taletober

oct 15

DAY 15

"It's a sacrificial offering, I think." (prompt-dealer)

...

Halloween parties are the obligatory entrance to high school. As a Freshman, I was well aware of my place on the high-school totem pole, and although I hated parties, I knew it would make my friends happy if I dressed up in a basic skimpy outfit and got wasted for the sake of climbing the never-ending ladder of social status. Personally, I knew it was all just a lie. I mean, the most successful people are often the most unhappy because of the sacrifices they had to make to get to where they got. Family, friends, morals, integrity, all of one's most important virtues are often thrown aside in search of some kind of "success" they're looking for to bring them some kind of "happiness" that doesn't actually exist. But hey, it was high school. Time to suck it up and party.

"Nice costume!" Faye exclaimed in my general direction. I looked down at my skimpy "alien" costume that consisted of no more than a tight grey crop top, a purple tutu, and space buns. My best friend Kass had insisted on applying her age-old purple lipstick to finish off my look. 

"Thanks," I screeched back over the booming music. "You make a pretty hot firewoman!"

"Thanks," Faye replied, doing a little twirl to give me the full effect of her red suspenders and Timberlands. 

I wandered off, sick of pretending to sip my beer. In search of a bathroom, I opened multiple doors and had multiple awkward encounters with people participating in Hallo-hookups. Tis the season. 

I was going to give up and just hold it for the rest of the night until I turned down a dimly-lit corridor I hadn't noticed before. At the end of the hall was a pair of French doors cracked open just enough for the sound of moaning to escape. Only this wasn't like, sexual moaning. It was a chorus of people moaning in tune with each other. As I shuffled closer, I could see them in a circle together around a dying fire. One very drunk and very terrified girl sat in chains and handcuffs on the floor beside the fire. Confused and slightly curious, I entered the room, thinking I could slither in unnoticed. But my presence caused every grim face to turn toward me and scowl. "What?" I couldn't help asking. This couldn't be like a serious thing, right?

"What what? What do you think this is girly?" One hooded face growled. 

"It's a sacrificial offering, I think," I said in a joking tone.

"Oh, so you're here to observe?" The hooded man asked, somehow impressed by my response.

"Wait, this is serious? Like you guys are about to kill her?" I asked, gesturing to the meek girl in the middle.

"Yeah, welcome to the witchcraft club of Arlington High."

I sighed. I should've figured as much.