Brooklynn did not wake up in a nice, eye-fluttering, gentle way that people wake up in movies. She wasn't refreshed and energised for the new day. No one really wakes up in a hospital like that. No, the instant she woke up she felt an overwhelming sense of bad hit her like a ton of bricks. Her head ached and her throat was dry. There was a dull but strong pain coming from near her stomach that felt worse than even the strongest period cramps she had ever endured. Her arms hurt, and her left hand was tightly wrapped for some reason. Her back was sore from the hard mattress and the blanket on top of her felt scratchy. The area around her was quiet, although she could hear muffled conversation and daytime TV coming from somewhere nearby. Blinking open her eyes, she was met with an unevenly-tiled ceiling dotted with harsh white lights.
"Brooklynn?"
Brooklynn turned her head slowly towards her mother's voice on her left side. Her mother's large eyes were staring at her, inches away from her face.
"Brooklynn, honey, are you awake? How are you feeling? Are you feeling okay?" Linda was sitting in a hard plastic chair next to Brooklynn's bed that she had not moved from all night.
Brooklynn blinked at her mum a few times. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a quiet, dry cough.
"Do you need a drink? You need a drink. Here, have this," Linda fussed as she picked up a glass of water with a straw from the bedside table. She held it up as Brooklynn emptied the glass.
"Thank you," Brooklynn whispered. Feeling instantly better, she shuffled up on the bed and took stock of her situation. She guessed that she was in one of the hospital rooms of the Idle Hospital and Medical Centre, although she wasn't that familiar with the interior of the building. The room was larger and nicer than she thought it would be, but she guessed sleeping on cardboard would be more comfortable than the hospital bed. She looked at her arms; her left hand was bandaged completely, and an IV was taped to her right arm. Hidden under her oversized hospital gown, which she didn't remember putting on, she could feel more bandaging pressed onto her abdomen. Come to think of it, she didn't remember going to sleep in the hospital, either.
"Mum?" she asked, finding her voice again. "What happened?"
"Well, that's a little difficult to answer, sweetheart."
"Dad stabbed me!" Brooklynn gasped, her memory snapping back as her bandaged hand felt near the wound on her abdomen.
"I suppose it isn't that difficult to answer," Linda mumbled, a little relieved.
Brooklynn looked at her mum with big, pleading eyes. "Am... Am I gonna be ok?"
Linda sighed, a gentle smile growing on her face. "Yes, honey. You are going to be just fine. The doctor said it could have been much worse, but you're lucky the knife didn't cut very deep," she said, a smidge of pride in her voice. "If it had, we certainly wouldn't be in Idle. I nearly demanded they fly us to a real hospital in Phoenix, but apparently even our doctors could patch you up just fine."
Brooklynn's shoulders slumped, disappointment on her face.
Linda rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Don't look too happy. You'll still have a 'cool' scar after all, especially on your hand there. Honestly, I don't know what you thought would happen when you sliced yourself open like that. You know you faint at the sight of blood."
Brooklynn looked down. The blush was clear as day on her face, especially since Linda had carefully cleaned the old makeup and blood from her skin once she returned from the operating room. Brooklynn whispered, "Dad said it would bring him back."
Linda sighed. "I know, dear."
"He said he wanted to be a family again."
"I know, dear."
"I didn't think--"
"It's okay, Brooklynn," Linda interrupted, putting a light hand on Brooklynn's arm. "I know. I'm not mad. Or disappointed, not at all. I'm... sorry. I wasn't there for you. I wasn't honest with you."
Brooklynn frowned. "You knew about dad?"
"I knew something was haunting me. Well, us. But I didn't think that you would get hurt. I didn't want to worry you, or make you think I was crazy, but I should have said something. If I'd told you early, maybe you could have--"
"That's okay, mum. I probably wouldn't have listened anyway."
Linda raised an eyebrow. She smiled. "We're getting rid of the Ouija board. Non-negotiable."
Brooklynn groaned performatively, and then looked down again, pursing her lips. "Is-- Is dad gone?"
Linda nodded. "For good, this time."
Brooklynn sighed. "Good. Dads are overrated anyway."
"Agreed," Linda smiled. She slid her hand into Brooklynn's injured one, careful to put no pressure where the cut was. Brooklynn looked at her mum's hand in hers and smiled as well, feebly squeezing.
As she stared, her head slowly tilted to the side and a frown fell on her face. "Mum, didn't you get stabbed as well?
Linda's eyes widened. "Um, so, the funny thing about that--"
Brooklynn shook her head, still looking at Linda's hand. "No, I must be remembering it wrong."
Yes, sweetheart, exactly. You're remembering it wrong. I wasn't stabbed.
Linda breathed in and out, deeply and uselessly. "No, you're right. Honey, there's something I need to tell you. But first"--Linda looked across the room--"Paesleigh and Kingston, I need to have a private talk with your big sister."
Brooklynn looked to her right and saw, sitting on a small couch just out of her peripheral, hiding in plain sight, were Paesleigh and Kingston. They sat dead straight next to each other, the light shining through the window creating a halo around their golden curls. Both wore an eerie smile that didn't reach their eyes.
"I was wondering where you two were!" Brooklynn exclaimed. "Get over here," she laughed, beckoning them over with her IV-ed hand.
"Hello, Brooklynn!" the twins exclaimed in unison as they jumped up and scurried to the bed. Brooklynn pulled them both into a big hug.
"Okay, now run along, you two," Linda laughed.
They both stood back from the bed and turned to look at each other.
"We should try to find the morgue, brother," Paesleigh said.
"I'll race you there, sister," Kingston responded.
In a flash, they were out the door and giggling down the halls.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Linda said to Brooklynn as she watched the twins leave.
"Yeah?"
"I have no clue what's going on with those two." Linda turned back to meet Brooklynn's eyes. "But that doesn't matter. I love them anyway. Just like you."
Brooklynn looked away, bashful. "Mum, you're so embarrassing," she mumbled.
"Now, we have something to talk about."
Brooklynn grimaced. "About me?"
"No," Linda said, and she took a deep breath again. "About me. There's something important that I've been meaning to tell you."
"Really? Right now?" Brooklynn asked, as she watched a nurse walk past the open door. "I just woke up and there are people outside, mum. If it's embarrassing or, like, serious, maybe you should wait until we're home."
Linda shook her head. "Nope. I'm not putting this off any longer. Right now is perfect."
...
Linda and Brooklynn were sitting in the front seats of Linda's Range Rover again. It was night, just like the last car ride conversation between the two, but this time, the car was stationary in the packed car park outside the Idle Community Centre and Recreation Hall. With three months of healing behind her, Brooklynn was up and moving again with a couple cool scars to show off to her friends and a rehearsed story about a 'cooking accident' that involved a Final Destination-like assault from the knife holder.
"Are you ready?" Brooklynn asked, smiling. She looked expectantly at her mother, a smile on her face. For Linda, it would be important to note the recent and drastic improvement in quality in Brooklynn's makeup; her foundation was without patches, albeit purposely several shades too pale. Her black lipstick was smudge-proof and dotted with cosmetically-applied fake blood. The wings of her eyeliner were sharp enough to slice open a hand. When she smiled, Brooklynn flashed two vampiric fangs where her canines should be.
After everything that had happened, Linda was very glad that she finally sat down with her daughter and taught her proper makeup application.
"Nearly," Linda replied, fretting at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. For once, she could not say that her own makeup was properly applied. Her eyes were dark and sunken into her skull. Her skin was leathery and grey, with a queasy green tint. Her lips were thin lines, devoid of any pink or red tones at all. She looked dead.
"You look great, mum," Brooklynn said.
"Are you sure you want your mum there? I'll just cramp your style. I'm sure everyone would have plenty of fun without me."
Brooklynn rolled her eyes. "That's not true, mum. We have to go in now or we'll be late." She laughed. "Besides, it would be rude if you didn't go to your own party."
Linda had been busy herself over the last three months. Securing funding from the Idle Community Events Grant, booking a venue, organising an organisation committee (which she headed, of course), taking over the roles of the various members of the organisation committee when they proved not up to the task. In the last week alone, Linda had made sure the food, lighting, sound equipment, dance floor, and decorations were all perfect for tonight. Linda had set the stage, in every meaning of the word, for Idle's first annual Battle of the Bands. "An opportunity for local youth to showcase their musical talent," she had argued, "And to bring the community together for a night." Nevermind that her daughter's band, the Manneaters, had nowhere to perform in Idle and were the first to sign up when it was announced to the public.
Linda looked into her daughter's excited eyes, considering her words carefully. "Okay. Let's go."
"Wait!" Brooklynn exclaimed. "Can you..." She pointed at Linda's face with a cheeky smile. "You know..."
Linda rolled her eyes, performatively beleaguered, and whacked the back of her own head hard. She caught her eye as it fell out and stashed it quickly in her handbag. She looked at Brooklynn with her one remaining eye. "Happy?"
Brooklynn squealed as she clambered out the car. Linda slowly got out herself, watching Brooklynn dart through the dark carpark to the lit Recreation Hall. Linda locked the car up and quickly made her way over too, joining the last few straggling residents as she strode through the front door and into the hall.
Pride swelled in Linda's chest as she took in the fruits of her labour. Colourful lights bounced around the walls. Spider webs and tombstones decorated all available surfaces. The food tables were full of appropriately spooky yet nutritious snacks, and Chase was manning the makeshift bar, preparing Halloween-themed cocktails and mocktails. The stage at the front of the hall was still empty, save for a number of lone instruments and mics. People danced as Monster Mash played over the speakers.
Brooklynn had staunchly requested the theme. What was Linda supposed to do, say no to her poor, injured daughter?
Linda made her way through the packed house to the bar. Linda recognised the face of every resident she passed, despite the outlandish getup everyone wore. There were werewolves and aliens, robots and witches, ghosts and government spies. Linda hoped at least some of them were costumes.
"Linda, there you are!" Tina called, waving Linda over to the bar. "Look at you! It's wonderful to see you in your own skin. It's about time, too." Tina pulled Linda into a hug, careful not to spill her Vampire Kiss Martini on Linda. "And those clothes, just perfect!"
"Oh, this?" Linda asked, looking down at her ripped activewear ensemble, the same she wore during her fight with Paul. She only had to add some red paint and dirt to complete the look. "I wasn't going to be beaten at my own costume party. And look at you! Still rocking the wedding dress?"
Tina spun around, showing off her floor length white gown and wide black sunhat. "Why veer from the classics?" she laughed. "Now, I saw our cute Brooklynn run past and I must take a selfie with her."
"Good luck finding her," Linda laughed as she waved Tina off. She turned to Chase behind the bar. "One Black Widow, please." As he mixed up the vodka and cranberry cocktail, Linda took note of his costume: regular bartending attire, with a tin foil hat to top it off. Linda raised an eyebrow. "Nice costume."
Chase sighed as he slid the drink over. "It's not nearly as effective as people think."
Linda nodded and quickly left the bar with her drink.
She wandered around, silently judging outfits and generally hobnobbing. She spotted Florian Red, the poor sap that wasn't over his dead boyfriend yet. Or, maybe he was, since this was the first community event he had made an appearance at in years. He was sitting on his own in a dark corner, sans costume, staring deeply into his Black Cauldron mocktail. Clearly not that over him, then. At least he didn't bring the sexbot tonight, Linda thought, relieved. Then she had a brilliant idea. She should organise a series of singles events! Maybe then all the sad and lonely people in the town could stop being so sad and lonely. She could even try to pair up the less weird singles in town, and maybe they could be a good influence on the more... eccentric residents. She could invite Florian, and the bartender, and that hot ginger. Oh, and the rich lawyer that adopted the baby of poor Soledad, may she rest in peace. She could probably use a husband now.
Linda buzzed as she continued to circle the room until she spotted another familiar face; Camren Tarrayo, the grumpy checkout chick dressed as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was talking to another young girl wearing cheap wolf ears. Linda smiled and walked up to her, tapping her on the shoulder. "Camren, honey, long time no see. If I didn't know better, I would say you've been avoiding me."
Camren froze, and then spun slowly to face Linda. Camren's hand clasped her friend's. "Hello, Linda," she replied, without making eye contact, her eyes carefully scanning Linda's outfit.
Linda motioned to her clothes. "Look familiar? Although I guess I was missing this bit last time I wore this," she said, gesturing to her head.
Camren's eyes widened. Linda suppressed a laugh. She reckoned that the grocery clerk didn't remember anything from the fight itself, but probably was awake and unpossessed after Paul had pulverised her head into the pavement. Maybe Camren had thought that was enough to do someone like Linda in. She was wrong, of course, but Linda had noticed a strange empty feeling underneath her ribs after that night.
"You know, it's so odd, Camren," Linda started, crossing her arms. "I noticed the other day that I only have one kidney now. Isn't that interesting?"
Camren's eyes darted up to Linda in alarm, focusing for a moment on the hole in Linda's face where one of her eyes wasn't anymore. "...Really? That's weird."
"Mmm. It's fine, of course, I wasn't using that one anyway." Linda spun to walk away, and said over her shoulder, "You're welcome for that iPhone 12 Pro in your pocket, by the way."
Linda strutted away to the sound of Camren's friend giggling and teasing her.
She finished her drink and rounded back to the bar, ordering a Pumpkin Spice Margarita. She noticed John Doe standing alone, holding a full glass of plain water with a silly straw. He looked the exact same as he always did.
"Johnny, didn't you get the memo? Where's your costume?"
A costume is a set of clothing in a particular style. John Doe was dressed exactly as John Doe was always dressed. Therefore, he was wearing a costume. John Doe was always wearing a costume. In all the ways that mattered, John Doe was a costume. And his name was not Johnny.
Linda pursed her lips. "You're weird, you know that, right?"
John Doe did, in fact, know that.
"Good," Linda sniffed.
Feedback from the sound system on the stage got the attention of the room, as Barbara tapped on the microphone, clipboard in hand. "Hello Idle! What a turn out, huh? I'm sure we're all excited to start our very first Battle of the Bands competition!"
The collective residents of Idle whooped and cheered.
"Well then, without further ado, I'll welcome--"Barbara paused to check her clipboard"--The Manneaters to the stage! Let's hear a round of applause for our first band!"
Four teenage girls dressed as gothic vampires walked on stage and took their places with their instruments, Brooklynn among them behind the drums. Linda could see Brooklynn squinting into the dark crowd. Not wanting to be missed, Linda quickly ripped her left arm off at the shoulder and waved it high in the air. Brooklynn beamed when she saw her mum, and waved at Linda with drumsticks in hand. As Brooklynn conferred with her bandmates, Linda snapped her arm back into place, ignoring a few shocked stares and the somewhat-concerning impassivity of John Doe next to her.
On stage, Brooklynn tapped her sticks in time, yelling "One, two, three, four!" to bring her band into the first song of their set, a rousing cover of Alice Cooper's Feed My Frankenstein.
Linda watched her daughter headbanging as she drummed on stage. She watched the people of Idle jump along in time. The music was good. Everyone was dressed up and having fun. Linda smiled.
Tomorrow, she would go back to doing her best to make her town less weird. But, for tonight, weird was okay.