Page 35 of Halloween Town

Poppy nodded and squeezed Hadley’s hand again. “I’m sorry you see them, Hads.”

Hadley shrugged. “It’s not that deep, Pops. It’s not like I see them all the time, they aren’t trauma-dumping on me or asking me to pass on messages. They just dial in, then disappear. They don’t mess with me.”

Poppy felt a little better hearing that. “If that changes, you let me know right away, okay?”

“Jeez, Pops, relax. I’ve got this handled.”

Poppy hoped so, but just in case, she lightly pinched Hadley. “Promise me.”

Hadley pushed out her lower lip. “Okay, okay … promise. Satisfied?”

Not really, but she knew that was all she’d get from Hadley today. Shaking off her unease, Poppy looked at the printed town map Hadley held in her hand, detailing the route. Boring, uninteresting, and flat, the map pulled her out of the experience, reminding her of right angles and rigidity. And reality. Pulling it from Hadley’s grasp, she turned, walked backwards, and waved it in front of Luna’s nose. “This is a terrible map, Luna.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Luna asked, frowning. “It’s accurate.”

Poppy’s breath hitched when Thom stepped forward, and his hand encircled her bicep to keep her walking in a reasonably straight line. Poppy sent him a quick smile. There was a crowd behind her, more people in front of them, and she needed the guidance. Some people chattered and laughed, enjoying the hint of spookiness, the element of woo-woo. Others looked sober, thoughtful, a little reverent.

“The event is mystical, lovely, spooky, Halloween-y … very on brand for H-Town,” Poppy said, still walking backward, still guided by a silent Thom. “But this map is pedantic, formal, so very boring.”

Luna stared at her, then shrugged. “So, design a better one,” she told her.

Poppy stopped walking, and the others braked with her. The rest of the procession swarmed past them, ants avoiding an obstacle. “You want me to draw a map?” she clarified.

“If you’re going to criticize something, give me a solution,” Luna told her, sounding crisp. Despite her floppy hat decorated with plastic berries, her long, floor-length kaftan, and rainbow hair—green streaks had been added to the pink and blue—Poppy saw the businesswoman, the strategist, and the go-getter beyond the surface. Luna used her looks and eccentricity to keep people off-balance, but she was a shrewd bird. Very shrewd.

“You’re artistic,” she stated. “I remember you used to draw and paint while Wren practiced, and you were quite talented. Paint me a map of the town, something that isn’t…”—she waited a beat—“pedantic, formal and boring.”

Poppy felt a surge of excitement, already imagining how she’d portray the streets, with layout, how she’d draw the lake and Blackweather Green, the iron bandstand. The stores… She’d use the palette of the sky, purples and blues and deep gray, with hints of tangerine and fuchsia. She’d draw tiny lampposts and slightly sinister carved pumpkins, ghosts in windows…

She looked at Thom, whose hands were now jammed into the front pockets of his jeans. “Can we go home?” she demanded. Maybe she shouldn’t refer to Solstice Deep as home, but she didn’t care. She still considered it hers. She wanted to sketch, to get all her ideas on paper before they vanished in a puff of smoke, held hostage in some unreachable part of her brain by self-doubt.

“Sure, I want to finish removing the paneling in the study,” Thom agreed. He looked around and shrugged. “This isn’t my thing anyway.”

“Neither of you is going anywhere,” Luna said in her don’t-mess-with-me voice. “Because what’s the point of leaving now and coming back for the Witching Hour Social later?”

Why did Luna think she was attending the singles event? Poppy was sure she’d said no. “I’m not going to that, Luna.”

“You are if you want the commission to draw a new town map.”

Before she could respond, Thom jumped in. “That’s blackmail, Luna.”

Yes, exactly!

“Blackmail is such a harsh word,” Luna replied, insouciant. She looked at Thom, her gaze steady. “You know my position, Thomas. It hasn’t changed.”

What position? What was she missing? Poppy wanted to ask, but that wasn’t what was important now. She had a chance to design a map, to test her artistic talents and to get paid for doing so. Hell, if that meant making small talk with strangers, then she’d do it.

“I’ll go, Luna.”

Luna’s expression suggested that it was never in any doubt. “Of course you will, darling,” she said, placing her hand on Poppy’s arm and squeezing. “Good girl.”

Poppy noticed her fingernails and bent down to see them better. No. Were those broomsticks on her inch-long talons? Seriously?

“Does anyone ever say no to you?” Thom asked, sounding curious. And irritated.

“Not unless they want to be hexed,” Luna cheerfully replied.

Hadley clasped her hands and rested her fingers against her lips. “I really, really want to be like Luna when I’m an adult,” she murmured, to no one in particular.