Chapter 12

TWELVE

MONROE

Our shop was full of supplies. I smirked at the piles of toilet paper, streamers of all different colors, stacks of tubes that would shoot balls of glitter like a cannon, expandable marshmallows, and paintball guns. Guns weren't permitted on the Island, but the paintball kind were entirely welcome. My desk and Dawson's desk were all piled high with bags for our tour groups to fill with whatever they'd like. The sun had already set a few hours ago but we made it clear on our sign-up sheet that Mischief Monday Night wouldn't start until much later in the evening. The rules were simple: if you didn't participate in the annual house decor competition, then you were open to whatever kind of mischief befell you or your home.

Dawson walked from our back room. "You know I think I'm going to be on Sal's team this year."

"What? Why?" I grabbed up a bag and started shoving supplies in it. "You want a little competition this year? I have to warn you Jimbo is an expert at pranking."

"This thing with the siren is out of control and I think I'd like to not be an accessory going forward." Dawson walked behind his desk and dropped down into the seat. He placed his hands on the desk and spread his fingers out. "I still feel like I have to apologize to Pickles personally."

I'd never seen Dawson so serious about anything before. He was usually so laidback and quick to smile, but now as he sat there staring at his fingers splayed on the desk, I could tell that the events of a few nights ago had troubled him.

I dropped down into the seat at my desk and faced him. "I promise no more pranking, at least not malicious ones."

"Not malicious ones?" He gave a humorless chuckle and shook his head. "What is it about Chip that gets to you so much? Besides the watch."

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. I didn't know how to explain that need to rise to every occasion with Chip. But whenever she got that stubborn set to her lips, I just couldn't help myself. "I-I don't really know."

"Yeah, me either." Dawson shrugged."But it has to end. I want to get along with the sirens. I don't want to have this tension. It's not my style."

"I know."

Silence hung between us for a long moment, then the front door flew open. Jimbo and Sal marched into the room. Jimbo wore army camo pants, a matching jacket, a green beanie, and combat boots. His face was painted to match his camo outfit. He had a paintball gun strapped to his back and a bag hanging from his shoulder. "Who's with me?"

A second later Sal walked into the room dressed in his own form of camo gear, except this outfit was covered from head to toe in long strands of grass, like if he lay in a field, he'd blend right in. The suit looked like a giant onesie covered in grass. He swayed back and forth and the whole thing juggled when he moved. "Why would they be with you when they can be with me?"

My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. Every year they got better and better. This year was chef's kiss perfection. I jumped to my feet. "Jimbo, I'm with you."

"Sal, I'm with you." Dawson grabbed a bag and started shoving things into it.

Jimbo pointed to his eyes, then pointed at Sal. "Better watch your back, old man."

Sal scoffed."Old man, you were born before lightbulbs were invented."

"It was a great time of my life. Wish it'd come back, then I wouldn't have to see you." He winked at me, then cupped his hand around his mouth and lowered his voice. "Gotta keep it interesting for the tourists."

"Shhhh." Sal scolded him. "We talked about this. Stay in character."

Jimbo straightened his stance and cleared his throat. "Right, right."

Once we had our bags packed, I motioned toward the front door. Once we were outside, I turned to face the groups of people waiting for us to open the door. "Welcome to Starlight Mischief Night. Our special guest hosts for this year will be Jimbo and Sal."

Cheers erupted from the group. They whistled and clapped for Jimbo and Sal. The two of them took a bow, and I couldn't help but feel light and excited. This would be just what the doctor ordered: spooky season shenanigans.

I held my hands up and the crowd quieted down. "Now, feel free to go inside and load up with all the supplies we've provided."

A young mage raised his hand. "Can we use our magic?"

"You can but within reason. We're out to have fun. We don't damage property, and we don't hurt anyone, for obvious reasons." They all nodded. "But it's up to you how much or how little you want to take. Any other questions?"

They fell silent and Dawson motioned to the office. "Then have at it."

The tour group ran inside and began to go crazy filling their bags. The shop would be a mess tomorrow, but that was another problem for another day. Once everyone had their bags packed together, they gathered on the sidewalk.

I held my hand up. "You all know the rules: any homes not participating in the decor contest are open to our antics."

There was a round of chuckles, then Jimbo lifted his paintball gun and bellowed, "Let the games begin. To the Bow house!"

He took off running, moving faster than most of us could keep up with. I turned to Dawson. "I think he forgot he's a vampire now."

"You better hurry up." Dawson turned away from me and ran after Sal. "I know I have to."

We took off in opposite directions. I pumped my arms, running as fast as I could toward the Bow family house. Jimini Bow was the eldest member of the family, and clearly he felt no remorse in attacking his own family. A smile spread across my face, and I followed with my tour group in tow. I loved every moment of this. It was exhilarating running through the night and being up to no good with a group of a dozen people. When we reached the Bow house, I caught Jimbo lying on the ground with his paintball gun pointed at the perfect white exterior.

I landed on the ground next to him and the others of my tour group followed suit. I lowered my voice. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"They know the rules. And they share my blood." He wagged his bushy eyebrows at me, then pulled the trigger.

The gun made a little pop sound and shot paintballs all over the white exterior of the house. When they exploded, paint shot out in all different directions, covering the house in a rainbow of color. Glitter and smoke were mixed into each shot, and that too exploded everywhere. We all joined in and shot at the house, and Jimbo cackled.

The front door flew open, and the entire Bow family came charging out. They all held their wands and Peggy pointed toward Jimbo.

We all leapt to our feet and ran into their front yard. Peggy held her wand high in the air as she ran out to meet us. We started firing and her family joined her on her flanks. Archer, Peggy's son, was right beside her, blocking her from getting hit while his soulmate, Ivy, who was fae, flew high above us with a paintball gun of her own. Her blonde hair flew in the wind, and she laughed while shooting down at us. We all fanned out and I fired my paintball gun colors over the Bow family and at their house. It was like the entire place was tie-dyed. Glitter and colored smoke exploded all around us, and we ran and ducked to try and not get hit.

I'd been paintballing with humans before. It was like army war games. It was fun, but it could be painful.

All the Bows were there firing off shots of color from either their own paintball guns or from the tip of their wands. Laughter filled the air, and the entire house and yard was covered in bright colors.

Jimbo raised his hand over his head and bellowed, "Retreat!"

We all fell back from the paintball battle, and the Bows cheered their small victory, even though they were so covered in paint that I couldn't tell who was who. Laughter bubbled past my lips as I followed Jimbo as he ran wildly down the street. I waved my hand at our group for them all to follow. "Retreat, retreat."

Their footsteps echoed behind mine as we all ran headlong. Jimbo suddenly dropped to the ground and rolled to the side and into some bushes. I skidded to a halt and dropped to my knee beside him. The others all pressed themselves to the ground around us, whispering and laughing to each other.

I sucked in a deep breath. "What are we doing?"

"Target acquired." He pointed ahead to Dawson and Sal's group.

They were running around the street throwing wads of toilet paper on cars and around people who strolled by. Dawson and Sal bumped into each other, laughing hysterically.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my own roll of toilet paper. Jimbo smirked at me and pulled his wand from inside his camo pants. He wagged his eyebrows and then flicked his wrist. Toilet paper exploded over the other tour group and rained down on them. I jumped up and ran at them and let the toilet paper stream out behind me. When I got close to Dawson and Sal, they were so distracted by Jimbo's toilet paper grenade that they didn't seem me coming. I ran around them in circles, and the rest of my tour group joined in. Within minutes, they were covered in heaps of toilet paper like little kids trapped under a parachute.

Before they got out, I turned and ran farther down the street.

Jimbo fell into step beside me. "I like the way you work."

I smirked. "I only aspire to be as good as the best."

He pointed his wand at the paintball gun I had at my side and fired a stream of magic at it. It jerked but didn't change at all. I glanced down at it. "What'd you do?"

"You'll see." We turned down another street, and he stopped in front of a small house that looked more like a cottage.

The exterior was a creamy brown color with an aluminum rooftop. A chimney stood straight up from the roof and plumes of smoke billowed up toward the sky. The door was a grayish- green color that was round at the top and had a small circular window in it. Perfectly manicured shrubs were spread in front of the cottage and warm lights from the house cast long beams over the front lawn.

Jimbo nodded toward the house. "It's Colette's, and she didn't decorate."

I pressed my lips together and shook my head. "I don't know. She's so nice."

He nudged me with his elbow. "Go on. Just take a look."

I crept up to the window and peeked inside. There at her kitchen table sat Chip, Pickles, and Colette. They were all smiling down at a computer speaking animatedly. I hesitated. I'd told Dawson I wouldn't pull any more pranks on Chip, and I'd meant it. But thinking on it, she always seemed like the type who loved to play. I glanced down at my paintball gun.

Jimbo leaned in and whispered, " It's a marshmallow gun now ."

"Can you make another one?"

Jimbo gave me an are-you-kidding look. He flicked his wand and another marshmallow gun appeared in my hand. A plan began to form in my mind. If the playing field was level, then maybe we could squash this thing we had going on between us. I placed the gun down in front of the door and took a step back. I fired three marshmallows at the window. They stuck there and expanded to something that looked like gooey fluff. The three came running out the front door.

Chip spotted the marshmallow gun and picked it up. A wide smile spread across her face. "Say hello to my big friend!"

She pulled the trigger and small marshmallows flew out at me in quick succession. I ran to the side, trying to dodge her shots. Little pellets smacked into my chest and expanded into a slimy mess that ran down my shirt. I glanced down at it and grinned.

She blew across the barrel of the gun. "I know, right?"

"My turn." And I pulled the trigger.

She squealed and dove behind a bush while Pickles and Colette ran back inside and slammed the door. "You guys are weak!" she yelled.

She popped out and fired at me as I leapt behind Colette's car in the driveway. Little thunk ing sounds echoed off the car as she kept firing the marshmallows. When she stopped, I returned fire, the two of us cackling as we took aim. Marshmallows littered the front yard and were spread over the car. My shirt and hair were covered in white goop, and the taste of sugar filled my mouth.

"You look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man," she called out to me.

"And you look like a ghost." I nearly slapped myself in the forehead for that one.

"Lame," she teased. "You can do better than that."

"Agreed."

She giggled and I heard the bush rustle and her footsteps head right for me. When I glanced up from my spot behind the car, she stood over me with her gun pointed down at me. "Got ya."

I raised my hands to surrender. A blast of water came from out of nowhere, knocking Chip off her feet. I scrambled to stand and see what happened. When I looked across the street, there stood Kristie right next to a fire hydrant. She held her wand up and a wide smile spread across her face. As Chip lay on the ground soaking wet, Kristie waved her wand and magic shot at the hydrant. The water slowed to a stop, leaving puddles of water everywhere. Chip coughed and threw her sopping hair out of her face. She slowly rose to her feet and shook her hands out.Not a tail but feet. She hadn't shifted.

When her eyes met mine, there was pure fury there. She pointed to her necklace. A magical necklace that would control her shifting. One I knew Peggy would have made her. "Better luck next time, jerk."

She turned toward the house, and I wanted to tell her that it wasn't me, that I didn't plan this, but I knew she wouldn't believe me. "Chip, I . . .that wasn't?—"

"And to think for a minute I actually thought you might not be the asshole I assumed you were. Hope you get a good laugh later about how you tricked me tonight, lured me into your trap." She spun back around and stormed into the house and slammed the door behind her.

I marched toward Kristie as she stood there with a smirk on her face. I motioned toward the house. "What the hell was that?"

"Look around you, Monroe," she snapped.

The street was nearly empty. I held my arms out. "What?"

"Where's your tour group?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "The one you're supposed to be with right now."

In the time that Chip and I had been playing, they had all moved down the street. I could see them only a few houses away, laughing and running around. I pointed toward them. "So?"

"So? Really? You do realize you're only focused on her, don't you? Like all the time." She put her hands on her hips. "And I am tired of it, Monroe."

My anger rose. How could she do that to Chip? It was wrong to try and force a change on purpose. It was just downright mean. My voice rose. "That is ridiculous."

"Then tell me why you haven't given her a picture of you with that stupid pocket watch? You have one. I've seen it. The only reason you haven't is to have an excuse to keep on engaging with her."

"You couldn't be more wrong." I glanced back at the house.

"Oh, really?" She crossed her arms.

"Yes!" I threw my arms up. "Really!"

"I don't believe you." She turned away from me and marched down the street.

I glanced around at the water and mess we'd left behind. I hated that this was how a night that was supposed to be fun would end.