Gifted | Sleepy Bois Inc

Bonus: Hallow's Eve

I tapped my fingers on the windowsill and gazed out at the streets. They were empty, but not for long. Give it another hour or so, and they'd be running about.

Hallow's Eve. Or Halloween, as casuals called it. A day for people to get free candy that may or may not be spiked with some sort of poison. As a child, growing up as a Gifted especially, I knew the story. The night that one necromancer Gifted had crossed the forbidden line and summoned all the angry dead in an attempt to kill all those he deemed unworthy of their life, and the only way to survive had been to disguise yourself.

Or at least, that was the tale. Whether it was true or not was debatable. Seeing how it was being celebrated with candy and giggly kids running around the streets, I didn't stress about it much.

"Still in denial?" a voice asked from behind me.

I turned around to see Philza standing in the doorway of my room. He was holding a pumpkin under one arm and a carving knife in his other hand, though by his stance, it sort of looked like he was about to rush forward and poke me to death.

"Go away," I said moodily, slumping down in my chair. "I'm not in the mood for one of your talks."

Phil waved his knife airily. "That's fine. I know I can't convince you."

I eyed his weapon warily, then turned my attention to his face. He looked honest, but I knew it wasn't like him to give up so easily. Ever since that first year I decided to skip out on Hallow's Eve, Phil had made it his personal goal to try and get me back into it.

"Old Man Hallow won't be happy," Phil called over his shoulder as he sashayed out of my room. "I'll be stabb--- er, carving pumpkins in the kitchen if you need me."

"I'll stay in my room," I mumbled, though he was already long gone.

I sighed and kicked at the ground, spinning my chair around until I was facing the window again. The first couple kids were on the streets already, followed by their parents with equal enthusiasm. They were just like Phil: ready to keep on the tradition and ensure that their children did too.

Free candy. What a cheap but effective way to lure kids in.

A wave of longing washed over me. I gazed out the window, feeling like a magical princess who wanted to escape her --- or, in my case, his --- confinements and prance around outside, wearing silly but fun costumes and yelling threats at neighbours to get sugar.

My brows furrowed. Then I sighed. "Wilbur, stop it before I make you stop it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," my brother said innocently, stepping over to my side.

I glared at him. "This is misuse of your powers. I thought you swore this sort of thing off."

"It's a noble cause!" Wilbur protested. "I need to get you into the Eve spirit. What sort of person skips out on this sort of thing?"

"The kind that just wants some quiet, alone time," I grumbled, spinning around to face him. "Make the feeling go away. I hate feeling like a magical princess."

Wilbur sighed, but the longing feeling fell away immediately. I felt myself tighten up again. "You know, it's sad watching you wallow in self pity like this."

I frowned at him. "What? I'm not wallowing in self pity."

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I fumed silently, staring at his socks. They were orange and had pumpkin smiles printed on the fabric. Even the socks were in the festive mood.

"Do you want to at least help me hand out candy?" Wilbur offered after a pause.

The sound of kids laughing outside drifted up to my ears. Soon, they'd be ringing our bell, and I got the feeling that being met by a blond man with a large knife and pumpkin guts all over his apron probably wasn't the best thing for a kid to experience at night.