THE MOMENT
Frost couldn't help but feel confused as he wandered into the town that evening. He trusted his sense of direction and he knew the school grounds would be in flux for at least the first couple of weeks before the dust settled. But, it was an odd feeling to be so confident. Despite the town around him, he was sure he was correct and it was the town that was new. He managed to get a chuckle as the thoughts went through his head. "It's the world that's wrong."
It seemed to be a small, quaint town with a handful of shoppers weaving in and out of the one-street downtown area. The wooden buildings and narrow cobblestone street gave him a sense of nostalgia for a time he'd only seen in movies. It seemed almost out of place considering the school had access to the most advanced technology in the multiverse. And, at the same time, he got the impression that the new town perfectly belonged. It helped that most of the pedestrians he spotted appeared to be monsters of some sort. He noted at least three vampires and a family of werewolves among the few other humanoid creatures he wasn't familiar with. He spotted a normal-looking person coming out of a nearby shop and he was curious enough to approach.
“Hi, I'm Frost. I'm kind of new here,” he added. It was technically true even if slightly misleading. The town was newer, but he was new to it too.
“Oh, hi. Welcome to Gravestown,” the stranger replied with a smile. He was a middle aged man in khakis and a sweater vest. “How do you like it so far?”
"Your town... I mean, it's delightful, but do you know if it has always been... here?” Frost asked. He knew it wasn't, but he wanted to see if the townsfolk knew that too. “As in, in this specific location? Because I could have sworn there was a forest here, like, yesterday." The stranger smiled and shook his head.
“Oh, are you from the school? We're not NPCs. Gravestown was chosen to be part of the games at Toku-high,” he said. “No wonder I don't recognize you. It's not a big town and there haven't been any new citizens in a while,” he chuckled. As the gentleman answered Frost, a new, louder voice carried out of the shop next to them.
“We HAVE to visit the Mayor next!” a familiar, female voice announced. Frost looked and he was surprised to see another pair of students step out of the store.
“Oh, hey, Frost,” Keys, a red-haired teen nodded as soon as they made eye contact.
“Frost! Have you met the Mayor yet!?” a girl with a pair of golden-blonde and rainbow plaited braids was happy to introduce another student to the town.
“Nice to meet you, a Frost,” the stranger said with a nod. “I'll leave the touring to Crystal, she's practically an honorary citizen,” he waved and excused himself.
“You've been here before?” Frost asked Crystal.
“Well, not here, here. The town hasn't even been here before,” she giggled. “But, Gravestown is the best! It's always Halloween, all year long.”
“That sounds fun,” Frost said. “But I wonder why it's here.”
“For the game!” Crystal answered.
“I know,” Frost smirked. “But, I'm just curious what it brings. Can we claim it?” he posed the question to Keys directly. The two of them were on the same team and Frost wondered about the strategy.
“No! It's Independent! Except, maybe during Halloween; Ms. Sharp said she might want to tie it into the event.”
“She did?” Frost asked. “When? Did I miss the notice?”
“When I asked her to bring Gravestown to the school,” she said. “We're locked on this Earth all year! I wasn't gonna get to see it for so long. And she asked me if there was anything I wanted for the school year…,”
“Monday thought it was a good idea too…,” Keys added.
“Ah, got it,” Frost said. He'd been wondering how much sway Crystal had with Ms. Sharp until Keys mentioned her own daughter also wanted the town there.
“So wanna come with us to meet the Mayor? He's a vampire.”
“No thanks,” Frost shook his head. “I was just exploring and surprised to see a town here. I'm gonna go see what else I find,” he said.
“Are you sure? He's a super nice and a delightful host.”
“I'm sure,” Frost nodded as he turned away from them to head back out of town.