Halloween at Nord Manor

^The Storm^

We were in my car on the yellow ferry in the archipelago. Ellie, Alex, Rebecka, and I were on our way out to Nords Manor to attend Aurora’s yearly Halloween party.

It was the first time ever she had invited any umbra to it. We were thrilled and honored by the invitation.

It was still early but already dark, as it gets dark early this time of year in the North.

The winds were strong, and we were halfway across the water when it started to rain. It wasn’t just raining. It really started to pour.

At the same time, the wind began to blow even harder.

Alex, Ellie, Rebecka, and I all looked at each other. Was the storm Aurora’s or Damion’s work?

Aurora had apparently promised a perfectly frightful night. I was a little scared already.

It was scary to drive in these harsh conditions.

I was dressed as a witch, Ellie was a sexy reaper, Rebecka a zombie, and Alex a pirate.

“I’m sure Aurora found out about your costume, Bella, and summoned a storm just to fuck with us,” Alex joked when I drove off the ferry.

“Oh come on, she’ll find it funny!” I giggled. I didn’t want to admit that I was scared, driving in the dark wild woods in this storm.

I’d probably get a heart attack if the car died here.

I felt relieved when we finally made it to the manor. Aurora had said I could park in the garage that was under the main building.

The garage gate opened on its own when I drove down toward it. The garage was huge. Damion and Aurora had a fine collection of cars.

Much like my father.

I parked in an empty spot. We were all happy about not having to step a foot outside in the rain when we got out of the car.

“Damn, these really are some nice cars,” Ellie said while walking around, checking out the vehicles.

“Is it just me or is it a little too quiet?” I asked while we made our way up the set of stairs to the main floor. The place was absolutely radiating magic, but that wasn’t surprising.

“Bella, we’re at a witches’ Halloween party. This is most likely going to be a frightful blast,” Ellie giggled.

She loved scary stuff. I did not.

When we got up, we found ourselves in an empty, dark house. The building was in an old Art Nouveau style.

It made the quiet and the darkness feel worse.

As soon as the door had clicked behind Alex, lightning struck with a loud thunder and illuminated the room.

There were bodies scattered all over the floor. As soon as it got dark again, the bodies were gone.

I felt spooked and placed myself in the middle of the group.

“Scared, kitten?” Alex teased.

“Of course not,” I almost hissed. I most definitely was.

“Welcome to the party, hunters, that is, if you can find us,” a voice boomed, followed by an ominous laugh.

“Pranking us, well, this should be exciting,” Ellie said, laughing, full of anticipation.

The lightning cracked, and as it illuminated the room, the ghost of an old rotten hag flew right at me.

I couldn’t help but scream out loud, but then it disappeared.

Rebecka, Ellie, and Alex all laughed at me.

“Damn, kitten, we hunt demons for a living, and Aurora’s illusions scare you?” Ellie teased.

“That ghost was not an illusion. Didn’t you guys feel its energy?” I insisted.

“Oh, Bella, I’m sure you just imagined it. We don’t feel the energy of ghosts,” Rebecka said.

Lightning struck again. This time, my companions disappeared.

“Ellie! Alex! Rebecka! Where the fuck are you?” I shouted. I started to panic.

I was now all alone and fucking terrified.

I could hear a scratching on the walls moving closer. It made the hair on my neck rise.

I stood frozen to the ground, too scared to move.

Suddenly the scratching stopped. And then I could feel it.

A warm breath on my neck.

“Boo,” a voice said, and I screamed out loud as I ran.

I continued to call out for my friends and called out to Aurora to please stop this.

But there was no answer, and I didn’t find my friends.

I stumbled upon a door. I grabbed the handle and shut myself inside the dark room.

I leaned against the wall and sank down on the floor.

There, I put my arms around my legs and started to rock back and forth in an attempt to calm myself. “It’s only an illusion. It’s only an illusion, it’s only an illusion, it’s only an illusion,” I repeated to myself.

“Is it now, my dear child?” I heard a voice before the lightning illuminated the room.

The ghost was right in front of me, wearing a wicked and grim smile.

She cackled as I ran. Tears were now running down my face. That was how scared I was.

Not seeing where I was going, I bumped into a hard chest. I fell to the floor and landed on my bum.

I looked up at a very familiar smile.

^My Hero^

“Erik?” I said, surprised.

He looked as confused as I was. He was dressed as a vampire. It suited him well, with his dark curls and yellow eyes.

He was so gorgeous that I felt a little nervous, so I stopped crying.

I hadn’t seen him for a few days.

We also hadn’t talked about Aurora’s Halloween party.

“Bella? I didn’t know Aurora had invited umbra this year. You should have texted me you were coming,” he said, reaching out a hand to help me up.

I was so happy not to be alone that I threw my arms around him and started to cry all over again.

He stroked my head gently.

“Is Aurora’s haunted house scaring you?” he asked.

I nodded.

“So that’s why you ran into me. She probably felt pity for you,” Erik laughed.

“Don’t cry, Bella, nothing here will hurt you, just scare you,” he said, hugging me tighter.

“There is a ghost of an old lady here somewhere, and I swear she is no illusion!” I said.

“Of course she isn’t. Aurora gathers real ghosts to scare her guests every Halloween,” Erik sighed.

“I knew it!” I whispered, victorious, but it didn’t really make me feel better.

What did make me feel better was Erik’s strong arms around me.

“Well, at least now that you’ve run into me, you have light,” he said and snapped his fingers.

A candle lit up and came floating by us.

He grabbed my hand after we separated from our embrace.

The candle started to follow us.

Now, with the light, I saw the Halloween decorations lining the hallways. Aurora hadn’t needed to bother. Their house with this lighting was scary enough.

“Too cute,” Erik whispered.

“What?” I asked, glancing up at him.

“That the ghosts scare you. You hunt demons for a living,” he chuckled.

“I don’t like what I can’t see,” I mumbled.

Multiple voices were laughing wickedly. I grabbed Erik’s arm.

“Don’t worry, Bella, I’ll protect you from the wicked ghosts,” he joked, sounding way too amused.

“It’s not funny,” I said, looking over my shoulder. I probably shouldn’t have.

I found myself face to face with the rotting face of the old hag again. She cackled as I screamed and hid behind Erik.

He spoke in the arcane language. “~Be gone~.”

I watched the ghost get dragged away from us by unseen forces against her will.

“So cute,” Erik chuckled. “What I’d do to you if we weren’t being watched,” he added.

I was feeling very embarrassed about being so scared, but also giddy over Erik’s words.

“Any more hunters we need to find before joining the party?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I was the only one to be scared of the ghosts,” I admitted.

I suddenly felt a cold hand around my ankle. I screamed out and tried to run, but it held me tight.

Another hand snuck around my other foot. I was panicking so hard that tears started to roll down my face again.

“~Be gone~!” Erik said again, this time with a harsh voice.

I felt the hands letting go and disappear. I fell to the floor, still sobbing. I really detested ghosts.

Erik knelt down and pulled me into his embrace.

“These ghosts aren’t dangerous, Bella, they are just scaring you,” he said again, trying to calm me.

“Why is Aurora being so mean?” I cried, feeling comforted by his scent of smoke and cologne.

“Because it’s supposed to be fun,” Erik said, sounding amused while he stroked my hair.

“I didn’t know you could be such a crybaby. It’s adorable,” he chuckled again.

“Can we just find the party already? I’m so done with ghosts,” I said while Erik wiped my wet cheeks. My makeup was completely ruined.

“Yes, we’ll go. I’m sure your friends can manage on their own,” he said while getting me back up on my feet.

The lightning cracked again and illuminated the hallway. I hugged Erik’s arm again.

“If you look at the floor when lightning strikes, you can see the glowing footsteps. We’re supposed to follow them to find the party,” Erik explained.

When lightning struck again, I saw the footsteps and sighed.

“I would have never noticed on my own,” I admitted with a sigh.

“I’m pretty sure Aurora was watching over you and noticed. That’s why you found me. You needed help,” he said as we followed the footsteps.