Halloween Thieves (Story Thieves)

Trick Or Treat, Freak

A/N- The title is a reference for anyone who watches Stranger Things ;)

~

It was Halloween night, and Bethany was getting more frustrated by the second.

"Okay, Owen. No. There's no way we're going trick or treating tonight!" She stubbornly stayed seated in her chair, staring at the clearly-excited boy across from her.

Unlike usual afternoons, which they spent in the library, they were at Bethany's house after a long day spent at school. The entire day had been packed with kids who went all out with the Halloween spirit, all wearing costumes that were either borderline lazy or very creative. Bethany appreciated Halloween, and even enjoyed it, but she wasn't the type of person who went trick or treating or dressed up every year. When she was younger she used to dress up during school, but lately she had stopped.

Owen was practically bouncing up and down on his feet in front of her, too excited to properly sit on the couch like a normal person. Unlike her, who wasn't dressed in a costume, he was fully garbed in a Spider-Man outfit that covered his entire face. His obsession with superhero comics had clearly shone through, especially now that it was Halloween.

"Come on!" He huffed. "Why not? It's the only night of the year to get free candy, and —"

"Don't even say it."

"And I have an extra costume at my house from last year!" he finished.

Bethany raised her eyebrows. "What extra costume? That Kiel Gnomenfoot replica that you got from eBay?"

"What?" He laughed, a bit awkwardly. "Uh, no! I definitely don't have that sitting in my room, locked away in a ziplock bag in my closet . . ."

She rolled her eyes, smiling a little. "Okay, well I'm all for free candy, but my dad said he'd watch Halloween movies with me tonight! I don't want to pass that opportunity up. I haven't done those kinds of things with him before. Not in a long time, anyway."

"You could go trick or treating with me and watch a movie after," Owen offered. "It's a win-win situation, and we'll both be happy!"

"Fine, but I haven't gone trick or treating in ages, Owen," she said. "Not since I was four. I don't even remember how to do it."

"That's cool! Spider-Man here can show you how to do it. All you need to do is ring some doorbells, grab candy, and run away to the next house. It's super fun. I've done it with um, well, my mom every year." He cringed a little bit. "But now that you and the rest of our friends are going with us, I promise you'll have a great time. You'll have more candy than you can eat."

"I think if I wanted that much candy, I could easily get some from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory," Bethany said, giving him a pointed look.

"That's not real candy, though. Well, it is, but it's fictional candy," Owen said, fidgeting with the tight sleeve on his costume. "And I promise you that eating a bunch of candy, especially on Halloween, feels amazing. Plus, the supply lasts for a week."

"I thought that most people keep theirs for a month."

He laughed. "Yeah, um . . . about that. I eat mine in a week . . ."

Bethany scrunched her eyebrows, feeling mildly horrified for his poor stomach. She loved candy too, but she couldn't eat that much in that short amount of time. "How much candy do you usually get?"

"You don't wanna know."

She slapped her hands on either side of the couch below her, using her momentum to push herself to her feet. She stepped away from him, then closed her eyes, her mind racing with new possibilities of a costume. Now that she was half-fictional again, shapeshifting came a lot easier. She wasn't overwhelmed with thoughts, and her imagination was in perfect working condition. When she finally picked out the right idea, she imagined herself as that thing, warping her body into its image.