"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." Ephesians 5:11
My youth group friends promised me this Halloween would be a night of "good, clean fun." There would be no drugs, alcohol, or dark magic. Definitely no dark magic. It was enough of a pain to convince our reverend father to host any fun Halloween event at our church. This Trunk-Or-Treat event was already pushing it.
Before everything kicked off, all the teens in our youth group hung out in the "youth room" down in the church basement. It had a few bean bag chairs, a pingpong table, and a TV. There was a little kitchen area in the back where we'd prep food for the monthly church dinner. A big table was set up in the middle of the room, which we used for our weekly bible studies. While I did love Jesus, I also loved the weekly free pizza. Just don't tell anyone that, okay?
I was in the back of the room, rolling out cookies with my best friend Lina. She was giddy and excited to tell me about how her bottom surgery was finally booked. As we talked, there were some glares from other people in the room. Some people in the group, just a select few, wanted to have my dad throw Lina and her family out of our church completely.
My twin sister, Trinity, didn't tell the rest of the group that she agreed with me, or that she told our dad how Jesus would never kick anyone out of a church. She didn't, however, tell the rest of the youth group that. It was why she was giggling up a storm and playing cards with everyone, while Lina and I kept to ourselves.
It was okay. I always sort of felt like an outsider anyway. Lina and I were always away from the group, doing our own thing.
"They look done," Lina said, crouching down by the oven.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Tabatha! What's the ETA on the cookies?" Trinity shouted from across the room.
"One more minute!" I said.
The oven timer beeped. I put on oven mitts and took out the cookies. They had cute little images of pumpkins and bats on them. It felt so exciting to do real Halloween things. I almost felt like a normal human being for a minute there. Almost.
While the cookies were cooling, we all got changed into our costumes. Trinity was insistent that we do a twin costume. I told her to pick. I never should've done that. Guess what duo was now going as "cookies and milk?" And guess which twin got the cute chocolate-chip-cookie-patterned dress, and which one got the bulky milk carton costume?
I had to have Trinity help me out of the bathroom door. I could barely reach my arms out in this thing. Lina, in her cute ballerina outfit, was a ball of giggles when I walked into the youth room. My dad made the costume rules pretty strict: no demons, no devils, and absolutely, one-hundred-percent, without a question, no witches.
Everyone took pictures, then grabbed all our supplies and went upstairs. The parking lot was set. All the cars had their trunks open and decorated. The kids were pouring in. I stood behind the refreshment table with Trinity as she handed out cups of punch and cookies since my arms were basically useless.
Near the end of the night, right as the cars were closing their trunks and the last few kids were leaving, our mom came over to the table, speaking Korean with her best friend, Mrs. Choi.
"And here are my two girls!" she said to us. "Look at those costumes! Another DIY success!"
I could never tell my mom that I didn't like one of her costumes, so I smiled and nodded.
"Are you ready to go home? Dad will stay and clean up with the guys. You have school in the morning," our mom said.
"Oh shoot! I've still got my tablet charging downstairs in the youth room," I said.
"Well you better go get it before we leave without you," Trinity said.
"I'll be right back," I said.
I rushed back into the church, basically wadding in my milk costume. I went down the hall and reached the stairs to the basement. Everything was dark as I walked down the hallway. Stupid motion-lights. These things never work.
As I got closer to the youth room, I heard a humming. It was a familiar humming. A happy, cheerful tune. It was coming from the prop closet, of all places. It sounded just like Lina. What in the world could she be doing there?
"Lina?" I said. No answer. "Lina?"
I stepped into the prop closet and gasped. There was fake fruit everywhere.
Floating fake fruit.
At the center of the closet was Lina, who, with her back turned towards me, lifted her hands in the air and levitated the fake fruit around her.
But when I opened the door, Lina gasped as well. All the fruit clattered against the floor.
"Tabitha! Please, please don't say anything!" she said.
"L-Lina," I said, my voice shaking as I tried to find the words. "You can do that too?"