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Halloween would burst into the streets of Paris in exactly two months, but between now and then, school would be coming back into steam. Because of that, the block Marinette lived in had what the folks here liked to call the Pre-Halloween Ball.
And, sure, OK, when thinking about it, it was a bit odd to already be bemoaning how far they were from a holiday when it was still summer break, but Marinette saw people complaining how long it’d take till Christmas on December 26th. Besides, she was a school student. School students had a free pass to complain about calendar placements all they wanted.
She always went to the ball with her maman and Sebastian, proudly swaying in her hand-made costume for the occasion—and it was always great! But… she couldn’t deny that the three friends she now had were the main reason she was especially excited for this year’s ball.
They all got so excited when she explained what pre-Halloween was—even Félix!—and immediately started making plans for the party and asking bazillions of questions Marinette answered to the best of her abilities.
After a quick look in the mirror to make sure her hair was well kept—it was tied in a half-updo with the lower half streaming over her shoulders and back—she grabbed her humbly-embellished basket—chosen as a substitute for her usual purse—and made her way to the first floor.
Down in the family restaurant, her maman was already in easy conversation with Alina and Flora—Félix probably opted to wait outside to avoid small talk. Marinette covered a smirk with her hand at the girl’s spotted jumpsuit, curly hair tied into low pigtails, that matched with Flora’s black outfit and cat ears.
“Hi, Marinette!” Flora was the first one to notice her approaching.
“Hey, Mar.” Alina raised her palm in greeting then eyed her outfit. “Looking good. Who are you dressed as?”
“No one in particular.” Marinette twirled in place, grinning as she swayed her light blue skirt; the pink flowers at the hens seemed to bloom and close with the movement. “Just kinda went with ‘fairy tale princess look’ and tried to see what I could do.”
“And you did fantastic,” her maman said, grinning as she put her hands on Marinette’s shoulders. “Now shoo.” She startled the girl by pushing her to the door, nudging Alina and Flora to it too in the way. “I have plans for tonight.”
Ice flowed through Marinette’s bloodstream as she could see what was about to come. As fast as she could, she grabbed Alina’s and Flora’s wrists.
“Hey!” Alina tried to resist as Flora eeped. “What’s this about?”
“Quick! Before–”
“Oh?” Sebastian’s voice piped up as a door squeaked open. “Am I in on these plans?”
“Well,” Maman drawled.
Marinette clasped her friends’ hands with renewed force and dragged them through the front door, slamming it shut when she made it to the open air. Safe and sound from flirting parents.
“Uuuhhhh–” Alina said intelligently, a hand pointing at the restaurant’s door as she bent over her knees.
“Nope.” Marinette raised a palm. “We’re not mentioning that. Ever again.”
“Oh? Right at the evening’s start, you have already brought this place apart?”
Marinette raised her head to glance at Félix, who was dressed in warm garments that flowed lightly from his figure, a lyre strapped to his back.
“You’re a bard?” she asked.
He grinned and bowed.
“At your services, maiden from these premises.” He straightened up and took a step forwards, hand over his chest. “Please be our guide through unknown lanes, and I shall be your guard from a torturous quietude.”
Marinette’s head played the windows error screen.
A groan snapped the blue screen out and she snapped her head to the groaning Alina.
“Are you really gonna keep this up all night?”
“I don’t understand.” Félix cocked his head. “Isn’t this the stance in which you stood? When you put a night-long gamble upon this humble poet?”
“And I repent that decision.” She threw her hand dramatically in the air. “For it’ll bring to me my– my–” She faltered. “–funerary… incision?”
Félix stared disbelievingly at Alina, and with his usual tone of voice: “What?”
“Shut up.” Alina pushed past him and linked her elbow with Marinette’s. “C’mon, Mar, lead the way.”
~•~
~•~
During Halloween, pumpkin lanterns beamed their sharp smiles throughout the streets, where kids dressed up as somebody or something else would trek through in search of tricks and treats. In Pre-Halloween, watermelons with teeth just as cutting as their pumpkins’ relatives gathered in a clearing past the 13th street.
Pitch-black bats hang upside down from the treetops and glow-in-the-dark ghosts were strung above their heads. Honeyed apples and other sweets were distributed all around the park. Electro music with static as if the very sound of this place was haunted followed them everywhere. And, of course, all of the dressed folk waltzing around this small Halloween gathering.
Marinette bounced from sheer ecstasy and stepped ahead, twirling back to her friends with a flourish of her hand.
“Welcome to the Pre-Halloween Ball!”
Flora walked in, barely containing the bounce in her steps as she snapped her head from left to right to take everything in. Alina came in at a much slower pace, keeping close to Marinette and Félix.
“Nice,” she said as she glanced around with stars in her eyes. “How did I never hear of this?”
“This place is surprisingly secluded,” Félix noted, looking back at the trees behind them.
“Yeah.” Marinette chuckled. “Almost like a secret party, right?”
“I love it. So freaking much. I–” She glanced around. “Where’s my partner? Uh… hold on, I need to find a cat,” she said as she took steps back then turned to take off into the party. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
Marinette wished good luck to her retreating form then turned to face Félix.
“So…”
“Well.”
She cleared her throat, straightening her back up before taking a deep bow. “I noticed you’re not from around here, dear bard. Would you like a guide to show the way? Or are you willing to venture alone on these highways?”
Félix blinked. Then grinned, taking a similar stance to Marinette.
“When aid is offered in such a way, and in the form of this lovely maiden, no less, how can I oppose thy offer?”
Marinette giggled on her palm. “Shall we go then? But, uhm… I don’t think I can keep up with you for much longer.”
“No worries. And truth be told, I only really know what I’m saying half the time.”
~•~
Although it was called a ball, this Pre-Halloween was more of a themed festival, really; with stands holding all sorts of games to win prizes, and distributing—or selling—food and trinkets. Everything matching to the theme of an early Halloween celebration.
Her favorite stops were the crafting stands; where watermelons waited to be sculpted, mannequins to be dressed up, and cupcakes to be decorated. She told this to Félix, and he was more than glad to accompany her.
“What’s these lanterns’ names?” he asked, suddenly, when they were in the Dress the Monster stand.
Marinette made a questioning sound, not turning away from her witch in the process of getting a Frankenstein makeup.
“The watermelons.” He gestured to a nearby watermelon lantern. “If the pumpkins are Jack O’Lanterns, who are these?”
“Josh,” Marinette said, painting a nail on her witch. “Jane? John! Uuuuhhhh– Walter.”
Félix hummed, tapping his chin, then grinned. “Sally.”
Marinette almost smudged the witch’s makeup when she giggled.
“Don’t know about it, though,” Marinette said, smile still in place although she winced a bit. “I always saw the watermelons as the pumpkins’ cousins, so–”
“Pumpkins… and watermelons…”
“They’re both fruits! And from all I know, they could be closely related. Also, I was eight when I said that, and it was when I saw the Mark O’Lanterns for the first time, so don’t come at Marinette from now for kid-Marinette’s connections.”
Félix snorted. “Mark?”
“Rhymes with Jack.”
He nodded, turning back to his monster mannequin.
Marinette glanced at it from the corner of her eye.
“What’re you doing?”
“Rotting this zombie even more.” He slightly turned the mannequin to her. What once was a healthy-looking zombie—for zombie standards—now resembled a decayed corpse—even for zombie standards. “You?”
“Frankensteining this witch.” She proudly turned her masterpiece-in-progress to Félix.
“Nice.”
Once done “embellishing” some of Halloween’s classic monsters, they moved to the cupcake stand. Félix didn’t really care for the sweet, he had said, he didn’t like frosting or anything that could mess his mouth or hands—but he still wanted to decorate the cupcakes, so he asked if she’d eat them.
“We can leave them there for someone else to take.” Marinette gestured to the spooky cupcakes display by the frosting stand.
She also didn’t usually eat the party’s cupcakes, but more because the tasteless dough became a taste amalgamation with no rhyme or reason once anyone was done with decorating.
“What now?” Félix asked after they each got a honeyed apple instead of the excuse of a cupcake.
Marinette shrugged. “Wander around? I usually just peoplewatch, but if you want to try some other games–”
“No, peoplewatching sounds good,” he said, scrunching his nose at the Guess What’s in the Box challenge and the kids throwing a ball full of ‘intestines’ to each other in the hopes it wouldn’t pop on them.
“Alright.” Marinette giggled. “C’mon, I know the perfect spot.”
It hadn’t registered till she had to release it to clasp the hems of her skirt on her waistband that she had grabbed his hand; she did her best to act natural though, focusing on climbing the tree behind the haunted cabin so that he wouldn’t see her red face.
“Wow,” he said breathily—from awe and exertion—as he propped himself on a branch, a hand on the tree trunk.
Marinette stepped to the cabin’s roof, waving him over as she tip-toed over the ridge to the chimney, where she sat by, resting her back against it.
Soon, Félix had also settled by her side, holding something in his hand.
“Did you snatch one of the bats?” Marinette snickered, flickering her eyes to the tree with bats hanging from it.
“It was loose! About to fall off. I saved it.”
“Uhum.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but turned to gaze at the dancing floor just a few feet away from the cabin. “Is that Flora?” She pointed to a Chat Noir in the crowd. “No, wait– that person’s brunette. Hmm. Where–”
“Right here.” Félix pulled out the stringed bat and lowered it over the cabin’s window, where a familiar phone was pointed to the view.
He immediately pulled it back at Alina’s surprised yelp, covering his mouth as shouts about a vampire invasion were thrown out the window.
“That was mean.” Marinette lightly pushed his shoulder, muffling her own giggles with her other hand.
“It’s the trickery season. I’m allowed some fun.”
“It’s the pre-trickery season, you’re not allowed anything.”
They couldn’t contain the new burst of laughter.
“Who’s up there?” was shouted out that same window.
“Dog!” Félix shouted, then dropped onto his back as cackles streamed out of him.
“What–” Marinette choked on her own laughter, holding her stinging side. “What the heck was that?”
“I don’t know.” He covered his face, shoulders still jerking from the mirth. “The pre-Halloween spirit?”
Marinette shook her head, tsking. “The curse of Mark O’Lantern.”
Félix bit his lip, which threatened to tear into a grin.
Marinette sighed contentedly and pulled her basket to her lap, taking out the honeyed apples they had put away to climb the tree. Félix sat up, happily accepting the treat.