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“Look what I’ve got!” Brett announces with a flourish as he pulls a dusty Ouija board from the attic's shadows.
“No way! You actually found it!” Mason exclaims, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Seriously, Mason? You still have that creepy thing after everything we’ve experienced?” Liam retorts, amusement flickering in Theo’s gaze.
“Are you scared of a board with letters on it, little wolf?” Theo jibes, leaning in closer with a teasing smirk.
“Of course not! It’s just a silly game,” Liam defends himself, but his tone is shaky. “But after all we’ve faced, do you really want to risk summoning a malevolent spirit in Beacon Hills?”
“Guys! We absolutely have to play, especially since Liam’s scared,” Alec proclaims, his voice booming.
“I am not scared!” Liam insists, clenching his jaw as he catches Theo and Alec exchanging a celebratory high-five from the corner of his vision.
“Come on, man. It’s Theo’s first real Halloween in ages; don’t ruin it for him,” Brett urges, and Liam begrudgingly relents.
“Alright, everyone move to the living room,” Alec commands. “No, wait—let’s go to the basement.”
Liam watches as the group streams out of the cramped attic, the sound of their footsteps echoing on the stairs.
“It’s okay, we’ll help you with the big words,” Mason jokes, eliciting a glare from Liam.
“Not funny.”
“Maybe the board will have something to say about you and Theo,” Mason teases. “Perhaps it’ll tell you to toughen up—”
“Shut it, or Theo will hear you,” Liam mutters, while Mason’s grin widens. “And seriously, Mason, I don’t care what you say about me and Theo being soulmates. He doesn’t even like me like that, but if you make that ridiculous board say something, I’ll spill the beans about that incident at summer camp.”
“Liam, Corey already knows,” Mason whispers, laughing as he bounds down the stairs.
Liam sighs in exasperation. Stupid Mason. Stupid Ouija board.
***
The basement walls are lined with cobwebs that sway in the draft, and the single bull overhead casts a jaundiced glow. Someone-probably Alec-had draped orange fairy lights along the ceiling, their intermittent flicker doing little to soften the room's eerie edge.
The Quija board sits ominously in the centre of their circle, its letters gleaming under the dim light.
"Rules first," Corey says, uncharacteristically stern. "Don't joke about being a demon. Don't ask when you'll die. And for the love of sanity, don't invite anything inside."
"Buzzkill," Theo mutters, but his fingers hover over the planchette with the others. Liam hesitates, then reluctantly joins, his pinky brushing Theo's. He yanks his hand back as if burned.
Mason smirks as he positions the planchette on the board, the group settles into a tense silence, the air thick with anticipation. Each member glances around at one another, gauging reactions, excitement mixing with anxiety.
"Who wants to ask the first question?" Mason prompts, his voice dripping with mischief.
The planchette twitches under their collective fingertips, sliding lazily toward “YES” as Alec blurts, “Is there a zombie apocalypse coming?”
“Dude, it’s Halloween,” Brett groans. “Ask something actually scary.”
“Fine.” Alec clears his throat dramatically. “Oh, wise spirit…does Brett secretly like my pumpkin carvings?”
The planchette jerks to “NO,” and Brett cackles. “Told you they look like mouldy potatoes.”
“Don’t worry babe, I like them,” Nolan voices.
“At least one of my boyfriends does,” Alec insists.
Corey rolls his eyes. “Can we not waste the demon’s time?”
“Demons love petty gossip,” Theo drawls, smirking when Liam’s shoulder bumps his. “Ask if Liam’s ever stolen my hoodie.”
“I haven’t!” Liam protests, but the planchette is already gliding to “YES.” The group erupts into laughter.
“Traitor board,” Liam mutters, face flushing. “Fine, my turn,” he declares, determination flashing in his eyes as he glares at Theo. The planchette still lingers on “YES” from the hoodie debacle. “Spirit…does Theo actually think his ‘bad boy’ smirk is cool, or is it just a nervous tick?”
Theo’s eyebrow twitches. “Low blow, Dunbar.”
The planchette whirls abruptly to “NO,” and the group erupts into fresh howls. Theo feigns offense, but his smirk falters when Liam leans closer. “Guess the board agrees your face is…uh, annoying.”
“Annoyingly handsome?” Theo retorts, recovering quickly.
“In your dreams,” Liam mutters, cheeks pink.
Corey interjects, “Can we focus? Spirit, are Liam and Theo secretly obsessed with each other?” The planchette darts to “YES” before anyone breathes. Liam and Theo both jerk their hands back as if electrocuted.
“That’s bull—” Theo starts.
“—the board’s broken!” Liam finishes, voices overlapping.
Mason, ever the chaos architect, slams the planchette to the centre. “Final question: Should these two idiots kiss and put us all out of our misery?”
The room stills. The planchette trembles, then drags deliberately to “YES.” Alec whoops, Brett wolf-whistles, and Nolan claps gleefully. Theo locks eyes with Liam, whose throat bobs nervously.
“Well?” Theo murmurs, uncharacteristically soft. “The board’s never wrong, right?”
“Shut up,” Liam breathes, closing the gap between them. Their lips meet—clumsy, electric, and met with the pack’s raucous cheers. When they pull apart, Theo’s smirk is genuine, and Liam’s scowling face is beet-red.
“Took you long enough,” Mason says, grinning like a madman.
---
Later, in the kitchen, Theo leans against the counter, smugly sipping cider as Mason corners him. “You owe me. If you break his heart, I’ll feed you to every hellhound from here to Mexico. Then I’ll revive you just to drown you in glitter.”
Theo snorts. “Relax, Mum. I’m not the one who needed a haunted board to make a move.”
“He’s my best friend. You think a Ouija prank was my first plan? I had a PowerPoint ready.” Mason jabs a finger at Theo’s chest. “Glitter. Drowning. Remember it.”
Theo raises his hands in surrender, eyes flicking to where Liam laughs with Corey by the fireplace. “Yeah, yeah. Threat noted.”
As Mason stalks off, Liam wanders over, still avoiding Theo’s gaze. “So…you and Mason rigged the board, huh?”
“Took you all night to figure that out?” Theo teases, nudging him. “The planchette literally spelled ‘SOULMATES’ in cursive.”
Liam groans, hiding his face in his hands. “I hate you.”
“Liar,” Theo singsongs, tugging Liam’s hands down. “C’mon. Let’s get back before Alec asks the board if he can marry Brett’s abs.”