Carlos arrived at the school, discreetly holding hands with Jacob right until they were in sight of the school. Carlos's identity was masked by a dark green helmet with a plastic visor that was tinted yellow. He had an exoskeleton made from pieces of thick cardboard and plastic that had been spray painted green that was worn over a dark grey shirt and black jeans. The entire costume scraped together and rattled with each step he took up the stairs.
Jacob was wearing a traditional black cape with a crimson interior. His face and neck had been painted white, with black mascara around his eyes and lips. He had on white gloves, a white button up shirt and a pair of black dress slacks with a skull belt buckle. He had slicked back his hair with Carlos's help and dribbled fake blood down the sides of his lips and chin.
"Well, you look quite ghoulish, Jacob," the history teacher quipped. "And who do we have here?" she asked, pointing at Carlos. He peeked from under his helmet and waved to the woman. "Oh, hello there, Carlos. You two head on to the gym," she encouraged, ushering them inside. A police officer milling outside the gym door nodded and smiled at the boys as they stepped through the doors and joined the other children.
"Wow, they really did go all out on this," Jacob said, looking across the length of the gymnasium. The lights were significantly dimmed, with spotlights focused on the stage and the tables filled with food and drink. Volunteers were manning the candy tables, allowing children to fill their bags with a couple pieces of candy from each of the massive bowls ringing the sides of the gym. The sweet smell of chocolate and cookie dough rose up from the baked goods table. The cafeteria personnel was offering cheeseburgers and hotdogs to those looking for some dinner. The loudspeakers on each corner of the gym were playing songs like the Monster Mash, and some of the younger children already hopped up on sugar were dancing about on the far side of the gym.
The boys feasted on what the cafeteria staff offered, and topped it off with large glasses of punch and brownies. The sound of laughter and excited conversation overwhelmed the music enough that one of the teachers discreetly turned up the volume. Periodically, Principal Thurgood, who was donning a pair of fuzzy bumblebee antennae and a translucent pair of wings, would occasionally step onto the stage to announce either additional food being brought inside or telling everyone to grab name cards so prizes could be given out later. Carlos and Jacob both grabbed name cards and stuck them on their chests. They sought a quiet corner to relax and watch the festivities.
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