook his head. Jaime was gone and neither Mari nor Liam knew where he ran off to. “This is bad. This is very bad!” Without her brother nearby, Mari begun to panic. Ever since birth, the two were always together. Jaime went as far to promise his younger sister too. A promise of always being together as a family because all they had left was each other and their cold, distant grandfather. “What if he got lost or hurt? Or..or taken by a monster?” Numerous bad thoughts and images danced around inside Mari’s head. Making her feel more anxious by the minute. “I’m sure Jaime is fine. If anything, it’s the monsters that have to fear Jaime and not the other way around” Truth be told, Liam and Jaime should have been enemies. Their stories and their families were far too different. In the beginning, Liam preferred to be on his own and stick to the shadows. Much to the disdain from his sisters, especially Hope. And yet, he and Jaime ended up becoming friends. All it took was for Jaime to pester and annoy Liam into hanging out. Soon coming to form friendships with the sons and daughters of the villains in the great story of Robin Hood. Friendships that Liam’s own father would probably not approve of if he ever got word. Still, Liam caught sight of it. The potential for evil inside of Jaime. There had been much more hidden behind his friend’s smile. Without a doubt, Liam knew that Jaime could hold up on his own. If only he could convince the younger twin sister the same thing. “Let’s just walk around and see if we could find him. He probably didn’t go too far” Liam tried to see where to head of first, but even he had to admit there were far too many rooms. “Maybe we could wait here and see if he comes back? We hardly know where we are and this place is huge!” Mari took a few steps ahead of Liam. Standing right in the middle of the first floor, only to feel something SNAP and break beneath her feet. “Wha-” Mari did not have the time to say another word as she felt the floor concave. Falling, she screamed as her back hit against the basement floor. “Mari!” Rushing over, Liam looked down to see Mari sprawled on the floor. Her eyes closed. A feeling of panic settled within Liam’s own chest. “Mari? Hey! Wake up!” Please Liam pleaded to himself. The sound of her groaning made Liam exhale with relief. Who knew a princess could give him a scare? “W-what happened?” Mari fluttered her eyes and looked around her surroundings. “Oh no. Liam! Please get me out! I..I don’t like being down here” She shouted while looking around like a nervous deer. “Wait here. I’ll go find some rope” Liam shouted back. “No! Don’t just leave me here alone!” Mari furrowed her brows. Anger was not the right word that Mari would have picked to describe what she was feeling in this very moment, but it certainly was not happiness either. Liam, on the other hand, was lost in his thoughts. Contemplating what to do until he felt someone plant their hand on his back and push him in the same hole that Mari had fallen in. From all of the training he had done so far, Liam prepared himself and landed on his two feet. A surprised gasp escape Mari’s lips as she looked to him in shock. Unaware that he too was startled. “Liam? Are you trying to scare me? Why did you jump down here?!” asked Mari. A nervous bead of sweat rolled down the Liam’s cheek. “Yeah…why did I fall down here?” Liam whispered to himself as he stared up. No one was there. He doubt that Jaime would push him. His fingers twitched to the knife that was inside his pocket. Something was amiss in this odd house and whatever it was knew that him, Mari, and Jaime were inside. “Liam?” Mari’s voice brought the young scarlet boy’s attention away from the open hole in the ceiling. “Is…is everything ok?” Concern swam inside her eyes, making Liam guilty for the words he was going to say next. “Everything is fine. Just stick close and let’s go find your pain of a brother” Liam forced a grin in attempts to soothe Mari’s nerves, only for his grin to fall and his eyes to harden the minute he looked away. “Hey! Don’t say that about him!” Mari let out an annoyed huff. “Wait for me!” Mari shouted, while running after him. Neither Liam nor Mari knew there was something else watching them. Following them. No matter where the two went, the night was still young and the haunted house they were in was not as empty as it appeared to be.
Meanwhile…
Looking for a bowl of candy had never been this much of challenge for prince Jamie, especially on a day that practically celebrated with sweets and frights. He had hoped that someone would have arrived at the front door to give him, his sister, and best friend a scare. But, it never came. What he did see, however, was a short glimpse of a white dress. Someone had been inside the house, but walked away. Turning at each corner, and Jaime, who should have ran did the very opposite. Following after her was not his most brightest idea, but he was intrigued. It was as if he was drawn to mystery and danger. Outside, the trees moved with the wind. The branches extended as if they were arms. Paintings of different individuals were hung up on the walls. Jaime passed each one, sparing them but a simple glance here and there. Unaware that whenever he looked away from the paintings, they stared back at him as well. Eyes moving to inspect his every movement with their permanent, painted smiles leaving an eeriness in the hallway. Then came a cry of a baby. It’s wails echoed throughout the hallway. Luring Jaime closer to its room. Opening the door, what was found was but a room filled with porcelain dolls. Some sat on shelves, while others on the floor. What was more unsettling was the lone cradle that sat in the middle of the room. “What the…” The cradle started to shake furiously. Faster and faster with each swing. The baby’s cries only got louder until the crying started to sound more like laughter. It sent a chill down Jaime’s spine. Suddenly, the cradle stopped moving. The laughter had died out. Everything in the room stilled and for a mere second, Jaime swore he could only hear the sound of his own heart beating. Ever so slowly, whatever was inside the cradle had sat up. Its body crackled in such an unnatural way. With its appearance of that of a baby, but inside slept something else. Something much more sinister. The baby’s neck made a snapping sound as it turned its head to lock eyes on Jaime. Barring its teeth, Jaime could see the pointed edges from afar. His adam’s apple bobbed as the two engaged in some sort of twisted starring contest. “Looks like I interrupted your nap time…” Jaime told the strange, smiling baby. Closing the door, the baby stared at Jaime until it flung itself out from the crib and crawled towards him on all fours. Slamming the door shut, Jaime held onto the door knob while hearing the scratches and laughing that was happening from the other side of the door. He could not stay here for too long. He had to run, even if a future king was meant to face danger in the eyes and possibly steal its gold. Pulling harder, Jaime had not been aware of his own strength when the door knob came undone. “Oh hex” Cursing beneath his breath, Jaime ran. A part of him really did not want to look behind, but curiosity never did kill the Cheshire Cat. Looking over his shoulder, Jamie could see the demonic baby chasing after him. “Oh Jaime~” It said in a very deep voice. “Let’s play!” Jaime threw the door knob at it, but it was a failed attempt to slow it down. “Catch is such a boring game” Every room Jaime tried to open had been locked from the outside. The palms of his hands grew sweaty. “I rather play hide and seek” The strange baby let out a chuckle as it licked its elongated tongue. It was hungry and not for sweets. Jaime finally found a room that was open. A library. While large in size, it did not present a lot of hiding spots. “You hide and I’ll seek” The strange voice echoed from outside the hallway. “And when I find you…I’ll EAT you!” It laughed until Jaime could no longer hear it. The fear of uncertainty weighed heavy on his mind. He was safe, but not for long. In this very moment, Jaime pondered whether the same could have been said for his sister and best friend.
With every each corner and hallway they passed, Mari felt as though she and Liam were getting further and further away from the exit. They said had not found Jaime yet, and calling out to him known had been futile. Mari stopped doing it by the time her throat felt sore. “Liam?” Looking to her brother’s friend, she could see the way he twirled with his favorite knife in his hand. A habit that was done whenever he was bored. At least, that was how Mari saw it. “Hmm?” Liam did not stop walking nor did he look over his shoulder. All he did was keep moving forward, which had been the main issue. “Do you even know where we’re going? What if we’re just going in circles?” She asked. Each door looked the same, making it difficult to really know which way they were going. “Nope” Liam casually told her. He appeared unbothered by their current situation. “Ugh! Great” Mari muttered beneath her breath. Shockingly enough, the two reached a point where there was two paths they could take. One side of the hallway looked longer than the other, but there doors attached to the walls as well. “Guess we have to split up. You can take that side, i’ll go this way” Liam pointed to the longer hallway. “W-what?” Mari’s eyes widened like dish plates. “We can find your brother quicker if we split up. You probably have less rooms to check and if anything we can meet back here” Noticing that Mari had not protested against the idea, he glanced at her. She remained quiet, but the frown that was on her face made it apparent that she did not want to be left alone. “I don’t like this either” He whispered. The situation was not something that Liam enjoyed, and though he was walking his own path, he preferred to not have anyone he cared for or became friends with to get hurt. Even if it was someone who tended to scold him or say that she was not afraid of ghosts despite having tears in her eyes. “What?” Mari wished she was quick to hear the words that Liam had said, but he used this moment to do something that caught her off guard. He took a piece of candy from her bucket. A salted caramel. “Thanks. I’ll take this one” Unwrapping the candy, Liam grinned at the shocked expression on Mari. “Liam” In her eyes held a fire that burned. Liam knew who Mari was and who her family was. It only made him wonder what Mari would be like when she signs the storybook of legends and becomes queen. And god help anyone who disrespected a future queen. “That’s mine!” Reaching for it, Mari was stunned to see it was all but an act. Liam had pushed the small piece of candy in her mouth. Tasting the sweetness and saltiness of the treat. “I’ll be here if something happens, but seeing how much rage you got inside of you…I doubt I have to worry” Mari was utterly speechless. Mostly due to the caramel treat being hard to chew. She wondered if Liam had done it on purpose. “Oh, and here!” Liam dug through his other pocket and threw something small, but shiny over his shoulder. “Hold onto that for me” Catching it, Mari found a small switch blade in her hands. “A knife? What am I supposed to do with a knife?!” She shouted. Just as Liam was about to turn the corner and leave Mari on her own, his voice boomed.
“Stab someone if they try to hurt you!” With that, Mari truly contemplated what was going on inside of Liam’s head. Especially when he had given her one of his possessions. Even if it had been a knife. Though Mari finished the candy that was fed to her, the taste lingered in her mouth. Liam reminded her so much of that treat. There are moments where he was salty, but later sweet. A thought that left Mari feeling confused and yet, she had faith in him. Gripping the switch blade in her hands, Mari ventured down the now empty hallway to find her brother. The wooden floor beneath her feet creaked. At every little sound, Mari jumped. It was as her body was preparing for the unexpected. Approaching one door, Mari slowly opened it. Peaking just her head inside, she looked for any sight of her brother. “J-Jaime? Are you here?” Mari was met with silence instead. Curiously, she found that most of the furniture in the room had been covered with long, white sheets. Stepping inside, she found herself removing one of the clothes and found a completely dressed mannequin. “Wow! How beautiful!” Mari admired the frilly gown on the mannequin, completely forgetting about its lack of facial features. Looking to the other furniture in the room, Mari did not realize there were more mannequins in the room. Mannequins that, unknown to Mari, were moving on their own. Mari had been too distracted by the old furniture in the room to not see how each mannequin removed the long sheets draped over them. “Oh! How pretty!” Mari admired the golden frame around a small mirror. She noticed the details and designs of flowers. That is, until she spotted something else in the mirror. Something being reflected back at her. The mannequins that stood right behind her. Turning around, Mari nearly dropped the mirror in her hands. ‘Where…where did they all come from? I don’t remember seeing this many mannequins’ Frowning, Mari considered all of the different possibilities. ‘Oh! I know! Jaime must be pranking me’ With her hands over her hips, Mari looked to the mannequins. Sje was not amused and frankly, not impressed by her brother’s method of trying to scare her with dolls made of plastic. “Real funny Jaime. I can see what you’re trying to do, but you can’t scare me with a couple of mannequins!” Little did Mari know that Jaime had not been the one to bring all of the mannequins in the room. In fact, the possibility of being able to do so in such a short time seemed more and more unlikely. This grew more apparent to Mari as she waited for Jaime to jump out any second, but did not. “Jaime? Please say something. If this is one of your pranks, I really don’t like it!” Instead of hearing his voice, the sound of shaking could be heard coming from the mannequins in the room. Their heads shook furiously as Mari watched in horror. The mannequins snapped their heads to look at her. Taking a step back in fear, Mari had bumped into something. Though hesitant to turn around, Mari found a mannequin standing right behind her. “N…NOOOOOO!” A blood curling scream escaped her lips as she desperately tried to get away.
Meanwhile with Liam…
The number of doors was a wonder to Liam. He nearly lost count, but made sure to leave a mark on the wall to avoid getting lost. A trick that his father showed him once by merely using the sharp edges of a knife to cut through a tree. In this case, however, it was painted walls. One-by-one, Liam opened each door. He looked for friend or any signs of a golden crown upon his head, but neither were in sight. The house was indeed a mystery that not even he could solve. Still, he had to stay on guard. ‘What would dad do in this situation?’ Liam thought to himself while passing a small table that sat in the middle of the hall. What sat upon it had not caught Liam’s interest until he heard noise. A radio was on, but Liam could not make sense of any of the words that flew out. It was static and started to irritate the young scarlet boy’s ears. Though he managed to lower it, there came a second sound. An old phone sat right next to a framed picture. It started to ring, and Liam felt hesitant to answer the call. He stood and watched as it continued to ring. Over and over until Liam got tired and picked it up. Rather than saying hello, he merely listened. Like the radio, all Liam could hear was static. An uncomfortable crackle that made Liam truly tired of this ongoing game of fright. Then he heard it. In between the noise and static, two single words. “…leave…now…” Liam waited another second for any other messages from the mysterious caller before putting the phone back. “Not without Jaime” He said aloud. It was clear that he, Mari, and Jaime were not welcome here. As if it heard a challenge, a single room at the end of the hall had opened the door by itself. Tempting to draw Liam closer. With his other knife in hand, Liam walked over to the room. He was not going to run away from danger, especially when his older sister and father fought it everyday. If only Liam had noticed that the framed picture he passed had changed its appearance. A picture of three with a young woman standing in the middle. Her eyes now dripping with blood. The closer he got, the more he could see flickers of light. Candles. Liam spotted a photograph on the floor. Picking it up, his eyes widened with shock and then realization. He was starting to understand potentially why his friend had gone missing. In the picture was a beautiful young woman, who stood next to a young man. A young man who looked an awful like Jaime. BANG! The door suddenly closed. Trapping Liam inside as he raced to open it. ‘It’s locked!’ He tried using the side of his body to push the door open, but it just would not budge. Then, he heard it. A sound of someone crying. It came from behind him. Turning around, Liam held his ground despite feeling a bit shaken of his current situation. The candle was still lit, showing but a glimpse of a young woman in a long white dress. Crying. Without warning, the crying woman charged at Liam, wrapping her two hands around his neck. Attempting to end his life. Liam tried to free himself by using his knife, but it was an effort done in vain. His knife went through her body as if she was made of air. But, in sight of the ghost’s anger, he could see it. A pained look in her eyes. Liam was so close to losing conscious when both him and the ghost could hear the sound of someone shouting. “Mari? Liam? Where are you guys?” It had been Jaime. Hearing the sound of his voice, the ghost’s fingers loosened. She moved away from Liam and floated back through the wall, the candle had fallen toppled over and fell on the side. Putting out what little light was in the room and now leaving Liam completely in the dark. He broke into a short, but painful coughing fit. “What…who was that?!” He questioned before letting out another cough. “NOOOOO!” A high pitched scream echoed from outside the room. Sending a chill down Liam’s spine. “Mari!” Getting up from the floor, Liam attempted to break through the door. There was an unknown danger in this house, and Liam, though strong by nature, had absolutely no idea how to defeat it.
Back to Jaime…
“Mari? Liam?” Jaime shouted as he scanned the room filled with shelves containing books. He frowned at how he could find neither in the room. Still, he had not felt too worried as he put his trust in Liam to keep Mari safe until he came back. Jaime took the time to admire the room he was in. The library gave him a sense of calm that could not be explained. Jaime had a couple of books of his own, but he could not quite remember the last time he enjoyed a good book and coffee. Frankly, his duties as a prince had kept him busy. Both when he lived under the same roof as his grandfather and when attending Ever After High with his sister. It had been a pity that a chunk of his time had been dedicated to his secret plans of ruining King John and perhaps, soon exacting his revenge. “Maybe I can find some ideas in here” Jaime hummed out a tune. His fingers traced against the leathery frames of each book. Sometimes, he picked one to read a single page and then placed it back. Still, it was odd to see that most of the books dealt with genres like poetry and romance, while others were more geared towards medicine or law. ‘Whoever lives here must be pretty knowledgeable…or just bored’ Jaime thought to himself. Completely unaware of the young woman, who stood and watched from a distance. Every time Jaime moved or turned his head, she hid away. Jaime looked behind him for a bit before placing the book in his hand back on the shelf. As soon as turned around, his shut his mouth to stop himself from gasping. A ghostly young woman stared at him. Locks of her hair had covered a majority of her face, but Jaime could see a glimmer of green or blue eyes. A part of him wanted to step closer to find out, but he could move. Even if he wanted to, Jaime was quite literally stuck. A few ghostly hands appeared out of nowhere from the floor and held onto Jaime’s two legs. There was not much Jaime could do, except to smile at the ghost. “Hello” This may have been one of the strangest encounters that Jaime has experienced, but he did not feel afraid at all. In fact, he was simply curious. The ghostly woman had not attacked him. Yet. Still, he was a tad shocked to feel the ghost caress his cheek. The touch was deathly cold. “My love…you returned. You were away for so long. I was so lonely” The ghost approached closer and even though Jaime tried to move his feet, he could not free himself. “Never leave me again” Wrapping her arms around him, the ghost gave a hug that made Jaime’s body feel weak. It was almost as if he was going to fall to the floor at any second. “Stay here” The ghostly woman pulled away and inched her face closer to Jaime. “forever” If this was a kiss of death, it surely felt like one. The minute her lips had touched his, Jaime could feel his breath get literally taken away. He could not breath. He could not think. His body felt too weak to try and move. For a mere second, Jaime had truly thought that this would be the end and a part of him was not sure how to feel about it. “NOOOOO!” Before Jaime could close his eyes and embrace death, the screams of his sister brought him back. “Mari!” When Jaime pulled back, the ghostly woman was shocked by the sudden burst of energy. It was as though the scream had given Jaime life. The hands that kept Jaime trapped had vanished as soon as Jaime could move freely. Reaching for the ghost’s hand, he planted a kiss. “I’m sorry, but I have to leave” With that, Jaime ran to find his sister and his best friend. He did, however, leave behind a very angry ghost. Her eyes glowed as she let out a piercing scream, shattering the windows in the room. The chase began once the ghostly woman chased after Jaime. She wanted to break him, just as he had broken her heart just seconds ago.
Meanwhile…
Being the older sibling often came with responsibilities that were sometimes taken for granted. To Jaime, he nearly forgot the most important one, and that was to protect his little sister. Even if she had moments where her constant worrying was a bit too much. But, he knew it was because she could see past his smile and find that parts of him that were too dark. He just had to get better at hiding it. And yet, in this very moment he truly felt as though he was going to do something very villainous to the monster that was making his sister scream with fear. Following the sound, Jaime was surprised to find Liam, who had been trying to break down a door. “About time you showed up! Help me out here! Mari is inside” Shouted Liam, who appeared to be sweating from trying to break down the door. Not wasting a second, Jaime rushed over to help. “Mari is inside?!” The two tried to slam the door open. After two pushes, the door finally broke open. “Mari! Are you ok-” Jaime’s words died out as he stared at what was going on in front of him. His jaw had dropped and when he looked to Liam, he too looked stunned. “DIE! YOU STUPID MANNEQUINS!” Mari kicked a mannequin, sending its head flying in between Jaime and Liam. “Whoa!” They ducked as plastic arms and legs flew all over the room. The most startling sight, however, was the image of Mari stabbing a plastic mannequin with the knife that Liam had given her. “Calm down, Mari!” Feeling a hand grab her arm, Mari turned to see Jaime and Liam. “Jaime…Liam…” The blade in Mari’s hand dropped and her eyes started to well up. “Oh no…” Jaime muttered to himself. Though Mari was a princess, she was known for having a very tight and almost deadly kind of hugs. She practically almost broke their necks by pulling her brother and Liam in for a hug. “M-Mari! W-we’re fine!” Jaime swore he could feel his neck about to break “You can let go now!” His voice strained as he tried to inhale as much air as he possibly could. Liam, on the other hand, felt very awkward when it came to tears in general. It was something he had no idea how to handle, but the most he could try was to pat Mari on her head in the most awkward of ways. “Jeez, you really got spooked by a couple of mannequins, huh princess?” Liam teased in hopes it would get Mari to stop crying. ‘Thank goodness they are both safe! If I lost them both I-…’ Mari thought to herself. Deep down, Mari’s fears were no longer just tied to ghosts or faceless dolls, but there had been a new fear. A fear of losing those she cared about. “We really got to get out of here. Something is off about this house” Liam told Jaime once Mari had stopped crying. Jaime started to scratch the back of his head in a nervous manner. “Yeah…about that…” There had been no time for Jaime to explain things once they felt the entire house start to shake. Pictures that were hung on the walls had tilted to the side or had fallen off from the tremor. Books that were shelved had fallen as well. Mari held onto her brother’s arm. “W-what’s going on? A-an everquake?” asked Mari, but soon the shaking stopped. “You won’t leave” A voice whispered in the open air. Over and over it said the exact words like a chant. “Let’s go! Now!” The three got up and rushed out the room. Running in the same direction, they kept hearing the sound of a ghastly woman whispering, but she was no where to be seen. Mari nearly tripped, but grabbed her brother’s hand for support. They kept running until finally reaching the front door of the house. It was somehow open and from a distance they could see the other side of the neighborhood. Other royals and rebels dressed up in costumes while holding their bags of candy. They were so close to reaching the door until it slammed shut. Liam started to think that it had been done in purpose. An act done by the ghost that lived in this house as if it wanted to taunt them. As if it wanted to remind Liam, Mari, and Jaime that they could not escape. Descending from the main stairs was the ghost that Jaime and Liam encountered. “W-who is she? Is she..floating?” Asked Mari. She tried to peak over Liam’s shoulder, when he blocked her view. “Mari, stay behind me” The sternness in Liam’s voice almost startled Mari, but hearing it alone made her understand that things were getting fairly dangerous. Especially when Liam had called her by name and not princess. “You won’t leave” She cried out, it was as if she was in pain. Jaime frowned. He truly wondered if ghosts could really feel pain and if so, had he been the cause of it. “I’m sorry, but we can’t stay here. We have to take our Home Evilnomics test and-” Jaime was cut short as the ghostly woman let out another scream. “YOU WON’T LEAVE!” The sound shook the house once more. Making the chandelier that hung from the ceiling to fall off. It shattered against the floor. Jaime was soon grabbed by the collar and held up in the air by the ghostly woman. “No! Jaime!” Mari cried out as she tried to reach for her brother, but had been held back by Liam. “Y-you have to stop” Jaime struggled to get to free. His face paled the minute he looked down. He was held up so high that a fall could truly end his life. “You can’t leave” The ghost shouted angrily. “Please! You’re only only hurting yourself if you keep doing this!” Jaime thought back to the one book he found or rather, a diary. It sat covered in dust inside the library. There were still things he did not know about the house or the ghostly woman, who wanted him to stay. But, he learned enough to know that she was in pain and suffering from a broken heart. “I’m sorry about your lover” Jaime whispered to her. He could feel her arm tremble from his words. “Shut up” But Jaime refused. He needed her to understand that her lover was not going to come back, for he had died long after he left, and she stayed. Waiting for his return. “I’m sorry you waited for so long” Jaime meant those words. He knew what it was like to wait for a loved one to return. After all, both him and Mari had waited for their parents to return. And yet, they did not. “SHUT UP!” The ghost cried. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she floated down. Jaime’s feet had finally touched the wooden floor, but he did not leave. Not yet. He stayed and listened. Something that he had wanted to do for her. “I know he is not coming back, but why? Why did he leave? He promised to come back” In truth, Jaime wondered if the dead lover’s promise was true or had been but a lie. “I don’t know, but you don’t have to be alone” Jaime told the ghost. From the sidelines, both Liam and Mari wondered what calculating idea was going on inside his head. “Let’s make a promise. Every Halloween, I’ll come and visit you. What do you say?” The ghost stared baffled. It had been a promise that he was sure Mari was going to scold him for, but deep down he knew that the ghostly woman was lonely. He even knew that she was in the room watching him read, but did not move to stop him. As if she did not want to scare him away. He also knew that she too must have been in pain after sharing a kiss with him. “You…you would do that?” Shaking her head, the ghostly woman stared at the floor. It seemed too good to be true. “I-I’m not a part of this world anymore. You should be scared of me!” With a grin, Jaime held up a pinkie. “I’m not scared. Besides, I rather be friends with a ghost that has good taste in books than some royal jerks or stuck up princesses. Sooo, what do you say?” The ghost stared for a long second before wrapping her pinkie around his. She nodded and sealed the promise between the. “Awesome! Guess that makes it a date for next Halloween!” The ghost, Mari, and Liam were all shocked at the mention of a date. “Oh boy, here we go again” Liam was the first to open the front door of the house. He truly wanted to leave before hearing anymore of Jaime’s madness and ‘calculating’ plans. To think it had been a date with a ghost. Mari, who had grabbed onto Liam’s hand out of fear, had followed suit. She was truly left speechless and as white as the ghost. “Hey! Wait for me!” Jaime soon ran after them, but not without stopping midway as he gave the ghost one last look. “It’s a promise” He winked. And with that, Jaime left the haunted mansion and very flushed ghost. It was a mystery to even her that she could still feel her own cheek burn. An act of kindness that was sure to live for forever after.
The walk back to Ever After High was quiet. From time to time, Jaime glanced over at his sister, who had not said a word since they all left the haunted mansion. She was clearly still shaken. “Are you mad I made a promise with a ghost, Mari?” He asked, but Mari shook her head. Jaime looked to Liam for help, but not even he was sure what to do. Despite having two sisters, Liam knew that neither would have gotten too startled by a ghost. In fact, he could already picture Hope challenging the ghost to a duel or Rose taking advantage of the kitchen in the haunted mansion to make the ghosts some sweets to eat. It was either that or another one of her more harmless, but playful pranks. Suddenly, the bucket of candy that Mari had dropped back in the haunted mansion was floating in thin air. Surprisingly, there was double of the candy inside as well. “Where did that even come from?” Jaime questioned as he watched his sister brighten up. “I thought I lost it back at the mansion!” Added Mari, who finally smiled at the sight of her sweet treats. “Something tells me your new ghost girlfriend brought it back” Teased Liam, as he nudged Jaime. It was an attempt or rather payback for the trouble that Jaime caused for getting himself lost. As Mari raced ahead with her candy, her brother leaned over to whisper in Liam’s ear. “Y’know, I could just tell Mari that the bucket of candy was actually yours and not mine. You know, since Percy Pan stole hers and you did something pretty heroic by giving your candy away” This time Jaime was the one to push buttons. It certainly hit a couple of nerves, especially at how the words hero or heroic annoyed Liam. “Sure. Unless you live long enough to tell her” Liam forced himself to grin, twirling his knife between his fingers.
