Party Time

ANA’S POV

The following day, I wake up bursting with energy for no discernable reason. As I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for the day, I remembered seeing a handbill on the bulletin board outside the office at school on Friday. It was advertising a pack-wide Halloween-themed carnival being held at the Moon Valley Packhouse. It was open to everyone in the pack, regardless of your ranking. Still, there was one essential stipulation: to gain entry to the party, the participant had to be decked out in some costume, with or without a mask. According to the notice, booths would be set up throughout the meadow behind the Packhouse with different carnival-type games like bobbing for apples, pie-eating contests, a dunking booth, and even a Kissing Booth. There were going to be prizes for best costume in several categories: Most Original, Most Likely to Get You Arrested, Scariest, Cutest, Creepiest, Funniest, Sexiest, Best Couple, and Least Recognizable. I had no plan to attend when I originally read the handbill. However, it was very apparent that my wolf would bully me into making an appearance. She was prancing around like a fuzzball of electric energy.

“You cannot hermitize yourself, Ana. You have never had the chance to attend anything larger than a ‘family’ dinner at the orphanage. Even there, you were made to feel like a pariah, a nobody. But now, NO ONE can tell you that you aren’t welcome or that you will be an embarrassment to yourself or, worse yet, to the overall public image of the orphanage. It is time to understand that the life you have lived until now was not the life you were destined to have. I have it on good authority that tonight is a pivotal point in your life, but ONLY if you attend that party!”

I repeatedly tried to argue with Scarlett, even stating that I did not have a costume. But, unfortunately, it was too late to get a decent one since tonight was the party, and other party-goers would have already picked through all the good costumes. I laughed at the image in my head as I pictured myself showing up in a burlap sack and claiming to be a “sack of potatoes.” But Scarlett seemed to have an answer to every argument I tossed her way and finally told me, “just go and check out the garment bag hanging in the closet already.”

I began laughing out loud at the absurdity of the costume as soon as I pulled it out of the bag. It was one of those inflatable costumes that once you put it on, you inflated it with air to create a kind of bubble around your body. And to top it off, I wasn’t far off from the “sack of potatoes”; the costume was Mrs. Potato Head!! I felt more at ease at the idea of attending the party after seeing that I would be completely concealed. Scarlett had thought of everything. Not only would I be a guest at this little shin-dig, but the costume was a head-to-toe outfit that would not only cover my face, making it impossible for anyone to recognize me by seeing my thick prescription glasses, but because of the inflation it also covered the fact that I was overweight, yet another sore subject, but a recognizable trait. I put it on and found it very easy to move around in; I did not feel the least bit encumbered or claustrophobic.

I rolled my eyes at Scarlett’s enthusiasm and conceded. I would go and see what the night would hold. I didn’t know how participation in this social event would be instrumental and a “life-altering” experience, but I was intelligent enough to realize that I would never get that answer if I skipped out of showing up. If I was honest with myself, I was kind of excited to step outside of my comfort zone, even if it was under the cloak of deception and hiding under a costume. I wanted to see how other people acted in social situations that were more their element than mine.

EMILY’S POV

“Come On, Ry,” I whined, drawing out my words like a five-year-old not getting her snacks on time, “I still haven’t found all the parts to the spectacularly amazing costume I have envisioned in my mind, and you are making this much more difficult than it has to be!!” I grunted.

Ryan chuckled and let me drag him through the mall on my quest for the “perfect” Halloween costume. “You do realize that you have had over a month to prepare for this,” he began. I glowered at him as we went into the closest jewelry boutique to look for the last of the costume jewelry I needed. “Not to mention that no matter how amazing or awesome your costume is, you are still excluded from being allowed to participate in or win any of the contests or prizes,” he concluded.

“I have been made painfully aware of that fact; however, that is not going to stop me from making my presence known in this party as a force to be reckoned with, even if it is only due to my keen fashion sense,” I huffed. Part of me understood that it would not look fair if the Alpha’s sister won any of the categories even though the ballots were being done in secret. There would always be some jealous wench that felt sidelined because of me, and that would spell nothing but trouble. I mean, yeah, I was pretty sure that I could handle my own in a skirmish. I had been training with the warriors for as long as I could remember. My dad always said that his little princess was not going to be a helpless maiden in need of rescue but a hidden warrior that could defend not only herself but those around her who were unable to do it for themselves. I smiled at the memory, missing my mom and dad so much at that moment. I pushed aside my feelings of loss and focused on getting the last pieces of my ensemble so that we could go home and I could help get the party set up before getting dressed.

Ryan’s attitude seemed to relax. After my outburst, he began acting more like my brother rather than the Alpha of the Moon Valley Pack. His eyes softened as he took my hands in his and turned me to face him. “I’m sorry, I am not trying to be an ass. I know that this is hard for you, being the first holiday without mom and dad. I am trying to remember that. Sometimes I just get lost in my mind about everything that I feel needs to get done and how to delegate it, that I forget you are struggling too.” I looked up into his eyes, seeing the underlying sadness there, and squeezed his hands, “I know, I’m sorry too. I don’t mean to be a whiny baby. You are right, I have had over a month to get this together, but I just kept putting it off. They don’t call me the Procrastination Queen for nothing,” I giggled. He smiled as he paid for the last of my purchases, and we loaded up the cobalt blue Cadillac Escalade with all my goodies and made our way back to the packhouse.

I knew that this Halloween party was planned by Ryan, specifically for me to have something to take my mind off of the fact that we were coming into the holiday season. There were going to be a lot of “firsts” to experience: the first Thanksgiving without Mom’s butter and herb-crusted turkey or Dad’s homemade cornbread dressing, which was a family recipe that had been passed down for generations; the first Christmas without the hand-blown glass ornaments being dusted off and put on the tree during the family “tree-trimming” party that always ended with Christmas cookies and Gourmet Hot Chocolate, or Mom’s constant worry about finding the perfect hiding place for our gifts and subsequently forgetting where that place was. It was always fun to get to the end of the presents under the tree to see mom’s face frantically trying to remember where she had hidden some gift or another that she had not seen get unwrapped. It was like a scavenger hunt at that point, a race through the house, room by room, leaving no stone unturned, to find the elusive present.

I mentally pulled myself out of my trip down memory to get down to the backyard to make sure that everything was on schedule and that everything was set up before I began donning my costume for the upcoming festivities. As I walked out the back doors, I was greeted by the sweet smell of caramel apples, popcorn, and the eerie sounds of a haunted house playing over the loudspeakers. Little pumpkin and ghost lights were strung up all over the backyard, connecting each booth and lighting up the borders of the party areas, which lit the yard perfectly. I smiled at how the preparations had been meticulously planned and executed. “Mom, I already know that you are looking down at our efforts, and I can feel your smile. This is exactly the way I know you would have decorated. I miss you so much, but I want you to know that we will be OK even though this is hard. You and daddy taught us everything we need to know to lead this pack and be the best people we can be before you had to go. I love you!” I whispered to the sky. I felt a single tear slide down my cheek and quickly wiped it away, squared my shoulders, and went inside to get dressed.

ANA’S POV

The party was in full swing by the time I made it to the entrance of the packhouse. I could hear the happy giggles of the children as they ran around, aimlessly, chasing each other in their little costumes. I made my way towards the refreshment table to get a cup of the “Poison Apple Punch.” I wasn’t aware that there would be alcohol in it until after I took a huge gulp, finishing it in one drink and feeling the burn of the whiskey. I knew by the way that my head began to swim immediately that this was not a human-brew whiskey but a wolf-brew because it was much stronger than what you could buy at the local discount liquor store. 

I swayed a little as I turned around to put my glass on the table, losing my balance a little. “Whoa there, potato lady,” I heard from behind me just before I felt strong arms wrap around my waist, steadying me. “Looks like you might need to take it easy on the punch,” he said with a hint of laughter in his voice. I gently pulled myself out of his arms and stepped back so that I could see his face, “Thank you for keeping my Oompa-Loompa ass from face-planting on the snack table,” I giggled.  “I assumed that because there were children present, the drinks would be non-alcoholic,” I explained shyly. I had never had alcohol in my life, so this was already a new experience. His smile told me that he understood. He went on to point out an entirely different refreshment table set up just on the other side of the dunking booth, “That one is set up for the children. I take it you have never attended any of the events that we have here periodically because if you had, you would have known that is always where we set up the “safe” drinks for the children and those who do not wish to drink alcohol for one reason or another.”  I felt like a complete idiot as I face-palmed myself, “no, I have never had the opportunity,” I answered.

He held out his hand, introducing himself, “My name is Ryan.” I hesitated for a brief second before I took his hand and responded, “nice to make your acquaintance, my name is….” I paused before finishing, “Scarlett.” We walked around the backyard as he pointed out the different attractions of the party. It was a very comfortable conversation that threw me for a mental loop. Finally, it dawned on me that my only real experience with anyone of the opposite sex was when I found and was immediately rejected by my destined mate.

I excused myself to go to the restroom. I could feel myself getting warm and not because of the weather. I splashed my face with cold water and put a wet paper towel around my neck before zipping myself back into the costume. I could hear someone on a microphone announcing that the prizes for the costumes would be handed out in the next 10 minutes and to make sure to cast your votes at the refreshment table if you hadn’t already done so.

As I was leaving the restroom, heading back to the backyard for the remaining festivities, I heard muffled voices, one of which sounded in need of help. As I sniffed the air, the foul odor of trash and smoke attacked my senses. Scarlett linked me, “THAT is the odor of ROGUES! Get help,” but instead of listening to her, I followed my nose, not allowing her to take over. Because of the one drink I had, I felt like I was 10-foot tall and bullet-proof. “I got this,” I told myself.

As I rounded a corner deeper into the house, I saw where the commotion was coming from. I saw a girl wearing a beautiful Victorian Era ball gown with an intricate mask covering her eyes. She had been cornered and was being held by two gruff-looking rogues. She looked terrified. She saw me a split second before I yelled, “So, you like to pick on women, huh? Didn’t your mommy give you enough love when you were a pup?” This verbal intrusion distracted them just long enough for the girl to break away and run past me. I assumed she was heading towards the backyard. I was sure she would get help. I just hoped that they would get there in time to save me.

They started advancing on me slowly, with their fangs protruding and dripping with foul-smelling saliva, “Well, well, what have we here? A little hero? I guess since you are the cause of us losing our prize, you will have to take her place.” I responded with a disgusted huff, wrinkling my nose at their stench, “Damn, dude, did you ever hear of a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap?” I knew that my insults were doing nothing more than making them angry but hoped it would buy me a few precious minutes until help could arrive. I hoped that if the rogues decided to attack, they would be clumsy in their efforts and, hopefully, not be able to make contact with me. I backed up slightly towards the corner I entered from, “oh, yeah, I guess not, huh? I mean, how many actual indoor plumbing facilities do you rogues get to experience.

I’m guessing not enough….”

At that, I turned to run and hit a wall of flesh, not realizing that there were three rogues. This one was larger than the other two and held me without a struggle. “You have insulted my boys one too many times; we will show you what we do to insolent little girls. Let’s go, that girl will be back with reinforcements any…” he didn’t get to finish his sentence before he heard a low, menacing growl behind him. The other two rogues were white-faced at the vision they could see just behind the rogue that held me. He turned around, smugly, throwing me to the ground roughly, to be met nose to snout with the largest (and only) silver-furred wolf I had ever seen. He easily stood over 6’ in wolf form. Before the man could shift or utter another sound, the wolf gnashed his teeth at him, catching him in the throat and ripping it open, tearing his head completely off his shoulders in one bite. He looked up to see the other two rogues attempting to flee, but they were apprehended by three warrior wolves standing just behind the large black wolf.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker was naming the winning costumes in the background, “The winner of the costume that made the wearer the Least Recognizable is… Mrs. Potato head!” I could hear the cheers and claps and imagined people looking all over for the winner to accept the prize. At that moment, the girl who the rogues were initially harassing ran up to me, threw her arms around me, crying hysterically, “you saved me, you SAVED me!!” I answered, “it was nothing, really,” directly before I crumpled to the ground, everything going black and all sound ceasing to be heard…