The Halloween party at the social hall was good every year--good enough that it even drew people from out of town. For a place the size of Dusky Hill, drawing outsiders was not only exciting, but vital if the small town hoped to keep enough of its younger, single inhabitants from leaving for deeper waters. If they left, too often they never came home; and the town was barely on the map anyway.
The town elders made a special effort to not only keep the Halloween party fun for the teens and young adults, but to take a break from the generally stifling small town atmosphere of propriety and keeping an eye on your neighbors. Gossip flew fast all year, but costumes for the big event encouraged everyone to embrace a little mystery and excitement of a different sort.
Ashley turned 19 this month, and after failing to get out of town the easy way by getting into a college early on, she was resigned to either saving her pennies to run someday, or settling into old-maid-hood eventually. Since she was still shy of either mark, the party coming up had her full attention. You never knew who might turn up, or what crazy stories would be circulating by the next weekend...identities only loosely attached.
What kind of costume should she wear? Goals: attractive, spooky, mysterious, not too difficult to put on or remove, not too hot or cold while wearing it.
"Hmmmm..." she thought. 'My best features are my figure and my hair, with my eyes right in the mix, too.'
'Masks are usually popular, and the right mask means less makeup to worry about smearing. A mask that shows off both eyes and lips would be nice, and that narrows the options down quite a bit.'
In the end, she was very pleased with her choice. With a little luck, someone else would be, too. "Titania, eat your heart out," she smirked at her mirror.
***
Alden took in the rest of the party from his dark little corner like a prisoner searching for a way past a hall full of wardens. His prospects were slim. He'd hoped to accompany his friends to the party in Dusky Hill, make a quick round just so he could prove he'd been there, and escape the chaos of the party for a quiet hour or three holed up in his car with some writing or reading. At the very least, better music and a nap would have been great. But, no. He had to face the facts: this party was too full of people to escape notice while attempting a graceful exit. Not only that; they had honest-to-God door guards. He wasn't sure what they were supposed to be guarding against, since everything you might find at a huge community party was already present; but they had eagle eyes and were quick to converse with every poor soul who dared cross their thresholds.
He was just about to burrow further into the shadows when something stopped him, and he looked back up instead. Suddenly Alden felt less sure he wanted to blend in with the wall.
***
Ashley tried to outrun her self-consciousness on the way across the parking lot of the community center. It's not like tonight would really be out of the ordinary, after all. She consoled herself with reminders that costumes and slight inebriation covered up hosts of awkwardness, and what they didn't wouldn't be remembered all that long. As she reached the door she thought she might have actually left her shyness in the twilight outside, but then a tingle ran up her spine as she walked in. She shook it off as she looked around, took a deep breath, and plastered a huge smile on her half-hidden face.
Alden stood up straight, transfixed by the sight of the woman beaming from the entrance. Not only was her grin carefree and confident, her glimmering costume shone and dazzled, backlit by one of the tall lamps in the distance. He could almost imagine stepping close to her translucent wings, having her enfold him in a swirl of rustling leaves, and opening his eyes again to find them standing in another dimension. He felt a little zing at the thought. Then he felt an elbow in his ribs.
"How much you want to bet I can have her bent over the hood of my car by midnight? I've had my eye on her for years," the stranger slurred in his ear.
Suddenly filled with irrational ire and courage to match, Alden sized him up.
"Actually, I think I'll make it my mission for the night to keep that from happening. You're already drunk enough to get kicked out of this party, and if you try anything with her I imagine she would knock you flat on your ass. But I'd be happy to lend her a hand if necessary."
The two men scowled at each other for a moment, until the drunk muttered something to himself and stalked off to get in line at the bar.
"That troll costume suits," Alden growled in turn. He looked around for his fairy queen, but she'd vanished into the dimmer interior among the crowd of socializing mystery guests. So be it. A quest! Peering through his cowl, he set off to search for a little magic.
Ashley wandered aimlessly through the throngs of partiers, some gathered around games or tables with food and beverage offerings, and others happily chattering with newly found friends. Nothing stood out to her as THE interesting thing she should stop for, so she just looked around at the costumes and decorations, just as happy to avoid the potential for awkward social interactions. The big smile seemed to be doing its job so far. No one had spared her a second glance past smiling back.
Suddenly, she tripped over something she never even saw, and Ashley flew through the air. She had a split second that seemed like half her life to feel every bit of shock and dread her heart could ram up into her throat before she saw a dark blur ahead and they both crashed into the table of guts next to the pumpkin carving station. So much for the smile.
Ashley took a moment to collect her wits and sit upright, then realized the blur had been another person who she was currently awkwardly astride. Both of them were covered in stringy pumpkin slime and seeds from head to toe. She shook her head to clear it and attempted to scramble up off of her living landing pad. It squirmed around at her shift in weight, and two arms shot up to steady her as she slid on yet another pile of orange goo in her strappy heels. Shit. She bounced back down onto the lump of cloth-covered-person on the floor.
"Sorry," she almost whimpered.
"It's okay. Take a breath, and get your feet under you," a male voice answered from under the cloth.
One of the steadying hands retreated to unbury the young man's face, partially, from his hood. Unmuffled and unblinded now, he continued more clearly, "Hi, I'm Alden. Err...sorry. are you okay?"
His blush was ferocious under the bulky costume, and Ashley realized about then exactly what she was resting on in her filmy fairy outfit. "Oh! I'm...Ashley. And I think I'm okay...yeah. Hold on."
She shifted to try to stand up again and Alden sucked in a breath. She paused and looked at him. "Are YOU okay?!"
"Um. Yes. Just...you're very, very pretty, Ashley." Alden nearly whispered the last part, but Ashley heard it even over the renewed chatter of the surrounding crowd.
Her eyes got big as his traveled down to where she hovered just above his hips, and she made another effort to regain her feet. Her mind whirled, but this time her equilibrium kept up, and she made it all the way to standing.
