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"Well. Are you sure this is a good idea?" a brown-haired boy with a dark-rimmed glasses swallowed nervously at the sight of a mansion and its connected lawn.
His companions shrugged beside him, undeterred by the fact that they're standing at the front gate of the house of a foreign diplomat. One of them, the only female member of the gang, nudged the one with a nest of golden curls who seemed to be lost in thoughts.
"Absolutely!" The boy exclaimed in response. "He should be out any minute now."
"Adam," another boy spoke, cocking his chin at the direction of the house. "That boy?"
All four of them turned immediately to the approaching boy. He was thin and pale, with chin-length dark hair and fringes that covered half of his face. Everything about him screamed status and wealth, which the group of youngsters did not care about. They simply waved excitedly at the boy.
"Warlock!" Adam shouted first and the rest of the gang followed suit.
"How do you know my name?" Warlock seemed taken back by the situation, stopping mid-track.
"I was told that we might have been exchanged after our birth," Adam explained. Plain and simple, he made it sound like. Warlock still seemed unsure, but no more explanation came. He stepped closer to the other children anyway.
"Meet the Them," Adam gestured enthusiastically. "Pepper, Brian, Wensleydale, and I'm Adam."
"The Them?" Warlock frowned, clueless.
"Well, we can start telling you stories about how we met, but it would take ages and that's a complete misuse of the Halloween!" The girl growled, impatient with the situation. "I told you it's a stupid idea, Adam. Meeting the son of a man who made a woman uproot her whole life for his career? Have you lost your mind?"
"What is this about?" Warlock huffed, offended by Pepper’s comment.
"Halloween, you popcorn head!" Pepper flapped her hands around as she spoke.
"Pep! How am I supposed to eat popcorn anymore!" Brian complained.
"Good! You shouldn't eat that much ice cream either!" She yelled back.
"What about Halloween?" Warlock joined in the yelling. "I hate it! I have to dress in silly costumes for the photo-opts."
"You won't hate it if you get to spend it with us!" Wensleydale suggested.
"We spend the night around a bonfire and tell ghost stories to each other," Brian explained, puffing his chest out proudly. "You have to come prepared with good spooky stories, of course."
"You don't have to. I just thought it might be nice to meet you and probably spend some time together," Adam interjected, seeing the hesitation on Warlock's face. "Given how our lives once crossed."
"It'd be hell of a fun night," Pepper added, staring straight into Warlock's emerald eyes challengingly. "Unless you are too afraid to join."
"I'd totally join! I was trained well. All my bedtime stories were ghost stories," Warlock shared proudly, remembering the terrifying lullabies of his childhood. "Big spooky fan, me!"
"Good," Pepper grinned, wide.