Hannah POV:
"Seb, let's go this way—girls versus guys!" Sam shouted, already peeling off toward another path.
I could feel Sebastian hesitate. He looked at me like I might disappear if he blinked.
"I'll be fine," I said quickly, before he could second-guess it. "Go. Sam probably misses you when I'm around."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow but smirked anyway. "Alright, alright. Don't let Abigail cheat."
"Wouldn't dream of it," I said, watching him and Sam disappear down the other trail.
"Idiots," Abigail muttered beside me, brushing hair out of her face.
I glanced at her. "What?"
She grinned. "We're literally five steps from the exit. I could do this maze blindfolded."
I laughed, genuinely. It felt good to be next to her again.
Abigail expertly steered us through most of the jump scares, calling them out just before they happened. She dodged dead ends like she'd memorized the layout—which, knowing her, she probably had.
But then we came to a split in the path. One side was completely blocked by a tall, hooded figure.
"What is that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Well... it's the only way through," Abigail said, walking a slow circle around it. "Unless we want to backtrack."
I stared up at the figure's empty black eyes.
"Do we have to, like, dance for it or something?" I asked dryly.
Abigail snorted. "Go ahead. I'll watch."
I stepped a little closer, squinting. "It's fake," she muttered, tugging lightly at the hood. The figure groaned weakly.
"You blinked," I said flatly. The groaning stopped.
Abigail froze. "Wait... that's not a statue?"
"Nope." I pushed past the guy-in-a-costume while he tried not to break character. "Oscar-worthy, really."
Abigail followed, shaking her head. "I swear this maze was scarier last year."
We turned a corner and stopped short.
Two people were tangled together in a not-so-subtle makeout session near a dead end.
"Who is that?" Abigail squinted—then gagged. "OH, EW!"
It was Alex and Haley.
I burst out laughing. Abigail yanked my arm and steered me away.
"Definitely the most horrifying part of the maze," she muttered, making me laugh harder.
"I mean, I'm just glad it wasn't Sam and Sebastian," I said with a smirk.
Abigail practically doubled over. "We haven't hit the real ending yet, girl."
Finally, we emerged into the clearing at the end of the maze—and there stood the Wizard, holding a big, shimmering golden pumpkin like he'd been waiting for us the whole time.
His cloak fluttered slightly in the breeze, hat tilted just so, that mysterious sparkle in his eyes exactly as cryptic and unsettling as always.
"What is this, a surprise dad reveal?" Abigail muttered, making me bite back a laugh.
The Wizard smiled. "I came to present the prize in person. I already knew it would be you."
Abigail rolled her eyes. "You didn't show up any of the other times I won. Which, by the way, was every year."
He chuckled softly. "I know. And the egg hunts. And every flute song in the forest. I've never missed a moment."
Abigail froze. Her expression shifted—shock, confusion, something softer.
"What?" she asked, voice cracking.
The Wizard turned to me briefly. "Forgive me, Hannah, but you might want to disassociate for a bit."
"Thanks," I muttered, deadpan.
He looked back at Abigail. "I may not always be around when you know it, but I've always been watching. And I loved you the moment I saw your purple hair. Now that you're safe—because of Hannah's sacrifice—I'd like to spend more time with you. If you want that."
I blinked, genuinely stunned. I looked to Abigail—her face caught in between joy and disbelief.
"I—" she stammered. "What if someone hears us?"
"I've soundproofed the area," the Wizard said casually. Of course he did.
"I want to... but what will my mom or Pierre say?"
He looked her in the eyes. "That's not your burden to carry."
And he was right. Caroline had no right to force Abigail to pretend half her heart didn't exist.
Abigail gave a small, firm nod. "Okay."
The Wizard smiled gently. "I'm happy to hear that." He handed her the golden pumpkin and gave her a small, careful pat on the head.
Then, in a flash of bright light and a faint zapping noise, he vanished.
Abigail turned to me, eyes wide but shining. She grinned—a real, full, radiant grin.
"We won."
I smiled back, trying to match her energy.
But the truth was, even out here in the open, I still hated the feeling of not knowing what might be around the next corner.
"Can we get out of here now?" I asked, my voice thinner than I wanted it to be. The maze was behind us, but the sounds—it was like they were folding in on themselves, echoing and twisting into something unfamiliar. I could feel my chest tightening. Like I couldn't quite catch my breath.
Abigail didn't hesitate. She gave me a small, reassuring smile and slipped her arm through mine. "Yeah. I know a shortcut."
We ducked behind the dense wall of shrubs and stepped into one of the overgrown side paths. The garden closed in around us—tall, tangled hedges arching overhead like a tunnel. The full moon bled silver light through the branches, casting shifting shadows along the narrow path. It felt like something out of Alice in Wonderland, if Wonderland forgot to plant flowers and only had leaves, thorns, and secrets.
"I'm happy for you," I said quietly. "About the Wizard."
Abigail tightened her arms around the golden pumpkin, like she was hugging more than just a prize. "I am too. I really am. It's just..." she exhaled, "I don't want to hurt my mom. And I don't want to be the reason her marriage falls apart. Even if I can't stand her right now."
"That's not on you," I said, my voice soft but certain. "You deserve to know your dad. Especially now that the witch is gone and it's safe. You deserve that much."
She nodded slowly, eyes downcast. "You're right."
We walked in silence for a few moments, the leaves rustling softly around us, the sound of the festival fading behind.
"How are you holding up?" she asked, glancing sideways. "Being back. The crowds. The... monsters."
I gave a dry laugh. "Still adjusting. I notice the stares. The whispers. People pretending not to look while they try to figure out why Dr. Harvey keeps checking in on me like I'm some fragile relic." I paused. "I just try not to let Sebastian know it gets to me."
Abigail looked at me with something warm and knowing. "You two... you're so different, but at the same time, exactly alike. He does the same thing, you know. Pretends it doesn't hurt."
I glanced at her.
"I've never seen him like that before," she said. "Not with anyone. With you, he stopped being selfish. That's when I knew. That's when I really knew how much he loved you."
My breath caught a little.
"Sam and I used to tease him," she went on, smiling faintly. "We thought it was just some hopeless crush. But when everything fell apart, he didn't. He stayed. Even when he was falling apart too. It changed him."
I looked down the path ahead, imagining his face, his voice. That quiet way he looks at me when he thinks I'm not watching.
"I was at the gig, you know," I said softly. "You three were amazing. I just... wasn't ready to come out of hiding."
Abigail gave a short laugh. "That makes sense now. I didn't get it at the time. I was mad. Selfishly mad. You were the first real girlfriend I've ever had—not just in the cliché sense, but someone who got me. And then you were just... gone."
She tucked a strand of purple hair behind her ear. Her voice wavered. "I watched Sebastian spiral, and I got so angry. Not because he couldn't let you go, but because I didn't know how to either, I know that is sappy and gross, but it needed to be said."
I smiled gently. "That's not gross. Sappy, yes. But it needed to be said."
We both laughed a little, and for a second, the path didn't feel so suffocating.
"I missed you guys more than anything," I said. "And Seb... he was the last thread connecting me to the version of myself I used to be. When he left, it felt like she vanished too. And maybe she needed to. Because what happened to me... it was too much for her to carry."
Abigail was quiet, listening the way only a best friend can.
"I couldn't think about anything," I went on. "Not you. Not Sam. Not my parents. Not even Sebastian. My mind just... shut it all off. I hope someday I'll find the courage to remember what happened, to tell you the truth. But right now... it still haunts me. I just hear this constant voice in my head telling me things, shouting at me, And I don't know how to let anything else in without breaking."
"A Voice huh?" She asked thinking intently like she had heard of this before.
She was quiet for a long beat. Then, gently: "Please don't take this the wrong way, but... how do you not remember something that hurt you so much?"
The question didn't sting. It settled deep in my chest instead, heavier than the rest of her words.
"I think my mind blocked it out to protect me," I said. "But my body still remembers. Not just the injuries—those healed. But the damage underneath. The panic, the fear, the nightmares. They never really left, it's like i'm two people at once and one is screaming to get out, the other is begging to stay in."
I paused, feeling the truth of it settle in my bones.
Abigail continued in silence, not saying much which is unlike her.
"This is the first time I've told anyone that," I admitted. "And that's why I need you in my life. You're my best friend, Abigail. That's not something I can replace."
Her eyes were glassy, but her smile was everything I needed in that moment—steadfast, real, and just a little messy.
She squeezed my arm and didn't let go.
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