Home Sweet Home - Ch.46 - Haunted House Party (Patreon)

"So what do you think?" Jenna asked eagerly while the little purple flower petals were still falling away from both of us. "Amazing costumes, right?!"

I blinked as I stared at my girlfriend and I in the big bathroom mirror. After another second or two I finally nodded, "Yeah, they look really good. I'm a little confused though?"

"Yours seems pretty obvious," I added quickly. "That's almost what I'd call a stereotypical genie costume? The part I don't get is why you'd want to dress up as a genie. Usually the idea with halloween costumes is you dress up as something different. It's a chance to pretend to be something you're not."

My girlfriend grinned, "Ember explained it to me! She can have her wolfie ears and tail out at halloween because people will assume she's wearing a costume! So if I dress up in a genie costume, then people will assume that means I'm not really a genie. It's reverse psychology Vikki!"

I nodded slowly, "Ok. I guess that makes sense."

"And it's a very pretty outfit," I smiled. "Although you're pretty enough that anything looks good on you."

Her costume was almost exactly what you'd picture for a cute genie girl. Or maybe an exotic belly dancer. She was wearing a pink bikini-style top, loose translucent pink silk pants over a pink bikini-style bottom, and pink slipper-like shoes. She also had an accessory in her hair that was like a little pink hat with some pink gemstones and more pink silk hanging down. Jenna's cheeks were pink too as she smiled and blushed in response to my compliment.

My attention finally shifted away from her and back to my own reflection as I said, "I'm also confused about my own costume? Why am I wearing an army uniform?"

She'd dressed me in some sort of military outfit, with plenty of badges and pins and awards and insignia on my shoulders, collar, and across my chest. It was the sort of thing you'd see an officer wearing on TV or in a movie if they were going to some official function, as opposed to what they'd wear for combat. I didn't know what any of the decorations meant, but they all looked very realistic.

"It's not an Army uniform silly," my genie girlfriend grinned. "You're an Air Force major! You're also an astronaut, which is very exciting!"

My eyebrows crept up as I responded, "Alright... But why? I'm sorry love, I get the feeling I'm missing something."

Jenna explained cheerfully, "We're dressed as the main characters from a TV show! I'm Jeannie the genie, and you're my master and girlfriend, Major Vikki Nelson! After your space capsule went off course you landed on a deserted island, where you found the bottle that was my prison. You freed me, so I came home with you. There was absolutely no magical hijinks or shenanigans or misunderstandings at all, and the two of us lived happily ever after!"

I found myself staring at my girlfriend for a moment before asking, "Was this a real TV show? Why haven't I heard of it before? It sounds like the sort of thing I'd have watched. When was it on, or who was in it?"

My genie insisted, "Of course it was real! The show originally aired in the nineteen-sixties, but I'm sure there's still re-runs playing somewhere. It was very popular at the time. Your character was played by an actress called Laura Hagman."

"Jenna the sixties happened thirty years before I was born!" I stated as I tried not to face-palm. "No wonder I've never heard of this show!"

I also had my doubts about the two lead characters being women. That sounded a little too progressive for the era. Then again it wouldn't be the first time my genie had edited some queerness into old media.

Instead of mentioning that I told her what she really wanted to hear, "Anyways now that I understand the premise these costumes are great love. But we should probably get going, right? We don't want to be too late."

"Yeah!" she nodded happily. "It's my first college party and I can't wait!"

We'd already had the conversation about why it wasn't a good idea to teleport, so Jenna didn't bother bringing that up again. It was only about a fifteen minute drive anyways, a few kilometres north of town on the highway then a few more kilometres east to the very end of a side-road. We turned off onto the last driveway on the left, which brought us to the farm where the party was located.

While most of the land had been cleared and split up into fields, the terrain around this area was still very hilly. And there was a thick line of trees along one side of the farm to separate it from the neighbours on the left, while it looked like the other side and the very back of the property was covered in untouched woodlands.

It was obvious where we were supposed to go, since there were already close to two dozen other vehicles parked in one of the fields. That was right next to the barn, which seemed to be the source of some bass-heavy dance music. And incase that wasn't enough of a clue, there was a small group of people hanging around just outside the entrance with drinks in their hands.

My girlfriend was almost bouncing in her seat as I parked my Jeep, then we ended up holding hands as we walked over towards the barn together. We were only about a dozen meters away when I spotted a familiar face.

"Yo Jenna, Vikki!" Ember called out as she waved to us. And unlike all the other times I'd see her, tonight her werewolf heritage was on full display. Her long black-furred tail was wagging, while her tall fuzzy black ears angled forward. Other than the ears and tail she was dressed more or less like usual, in black jeans and a black hoodie.

"Hi Ember!" my girlfriend waved back excitedly. "Oh my gosh you look amazing!"

The wolfgirl smiled, "Thanks! You two are looking great as well!"

"C'mon," she added, "Let me introduce you to some folks, then we'll get you something to drink."

She led us to a group of four guys standing around near the door of the barn, talking and drinking beer. Although their conversation tapered off as they noticed the three of us approaching. The guys looked to be in the same age group as the rest of us, early to mid twenties. They were all dressed casual, in jeans and t-shirts. Some had work boots on their feet, the others were just in sneakers. All four of them had wolf ears and tails though, so it was pretty clear what their connection was. I assumed they were part of Ember's pack, but I knew better than to ask.

The wolfgirl handled the introductions, but she didn't say anything about the guys being werewolves. She did say they were all attending college at Georgian, and the oldest-looking one was hosting the party. His name was Chuck, and he looked about my age. I'd guess twenty-four or twenty-five, and apparently this was his family's farm.

Chuck and his friends seemed friendly enough as they greeted us. They were also pretty obvious about checking us out, until Ember clarified that Jenna and I were girlfriends. Happily none of them seemed to have any problem with that. In fact one of the guys even figured out our costumes, apparently he was familiar with the TV show they were based on.

From there the wolfgirl led us into the barn, where most of the other party-goers were hanging out. I saw more people with lupine ears and tails, but also plenty of others who weren't werewolves. It seemed like almost everyone was in costume though. Some were dancing, others were standing around talking.

There was a DJ set up against the wall to the right, with some serious audio equipment in front of her and speakers stacked to either side. She was dressed like a cartoon witch, with the black gown and pointed hat and everything. Although she didn't look the least bit scary, dancing on the spot with her headphones on as she focused on the laptop in front of her.

The 'bar' area was on the opposite wall, in a corner to our left. There was a fridge packed full of bottles and cans of various adult beverages. It was mostly beer, but there was also some wine, along with wine coolers, and assorted bottles of pre-mixed drinks. What looked like an animal water-trough on the floor next to the fridge was loaded with water bottles and soda cans and juice bottles, and enough ice to keep it all cool.

The rest of the interior was done up with plenty of halloween decorations, with an obvious 'haunted house' sort of theme. There were blacklights, fake spider webs, some skeletons propped up on hay bales, and a few realistic-looking grave stones here and there. They even had some spooky holographic ghosts hovering in the corners. I was honestly impressed, like someone obviously put a lot of effort into it.

I got myself a wine cooler while Jenna tried one of the pre-mixed vodka drinks, and Ember grabbed a beer. That's when another familiar voice greeted us.

"Hey you made it!" Ashley exclaimed as she made her way over to join us.

At first glance the half-fae girl didn't appear to be in costume. She was wearing a very pretty knee-length lilac gown and polished black ankle-boots, but otherwise seemed almost normal. Then as she came closer I realized she actually looked anything but normal.

The heterochromia in her eyes was a lot more pronounced, with the right one being a brilliant emerald green while the left was a deep sapphire blue. The faint freckles on her cheeks were missing, but her smile seemed even brighter and more perfect than ever. Her auburn hair looked like it had grown out at least thirty centimetres since I'd last seen her, and was now hanging down to the small of her back in a single braided ponytail. Finally, her ears seemed longer than normal, and they narrowed to a point at the top.

I found myself staring for a second or two while she and Jenna greeted each other, then finally snapped out of it when Ashley addressed me.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I got distracted by your ah, costume?"

The half-fae laughed then leaned closer and admitted, "It's just a glamour Vikki, you've already met the real me. I'm using a little illusory magic to play up the fae side of my heritage."

"Ah," I nodded slowly. "Well it's definitely working. And you look really good!"

My girlfriend nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! You and Ember both look great!"

The wolfgirl smiled and opened her mouth to respond, when suddenly her ears drooped and her tail dipped down low. At the same time her shoulders slumped and she sighed, "Uh-oh. One of the Tates just showed up. I sure hope the matriarch didn't send Jaden or Lindsay here to break up the party."

All four of us turned to look at the entrance in time to see another werewolf enter. She was younger, like nineteen or twenty maybe, and had short dark hair and dark eyes. The fur on her tail and ears was black, and she had a tanned complexion. She was dressed casual like a lot of the other werewolves, in black boots, dark grey leggings, and a loose black hoodie. Even her purse was black. The only colour I could see on her was the trans pride pin she was wearing.

The younger wolfgirl had a little smile on her face as she looked around at all the other party-goers, then when she spotted our group she waved at Ember.

"Oh thank goodness it's Mallory," our wolfgirl whispered as her ears perked up again. "I'll go see what she wants."

"Good luck," I told her as she headed away.

Meanwhile Ashley looked at my girlfriend and asked, "Were you still hoping to speak with Michelle tonight? I saw her hanging out near the DJ a few minutes ago."

"Oh yeah!" the excitable genie replied. Then she grabbed my hand and started pulling as she insisted, "Come on Vikki! You need to meet Shelly!"

I didn't resist, but as the two of us headed for the opposite side of the barn I looked over my shoulder and told Ashley, "We'll catch up with you later!"

Jenna did her best to drag me clear across the barn, to where the music was loudest and people were dancing all around us. We ended up approaching a young blonde woman who was dressed like a high-school cheerleader. She had long blonde hair, fair skin, blue eyes, and her costume was a peppy mix of white and pink. The only thing that seemed out of place was she only had one pom-pom, which she held in her left hand. In her right hand she was clutching a crudely carved wooden spike, about twenty centimetres long and five across.

"Hi Shelly!" my girlfriend greeted the cheerleader with a wide happy smile. She had to speak up over the music as she continued, "This is my girlfriend, Vikki. And Vikki, this is Shelly! She's one of my college friends!"

Despite her 'cheery' outfit the blonde didn't actually seem very happy. She sort of scowled as responded, "My name is Michelle. What are you two supposed to be?"

My girlfriend ignored the cheerleader's attitude and replied in her typical happy-go-lucky way, "I'm Jeannie the genie, and this is Major Vikki Nelson, my girlfriend and master!"

"Hello Michelle," I responded in a polite friendly tone. Or as polite and friendly as I could manage while also half-shouting over the music. "I get the cheerleader outfit, but why the spike?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, "I'm a Vampire Slayer."

That made me hesitate for a moment, like I wasn't sure if that was meant to be a joke, or if she was literally a vampire slayer. As far as I knew I hadn't seen any vampires at the party yet, but knowing this town I wouldn't be surprised.

Michelle caught the uncertainty in my expression and rolled her eyes again. "Not really, obviously! It's halloween, nobody's lame enough to dress up as their real self. Except the werewolfs, that is."

"Yeah right!" Jenna giggled nervously. Then she told me, "Shelly the Vampire Slayer is a necromancer! She knows all about ghosts and zombies and stuff. Maybe you can ask her about the ghost you saw the other day?"

The cute young necromancer gave my girlfriend a dark look, and it was clear that she wasn't friends with my genie after all, despite what Jenna seemed to think. On the other hand I was curious, and a few questions immediately came to mind.

I gave the blonde girl an apologetic look as I asked, "Does that mean you can talk to ghosts?"

Michelle scoffed then bragged, "Girl I can raise the dead. I can summon spirits from the beyond, and put them back to rest afterwards. Talking to ghosts is child's play."

Then as if to demonstrate she turned towards one of the holographic spirits hovering nearby in the corner and called, "Yo Bartholomew! C'mon over here, I want to talk to you!"

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as the shimmering spectre solidified into a middle-aged man dressed in old-fashioned clothes. Or at least the top half of him did, his legs remained sort of misty and insubstantial as he floated towards Michelle and Jenna and I.

** This chapter is brought to you courtesy of Meg, who commissioned it! **