#yes i am thinking about harley's outfits on christmas
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Bright Lights [Chapter 4] [Small Spaces Sequel]
Title: Bright Lights [Chapter 4] [Small Spaces Sequel]
Synopsis: It's the morning of the field trip, and Sam is anxious about getting caught. Her grandpa Roger seems preoccupied by worries.
notes: so many "ayyyyy!! that's the thing from the thing!" moments here. Circus starts next chapter :)))
A03 CHAPTER LINK
On the morning of the field trip, Sam set her alarm early to make sure she got up before her mom thought about knocking on her door. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about her mom sitting on the edge of her bed and attempting to smooth things over again. She’d tried that the last few days, and had only given up each morning after Sam would only mutter one-word answers and then say she had to get ready for school.
Today, however, Sam didn’t want to deal with the heavy feeling of guilt in her chest that came with the sad, pitiful look on her mom’s face in the mornings. She wanted to feel light and happy and yes, a little afraid, but in a way that made her feel giddy. Like she was walking a tightrope in her dreams or sneaking out past curfew.
It wasn’t so bad, was it? She was just going on a field trip. Maybe she could even tell her mom about it years later, and it’d be something they would laugh about. A confession far in the future over brunch. ‘Remember when you wouldn’t let me go on field trips? Well…’
For now, though, it was a secret. Top secret. She didn’t even tell her grandpa, and she told him most things. But he would definitely tell her mom. Not because he agreed with her being so overprotective, but because he thought talking it out was always a better solution than keeping secrets.
He just didn’t understand how weird her mom was about all this.
Sam sighed and pulled her hair into a ponytail, which she topped with a red and black Harley Quinn scrunchie Elisa had picked up online. Sam wanted to dress up ridiculously cute for the circus, but it might make her mom suspicious if she went from wearing whatever she could throw on quick enough for the past few days and suddenly came downstairs all glammed up.
So, her outfit was more laid back than she wanted it. A plain black dress with a light gray sweater underneath. The scrunchy was her compromise in terms of flashy, cute color. It was sort of circus-themed. Well, Harley Quinn themed, but that was close enough. Besides, it didn’t really matter what she wore to the circus. She was just excited--and scared--to go in the first place.
It would only be an hour or so, and she’d be on her way.
She glanced down at her phone to double check the time and saw a missed call from her dad. He called twice… at 3 AM. He must have forgotten about the time zone difference--again.
Her dad didn’t used to travel. But his new job made him go all over the place. He told her that once he got a promotion, he’d be able to pick one spot and settle down. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Would it mean getting shuffled in between her mom and dad’s all the time? Would her mom be mad if she wanted to have Christmas with her dad one year? Would her dad be mad if she decided to stay in Evansburg because of school and friends?
She wished they didn’t get divorced. I mean, most kids wished that, didn’t they? But they had been happy, before. It wasn’t like they’d fought all the time or anything. They both worked and took care of her. Sometimes her dad left dishes in the sink too long and sometimes her mom was reading a book when her dad was talking to her. But every couple had problems like that, right? They always apologized in the end. It wasn’t a big deal.
But then grandpa had his stroke and everything seemed to fall apart. Her parent’s marriage. Her life.
Sam chewed on the inside of her lip and shoved all those thoughts where she couldn’t reach them for a while. Today wasn’t a day to think about that.
Today was a day to go to the circus.
--
Breakfast was a quiet affair, even though grandpa Roger was up and about and had made Sam her favorite breakfast in the entire world: chocolate chip pancakes with homemade butter and a side of bacon and eggs.
“For extra protein,” Roger had said, giving Sam a smile when he plated up her dish.
She ate heartily, despite the knot in her stomach. It wasn’t a certainty if that awful little knot was tightening because of guilt, fear of getting caught, or a healthy dose of both. Although her desire to get out of the house as quickly as possible definitely helped speed her appetite along.
As soon as I get on that bus, I’ll stop feeling so worried, Sam thought. She’d sit by Elisa and Owen and they’d be all smiles because she, Samantha Adler, was finally going on a field trip with them. They’d get to the circus, have a great time, and get back to school with no one the wiser about what she’d done. She could make up with her mom after school and things would go back to normal.
Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.
When she was done with breakfast, Sam dropped her dishes in the sink and grabbed her backpack in a rush to get out the door.
“Sam?”
Sam froze. It was her grandpa, not her mom, who called out.
She turned, smiling. Grandpa Roger was standing in the entryway with an almost remote expression on his face. He looked worried. Or tired, maybe.
He held out her lunch bag. She didn’t always bring it, since her school had started serving free hot lunches, but she kept it in just in case she wanted to bring something in.
“You didn’t have to, grandpa,” she said. There was a little pang of guilt in her chest. He got up early to make her favorite breakfast and he packed her a lunch? He was probably trying to make her feel better because she wasn’t going to the circus.
Roger’s eyes looked far away as Sam took the lunch box. He rubbed his hands and Sam looked down to see him rubbing the scar in between his thumb and forefinger. Back-and-forth, back-and-forth It had always been there, but she didn’t know where it came from.
“Just felt like you might need something special today,” he said slowly.
Sam forced a smile and choked down her guilt. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Okay, grandpa. Thank you. I love you.”
She turned to leave–
“Sam.” This time, it was her mom, standing in the open doorway that led to the kitchen.
Sam looked at her mom for what felt like forever. Did her mom know? Maybe the teacher called to confirm and Sam was caught out.
But her mom just smiled, although her eyes weren’t in it, and it felt like an empty smile.
“Have a good day at school. We can talk when you get home, okay?”
Sam had the sudden, sweeping urge to run up to her mom and hug her until her ribs threatened to break. But then she remembered she was supposed to be mad at her mom about not going to the circus today, and she stopped herself.
She cleared her throat and pretended that she’d be stuck in school while everyone else was at the circus. A trick that Owen texted her last night, when she’d been panicking about accidentally giving away today’s plans. He said it’d make her sound more authentic.
“Yeah, whatever.” She saw a flash of hurt in grandpa Roger’s eyes and looked back at her mom with some genuine guilt. Her mouth felt dry, even though she’d drunk a whole glass of orange juice. Why was she being so mean? Her mom was unreasonable, but…
Sam muttered a goodbye to no one in particular she ran out the door with her lunchbox clenched between her fingers.
With each step down the stairs and down the sidewalk towards her school, she came closer to getting on the bus.
She came closer to going to the circus.
–
If Sam hadn’t forged her mom’s signature on the permission slip, she would have been heading to first period like every other day. But instead of going into the school, she made a beeline for the bus drop-off line and met up with Owen and Elisa.
Both of them broke into huge grins as soon as they saw her.
“Congratulations!” Elisa said, slapping Sam’s back. Elisa was wearing a pair of green overalls with a flannel shirt underneath. “I can’t believe you actually got away with it.”
Sam felt her face get hotter. “Shh!” She looked around, but no one seemed to hear. Everyone was either talking with their friends, making videos, or scrolling on their phone. “Don’t mess this up right before we get on the bus!”
Elisa laughed and zipped her lips with her fingers. “Sorry, sorry. But I’ve been waiting for this day for like, ever. Your first field trip! And it’s with both of us!” She linked her arm with Owen’s, and then linked her other with Sam’s.
She kept them like that, despite Sam and Owen protesting, until it was time to line up formally so that Mr. Wheeling could get a headcount as everyone went on the bus. Elisa was up, and she glanced at Sam and gave a thumb’s up before she got on. Owen didn’t look back–he was too busy yelling at Elisa to make sure she saved three seats, not two.
And then it was Sam’s turn.
Sweat dripped down the back of Sam’s neck. This was it. The moment of truth. Either she’d get on this bus and go to the circus or…
Mr. Wheeling’s eyebrows went up a little when Sam stepped up. But he flipped through his folder and tapped his pen on the permission slip that Sam had given him and smiled.
“Well, glad to have you with us, Sam. Owen and Elisa can fill you in on field trip etiquette.”
Sam laughed shortly, nervously, and climbed the stairs of the bus.
The bus was filled with chattering classmates. She gazed down the aisle until she saw Elisa frantically waving her hands in a dramatic fashion. Owen was sitting in the seat in front of Elisa,
“You’ll sit with me on the way and Owen on the back,” Elisa clarified. “We discussed this extremely important seating arrangement before you even got here today. And when we get to the circus, you’ll sit in the middle, so we can make sure no one tries to snatch you or something.”
“And of course we’ll stick together if we’re allowed to do things on our own,” Owen added. He had his hair down today and was wearing a t-shirt featuring Pennywise from IT and jeans. Sam reminded herself to point out her Harley Quinn scrunchie later; at least she wasn’t the only one wearing something vaguely circus themed.
“What if I want to sit with myself? Or do something alone?” Sam asked, suddenly.
Elisa’s eyebrows quirked up, and she waved her hands. “Don’t be silly. You always sit with one of us at school, and I’m not letting you run off by yourself. Anyway!”
Elisa and Owen began telling Sam about what to expect on the trip, but she admittedly wasn’t really paying attention. She was thinking about her mom. And her grandpa.
Oh yeah, she thought. The lunchbox . I wonder what he packed, she thought. Probably a sandwich or something else equally as delicious. Sandwiches were his go-to school lunch, but they were never boring like plain ol’ PB&Js or baloney. His sandwiches had handmade bread and home-roasted meats or homemade jams and specialty peanut butter.
She pulled the lunchbox out from her backpack, then paused. Strange. The front pouch of the lunchbox had a hard spot on it. Maybe an ice pack? She unzipped it and shoved her fingers inside.
But there wasn’t an ice pack. Instead, she pulled out her grandmother’s watch. Why on earth did grandpa Roger put that in her lunch box?
“Oh,” she blurted. “That’s weird.”
Owen and Elisa stopped talking.
“What’s weird?” He asked, peering over the back of the seat.
“My grandpa put my grandma’s watch in here.”
She held up the watch. It was an old fashioned thing, with all sorts of bells and whistles, even a compass. “It doesn’t even work.”
Elisa took it from Sam’s hand and poked at the buttons, but of course, nothing turned on. The watch had never worked, as far as Sam recalled. Her mom wore it sometimes. Like when her grandpa was in the hospital. It tended to appear on her mom's wrist when she seemed stress, which made sense to Sam.
“This was your grandma Zelda’s watch?” Elisa asked, handing it back to her.
Sam shook her head. “No, it was my mom’s mom’s. Grandpa’s first wife. She died when my mom was 10 or 11, I think.” For a moment, Sam thought about putting the watch on. Then she felt silly. It didn’t work, what would be the point? The watch fit easily back into the small pouch of the bag, and she zipped it up for safekeeping. Her mom would definitely lose her mind if anything happened to the watch.
“Maybe he didn’t want you to be late for class,” Elisa joked. Owen snorted. They both knew Sam was never late for class.
Owen turned around in his seat. Sam leaned up and saw what she expected: he was working on videos for his theater TikTok. She didn't know why he stuck himself in tech when what he really wanted to do was act. Maybe she could convince him to audition for the school musical in the spring.
For now, though, she wanted to find out what her grandpa had packed for her lunch. She opened up the main pouch of her bag and was delighted by what she found inside. There were two sandwiches labeled “Turkey” and “Salami,” a bag of her favorite crackers, three mandarin oranges, and a piece of homemade bread wrapped up in plastic. Yum.
She was about to zip the bag back up when she realized there was something stiff in the middle of the bag, shoved in between the two sandwiches. She thought it was a piece of cardboard at first, but then she pulled it out.
It was a book.
A thin book, with an old-fashioned cloth cover. There was nothing on the front but the title in gold letters that were so faded that it was a bit hard to read. But with some maneuvering in the light, she was able to make it out.
Small Spaces.
She opened the book to the first page. It was a copyright page, which said the book was printed in 1895.
“Woah,” she said. “This book is old. Really old. Why does my grandpa have this?”
“Why he put it in your bag is the better question,” added Elisa. But she didn’t seem to really care about the book. She was watching eagerly as Mr. Wheeling got on the bus and gave his usual spiel about no standing, no shouting, and no chewing gum on the way to the circus.
Sam flipped impatiently to a few pages in. It was written like a diary, and the language was a bit fancy. It reminded Sam of the Pride & Prejudice series they watched in Owen’s basement earlier that summer. “This is the good one,” he said, although neither Sam or Elisa knew what the “bad” Pride & Prejudice would be exactly.
As Sam read a bit on the page, she felt goosebumps creep up her arm. From the slight chill of the open windows, maybe. Or because the words were genuinely unnerving.
“There—the candle is guttering. Lights flicker, you know, when they are near. Sometimes I hope desperately that Jonathan is with them. That he has never left me at all. But mostly I hope he is safely dead, and that I will see him in the next world.
Because the alternative is so much worse.
God bless you, my dear. Even if this story seems strange, I beg you will read it. For my sake.”
Well that’s creepy, Sam thought. It didn’t seem like the sort of stuff that her grandpa usually read. Maybe it was her mom’s book. Or her grandma’s. That would make sense, if he was having some memory problems today, that he might pack her watch and book in a bag.
“And remember,” Mr. Wheeling finished his speech while holding up a finger in a mock-stern manner. “I will feed you to the circus animals if you embarrass me on this trip.”
The class let out a resounding, teasing jeer and Mr. Wheeling laughed before taking his seat behind the bus driver. Sam didn’t jeer, but smiled anyway. It was nice to finally get an idea of what other people did on field trips. Everyone seemed to be ready to have a good time. Even the teacher. It wasn’t like Mr. Wheeling was super mean or anything in class, but he seemed in a lighter mood than usual.
The school bus suddenly roared to life. The smell of engine exhaust sifted through a few of the open windows as the bus began to plod its way to the old fairgrounds, where a circus had been set up for all ages to enjoy.
Sam put the book back into the bag. Maybe she’d read a bit more on the way, but for now she wanted to enjoy the feeling of the autumn breeze, the faint scent of the bus engine, and the chatter of her classmates.
In less than half an hour, they would be at the circus. And she was going to have the time of her life.
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A Jellicle Halloween
An: Before we begin let me clarify a few things, first this is going to take place in an alternative world where Macavity isn’t really banned from the group he is still the older brother to Munk and Tugger but he didn’t go bad, he is also the father to Plato and adoptive father to Mungojerrie. Munkustrap is the father of Jemima, Deme and Bomba are sisters and Victoria is mute. Also I wouldn’t mind if any talented artist create fanworks of these ideas, So without further ado let’s go haunting. and Yes I am late in posting this but due to outside forces I have not yet completed this story, so what I’m doing is posting this part one and of you want more like and comment.
When the sun goes down on Halloween night and the human children are going around trick or treating to their hearts delight, and Jellicles are getting ready for the Halloween feast. For Halloween night all Jellicles dress up and participate in fun games and dancing, at the stroke of midnight they all eat a large feast made of different meals that the cats bring or catch or make on the night of the feast. It is the third most anticipated night of the year, the first is the Jellicle Ball and the second is the Jellicle Christmas Day, and it's time for the Jellicle Halloween to begin.
The sun had begun to go down and a set of twin kittens sat waiting for their older brother to pick them up, “I can’t wait to see everyone’s costume I wonder who’s gonna be the scariest?” Misto, who decided to go as a wizard with a little disney wizard hat, asked his sister who signed back ‘maybe Macavity but he always looks scary’ Victoria was dressed as an angel, predictable as she was a white cat the only other colour was her ears which had little tips of black on them barely noticeable to the naked eye. “You’re right, Hey I think I see Alonzo” Misto and Victoria ran outside to see their Older brother Alonzo dressed as a skeleton cat, “nice costumes, let’s go” he tells them and together they make their way to the Jellicle Junkyard. “Wait don’t you have to take something for the feast?” Misto asked not seeing a bag of food being carried by Alonzo, “Munk and I did a lot of hunting for the feast earlier today,” he explained. They were walking for a bit and seeing all the cool decorations when Misto got a sneaky idea “hey Victoria” he says creepily making her turn and silently scream and cower into Alonzo who turned to see Misto had put a jack-o-lantern on his head making it look light on fire “not funny Bro” “oh come on it was a little funny” he said taking the pumpkin off his head and Victoria replied by shaking her head in anger. “Victoria is right it was mean you don’t know what-” Alonzo trailed off noticing a threatening shadow over Misto “what’s up?” Misto turned slowly when the shadow jumped out with a knife scaring the twins and Alonzo, they kept their eyes closed in fear until the figure laughed and showed the cat under the hat and cape “uncle Bus’” Misto cried out moving closer to the cat as Alonzo made sure Victoria was alright “, that was good but what are you meant to be?” “I’m sorry for scaring you I quite simply couldn’t resist and to answer your question I am Jack The Ripper Famous serial Killer of London” Bustopher Jones told them getting a large sack. ‘What’s in there?’ Victoria asked her uncle “I had visited some of my clubs and decided to contribute to the feast so I have some Game, Mutton, cooked Cabbage and a few Rice Puddings” he tells them and the twins licked their lips at the mention of Rice pudding. “Come along children we don’t want to be late” their uncle said walking ahead of them, making them run to catch up.
Minutes later they arrived at the yard, which is lit only by candlelight and Jack-o-lanterns were around the place along with the giant area that is reserved for the feast, some cats still missing, one of those cats was Plato making Victoria frown, “I’m sure he’s gonna be here soon Vic” Misto told her noticing her face. They make their way to the tire which has four cats sitting on it, “aye, I bid yee a happy Halloween” Munkustrap said when the group got closer, “you’ve been practising that voice I see” Alonzo complimented his friend “you have no idea” Munk’s mate Demeter said dressed as a mermaid while Jemima was dressed as a parrot. “Misto you do know Halloween is where you dress as something you’re not right?” A vampire Tugger said circling Misto and sitting in front of him smirking “Excuse me but I’m a wizard that’s completely different to a magician” came Misto’s retort. “Let me bite you then we can be immortals together” Tugger tells him “I’d rather die” Misto tells him in a bored tone. “That could be arranged,” one big cat in a black hood with a scythe said taking Tugger‘s place on the tire “,hello brothers” “hello Macavity” Munk and Tugger greeted their brother. Alonzo greeted his mate Cassandra as they sit next to Munk and Deme on the boot of the car “how lucky am I to have the queen of the nile Cleopatra as my mate” he said making her blush “I thank the everlasting star everyday that we have each other”. Bomba nuzzles her mate Macavity “I love how you make death look beautiful” Macavity compliments her “and I can’t believe I’m saying it you make a good grim reaper” Bomba replied, Misto watched the couples with boredom “aww don’t look down little wizard the party will soon begin and then you and I can dance the night away together” Tugger’s words just got Misto more bored and leapt away to sit on top of the pipe and Tugger justs sighs squeezing himself between his brother’s on the tire.
Victoria, Jemima and another cat move to the kittens group. “You make a beautiful angel Victoria” the cat Plato said blushing, she blushed too signing back ‘thank you Plato, I like your costume too’ Plato looked down at his demon costume “a little on the nose since my dad is the grim reaper”. Before they could continue they were jumped on by a hyper kitten dressed as Harley Quinn “omg you guys are so cute in your costumes, I can’t believe you two aren’t mates and yet you both wear mate themed outfits, and Jemima I so wish I could do family theme costumes like you” she said dreamily “Cettie calm down, the party hasn’t even started yet” Tumblebrutus, dressed as the Joker tells her and the others greet the three “Hey Pouncival what are you supposed to be?” Jemima asked the young Tom kitten “I’m a ghost pollicle duh” he replied before looking over at the tire and seeing Bomba dressed as an undead bride nuzzling Macavity. “He’s so clueless” Electra, dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West, said watching the young tom ignore the only queen giving him attention, “One day he will notice her” George said dressed as a Scarecrow, to match Electra.
Mungojerrie, dressed as Mr Hyde goes up to Rumpelteazer, dressed Doctor Jekyll who is beside her dad Skimbleshanks, “Hey Teazer” he said nuzzling her “Hey Jerrie, we are so gonna win the Best couples costume” Teazer says determined to win with her mate. “Well Good luck to you both, though I’m sure skimble will blow everyone away at the Singles best costume” Jennyanydots, who chose this year to go as a flapper dancer, says helping her mate Skimbleshanks finish his costume “Uh what are you supposed to be?” Jerrie asks not understanding “well laddie I am Rusty the steam engine train from my favourite musical Starlight Express” Skimble says slowly standing up and balance himself on the roller blades, the twins tried to not laugh but when that failed Jenny showed them away as Skimble was rolling from side to side. “Of course you dress as a train” Asparagus Jnr jokes as he and Jellyorum come up beside their friends, “well it’s more original than the Phantom of the Opera” Skimble retorts making fun of Aspargus’s costume, “Oh leave him alone he was helping Gus with his costume and didn’t have enough time for an original one” Jelly said, dressed as a nun. “Speaking of What did Gus decide to come as?” Jenny asked “who else, Firefrorefiddle, the fiend of the fell” Asparagus added the grand gestures as they always do when Gus retells his times performing.
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer ran over to the oven where they met up with the psychic twins and Exoctica, “you guys look a fright” exoctica chides as they catch their breaths. “Well you would too if you had Jennyanydots on your tail” Jerrie says “nice costume Exoctica” Teazer compliments looking over her Queen Elizabeth costumes. “So what are you two then?” Jerrie asked the Psychic twins “we are Schrodinger’s cat” “the idea of a cat in a box and not knowing if he is dead or alive” Jerrie blinks looking between the two “so who’s who?” the twins stayed quiet as Teazer silently ohh’d getting the whole point and laughing at the fact that she's not going to tell Jerrie and let him be driven made by them.
Bustopher Jones had finished adding his sack of treats to the Halloween feast and decided to go sit with his old friend Gus while they waited for the party to start. “Well I never thought I would live to see the day that Bustopher Jones shared even a tiny morsel of food” Gus playfuly jabs him “well I Just wanted to be generous for one night even I can do that” Gus nods at Busthopher’s words “does this mean you will stay for the whole night?” he asked, turning to his friend “for once I believe I will” Bustohper looked around at all the cats and kittens talking and notices two cats not there “actually have you seen Old Deuteronomy?” he asked Gus who frowned “no in fact Grizabella isn’t here too”.
Macavity, Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger smirks together as the girls give them some space “show time” Tugger says as Mac controls the fire and blows out the candles, it happened so suddenly the kittens couldn’t help but cry and Scream, Misto grew worried about Victoria and leapt over to protect her as the kittens all huddle in the center of the yard. The darkness didn’t last long as soon a spotlight seemed to come from the moon and shine down on Macavity as he stood menacingly on the tire “Toms and Queens of every age Wouldn't you like to see something strange?” He sang to the group as a second spotlight hits Munkustrap as he stands proudly on top of the oven, making Tantomile, coricopat and Exoctica turn and look at him. “Come with us,” he sings and a third spotlight hits Rum Tum Tugger standing majestically on the chair “,and you will see This, our town of Halloween” Munk finishes. “This is Halloween, this is Halloween Pumpkins scream in the dead of night” Tugger sings then the brothers share a look and together they pounce, leaping into the pile of Kittens and making them scatter to the adults of the group, the rule of Halloween feast is that you never join another cat’s song unless you are asked to or like what Macavity will do, are gestured to join. Munk, Mac and Tugger stalk forward as they sing the next line “This is Halloween, everybody make a scene Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright!” the brothers stop and swipe their claws to both sides and then at the sky to the ground and finish by spreading their arms wide “It's our town, everybody scream In this town of Halloween”. At the last line Munk and Tugger bow down and circle Mac as he takes control of the kittens moving his left paw up making Pouncival stand and sing “I am the one hiding under your bed Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red” he emphasised his teeth and eyes and Mac then moved his right paw and Etcetera follows with “ I am the one hiding under yours stairs Fingers like snakes and spiders in my mane” she couldn’t help giggling as she shook her mane pretending spiders were there. The others were enjoying the song and nods their heads in rhythm as Pounce and Cettie move forward to stand behind Mac as he dance as they followed as he was the puppet master twirling out of the light “ This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!” they sang before the spotlight moved to Tugger laying seductively by Bomba, Deme and Electra and he orchestrated them to sing “In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song” Munk jumps onto the other junk wall and moves gracefully to Bustopher Jones and pulled him up “In this town, don't we love it now? Everybody's waiting for the next surprise” Bustopher sung as the brothers joined each other again on the boot of the car “Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll…” Tugger leaps over to Alonzo, Cass and George and they each took their turn to sing “Scream!” “this os halloween” “red’n’black” “and slimy green”. Mac turned to the group of four elderly cats “aren’t you scared?” he asked them and the toms shook their heads as Jenny and Jelly duets “Well, that's just fine Say it once, say it twice” Skimble and Asparagus Jnr took over “Take a chance and roll the dice Ride with the moon in the dead of night” they looked at the full moon on that line and Mac continued to scare the kittens away “Everybody scream, everybody scream” Munk and Tugger backed him up “In our town of Halloween!” Mac jumped to stand over the group as he used his magic to bring the psychic twins up “I am the clown with the tear-away face
Here in a flash and gone without a trace” they each sang one line and then Mac pulled up Electra and Jemima making them move as if they were being blown away by the wind “I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?" I am the wind blowing through your hair”. Then Mac pulled up Victoria infront of him, she was a special case since she doesn’t have a voice so Mac controlled her to lip sing “I am the shadow on the moon at night Filling your dreams to the brim with fright” instead of Tugger throwing his voice they heard a haunting female voice sing the line in sync with Victoria, thinking nothing of it they continue and without notice a shadow jumps to the chair. Mac, Munk and Tugger flipped and walked on their toes to the front and posed Menacingly as they sing “This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!” at each Halloween the older cats joined increasing the volume of the lines, the kittens then sing as they crawled forward, Jemima, Electra and Cettie moving to lay between each of the brother’s legs “Tender lumplings everywhere Life's no fun without a good scare” Jerrie and Teazer did they famous duel multi flip in front of the brothers singing “ That's our job, but we're not mean In our town of Halloween”. “In this town” Bustohoer sang and then didn’t want Gus to miss out pulled him up too “Don't we love it now? Everyone's waiting for the next surprise”. Then the others moved forward as Munk and Tugger jumped from side to side, careful of the kittens and Mac flips backwards and the queens take his place “Reaper Mac might catch you in the back And scream like a banshee Make you jump out of your skin This is Halloween, everybody scream” Tugger and munk say and the kittens screamed scattering once more away as the others lay their right paws over their heart “Won't ya please make way for a very special guy?” Tugger sings turning to gesture to the center before noticing Misto was there and pulled him down to sit by his side “Our man Mac is King of the Pumpkin patch Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now!” Munk continues and Mac makes the group disperse back to their original spots as he walks forward with pride “This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!” he sings and the kittens crawl forward again, Munk and Tugger kneel down looking t Mac as they sing “In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song” the kittens all get up and hold hands surrounding the three and prancing around them and Munk and Tugger provided their back up “La, la, la, (Halloween! Halloween!) La-la-la, la, la (Halloween! Halloween!) La-la-la, la, la, (Halloween! Halloween!) La-la-la, la-la-la, hey!”
At the final line everyone broke apart laughing and giggling as they all praised and greeted the brothers. The older cats were congratulating the boys on opening the Halloween feast and the younger cats were fawning over Tugger and his singing voice. Once again the lights go out completely, the cats don’t react thinking that the brothers were planning something but then the entire yard glowed different neon colours, the brothers also glow like the yard and stilled in a trance like state when menacing laughter filled the yard, the kittens screamed when a female cakal joins in. “Well, well, well, what have we here?” A big, green ghost life figure sang as he appeared on the tire, the older cats move to protect the kittens and the figure has his sights on Gus “,Firefrorefiddle huh? Oh, I'm really scared,” he pulls the cat up to stand beside him but keeps his hands on him, “So you're the one everybody's talkin' about, ha, ha” Gus didn’t like how the figure laughed at him and wanted to get away. Bustopher, Asparagus and Skimble try to run forward but get blocked by the brothers, who now act like puppets to this figure, as he started to dance Gis around him “You're jokin', you're jokin' I can't believe my eyes You're jokin' me, you gotta be This can't be the right guy He's ancient, he's ugly I don't know which is worse I might just split a seam now If I don't die laughing first” the kittens all growl at swipe their claws at him not liking how he was treating a valued member of the group, the figure got a wicked idea, he called his puppets up to hold Gus as he made his way to the kittens “When Mr. Oogie Boogie says There's trouble close at hand You'd better pay attention now 'Cause I'm the Boogie Man And if you aren't shakin' Then there's something very wrong 'Cause this may be the last time now That you hear the boogie song, ohhh” Tugger, Munk and Mac repeated the ohhhs like back up singers “Ohhh, he's the Oogie Boogie Man” the brothers sung and Oogie Boogie finally got to the kittens and started to pet them, strangely the kittens weren’t afraid of him, he felt familiar “Well if I'm feelin' antsy And there's nothin' much to do I might just cook a special batch Of snake and spider stew And don't ya know the one thing That would make it work so nice? A flaming Firefrorefiddle to add a little spice” as oogie danced away the kittens all followed singing the oohs back up now “Oh, yeah, I'm (he's) the Oogie Boogie Man” Oogie, the brothers and the kittens sing together. Gus got desperate to get freed and decided to do the same as this Oogie Boogie “Release me now Or you must face the dire consequences The kittens are expecting me So please, come to your senses” Oogie pulled him away from the snapping jaws of the brothers, Mac got so invested that he jumped over the tire and fell on the ground. The kittens all giggled finding it funny, Oogie wanted the attention back onto him so he continued his song “You're jokin', you're jokin' I can't believe my ears Would someone shut this fella up I'm drownin' in my tears It's funny, I'm laughing You really are too much And now, with your permission I'm going to do my stuff” he threatened and the atmosphere felt tense “What are you going to do?” Gus asked him “I'm gonna do the best I can,” he tells him throwing him back to the boys as he gets out his dice “‘Oh, the sound of rollin' dice To me is music in the air 'Cause I'm a gamblin' Boogie Man Although I don't play fair It's much more fun, I must confess When lives are on the line Not mine, of course, but yours, old boy Now that'd be just fine” he continued dancing around and throwing his dice “Release me fast or you will have to
Answer for this heinous act” Gus finalised his song as Oogie got closer to him “Oh, brother, you're something You put me in a spin You aren't comprehending The position that you're in It's hopeless, you're finished You haven't got a prayer 'Cause I'm Mr. Oogie Boogie And you ain't going nowhere” the song ended and the lights returned to normal. ‘Oogie Boogie’ and the brothers started to laugh “ oh Gus im so sorry I just couldn’t resist old friend” Oogie says making everyone confused. “Oh darling that was a marvelous show for Halloween” Grizabella dressed as Medusa came down from the chair and greeted everyone “gee dad didn’t know you were a prankster” Tugger says casually as Oogie takes off his head to reveal himself as “Old Deuteronomy” Everyone cried as they all crowded him, to nuzzle, hug and lick him affectionately “I’m sorry my Jellicles for scaring you I just enjoy a little trick or two at this time of year” he tells the cats “you knew” Jerrie cried “of course, he needed back up singers, tell me you wouldn’t have done the same” The brothers all replied “well yes but still not cool” Jerrie said going back to Teazer.
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The Day Arrives
Title: Tales from Gotham Academy
Previous chapters: 1/2/3
Summary: The day of the field trip arrives. Pray for these poor, damned souls.
Friday, May 5th, 2019
The Day of the Field Trip
The Day of Infamy
It was a bright, sunny morning at Gotham Academy. In the parking lot in front of the school, two long buses were pulled up, with a crowd of freshmen students and their parents milling about, preparing to board. As usual, Jonathan and Jervis were among the first of the faculty to arrive, standing in front of a bus and waiting for the others to show.
"Well, here we are, old friend," Jervis said, shuffling a bit. "Another year, another horrifying trip. How bad do you suppose it's going to be this time?"
Jonathan shrugged his bony shoulders. "Well, Kerr ain't here. That's a plus."
"I'm more worried about Dormouse," Jervis muttered. "He's been in such a mood about this trip the whole week. I'm half expecting he won't show up."
"Well, you'd be wrong," Jonathan said, pointing behind them. "Here he comes now."
Indeed, Edward and Ellen walked through the growing mob of people, Ellen wearing her knapsack on her back and shaking her head. "Do you have to wear socks with your sandals, Dad? You look like a dork!"
Edward sniffed. "Well, you know how I feel about bare feet!" The father and daughter came to a stop in front of Jonathan and Jervis, and Edward gave them a nod. "Gentlemen."
Jervis politely greeted him, while Jonathan took a critical look at the tacky Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts his friend was wearing. "Which way to Margaritaville?"
"Oh, har har," Edward bit out. He pointed at Jonathan's own chicken legs, exposed as they were thanks to his own shorts. "When was the last time those saw sunlight? The Reagan administration?"
Almost on cue, the Dent family showed up next to the Nashtons, Harvey, Gilda, and Duela. Duela made a beeline to Ellen and the girls started whispering to each other. "Jesus Christ," Harvey growled. "We're not even on the bus yet and you're already starting a fight Nashton?"
"Oh, who asked you, Harv?" Edward asked, rolling his eyes.
Harvey growled again, but Gilda put a hand on his shoulder. "Sweetheart," she said. "Mind your blood pressure."
Harvey's face softened as it only did around his wife. "I'm fine, honey."
Edward turned his attention back to his daughter. "Ellen, did you put sunscreen on before we left the house?"
Ellen looked away from her best friend to look at her father. "You saw me put some on!"
"Well, you need to put on more! You're already turning pink!" Edward pulled a bottle of sunscreen out of his pocket and squeezed some onto his hand. "Come here!"
Ellen groaned but came forward. "I hate my ginger genes," she complained. She moved to take the bottle from her father, only for him to slather it on her face himself. "Dad!" Ellen wailed. "Do you have to do this here!?"
"Oh, how horrible! A father doing his best to make sure his only child doesn't get skin cancer! Someone call the media!"
Ellen looked beseechingly at Jonathan. "Uncle Jon! Make Dad leave me alone!"
"Edward, leave the child be," Jonathan chided. "You're embarrassin' her."
Edward finished and Ellen scurried off back to Duela, who was trying and failing to stifle a laugh.
"Duela," Gilda called out. "You be sure to wear sunscreen too."
"But Mom, I tan!" Duela protested.
"Doesn't matter," Harvey said. "Put it on when we get on the bus."
"When are we getting on the buses?" Jervis asked, taking a look at the ever-growing mob. Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown appeared by Ellen and Duela and became involved in whatever conversation the girls were having. "I think all of the freshmen are just about here."
"Just waiting on Gordon to show," Jonathan said. By the other bus, he saw Victor Fries and Miguel trying to get the kids lined up. "It's damn near nine now. Aren't we supposed to leave at 9:30?"
"Jim's going over the plans for the day with the teachers who are staying at the school," Harvey explained. "He's also probably telling Bolton to go easy on the discipline."
Edward snorted. "That'll be a first!
You might as well ask Goodman to stop being over-dramatic, or Karlo to stop being pretentious-"
"Or you to stop being such an obnoxious pain in the ass!" Harvey interrupted.
Edward's face darkened, but immediately lit up when he caught sight of someone approaching. "Darling!" Penelope came up to the small group, her usual serious expression only just softening as she approached her boyfriend. "Did you come to see me off?" Edward asked.
"Yes," she admitted. "Actually, I also wanted to ask you to-"
"'Try to have a good time'? That's not happening and we know it," Edward glowered.
Penelope rolled her eyes. "Actually, I was going to ask you to try not to get into any trouble today."
"Me? Get into trouble? I am a paragon of virtue! A role model for the children to aspire to!"
"You threw a big hissy tantrum the other day when the vending machine in the teacher's lounge ran out of orange soda," Jonathan drawled.
"After it already ate my money, Jonathan!"
Penelope shook her head, then grabbed gently onto Edward's hand, drawing him away from the group a few feet. "If you're right and this Mockridge is at the park," she said in a low tone. "Than he's probably going to try to bait you into a fight. Just for today, ignore it. Be the bigger man."
Edward huffed. "Fine. For you and Ellen, I'll try."
Penelope smiled softly at him then. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I'm sure Jonathan or Jervis would be more than happy to trade places."
"No," Edward said, kissing her hand. "One of us deserves to get through this day with their sanity intact. Just promise me that you won't get involved in whatever mischief the Sirens have planned for the day."
"Have I ever?" she asked with a bemused expression on her face.
"No, but they'll try."
While the two had their conversation, Ellen watched them with an intent expression on her face. Duela gently elbowed her. "You think she might become your stepmom?"
Ellen shrugged. "Maybe."
"Where are you on the little brother or sister front?"
"I asked Dad again on Christmas if I could have one for my Birthday and he turned really pink and wouldn't talk about it." Ellen pouted. "I'm probably not gonna get one until college at this rate."
Tim scoffed. "Ellen, trust me. Siblings are overrated."
"Nashton!" Harvey called. "Jim's coming! Get back here!"
Edward's face darkened, but he and Penelope came to rejoin the group just as Gordon, trailed as always by Kristen, made his way through the crowd. As soon as got to the front of the bus, he cleared his throat and began to speak. "Good morning everybody! In just a few minutes, we'll be taking off, so we need all students to line up single file in front of one of these buses."
"Speaking of," Jervis pointed out, turning to his friends and colleagues. "We're all getting on this bus, right?"
"As long as Neil isn't on it we are," Jonathan replied.
"Where is Neil?" Jervis asked, taking a quick look around. "I haven't seen him or Basil yet."
"Maybe we got lucky and they called out," Harvey muttered. "Or they murdered each other."
"Harvey," Gilda lightly scolded.
Penelope shook her head. "Neil and Karlo on the trip together? What was Gordon thinking allowing that to happen?"
A loud whistle blew, interrupting Gordon while he was still addressing the crowd of students and their parents. The crowd turned as one and saw Neil at the school's entrance, in front of a portion of the school's marching band, dressed in a spiffy summer outfit and waving a baton around. He led out the band to an instrumental rendition of 76 Trombones, a wide smile on his face the whole time.
Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jesus. Tap-dancing. Christ."
"Well," Edward said. "If nothing else, Neil certainly knows how to make an entrance."
Neil continued up to the second bus, the children falling into a single-file line behind him. As soon as he was at the front, he turned and bowed to the marching band. "Thank you, boys and girls! Enjoy your day today!" The band dispersed and the assembled crowd broke out into loud applause.
Basil Karlo chose that moment to make his appearance. He walked up next to Neil, looked at his outfit and sniffed. "Not bad. For a rank amateur."
Neil's face turned bright red. He looked like he was about to say something when Gordon spoke up again. "Anyway. We'll be arriving back on campus at 5 pm. Parents, please be here to pick up your kids. That being said, it's time to board." The students by the first bus finally began to line up after saying their goodbyes to their parents and guardians.
Ellen and Duela, by virtue of being daughters of faculty members, were the first to board. "Save me a window seat, Duela!" Ellen called after her friend as they scrambled aboard.
"Ellen, don't run!" Edward called after her. Tim and Stephanie followed their friends onto the bus. Soon, the last students had boarded and it was time for the staff to go. Jonathan and Jervis climbed aboard, while Edward and Harvey both turned to their significant others for their final goodbyes.
"Great. A day at a theme park with these nuts," Harvey grumbled.
Gilda leaned up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. "Don't let it get too you too much, Harvey. Try to have fun with Duela today."
Harvey smiled at his wife, then got aboard.
"Remember what we talked about, Edward," Penelope said, lightly squeezing his hand. "Try not to get into trouble."
"Well, I can't speak for my illustrious colleagues, but I promise that I won't start anything," he said. He leaned in a bit closer. "In the meantime, I had a few more ideas of what you could do to reward me."
Penelope fondly rolled her eyes. "Reward you for behaving like you're supposed to? Really?"
Edward mock-pouted, only to catch someone approaching from the corner of his eye. "Oh no."
Penelope was about to ask him what was wrong, only for Harley's voice to interrupt. "Hiya, Eddie!" She bounded up to give him a hug. Selina and Pamela showed up as well, both of them looking at the bus with a smirk.
Edward groaned. "What are you three doing here? Come to rub it in one last time?"
"Actually, I needed to speak to them," Gordon said. He turned to address Selina. "So we're all clear on the schedule for the day?"
"Half-day classes, final bell at 12:30, kids in detention out by 2:30, clubs and activities out by 3:00, stay on campus until you get back and help with pickup," Selina rattled off. "Crystal clear."
Gordon nodded. "Good. Remember, Strange will be leaving campus at 12:30 for a meeting with members of the school board. Kristen, of course, will help out with anything you might need." His look turned grave. "Keep an eye on Bolton, but don't start anything with him. Understand?"
Pamela scoffed. "You should be telling him not to start anything with us."
"I did, as a matter of fact," Gordon said. "Alright, I think that's everything. Kristen, give me status updates every hour until school's out. Ladies, try not to have too much fun." He turned and walked towards the second bus to help them with boarding, leaving Edward with the Sirens.
"This is gonna be great!" Harley said, throwing her arms around Kristen and Penelope's shoulders. "After Strange leaves, we're gonna have a girl's day in the chem lab!"
Edward grimaced. "And just what nonsense does that entail?"
Pamela let out a cold laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Edward's face fell, and Penelope shook off Harley's grip to reassure him. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she said.
"Relax Eddie, we'll take care of your girl," Selina teased.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Edward ground out.
Penelope rolled her eyes. "You're all ridiculous."
"Edward!" Jonathan called out. "Are you getting on board or do Dent and I have to drag your ass on?"
"I'm coming!" Edward snapped. He took one last look at his girlfriend and the Sirens and shuddered. "Remember me fondly."
Harley just gave him a cheeky wave. "Bye, Eddie! See you in the funny papers!"
Edward waved back, then took a deep breath and boarded. Gordon came back to the bus and gave the women a wave before he climbed on. The bus door closed and the remaining crowd of people took a step back as the buses started. The first bus pulled out of the parking lot, followed by the second bus. In a matter of moments, the buses had passed the main gate and were on their way to Mt. Olympus theme park.
God help them all.
#tales from gotham academy#the gotham rogues#high school teacher au#now that the set up is done#the real horror begins
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