chapter one | metallic

The girl was the second to last to exit the small orange vehicle, Ethan right behind her as her feet met the asphalt. She grabbed his hand, helping him from the car, before turning to the three members of the Cromwell Clan. They shared a wide smile, having not seen each other in about two years; Marnie pulled the girl into a nostalgic hug, before Gwen pulled her into one of her own. Levana looked to Dylan, who was staring at her with pink tinted cheeks.

"Hi, Dylan."

"Hey, Levana." He smiled, pulling her into a gentler hug than his relatives had, "You look amazing."

"Thank you," she chuckled, "you don't look too bad yourself." She looked to Ethan, snatching the red beret from his head and throwing it like a frisbee into the back of Aggie's car, "Human teenage boys don't wear those."

"Everyone, this is Marnie, and she'll be your student advisor while you're in this world. And remember, if anyone asks you where you're from, you... Where are we from again?"

"Canada," Levana stated, looking to the group of monsters. "We're from Canada. Cassie, since I know you're going to ask, Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometers, making it the world's second-largest country by total area."

Cassie smiled and wrote the information down in her notebook, before Levana spoke once more. "But, just say either Montreal or Toronto. They're both places in Canada, and honestly two of the most well-known ones."

Ethan nudged her side with a smile, "How do you know this?"

"Well, Mr. Dalloway, I've been to this world quite a few times." She looked back over to Dylan, "And I've known Dylan way too long."

The brunette witch stepped forward, a smile on her face as she hugged her books to her chest. "Okay, well, hi, and welcome. We don't really have a lot of time for introductions, but I just wanna take a moment to stress how important it is that you try and blend in. If you need tips on that, ask me, Dylan, or Levana, since she's been in this world often." She then looked to her mother, "Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

...

"Did you seriously think that he was one of us?" Levana chuckled, whispering to Marnie as they walked away from Cody.

"Shut up!" Marnie whisper-yelled, her cheeks pink as the students continued to follow them. "He was-"

"Cute." The witch shrugged, earning an eye roll from Ethan, who was walking very closely behind her. They'd already compared schedules, and luckily Aggie knew them well enough to have them put in all of the same classes.

...

"Marnie," Aggie began, pulling her granddaughter into the safe room, "you of all people should know that things aren't always what they seem."

Chester stood from his seat as Marnie's voice echoed through the room. "Mmm, this is way better than a teachers' lounge."

"Can I please take this off now?"

"Wow, Chester," Levana's voice droned from the corner, her amber eyes glued to a book in her lap. "So eager to strip for us, huh?"

"Vana!" Aggie scolded, causing the teen to shrug as the woman turned toward the group. "Yes, of course, dear. You're perfectly safe in here. Oh, and if anyone else wants to unzip, it's okay."

"Oh, it's about time." Chester sighed, before everyone (excluding Levana) stood to their feet and removed their human disguises.

"Oh no." Marnie began, wide eyed as she looked to her grandmother, "Things are definitely not what they seem."

"Welcome to the Halloween life, M." Levana chuckled, her boots clicking against the floor as she approached her friend. When she reached her, she threw her arm over the brunette's shoulders (or at least tried to, being 4'11 was difficult), and pointed at the group. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Ethan chuckled silently from his spot, watching as Chester fanned cornflower blue skin.

"How much longer do I have to wear this stupid human suit?"

"Chester, you have to remember that humans think we're fictional. So, every time we're not in here, or at Marnie's house, you guys have to wear them. I know it sucks, but it's what we have to do to avoid exposure."

"Yeah, but hopefully over time we can change all that." Marnie added, before a loud banging echoed through the room. Everyone got up, looking around in panic, but Levana only tensed, remembering the conversation that Edgar and her mother had shared only a week before.

The porcelain skinned girl ran to the corner, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she looked toward the entrance in fear and anger. She wanted to go out there, check who was causing all of the noise.

As if Ethan could read her mind, he stood in front of her and blocked her path; the blond placed a hand on her shoulder, dipping his head to look her in the eyes. "Breathe, Lev. Aggie said it was probably just the pipes."

She nodded slightly, causing him to remove his hand from her shoulder, before hugging her briefly and walking toward a table where the boys decided to play some game that she hadn't heard the name of. Levana hadn't sat down, though, causing Marnie to approach her with a concerned glint in her eye.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, just... trying to adjust?" She replied, but her words echoed from her mouth as if she were asking if that was the right answer; Marnie had known her long enough to know when something was wrong, but her fearful tone only made it more obvious.

The brunette gently tugged Levana to the corner of the room, away from the others; it was kind of an attempt to ensure that no one could hear them, but in a room surrounded by monsters with impeccable hearing, there were no guarantees.

"What's up?"

Levana sighed, knowing that Marnie would be able to understand her pain far more than anyone else in the room. She closed her eyes, steadying her breathing as her next words echoed through her skull and assaulted her sanity.

"My dad died last week, M." She spoke, her voice barely audible - Marnie almost thought she'd misheard her. "I wanna tell you more, but..." She looked around the room, noticing how Chester and Pete's ears twitched at every word spoken, "I don't want anyone to hear me. It's... personal, to say the least. Only Ethan knows."

The brown eyed witch pulled her friend into a tight hug, pressing a friendly kiss to the girl's temple as she silently comforted her. Marnie understood the pain of losing a father, so she understood that words don't always help; simple hugs and spending time with friends is what helped her get through it.

...

"What did he mean by danger?" Cassie asked, entering the kitchen right whenever Aggie had gotten off of the witches glass with Ethan's father.

"Was he talking about the Knights?"

Levana froze in the doorway as soon as the word reached her ears, anger and grief coursing through her veins as she waited for them to notice her presence.

Marnie nodded, "Uh, yes, but you have nothing to worry about because there aren't any Knights."

"Well, how do we know they're really gone?" Ethan asked, which pressed harder on the feeling in her stomach; he knew about what they'd found when they'd retrieved Sebastian Sylver's body, and the skepticism that had clouded his mind was washed away by the information. They were both terrified, of losing their lives, and each other.

Ethan and Levana had been best friends since they were born, to be separated was out of the question unless it involved dates, bathroom visits, or going back to their houses in Halloweentown.

"Well, it's been over a thousand years. I mean, we're pretty sure they don't exist."

"You mean like we don't exist?" Natalie asked, her hot pink skin bringing Levana's thoughts to light.

Levana finally decided to make her presence known, rushing past the group and down the magical dormitory that Gwen had conjured for them. Ethan gulped, knowing full and well that she'd heard that entire interaction, and Marnie stared at the door with a confused, yet sympathetic, look.

She locked her door, even though any witch or warlock in the house could open it easily with magic, and buried her face in her pillow. She bit her lip, fighting the tears that threatened to wreak havoc on her body, when a metallic taste filled her mouth.

The witch lifted her head, looking at her pillow as the crimson blood from her lips began to gush out and onto the fabric.

"Shit." She whispered to herself, grabbing a cup of water from her nightstand and rinsing her mouth out. There'd be a scar in the morning if she didn't magically heal it, but she didn't have the energy to do so, so she just decided to deal with it in the morning before school.

Her fiery eyes drifted to a framed picture of she and her father, smiling as Ethan took the photo. His laugh still echoed through her skull every time she thought of him, and his last words to her would forever haunt her nightmares until she grew insane.

"I'll see you in the morning, Pumpkin. I love you."