ᵒʳ ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ... ⁿᵒᵗ ˢᵒ ʰᵃᵖᵖʸ...
𝔖𝔬𝔫𝔤: 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔰 ℑ𝔰 ℌ𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔢𝔫 - ℑ𝔷𝔷𝔶 ℜ𝔢𝔦𝔤𝔫
Warnings: blood
♥♠♣♦ —— ☠ —— ♥♠♣♦
Y/N woke to the feeling of tiny paws on her shoulder, not so gently shaking her awake. She shot up from her bed, drenched in a sudden cold sweat, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to gather her thoughts. What was going on?
Grim snickered at Y/N's panicked face and leapt onto the bottom of her bed, swinging around the post. "You're in trouble~"
Y/N frowned. "What do you mean?" She glanced over at the clock. Midnight. Right on the dot. "It's midnight. I'm not late for class or anything."
Grim snickered and threw a crumpled-up ball of paper at her, snickering at her panicked face as she opened it. In a second, she threw off her covers and sprinted over to her closet, grabbing her costume from its hanger and rushing into the bathroom.
Be careful Y/N
Today is Halloween
The twenty-four-hour night has come
What will you get?
A sweet treat? Or a spooky treat?
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Y/N rushed from the dorm, nearly tripping over the ledge as she struggled to tie her hat properly around her chin. The silk ribbons were making it much more difficult as they kept slipping through her gloves, allowing the hat to nearly fall to the ground behind her more than once. She huffed as the hat fell for the third time and quickly spun around to scoop it up, plopping it down on her head. The boys would have to wait for a moment until she could get the blasted fabric tied.
Suddenly, a stick cracked and Y/N froze, her fingers still threaded through the loop around her chin. Slowly as she dared, she turned around, half expecting to see some monster running towards her, but instead, all she saw was a shadow standing beneath the willow. Still, this did nothing to settle her panic and she resumed tying the knot, her eyes remaining on the still figure all the while.
"H-hello," Y/N called out in a weak voice. A shiver snaked its way down her back and she shook violently, her arms instinctively coming up to wrap around her shoulders, trying to conserve what heat she could.
The wind swept the branches in front of the shadow, and as the wind settled, Y/N felt her panic increase when she realised that the figure had disappeared. Another shiver ran up her spine and she shivered again, stepping away from the door of the dorm.
As she went to take a step, she suddenly felt a gust of hot breath on the back of her neck and she let out a shriek, tumbling forward. Thankfully, whoever it was that had startled her quickly caught her, looping their arm around her waist and pulling her into their chest. Y/N gasped as her palms hit their chest, and as she looked up into the face of her saviour, she felt both overjoyed and terrified.
Before her stood Vil Schoenheit, dressed in his vampire costume. Y/N hadn't been surprised when he told her that he and the rest of Pomefiore would be dressing up as vampires for the celebration, as Y/N could easily classify vampires as some of the most beautiful monsters ever recorded.
"How quaint," Vil chuckled, reaching out and brushing aside Y/N's hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Out for a little walk, are we?" His hand trailed down the side of her cheek and Y/N instinctively flinched away. Maybe it was the redness of his eyes that seemed so out of place, or maybe it was the fangs protruding from his lips, even when they were shut. No matter what it was, there was something about Vil's costume that Y/N didn't quite like.
"Uh," Y/N suddenly forgot to speak as Vil lowered his lips to her chin, pressing them to the edge. Y/N flinched as she felt his tongue run across her skin, and her hands shot out of their own accord, grasping the back of Vil's tunic to keep her upright. She felt Vil chuckle against her skin and she let out a gasp as she felt his lips descend lower, gently caressing her throat until they found the spot where her heart had become lodged.
"To trick... or to treat..." Vil hummed, tracing Y/N's collarbone with his thumb. "What would you prefer dearest Y/N?"
"Uh..." Y/N was unsure of how to answer. Either one could be taken and twisted to however Vil wanted.
"How about this?"
Y/N let out a shout as she felt fangs sink into her throat, and she threw her head back, her eyes rolling back in her skull as she tried to block out the pain. She could almost feel the blood being sucked from the wound, flowing into her attacker's mouth and staining his already ruby-red lips with her blood.
"V-Vil," Y/N choked out. It hurt to speak.
Vil pulled away and licked his lips, staring at Y/N with wild eyes. "You taste..." he sighed, "delectable, darling." He smirked and leaned down, pressing a kiss to the wound. "My darling princess..." Before Y/N could answer, he had sunk his fangs into her neck again, his hold on her waist tightening as he held her close, both ensuring that she didn't tumble down the steps, and making sure that she remained close in his arms.
"How wonderful," Vil purred, finally pulling away from Y/N, though he still didn't release her. "Well, I am sorry to say that our time has come to an end... for now~" He tapped the underside of Y/N's chin and smirked at her stunned expression. "Be careful, little witch. Monsters lurk in the dark~" He spun her around in a circle, rattling her vision. When she eventually stopped she found herself...
♥♠♣♦ —— ☠ —— ♥♠♣♦
...tied up against the mast of a grand schooner. A rope bound her hands behind her, and more twine had been used to circle around her waist and torso, pulling her flush against the cold wood. Rain pelted down around her, making her flinch as it obscured her vision and struck her skin like tiny needles.
As she struggled to gather her bearings, she heard the distinct sound of a sword being drawn. She froze at the sound and pressed herself further against the wood as if it would conceal her from whoever was on the ship with her. She writhed in the rope as she heard footsteps approach. After the encounter with Vil, she didn't want to experience whatever else would happen on this twenty-four-hour night.
Suddenly, a glinting piece of metal emerged from the shadows and Y/N let out a small scream as she saw it aiming towards her. She craned her neck, trying to escape the deadly point, and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard it embed itself into the wood next to her head. Her chest heaved with worry and sweat started to form on her brow. Was the entire night going to be like this? First being forced to endure a painful bite from a vampire, and now being attacked with daggers that flew from the fog surrounding her.
A deep growl rumbled across the surface of the ship, creeping beneath the fog cover and slithering towards her trembling form. Her resolve and determination returned and she continued to struggle against the bonds, hoping that they would loosen enough for her to slip out, or at least move away from whatever lurked just out of sight.
"My, my, my," a deep voice hummed.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the deck of the ship and Y/N raised her eyes, wondering who it was. She could remember that Savanaclaw was the dorm that had chosen the pirate theme, but as the whispering wind and fog shrouded the voice, she couldn't remember who it was. It was as if the fog had slipped in through her ears, clouding her mind and enabling her unable to remember.
"What do we have here?" A dark chuckle followed the voice and Y/N started to hyperventilate. There was the familiar ring of metal slicing through the air, and even through the gloom on the deck, Y/N could see the flashing of a cutlass as the moonlight danced on the blade.
"A little fish, wriggling on a hook..."
Leona Kingscholar emerged from the fog, his sword trailing on the ground beside him as he slowly approached Y/N. Once he reached her, his hand shot out and cupped her cheek, forcefully digging his nails into her flesh.
"Let me go," Y/N shouted, wrenching her face away from Leona's hands. "What's wrong with all of you?"
"Wrong," Leona mused. "Nothing's wrong, little herbivore." He raised his sword, making Y/N flinch at the sharp edge, and brought it down, the tip scraping the mast while the sharp edge made quick work of Y/N's bonds. With a quick slice, the ropes fell away from Y/N, and she stumbled forward, unintentionally falling into Leona.
"I thought you said you wanted me to let you go," Leona mused. Y/N could feel the cool edge of the sword against her back and pressed closer to Leona, not wanting to be near the blade.
"I-I do..." Y/N breathed out. Her eyes were focused on the chains and rings that hung around Leona's neck, unable to look the pirate captain in the eye.
"Well then..." The sword was suddenly gone from her back and Leona pushed her away from him, though he quickly grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her over to the edge of the ship. Y/N's fear increased as she noticed the long wooden plank sticking off the edge of the ship.
"N-no, no," she muttered, trying to squirm away from Leona's grasp.
"You want out," Leona mused, his hot breath fanning the girl's ear. "Then this is your way out." He shoved her out onto the plank. Y/N stumbled, hardly able to steady herself before she tumbled straight off the edge.
"I-isn't there a better way," Y/N asked, glancing down into the waters below. Though the ship had been beached when she had toured the dorm, it was now out in the water, bobbing steadily as sharks swam in the water below, their teeth glinting in the moonlight.
"Nope." Leona let out a grunt and stomped on the end of the plank, making the wood shudder. With a scream ripping itself from her lips, Y/N slipped off the end of the plank, falling towards the water, but before she could...
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...Y/N landed on something firm and flinched as she wondered if her tailbone would be bruised from the impact. But that was the least of her problems as she felt cold arms wind around her waist, pulling her back against what felt like hard metal.
"Look what we have here," a sickeningly sweet voice cooed in her ear. The arm around her waist tightened as she tried to turn around, forcing her to remain straight, staring ahead into the darkness.
She quickly realised that she had fallen onto the horse. Though she would normally feel comforted by the presence of an animal, this horse incited nothing but fear. Y/N scrambled, trying to get off as she watched blood pour from an open wound on the horse's neck, and where the head should have been sat a large pumpkin, twisted during its growth to resemble a horse's head. She let out a blood-curdling scream as the horse turned back to face her, revealing two small glowing red eyes and sharp pieces of jagged metal that had been embedded into the part of the pumpkin where the mouth should have been.
"Shut up!"
Y/N's hair was grabbed from behind, and her head was wrenched to the side, exposing her neck to the cold night air. Her hands flailed as she tried to shoo away the hand that had grabbed her hair. Her hands found the cold gauntlet of her attacker, and she pulled on it, trying to wrench it away from her hair.
"I said shut up!"
Y/N obediently froze, though not for the reason the attacker intended. Though he thought she froze because she decided that it would be prudent for her to obey him, she froze because of the twisted appearance of the man. Or boy.
"Idia..." she breathed out, a worm of fear wriggling in her stomach.
The boy sitting behind her seemed to resemble the costume of the boy that she had grown close with over her months at Night Raven College, but it had been twisted and warped, just like the horse, she was currently riding. A pumpkin sat where Idia's head should have been, blue hair popping out the top as if it were a stem for the pumpkin, and just like the horse, two blood-red eyes stared at her, glowing in the night.
When Idia noticed that Y/N was staring at him, her mouth open in horror, he quickly turned her around to face in front of the two of them. Y/N hadn't even realised that the horse had come to a stop. Y/N glanced around. They were in a large arena with wooden bleachers on either side, though the bleachers lacked any life, save for the knights at the bottom, who were all wearing clothing similar to Idia's.
"Id-"
"Shut up," the boy hissed.
Y/N watched silently as Idia held out his hand. A large blue and black javelin appeared in his grip a second later. Fear started to swell in Y/N's chest as she turned to look down the length of the arena. A large wooden fence had been erected in the centre, and on the other side of the fence, at the other end, another knight sat astride a horse, a javelin in his hand.
"Wa-"
A horn blew, and Idia urged the horse into a gallop, running full tilt down the arena... towards his opponent. Y/N let out a scream of terror and tried to throw herself from the horse, but as the two knights neared each other, Idia tightened his grip around her waist. Just as the javelin was about to pierce her chest...
♥♠♣♦ —— ☠ —— ♥♠♣♦
... Y/N stumbled forward, the force of the horse still pushing her. As she ran, she tripped over what felt like a large rock and fell into a muddy puddle, grimacing as she felt the sticky substance cover her face. She pushed her torso up and spat out the mud, sticking her tongue out in distaste as she got to her feet.
"First I'm bitten, then I'm forced to walk the plank, and then I act as a shield for some crazy knight," Y/N hissed, wiping the mud off her as best she could. There was nothing "treat" about this night. The note had lied to her. None of the dorm heads was worried about treating her! Y/N raised her hand to her neck and sighed as she felt the gentle trickle of blood pouring from the open wound. After this crazy nightmare ended, Vil would be appalled that Y/N had a scar on her neck.
"Well, well, well," a voice hummed, making Y/N freeze.
"Not another one," she moaned, slowly turning to face the gloom of her new surroundings. The fog thinned, revealing that she was standing in what appeared to be an old graveyard and also revealing a shadow that was slowly coming nearer. Not wanting another encounter like the last three, Y/N quickly turned and fled, disappearing into the fog.
"Don't run," the voice called as Y/N turned a corner in a row of gravestones. She froze, watching as the shadow now stood in front of her again. She stepped back a few paces before turning and running off. She vaulted over another headstone and landed on the firm frozen ground on the other side. She looked up and froze when she saw the shadow walking towards her again, this time closer.
"Who are you," she shouted, backing up. She tripped over a grave, nearly falling onto her backside as she did, but managed to catch herself as she backed herself up into a tree.
"You know me, angelfish," the voice cooed.
"A-Azul?"
Suddenly, Y/N felt an inhuman force on her arms, pinning them back against the tree. Sure enough, Azul was standing in front of her with a malicious smirk.
"I was right," he hummed, gripping Y/N's chin. "You will make a fine mummy."
And before Y/N could say anything, Azul pulled her from the tree and led her over to a large hole in the ground. Y/N recognized it instantly. A grave that had yet to be filled.
"No, no, no," she muttered, fighting against Azul's hold on her neck.
Azul grunted as Y/N elbowed him in the gut and glared at her, grabbing her wrist with an iron grip. "I was going to be nice about it... but now..." With minor force, he pushed Y/N into the hole, smiling as her screams echoed in the dirt.
Y/N twisted in the air, her eyes when she saw the ground quickly approaching...
♥♠♣♦ —— ☠ —— ♥♠♣♦
... but her scream stopped when she felt herself fall onto something that was... not a cold dirt floor. She slowly opened her eyes and felt her blood drain from her face when she realised that two chilling arms were wrapped around her form, keeping her from crashing into the ground.
"Are you all right, darling?"
Y/N turned her head back and her face pale as she realised exactly who was holding her. Malleus Draconia was smiling down at her, his lips curled into a smile worthy of his name. She flinched as she felt his nails dig into her sides, reminding her she was still held in his arms. She quickly rolled out, managing to somewhat land on her feet as she crashed to the ground.
Malleus took a step towards her and Y/N held her hand up, backing up to the cold castle wall and pressing her back flush against the stone.
"N-no," she whispered, her voice failing her as she watched Malleus continue to approach her. She turned her head away, waiting for the feeling of his claws on her neck or the feeling of fire on her cheeks...
But instead, she felt nothing besides the gentle caress of cold fingers stroking her cheek.
"You fear me... Don't you?"
Y/N turned towards Malleus and slowly nodded. "Y-yes..."
Malleus sighed and retracted his hand from her, taking a step back. "You need not be frightened," Malleus whispered, stretching his arms to the side and smiling kindly at the girl.
Y/N hesitated for a moment before throwing herself into Malleus' arms, sobbing openly. Malleus held her tightly, gently stroking her hair and rubbing her back.
The clock suddenly struck, and Malleus pushed Y/N away as his body started to convulse. Y/N cupped her hands around her mouth as she watched Malleus fall to the ground, his body shaking as two wings emerged from his back, accompanied by a long sweeping tail.
"Y-Y/N," Malleus shouted, "Run!" He gritted his teeth and let out a painful roar as claws started to sprout from his hands, scales erupting on his body and shredding his clothing. "Run!"
Y/N wasted no time in obeying. She turned and...
♥♠♣♦ —— ☠ —— ♥♠♣♦
...emerged into what appeared to be an ancient forest. She turned back to run back into the castle even if it meant having to face Malleus. She had endured enough of the fog that slipped through the trees, but as she turned back, she realised that the castle had disappeared into nothingness, leaving only a small stone well in its place.
Not wanting to venture deeper into the woods, Y/N approached the well, her fingers skimming along the edge as she peered into the depths. There was nothing but black darkness that swelled towards her, leaving a terrible shiver in her spine as she backed away from the edge of the stone. Hopefully, no one would...
"Oh, Y/N~" A howl echoed through the woods, and Y/N froze. She heard the crack of a branch in the woods behind her and a shiver snaked up her spine. As she turned towards the woods, a large shadow suddenly bounded towards her, knocking her back away from the well and onto the floor of the meadow.
"K-Kalim?!"
The boy snickered as he stared down at Y/N's frightened face. A few strands of her h/c tresses had been thrown across her face, and he leaned down, licking them away from her face, and pulling back to grin at her stunned expression.
"How cute," he giggled, releasing her wrists and sitting back on his legs. Y/N looked away from him, uncomfortable with how he was unknowingly straddling her.
"K-Kalim..." she muttered, "C-could you... get off?"
Kalim leaned down and sniffed her neck, pulling back and howling once more as he smelled her human blood pumping through her veins. On the night of monsters and ghosts, goblins and ghouls, his senses had been heightened... as had his desire to turn a human.
"Y/N," Kalim cooed, gripping her chin and forcing her to look into his deep red eyes. "I'm gonna turn you into a wolf~" His eyes were wide and wild, and as his mouth opened to bite her, Y/N managed to gather her strength and threw him off, rising to her feet and running into the woods. She could only hope that she would be able to escape him before he injected her with the werewolf venom.
"Oh, Y/N," Kalim called as he entered the woods, standing near the edge. "I know you're hiding in there~"
Y/N tried not to whimper in fear and threw her hands over her head, cowering in the shadow of a large bush. She listened through the sound of her pounding heart, waiting for the sound of Kalim taking a step. Waiting for the sound of him entering the woods, sniffing for her human scent among the brambles and berries
"Boo."
Y/N screamed bloody murder and shot up from her spot by the tree, running as fast as her legs could carry her into the woods beyond. Suddenly, a root seemed to poke up from the ground, and her foot caught in it, sending her falling...
♥♠♣♦ —— ☠ —— ♥♠♣♦
... and stumbling into a large stone archway into what appeared to be another graveyard. It wasn't unsimilar to the one she had found Azul lurking in earlier in the night, though there was a different feel to it. True, it had the same wrought iron fencing and the same twisted trees that seemed to scream at her as she passed beneath her branches silently. But instead of feeling as though the undead were going to rise from their graves at any moment, this one felt as though people were simply resting for eternity beneath her feet.
The gentle clacking of wood being swept about by the wind startled Y/N, and she froze, leaning against the stone arch of the cemetery, staring into the mist and clouds that shrouded her vision. The sound rattled to her right, drawing her attention, and then to her left, pulling her attention to the other side of the graveyard. And then it came from behind her, rattling like two drumsticks hitting each other before a song.
"Y/N~ My darling princess~"
Y/N snapped out of her stupor and ran from the arch as she felt the chill of fingers ghosting on her back. She scrambled away from the entrance of the graveyard, running headlong into the haze. She had endured just about enough of this.
Feeling exhaustion creeping over her body, she threw herself against a large tree, her nails digging into the bark as she tried to remain on her feet. Back and forth... back and forth... she had been tossed to and fro as if she were nothing more than a leaf in the wind.
"Dear Y/N," a voice hummed. Y/N froze as she felt a gentle hand on her back and went running, though she was quickly pulled back.
"There's no need to run, my rose."
Fearfully, Y/N turned to look behind her and felt a sense of relief as she noticed Riddle standing behind her. He wasn't wearing his hat and veil, which had been set on the ground beside him, and he seemed perfectly sane. Y/N flew into his arms, clinging to his chest as he slowly lowered them to the ground, holding her tight against him.
"Riddle," Y/N sobbed. Her hand shakily crawled up his body, searching frantically for the warmth that he offered.
"Shh," Riddle hushed, holding Y/N close, "It's okay. You're okay." But Y/N didn't see his malicious grin as he stared into the fog above her head, watching as the other Heartslabyul students slowly approached, their skeletons glowing in the ethereal Halloween night.
Suddenly, Y/N was grabbed from behind and ripped away from Riddle, thrown back and forth between the Heartslabyul students until one pushed her towards a hole in a tree...
♥♠♣♦ —— ☠ —— ♥♠♣♦
... and she fell back into her bed, once more dressed in her nightclothes, staring up at the ceiling above. She could still feel her heart pounding in her chest as she relived the experiences of the night.
Her chest heaved as she tried to clear her mind of everything that had happened. Tears slowly crept towards her eyes, pooling over and spilling as she cupped her hands to her face. Her body was wracked with sobs, and she turned over, shutting off the night light and snuggling under the covers, trying to ignore the burning sensation in her eyes.
Grim, who had been sleeping the entire time, rolled over and moved closer to Y/N, eager for warmth. Y/N gladly snuggled with the little tanuki, her nose nuzzling into his fur as she tried to focus on the gentle caress of his fire on her cheeks.
And as she was falling asleep, she could have sworn that she heard the door to her room creaking open and seven voices whispering into the darkness...
"You're ours now, darling princess~"
A/N: This is the last update for the Halloween Special (for this book)! I hope you all enjoyed the spooky stories. I'm thinking of doing one for Christmas because that's the winter holiday that I celebrate, and if you are interested in that, please comment!