Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sara was totally fine with haunted houses. Clowns were fine, Slenderman was fine. Gore, murder, ghosts, all of that was fine. So when her friends invited (read: demanded) her to come to a haunted trail with them, she agreed.

“But what if there’s a real serial killer in the woods? He would blend in, no one would even think twice until actual corpses started piling up. Guys, I really don’t think this is a good idea.” Sara rolled her eyes at her friend’s outrageous imagination. Felicity had stopped a few paces away from the entrance to the halloween attraction.

“Felicity, relax. There’s no serial killer in the woods,” Laurel reassured her with a grin, placing a hand on her shoulder, urging her to move again.

“Yeah, besides, look at who you’re here with. Do you really think anyone is going to be able to lay a hand on you with us around? Come on,” Thea laughed, walking alongside Amaya as the group approached the ticket building.

“Okay, fair,” Felicity said before she stopped again, suddenly, a few feet away from the ticket line. The eerie music playing over the speakers that surrounded the building added to the mood of the night. Sara would never admit it out loud, but she was actually rather excited about this entire ordeal. “But what if--”

“Felicity!” Amaya and Sara said at once.

“Fine. I’m just saying, if we all get brutally and horrendously murdered, I tried to warn you all,” the blonde mumbled, her hands up slightly in surrender as she joined her friends in line.

The line was moving at a decent pace. There was a bite to the air but it was nothing boots and a few layers couldn’t tackle. Sara hugged her arms across her chest, retaining as much body heat as she could. She grinned to herself when she caught sight of Amaya wrapping her arms around Thea’s waist and pulling her back against her front. 

The two had met a few months ago on a vigilante excursion and it had been butterflies and fireworks ever since. Amaya rested her chin on the younger girl’s shoulder and whispered something into her ear that caused Thea to blush and giggle. Sara snorted. Until Amaya, Thea Queen did not giggle. That was a new thing and definitely a good one.

The sickeningly adorable couple had the right idea, though. Sara pondered for a moment before smirking and tugging Laurel closer by her wrist, successfully trapping her elder sister in a death-grip of a hug.

“Hey- Sara, what the hell?” Laurel said, clearly confused.

“It’s cold,” the blonde returned matter-of-factly. Her sister simply rolled her eyes and gave into the hug.

It wasn’t long until the group reached the front of the ticket line. They purchased their passes for the main trail which was about a mile and a half long and headed for the line. It was about 11PM and the park closed at midnight so the line was virtually non-existent.

By the time they reached the entrance for the trail, there were only about ten or so people in front of them. There was a movie playing to their right from a projector, it seemed to be telling a backstory for the trail they were about to enter.

Sara could sense Felicity’s nerves from three feet away. She glanced at her friend and saw her standing with her eyes wide and arms crossed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her breath left her parted lips in little puffs in the chilly night air.

“Felicity,” she said, smiling as Felicity’s eyes snapped to her face.

“What?” The girl replied, clearly on edge.

“Relax,” Sara laughed. “It’s just actors and fake blood. You’ll be fine. They can’t touch you and I’ll knock them out if they try, okay?”

“Right,” Felicity said shortly, not entirely convinced. She continued to bounce in place as a man with long hair and bloody face makeup stalked up behind her. He stopped beside her ear and Sara really should’ve said something but the malicious side of her kept her mouth closed. She caught Thea’s smirk out of the corner of her eye.

“Well what are you waiting for!?” The man yelled at Felicity’s right shoulder, his voice powerful and gruff. Felicity shrieked at a frequency Sara didn’t even know was possible and threw herself into Laurel’s body to her left. Laurel laughed as she wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders.

“What the frack, dude! Not cool!” Felicity muttered into Laurel’s shoulder, her voice slightly muffled by the material of the taller woman’s jacket.

“Yeah, yeah. Y’all comin’ or what?!” The man replied. He took their tickets and tore the stubs off, handing them back the bigger portions. “Now c’mon, I ain’t got all night.” He waved an arm exaggeratedly and sauntered off towards the opened barn door. The group followed after him.

The room was dimly illuminated in red. A fake body hung from the ceiling to the left, intestines spilling out. There was a young woman with blood on her face who appeared to be eating the insides of the corpse. 

The man went through the standard rules of the haunted trail. Don’t leave the trail, don’t smoke on the trail, don’t touch the props, don’t touch the actors, etc. before screaming at them to “get the hell out of my barn!” Felicity jumped, the others did not. They turned towards a door at the back of the room.

Felicity wedged herself in between the Lance sisters, burying her face in Sara’s arm and pinning Laurel to her other side, while Amaya and Thea took up the rear. The crew shuffled through the door and into pitch darkness. They were in some sort of corridor but there was no light to be found. Instead, they were left to feel their way along the black plywood walls.

Sara felt her eyes roll at the occasional thump of Felicity hitting her knee on a wall and the few times she had to catch the blonde from falling over a knot in the ground beneath their feet. The structure smelled of cedar and the air got cooler as they moved through the passage.

They approached a light, visible around a corner. As they rounded it, the woman who had been gnawing on the body jumped out and smacked her hand hard against the plywood beside her. Felicity squeaked and Sara felt her muscles tense but they kept moving. They entered a tunnel with plastic entrails hanging from the ceiling. As they moved, the tunnel began shifting around them suddenly. They all ducked at that and shimmied through. Felicity’s breath was ragged beside Sara as they walked out into the cool night air.

“Okay. That wasn’t so bad,” Felicity said quietly as they moved their way down the trail.

“See, told you,” Laurel said, nudging her shoulder with her own.

They came to a small water well on their right and a shed of some sort to their left. Sara felt her hairs stand on end as they reached the shed. It was no surprise to her when the door swung open and a girl with skeletal makeup walked out.

“Which one of you has come to see me?” She said, her voice strong.

“Not me, definitely not me, nope, nope, nope.” Felicity visibly shrunk between Sara and Laurel. 

“This one,” the girl said, pointing a large bone at Thea over Sara’s shoulder. “Let me see your hand,” she demanded, stalking around the three in front and stopping when she reached Thea. The youngest girl humored her, smirking and holding out her hand. The skeletor girl took it and dragged the bone down from the heel of her palm to the base of her fingers.

“Lucifer has plans for her. Watch her. She has secrets. By the end of the night you will all know what she hides.”

“Lucifer and I go way back, Honey. I’m not too worried!” Thea called over her shoulder as the group moved on, eliciting a light round of laughter from her friends.

A few yards further and they reached a red, wood building with the words “School House” painted on the front in white letters. “Oh god. No, please, kids freak me out, no, guys,” Felicity panicked, digging her heels into the dirt and trying to slow their pace.

“Felicity, chill, come on,” Sara laughed as she tugged her to the door of the building.

Laurel pulled on the handle and entered first. Sara immediately clocked the older woman to the right of the door as the one who would deliver the jump-scare and noted the two kids sitting at the desks. She was right, of course, and didn’t react when the woman slammed a ruler on a desk when they walked in. Felicity screeched and catapulted into Sara’s side at the sound.

“You’re late!” The woman screamed.

“Yeah, yeah, story of my life,” Sara drawled back.

As they passed the two children, they both bolted up and let loose shrill screams at the top of their lungs. They followed the group to the door and stood in the doorway chanting, “Tommy’s gonna get you” in sing-song voices as they walked deeper into the woods.

“Tommy, who’s Tommy, I don’t want to be gotten by Tommy! Guys,” Felicity whined.

Amaya and Thea snickered from behind. They wandered through some chicken wire fencing until they heard the sound of metal scraping against the wire. Sara saw Amaya shake her shoulders at the sound out of her periphery.

“You must be Tommy,” Laurel said to a faceless man in overalls to their right. He crept out of the shadows and began sliding his knife against the fence, walking unnervingly close to Amaya as they moved. She felt Thea tense behind her. They kept going.

They approached what looked like a hearse broken down on the right side of the road. Sara heard Amaya mutter, “On your left,” before a man well over six foot leapt from the bushes across from the hearse. That one actually managed to get Laurel as well as Felicity. Kudos, tall man.

“What are you doin’ in my cemetery?” His gravelly voice said. He held a machete in one hand as he towered over the girls.

“Absolutely nothing, just passing through,” Felicity squeaked as she tried to pull away from the man but was tugged back by the sisters on either side of her.

“Don’t you be disturbin’ the dead, now. They don’t like visitors…” He trailed off as they pressed on. They crossed under an iron archway that read “Cemetery”. The path was lined on either side by iron fencing. There were figures in the trees cloaked in black robes but none of them moved. They approached another archway ahead with two girls crouched low. They were wearing all black and had their faces painted black and white.

The two girls rose slowly from the ground and started circling the group. They began chanting in what sounded like a made-up language. “Salva dormun dai. Salva dormun dai. Salva dormun dai !” They wailed the last word at an ear-piercing volume that caused all five members of their party to flinch away. At the same time as the screaming, a person attached to a bungee cord to their right lunged out of a cave, growling and snarling, only to be pulled back in by the tension.

Felicity was practically a puddle on the ground by then. Sara pulled an arm back to punch the guy on reflex, kicking herself for not noticing him initially. She relaxed her arm a second later when she felt Thea’s hand on her elbow. They walked on.

They made it out of the cemetery and came up to a giant building entrance shaped like an angry clown face. Felicity froze.

“Wait, no. No, no, no, please, no! Guys, I can’t do clowns!”

“Felicity,” Sara said, wrapping the arm that wasn’t being squeezed by Felicity around the girl’s frozen form. “Breathe. They’re just ugly men with face paint. I promise they will not do anything to you.”

They slowly approached the clown head and one-by-one ducked through the clown’s open mouth. Laurel went first, then Sara. Felicity followed after Sara with her face pressed firmly into her back, dragging Thea behind her and holding the brunette’s arms around her waist for added protection. Amaya brought up the caboose with one hand gripping Thea’s right hip.

“Welcome!” A loud voice rang from above them. A clumsy clown leapt down from a landing a few feet off the ground. He landed in front of them. Before he could get out another word, another clown appeared from behind a broken down carousel and honked a horn in Laurel’s face. Sara fought the urge to shove the horn up his ass at that point. 

“Aye, what’s the rush, sweet cheeks? Don’t ya wanna stay and play a game?” The first clown called after them.

“Nah, Scroo Loose, I think they’re too excited to see Bloody Mary!” The other clown squealed back.

This time it was Sara who felt her blood run cold. She stopped in her tracks. “Did he just say--”

“Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary!!” The clowns giggled together. 

Sara was totally fine with haunted houses. Clowns were fine, Slenderman was fine. Gore, murder, ghosts, all of that was fine. What wasn’t fine by any standard, was Bloody Mary. 

Ever since she was a child, the legend of Bloody Mary had given Sara the creeps. There was no rational reasoning behind the fear. It was just there and she had never worked to resolve it. So when they reached the next scene of the trail, she began to feel her pulse rise and her forehead sweat.

“No. Fuck no! Not happening, I’m out!” Sara began panicking as they reached the open door of a small white building.

“Sara, you’re kidding right? It’s just a chick with some stage blood, chill out!” Laurel said from Felicity’s other side. Sara tried to stop but Thea pushed her forwards. 

“God dammit, Laurel, why the fuck did you say my name out loud?!” She stage-whispered as they entered the building. The short, narrow hallway was lined with broken mirrors. Sara was on edge. Sara was beyond on edge. Sara was freaking out.

“Saaarraaaaaa,” a ghostly voice sang out from somewhere in the room.

“Hell no, what the fuck!” Sara shrieked. They reached the end of the hall and the last mirror on the right when a resounding crash , bang sounded with a strained scream that made Sara leap into the sky. The mirror they were next to suddenly slid down the wall, revealing a bloodied blonde for a brief second, before rising quickly back up into place. Sara tried to bolt but Felicity kept a firm hold on her arm.

It was then that the lights went out. Sara reached behind her and grabbed the first hand she could find. The lights flickered on and off again.

“Saaaaaaaraaa…” the voice sang again. 

“Ow! Sara, you’re going to break my hand, let go,” Thea said, trying to pry her hand free from the blonde’s death grip. 

The lights flickered again. This time, Sara definitely saw movement. 

She spun around frantically. “Get me the hell out of--”

The lights flickered on and stayed on dimly. Suddenly there was a figure in front of her. She felt Felicity’s arm slip away from her and watched in horror as she skittered away with Laurel and the two headed for the exit. But Bloody Mary was standing directly in front of her, blocking her path.

“Fuck! ”

“Hello, Sara,” the voice drawled. The figure was just barely taller than her. Her long blonde hair was pulled partially out of her face. She wore a long, white gown that was soaked in stage blood. Her pale face was smeared in the sticky red mess as well. Dark makeup had been smudged around her big, blue eyes, creased slightly by the sneering grin she sported.

Sara barely noticed Amaya and Thea’s cackles from behind her. After a moment of calming her breathing, she started to regain some control. Her heart rate began to slow to a halfway human pace and her respirations returned to normal as she dragged her blood pressure back out of the clouds. It was then that she realized…

Bloody Mary was really cute.

“Oh,” she said upon the discovery. “Hello, there.” She plastered her signature Sara Lance grin in its place and straightened up a bit. She heard simultaneous declarations of “oh my god” and “you’ve got to be kidding me” from Thea and Amaya. She couldn’t care less. She had a game to play now.

Sara really couldn’t be bothered when the other two brushed by her and exited the building, even when she instinctively began slowly inching after them.

“Stay with me, Sara,” Bloody Mary said in her airy voice, dragging her hand lightly down Sara’s arm as she glided beside her.

“Absolutely…”

“Sara!” she heard from outside. She ignored it.

“Want to play a game, Sara?” the ghostly girl drummed her fingers on the mirror to their right.

“I mean, okay, sure, why not--”

“Sara, we’re moving,” Thea’s voice called from just outside the door.

“But I want to stay,” Sara pouted, never taking her eyes off Bloody Mary. “She’s so pretty, guys!”

“Sara, let’s go,” Amaya tried.

“Sara, don’t you want to stay with me?” the other girl husked, playfully flitting around her, gently running her fingers across Sara’s arms and shoulders. She knew the touching was definitely breaking the rules and could probably get the actress fired but who was she to complain?

“Sara Lance!!” Laurel snapped. Shit.

“Fucking hell. Fine! ” She called back, moving towards the door. “But I’m waiting for her outside the park exit and you can’t stop me!”

Bloody Mary gave her a toothy grin that was probably meant to be sinister but Sara saw the hint of a blush peeking out on her blood-smeared cheeks and couldn’t help but smile back. She threw a wink over her shoulder and wanted to keen like a kitten when she watched the other girl duck her head and look away.

The remainder of the trail was uneventful compared to Sara’s Bloody Mary encounter. Except, of course, watching Felicity shoot off like a rocket when the man with the chainsaw took off after her at the end. Sara chuckled along with the rest of the group as they walked away from the trail and met up with her, the panting blonde huddled by some hay bales acting as seats around a fire pit. 

“You never run from the chainsaw guy, Felicity,” Thea said with a grin, clapping her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Everyone knows that.”

“How do you not run from him, he has a chainsaw !” She pushed her glasses up her nose and straightened out her jacket.

“Okay, besides the chainsaw guy, did you have fun?” Laurel asked, as they made their way toward the concessions stand on the other side of the fire. Sara had only complained four times about being starving on the second half of the trail.

“I’m not sure that I’d call voluntarily scaring myself ‘fun’, but I suppose it wasn’t the worst,” Felicity replied, throwing up air quotes around the word fun as she did so.

“Well, I definitely enjoyed myself,” Sara said through a smile, feeding off the groans and eyerolls of her friends.

They stepped up to the counter, beginning their orders of corn dogs, chili cheese fries, and funnel cake. “Yeah, we know,” Thea said back in a mock-grossed-out voice after rattling off her order.

“You know, I’m honestly shocked you didn’t give her your number,” Amaya said, handing the kid at the counter her debit card and paying for their food. “Would’ve been very on brand for you.”

“No kidding,” Felicity added, taking the paper plate overflowing with bright yellow cheese sauce and fries from the window. 

Laurel swallowed a bite of corn dog as they turned toward the fire once more. “Please, don’t give her any ideas. I actually like this park and would love to not be banned because my sister is a creep.”

“I resent that,” Sara said, pulling off a bite of funnel cake and popping it between her teeth. “I’ll have you know, Bloody Mary was definitely returning that attraction. You guys didn’t see her blush when I called her pretty. She totally digs me.”

Thea snorted, “She digs you? What decade are we in?”

“Shut up,” the blonde bit back, poking her tongue out at her friend in jest. “Anyway, I’ll prove you all wrong when she meets me at the exit tonight. Just watch.” She tossed another piece of sugary confection into her mouth with determination

“I am not waiting outside in the cold with you, lunatic,” Laurel jostled Sara with her shoulder. “You’re on your own,” she laughed before taking another bite of her food.

“Yeah, you know, I think I’m with Laurel on this one,” Felicity said with a small smile, “I’ve had enough haunted things for a lifetime. I’ll just ride back with them instead, you have fun though!”

“You guys are no fun,” Sara grumbled.

The group just laughed as they finished their meals and chatted about their experiences on the trail. Laurel applauded Thea for howling along with the werewolves in the woods while Thea, for her part, got all sparkly-eyed recounting Amaya’s hiss back at the vampires. They all got a good chuckle remembering Sara’s attempt to scare Laurel in the miniature corn field only to be startled herself by an actor dressed rather convincingly as a scarecrow. 

Before long, they began making their way to the park exit and the parking lot. Sara didn’t get far, though, and parked herself on a stack of hay bales immediately upon crossing through the exit archway. 

The others stopped when they noticed she was no longer with them, turning around to find her perched on the make-shift seat, a smug look on her face.

“I would love to say I’m shocked that you were serious about this but, honestly, as your sister, it pains me to say that I am not at all surprised,” Laurel deadpanned with an exasperated sigh. 

Sara grinned. “You know me so well. You guys drive safe! I’ll text you the details later,” she replied with a wink.

She was met with a chorus of, “ew”, and ,”please, don’t”, and generally grossed out expressions before actually bidding her friends goodnight and seeing them off. Laurel called one, final, “make good choices!” over her shoulder before they disappeared into the rows of cars in the distance. 

“No promises!” She called back.

The blonde pulled out her phone and began scrolling through her various social media accounts. She did that for about ten minutes or so, laughing to herself at the occasional relatable TikTok video. She spared a glance at the time. The park had officially been closed for about fifteen minutes. She wondered how long she should sit and wait, as she started to notice a few actors filtering their way out of the park for the night. 

She waited a few more minutes before puffing out her cheeks and standing to her feet. Maybe it had all been in her head after all. She was just about to resign herself to that embarrassing fact when an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind her.

“Sara?” The voice asked. The blonde whirled around, her face lit up like a christmas tree, before deflating just a bit when her eyes landed on someone that was decidedly not Bloody Mary. The girl before her had no bloody makeup on, rather, she appeared to be just a ticketing employee with her t-shirt plastered with the attraction’s logo in big orange letters across the front. 

“That’s me, who’s asking?” Sara responded after looking the woman up and down briefly. The girl stuck out her hand with a plain, white envelope between her fingers. 

“Bloody Mary sends her regards and hopes you’ll forgive her for not making your appointment… whatever that means,” she smiled tight-lipped as Sara took the envelope. 

“Thanks…” Sara drawled with her brow furrowed. She flipped the envelope over in her hand as the woman walked away without another word. Once her eyes adjusted in the dim lighting of the park, she was able to make out her name on the front written in black sharpie. The handwriting was neat but not overly feminine and there were a few smudges of red stage blood where a hand would’ve rested on the paper while writing. Sara felt a huge smile spread across her face as she registered what she was holding. 

She wasted no time in opening the unsealed envelope flap and pulling out the contents: a voucher for one free admittance to the park any weekend of the season and a small folded piece of torn notebook paper. She tucked the ticket voucher safely back into the envelope before unfolding the other piece of paper. She squinted at the words written in the same, neat penmanship as her name on the front of the envelope. 

Same time next weekend? This one’s on me.

XO Bloody Mary

Sara stared at the words for longer than she probably should have, letting them sink in as she read them over and over until they became ingrained in her mind. Her smile grew larger as she realized what the note and ticket meant: Bloody Mary did want to see her again. So much so that she gave her a free pass to get into the park. She felt a thrill of triumph shoot through her veins as she stashed the note back into its envelope and resisted the urge to pump her fist into the air before turning on her heel and moving toward the parking lot.

She would definitely be returning next weekend and she could not wait.

Sara bounced on her toes as she approached the trail entrance the following Saturday. She had spent the last week preparing for her interaction with Bloody Mary again and she was honestly beginning to get a bit nervous which was not like her at all. She had quelled her own anxiety a few times about the legitimacy of the situation because these things didn’t just happen . It was like something you’d read in a book or see on TV but in real life it felt like a pipe dream. She had to look at the short note she’d received at the park exit on more than one occasion to remind herself that the events from the prior weekend weren’t just a fever dream.

“Let’s GO you rotten, good-for-nothin’ trespassers, before I throw you in with the pigs!” The brusque actor at the front of the line shouted, effectively yanking the blonde out of her musings. “Hey,” he grunted as she reached the front with the next group set to enter, “Ain't I seen you here before?”

Feeling some of her usual gusto return to her, she smirked and replied, “You more likely saw me in your nightmares last night. I just have one of those faces,” she finished off with a signature Sara Lance wink before following the rest of the group of strangers into the familiar shack at the beginning of the trail.

She listened to the rules again, not really paying attention this time around. She hung back by herself and away from the rest of the group, feeling a little odd about being there alone, but carried on anyway. At least there were plenty of other good haunts in the area in case she made a fool of herself by coming back and could never show her face there again. 

Sara could barely focus as they wound their way through the woods. This group was far more obnoxious and easily spooked than her friends were last weekend. They ran from the creepy lady in the hut, shrieked at the spirits in the cemetery, and squealed as they sprinted from the schoolhouse and were chased by Tommy and his prop knife.

The blonde felt her heart beat harder in her chest as they approached the giant clown head. She knew exactly what was on the other side of the clowns and it had her more nervous than anything else in the entire park. She barely noticed the big clown with the neon green hair shouting at her– Scroo Loose, she thought his name was– as she wove her way through the fun house. Once they exited and the little white building in the distance entered her field of vision, she steeled herself with a deep breath.

She heard the clowns shouting their chorus of “ Bloody Mary!” from behind her as well as their fit of giggles as she followed the others into the building. The familiar mirrors made her breathing pick up speed and she knew what was coming next. A girl at the front shrieked in terror as the last mirror slid down to reveal the screaming blonde who had haunted Sara’s dreams in the best way for the last week before it slammed back up into place with a loud crash .

The group shuddered in hushed adrenaline and exclamations of excitement as the lights went out. Sara’s senses ticked on high alert, feeling the hair prick at her neck as she tried to spot Bloody Mary in the thick darkness of the room. The lights flickered again and she saw the woman’s figure somewhere off to the right and near the front before it went dark once more. The people in that area gasped loudly and shuffled around behind each other to get away from the actor. The room was illuminated again for a second and this time Sara could’ve sworn she caught Bloody Mary’s eyes on hers.

She was proven correct when the lights turned dimly on for one final time and the woman was poised with her head lowered, scowling at the person right in front of Sara, but spared a lingering glance at the blonde before screaming in an ear-piercing tone, “ GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! ” 

Everyone around squealed and scrambled toward the exit, leaving Sara alone in the room with the actor as the last person skittered through the curtain into the outside world. The blonde hadn’t said a word yet, not wanting to ruin the rest of the group’s fun. But now, the blood-covered girl before her bore her piercing blue eyes directly into what was left of Sara’s soul and she couldn’t stop the chills that erupted across her skin at the attention.

“Hello, Sara,” Bloody Mary said, gliding over to where Sara stood in the middle of the room, her voice just above a whisper. She danced around her and let her fingers ghost across the expanse of Sara’s shoulders in a feather-light touch. “I’m glad you came back. I missed you,” she continued, never breaking character.

Sara, for her part, did her best to conceal the shiver that shot through her at the girl’s touch and the way her whispered name sounded in her voice. “Well, how could I not? You were just so polite in your offer, how could I refuse?”

Bloody Mary laughed, low and husky. Sara didn’t bother to hide her shiver that time.

“You were very kind in your words last time we spoke, it would’ve been rude of me not to return the favor, don’t you think?” The actress twirled from one side to the other, her words reaching each of Sara’s ears like a secret only meant for them.

“I’m glad you see it that way,” Sara said quietly, a bit entranced by the woman flitting around her, “I have to admit, I was afraid I’d imagined everything when you didn’t meet me after close.”

The girl hummed in thought, “I do apologize for that. I got tied up, underworld obligations and all, you know.” She paused and Sara heard the sound of footfalls approaching from the distance followed by the familiar sound of the clowns calling, “ Bloody Mary!”

The ghostly blonde moved to stand in front of Sara, meeting her gaze. Sara took the opportunity to really look at the other girl and try to gauge what she looked like beneath the stage makeup. Her eyes were big and sparkly, their irises a deep blue. Her perfectly chiseled cheekbones were framed by golden curls that fell loose from her half-up-do, shining even covered in stage blood under the dim lighting. The gown didn’t reveal much about her physique beneath but Sara could tell her arms were ripped beneath the thin fabric of the sleeves. Her eyes were drawn to a pair of perfectly pouty lips as the girl spoke again.

“You must go, others are coming. I look forward to seeing you again soon,” she said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth for just a second before she moved around Sara one last time, grazing her hand over her waist and steering her toward the exit.

“W- wait, but,” Sara stammered, “how will I know where to find you? This is the last weekend the haunt is open, I don’t even know your name!”

She spun to see Bloody Mary disappearing behind a curtain to the left of the mirrored hallway. The girl smiled, a sweet smile rather than a wicked one, and said in a normal voice, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Bye Sara.” Then she was gone.

By the time Sara made it back to her car, she was still reeling from her interaction with Bloody Mary. She had been given the mother of all mixed signals. There was no question that the girl had indeed been flirting with her and even said she wanted to see her again but had given her absolutely no way of doing so, not even her name. She had half a mind to stay and wait it out but didn’t want to seem desperate or creepy, waiting for a girl who might not even want to see her.

The blonde sighed and dug her hand into her pocket for her keys but froze when her fingers touched something unfamiliar. She pulled out another torn piece of notebook paper and her eyes blew wide. It was pitch dark where she stood in the grass parking area and she couldn’t see a thing aside from the shape of her name in big, familiar lettering on the front. She fumbled with her keys and yanked her driver’s side door open before frantically switching on the car’s overhead light. She quickly unfolded the paper, careful not to tear into it, and felt her heart flutter as she read.

I really hope I haven’t completely misread the situation. Sorry for not meeting up with you last weekend. Make it up to you?

XO Kara

At the bottom of the note was a phone number, scrawled in that same pretty handwriting Sara was beginning to love. Kara. Her name was Kara and Sara had never been more glad to have an illusion shattered before her eyes in her entire life. The blonde grinned bright as the sun before digging her phone out of her pocket and promptly unlocking it. She punched the provided phone number into her message app and typed out a quick text.

Sara: You definitely didn’t misread anything. Very sneaky, by the way, I’m impressed you managed to get that note into my pocket without me noticing.

She grinned to herself once more and dropped her phone into the cup holder before starting her car and pulling out of her space. Sara couldn’t help herself as she sang and danced to every song that Spotify played on the way home. She rode her high all the way to her townhouse and up the stairs to her room where she flopped heavily and happily onto her bed before pulling out her phone.

Sara practically floated off the mattress when she saw the little notification that she had a new message. 

Kara: Well that’s a relief. It would’ve been super awkward if I was in fact misreading things so good to know I wasn’t! 

The blonde quickly tapped out a response.

Sara: No, you definitely weren’t. How did the closing night go?

She sighed contentedly and set her phone down on the nightstand before going to the adjoining bathroom to wash her makeup off and brush her teeth. After she’d changed into a pair of cotton shorts and a loose muscle tank, she slid back into bed and checked her phone again.

Kara: It was good! There’s a wrap party going on right now. This season went surprisingly smoothly. I didn’t get punched this time lol

Just as Sara was typing a response, another message slid in.

Kara: Meeting you was definitely the highlight though, I have to admit. I get a lot of creeps, if you can believe it, but you were sweet. I still don’t understand why someone would hit on a girl covered in blood wearing a Victorian nightgown but in your case I can’t complain.

Sara laughed to herself. Soon they were in a steady stream of conversation.

Sara: So you’re telling me you don’t give your number to every girl who walks through and makes you blush? ;)

Kara: Darn, you caught me. I’m a floozy, what can I say?

Sara: Rewind though, did you say you’ve been punched?

Kara: Oh yeah, plenty of times! The people always get hauled out, of course, but it’s not uncommon. Like, I get the whole fight or flight thing but you’re literally paying us to scare you, you’d think if you know you have that bad of a fight response you’d think twice about coming through. But there’s always one!

Sara: That’s crazy! I fully agree because I have a pretty intense fight response but at least I can control myself and tell whether a threat is actually a threat or not. People are wild.

Sara: How’s the party?

Kara: Party was fun! I’m actually about to leave. I’m exhausted and my friend Winn got super drunk and passed out in my car, I’m going to take him home. I’m running back to the staff building to grab the last of my stuff before I leave. Here’s hoping I don’t fall asleep on the way home!

Sara: Ah yes, gotta love the DD life haha. Well, maybe I can keep you company on your drive? Keep you alert and all that. Can’t have you wrecking before I buy you dinner.

Kara: I’d like that. :)

Sara: The company or dinner?

Kara: Yes.

Kara: Call me so I don’t text and drive and that dinner can actually happen one day?

It would’ve taken a freight train to knock the smile off Sara’s face at that point. She took a deep, steadying breath before sitting up and pressing the call button on Kara’s contact. The line rang a few times before clicking and Kara’s voice sounded through the receiver.

“Hello?”

Sara smiled, containing her giddiness to whatever level she could manage. “Hey there, hot stuff.”

Kara laughed, “Well, hi.”

“Have you made it back to your car?” Sara asked, not really sure how to start the conversation now that she was actually talking to Kara, not just texting. Where was all that suave Sara Lance energy when she needed it?

“Not quite. I’m packing up and about to leave the dressing rooms. Thanks for calling, by the way. I’m notorious for driving while exhausted which is literally just as bad as driving drunk if not worse and I’m… rambling and I’m going to stop talking now.”

Sara chuckled. God Kara was adorable . “No, no, by all means ramble. I think it’s pretty cute.”

“I think you’re pretty cute,” Kara muttered before the line went quiet for a second. “And I just said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“You absolutely did,” Sara said, hearing her smirk in her own words as she spoke. “I think you’re pretty damn cute too, for the record. Even if I’ve only ever seen you masquerading as the thing from my childhood nightmares.”

“Oh, you’re right! Here, hold on,” Kara said excitedly and the line went quiet again for a moment before Sara’s phone buzzed against her cheek, indicating an incoming text. She checked the notification to see a photo from Kara.

She could hardly contain herself when she opened the photo to find that real-life Kara was just as gorgeous as Sara thought she was beneath all the stage makeup. She had sent her an impromptu selfie in the dressing room mirror, her face washed clean of makeup and hair damp from where she had rinsed the blood from the golden tresses. Strands fell around her face, her lips stretched in a dazzling smile, the blue of her irises shining even in the crappy fluorescent lighting. She was wrapped in a puffy gray jacket with what looked like makeup bags and a change of clothes tucked beneath the arm not holding the phone.

“Wow,” Sara breathed.

“I promise I don’t always look like a half-dead sea monster, but at least now you know what my face looks like when I’m not Bloody Mary,” Kara said quietly, bashfulness evident in her tone.

“If you think you look like a half-dead sea monster right now I’m not sure that I’ll be able to physically handle you when you think you look good,” Sara deadpanned, eliciting a laugh from Kara on the other end of the line. “Really, you’re seriously beautiful, Kara.”

“Thanks,” Kara replied quietly. “I think you’re pretty too.”

“Well, let me at least return the gesture since those flood lights on the trail don’t do anyone any favors,” Sara said, fluffing her hair a little before snapping a quick selfie and sending it to Kara.

She heard rustling in the background and the sound of a car door shutting before Kara spoke again. “Okay, yeah. Giving you my number was a good choice.”

Sara laughed and it sounded suspiciously similar to an honest to god giggle. “I think I agree with you on that one,” she replied earnestly. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. “So, what do you do for work when you aren’t scaring the shit out of people?”

It was Kara’s turn to laugh before answering, “I’m a news reporter for CatCo Worldwide Media.”

“Wow, not what I would’ve guessed but I’m into it,” she said. Sara heard the car start through the phone.

“What about you, what do you do?” Kara asked.

“Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that. Lots of freelance stuff. I mostly help my friend Thea run her nightclub, bartending and security, things like that. I also teach martial arts on the side during the summer.”

Kara gulped and Sara smirked just a little bit. She was right in thinking the martial arts comment would inspire some imagery in the other woman’s head. “Well, that’s impressive,” the girl managed to get out, recovering quickly.

“Thanks! I enjoy it a lot. You should come by the gym this summer and watch a class or two. Maybe I can teach you a few things,” Sara said grinning, imagining all the things she could teach Kara. She shook herself, not wanting to get too far ahead of the game. “So, how does a reporter get into haunt acting?”

“Coming by the gym sounds fun. I’m also very interested in this nightclub situation, we should revisit that,” Kara began before continuing, “as for the other question, I’ve always had a huge love for Halloween and all things spooky so when Winn told me about this job last year I just couldn’t say no.” Sara heard a turn signal clicking in the background. She absently picked up a piece of her hair and began twirling it around her fingers as she listened to Kara talk. “The pay isn’t terrible and I get to basically play dress-up and make money for it and I love getting into the characters I’m assigned. Ooh! They made me into this creepy Alice in Wonderland last year which was super fun. But, that was also when I got punched, so…” she trailed off.

Sara’s brow furrowed at the thought of anyone hurting Kara. She had known her for a total of seven days and she was already ready to hurl some strangers into outer space at the idea of someone laying a finger on the other woman. She was just so pure and innocent and sweet, she didn’t like the idea of some adrenalized douchebag clocking her in the jaw because he can’t control his hormonal rage in public.

“Seriously, remind me to teach you some self defense on one of our dates. No more face punches, your face is too pretty for that,” Sara said matter-of-factly.

Kara laughed and the sound brought a smile back to Sara’s face. “That’s the second time tonight that you’ve mentioned a date. I think you may have forgotten a very important step in this process, though.”

Sara blanched for a second. She internally panicked for half a second. Was she forgetting something? She’d flirted, gotten the girl’s number, exchanged plenty of pleasantries, made small talk… What was she missing?

When she didn’t reply Kara continued, “You haven’t actually asked me out yet.” Sara could hear the smile in her words, her voice a touch quieter, some nerves coming through the phone when she spoke. Sara thought it was downright adorable. Everything about Kara so far was adorable . 

Sara’s lips pulled back over her teeth in a grin. “You’re absolutely right, how rude of me. Kara?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to go on a date with me?” The blonde tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. She already knew the answer but the principle of the thing was still exciting nonetheless. 

Kara hummed happily through the phone, “I think I like you very much. I mean– shit. I meant, I think I’d like that very much. Oh my god.”

Sara laughed, imagining the pretty pink tinge that was undoubtedly staining the other woman’s fair cheeks and painting the tips of her ears. 

“Don’t worry, dinner’s on me since I keep putting my foot in my mouth anyway,” Kara grumbled.

“No ma’am, no way,” Sara retorted. “Keep your feet on the ground where they go ‘cause I’m buying you dinner and I won’t hear a single argument about it.”

“Okay,” Kara said quietly. “When is this dinner happening, then, hmm?”

“When are you free?” 

“I get off early on Friday, my boss is taking a long weekend to Milan for an international piece she’s working on so I just need to go in in the morning to make sure all her effects are in order for the trip and then I’ll be off the whole weekend and Monday,” she explained happily. “This basically never happens, it’s like a mini-vacation.”

Sara pondered this information before speaking, “How would you feel about an afternoon outing before dinner?”

“Ooh, what kind of outing?”

“The surprise kind,” Sara said, smirking. The wheels were already turning in her head and a plan was unfolding behind her eyes.

“I love surprises! I’m totally down. Just tell me where to meet you and what to wear and I’ll be there,” the other woman replied.

Sara smiled. “Perfect.” She loved that Kara was so excited for their date. It was cute and quite frankly very encouraging.

Kara sighed happily on the other end of the line. “Well, I just pulled up at my apartment. I better go so I have both hands free to drag Winn to the couch. Thank you so much for talking to me on my drive, it definitely helped keep me awake. I appreciate it a lot.”

“Any time, Bloody Mary. Any time,” Sara drawled charmingly, effectively drawing a laugh out of the other girl on the phone. “Really though, I enjoyed it. You’re easy to talk to and I liked getting to know you a little better. And I got a date out of it, so no complaints here!”

“You did, you sure did. And I’m extremely excited for that date. Friday?”

“Friday. Goodnight, Kara. Text me when you make it in safely?”

“Absolutely. Goodnight, Sara.” The line went dead with a soft click a few seconds later. Sara sighed and flopped back against her pillows. She already had ideas ricocheting around inside her head for their date on Friday and she couldn’t wait to actually spend time with Kara, out of character and off a phone.

One thing was for sure, though. She had definitely overcome her fear of Bloody Mary.