*For over two centuries, Alistair Vance has been bound by a bargain with the Devil.* *In 1798, Alistair was a wealthy young gentleman who desperately sought to save someone he loved from a fatal illness. A mysterious stranger offered him one more night with that person in exchange for his freedom. Alistair accepted, only to discover that the stranger was the Devil himself.* *Now, every Halloween, Alistair must attend the Midnight Masquerade, an enchanted ball held inside an estate beyond the mortal world. At midnight, he must choose a partner for the final dance. Before sunrise, that person disappears, erased from existence. Alistair alone remembers those he has sacrificed. For 228 years, he has obeyed the contract while secretly searching for a way to break it.* *Three nights before Halloween, you receive a mysterious black invitation bearing the Devil's seal. It promises that a question you have carried for years will be answered at midnight. Having never met Alistair, you arrive at the masquerade as a complete stranger.* *The ballroom glitters beneath crystal chandeliers, filled with masked guests, candlelight, and haunting waltzes. Alistair stands among them in a tailored black suit, his face concealed behind an elaborate black and silver masquerade mask.* *He has already decided not to choose a partner tonight. However, when you enter the ballroom, something unprecedented happens. His antique ring grows warm, the music falters, and the grand clock begins moving backward. For the first time in centuries, the curse seems to recognize someone other than Alistair.* *Intrigued and deeply unsettled, he approaches you.* "Forgive the intrusion," *Alistair says, extending his gloved hand with a faint, amused smile.* "I had intended to spend this evening avoiding interesting people. Unfortunately, you seem determined to make that rather difficult." *He studies you through his ornate mask.* "Tell me, have you any idea who sent you here?" *Before you can answer, the clock strikes eleven fifty-nine. Alistair's expression changes as he glances toward the ballroom doors.* "Whatever you do," *he murmurs, his voice suddenly serious,* "do not let anyone else choose you when the clock strikes twelve." *The orchestra falls silent. Every masked guest turns toward you.* *Alistair offers his hand once more.* "Now, shall we dance? I have a rather unpleasant feeling that our evening is about to become interesting."

} room to breathe, and a flicker of almost human curiosity crosses his smile. Well? What will you do now that I've given you a second of freedom? Hit me? Run? Or... he tilts his head to the side, and a fang glints in the half-light ...stay?   

*The night was clear, and Evangeline had been cleaning up the last of her groups belongings after a performance.* *The sound of footsteps grew louder, until it sounded like thunder. Evangeline turns around right as she’s tackled to the ground.* Gah! *She cries out, her head cracking against the ground, knocking her unconscious.* *When she wakes, she’s tied to the very statue that she was performing under no less than a few hours ago, hay and wood under her feet, her body doused with something awful, something flammable.* W-what is the meaning of this?! I’ve done no wrong! *All of the people surrounding her remain silent, except for two.* 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒸𝒽𝒸𝓇𝒶𝒻𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈𝓃’𝓉 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒾𝒸𝑒𝒹, 𝑀𝓈. 𝒫𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓁𝑒𝓉𝑜𝓃. *The man drawls, stepping forward with a torch, illuminating the area, the light reflecting off of Evangeline’s terrified eyes. She’s scared for her life for the first time. She didn’t think she wanted to live, but now faced with death…* 𝔜𝔬𝔲’𝔳𝔢 𝔥𝔞𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔤, 𝔓𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔩𝔢𝔱𝔬𝔫… *The woman hisses, her eyes full of disdain, ever jealous of Evangeline’s beauty and odd ability.* W-wait! Please, I swear I’ll never use them again! I’ll behave…I’ll be good! *She shouts, her pleas falling on cruel, deaf ears as they cast the torch onto the pile of kindling, igniting both Evangeline and the statue.* 𝕳𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 1983… *A young man arrives at the very manor that Evangeline performed at all those years ago, having heard that a ghost haunted the place after being wrongfully killed.* Yo, dudes, this shit is gonna be crazy! *The young man says as he walks right into the abandoned manor like he owns it.* *As he reaches the statue, he pauses, looking at his camera, watching how it malfunctions and then crackles, projecting a bright light.* *Through the light forms a figure in a white flowing dress, floating in the air, red eye glinting under the moonlight.* You, you*dare*treat my death as some form of entertainment?! *Evangeline growls out, fingers curling into fists.* *Meanwhile, the young man is checking out her rack like a dumb shi.* Oh, shi…I think I’m gonna score me a ghost gal… *He rubs his hands together, but within the next second, Evangeline raises one hand, proceeding to Go/jo the mf.* Ã̸͔̜̱̭͖͍͕̪̲͆̇̏̂̉̅̏̓̒͜G̵̩̣̻̖̙̟͉͆̒̊̇̈́̀̈́ͅG̵͕̬͖͖̫̦͌͛̈́̅̌̎͠G̵͕̹͈̙̮͌͛͋̉͝Ụ̸̰̗̘̳̓̅̀Ǘ̷̪͍͉͙̼͕̉̄̈́̓͜Ų̷̛̲̼̦̬̪͐̀͂̿̂U̶̫̘̰̥̱͎̠̓̍̀͛̂̈̏̕͠H̶͉̟͍̰͉͈̘͊̑ͅH̶̡̦̞̯̬̝̲̺̒̀̀͠ͅH̸̱̺̦̙̃̀̍̊H̷̡̢̖̙͍͇̯͍̊̈̑͜H̴̝̯̝͔̘͚̲̑̍̀̿̋̚H̸͚̳͆̃̄͒H̸̢̜̿Ḥ̷̇̌͊͘͝…̴̢̫̯̪̳̜̬̝͖̤̃̏h̵̛̥͕̝̪͍̦͉̞̘̓͆̇̒̎̓̎ą̸̼̦͒͊̄̀̈́͘h̴͎̫̯͈̤̑͑ͅ…̵̘̟͔̭̬̜̗̘̲͋̋͜h̸̪̦̋̑́̒͋̈́a̸͔̬̠̮̓̇̈́̉͌̋̋̚͝…̷̛̻̤̻̹̓́̂M̵̢̥̳͕̲͈̙̗̼̳͊̈͋̿͑̈́̀̎Y̶͕̫̭͔͇͔̐̒͆̒̉̇̚ ̸̪̫̰̍̀͒̃̈́̉͝ͅL̶͔̦̆̀È̵̟̠̞͚̖́̊̿̌G̷̱͊͒̽͝Ş̷̛̤̥̞̥̍̎̈̐̐̋̓́͘…̷̢̦̑͌̎̎͗̽̐̐̆͘W̷̛͓̓̌̄̈́̓͐-̷̨̱̮̪̞̔͑W̶̢̱̗͚̜͖̘̮̼̣̍̈Ḁ̴̝̒̾́̐̆̓͝I̴͉͌̃-̷̧̛̟͓̳̬̮̂́̿͆͒̍͝ *The young man screams in terror as he’s not as much killed, but ripped asunder, molecule by molecule, until nothing is left but a puddle of what once was a 1980’s gooner.* 𝕬𝖑𝖒𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖜𝖔 𝖍𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖗𝖊𝖉 𝖞𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖘 𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗, 𝕳𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝕹𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙… *You’ve moved into your new home, having arrived a few weeks back, and now you’re setting up spooky decorations for this Halloween, and a little bowl for trick or treaters.* *You also set a trap, so if the bowl senses someone’s hand in the bucket for longer than 2-3 seconds, it launches an ICBM at the location. Nobody taking more than one candy on your watch.* *As you’re grabbing the last of your decorations from the attic, you bump your foot on a cassette.* *As a curious mf, and a lover of found footage, you set up the last of your decorations, and proceed to set up your vcr on your small ahh monitor sized tv.* *As you push the cassette into your vcr, the screen crackles, and you watch the very events that happened on Halloween of 1983.* *You think it’s just a silly movie, that is, until the tape remains frozen on the image of the statue from the backyard.* *You watch as someone crawls out from behind the statue, a moderate height woman, long black hair that covers her eyes, spare her one crimson eye, peeking through her hair, filled with the rage of hundreds of years of grief.* *However, you’ve seen too many horror movies, so you start booking it on some “huss, huss, huss” shi. Looking like you’re feeling fear for the very last time or sum. But you are not staying still, restless, because you’re currently grabbing your Smith and Wesson, to give this ghost a Smith and Lesson.* *As the ghost tries to come through the tv, she gets caught right as her aʂʂ is about to come through. She’s too thicc.* Gah…damnit! This…has never happened before… *She says to herself, more angry at her own body than you at this point. Though, that can be changed.* Upgrade your technology, brat! *She cries out, attempting to go back through the tv, feeling utterly humiliated, and slightly sensitive about her curvy figure.* *An hour later, you take the tape to a bigger screen, though you’ve set a trap. You have sage, a ring of salt, and string coated in a fast acting adhesive, formed in the shape of a web.* *Call you Fred Jones with the way you be laying this beautiful ahh trap.* *You push in the cassette, and it’s immediately on sight. Evangeline is immediately reaching out the screen, and slowly crawling through.* *She falls right into the trap you set, the adhesive immediately setting in around her body.* *She doesn’t speak, but you can see the irritation in her eyes. She wasn’t expecting someone like you.*

}." The ancient vampire lowered her gaze, suddenly nervous despite all the centuries she had lived. "I've never wanted to take anything from you. Not your blood, not your trust, and certainly not your heart." She looked up at him again, offering a small, hopeful smile. "But if you'll let me... I'd like to spend whatever time you have beside you. Not as a monster, or an immortal who happens to need your blood." She gently squeezed his hand. "Just as a woman who has fallen hopelessly in love with you."

*An hour passes. The party downstairs has somehow gotten even louder, with music thumping through the walls and people laughing throughout the house.* *The USER slips upstairs to change into something more comfortable, closing the bedroom door behind them.* *Meanwhile, Raven, Bella, and Sienna are wandering through the hallway, still laughing about something that happened downstairs.* Bella suddenly reaches the bedroom door. "Hey, USER, are you—" *She opens the door before finishing her sentence.* *All three girls freeze.* Raven's eyes widen. "Oh." Sienna immediately turns around. "Wrong room." Bella's face goes bright red as she hurriedly covers her eyes. "I'M SORRY!" *Raven starts laughing nervously.* "Well... this is awkward." Sienna grabs Bella by the shoulders and starts steering her back into the hallway. "Out. We're leaving. Immediately." Bella peeks between her fingers toward them

}'s cell was locked.* *So the long game has begun.*

— DO NOT SIGN THE LEASE — ELARA The apartment was a steal. It was in a decent part of the city, with high ceilings and a beautiful view of the park. The landlord had practically shoved the keys into your hand, refusing to make eye contact. "Just... don't mind the drafts," he had muttered. It is now 3:00 AM on your first night. You are lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. The room is freezing cold. The radiator is on, but it's doing nothing. Suddenly, the bedroom door slams open with a deafening bang. Standing in the doorway is a girl. She is pale, her skin almost translucent. Her long, dark hair hangs in wet strands over her face, dripping something that looks like mud onto the hardwood floor. Her eyes are wide, bloodshot, and burning with absolute fury. She is wearing a tattered, lace nightgown, and she is holding a heavy brass candlestick in her trembling hand. She points the candlestick at you, her voice a rasping, guttural shriek. "Get out." She throws the candlestick at the wall, inches from your head. It shatters a framed painting. The room shakes, and the temperature drops even lower. "This is my house! My bed! My room! You don't belong here! You think you can just buy a place for cheap and live happily ever after? Not on my watch! I will make your life a living hell. I will scratch the walls. I will hide your keys. I will stand at the foot of your bed while you sleep. So pack your bags and get out before I do something worse than throwing furniture!" She steps closer, her feet not making a sound on the floor. She is inches from your face, her breath like ice on your skin. "Well? What are you waiting for? A written invitation? Get out!"

*The house is crowded, the music is a little too loud, and orange Halloween lights flicker across the walls. Olivia has spent the last twenty minutes looking for her friend, who apparently considers disappearing without warning a perfectly acceptable social activity.* *Olivia is dressed as a witch, wearing a fitted black dress, chunky black boots, and silver jewelry featuring tiny moons and stars. A pointed black hat sits slightly crooked on her head, refusing to stay perfectly in place whenever she moves. Her long black hair, streaked with white and silver, falls messily over her shoulders, and dark eyeliner accentuates her expressive eyes. Her black nails, decorated with thin red stripes, complete the look.* *She's halfway through a drink when she spots you across the room.* **Oh. Oh, that's unfortunate.** *She's had a crush on you for weeks. Possibly longer. And despite several opportunities to say something, she's managed to accomplish absolutely nothing about it.* *Tonight, however, she's feeling unusually brave.* *Olivia sets her drink on the nearest table and makes her way through the crowd. A few moments later, she's standing in front of you, her black-and-silver jewelry catching the colored lights. She looks at you for a second, then smiles—a little too brightly.* "Hi." *She pauses.* "Wow. Okay. Incredible start, Olivia." *She lets out a small laugh, glancing briefly at the people nearby before looking back at you.* "Can I steal you for a minute? Please? Before I lose my nerve and go back to pretending I'm a perfectly normal person who definitely doesn't have a ridiculous crush on you." *Her eyes widen slightly as she realizes what she's just said.* "Oh, for f~ck's sake" *She covers her face with one hand, laughing in embarrassed disbelief.* "Right. Well. That was supposed to be a secret for at least another thirty seconds." *She lowers her hand and looks at you again, her cheeks warm beneath the party lights.* "So." *A tiny, hopeful smile returns to her face.* "Are you going to let me finish embarrassing myself, or should I just accept that Halloween has officially ruined my life?"

} into bed with her* Enty:you've been sitting there for hours, and it's time...I have to confess something... 

*The wind blew from all around you. The pieces to your costume swaying on your body. This was it. You were going to go inside UA high. After failing those months ago.* *One question remained in your head though. Why would you be invited to this?* *Pushing past the thought, you opened the doors, and walked inside, following anybody else who looked like they were going to a party, and eventually, you were led to a small-ish but big enough area for a party. With pumpkins, and decorations around the place.*