The Party Crasher

“Come on Yvette, it’ll be fun!” Estrella shouted. 

The blonde fae was grinning ear to ear as she danced in her sundress, her butterfly wings twitched in excitement and Yvette half expected to see her friend spin into the air like a helicopter. Yvette - her raven familiar perched on her shoulder - nervously ran her fingers through her brunette hair, a frown on her freckled face. 

“I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to go to a party, Estrella.” 

“PARTY TIME!” Cole called from her shoulder, Yvette put a hand to his beak, shushing him.

“See? Cole agrees with me,” Estrella beamed as she stopped her twirling. “You’ve got to come now, witch girl.” 

The two teenage girls were halfway between Normalton Academy and Downtown. Originally they had agreed to hang out after school, grab some shakes from the ‘Frozen Gryphon’ and go record shopping. A large-finned car with a loud muffler rolled by as Yvette sighed . 

“Need I remind you Estrella, I am the police chief’s daughter. Where there are parties, there’s usually underage drinking. Wherever there’s underage drinking, they all assume I’m going to rat them out to my father.” 

Estrella bit her lip. “I guess your rep as being Normalton’s famed ‘Witch Detective’ doesn’t help matters very much, but—” 

Yvette interrupted her overly excited friend. “Exactly, so no party. We’ll hang out downtown, and then I’ll go home.” 

Estrella smiled the sort of mischievous smile that only a fae could form: A smile that always put Yvette on guard. The witch detective could feel her heart quicken and her knees weaken slightly. 

“Oh no,” Estrella said softly. “I don’t think so Yvette. Because I’m going, and I am feeling quite mischievous today. Therefore you should come to make sure I don’t go too far.” 

Yvette smirked. “You’re a fiend, Estrella.”

“Fae,” Estrella corrected. 

Later that evening the two girls arrived at a house at the end of a little culdesac. A record - a new one - was already bringing the little neighborhood to life and filling it with music. Already the girls could see classmates milling about on the porch in the twilight, orange streetlights reflecting in the bottles they had in hand. A few were soda bottles, but some were definitely not. Cole fluttered his wings and squinted, like he was scanning the area.

“What’s wrong, buddy?” Yvette asked her familiar, scratching his feathers.

Nearby, a satyr kid made a startled sound and ate the can he was holding as Yvette walked by. There were a few low whispers from other attendees as she and Estrella walked through the door. 

“SNACKS!” Cole called out, forgetting whatever made him nervous before, as he flew to a bowl full of peanuts and began to help himself as he shoved a robin familiar out of the way as it gave an indignant chirp. The record player was blasting away ‘The Scarabs’ latest album and plenty of attendees were grooving to the music already. 

“Hey! What is SHE doing here?” a voice Yvette knew all too well stated. 

Yvette regarded her hated nemesis, Aunica the sorceress. The taller brunette folded her arms as she drew closer to Yvette. 

“I don’t think you were invited, snitch witch,” Aunica sneered. “So beat it.” her lackeys, a half-elf girl and a mortal human leered behind her. 

“Aunica, why don’t you go home and study?” Yvette retorted calmly. “Aren’t you failing multiple classes?” 

Aunica scoffed. “Like I care, you square! Now as I was saying: This party is invite only, and I’m sure no one would have invited you.”

Estrella smirked as she held up a card that magically shimmered in the moonlight. “I was invited. And the invite says ‘plus one’.”

The fae winked at her witch friend, which made Yvette suspect the invite wasn’t genuine. But Aunica merely sucked on her teeth and gave her lackeys a hand signal to move on.

“Heh - that takes care of her,” Estrella grunted. 

Yvette gasped as a ball of fluff rammed into her gogo boots. She looked down to see a familiar dusk-colored fox. 

“Hensbane,” she exclaimed, scratching the vulpine behind the ears and being rewarded with the squeaking giggling laughter foxes were known for. “Well if you’re here, your master’s not far behind.” 

Sure enough she could see white-haired warlock Tobin having some kind of debate with Arith, the mortal host. Probably another one of those dumb magic vs. technology debates. Yvette grabbed a soda and a somewhat warm pizza slice when she noticed someone peculiar - out of place in the laid-back, neighborhood party.

They were a figure bundled up in a black trenchcoat, and wearing a mask that resembled a classic theatre mask: one side of the face turned up in a smile, the other in a frown. The classic duality of tragedy and comedy.

For an instant, the record player blasting from inside the house skipped. The streetlights overhead flickered before regaining their comforting orange glow.

“Hey, this isn’t a costume party!” a human girl shouted at the mysterious guest. There was no reply as the figure seemed to just glide across the party room floor, their hands were covered up in thick, worn, leather gloves. 

“Who invited that guy?” Someone else in the crowd asked.

“Who’s that?” Yvette whispered to Estrella. 

The fae frowned. “No idea. Seems like a Tobin stunt, but he’s right there.”

Hensbane’s fur bristled at Yvette’s feet as he let out a low growl, scampering to Tobin. Cole likewise tilted his head and flew back to Yvette. 

“What is it Cole?” Yvette questioned. 

“CAUTION!” the raven cawed. 

Whoever they are, they’re spooking the familiars, Yvette noted, putting her hands on her hips. 

“I say you go find out,” Estrella smirked. “...Witch detective.” 

Yvette rolled her eyes before snapping her fingers. “Helio!” 

Estrella’s wings fluttered. “The vampire? Does seem like his style. But he’s out of town, remember? Family went to Europa to visit relatives.” 

Yvette chewed her lip. “Back early maybe?” But she doubted that theory. Yvette ran her fingers through her hair and put on her best charming girl smile, her blue-tinted brown eyes lighting up. Whoever this was, they were causing more of a disturbance than the underage drinking.

“Nice outfit,” she said as she caught up to them. “I’m all for mystery,”

The figure turned, tilted its head, and regarded her with the eyeless mask eyes, Yvette squinted but couldn’t make out anything behind the face, not even a hint of flesh or eye. 

Yvette cleared her throat - partly out of nervousness, and partly out of confusion.

“Not a fan of big parties? Someone drag you here?” 

The figure tilted their head in curiosity and then moved right past Yvette toward a group of giggling teenagers who grew quiet as it approached. This was going nowhere. Cole fluttered his wings as Yvette followed the strange figure.

Maybe this was one of the drama kids playing some sort of elaborate prank or a publicity stunt for their latest production. It would explain the mask choice. But it sounded ridiculous to her the moment she thought about it. Didn’t explain why the familiars were freaking out unless they had some sort of intimidating aura they had cast. 

As the masked figure arrived at the group of teens they all stopped speaking and regarded him. 

“Seriously who is this guy?” a boy grunted. 

“Sssmelllsss odd.” a lizard girl hissed, dressed in a tie dye shirt almost as vibrant as her skink-like scale patterns. 

The figure raised a hand and pointed at the boy’s bottle. 

“Get your own, pal.” 

The figure spoke a voice deep and resonating a voice that sent shivers down Yvette’s spine, there was magic in the words. An old magic that the small bit of fae in her could feel.

“I look for naughty children to punish. You are all naughty.” 

“Get lost, loser!” the boy shouted. 

“Watch out!” Yvette shouted as the figure raised a hand, there were glowing conjuring symbols upon the palm. Yvette didn’t know what it intended to do but she acted fast, reaching into her own inner darkness she let fly a darklash as a tendril of black wrapped around the figure’s wrist and she jerked the hand down to leave a scorch mark in the shag carpeting.   

The boy, and his friends all scattered. The empty mask turned towards Yvette, “You, interfere? Naughty.” 

Yvette gulped, something told her this thing had worse in mind than a firm scolding. It jerked her towards it by her own lash, she dissipated the spell but the momentum was still carrying her.

Before she reached the outstretched hand a stun spell slammed into the figure. 

“Hey, leave her alone!” Tobin shouted puffing his chest out, his loyal fox beside him. 

Cole was having a fit on Yvette’s shoulder. “Caution! Caution!” 

“Beat it creep!” Estrella growled, a fireball hovering in her hand.

“Not a fireball!” Arith shouted. 

Yvette recovered and readied a spell of her own. Three against one, as the rest of the party merely looked on and shouted. The figure tilted its head again and spread its arms wide, there was a groaning sound and from the open windows there flew a multitude of sticks and branches of various sizes. 

“Are those?” Yvette started. 

“Switches,” Estrella gulped. “It’s come to punish us all!” 

Screams erupted as the army of animated sticks dove towards the partying teens. Some ran for it, some dove for cover, others just got smacked. Yvette conjured a shield and grit her teeth as the sticks assailed themselves upon it. 

“I’m never hosting again!” Arith shouted as he fended off a tree branch with one of his fencing sabers. 

Estrella waved her hand as the switches swung for her and the trees fell lifelessly. Tobin was throwing all manner of hexes at the figure while warding away the sticks. 

“Arith! Got anything iron?” Yvette shouted. 

The boy grunted as he parried a strike. “Yeah, there’s an old railroad spike under my bed.” 

“Why do you even have that?” Yvette questioned.

“I just do!” 

Aunica and her cronies ran for the door, their rear ends getting smacked repeatedly. Yvette covered for Arith with her shield as he stumbled to his room. 

“Who is this guy, some cranky fae?” 

“It’s complicated!” Yvette replied. 

Arith dove under his bed and tossed out several bits of laundry and an erector set box that clattered against the wall. 

“Got it!” the boy called out as he held up an old rusted railroad spike. 

The two rushed out, Estrella giving an ‘Eep!’ at seeing the chunk of iron. 

“Hah! Get back!” Arith shouted as he flung the stake at the figure. 

The theatre mask regarded him before the figure turned to smoke and flew out the window. The sticks all fell limp. Calmness had returned. 

“What was that?” Arith asked. 

Estrella shook her head. “Whatever it was I could feel the tang of fae magic from it.” 

“It was a ‘Party Crasher,’” Tobin muttered dusting himself off.

Yvette snapped her fingers. “It wanted to punish us for being naughty children, like some folk legend.” 

A folk legend: There were plenty that preyed on naughty children. Had something drawn it there? Was the party that rowdy? Or had someone somehow summoned it? 

“I say you’ve got a new case on your hands, doll.” Estrella smirked.

Arith folded his arms, “I say, I’m never hosting a party ever again!” 

As everyone else chatted, Yvette investigated the spot where the piece of iron had driven the Party Crasher away and found a fine silk pouch, elegantly woven shut.

“Who summoned you...?” she asked herself, turning the bag over and over in her hands. Estrella was right. She had a new case on her hands.