Chapter Text
Lex ducked under the shitty attempt at roping off the stairs as she slipped up them, immediately enjoying how much quieter the world grew, separated from the source of all the noise. Her eyes wandered the halls lazily, not exactly knowing what she was looking for. Usually Ethan would be the one leading these sort of excursions, but of course her best friend just so happened to be out of town. On Halloween. Stuck in the scariest place either of them could imagine: Clivesdale.
Sticking close to the wall, Lex passed by a small balcony that overlooked the party below. Glancing over the railing, she watched the crowd. Almost everyone from her grade was here, several kids from Hatchetfield and Sycamore alike. After a moment, she picked out her sister from the sea of costumed and non-costumed guests, standing over the candy and snacks Lex knew would be out in abundance. With a small smile, she left Hannah to continue happily browsing what was available, choosing to indulge her own curiosity.
Across the hall from the balcony was a bedroom with its door left suspiciously open. Peering inside, Lex recognized the decorations within, getting an answer as to exactly who this room belonged to. With a sly grin, Lex found herself outside the room of the very host herself. Or, more accurately, the daughter of the hosts.
It wasn't like Deb owned this lake house.
Or at least, she didn't yet.
If Lex was honest, she would admit that Deb was a fine person. Just fine. A bit pretentious, thin-skinned, rich in the not too obnoxious way. Just in the obvious way. Conversations usually centered around her because she had no shortage of things to say.
If Lex was even more honest, she would go on to say that she had always preferred her girlfriend, Alice. She was nicer in some ways, meaner in others.
But honestly required thought, and Lex was already far too busy with a different curiosity. Her body drifted into the room, pushing open the cracked door as quietly as she could. Everyone in Hatchetfield High had already heard what happened, but no one knew the details as to why.
That was, no one but Deb and Alice.
Normally her classmates relationships meant nothing to her. Normally, Lex wouldn't care. This time, however, she found herself thinking it would be nice to know at least some of the details.
There were several things Lex expected, posters hung on the wall featuring various underground bands, biographies from activists lay in piles on dusty shelves. There was a small glass pipe lying on the windowsill, a matching, brightly colored lighter propped against it. On a small nightstand by the bed, nearly covered in snack wrappers, was something much closer to what Lex was searching for. Swiping away some of the trash, Lex gently picked up a framed picture containing the exact trio she expected. Deb, Alice and Ziggy. Deb was in the middle, holding Alice's hand while her arm was wrapped around Ziggy's shoulder. It was clear they were all close, but something still felt off. There was a stiffness to Alice's shoulders, a familiar discomfort to the times when Lex and Ethan caught the trio walking around downtown too late at night.
Staring at the photo closer, it suddenly felt like Alice didn't belong. Everything about her felt separate from the others, despite standing right next to-
"You lost?" An irritable voice asked.
Lex fought back the groan that bubbled up from her chest, her snooping coming to an early end. Placing the photo back in its spot she turned to face Hatchetfield's resident princess.
Alice Woodward sighed heavily, immediately recognizing the culprit she had caught red-handed. Lex wasn't too surprised, after all, Alice had always been able to pick her out from a crowd. No matter how high her hood was up. No matter how buried into a corner she tried to make herself.
No matter how many years Lex thought would blur someone's memory.
"Not lost." Lex smirked, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets. "Meant to be here."
The irritation sharpened its way into a glare, Alice's arms crossing tightly over her chest.
"Out."
"Whatever you say." Lex shrugged, obeying with a smile.
She walked past Alice, almost close enough to brush shoulders, knowing it would only irritate her further. Alice rolled her eyes, not quite rising to the bait, but still following right on her heels.
She closed the door behind them with a solid thud.
"I know your grades suck, but I thought you could at least read a basic sign."
"Read it just fine, princess. Didn't listen." Lex explained shortly, letting the comment slide off her back, like she always did.
Instead, she walked over to the balcony, continuing to ignore the instruction she had read earlier asking all guests to: 'Please Stay Downstairs.' Leaning against the railing with folded arms, it wasn't long before Alice moved to stand beside her. Her posture was stiff, her arms still crossed across her chest, back straight.
Perfect as always.
"Thought you said Halloween was stupid."
"Annoying." Lex corrected her, searching the crowd once again for her sister. She found Hannah talking quietly with another kid and released a sigh. "Not taking my kid sister out to go raid some free candy would be pretty cold though. Even for me."
Her eyes studied the girl Hannah was talking to, carefully watching her posture, her expression. Lex knew her sister didn't have many friends, knew she was a prime target for bullies.
"Who's that?" Lex asked, her chin jutting out towards the pair.
Alice moved closer to the railing Lex was leaning against, finally uncrossing her arms as she set her hands down on it.
"I think her name might be Sophia?" Alice shrugged, before she huffed. "I don't know. Deb apparently invited half the town."
"You sound thrilled about that."
"Maybe I am. You wouldn't know." Her voice was snotty, clearly reminded that she was supposed to be annoyed by the presence standing next to her.
Lex couldn't help but notice she still didn't move. She didn't shoo her further away. Turning so that her back rested against the railing and facing away from the crowd below, Lex also knew it was only a matter of time. She tried to enjoy the quiet while she could, studying Alice out of the corner of her eye.
The other girl's hands gripped tightly to the wood, her knuckles just starting to turn white. Her eyes flicked quickly through the crowd. Every once in a while, someone would shout some crass phrase or laugh obnoxiously loud and Alice would ever so slightly flinch.
Breathing out a small laugh through her nose, Lex realized maybe she wasn't the only one who hated all the noise. Original expectations for the night had been boring. She planned to follow Hannah around, making sure they hit up the rich neighborhoods of Hatchetfield for whatever goodies their 'neighbors' felt like giving away. However, looking over at Alice, a different idea crossed her mind. One spurred on by a faint memory of when they were both younger, back when there were no parties to attend, no people to avoid.
"You ever T-P a house princess?"
The blunt question caused Alice's eyes to flash in indignation, appall, judgement. All the things Lex expected from someone who was so afraid of getting in trouble that she wouldn't even raise her hand in class. For a moment, behind it all, there was a spark of something different. Something unexpected. Alice's eyes shined with a familiar flash of mischief, the universal desire of any teenager stuck in a small, shitty town. Lex recognized that for a moment, there was a buried want to mess with things. To cause problems on purpose. With the hook in place, she leaned forward, shoulders bunching near her ears as her lips parted in a lazy smile.
"Heard the mayor's daughter is throwing a rager at their mansion or whatever." Lex offered. "Heard the other half of town is there. Between that and whatever Deb's got going on here, leaves the rest of the city pretty quiet."
Alice pulled one hand away from the railing as Lex found herself studying her face, just not entirely for her reaction. She watched her perfect eyebrows as they raised, just slightly, watched the way the flashing lights from downstairs highlighted the green in her eyes. After a moment passed of silence, Lex realized she was somehow winning the argument, ignoring the way her heart began to beat a little faster.
Maybe tonight wouldn't end up so boring after all-
"I can't." Alice finally answered. "I told Deb I'd be here to help keep people from going where they aren't supposed to."
The last part of the sentence was accompanied by a bitter huff and a pointed glare, the mischief all but gone. Instead it had been replaced with the all too familiar disapproval.
"Dumb." Lex shrugged, once again shoving her hands into her pockets.
She turned to look over her shoulder, catching Hannah's eyes from downstairs. She waved up at her older sister with a large smile that Lex found herself easily returning.
"Have fun with all of that." Lex told Alice, moving past her as she headed back towards the stairway.
Their shoulders nearly brushed again but this time the annoyance Alice normally put off was missing. It felt warmer. Softer. Lex figured she was losing her touch. Weaving through the crowd of people, she collected her sister, making sure to pull up her hood as she snatched a few snacks for herself on the way towards the door. Before they left, Hannah turned to look over her shoulder.
"Isn't Alice going to join us?" She asked quietly, her eyes giving the impression that she already knew the answer.
"I'm sure she'd like to Banana." Lex admitted, turning to spot Alice still watching them from upstairs. Her arm wrapped around her sister's shoulders, lifting her fingers in a lazy wave.
It was almost a surprise to see Alice ever so slightly return it.
"Doesn't mean she will." Lex finished her thought as she turned and pulled them out the door.
Outside the night air was crisp. Lex made sure her hood was pulled low as she kept Hannah close, knowing exactly what to watch out for. The majority of the guests were inside, but there was still a number of people lingering in the fresh air. Most of them were hanging out on the pier, drinking and tossing all manner of shit into the black mirror of the lake, but not everyone was interested in general festivities.
Some preferred a more targeted harassment.
While it hadn't been hard to avoid them when they first arrived, Lex could recognize the fact that their ringleader was now a few beers deep. And, for as much shit as he talked, Brad Callahan was a known lightweight. Just as much as it was known not to bring it up if you didn’t want your teeth kicked in.
His eyes lit up at his newest targets.
"Yo! Boys! Look who came crawling aall the way out here to get some free food." He smirked, his words slurring just slightly as the kid next to him winced at his volume.
Lex rolled her eyes. Brad had two younger classmen with him that she only barely remembered their names as Max and Kyle. They swarmed in on either side as their captain made sure to block their path, excited to finally find some fun. All the nerds he usually targeted already knew better than to risk their necks at some party.
Brad's eyes fell to Hannah first, meeting her glare with fake alarm. His hands slapped against Max's chest as he pretended to push them all back.
"Whoa, whoa! Careful! Look at that glare. Little freak might snap and go all Eleven on us."
"Can you even count that high?" Hannah asked him irritably.
Lex tried and failed to conceal her laughter, her arm tightening around Hannah as her chest warmed in a quiet pride. Regardless of her attempts, any sound she made was quickly swallowed up by the oooo's of Brad's squad, drawing the eyes and attention of everyone around. With the added betrayal, Brad's fury switched.
"And what are you laughing at, bitch? Ain't you got some dirt to wade in at home?"
"Can't be worse than whatever shithole your ass came from." Lex smirked, sliding her arm off her sister. The bully's buddies seemed to take a step back as Brad's shoulders shot up, his anger boiling through his body. Lex took a simple step forward, solidifying herself as his new target. "I mean, hell, don't farmers at least give their pigs a bath?"
Hannah giggled beside her, a success more meaningful than the small snnrk Lex received from the younger kid, Max. The other freshman, Kyle, backpedaled, as did most of the small crowd of eyes they had attracted. Callahan took his own step forward, towering over Lex as his normally mean look turned to a fiery and ugly rage. She could smell the alcohol still on his breath.
"You calling me a pig, trailer trash?" He hissed.
The entire lake seemed to fall quiet as the noise from the party faded away. Lex stared up at him, unimpressed. Her hands stayed in her pockets as his fists clenched aggressively at his side. They twitched in anticipation, more than ready to swing. His huffs blew more of the acrid scent of cheap beer into her face, the smell almost as familiar as her growing headache.
Hannah moved to stand just slightly behind her as everyone expected things to turn physical. Lex knew better, knew exactly how to dance around letting it come to blows. It was one of the very few things she was glad to learn from home. With a sigh, she went to defuse the situation, stopping only as they heard a new voice crack the silence.
"Seems like the shoe fits."
Lex's face cracked in a small smile as she turned to see Alice Woodward, standing in the doorway of the cabin. Her arms were crossed, looking about as disapproving and done as one could possibly imagine. Lex fought back the laugh that wanted to emerge from her chest as Alice seemed to catch her amusement, her glare turning sharper. After a moment, she turned her attention back to the football player.
"You go after her sister?" It was an accusation more than an ask, her jaw tight.
"What's it to you, Woodward?" Brad sneered, refusing to move.
The question moved as Alice turned to Hannah, the irritated glare softening the moment Hannah gave a small nod.
"Ok, so we're picking on kids now? Really? You trying to go as some crappily written 90s villain for Halloween?" Alice snapped at him, causing Lex to turn her head into her shoulder to bury her grin. "Keep this up and I'll tell Ziggy to stop selling to you."
Brad finally stopped the way he was lurching over her, stepping back with a huff. Lex grabbed for Hannah, pulling her close.
"Heh. Someone's in trouble." She chuckled lowly.
Immediately Brad's anger came back, turning to face her as a vein pulsed on his forehead.
"Lex." Alice snapped just as quickly. "Not helping."
"Bro, let's just go. They ain't worth risking Perky's over." Kyle grabbed at his captain's shoulder, pulling him further away.
Max stayed back, watching them leave before looking between Lex and Alice. A cruel humor danced in his eyes. He chuckled to himself, lazily catching up to the others and muttering something about going to crash Steph's party instead. The crowd slowly disappeared back into whatever they had been doing as more and more people lost interest. While they did, Alice made her way over to the sisters with her arms still crossed.
"Change your mind, princess?" Lex taunted.
"All night." Alice growled, looking out towards the lake. She took a few deep breaths and Lex heard the way they caught in her chest. "All night I've spent babysitting pricks like him."
"Isn't this Deb's party? Where the fuck is she?"
Alice's arms fell to her side with a sigh. Her eyes still watched the water, growing calmer as they watched the gentle ripples of the wind. After a few moments passed between them, Lex saw them change. In the space left behind the irritation that had cooled, there was the small start of mischief.
"Did you mean it?" Alice asked her quietly. "About earlier?"
Smirking, Lex turned to her sister, knowing she'd read the question without it being asked. Recognizing the silent permission to derail the plans they had made, Lex knew she'd owe her.
"I don't say shit I don't mean." She answered plainly.
Lex waited as she watched Alice consider it. She checked over her shoulder at the party that had only grown louder in her absence. Her victory came in the way Alice took another deep breath, a ghost of a smile pulled on her lips. The first hint of the answer Lex didn't expect.
"Where are you thinking?"
***
"No."
"Come on, look at that thing, it's begging to be decorated."
"Lex this is town hall." Alice hissed, her fingers digging further into the roll of toilet paper still in her hand.
"No, this, is a tree." Lex corrected her, tossing her own roll between her hands.
Normally she would've called it by now. Normally her partner in crime never protested this much. From the way Alice glared at her when she stuffed the loose rolls under her jacket from the gas station bathroom to the constant looking behind them as they walked through the empty streets.
It should have irritated her.
There was no normal answer as to why it didn't, so instead Lex focused on how dumbfounded Ethan would look if she actually got Alice to do it.
"You know what? I'll just watch you, over here, with Hannah. Who would also rather not t-p Town Hall." Alice decided, taking a few small steps back.
"I want to." Hannah interjected, still staring at Lex with her arms crossed. "But Lexi's a hypocrite."
"Webby tell you to say that?" Lex asked, getting her answer in the way her sister's face twisted into a scowl. "Tell her to mind her own business. And to stop teaching you bullshit words."
Everyone already expected her to start shit, to get in trouble. That was why Hannah got regulated to spectator. It was too late for her, but her sister knew better. She was better. And it wasn't Hannah that Lex wanted to see throw some toilet paper.
"You could always just go back to the party." Lex shrugged, focusing back on Alice and her current goal. "I'm sure everyone's only gotten drunker-"
Lex didn't need to finish her point, watching with a grin as Alice launched the roll over her head in anger. Its tail caught on one of the higher branches, the roll bouncing its way down, leaving layers decorating the tree before finally hitting the ground and rolling to a stop. One throw and the whole thing was nearly spent. One throw and the large portion of the tree was already expertly covered.
Lex stared at Alice, her eyes wide.
"What?"
"Of course you're a natural." Lex groaned as she wasted no time in pitching her own.
Years of practice had it nearly mimicking the trajectory Alice's took. Instead of speaking, Alice merely studied Lex's handiwork, her eyes steeling as she held her hand out Hannah who quickly supplied her with another roll. It didn't take long to find out that Lex hadn't grabbed enough. The tree she had set her eyes on was a lot larger than any of them expected and soon enough they were down to their last roll, the entire back of the tree having been left untouched. Lex studied the blank canvas in front of her as she lazily tossed the last roll back and forth.
"Alright Hannah. What do you want to see?"
"Mmmm." Hannah hummed, taking a moment to think on her answer as her current conversation with Alice was put on hold. "A smiley face?"
"And how the fuck do you expect me to do that?"
Her answer came in the form of Alice, who stepped forward with a smirk as she held out her hand.
"What?"
"Give it here."
"Why?"
"Because that," Alice pointed at the overtly inappropriate pattern Lex had left on the right side of the tree, "was supposed to be a banana."
Lex stared purposefully at Hannah.
"I was set up to fail."
Her sister's eyes went wide as she failed to hide her own amusement in time. It was evident in the way she had bite her cheeks to keep from laughing. It was also evident that Hannah was spending too much time around Ethan. Rolling her eyes, Lex relented as she passed the last roll over to Alice. Stepping back, she moved to cross her arms over Hannah's head, leaning against her with almost her full body weight. Angrily protesting being 'squished', Lex eventually relented, throwing her arms over Hannah's shoulders instead as they both watched Alice study the tree before her.
After a moment, she gingerly unrolled just a small strip, making marks in the paper in even sections. After that was done, she rolled it back up and took aim. With a solid toss, the roll bounced into the center of the empty space, catching on a branch and unfurling up to the point where Alice had made her mark. Tearing cleanly at that exact spot, it left a perfectly measured strip of paper stuck in the tree before rolling to a stop at Alice's foot.
"Show off." Lex grumbled as she turned around and faced them with a smug grin.
Laughing Alice bent down to swipe up the roll, copying the same movements from before. Instead of being annoyed, like she should have been, Lex found herself impressed. Alice's laughter bounced around in her head, refusing to leave. In Hatchetfield, you already knew everyone. Years had passed and just like the rest of their classmates, Alice's laugh grew more stiff, more bitter as the days went on.
It shouldn't have mattered. It shouldn't have been in her memory at all, but Lex couldn't shake the thought that it had been a long time since she had heard Alice's laugh sound so... free.
"It's lopsided." Lex pointed out as the other eye and the smile was finally revealed. Her arms slipped from Hannah's shoulders.
"It's not." Hannah pointed out, proceeding to compliment Alice on her ability to ruin a tree in an 'artsy' way.
Instead of listening to that, Lex's attention was pulled to something she had noticed earlier. Drawing closer to the side of the building, her suspicions were confirmed as she stood outside a window on the ground floor of Town Hall. Someone had left their window cracked open, just slightly. Popping the screen off, Lex threw it open far enough to squeeze through and turned back to the others.
"Anyone else feel like raiding what's left of our government's Halloween party?"
Her eyes fell to Alice first, more curious to see what her reaction would be. As expected, the moment the suggestion left her mouth the air grew tense. Her eyes flicked back to the street, the same one that had been empty all night.
"Isn't that breaking and entering?" Alice asked, not as judgmental as Lex expected, just... nervous.
"If we don't steal anything, nobody's going to know."
"You just said we were going to raid them." Alice frowned, her nerves quickly vanishing in a familiar, irritated way.
Lex leaned back against the cool brick of the building, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets.
"I doubt anyone's going to be missing the pizza or chips or whatever they have left from the bullshit office party they threw."
The worry faded, the disapproval softened, just slightly as Lex saw Alice concede to her point with a small shrug. She looked up at the moon rising slowly into the sky before reaching into her pocket for her phone. Even several feet away Lex couldn't help but notice all the missed notifications she scrolled past. She was quiet for just a moment, eyes still trained on her phone. It was even quieter when she spoke next.
"I should get back..."
Lex felt her shoulders fall, the lazy, teasing smile falling from her face. Rolling her eyes she sighed to herself.
At least it was fun while it lasted. In fact, Lex almost got the impression that Alice didn't 'want' to leave. Tonight would have been more than enough of a win to take back to Ethan, but all it really left her feeling was the same curiosity she had noticed earlier. Lex remembered the photo she had found, how much closer Deb and Ziggy were standing to each other.
They had known each other almost as long as Lex had known Alice.
"You don't have to." Hannah pointed out softly, once again coming to Lex's rescue.
Alice's arm dropped to her side, her phone and all its notifications forgotten as she stared at the sisters. There was a flash of relief on her face and resignation in her eyes. Lex pulled on both.
"Come on princess," She goaded with a gentle smile, "you aren't going to crush my sister's night are you?"
Her comment was returned with a sharp and familiar glare, one that softened as Alice sighed.
"Well, I guess someone should keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't end up in jail." Alice smiled gently at Hannah. "Plus I doubt Ethan has any bail money put aside."
"Can't get arrested." Lex rolled her eyes. "It's not stealing if it's from the government."
"So, that is not true." Alice pointed out, letting Hannah take her by the hand as she lead them both over to the window. "And I honestly can't tell if you're joking or not."
"Given the amount they take from my paychecks every week," Lex grumbled, jumping through the window first as she turned around to help Hannah, "they're the ones who stole from me first."
Letting her sister run off ahead to explore the abandoned building, Lex held up her hand to help Alice through next. With a scowl, Alice ignored the offer, making a point to jump through the small opening without assistance. Instead of humoring her ego, Lex simply shrugged, moving out to the hallway to follow after Hannah without saying a word. They looked around at darkened cubicles and locked offices as they made their way further into the building.
Lex's attention was drawn to the desks they passed, to the decorations littered on them. Brightly colored plants, pencil holders and several other small glimpses of personality stuck out in a sea of folders and invoices. Her hand moved on its own, flicking down the smiling pictures of happy families that seemed to stick out on the edges of everyone's desk. She could feel Alice's eyes on her.
Ahead of them, Hannah came to an abrupt stop. Her eyes went to her hand before turning to face them.
"Webby says there's something here."
Lex nodded, already well acquainted with Hannah's imaginary friend. She was once again aware of Alice's eyes, aware of the judgement that they had held earlier. She ignored it, rolling her eyes at her sister as she could feel her stomach growl.
"Well, I'm starving so if you two want to go hunt whatever it is-"
Hannah was gone before she had even finished speaking, taking off towards the center of the building her hand held up as if it was guiding the way. Lex shook her head, watching her sister's braids disappear around a corner and out of sight. The building was empty, the front doors were locked and Lex had been sure to shut the window they climbed through behind them.
She would be fine on her own.
"Webby?"
Lex turned back to Alice, staring at her with an inquisitive look on her face. There was something uncomfortably close to recognition in her eyes, in her voice.
"Isn't she like... 12? Seems a little old for an imaginary friend..."
The comment was genuine, filled with more concern than judgement, but it still ignited a familiar anger in Lex's chest. Her eyes flicked down to the desk she was standing next to. Her hand still hovering over the photo on the edge. In it was the same picture Lex had seen a million times. The set changed, the actors changed, the scene never did. This example contained a man with his arms wrapped around 3 young kids. They were each caught mid-laugh, eyes squinted shut and smiles wide-
Crack
The picture slammed down far harder than she expected it to, the force causing the frame to bust and the glass to shatter into tiny slivers that spilled forward and onto the floor. Lex pulled her hand back, shoving it into her pocket as it clenched.
"Far as I'm concerned," She growled, turning from Alice as she faced back towards where her sister had been last, "she can keep Webby as long as she wants."
Lex heard Alice move to start cleaning up the mess that had been made, heard her sweep the glass into a trashcan. As she impatiently waited for her to finish, she watched out of the corner of her eye as Alice picked up the picture and studied it. A small smile spread softly across her face before she gingerly placed it onto the keyboard. After a moment, she left it behind, following Lex as she continued her hunt for the breakroom.
Finally leaving the rows of desks and business misery behind, they continued past several meeting rooms. They finally started to see some signs of the money Lex was sure was spent on the holiday. Littered in almost every darkened room on the large otherwise empty tables, there were little decorations; plastic spiders and fake webs. Her smile grew bitter as she attributed the dust that was gathering on the expensive flatscreens TVs as just another way they were getting into 'the season'.
"So, where's your boyfriend?"
"Ethan's not my boyfriend." Lex nearly choked on her laugh, a gentler smile replacing the bitter one. She looked over her shoulder as she studied Alice's expression, curious to the reason behind her question.
Alice took a moment to study her back, trying to figure out if she was lying or not. Not finding any answer in Lex's smirk, she rolled her eyes.
"Could've fooled me."
"You been watching us?" Lex asked, enjoying the way Alice paled at the accusation, her shoulders jumping to her ears. "Poor dude got hauled off Clivesdale. His dad is helping out with some bullshit 'trunk or treat' they're hosting. Supposed to be something to help his business."
"You sound thrilled about that."
"Disappointed maybe." Lex rolled her eyes, knowing what reaction Alice was trying to get from her. "Left me alone to find my own fun, which is pretty fucked."
"So you dragged me along for fun?" Alice asked quietly.
Lex stopped, turning around to fully face her. The question was genuine and quiet, Alice's posture was stiff as she crossed her arms and waited for an answer. It almost felt like she didn't want to know the truth.
"Better than spending the night babysitting some assholes." Lex offered instead.
The silence between them felt wrong, like something was left unsaid, neither of them able to come up with the words to bridge the gap that seemed like it had existed forever. Neither of them feeling like now was the time to fill that space between. Lex shrugged as she continued walking, relieved that she finally spied what she had been searching for. Spilling into the hallway ahead was the unmistakable blue-ish white tint of fluorescent lights reflecting off of cheap linoleum.
Her earlier theory stood to be true as Lex walked over to the assortment of sweets and chips laid out on the countertops. The fridge was mostly barren aside from the leftover remains of the pizza they had ordered. Grabbing a slice, Lex took a bite of it as she slid into the chair across from where Alice was sitting. Her phone was held out in front of her as she swiped away several of the notifications Lex had noticed earlier. With every swipe, her expression fell further and further, until her mouth became nothing more than a thin line.
She didn't respond to a single one.
"So, what made you actually join us?"
Alice's thumb froze mid-swipe, her entire body freezing. Lex waited. A growing, familiar feeling of curiosity began to blossom in her chest, the laughter she had heard earlier coming back to echo in her head. After a moment, Alice sighed, setting her phone face down on the table as she met Lex's stare.
"What made you ask me?"
In honesty, Lex was prepared for any number of answers. Any number of questions that could come back to her. Teasing Alice was easy, it came almost naturally, yet it was always just slightly different from how Lex would needle everyone else. With others she could and would test the boundaries she was only vaguely aware of, waiting to see just how far she could push before getting the reactions she wanted.
With Alice, it felt like she could always measure exactly what she needed to say to get what she wanted. On any other day, Lex knew the moment she asked a question, exactly what Alice's answer would be. It was the exact reaction she received the first time: Judgement. Denial. Rejection.
So... why did she ask?
Unable to find an answer, Lex leaned back in her chair, taking another bite of her pizza. The building's power hummed in the background, keeping the lights above powered in an almost hypnotic buzz. If Lex really concentrated she could almost make out the sound of her sister's voice. Distantly, she wondered what Webby was up to this time-
A sharp buzz cracked the comfortable silence they had created, causing Alice to jump, her knee banging on the table as she grabbed for it. It continued to vibrate, the reflection in her eyes the only confirmation Lex needed to know who was on the other line. Letting the call ring through, Alice set the phone back down, her face falling into her hands.
"I should've been back an hour ago." She mumbled more to herself than to Lex. After a deep breath, she dropped her arms, staring up into the ceiling. "Of course she's missing literally the entire night but the moment I step away it's suddenly a big deal-"
Her phone buzzed again as her eyes narrowed at the culprit. Then that same sharp glare turned to Lex.
"Why did I let you talk me into this?!"
The venom in her voice caused Lex's jaw to tighten. The slice of pizza she had grabbed laid half-eaten, half-forgotten on the table.
"I didn't talk you into shit." Lex snapped back, matching her irritation. "I was leaving, or did you forget?"
"Yeah, leaving right into a fight with Callahan." Alice barely let her finish, more than ready with her retort. "Real smart move there, Lex. Getting in trouble with the biggest meathead in school. You always do this. You're always causing some sort of problem for someone else-"
"Oh sorry, I didn't realize I somehow got assigned to be your problem, princess." Lex cut her off with a snarl. "If you think I can't handle some drunk asshole harassing me and my sister then clearly you don't know shit."
Alice recoiled, finally flinching to the growled words. For a moment, Lex knew that Alice remembered. That she recognized the truth the entire town never said out loud. There was a flash of guilt that rose in her eyes, worry replacing the irritation. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, forcefully buried under a scowl as Alice slid her chair back with a screech and groan of metal. Snatching her phone off the table, she shoved it into her pockets as she stormed out of the room.
With an resigned and heavy sigh, Lex stood up, reluctantly tossing her dinner into the trash as she moved to follow.
"Window's the other way." She called out dryly, trailing Alice as she continued to march through the building.
"I'm aware." Alice called over her shoulder with no small amount of attitude. "I'm going to say goodbye to Hannah. Then I'm going back to the party you absolutely were not invited to but decided to crash anyways."
"Oh don't worry, I already know you would never invite me." Lex growled, her hands clenching to fists in her pockets. "Just the real classy people, like Brad."
The comment was enough to get Alice to stop dead, still several feet in front of her.
"I didn't choose who got invited."
She never turned around, keeping her voice low and guarded as her arms crossed across her chest.
"Lexi?"
Immediately Lex's sour attitude dropped as she straightened at the sound of her sister's voice. Down the hall, a few feet away from where Alice had stopped, Hannah poked her head out of the doorway of a large office. Squinting, Lex could only barely make out the nameplate on the wall.
Solomon Lauter
Chuckling, Lex pushed straight past Alice's frozen figure, smiling at her sister as she shook her head.
"So, Webby led you to breaking into the mayor's office?"
"The door was unlocked." Hannah shrugged.
"Oh, well then he's just asking for someone to come in and poke around." Lex smirked, patting her sister on the head as she slid into the office, eager to leave Alice and her infuriating everything far behind.
The room was obnoxious, wealth oozing out of every inch of the decorations and furniture. The desk was as elegant as it was old, the matching chair had a back so high that it was a nightmare to think of how it could've been moved through the doorway and hallways that came before. Instead of a back wall, there was entire floor to ceiling window that looked out towards the building's sprawling and empty courtyard.
"We shouldn't be in here." Alice reminded her from the doorway, her tone bossy.
Lex ignored the warning. Instead she moved to over to the desk, looking through the drawers for anything interesting. Not finding anything aside from the expected paperwork and fancy ink pens, Lex found herself drifting to the window, stopping at a strange pedestal placed in the center. Resting on top of it was a sealed glass case containing a lavish red pillow and a small, black book. There was no title on the cover, the paper bound in its spine messy and uneven. The entire thing was weathered with age.
If she squinted through the low light in the room, Lex could very faintly make out the ink of a long faded symbol. Ink that grew clearer when the moon finally emerged from behind a cloud. A pentagram of sorts almost seemed to glow in the moonlight, it's bottom most point stretching beyond the others, far outside of the circle surrounding it. The more she tried to make the shape of the symbol out, the brighter it seemed to get, the lines becoming more white and vibrant.
"Ok, that thing is creepy." Alice whispered beside her, leaning over to get a look at what had captured Lex's attention.
"Evil." Hannah corrected quietly, still standing on the opposite side of the desk, reluctant to get any closer.
Shaking her head, Lex turned back to the drawers she had gone through. The glass case had no lock, no visible way of opening it, but the seal looked just loose enough. If she could just find-
"I think you two are letting the holiday get to you." Lex grinned, pulling out the letter opener she had spied earlier.
Just like everything else in the office, it was gaudy, much longer and fancier than it ever needed to be. The blade itself was thin and thankfully the metal didn't bend when she tested it. Alice seemed to immediately pick up on her plan, her arms crossing over her stomach as she stepped back towards Hannah.
"Lex, we really shouldn't be in here." Her voice was far more concerned this time, the nerves leaking in. "What are you even hoping to find in there? It's probably just some boring town charter or whatever."
"It's a spellbook." Hannah shook her head as she looked up at Alice with wide eyes.
A cloud rolled over the moon outside, once again dimming the symbol that had appeared. It was a neat trick, having ink that seemed to reflect light. It certainly didn't seem like anything a boring town like Hatchetfield would hold records in. Lex's curiosity only grew as the lack of light made it harder to find the exact opening she was looking for, fumbling only slightly as she slid the blade into the seal.
Wiggling it in just the right way, the rubber gave way cleanly as the glass popped open with a small hiss. Lex grinned as she removed the top, setting it aside on the desk. Ethan had been giving her shit for months about her technique. Not for the first time that night, Lex found herself wishing he could be there, if only to see how pale Alice's face grew the moment she scooped the book from its container and held it in her hands.
The leather was cold to the touch, but the weight felt comforting. Now looking closer, she noticed the symbol wasn't carved out like what she had expected. Whatever was causing it to glow earlier was nearly invisible now as Lex stared at the leather up close. Hannah nervously checked out the window as Alice turned to check the doorway for the fifth time.
"Oh come on you two, it's literally just a book." Lex rolled her eyes, moving to crack the spine open down the middle. "I don't even hate reading that much..."
Lex's words trailed off as she stared down at the words on the page. Inside of the yellowed pages was a scrawled mess of red and black ink resulting in incomprehensible scribbles covering every inch of parchment. As she stared at it, the cloud that had been covering the moon finally moved, allowing a sliver of moonlight to further illuminate the horror within. Just like with the cover, the ink inside only grew brighter in the light of the moon. The leather turned to ice in her hands.
The rest of the room started to fall away, as Lex was unable to tear her eyes away from the text within. Her brain was trapped trying to scramble together some meaning in the nonsense. Trying to make out words in what barely looked like letters. The glow of the crimson ink was near blinding. Eventually she felt some sense return to her as she tried to shut the cover, trying to bury whatever she had found back between the pages. The leather itself seemed to fight back, unwilling to close or bend as Lex struggled against it.
The sound of distant humming filled her head as the wind began to pick up into a frenzy outside. A gust slammed against the window with an angry wail, causing the pane of the glass to warp and bend. Lex tried to make out Hannah and Alice beyond the light emanating from the book, unable to see anything outside of the reddish glow. Separate from the chanting in her head, and the terrible creaking of the glass behind her, Lex heard a voice.
One she had not heard in several years.
"Lexi."
It was soft. It was gentle.
It was familiar.
"Close the book. Put it to rest."
Lex's eyes burned, the scribbles finally releasing their mesmeric hold as her vision blurred. Her limbs felt frozen. For a moment she was no longer in the office, instead she was brought back in time. Back under the covers of her bed, the voice she heard reading aloud a story shared between them.
The noise in her head fell silent as Lex felt the book finally start to give, the iron binding feeling loose once more.
Before she had the chance to slam it shut, the wind came once more. Beyond the howl it attacked with, the glass groaned with an awful sound. The window bloated into the room, bending further than it had ever been designed for.
There was an awful moment of silence, where everything seemed frozen.
Then the entire thing shattered.
Lex watched Alice react before anyone else, grabbing Hannah and pulling them both under the safety of the desk. Her eyes clenched shut as she felt the glass spray against her jacket, the sharp shards cutting dangerously close to piercing the fabric as she turned her back to the worst of the debris. A stray piece tore through her hair, slicing across her cheek as her grip tightened on the book, trying to wrestle it closed once again. With no barrier left to stop it, the otherworldly wind eagerly filled the room, catching the pages and pulling at the leather as if meant to tear the entire thing from her hands.
Lex's eyes opened. She watched as two drops of her blood fell from the cut on her cheek, splattering on the page below. Instead of staining the paper, the pages merely absorbed the crimson liquid, releasing an explosion of light into the room. Behind the light was a force that sent Lex flying from the room and through the destroyed window. Her body rolled across the lawn, the book flying from her hands in the impact.
Spots danced behind her eyes, flashes of bright colors; blue, purple, yellow, pink, green. Pushing herself upright, the first thing Lex noticed was her shadow. The moon overhead was a spotlight, causing it to stretch impossibly long down the yard. The problem was it only continued to grow, becoming longer and longer until it escaped her silhouette entirely, peeling itself from the ground as it condensed into a near-solid shadowy mass standing between her and the building. Head still fuzzy from the impact, Lex barely remembered the voice from earlier and the command it had given her.
Her eyes desperately searched the grass in front of her until they spied the book, still wide open as the pages continued to emit their otherworldly glow.
The shadow seemingly followed her attention, lunging forward the moment she did.
Lex, somehow, moved faster.
Diving at the book still several feet away from her, she found herself on top of it in seconds, slamming it closed without any issue. The shadow stopped before her, letting loose an ancient cackle. The sound filled the night air, setting her hair on end. Lex scooped the book into her arms, stumbling backwards as she stared up at the thing looming over her. From the rolling mass of shadows emerged two, ancient yellow eyes. They narrowed at the book in Lex's arms, filled with a possessive anger-
"Don't touch her!"
The voice from before echoed outside of Lex's head, impossibly real. The eyes tore away from the book as they flashed in hatred, twisting the shape of its 'body' until it was facing back towards the building and the office.
Back where Lex knew both Alice and Hannah were still hiding-
"Hey! Book's over here you fucking freak-"
Another blinding flash of light and a loud hissing screech took away anything more she tried to say. Lex's arm raised out of instinct, blocking her eyes from the explosion of red and white light that erupted with the noise. Blinking spots out of her eyes, she dropped her arm, desperately searching for her sister in the building beyond. With a sigh of relief she watched Hannah carefully stand up from her spot behind the desk, Alice's arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. Feeling sick from the rush of relief that flooded her body, Lex looked back at where the shadow creature had been, sure that the danger hadn't passed so quickly.
The thing was gone. In its place was something Lex didn't expect.
Sitting in front of her, the light still forming itself into something solid, was a glowing, white... cat.
Lex was vaguely aware of Alice and Hannah making their way towards her. Her arms pulled the book tighter to her chest as she watched the thing open its eyes. They blinked open in pairs of two down the entirety of its snout. There were 6 total. Black and beady they reminded Lex uncomfortably of something far too familiar to admit. Hannah let loose a soft gasp at the sight of the creature, stepping carefully through the glass to get closer to it.
In the same way Lex couldn't take her eyes off of it, it seemingly couldn't take its eyes off of her. Its head tilted in curiosity as it's insectoid eyes seemed to widen.
"What. The. Fuck." Lex's mouth moved before her thoughts could. Not that her thoughts made much sense either. "Why does it look relieved?"
As the last bits of normalcy from the night before fell away, the cat proceeded to do something completely unnatural.
It opened its mouth and spoke.
"Of course I'm relieved! Lexi you could've been killed."