Chapter 5

FIVE

CHIP

It was opening night for the Halloween festival, a time-honored tradition when we all gathered for the holidays in the open space right next to the Vauntero castle. Our festival was full of fun, music, laughter, and a breathtaking view, and the Vaunteros made sure to keep it that way. The castle exterior was a dark beige with a terracotta tile running over the roof and down the corners of every side of the building. Those reddish tiles surrounded each window and created a beautiful arch atop each one. A covered walkway ran from one side of the front of the castle to the other. Archways held up the roof, making it wide-open for anyone to walk under. The Vaunteros all stood on a balcony that ran across the front of the castle. The King and Queen were at the center of their numerous children, smiling and waving at the crowd below. They all looked so similar with their dark, inky black hair and piercing blue eyes. In total there were twenty-five. The Queen had just given birth to twins, and they all seemed to dote on them endlessly.

Orange lights and leaf archways were strung between each of the pillars and over the entire castle. Fake spiderwebs covered the front of the castle along with giant foam black spiders. Bright-green lights shined up at the castle and fog crept over the ground all around it. Mages wore big costume-like witch hats and flew through the night on brooms to give the whole festival a fun Halloween vibe. Carved pumpkins were everywhere. Some were on the ground and others floated above all the little tents along with flickering candles. It was fun in a spooky season kind of way. It was one of the things I liked best about Halloween on the Island. The humans liked to terrify each other, but here we celebrated the change of seasons and when the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. Most of the things they used to terrify each other lived in real-life on this island. Vampires, mages, and werewolves were a part of everyday life. Truthfully, I kind of liked the spiteful way they all embraced it and made it fun.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Pickles walked beside me as we moved through the Halloween festival.

Booths and tents of all shapes and sizes were spread through the festival grounds. The smell of chocolates, cinnamon, and apples filled the air. Music blared and I found myself feeling light with excitement.

"I think it's a great idea. The sirens need help to see the world, and Monroe is definitely not taking his time to help them."

"I know, but how do we start? How do we get the attention of people to want to give us a try?" Pickles was all worry and logic when it came to starting a business, and I couldn't blame her. "What makes us worth the risk for them? Especially sirens."

But I felt like with enough hard work and faith, we could get there easily.

I stopped in the middle of the festival just in front of a large bonfire. I spun in a small circle, looking at all the shops and the tents they all set up. Each one had a little theme they were doing to add to the festivities. Some had games with prizes while others had sweet treats like candied apples to offer to all the patrons. It was really brilliant. They all got involved in the community and established a name for others to hold on to.

I motioned to the tents around us. "This is what we need. A booth for Chickles to start our business."

" Chickles ?" Her brow furrowed. "What's that?"

"It's the name of our travel agency. Chip plus Pickles equals Chickles ."

She gave a little giggle. "I kind of love it. Chickles it is."

" Chickles will help all the sirens travel and see the world."

Pickles walked over to one of the tables and grabbed a gooey s'more and took a bite out of it. "But aren't all the sirens underwater?"

I pressed my lips together as my thoughts ran in a million directions all at once. "Why are they? We should be up here with everyone else and being a part of this community."

Melted chocolate and marshmallow covered her fingers, and she tried to lick it off her fingertips. She spoke around the bite in her mouth. "Especially if they have treats like this."

It was like a lightning bolt struck my brain with the perfect idea. I snapped my fingers and smiled at her. "That's it. We have to entice them to come up here and test out the world! Starting with something like that ."

She shoved another bite in her mouth. "Yes, but we can't make smores. That'd be mean to the people who already did it."

"No, of course not. We're not going to make the food. We're going to organize a group travel night where we bring them here to try all the yummy snacks we don't have underwater." I gestured to the booths serving up scrumptious food of all types from meat to dessert. "We want them to come up and be part of the festival, so we'll offer them something really yummy for free?—"

"Who will donate?"

"We will. Chickles will." I smiled and held my chin high. "It'll come out of our pockets, but that's the best way to get their attention. Show that we understand them. And land food is the perfect way to start. The question is . . . which dish is both enticing but also won't break the bank."

"Like donuts?" Her eyes lit with excitement."No, wait. Beignets. "

"Yes. Perfect." I nodded and snapped my fingers. They were simply amazing. "They're powdery and delicious and would entice anyone to come and visit."

"Dad tells everyone about Bessie's beignets." Pickles nodded. "So, we can get dad to come, and more sirens will want to follow him."

"Perfect." This was all starting to come together for us, and I couldn't be more excited."See? We make a brilliant team."

Just then an announcement came over a loudspeaker. "The mummy race will start in ten minutes. If you haven't made your mummy yet, better start now."

Rolls of toilet paper floated through the crowd and people caught them as they flew around. They all started wrapping each other in toilet paper, getting ready for the race. As one soared by, I jumped up and caught it. Then I caught three more.

I handed one to Pickles. "Here you go."

"What's this for? Are you going to race?"

I tossed the roll up and down as I stared at the tent for Starlight Travels . It was Monroe's agency, and yet the tent was completely unattended . . . Totally open for anyone to do whatever they wanted to it. I was on fire tonight with the good ideas. I stifled a chuckle. "We've got a booth to mummify."

Pickles gasped. "Chip . . ."

I grinned. "Trick or treat, asshat."