A thin rectangle of light floated in the dimness.
Adam squinted at it through half-open eyes, brain still swimming somewhere between sleep and consciousness. The light blinked again in his palm, bright against the dull morning gray filtering through tall castle windows.
07:56 AM – Thursday, Oct 31
A tiny pumpkin icon blinked next to the date.
He blinked at it.
Halloween.
His eyelids felt heavy enough to weld shut. His mouth stretched wide in a slow yawn that made his jaw crack as the screen dimmed and the phone slipped lazily against the table.
The stone room around him hummed with quiet conversation.
"…and after the deliveries come through the South dock, we'll need at least three people stationed there to verify the manifests…"
Bryce's voice carried across the long wooden table.
Adam blinked again, forcing himself upright in the chair. His body felt warm, oddly restless, like there was a low current humming under his skin. Not painful, just… there. The waxing moon from last night still clung to him in a strange way. The feeling hadn't left when he woke up.
Man, I really need sleep.
He rubbed the back of his neck, shoulders rolling slightly as he tried to shake off the fog in his head.
The student council meeting was already halfway done.
From what he could piece together through the haze, Bryce had been laying out the schedule for the final day of the island retreat. The culmination of the entire school trip.
Halloween.
Adam let his gaze drift lazily around the room as Bryce continued speaking.
The setting alone already felt strange.
Normally, council meetings happened inside the official student council chamber back on campus. Everyone seated straight, uniforms crisp, the mood formal enough that even jokes came out quietly.
Today felt nothing like that.
For starters, nobody was in uniform.
Bryce stood near the end of the table, leaning casually against the edge as he talked through the itinerary. His medium length blond hair was neatly brushed back, catching the morning light in soft strands. He wore a plain white T-shirt that fit comfortably across his shoulders, paired with black jeans and clean trainers.
Effortlessly put together.
The kind of look that probably took zero effort and still made girls stare.
Adam noticed a couple council members across the table watching him a little too attentively.
Yeah, alright. Dude's definitely winning the fanservice category today.
Adam shifted in his seat.
His own outfit was about as far from "formal council meeting" as possible. A dark tank top clung to his torso, leaving his arms fully exposed. Black athletic shorts hung loosely around his knees. The fabric felt light against his skin, though even with that he still felt warmer than usual.
Warmer and… sharper somehow.
His senses kept snagging on things.
The scratch of someone's pen across paper.
The faint citrus smell of someone's shampoo.
The distant cry of seagulls beyond the castle walls.
His brain tried to focus.
Instead it drifted.
Across the table sat Aiva, the council's general secretary.
The turquoise sundress she wore flowed lightly around her frame, the soft color catching the pale morning sunlight spilling through the tall windows behind her. The fabric hugged gently at the waist before falling in relaxed folds toward her knees.
It suited her.
The shade made her skin glow softly in the morning light.
Her hair was loose today, falling naturally over her shoulders as she flipped through a stack of printed itineraries.
She looked relaxed.
Happy, even.
Adam watched her laugh quietly at something one of the other council members whispered to her.
Well she looks like she's having fun.
His eyes lingered for a moment before drifting away.
Bryce's voice pulled him back in.
"…which brings us to the final schedule for tonight."
Adam tried to listen.
Tried.
But his thoughts kept sliding off track.
The courtyard filled with students.
Music.
Everyone working together for Halloween.
The whole island buzzing with activity.
It was probably going to be chaotic.
His eyelids drooped again.
Man, today's gonna be long…
Then—
Ping.
His phone vibrated softly on the table.
Adam glanced down.
A new notification blinked across the screen.
Anissa
He frowned slightly and tapped it open.
The message popped up immediately.
Adam.
Come to our room.
As soon as possible.
It's important.
Even through text, the tone carried that familiar sharpness.
Strict.
Uptight.
Almost like she'd written it while standing perfectly straight with her arms crossed.
Adam stared at the message.
What now…
Before he could think too deeply about it, a sudden bump hit his shoulder.
"Hey."
Adam jolted slightly.
One of the council members sitting next to him gave him a sideways look.
"Pay attention, man."
Adam sighed quietly and slid the phone face down on the table.
"Yeah, yeah."
He leaned back slightly as his focus returned to the front of the room.
Bryce continued speaking.
"…so the final hours of Halloween night are where things tighten up."
He tapped the printed schedule with one finger.
"First rule. Nobody outside the castle walls after 7 PM."
A few council members nodded.
Bryce continued.
"Dinner will be served in the courtyard. Music club is doing a live performance for the early part of the evening. Decorations are already underway…"
His eyes shifted toward one of the students seated near the far end of the table.
"You're still on decorations, right?"
The girl nodded quickly.
"Y-yeah. We're setting up lanterns, pumpkins, the whole thing."
"Good," Bryce said. "Make the courtyard feel like Halloween. That's the whole point."
Adam rested his chin on his hand as Bryce kept talking.
"…after 9 PM the party moves strictly inside the castle."
Bryce's tone shifted slightly.
"That part comes directly from the principal."
That caught Adam's attention.
Bryce continued.
"All doors locked at 9. Nobody going outside again until midnight."
A few murmurs circled the table.
Bryce raised a hand.
"She also wants the throne room set up as the main dance floor."
Now the room stirred with interest.
"A disco ball, full lighting setup, speakers, everything."
One student blinked.
"Wait, like… an actual dance party?"
Bryce grinned slightly.
"She said to test the limits."
Adam raised an eyebrow.
Bryce continued.
"This is a private island. Her exact words were…"
He flipped the paper briefly.
"Go as loud as you can."
Now several council members chuckled.
Adam leaned back slightly.
Madam Bellhart really said that?
Bryce continued smoothly.
"That also gives the pyro team time to set up the fireworks."
Now Adam was listening again.
"Fireworks will be staged both inside and outside the courtyard walls. The main show will happen sometime between eleven and midnight."
He paused slightly before adding with a small smile,
"The principal said she managed to get her hands on the biggest light bombs she could find."
A few council members exchanged excited looks.
Adam exhaled slowly.
Yeah… that's gonna be a lot of fireworks.
Bryce glanced around the table.
"So."
He clapped his hands once.
"Any questions before we distribute assignments?"
Silence.
Satisfied, Bryce turned toward Aiva.
"Aiva." He motioned to her.
She stood smoothly, gathering the stack of printed sheets in her arms.
"Alright," she said with a small smile. "Everyone gets two pages. One itinerary, one personal assignment."
She began walking around the table, passing them out.
Adam accepted his copy as she reached him.
The paper smelled faintly like fresh ink.
He glanced down.
The first page was a full schedule.
He skipped it.
Instead his eyes dropped immediately to the second page.
Assignment: Adam
His job description sat neatly typed below.
Supervise incoming resource deliveries.
Food supplies.
Snack distribution.
Student food requests routed through him before reaching the principal.
And at the bottom…
Fireworks logistics.
Ensuring all fireworks were delivered onto the island safely and stored properly before evening.
Adam stared at the page.
Then sighed.
Long.
Slow.
"…damn."
The girl sitting across from him laughed.
"What?"
Adam leaned back in his chair.
"Today sounded way more fun five minutes ago."
Several people chuckled.
The meeting wrapped up shortly after.
Chairs scraped lightly across the floor as council members began packing up their things.
The room slowly emptied.
A few minutes later Adam stepped into the castle corridor beside Bryce and Aiva.
Morning light spilled through tall windows along the hallway, illuminating the old stone walls with warm golden streaks.
They walked side by side, casual conversation flowing easily now that the meeting was over.
"So," Adam said, stretching his arms slightly as they walked. "That speech you're giving before the performances tonight."
Bryce glanced at him.
"What about it?"
Adam smirked slightly.
"You've been hyping it up all meeting, and last night."
Aiva folded her arms with playful suspicion.
"Yeah," she said. "What's the big secret?"
Bryce scratched the back of his neck.
"Nah."
Adam raised an eyebrow.
"Nah?"
Bryce grinned nervously.
"It's a surprise."
Aiva leaned closer.
"Oh come on."
Adam added, "You really gonna make us wait till seven?"
Bryce laughed awkwardly.
"Yep."
Adam shook his head.
"That's messed up."
They kept walking.
Then—
"Bryce." A calm voice called from behind them.
All three turned.
Madam Bellhart stood at the end of the corridor.
Her presence had a way of quietly commanding attention.
She approached with slow, measured steps.
Her outfit today balanced authority with casual ease.
A fitted charcoal blazer rested neatly over a soft cream blouse, the collar open slightly at the top. Dark tailored trousers flowed cleanly down to polished black shoes that clicked softly against the stone floor.
Her long hair was tied loosely behind her head, a few strands falling naturally around her face.
Professional.
But relaxed.
Like someone who knew she didn't need to try hard to command respect.
She stopped in front of Bryce.
"I need a word."
Bryce straightened slightly.
"Of course."
He glanced briefly at Adam and Aiva before following her down the hall.
As they walked away, Madam Bellhart's eyes flicked briefly toward Adam.
Just for a second.
Then she continued down the corridor with Bryce.
Adam watched them disappear around the corner. His eyes drifting towards the corner where they had disappeared.
A thought crept quietly into his mind.
Come to think of it…
He hadn't seen her much since they arrived on the island.
She'd appeared briefly here and there.
But mostly…
Gone.
Almost like she had her own part of the castle.
Somewhere private.
Somewhere quiet.
Unbothered by the chaos of hundreds of students running around celebrating Halloween.
Adam pushed himself off the wall slowly.
Mysterious lady.
He glanced once more down the empty corridor.