The Shadow Sisters

[E1] Chapter 2 - Hannah Cole

As the tiny red Nissan traversed the winding road through the foggy mountain range, Hannah Cole was stunned to silence. She was utterly enraptured by the Willow Town skyline. Much of the area was now shrouded by night. Most of what was visible, were the twinkling lights emanating from the skyscrapers and roads. They all blended together, like a tapestry of stars.

Mum had already explained the peculiarity to them. Willow Town was not really a town. In fact, it hadn't been for centuries. It'd grown into a disjointed, thriving city, and had never truly shaken the name of its humble origin.

As they passed through the walls bordering the eastern flank of the city, Hannah leaned against the window in the back seat, observing the hundreds of murals. Oddly, they did not depict the local football team, the city flag, or something historical. Instead, they showcased artwork of vampires, werewolves, mummies, and every horror icon one could possibly imagine.

"So tacky," Marie said.

Although Hannah couldn't see her sister's face, because she sat in the passenger seat and had the mirror folded up, she could almost hear the eye roll present in her tone.

"You don't think it's cool?" Hannah asked.

"Not even a little."

As they delved deeper into the city, driving along the coast of the River Feeney, Hannah noticed the tendrils of mist swirling across the surface. The wind made the waters frothy and violent. The fog appeared to thrive on it, joining the dance.

Swathes of people walked along the quay and over the trio of white bridges. Many of them were dressed up as witches, ghouls, villains, heroes, or movie references. Some were clearly hired performers or performing arts students, given how boisterous they were in their interactions with tourists. But just as many seemed like regular people, hanging out and dressed up, like it was no big deal.

Hannah was grinning ear to ear, fascinated. She had never seen so many wonderfully elaborate costumes in one place. Almost in answer to her thoughts, a muscular woman dressed as Wonder Woman noticed her staring and waved.

Enthusiastically, Hannah returned the wave.

Marie snorted derisively. "For goodness sake, it's still August. Is everyone in this city out of their minds?"

"They did tell me that Halloween was a massive thing here," Mum said. "But I didn't realise they started this early."

"It's like Christmas in New York," Hannah said.

"You've never even been to New York," Marie said.

"You know what I mean. How it looks in the movies."

"Ugh, whatever. Why make such a big deal out of Halloween of all occasions anyway?" Marie asked. "Why not choose something good, like the midterm break?"

"Apparently the city relies on Halloween for the majority of its tourism revenue," Mum observed. "They had a few popular haunted hotspots, so I think they've leaned into that more and more over the years, before eventually morphing into a Halloween town."

"Haunted hotspots," Marie muttered. "My goodness, people will believe the most ridiculous things, won't they?"

Hannah suddenly started humming 'This is Halloween', but neither her mother nor her elder sister acknowledged her.

Marie leaned her cheek against the window, unimpressed by the sights and probably wishing she was still in Ballyfield.

Hannah didn't let her sister's bad mood deter her. For once, she was thankful to be rid of that dull city. Let the past rest in the past, as far as she was concerned. She continued to absorb the intoxicating visuals that Willow Town had to offer. It truly had leaned into the creepy aesthetic, which was sort of her jam.

Burton-esque puppets lurked around street corners. A plaza was full of statues of famous slasher villains, including Freddy, Jason, Ghost Face, and Michael. A large fountain had several shark fins and tentacles protruding from it. Hannah even glimpsed a creepy forest off in the distance, just beyond the city, and wondered if that was one of the aforementioned haunted hotspots.

Eventually, when they passed a park, guarded by a pair of giant grim reapers, Hannah pointed out the campus to the left of it.

The campus consisted of a slew of castle-style buildings, walls, gates, and turrets. Winding between them were cobbled pathways and big grassy courtyards. Walking these were milling students, lugging their books and backpacks around. Of course, there weren't many of them now, because only the summer courses would be currently active.

"Is that the uni you're working in?" Hannah asked.

Mum shook her head. "No. We're still in East Willow, so that will be Cormac Kavannah."

"Is that where the smart people go?" Marie asked.

"The University of Willow," Mum announced in a haughty tone that indicated she was choosing to rise above the bait," Is more modern. It will be located in West Willow."

"Is that where we're staying?" Hannah asked. "In West Willow?"

"That's right. That's also where your new school will be."

Dully, Hannah wondered if Willow Wood Secondary School would be anywhere near as impressive as this grand campus.

"I really do hope people are a bit more normal on the west side of the city," Marie said sullenly.