How could this happen? I mean, yeah I was bad with directions, but I didn’t think I was that bad. So, I was at the wrong party, a totally normal thing to happen right? I just needed to stay calm and not panic. Except, panicking at even the most routine of social situations was what I did best. There had to be some non-awkward way out of this. Unfortunately, I was not given much time as a few girls made their way into the kitchen. It seemed odd that I hadn’t seen a single guy, which reminded me I was still at risk of my stupid “joke” being found out. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” Shit, a different girl walked up to me and interrupted my panic.

I cleared my throat again, “Hi!”

She was wearing a leotard, heels, fluffy white bunny ears, and even a poof ball tail. “I’m Scarlett, I love your costume, it’s super cute. What’s your name? ”

“Um, I’m Maya. Thanks, I really like your costume too.” Someone needed to call engineering, because my brain was having a reactor meltdown. I said my name was Maya again, damn it, I was getting in too deep.

She smirked, “Big borderlands fan huh?”

“What? I-I uh, play a little I guess.” How could she possibly know that? I guess I just scream nerd no matter what. 

“You’d get along great with Lillith. She’s around here somewhere in a green apron and fuzzy ears. This is the third year she’s come as a Bear-ista.” Scarlet rolled her eyes. I was beginning to think that puns were a big thing with these people.

What was happening? Why were cute girls just coming up to me and making conversation? Was it because they thought I was one too? Is this how girls normally interact with each other? I had already had two of them randomly approach me, compliment me, and call me cute. I was lucky to get a decent conversation in with people I actually knew most of the time. But this, this was weird, I didn’t even know how to have an actual conversation with people unless we were gonna deep dive into Bionicle lore, and there was no way that would ever happen here.

“Do you like board games? Some of the girls were gonna play scrabble in a bit if you want to join. I suggested we do a fun Halloween game like spin the bottle.”

“S-spin the bottle? Really?” Was that a thing people still did? And, all these girls with...other girls?!

“Yeah, it’s lots of fun. But they didn’t go for it. Shame too, I’d have loved to play now that you’re here.” She shot me a glance that made me feel like part of the food assortment. 

I felt as though I had officially stepped into another dimension, and this one had voyeuristic intention. I was at the wrong party and already had more social interaction within the first half-hour than I normally would have the entire night. Plus, I was fairly certain this cute bunny girl was flirting with me. Something was definitely off about this place.

“Well, um--yeah, I think scrabble would be fun. Though, I don’t know how long I’ll be staying.” 

Perfect, I can just hang out a little bit, maybe play a quick game of scrabble. I was always really good at it, and then I can just leave and go immediately home. I don’t think I could take facing Rachel after all this. 

“Aww, that’s too bad. There’s a big thing each year at the end of the night. I’d hate for you to miss it. It’s always so magical.” She even pouted her lip making a sad face.

“Big thing? Like a costume contest or something?”

“Something like that. But a cute girl like you, you’re gonna love it.”

Cute...girl...me?! Why were people calling me cute? I mean, I felt cute in this costume. The way everything felt against my skin is so much softer than what I was used to. Not to mention my legs looked fantastic in these heels and stockings. But, cute? I couldn’t tell what was overheating more, my brain or my cheeks.

“Oh my gosh, you’re even cuter when you blush. C’mon, loosen up a little bit. It’s Halloween, have fun.” She winked at me and giggled.

It took me a full thirty seconds to force restart my brain so I could respond, “I’m, uh, sorry. I’m not used to so many compliments.”

Her expression changed, she went from eyeing her next meal to relaxed and soft. “Hey, it’s okay Maya. Just take your time and have fun. I’ve been in your position before, take a minute and come hang out in the other room. I promise it’ll be a blast.” Scarlett smiled and made her way into the living room. 

This place was strange. Everyone was so friendly and willing to start talking to me. But, I had to think of a way to leave without seeming rude or too weird. I decided to go into the living room since that’s where everyone seemed to be gathering. 

“Alright, for my next trick, I’m gonna pull a rabbit out of my hat.” A girl dressed as a moth with the Eye of Ra painted on her shirt, reached into a top hat and pulled out a white poof ball.

“EEP!” I saw Scarlett on the other side of the room flinch. “Damn it, Blair! I said no more bunny jokes!” She stormed over to her and snatched the tail from her.

That was odd, how did Blair even get it off without her noticing? And why the sudden reaction? But I guess that’s the point of a magic trick though, to confuse people, which I certainly was. Nothing about this night made sense, the door, these friendly girls, or the weird music playing. Wendy was in the corner messing with a small speaker and her phone, and Scarlett was busy reattaching her tail, so it was the perfect time for me to stand in the corner awkwardly for half an hour before making my exit. That is until I was waved over to the table where several girls were setting up a board game. 

“Hey, Maya right?” A girl dressed as an owl with the letters A, E, I, O, U, and Y with a question mark next to it, painted on her face greeted me and invited me to sit. 

“Yeah, that’s me, haha.” Why was I always so weird?

She smiled, “Nice to meet you, I’m Waverly. You wanna join us for a game of scrabble? I’ve been meaning to show off my skills and prove why I came as a Vowl this year.”

I should have declined, I should have just said no and left. But scrabble was my favorite board game. I couldn’t turn this down. Not with an entire party of four and people who had no idea what kind of havoc I would wreak upon the board. 

“I’d love to! It’s been a while since I got to play with a full group.” I eagerly took a seat and grabbed my pieces.

"Awe, that's so sad, Alexa play WAP." Waverly raised her voice and looked in Wendy’s direction.

“Now playing, Kidz Bop 77, Warm Aldente Pasta.”

There was a collective groan from the room as the poor attempt at making a sexual song kid friendly started playing.

"I'm fucking yeeting this thing into another dimension, I swear," Wendy grumbled then picked up the device, walked over to a side table where Blair left her top hat, and dropped it in. 

It surprisingly didn’t make a thud, bang, or any sound at all. The only thing I heard was a loud yelp from another room. That’s when I noticed it. The door, the floating, the weird huddle of whispers, funny drink names, oddly friendly hosts, blatant flirting, and the hat...They must all work in theater!

RavenKane

I hope y'all are enjoying this endless stream of puns and references. I'm working on finishing this up and will hopefully be done soon. I want to thank everyone for reading and the support. Happy Halloween!