Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

a sprawling dining area lit with thousands of candlesticks and more jack-o’-lanterns. There were circular tables spread out all over the room, but Cal made a beeline for the food as he rubbed his hands together. A massive spread was readily available buffet style. I was impressed, but I wasn't sure how it all worked. Did I need some kind of a meal plan, or was it free?

“We don’t have time to sit and eat.” Cal grabbed Maddie’s schedule from her hand, after tossing her a surprisingly normal looking donut, and took a look at her classes with a furrowed brow. For some reason, the expression looked…forced. “You guys have potions in twenty minutes, but if you get back here in time for the lunch special, I’m pretty sure candy apples are on the menu.” He winked again, and Maddie blushed.

“Candy for lunch?” I asked skeptically. “No snake and spider stew?”

Jessica hissed under my hair, “I resent that…”

“Sorry…” I whispered with a dark chuckle and a feigned cringe.

Cal hadn’t heard her, so he kept on with a low laugh. “Afraid not. Aggie makes a mean frog leg stew on Thursdays, though.”

He nodded to where an arched window sat in the center of the wall. Inside, I could barely see what looked like an old woman flipping a disk of dough in the air, but when she looked up, I startled back a step. She had only a single eye in the center of her face. Aggie, apparently, was a cyclops of some sort. I covered my reaction, awkwardly pretending I’d been looking at something else, but I didn’t miss the way the woman rolled her eye. Now I felt bad.

Something caught my eye as we turned to leave the room. It was a metallic flickering over by the doors. There was a poster on the wall, and from here, I could see elegant, scrawling handwriting. I went to it, presumably with Cal and Maddie on my heels. The closer I got, the more I realized it was parchment, not a poster. The writing was metallic, as if someone had dipped their quill into liquid gold.

“Solstice Festival…” I read out loud. Turning to Cal, I asked, “What’s the Solstice Festival?”

“It’s a holiday we celebrate at the start of a new year. I believe mortals have something similar—New Year's Day, I think. Not a very original name if you ask me.”

“So what do you guys do during the Solstice?” I was curious now. Did these people celebrate the same way mortals did? Did they have a Christmas or an Easter or a Valentine’s Day? I assumed not, as most of the mortal holidays were religious in some aspect, and they wouldn't have much use for Halloween here, since apparently, a ton of creatures crossed over to the mortal world on that night.

Cal came closer, and Maddie reluctantly dropped his arm. I had to take a step back as he invaded my space. “I’m probably the wrong person to ask. I never really go to the festival. It’s mostly just a bunch of town officials throwing themselves a party.” He smiled widely. “But if you’re thinking about going, maybe I’d make an exception this year.”

“Oh, we’re most definitely going!” Maddie said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she shoved between us.

“Isn’t that just what we need,” a high, sharp female voice cut from over my shoulder. “Mortals ruining the Solstice celebration.”

I turned around and had to stop myself from staggering back a step. I needed to learn how to reign in my reactions. A girl stood three feet from us with her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a black cheerleading uniform with blood red lettering. Her hair was green and in two high pigtails, but that’s not what caught my attention first.

She was a clown, with a red painted nose and everything. Her face was beautiful, but it looked to be painted white, with triangle shapes under her eyes and a wide painted smile, only it didn’t really look like makeup. Oh man, I was sort of looking forward to Jason meeting her.

It took me a moment to realize Cal was speaking. I missed half of what he said to the clown girl. But I didn’t worry too much about her feelings. The first sentence out of her mouth let me know she wasn't ever going to be my friend.

“October, Maddie, meet Payton. Resident bitch.” He grinned as Payton scowled. Her eyes were an odd purple hue that made me want to look away. But I didn’t look away, because I’d been dealing with girls exactly like her my entire life. I used to be one.

“Classy, Calvin. What are you doing hanging around the mortals? Did your daddy put you up to it? You know how he loves his charity work.” Her smile was sickly as she looked Maddie up and down. It was like cheerleaders had some sort of sixth sense and could sniff each other out.

“Oh, you know,” I said, stepping closer slowly, “just clowning around before class.” Cal and Maddie both snorted, but Payton suddenly looked murderous.

“Think you’re funny, new girl?” she hissed.

I shrugged. “You’re the expert on funny, so why don’t you tell me?”

By now, a few of the other students in the room were snickering. I should have felt bad, but she had it coming. I’d never met this chick in my life, and already, she had some sort of bone to pick with us. This was not the fucking week to test me.

“Come on, Toby, we’re going to be late for potions class,” Maddie said, grabbing a hold of my upper arm and tugging. She mumbled under her breath, “I can’t believe that just came out of my mouth…”

“That’s right, mortals, run away from the scary monsters. It’s what your kind does best.” I felt Payton’s sneer as I turned my back on her and headed for the door.

Just be the bigger person, October…

Cal caught up to us. “Don’t let her get