*Logan POV*

It's the end of October. I haven't had to be home in twenty-four days. I haven't caused an accident in twenty-four days. I've actually managed to get my ability under control, and now none of my previous accidents happen.  

"Hey, Logan!" Janus says, "A bunch of us are going into town to get Halloween costumes, wanna come?"

"Why do you need costumes?" I ask.

"Oh, Remy's throwing a costume party in the cafeteria while Mr. Sanders and a bunch of other teachers are out. He does it every year," Janus says.

"Who is going to be there?" I ask.

"A lot of people. Pretty much everyone who's not a Freshman or Junior. A lot of them skip out on it. We always get a bunch of volunteers in the kitchen and a bunch of people for decorations and clean up," Janus says.

"Will Patton and Roman be there?" I ask.

"Probably. I mean, they never miss a chance to spread rumors about us so I assume they'll be there," Janus shrugs.

"Well, I suppose going wouldn't impact me negatively," I say.

"So are you coming costume shopping? Usually, a few of the rich kids cover the costs," he says.

I nod.

"I'll go," I say.

"Great! Get your good shoes, we're leaving in ten minutes," he says, walking away.

I go back up to my dorm, where Roman is asleep and Patton is asking about the pet policy.

"Wouldn't it be amazing if we had a cat! I could take care of it!" Patton says.

"Look babe you're allergic-"

"I accept death for the kitty,"

"And so are a lot of others. Maybe a fish or a bird would be better," Remy says.

"But cat!" Patton pleads.

"I don't even know if we're allowed to have pets," Remy says.

Patton frowns.

"Fine!" he says.

He turns away from Remy and spots me.

"Oh, hey kiddo! There's going to be a big Halloween party tonight, wanna come?" he asks.

"I am aware. And yes, I am going," I say.

He smiles.

"Great! What's your costume going to be?" he asks.

"I'm not sure. I am fairly good with makeup, so I think I'll center my costume around that," I say.

Again, I've had a lot of time to myself over the years.

"Cool! Maybe you could be a zombie!" Patton suggests.

"Perhaps," I say.

I might go as that, but I was thinking something more simplistic. It will depend on how extravagant everyone else's costumes are, as I do not want to stand out as being too over-the-top or too basic.

"Oh, babes, I gotta go. I'll be back in like two hours," Remy says, getting up.

"Ok, have fun!" Patton says.

Remy glances over to me.

"I will," he says.

He nods slightly and I get up as well.

We leave the dorm and walk down to the school entrance.

"We're going into town, right?" I ask.

"Yep. And I'm only taking you guys there because I get Starbucks," Remy says.

He turns to everyone.

"Ok, everyone split into groups of ten-ish. We don't want to raise suspicion," he says.

Everyone nods.

"Make sure you have someone paying for stuff in your group," he says.

The groups rearrange.

"Alright, let's go," he says.

"Logan! You're here!" Janus says.

I nod.

"Obviously," I say.

Virgil snorts.

"Hey Virge, want to split some earbuds?" Remy asks.

"Sure. MCR or Panic?" Virgil asks.

"MCR," Remy says.

"So Logan, how's your first month here been?" Janus asks.

"Overall, it's been productive, I've learned a lot, and my mental health has improved," I say.

"So good?" Remus asks.

"I'd say 'satisfactory'," I say.

Janus nods.

"That's good! So, what have Snow and Prince said about us?" he asks.

I can already tell this is a risky topic to discuss.

"Not anything, really. They mostly just frown at the mention of your name," I say.

That is partially true. But not entirely.

"I see," Janus says.

"Anyone want some deodorant?" Remus asks.

"What for?" I ask.

Sharing deodorant is unsanitary.

"Eating," Remus says, "Or anything else,"

He opens up a stick and swipes it on his hair, creating a white streak.

"Why.... why would you-" I start to ask.

"Don't ask, you'll only have more questions," Janus says.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I already have too many questions about Remus.

*Virgil POV*

We're getting ready for the party in our dorm. I wonder if Logan will be there. Janus said he told him about it, but can't confirm he's actually going to come.

"Remus, did you take all my fake blood?" I ask.

"Yes! It's tasty and I needed it!" Remus says.

"I had a whole gallon, how much did you use?" I ask.

"It was really tasty!" Remus says.

"It's corn starch and syrup, and red dye!" I say.

"And?"

"How much did you actually use?" I ask.

"Oh, only about a cup," Remus says.

"You drank... nearly a whole gallon?!" Janus asks.

"Yep!" Remus says.

"How am I supposed to complete my costume without blood?" I ask.

"You could use real blood," Remus suggests.

"That tastes bad and I'm not a psychopath," I say.

"You're no fun," Remus pouts, "But I did save some,"

He tosses me a plastic bag.

"Thanks," I say.

I put some of the blood around my mouth. I'm dressed as a vampire, so obviously I need the blood. Remus is dressed like a prince who just got back from a battle, so he's covered in fake wounds and fake blood.

And Janus's costume is very well-done, to say the least. Half his face is snake scales to match his snake-like eye, and he's wearing a bowler hat and black suit, with a yellow undershirt. But he's also wearing his caplet.

"What are you dressed as?" I ask.

"A lawyer," Janus says, "Because-"

"Yeah yeah, I've heard your rants on society and the laws," I say, "I still think that you're being edgy and over-the-top,"

"Am I? We are living in a world-"

"Where I can pour fake blood on you and ruin your costume, but choose not to. But with Remus, that can change at any second," I say.

"I spent an hour on my makeup, don't you dare touch me with the blood!" Janus snaps.

"Let's go to the party now!" Remus says.

"Yeah," I say.

The party. I love Halloween and getting dressed up and stuff, hell, I even helped decorate the cafeteria, but I hate loud crowded rooms.

So I'll just try to breathe and forget my anxiety.

Parties. That's a thing. I hope you enjoyed reading and feel free to leave any thoughts or feedback in the comments. Have a fantastic day/night you magnificent peep!