Young Writers Society

Chapter 2

Freddy's plans for the summer had never involved Wildegate, Connecticut. Said plans had actually involved going to the local con, working on some new cosplays, and maybe making a new friend or two. All in all, she just wanted a chance to be normal.

But the reason for going all the way to Wildegate wasn't normal, and neither was living with her grandmother. The woman had dragged her to church the very first day that she had arrived. Freddy had been betting on that, but she still had hoped that she would get a welcoming party. If not that, she would have just liked a calm evening at home.

Instead, she was shown around the church like she was some kind of oddity. Maybe she was. She didn't even believe in the big guy up there, and any talk about angels made her cringe. Her grandmother understandably saw her as a summer project. If her grandmother could send her back to Kansas with some good Christian morals and virtues, then she had done her service to the church.

So Freddy, naturally, bailed the very first thing the next morning.

Freddy was a master of sneaking out. And sneaking in. Her mom hated both of those skills, even though she had learned it all from her. She had grown up watching her mom slip in and out of meetings without anyone eves batting an eye – despite her mom being the most important person in the room at any given time.

She didn't even go through the creaky front door. She doubted her grandmother would have slept lightly enough to hear something like that, but she wasn't going to take risks. She slipped out through her window and into the streets below, wearing an outfit her grandmother definitely wouldn't approve of.

She eventually found her way to Spooktober. She had seen it on the way in. She had tried getting the chauffeur to stop, but orders were orders. Whatever. She'd get to do this on her own time now, no matter what anyone said.

She wandered around the aisles for a bit before she found the collection of wigs. She wasn't really sure who she wanted to cosplay next. She had just done a Disney one. She didn't feel like doing another. But one of the red wigs did make her think of Ariel, so she wasn't ruling it off the table.

Then Kody had shown up.

Seeing Kody made her feel like she was back in her home. He'd fit in perfectly there, with his odd outfit and sudden appearance. And while she was a little suspicious that Mom had sent someone to keep an eye on her, it seemed like Kody was legit.

“So,” he said, pulling his hand away, “you never answered my questions.”

She raised a hand and twirled a strand of white hair around her finger.

“The dye's homemade, and the eyes are natural.”

The twirling stopped. He was studying her, again. He had done that when she had first noticed him. She admittedly was doing the same, but something about the way he looked at her was different. He was trying to find a different explanation for her behavior than she was for his.

She held her head high and looked him right in the eyes.

“Those aren't contacts?” he slowly asked.

She nodded.

“They look like contacts,” he said.

“They're not,” was the quick reply. “Trust me. I know my own eyes better than you do. What are you even doing in here, anyways? It's not Halloween.”

Kody gave a smirk. “I could be asking you the same question.”

“Well, I asked you first.”

He raised an eyebrow, but he didn't protest further. “I like window shopping here. You?”

There was a lie there. Kody, as it seemed, wasn't that good of a liar. He wasn't even making eye contact as he spoke – instead, he was staring at the dye on the shelf next to him.

Two could play at that game.

“It reminds me of home,” she said.

He glanced over at her. “I didn't expect that one.”

She shrugged. “Truth is often stranger than fiction.”

“Since when was fiction involved in this?”

She faltered.

He couldn't have just figured out that she wasn't telling the entire truth, could he? She was good at lying. Her mom and all of her many workers had taught her the ins and outs of it. Some kid from some rural town in some forgotten state wasn't going to figure her out with only a single lie.

Kody grinned.

He was the victor of a game he wasn't even supposed to know about.

“I know what you are,” he said.

“Was that a Twilight reference?” she asked.

Now it was Kody that faltered. “...Not intentionally, but yes?”

There was an awkward pause.

He coughed, leaning back up against the shelf.

“I know what you are,” he repeated. Maybe she was wrong in her initial assessment. Maybe Kody wasn't sent by her mom. Maybe Kody was sent by someone else. Someone who really shouldn't have been chatting with her away from the safety of someone other than the store's owner.

She curled her hands up into fists.

“I think you're a cosplayer.”

Her hands relaxed.

Tilting her head to the side, she somehow managed to find her voice. “I thought you'd never guess. What gave it away?”

He grinned.

“Takes one to know one,” he said. “And this store is the perfect place to get materials.”

She looked him over.

Kody didn't look like he knew a thing about cosplaying. His outfit was downright bizarre given the weather outside, and he didn't even have any supplies in his hands. Still, there was the chance that Kody was telling the truth now. If she was dealing with another cosplayer, she wouldn't want to ruin their chances at some kind of friendship.

“What do you cosplay?” she asked.

“Whatever comes to mind,” he replied. “I try to change it up. I have to keep it interesting for my subscribers.”

She looked him over again.

“...You have a YouTube channel?”

From the look on his face, Freddy had the sneaking suspicion that he hadn't meant to admit that. He was glancing away from her again. Earlier, she had thought he was just a bad liar, but it was beginning to look like he was just terrified of admitting the truth.

Interesting.

“I post mostly on Instagram,” she said. “I don't really get how YouTube works.”

Kody suddenly straightened. He had a glint to his green eyes – green like the forests surrounding this forgotten town – that she couldn't quite describe. “I don't really get how Instagram works,” he admitted. “But I think you can help me with that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How?”

He grinned. “I teach you how to use YouTube, and you teach me how to use Instagram. You want to expand your fan base, right? Having multiple platforms lets you reach more people.”

Freddy was suddenly reminded of the last conversation she had with her mom before she came here. Her mom really didn't want her to go, but she had relented when she realized how important it was for her. They had been sitting on the bed of Freddy's bedroom when she reminded her of her legacy: deals were something that she'd have to practice making.

And here Kody was, offering her one without any prompting.

“It's a deal,” she said.

She stuck out her hand.

He stared at it like he had earlier. But, this time around, there was barely any wait – he grabbed onto it and gave it an eager shake. The air grew hot and heavy for the briefest of moments.

Kody, dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans on an already hot day, didn't even seem to notice.

He drew his hand back.

“Are you free right now?” he asked. “I'm bored out of my mind, and I could show you my collection of cosplays – if you're interested.”

She gave him a smile of her own. “That sounds great.”