Anthony had heard the stories about the mansion on the hill. Everyone in their city had. It was something right out of a horror movie, making it often the subject of schoolyard tales. Not that he cared. It was just some abandoned house. Sure, it was strange that the city hadn’t taken the land and used it but he was sure that was only due to how expensive it would be to knock it down. Anthony was sure that the house was completely normal. So why was he sweating when Hudson dared him to spend the night? Why did he shake as he approached the door? Pushing the door open, he repeated over and over that the house was just that, a house.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting but the interior of the house didn’t look too bad. There were even a few candles illuminating the entryway. He carefully closed the door behind him, walking towards the grand staircase leading deeper into the house.
“Wasn’t expecting a visitor this All Hallows Eve. Not sure if I want one, to be honest.” Anthony jumped, looking around for the voice. Nothing. A cold chill ran down his spine as the candles slowly flickered out until only the door was lit.
“Uh, sorry. I can lea-” A pair of violet eyes stared at him from the top of the stairs. For once in his life, Anthony couldn’t say a word or even move. He couldn’t tell if it was pure fear or if the strange eyes were doing...something to him. A gust left him in total darkness, the eyes watching him. A blink, then nothing. Pitch black darkness. And...breathing? Anthony blinked feeling the warm air on his face before panic set in. He felt everything go dark.
When he awoke, the first thing Anthony noticed was just how soft everything felt. A cloud wrapped in velvet. The second was a pair of blurry violet eyes staring down at him in an obviously lit room.
“BY EVERYTHING HOLY, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.” Scrambling back, he felt his head slam into something wooden.
“Wow, rude.” A hand moved into view, holding what seemed to be his glasses. “I help you after you break in and pass out and that’s how you thank me?” Anthony carefully took the glasses, looking up at the strange boy sitting at the foot of the bed.
“I-I thought this house was abandoned. You really freaked me out.”
“Not my fault, bud. Maybe you should blindly listen to rumors.” The odd boy leaned back, picking at his nails. “Don’t we have a chemistry class together? Any reason you broke in? Or should I just call the cops?”
“I’m sorry. It was a dare from my brother. I can leave now if you’d like. It didn’t sound like you were happy to see me earlier.” Aaron gave him a weird look.
“Earlier?”
“At the door?”
“Dude, I found you blacked out. You’re lucky I’m home alone.” Anthony paled. If it wasn’t Aaron or his family at the door, then who? “Are you going to pass out again? Damn, you’re not drunk or something, right?” Anthony shook his head.
“No, I’m not. Just a bit out of it, I guess. Really though, I’ll leave. It might be best for me to get home anyway.” As Anthony moved to get out of the bed he suddenly felt a weight on his torso, pushing him back down. As his vision began to fade, he could hear Aaron trying to talk to him, trying to shake him, then nothing.
This time, he woke up alone, with only the moon shining through the window. Cobwebs littered the room as if it hadn’t been occupied in a couple of decades, the air heavy with age. But, he had only been out for an hour at most, right? How could it go from a normal, warm, comfortable bedroom to this? And where was Aaron? Anthony knew he was real. He had touched the other boy, hadn’t he? And someone had to have moved him from the entryway. Shakily, he made his way to the door. Opening it made his hand feel as cold as ice. What’s worse was the sight in front of him. Etched into the wallpaper was his own name. Anthony thought about simply turning around and trying to sleep on the bed once more. Unless Hudson really wanted him to have a panic attack, Anthony doubted he would go this far. And he was honestly afraid of what lay farther into the house. With a deep breath, he began to move through the house.
Anthony felt like he had fallen into another world. The house groaned with every step he took and the hallways began to loop. No matter what way he went, he ended up right back at his name, carved into the wall. There was no way this was just some sick joke. Where ever he was wasn’t letting him out anytime soon. Leaning next to the door, he felt a wave of emotions rush over him. Anger, fear, panic, and worst of all, defeat. Whatever was in the house, that ‘Aaron’, won. Anthony slowly slid down to the floor, staring back at his name.
“You mortals are boring. You entered the house to get scared, right? So why aren’t you freaking out?” Anthony blinked. Turning his head, he saw those eyes staring at him from the end of the hallway. “Honestly, I went through so much work and you didn’t even scream.” Aaron walked forward, frowning.
“I didn’t want to be scared. I just wanted my brother to leave me alone about this place.” He whispered. “Do you want my soul? Is that it?” Aaron ignored the questions, moving to sit next to him.
“Who doesn’t want to be scared? Isn’t that the point of All Hallows Eve? You mortals are an odd bunch.”
“Demon? Devil? Ghost?”
“Fairy.” Anthony blinked.
“What?”
“I’m a fairy. Got the wings and everything. I just don’t feel like having them out.” Aaron shrugged, glancing over. “You know, I go to your school. Pretty stupid, if you ask me. I’m almost immortal, so why do I need to learn stupid things like math? I think the reasoning was ‘something something socialize’ or whatever. Not my thing.”
“Can I see them?” Aaron jumped, looking over at the taller boy. “Your wings?”
“I...guess? I doubt they’ll look like you think they do.” Aaron stood, taking off his jacket. Slowly, two lumps began to form, taking the shape of chickadee wings. “See.”
“They’re pretty…” Anthony murmured, reaching out slightly.
“Okay, you’re getting delirious. I guess this joke went on long enough. Sleep tight, kitten, or the big bad bird might just get ya.”
Anthony didn’t know what to do. He had been woken up by the sun, right in front of the door, effectively winning him the bet but he was in shock. A classmate of his was an immortal fairy who thought it was fun to terrify people. And now that he knew, it seemed like he was seeing Aaron everywhere. The shorter boy seemed to notice this, sending smirks his way when no one was looking. By the end of the school day, Anthony was ready to sprint home but found himself instead walking towards the almost empty music classroom. Aaron sat alone in the room, fiddling with something before turning to give Anthony a confused look.
“Thought you would’ve left. Unless you...want to be scared? Or to try and threaten me?” Anthony only blinked in response. He honestly wasn’t sure why he came back inside. “Listen, I was only teasing today. As I said, I’m almost immortal. It’s rare to find something interesting now and your reactions to me are so odd. Most people either run like hell or try to fight. You just… don’t react.”
“I’m not mad. I think. But I do have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Why?”
“Why what? Why did I trap you? Why did I tell you what I am? Simple. I wanted to. No more reason than that.”
“Why not just trap me? I know you think I’m,” Anthony paused, looking away. “Interesting. But wouldn’t trapping me forever be more...fun?” Aaron rolled his eyes.
“You mortals are a weird bunch. You’d get used to being trapped. Your reactions would get boring again. No, you being free is better. I get to see how you react to so many different things, things I would never think to throw at you. A caged mouse is a lot less interesting than a free one. Besides, I can always trap you later.” A toothy grin followed that sentence. Anthony winced. “I’m joking. I mean, I do find your reactions interesting but…” Aaron paused, looking down at whatever he was holding. Anthony glanced closer before realizing it was a violin of some kind.
“But what?” Aaron sighed, lifting the instrument to his shoulder.
“Mortals shouldn’t ask so many questions. That’s how you get tricked. Now, I’m going to begin to play and you’re going to leave this room like nothing happened. Like this entire conversation, never happened.” Anthony opened his mouth to argue but the soft melody that drifted through the air shut him up faster than he thought a song could.
But he refused to move. He could tell there was more. Even if Aaron refused to admit it. Suddenly the older boy sighed and stopped playing. “Do you know what happens when a fairy feels love for a mortal? It’s dangerous. A dangerous, dangerous game for both parties. And I should know. I had to watch as my love gave up his soul to become immortal. To be with me. And you know what? He can’t be. Ever. He lost everything that day. His immortality is rebirth. When he remembers, he loses it all over again. And again and again and again. Each time, I watch him descend into madness and each time, I fail to save him. I could cage him but he’d just die and the cycle would start again. I’m the loser in the game. Every one of his names is etched into my heart, Anthony. And if you question deeper, I may just trap you. If only to be selfish for once.” He gulped, reeling from the answers he had finally been given.
“Then do it.” He felt warm lips cover his in the blink of an eye, icy tears dropping onto his face. Maybe he was just a tragedy in the form of man but hell did it feel like heaven right now.
