One day before the school event. The 11th-Grade Science 2 classroom had suddenly transformed into a noisy creative workshop. Black fabric left over from the student council decorations was piled in the corners of the desks, while the sounds of scissors cutting cloth and laughter filled the room. The haunted-house booth's dress rehearsal was scheduled for this afternoon, before the School Festival officially opened tomorrow.
“Vin, stand right there for a second!” Maya called, carrying two black cloaks with high collars.
Kevin spun around irritably, brushing aside the cloak draped over his shoulder. “Why is my cloak such a pain, May? The neck clasp won’t line up!”
“It’s not that it won’t line up. You’re just being too rough when you fasten the buttons,” a calm voice replied from behind him.
Rey walked over. He was already neatly dressed in a white shirt layered under a dark gray vest, the signature look of an adventurer vampire character. He stopped right in front of Kevin, who was still muttering curses under his breath while tugging at the cloak’s ties.
“I can do it myself. Don’t act like you know everything!” Kevin grumbled, his chest heaving with irritation.
“The buttons are backwards, Captain. They’re sitting crooked,” Rey replied flatly. Without waiting for permission, Rey reached for the thick fabric collar around Kevin’s neck.
Kevin suddenly froze. “Hey, what are you doing?!”
“Be quiet for a second,” Rey ordered softly. His hands deftly fixed the cloak’s clasp, which had snagged on the knitted thread. “If you pull it too hard, the fabric will tear. Then the committee will have to sew it back up.”
“I didn’t ask for your help!” Kevin snapped, trying to step backward, but Rey held the fold of fabric against Kevin’s chest so it wouldn’t shift out of place.
“Stop moving around,” Rey warned again. He lifted his head slightly and looked at Kevin’s face from close range. A faint smile spread across the corner of his lips. “Why are you so worked up? Afraid you’ll lose the neatness contest?”
“Who’s afraid of losing?!” Kevin yelled quietly, but his breath caught. His face slowly turned red all the way to the tips of his ears. “You’re way too close. Move!”
“If I move now, your cloak will come loose again,” Rey replied casually, still calmly tying the securing thread near Kevin’s neck. “Turns out our basketball Captain is only scary on the court. You can’t even fasten a button.”
“Rey!” Kevin clenched his fists at his sides, trying to contain his growing embarrassment. “You’ve had such a sharp mouth since yesterday!”
“All done,” Rey declared. He lightly patted the front of Kevin’s cloak so it would fall symmetrically, then took one step back. “How is it? Fits right, doesn’t it?”
Dimas, passing by with a stack of dry ice, stopped and let out a teasing whistle. “Ooh, our Captain’s getting his outfit fixed by the new kid!”
“Dimas! You want me to throw a shoe at you?!” Kevin threatened, panicking as his embarrassment intensified.
“Fact,” Aris chimed in from beside the signboard. “The neatness of your cloak went from forty percent to ninety-eight percent after Rey helped you. And your face temperature went up ten degrees Celsius, Vin.”
“Aris, shut up!” Kevin roared, hurriedly turning his face toward the window.
Nayla clapped twice in the middle of the classroom. “Okay, everyone, the costumes are finalized! Kevin and Rey, you two will be the main vampire guards in the second hallway zone. You have to work together!”
“I don’t want to be in the same zone as him!” Kevin protested immediately, pointing at Rey.
Rey glanced at him from the corner of his eye, wearing his trademark provocative smile. “You sure you don’t want to? If you get startled alone in the dark hallway, there won’t be anyone to help you.”
“I’m not going to get startled!” Kevin snapped, raising his voice. “Just watch tomorrow. I’ll be the one scaring the visitors—and you!”
“I’ll be waiting for you to prove it, Captain,” Rey replied softly, casually crossing his arms over his chest.