Halloween. Without a doubt, Halloween has to be a shapeshifter’s favorite holiday. It isn’t the candy or the trickery. The parties and decorations are fun, but they aren’t what make it either. And it isn’t even our ability to change into other creatures, shapes, or people. That’s fun every day.
Halloween is the day of the year where the rest of the world can really get a taste of what it is to be us. They can create or copy other identities. They can become something or someone else for a little while and enjoy the freedom of being… other.
At least for one night a year, people are unlocked from being rigidly stuck in their lives as themselves and can discover other facets of who they could be. And it is encouraged! Children and adults both can become what they fear, what they secretly desire, or both at the same time, and are accepted warmly. Heck. Businesses make big bux off selling costumes, wigs, fake teeth, and gazillions of other accessories to help with the transformation.
Shapeshifters like I don’t need all those gimmicks. With a thought, I can become pretty much anything I want. And finally, BADGE has recognized that about me.
This year, I, Madam Marvelous, will be patrolling the streets of New Amsterdam as a fully sanctioned member of BADGE. No more probationary membership. I was on my own, well, except for Eggie, my electric grandmother. Being a minor there were still policies and regulations about me being off on my own without supervision but having Eggie around wasn’t a nuisance anymore. Not after everything we had fought over the last year. I saw her (technically ‘it’, being a robot, but disguised as a nearly perfect Mrs. Doubtfire) as one of my closest allies, if not an actual grandmother.
“Well, Kitt’n,” Eggie asked as she walked alongside of me carrying her typical oversized purse and dressed as a… what did she call it… a woman’s footballer. Over-the-knee, long striped yellow and burgundy socks, bulky shorts, and a thick sweater with a collar that could have doubled as a neck-brace. “How does it feel to be on your first unsupervised mission?”
I shrugged, playing coy and dismissive about the excitement bubbling inside of me. “It’s alright, I guess. I’ll miss working with some of the others, I think, but I’m sure they have their own exciting tasks to attend to. I’m determined to make Director Nova proud, though.”
“I’m sure you will dearie,” Eggie said. “Have you spotted anything unusual yet?” “No,” I replied as I surveyed the mass of costumed children walking alongside their parents or in small groups scattered on both sides of the street. Everything seemed as normal as a typical Halloween should be. Lots of laughter, a few pretend screams or overly dramatic shouts as people disguised as popular monsters or spooks attempted to jump-scare the visitors to their doorsteps, and repeated parental chides of ‘Get out of there! No eating candy until we get home!’
“Relying on psychics for tips seems slightly foolhardy. They are like weatherpeople,” Eggie said as she bent down to pull up one of her socks that had fallen below her knee. “Eventually, they will call for rain on the right day at the right time.”
Knowing several precogs in my time with BADGE, I knew some were more reliable that others. I missed working with Astra and Futurina, two of the best in the business. I wish I knew where they had disappeared to. Same with Miss Fae. She had become nearly unreachable of late, but then so had I. My parents insisted I take some time off from being a hero, believing I was getting burned out on juggling so much between my schoolwork and heroics. “I think that since Halloween is such an occult, paranormal kinda holiday, the psychics are more apt to be on point.”
We wandered further down the street as I went door to door, collecting candy while making sure nothing strange was happening. I had disguised myself as a miniature Maleficent, from the second movie, and sauntered up to each benevolent home as if I owned it. Full sized candy bars earned a full display of my majestic wings. I don’t think many of the adults at the door ever considered I might be a superhero in disguise. They ‘ohh’ed and ‘ahh’ed to my face, but I could hear them behind me commenting on the fact my parents made far too much money for me to be coming to their door.
I did have to wonder how many heroes out tonight were heroes or children of heroes? I hoped to see baby Gem out trick or treating one day. That would be fun, if Miss Fae ever let me babysit for her, not that her kid would need watching. Gem probably would have the same logical mindset as her mother.
Eggie and I worked our way through the densest portion of the street with homes and began to approach one of the many parks in New Amsterdam. The decorations around one of the parks pavilions blew my mind as it came into view. Someone cashed out their entire bank account to be able to afford all the spectacular displays. An enormous 30 ft. tall Frankenstein monster. Drones shaped as bats circling the building from above. Dozens of zombie statues marching toward a door with a sign over the door saying “MENSA Meeting Inside”. The song Thriller 2999 played on loudspeakers and thousands of tiny lights recreated horror film scenes on a blank wall to the sound of the music.
I had to go in. This place would give away the best candy. I was sure of it. A line over twenty people long already had formed that led into the building. People could be in trouble inside.
“Well, isn’t this just the bee’s knees,” Eggie said. “Look at that wee one in the duck costume. How cute.”
My heart stopped for a moment as my mind flashed back to last year. A giant space duck had come to Earth the previous Halloween and I ended up fighting it one-on-one. I could still feel its beak tearing into the marshmallow peep body I changed into in order to fight it. Ever since, I’d had a fear of ducks, even though I never spoke of it to anyone. A hero should never show fear, right?
“Are you ok, dearie?” Eggie asked.
I shook my head, pushing the memories of that huge yellow bill out of my mind. “Yeah. I’m good. I’m going in.”
“Should I come in with you?” she asked as she adjusted her goalie mask. “Put me in coach, if you need me.”
“No, but something does seem odd to me,” I said as I continued to watch the people coming in and out of the pavilion. “It seems to me that more people are going into the building than are coming out. There might be a party going on inside that people are hanging out at. I need eyes out here in case I’m wrong.” “Maybe it’s bigger on the inside,” Eggie said coolly.
“Your British is showing,” I replied, rolling my eyes and my r’s while I headed toward the line. “I’ll be back after I’ve checked it out.”
With that, Eggie remained outside as I got into line, keeping a few people between myself and the kid in the duck costume. After roughly fifteen minutes, I made my way up to the entrance and was met by a mysterious figure in black. Their only defining feature was an oversized pair of hooker-red lips and white teeth. Against the dark background and being dressed in black clothing, the figure could have passed for a mouth floating midair without a body.
“My, aren’t we a sweet little one,” the mouth said as the person bearing it bent down to eye level with me. A pink tongue swept over the teeth inside the perverse smile. “I can practically taste you already.”
I gave her my best Maleficent face. You know, hard, unimpressed eyes, crossed arms, and pursed lips. “I bite back, so unless you wish to be a bloody lip, you’ll shut up and leave me alone.”
The person in the bodysuit jumped back, failing their will save against my intimidation check. “Wow. Head on in, kid. Stick to the left.”
The door had been covered by torn pieces of black vinyl which hung down to create a curtain. The greeter pulled a couple dangling strips away so I could enter. They might have just been trying to play a spooky character, but my nerves were afire the closer I came to entering the building. It was as if the eyes of the entire world were pressing in on me. There was something definitely odd going on inside.
Maybe I should call for backup…
That’s what I should have been thinking. Instead, I walked in alone, ready to handle whatever came next.
To be continued...
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