you live in a small town called jesinton. some small towns are known for their christmas celebrations, some are known for thanksgiving celebrations, but jesinton is... well, not famous for it's celebrations, but that's only because jesinton's too small to be famous for anything. but if it were famous for something, halloween would be it.
the only school in town is darkriver academy, servicing all grade levels. at this school, the queen is mesa marty. at least, she was until she decided to throw a halloween party.
what could be wrong with that? nothing. absolutely nothing. it's what happens in jesinton. people throw halloween parties. and mesa, being a non-snobby popular person, decided to invite everyone who went to darkriver. your invitation was given to you in person at school, the friday before halloween. and of course, you went!
you showed up at the old graveyard in the very heart of jesinton. see, jesinton is strange in it's shape. the graveyard is in the very center. then, for about a quarter mile all the way around it, there is nothing but green green grass. and then, after that space, the town starts. imagine a donut sitting on the table. now put a little pony bead in the middle of it. the bead is the graveyard, the table is the grass, and the donut is the city itself.
they say it's haunted.
all of it.
the graveyard, the grass-ring, the humongous oak tree that takes root in the very center of the graveyard. it is so large that it's branches stretch all the way to the edge of the graveyard, thick and impenetrable by light. even in the day, you need a flashlight to go there.
the grass ring is a mystery. people have tried to expand the city into the ring, but whenever they tried, something went wrong. equipment broke or went missing. people screamed or babbled of ghosts. no one who tried to build there was ever quite the same again. so, about 20 years ago, they just quit trying.
the party was grand. jesinton was so bent on halloween perfection that no store sold costumes. everyone made their own, and sure, that means a few lame homemade costumes, but it also means a few great, completely original ones.
but then, at midnight, lightning struck the graveyard-oak and every leaf began to glow. sparks shimmered in it's branches. people screamed, unsure of what was happening. and then a flash even brighter than the initial spark of lightning lit the once dark graveyard to a brightness greater than the sun. but it lasted only a moment.
when the light faded, every wig was now real, and every fake wing began to flap. every fake accent was undroppable, and every bit of face paint was irremovable. this is the transformation.
they say lightning never strikes the same place twice. they are wrong. every 13 years, lightning strikes the graveyard oak. and it always happens on halloween, transforming everyone in the graveyard into whatever they are dressed as. chaos almost always ensues. spells fly from the wands of witches and faeries, and vampires and pixies start screaming as their feet leave the ground. vampires attack their best friends and werewolves howl at the moon.
the only way to reverse it is to be in the graveyard in thirteen years when lightning strikes again. and so for now, you're stuck. but in thirteen years, will you even want to go back to a normal life as a human? or will you fit into this new life?
mesa is now down to the least popular girl in school. after all, if it weren't for her, none of us would have been there that night! few of her friends stuck to her side. some of the students told their parents what had happened to them, and some decided to keep it a secret. but word spreads fast in a tiny town like jesinton, and a secret is not likely to last long without a whole lot of work.
how are you adjusting? who are you? what are you? what is your story?
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