↳ chapter nine ₊˚.༄
[# new years gone wrong]

PEOPLE TALK ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PARTIES AS IF THEY WERE A CELEBRITY GET together. Left and right, you'd hear someone talk about Max's party or Emma's, and how three couples broke up on the same night those parties were hosted because some boy's Ivy's age just couldn't keep it in their pants. Ivy had always avoided any big gathering with her classmates, mostly because it was just an excuse for students to get high, drink, and makeout without the fear of judgement.

     So why, one might ask, was Ivy rummaging through her brother's closet for a black leather jacket he may or may not have left home, with the intention of dressing for a party. Simple, Natty asked her to go.

     "Please, Ivoryyy." Natty fluttered her lashes at her, lips pouted.

They had just left the theaters after watching the latest Christmas rom-com and were walking home, the cool air of the night accompanying them. Multiple signs read 'Happy New Years!' and on every other TV, a live countdown would be displayed.

     Ivy pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking about all the cons that would come if she agreed on going to the popular kids' new years party. The entire place would be crowded, loud, bright, and so not her vibe. Oh, but Natty wanted to go so badly... just to see her crush.

     "Fine," the ballerina agreed reluctantly before immediately receiving a bone crushing hug from her best friend.

     Now, four hours later, Ivy started to think spending the new years traditionally with her mom wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Because in the cold, winter night of New York city, all she thought about was how sad her mother must've felt, her only daughter going off to a party, her only son spending he new years all alone in a different country because of the lack of money he needed to go back home.

     "Hey," her best friend snapped her fingers, bringing Ivy out of her thoughts. "Stop looking so down, it's almost the new year! Fireworks are gonna go off, the night will be incredible, and it'll be a fresh start. And, who knows, someone might kiss you."

     Ivy snorted. "Yeah, and that someone is the jock that just so happened to be attracted to an 'asian chick that looks like the girl from Kill Bill'" the dark haired girl rolled her eyes. "As if me and Chiaki Kuriyama even look alike,"

     "V, stop, you're gonna ruin the night for yourself." Natty scolded her as they neared the hosts' house, sounds of chatter and music becoming clearer by each step. "See this party as your brand new start."

     "Brand new start in ruining my life,"

     The party was far more packed than Ivy expected, from the moment she stepped in she was bombarded with bodies bumping into each other, clusters of people sitting by their designated spaces. The TV displayed a countdown to midnight, which was forty minutes away. The stairs were littered with teens sitting by the steps, every table filled with drinks and food, and a DJ standing by, adjusting the music and lights of the room.

     Natty tugged on her hand eagerly, giving her a look as she nodded toward a familiar figure. Ivy  couldn't contain the smile on her face at her friend, pushing her toward the boy that stood by the staircase. "Go, you came to see him anyway,"

     "But, what do I say?" Natty panicked, anxiously fiddling with her bangs. "Do I look okay?"

     "You look gorgeous, Nat. Go on, before you lose your courage."

     Ivy gave her one last push and watched as her friend made her move, falling into conversation with the guy. The dark haired girl stuffed her hands in her pockets and turned away from the scene (no doubt it was because of the freezing winter), a small huff leaving her lips. It was only by chance that nobody decided to take a midnight swim, the outdoor pool and seating area vacant. Ivy took out her phone and sat by the one furthest from the backdoor, opening her Line app for, frankly, no apparent reason other than to pass time.

     She clicked on the family group chat instinctively, wondering how her cousins and aunties were spending the new years. Dozens of photos started loading in, a few showing family members staying in, eating dinner by the kotatsu table to stay warm. But that was from thirteen hours ago, due to the time difference. Two pictures showed the first sunrise, with her older cousins taking walks to admire the new year. The more traditional side of the family texted that they had visited shrines to pray for health and luck.

     Ivy thought about the times where she spent her new years back in Japan, when her entire family would spend the night in and have a simple dinner, the air light and filled with laughter. Her grandmother would peel her oranges because she didn't like the texture of the skin. Her dad would take pictures of everything and get scolded by her mom, saying that he's wasting the film and storage.

     The girl chuckled at the memory, a bittersweet smile taking over her face. Now, she was sitting at the backyard of someone's home, the lively party beating inside. It was thirty minutes 'till new years now, half an hour left before she could leave this party.

     Perhaps getting a drink wouldn't hurt.

     Making her way back into the house, she squeezed between different people and tried to find a jug of water that wasn't spiked. Taking a paper cup from the stack, Ivy filled it three-fourths of the way and drank in long sips. Halfway through refilling her cup, her senses felt something... off.

     But nothing at this party was out of the ordinary. The more she looked around for the cause, the more lost she found herself. Nobody acted strange, and nothing in the house was particularly eye-catching (other than the questionable portrait of Jesus). She was probably just paranoid. Downing her second cup of water, she threw it in the trash can and just as she was about to search for her best friend, a hand tapped her shoulder.

     She turned around and found Aric standing in front of her, the boy who had been hopelessly flirting with her for the entire year. Ivy tried to keep a neutral expression as she greeted begrudgingly. "Hi,"

     "Hey," he tried to place his arm around her in a suave attempt of flirting, but Ivy tensed and stepped away. "Your best friend's here, isn't she?"

     Ivy nodded curtly. "Yes,"

     "So how come I never seen you around?"

     "Maybe I just don't want to be seen," she shrugged, pulling her hand away as he tried to grab it. "Could you please not bother me?"

     Aric rolled his eyes at her as if he couldn't believe her words. "C'mon, every girl wants to be with me. You're lucky I even noticed you."

     Ivy resisted the urge to gag, keeping her lips in a thin line. She should really find Natty by now. "Do you even know my name?"

     "Yeah, it's Iana or something."

     The dark haired girl cringed at his cockiness. "Well, okay. Bye."

     "No—"

     Ivy covered his mouth with her webs and lightly chuckled at his stunned expression, stuffing her hands back inside her pocket. She slipped through the crowd of people before he could reach out for her again, maneuvering over various friend groups and couples. She went over to the staircase, the last place she had seen Natty. But the only people there were an entirely new batch from those she had seen fifteen minutes ago.

     Ivy headed to the main area of the house, where the DJ and projector was stationed. Tiptoeing over the crowd, she couldn't spot the familiar head of brown hair anywhere, dawning upon the conclusion that she'd have to stand among strangers alone for the remaining time.

     A bubble of frustration came over her, though she didn't know who it was directed to; this party, Natty, or herself.

     A couple bumped into her but neither stated any apologies. Ivy rolled her eyes and shot her webs at their linked hands and went back out for fresh air, taking her leather jacket off and hanging it on the edge of her seat. She caught her own reflection in the mirror, face decorated with mildly normal makeup, other than the shimmery eye shadow Natty convinced her to use. Her hair was a bit frizzy, but nothing too tousled. A faded bruise rested beneath her collar bone, one she had earned for fighting the villain of the week.

     She hadn't thought to cover it because of her jacket, but the party was far too hot for her to wear the thick material. Running a hand through her hair, she thought about leaving the party and finding a secluded convenience store to spend her new years, or maybe running back home.

     That's cowardice, she scolded herself.

     A light thud against the ground nearby caused her head to perk up, whipping around to catch sight of its creator. But nobody was hiding among the bushes, and certainly no one was hiding among the trees. Another sound came, this time closer, though it mimicked the ones of metal claws scratching.

     Strange, she didn't remember any stray cats living by this side of the neighborhood, or cats with claws like metal.

     In her peripheral vision, a brown figure of sorts smiled at her, but it was gone the second she looked at its general direction. Grabbing her jacket, she bundled the material into a ball, or, as close as it could get to one. Stepping hesitantly toward the bush she last saw the brown figure at, Ivy raised the jacket and prepared to meet a— cat. A cat hid behind the bush, licking its armpit before sneezing.

     Paranoia. That was what her senses picked up on. Her own paranoia.

     Or not.

     A piercing scream came from the house and Ivy saw the house filling up with fog, turning the window opaque and enabling her from peeking inside. Fuck it, she thought. Bringing her jacket over her mouth and nose, she slid open the back door and let the fog out, waving it to get a clear view of what had happened inside. The repetitive music boomed in her ears, no other noise accompanying it.

     A few people were crying, a handful were pressed against the wall. But everyone had terror stricken faces, bodies rigid and stiff as they inhaled the intoxicated air. Ivy's nerves started to heighten, as if she was fearing for her life, too. She shook her head and made a b-line for the bathroom, even though she had no idea of the house's layout.

     She turned various corners and found even more frightened people. She tried asking what had happened, but nobody was willing to tell her, too stunned to even move or blink. Making it to the end of a hallway, relief flooded through her as Natty stepped out of a room, eyes glossy and hands shaking.

     Immediately wrapping an arm around the younger girl, Ivy offered her the jacket but all she did was shake her head. Her voice was muffled under her jacket, but it was clear enough to be understood. "Nat, tell me what happened,"

     "There was this... man, wearing a green cloak." she started, following Ivy's guide as they headed out of the party. "He— he also wore a mask, with a face like a scarecrow. Halloween was two months ago. Nobody noticed him until he dropped this fog bomb of sorts. I—" Natty croaked out a sob as they walked out of the house. "It felt like I was suddenly scared for my life. I don't know why I—"

     "Shh, shh, it's okay." Ivy stroked her arm. "We're out now, that guy isn't here anymore. I'll catch him tomorrow. Can't be sad on your birthday, right? It's ten minutes away now."

     The brown haired girl nodded weakly, leaning her head on Ivy's shoulder. "But... the guy looked... weird."

     "Weird how?"

     "Like he didn't belong. As if he was plucked out of a storybook drawing, but scarier."

     Ivy stopped abruptly, eyes wide. "Was he... glitching?"

     "Kind of," her best friend shrugged. "I couldn't really tell. Why do you ask?"

     Realization came over her, but Ivy couldn't prove her theory right, not yet at least. Plastering a convincing smile for her friend, the dark haired girl shook her head. "No reason,"

author's note!

welcome to volume two pookies! this chapter is pretty boring, but it's only an introduction before all the action starts. the first few chapters won't follow the plot of atsv yet and sadly, gwen will appear a bit later on but that's okay! y'all are still getting staymoon content dw.

also, i'm not really gonna stick to an update schedule for this fic anymore since i'm going back to school soon and there's no guarantee of when i'm able to update. but hopefully it'll still be at least once a week, just maybe not on a sunday.

i hope you guys will enjoy volume two <333 stay safe and take care, mwah 💋