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Luz hammered up the final piece of the sign over the front door. "Hurry, gang! They'll be back any minute!"
Gus and Willow tugged on the fake spiderweb to elongate it. There was a comical amount, most of it already hanging from the ceiling, in the corners of the living room, or winding up the wooden rail of the stairs.
"We're about done over her, Luz." he shouted.
She smiled. "Great! Amity, Hunter, how's it going?"
Amity beamed over her finishing touches. A big glass bowl brimming with candy corn, plastic cups filled with a rainbow of punches, and a dozen tiny decorative spiders sculpted from abomination goop littered the kitchen table.
"I nailed it!"
Hunter fiddled with an extension cord, holding the end of a string of purple and orange lights in his teeth. "Why did I get put on lighting duty? I hate untangling things."
Luz hopped off the step ladder. "Do you need a hand?"
He scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'll have you know that I'm an expert."
"An expert at what, exactly?"
He clamped the plugs together. The house came to life with a dazzling yet spooky array of lights. He shoved her playfully.
"Everything."
Amity laughed loudly as she stepped into the room. He glared.
Eda swiftly galloped down the stairs, carrying King under one arm and a toolbox under the other. She dropped both of them on the couch and dusted off her hands. She took a look around and gave a prideful nod.
"We got the music on standby, you little party planner. And dang kids! You rocked it!"
Luz admired everyone's work, too. She pulled the pencil out from behind her ear, found the clipboard on the coffee table, and checked off all of the final boxes. She grinned even wider.
" Woohoo ! Go team! Thank you all so much for helping me."
King flicked his hand dismissively. "You would have tried to do it all by yourself if we didn't, and that would have been sad to watch."
"You bribed me into helping," added Hunter, trying to hide the smile on his face. "I'll collect it later."
Willow pat her shoulder. "Of course we helped, Luz! It was really sweet of you to plan all of this."
Amity's hand filled Luz's. "Anything for my awesome girlfriend."
"I had a blast," finished Gus. "I can't wait for the party!"
Luz wiggled with delight, much like a bee. "It's going to be so great! I couldn't have done it with you all. I was starting to worry that we weren't going to finish in time."
"Actually," Eda said, pulling back the curtain enough to peek outside, "not a moment too soon. They're here."
Luz quickly tossed her things into the toolbox and hid them in the corner. She rushed to the door. "Places, everyone!" She flicked off the lights and slid outside, leaving everyone to hide.
Lilith was walking back along the path. Hooty dangled over her shoulder, stretching out from the birdhouse on her back. While she listened to him ramble, she watched her niece closely. Luz gave a thumbs up. She nodded.
Their conversation bled into earshot. "And that's why I never became a politician. As for a singer, I did have a few–"
"Hootsifer," Lilith interrupted, "I'm afraid our little walk has come to an end."
He went limp and slowly expanded down her shoulder and onto the ground. He looked back up at her somberly. "Oh. Okay. Will I see you next week?"
She patted his back. Back? Side? Feathers. She patted his feathers.
"I didn't say I was leaving quite yet. Look."
He looked at Luz quizzically. She stood under a sign, or rather a spruced up collection of boards, that read 'Haunted (Owl) House ' in big, green, drippy letters. She looked excited.
"What's all this then? Did we get infested with ghosts again?"
"Teacher," Lilith asked in mock confusion, "is there something you want to share with us?"
Luz resisted giggling. "There is. Hooty, I have a surprise for you!"
His face turned to fear. "Am I being evicted?!"
She blinked. "What? No! Hooty, it's a nice surprise."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Go on."
"You've been bummed out all week while I was off doing Halloween stuff with my friends, and Eda was off with Raine. We've all been doing our own things and you kind of got left behind at home. Well, I finally figured out how you can celebrate with us: We made you a Halloween costume."
He gasped. "What? How? Where?"
She ripped the door open with a dramatic flare. She hit the light, illuminating the whole place and showing off all of the moody decorations. He practically dragged Lilith along with him as he zipped inside and gazed around in awestruck wonder. Everyone leaped out from behind furniture and through doorways. They collectively screamed:
"Surprise!"
He gawked at the magnitude of the moment, making increasingly emotional noises. "Hoot? Hooooooot! HOOOOOT ?!"
"Hooty," Luz explained, "you are a haunted house this year!"
He screeched in overwhelming joy. He extended through the room, looping around everyone in a net like pattern. Once they figured out what he was doing, it was too late. He constricted, dragging them all to the center of the room in a massive, feathery hug. They couldn't escape it if they wanted to, and most of them wanted to.
"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done in the history of ever!"
"Hooty," Lilith choked out, "too tight."
He relinquished his hold. Willow casually held Amity and Hunter back from thrashing him. Lilith took off the backpack and held it out at arms length.
"You want to try it on?"
He gleefully screeched again. She brought him to the hole in the door and he filled it. His eyes sparkled. He quickly began exploring the space, leaving no detail unnoticed. Eda subtly pulled a remote from her pocket and clicked a button. The house suddenly filled with a spooky ambience.
He rolled around on the floor, sobbing tears of joy. "I feel so loved!"
Luz squatted next to him. "Happy Halloween, Hooty."
He sniffled. "Happy Halloween, friends!"