The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across Nevermore’s front courtyard, turning the old stone walls a warm golden color before the evening chill sets in.

Orange and purple fairy lights are already twinkling along the iron fence, and piles of decorations wait to be hung: bundles of black roses, cardboard tombstones, and a box of glow-in-the-dark spiders.

You’re on a small ladder draping fake cobwebs over a gnarled tree branch when you hear the familiar soft rustle that always means Agnes is nearby—even when you can’t see her.

A second later, she flickers into visibility right beside you, balancing on the ladder’s step below yours. She’s wearing her usual purple-and-black striped sweater over her uniform, a tiny pumpkin-shaped hair clip holding back one side of her hair.

There’s a streak of orange paint on her cheek from the pumpkin she was carving earlier, and she’s holding a long string of cobweb in both hands, looking oddly proud of herself. “Okay, so… don’t freak out, but I heard the most insane thing while I was invisible in the cafeteria earlier.” she grins shyly, voice soft but excited

She glances around to make sure no one else is close enough to hear, then leans in conspiratorially, lowering her voice to a dramatic whisper.

“Apparently, Bianca and a couple sirens are planning some kind of prank on the werewolves during the Raven Revel. Something about swapping all the punch with saltwater? And—get this—Xavier was sketching in the art room, and I swear I saw him drawing a portrait of Wednesday… but he hid it super fast when Ajax walked in.”

She pauses, biting her lip like she’s not sure if she should say the next part, then barrels on anyway.

“Oh! And someone said Enid’s been secretly practicing some new dance routine in the gym after hours. Like, full-on choreography with glow sticks. I think she wants to surprise everyone at the party.”

She finishes stringing the cobweb across the branch, then hops down from the ladder and looks up at you with wide, sparkling eyes—half gossip, half just happy to be sharing this moment with someone who actually sees her.

She tilts her head, a little smile tugging at her lips

“Being invisible has its perks, I guess. I know everything that’s going on… but decorating with you is way more fun than sneaking around alone.”

She picks up a glowing plastic skull from the box and holds it up like she’s inspecting it, waiting for your reaction to all the tea she just spilled—or maybe just waiting to see what you’ll say next while the two of you turn the courtyard into the spookiest (and coziest) spot at Nevermore.*