Chapter 64: Halloween Costumes Gone Wrong
The Fenrir's engine rumbled like a beast through the quiet night, breaking the small-town silence.
Edward felt the evening breeze against his face, carrying away the last remnants of battle heat and scattering the ripples of... whatever that was with Alan.
He couldn't help replaying Alan's bold teasing and Maria's face going nuclear-red with embarrassment.
The two sisters were complete opposites—one all fire and confidence, the other shy and sweet—yet somehow they coexisted in one body, creating a uniquely fascinating dynamic.
He'd admit Alan's moves had caught him off guard.
That aggressive, unapologetic desire held a dangerous appeal for any red-blooded guy.
But he also knew that inside that same body lived a shy soul who'd nearly died of embarrassment from his simple compliment.
"What a weird situation," Edward muttered with a slight smile, twisting the throttle. The Fenrir let out a higher-pitched roar as he disappeared deeper into the night.
Two Weeks Later
Time at school always flew by, especially with a holiday coming up.
Halloween fever had taken over the campus completely.
Jack-o'-lantern decorations, fake cobwebs, and excited student chatter filled every hallway and classroom, making the whole school buzz with energy.
"Yo, Eddie! You figure out your costume yet for the Halloween party?" Frank threw his arm around Edward's shoulders from behind, grinning like an idiot.
He was already way too into it, pulling a pair of cheap plastic vampire fangs from his backpack and jamming them in his mouth. "Check it out—I'm gonna be Count Dracula! Mysterious, sophisticated, all the hot chicks are gonna be all over me!"
Edward looked at his ridiculous expression and laughed. "Dude, you look more like a beaver that got punched in the face. And you really think girls are gonna go for a vampire that smells like a dollar store?"
"You're killing my vibe, man!" Frank yanked out the fake fangs, looking offended. "What about you? What're you gonna be? Frankenstein's monster? Wolfman?"
Before Edward could answer, a sultry voice came from behind them.
"He doesn't need a costume. He's already perfect bait."
Jennifer had materialized out of nowhere. Today she wore a tight black dress that showed off her ridiculous curves to devastating effect.
She just stood there, and every guy in the hallway turned to stare like moths to a flame.
She walked up to Edward and naturally looped her arm through his, her body pressing against him with deliberate intent. Then she winked at Frank, her red lips curving. "As for me... do I really need to dress up?"
That split-second of raw charm hit Frank like a truck.
He stood there gaping, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
After becoming a succubus, Jennifer's use of charm was basically autopilot now.
She didn't even have to try—every look, every smile, every gesture radiated an irresistible hormonal pull.
"Alright, quit frying his brain," Edward said, patting Jennifer's hand with mild exasperation.
He'd noticed that since the transformation, Jennifer's personality had gotten way bolder and more aggressive—sometimes even more forward than Alan.
After school, Edward headed home.
The moment he pushed through the front door, Halloween ambush.
The living room was decked out with grinning jack-o'-lanterns and black paper bats stuck to the walls. Skull-shaped throw pillows covered the couch, and even the ceiling light had fake cobwebs draped over it.
Mr. Connor was balanced on a ladder trying to hang a witch decoration from the doorframe while Mrs. Connor directed from below.
"Honey, a little to the left... yes, right there!"
"Sarah, I'm telling you, this witch looks way too cheerful. Not scary at all," John complained while adjusting it.
"Shut it, John, that was the last one at Target!" Sarah shot back, hands on her hips in full lawyer mode.
Seeing Edward, Sarah's expression immediately softened. "Edward, sweetie, you're home! What do you think of the decorations? We spent all afternoon on this."
"Looks great, Mom. Very festive," Edward smiled. This wholesome family vibe always made him feel relaxed.
Then—thump-thump-thump—footsteps thundered down the stairs.
"Big brother! You're home!"
Three small figures came barreling down from upstairs: Lily, Emma, and Esther.
"Brother, we got our Halloween costumes ready! Wanna see?" Lily looked up with her innocent little face, tugging on his shirt, looking adorable.
If you didn't know her true identity was literally a demon, you'd probably melt from cuteness overload.
"Oh yeah? Let's see what scary costumes my little princesses came up with," Edward crouched down, genuinely curious.
He was legitimately interested to see what these three—each more genuinely terrifying than the next—would choose to scare people.
"Me first!" Emma stepped forward eagerly.
She wore a small white lab coat with a plastic stethoscope around her neck and a kids' toy doctor kit.
She pushed up her fake glasses and said in that flat, clinical tone, "I'm a surgeon. On Halloween night, I'll perform 'minor procedures' on naughty children, removing all their badly-behaved parts."
As she spoke, she opened the medical kit and pulled out a gleaming... metal scalpel.
The blade had clearly been carefully sharpened, way beyond toy-level sharpness.
Edward's eye twitched.
Perfect. Totally on-brand for her antisocial tendencies.
"My turn! My turn!" Esther shoved Emma aside.
She wore an elaborate black lace dress and a small hat with black netting covering half her face.
She struck a dramatic pose, one hand on her chest, the other reaching toward Edward, speaking in a grief-stricken voice. "Oh, my poor departed husband... why did you leave me so soon... leaving me a lonely widow..."
Edward stared at this thirty-three-year-old woman in a nine-year-old's body doing a black widow routine, and an overwhelming sense of absurdity washed over him.
What the actual hell.
"My turn, brother!" Finally, Lily stepped forward.
Compared to the other two, her outfit was way more "normal"—neither surgeon nor widow.
She wore a sharp little vest, wire-rim glasses, and carried a thick ledger plus an old-fashioned calculator.
She cleared her throat and spoke in a businesslike, cold tone. "Hello. I'm an IRS auditor. According to Section 666 of the Infernal Revenue Code, your fear emissions have exceeded regulation standards. You owe three hundred years of back taxes, plus penalties and soul-based interest. Will you be paying in cash or installment plan?"
Edward looked at the three of them.
One psycho surgeon sharpening her scalpel for amateur dissection.
One black widow drowning in fake grief, ready to strike.
One demonic IRS agent with a ledger, ready to audit your soul into bankruptcy.
Edward finally lost it.
"Pfft—"
He tried to hold it in at first, shoulders shaking, face turning red. But he couldn't control it.
"BAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Thunderous laughter exploded through the living room. Edward doubled over, nearly crying, pointing at them between gasps. "Are you... are you serious? This is... this is the funniest shit I've seen all year!"
He really didn't mean to laugh.
It's just that these three had absolutely zero understanding of what humans found scary.
They'd just taken their deepest, most familiar essence and presented it in what they thought was "frightening."
And this complete disconnect—from Edward's perspective as the only one who knew the truth—created the ultimate absurdist dark comedy.
The living room went dead silent.
John and Sarah stared at their son who'd suddenly lost his mind laughing.
And the three little girls—who'd carefully prepared their costumes and eagerly awaited praise—watched their smiles slowly fade.
Emma's grip on the scalpel tightened, a cold glint flashing behind her fake glasses.
Esther's mournful expression vanished completely, replaced by offended annoyance.
Even Lily—who usually maintained the best cover—went stiff. She held her ledger, tilted her head, and looked at Edward with those big innocent eyes.
"Big brother," she asked softly, voice dangerously sweet. "Is it really that funny?"
Edward's laughter died in his throat as he realized his mistake.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop about ten degrees.
"Uh," he said carefully, still grinning but now slightly nervous. "You know what? Actually, you guys are terrifying. Super scary. I'm definitely scared. Very, very scared."
Three pairs of eyes stared at him with identical expressions of cold skepticism.
"Yeah," Emma said flatly. "We can tell."
Oh shit, Edward thought. I'm in danger.