How long has Nicholas been gone? The question ran rampant through his head, the words strung along through the fog. Each beat from the speakers a dull thrum through his skull. His throat felt tight, as if some invisible force was forcing his esophagus to constrict, to choke him up. The blonde stood in the corner of the crowded room, watching bodies move together like water to the music, people scattered about smoking and drinking.

Each individual dressed as some sort of monster, or a character. His shoulders were slumped as he hunched his form over, the baggy red jacket managing to hide at least some of it. The blonde didn’t understand human traditions, he didn’t understand Halloween. What would make them so eager to want to dress as a monster? A creature like him, who made people run as if their life depended on it. People had shunned him for the better part of a hundred and forty years.

Just from the look of him. He was a monster in the eyes of those around him. Sure, he had enjoyed the praise he’s received all night, telling him how cool his costume was, how realistic was. Creepy, sick, cool, chilling. The one day where nobody ran in fear from him. His eyes were dimly illuminated in the dark, watching the flashing colors dance across the room. He listened to cries of joy, unanimous laughter, drunken singing.

His long fingers curled around the empty solo cup he held, his lips pressed to a thin line in hopes nobody would take notice of how wide his mouth was. He felt cramped, he wanted to leave, but he couldn’t find Nicholas and he didn’t know anyone here. He didn’t understand this Halloween ordeal, he wished he could grasp it, hold it close. He wished he could cherish every piece of information he was provided about humanity, yet he couldn’t.

Nothing made sense, he couldn’t wrap his head around it. His head hurt. The drumming of the music felt too loud. Crystalline tears began to well along his waterline, his eyes frantically searching around as he stood silently in the corner.