Trevor felt depressed, wondering why she left in such a hurry without even leaving a single shoe for him. His hands still held her scent, though: Aquatic. She likely favored an aquatic perfume. He plodded toward the bar, still consumed by thoughts of her. Report Man sat at the counter, chatting casually with Bob, a half-empty red drink beside him.
“Wanna drink, Trevor?” Bob said warmly. “No Frog’s Kiss, I’m afraid. All sold out—turns out it really fit the Halloween vibe.”
“What are you drinking?” Trevor asked Report Man.
“Bloody Mary, Halloween special. I ate those olive ‘eyes.’ It’s more spicy than usual.”
“Any normal drink? Nothing spicy or made with organs?”
“Dark Lord,” Bob replied. “Just vodka, cream, and black coffee. Daniel can make it.” Bob turned to Daniel, who was chatting with two girls in demon costumes on the other side. “One Dark Lord, Dan.”
“Right after the Demon’s Martini, for the ladies—my treat,” Daniel called back to the demons.
“Have you been dancing?” Trevor asked Report Man.
“No, I did a little research, then came here to chat with my tailor friends.”
“You did research at a party?”
“I am just looking for any news, any signs about the Gods answering prayers.”
“Did you find anything?”
“No, most of it is just students praying for passing exams or patients praying for health—that doesn’t count. However, I did find something interesting. Are you familiar with this year’s Nobel laureates?”
“No. I only know last year they awarded two AI guys.” Since there was no Nobel Prize for computer science, Trevor certainly wasn’t interested in it.
“This year, the economics prize was awarded to three economists, one of whom is Michael Maker, who wrote a book named Athena’s Gifts. According to this book, he believes Goddess Athena still guards the Earth. He credits her with leading the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, as well as many innovations and technology developments.”
“But that doesn’t sound like the Goddess would intervene in an individual affair, let alone a murder,” Trevor lowered his voice on the last word.
“Are you still talking about the murder?” Bob whispered, jumping in. “I feel awful keeping it from others.”
“A secret is not a secret if more people know,” Report Man said with a grin.
“It’s about Little John. Snow was like a sister to him. He blames himself for getting off work too early that day. Now he’s taking boxing classes and going to the gym frequently. I’m afraid he may do something stupid,” Bob said, frowning and looking at Trevor.
Daniel brought a black drink in a double shot glass to Trevor, interrupting their conversation. “Wait until I light it.” The drink had a skeleton latte art on top. He used a lighter to ignite it, and a green flame shot up. “The Dark Lord is calling.”
Trevor drank it all in one gulp, feeling a wave of warmth and energy. He and Report Man left the bar with a plate of fried calamari. Their booth was empty, but after five or ten minutes, Lady News came back.
“Trevor, I chatted with your high school friend, Lady Bella, in her booth. We arranged a coffee talk next Thursday,” Lady News announced.
“I know,” Report Man said, surprising both Trevor and Lady News. “Gossip News reported it a half hour ago.”
Trevor and Lady News quickly checked their phones. There wasn’t just a report, but a photo showing a group of green wicked witches with Lady News in the Salon’s booth.
Spotted: Lady Bella, the successful jewelry entrepreneur and the one-and-only diamond-encrusted daughter of the Duke of Orange, crashing the Dressrious Salon Halloween bash. Forget the Queen’s patriotic little plea for homeland investment; B.’s trip home is about a much bigger piece of business: a massive, sparkling engagement ring spotted dazzling everyone in the room. Who is the lucky gentleman who managed to pin down our notoriously untamed Duchess-in-waiting?
But wait, there’s more. Rumor has it she’s planning to expand her Rome-based brand to conquer Istanbul next, potentially bringing a “diamond agreement” to two rival countries. A wedding this ambition demands attention—and a guest list that makes royal events look like a peasant’s picnic. When is the date, B.?
You know you love me,
XOXO Gossip News
“I’m surprised who told Gossip News this. She told me one of the Sultan’s concubines favors her jewelry, so she was just considering expanding to Istanbul,” Lady News wondered.
“She probably told many people about this,” Trevor said.
They talked about Bella for a while, then changed the topic back to the Nobel laureate’s theory about Athena. The music shifted to a tango sound. Four couples were still dancing. Spion was dancing with a vampire.
“He is really a good dancer,” Lady News praised, watching Spion.
As the sound faded, the lights dimmed. Unexpectedly, a harsh voice shocked everyone, and in rapid sequence, all the lights went off. The whole hall plunged into darkness.
“What’s going on?” People whispered, muttered, and looked around, using their phones for light. A shadow flew across the ceiling. Dozens of bats chirped above. Then all the lights turned green.
To a bassline, a gigantic head levitated onto the stage. Mustache, top hat, round face—it was Mr. Dressrious.
“Greetings, my dear guests. I hope no one was scared,” everyone cheered and laughed. “I hope you all have an unforgettable Halloween night. We have another special game for everyone who wishes to stay after 10 p.m. The game is sponsored by Manchesters. So, let me introduce the CEO of Manchesters, Sam Manchester.”
The head disappeared, and all lights returned to normal. Spion hurried back to the booth. A man in a dark field jacket stepped onto the stage. He briefly introduced himself and his ghost-hunting gear company, Manchesters, then explained the game:
“You will form a team with your friends, then receive a map and ten candies from the staff at the door. The map displays rooms and sections on the first floor, basement, and backyard of the Salon, which you can explore to find more candies. However, the rooms and sections have staff guarding them. You need to pay one candy to enter and find as many candies as you can in two to five minutes, depending on the size of the area. By midnight, everyone returns to the party hall. The teams with the most candies shall win. The prize is our latest Ghost Hunting Kit Premium Edition, all made in the Fairylands!” Some in the booth area cheered loudly at his last words.
“That sounds really fun!” Lady News was excited. “Are you all staying?”
“Of course. I knew we’d be late, so I booked a room tonight,” Report Man said.
“Me too. Spion and I booked a twin room,” Trevor said. Spion nodded.
“Great. Let’s go hunting for candies!” Lady News stood up excitedly, leading them toward the door.