𝘼𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙛𝙛, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝.

They stood before a small Halloween decoration shop, a large skeleton holding a lamp as it looked out the display window of the building, cracks creeping along the corners of the establishment, but the group brushed it off.

"First stop, the Magic Circle!" Amity grinned.

The crew stepped into the little shop, Willow and Gus wandering in awe as they glanced at the little attractions around the shop. Within one corner was a little boxed mouse with a violin, the label reading 'Lil' Maestro', a deck of Hexus Holdem cards underneath it.

Vee smiled kindly at the cashier as she glanced down at the little silver plate by the counter reading, 'Ghosts will haunt shoplifters', the basilisk glancing at Willow and Gus wearily.

Amity fidgeted with her pocket, pulling a small scroll out. Gus and Willow gasped, items catching their eyes as they ran in its direction, Amity finally revealing the scroll to the cashier as her eyebrow was raised in confusion.

The woman examined it for a brief minute before her gaze drifted elsewhere, the cashier calling out a 'hey!' as Vee and Amity turned around to examine who her anger was directed to, and unfortunately, it was at the other two group members.

Gus stared into a barrel of fake gems with amusement, Willow now dressed up in a little demon's costume with a trident in her hand. Gus accidentally knocked over the barrel while trying to get a gem, Willow cheekily prodded a random customer's behind with the trident which led to the group being chased out.

The cashier huffed as the teens ran out, pulling her phone out as she stood at the entrance of the building. She texted a message as Willow nervously walked back, the costume in her hands as she handed the woman a small coin.

She winced, frowning at the low pay as the girl ran off, the group heading to their next destination.

While on their way there, Willow and Gus noticed the statue of two brothers that stood at the centre of the square. The two witches observed the feature, titling their heads as they squinted. 

After they took a long glance at the statues, they then looked at one another with frowns before catching up to the other two who were, thankfully, not too far ahead.

–––

The next stop was the Gravesfield library. Willow walked up to the librarian as she held the little scroll in her hands, Vee grinning behind her. The librarian stared at the scroll in thought before taking it in her hands, observing it with her glasses as Willow smiled at her in appreciation.

Amity walked over to a cabinet of files, the purple-haired witch trying to see if she could find out any information from within. Smiling, she stroked along the surface of the cabinets before waiting for a reaction.

Seeing that nothing happened, the girl bowed down to the object, and then lifted her head. Frowning at the lack of action, Amity hummed to herself before taking a sweet out of her pocket, the witch nervously holding the candy before the cabinet.

Not long after, a little girl ran towards a cabinet, pulling the drawer open as Amity watched her in horror. The witch shrieked, dropping the candy as the girl below her watched her in concern.

The other occupants of the library glanced over to Amity, wondering what the commotion was. Amity slapped her hands over her mouth, a growing blush taking over her face as the girl tried to run out of the library in determination.

Unfortunately, she wasn't watching where she was running and slipped on the piece of candy she dropped, landing flat on her face as the others jumped, Gus rushing over to help her.

–––

Finally, the group reached their final stop on the list, the Gravesfield-County Zoo. They stared nervously up at a sign they halted in front of, before looking at one another and nodding in determination and linking arms, walking into the Giraffe exhibit.

Amity, Willow and Vee held hands, the three watching the giraffe anxiously as Gus bowed, the little scroll in his hands.

When he glanced up to see no reaction, the illusionist glanced back at the three girls, Willow and Amity shrugging back at him. They then crept away, Amity and Gus eyeing the giraffe wearily before Willow pulled her camera out.

She took photos with the item, the flash clicking. Unfortunately, that had triggered the animal, the giraffe closing its eyes to block out the flash. 

It then roared as its eyes snapped open once more, its scleras now black with red, slitted pupils. Its mouth now held little teeth along with another set of eyes and jaws, all sorts of tendrils sticking out of it.

The group then screamed, clinging onto each other before running out of the exhibit, as their feet led them to the Snack Shack far away... at least far enough from the giraffes.

Gus walked back from the snack shack, a box of nachos on his tray as he frowned. He head towards a table where Amity, Vee and Willow had their heads in their hands mournfully, their expedition fairly uneventful.

Amity soon picked up the scroll, spinning it on its sharp edge while Gus placed the tray on the table, the boy muttering to himself.

"I don't blame our ancestors for banishing those guys," He muttered. "Yeesh."

Suddenly, the group's attention was turned to a nearby zoo-goers whining, the scroll still in Amity's hold, but no longer on its side.

"Dad, can we go to the bird hall?" The young boy asked.

He tugged at his father's arm, the older male smiling down softly at his son as a younger boy sat on his shoulders, fast asleep. His daughter held a giraffe plushie excitedly as he chuckled at his son's antics.

"In a minute," He chuckled. "How bout we eat first?"

"YEAH!" His kids cheered, unaware of the teens that looked at their interactions longingly.

Vee looked back at the three pitifully, feeling bad for them as she sighed. They all glanced at her simultaneously in worry before the girl began to speak.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but..." She glanced down at the scroll. "I think I know where to go next."

–––

A large sign saying "Gravesfield Historical Society" had a small piece of paper taped under it saying, "Under New Management!".

The four teens stood outside the building as Vee fiddled with her sweater awkwardly, Amity and Gus grinning at the fact that there was another chance while the basilisk crossed her arms nervously.

Willow took notice of this and turned around to check on the basilisk, the plant witch frowning at the girl. 

"You can wait here if it's too scary," Willow told the basilisk. "Luz told me about that creepy witch-hunter wannabe."

"It's okay!" Vee perked up, clenching her fists. "We just faced down a giraffe! I can do this!"

–––

"HIYAHH!"

Vee cried out as she kicked the doors down of the Gravesfield Historical Society, her fists up as she glared before her expression morphed into one of shock.

"HUH?!"

The person at the concierge desk perked up, looking up from their magazine as their nametag was on their desk, 'Masha' being their name with their pronouns beside it. 

They had short dark hair, brown eyes and enby-coloured painted nails. They didn't seem to recognise Vee, but she recognised them instantly.

On the wall behind them was a polaroid picture of their friends that was taped to the wall, one of a boy with shaggy bangs that covered his eyes, and of another friend with short hair, glasses and a blue and white striped shirt, both of who Vee remembered as well.

"You're not Jacob," Vee exclaimed as Amity, Gus and Willow walked up behind her.

"We can all thank goddess for that," Masha smiled. "He got fired after he started making edits to the exhibits."

Masha pointed a finger to the corner where several cardboard cutouts lay. One of them was him in ridiculously large spiked pauldrons, a cape, and his bicep flexed as below the image were the words, 'Humanity's last and most handsome hope'.

Another beside it was of one of the workers at the nearby coffee cafe, an arrow pointing to it with the words, 'Jerks who don't believe me'.

The cardboard cutout then flimsily fell over, Masha eyeing it in annoyance before turning back to the new visitors.

"I work part-time now," They smiled. "Say, have we met?"

They leaned over their desk to get a closer look at Vee, the basilisk pursing her lips as she backed away slightly.

"Something about you seems familiar," They squinted their eyes.

"Uh, no, I'm new in town," Vee lied. "I just have one of those faces! Ju– Bu– But just the one. The normal amount of face."

Masha pulled away before chuckling, pointing a finger at their face.

"Haha! What a coincidence, me too!" They pulled out a pamphlet from their desk nearby, handing it to Vee.

"If you ever need a tour guide, hit me up!"

Vee blushed, taking the pamphlet before Amity stepped out from behind the basilisk, the purple-haired witch holding the scroll out.

"We're actually here to ask about this old puzzle," She began, the scroll unfurling. "Do you know how to decode it?"

"Ooh, a rebus!" Masha took the item into their hands. "They dug up a bunch of these in Old Gravesfield."

"This is a rebus?" Gus raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah! It's like a riddle where pictures and symbols make up a word," They chimed. "Like, c'mere."

They gestured for the others to come closer, soon pointing to an image of an ear next to the letter 'H'.

"What do you think they were trying to say here?" They asked.

"CHOP OFF AN EAR!" Gus yelled, pulling his beanie over his ears.

"No! See the H that comes first? Then combine that with the ear and maybe it means 'hear' like, to listen. Or 'here' as in a place. Maybe something is waiting somewhere..."

They placed their fingers on their chin in thought, but before they could say anything else, the desk phone rang, Masha, turned to face the phone.

"I'll be right back!" They smiled.

Amity took the rebus back into her hands, the girl thinking aloud to herself as the others listened in.

"If this is a portal door," She pointed at the eye. "Then what about these? A... A ribbon, and tanning a hide?"

"That ribbon is tied together," Willow pointed at the image.

"Next to that hand with a cut," Gus continued. 

"You don't think..." Willow muttered.

"This is leading us to..."

"Tie, tan's... blood?" Amity finished, her eyes widening in realisation.

"TITAN'S BLOOD!" The three mused at the same time.

"It's like you're reading each others' minds!" Vee exclaimed in awe. "You must've been friends forever!"

"It... wasn't always like this," Amity frowned, looking away from Gus and Willow as they did the same.

"These past few months have been weird, but look at all the new memories we have now!" Willow chimed, pulling her scrapbook out.

Amity smiled, glancing at each photo and decoration. Her smile softened at every memory they shared together, from movie night with the group, to a photo booth of Willow, Hunter and Gus. Many more memories lay on the next pages as she turned them, her smile growing.

"It's been nice to finally spend some time together," Willow smiled softly. 

In the final image, all seven teens were in the photo, Amity kissing Luz's cheek as Georgia rested her head against Hunter's, the boy beaming away. Vee was behind the human and her girlfriend, two fingers held behind the Latina's head.

"Yeah, I can't wait to show everyone at home," Amity hugged the book, smiling back at Willow.

"Maybe the scrapbook could use one more?" Vee suggested, Willow, smiled as she pulled her camera out.

The basilisk took the camera in her hands, the plant witch pulling Vee into a hug as they rested their arms on each others' shoulders.

"Aw! C'mere, Vee!"

"Everyone, say, 'Giraffes are still terrifying'!" Gus grinned before the camera clicked, the group laughing together as the image printed itself out.

Vee took the picture in her hands, smiling at the image before noticing something in the background, humming as she squinted her eyes.

She then noticed in the image behind them was the title 'Old Gravesfield', the girl's eyes widening as she called to the others, the picture in her hands.

"Hey, that map of Old Gravesfield looks exactly like this!" She exclaimed, taking the rebus from Amity's hand and hopping over to the framed image.

"Do you think it's a map to a stash of Titan's Blood?" She queried.

"With that, we could actually create a portal!" Willow grinned.

"I can't wait to tell Luz!" Amity cheered, pulling a flyer out of her pocket. "And I know just how to surprise her!"

The group craned over to see the poster with the title, 'Haunted Hayride', the group gasping as they all shared the same idea.

Luz was definitely going to have the night of her life.