Agnes wasn't sure what to expect. Megan had seemed pretty chill about her powers so far, but everyone had their limits. Would Megan find hers now? As much as she didn't want to jeopardize spending time with her, she steeled herself on the possibility of things getting awkward. After all, Megan showed her hand...so should Agnes.

The swarm was impressive. Seemed to have grown since she last summoned them all. The added ants definitely increased their overall numbers and made her appear all the more malevolent. Realizing this, she hazard a look to Megan.

Agnes was truly learning to enjoy the sight of that smile. Megan was grinning from ear to ear, head turning in an attempt to catch sight of her entire, mixed swarm. The sight of it lightened Agnes' heart considerably. Even Jasmine was usually a little ambivalent about her insects, but Megan seemed to find them outright beautiful. A new experience, one that she was enjoying.

Her hands were suddenly seized and Agnes felt her pulse quicken. She looked at Megan as she held her hands and praised Agnes' gifts. The touch and kind words immediately caused a blush to color her cheeks. Suddenly she felt very warm in the face. All she could do was smile shyly, sapphire eyes shining with appreciation.

"Megan...you're just...too sweet for words," she said as she squeezed her hands.

Megan continued to praise her insects, calling the swarm beautiful. Agnes lifted her eyes, watching the swarm turn and buzz through the air, catching the cascading sunlight in a riot of sparkles and colors. It really was beautiful.

She looked down when Megan pulled part of her shirt aside to reveal the scars on her skin. It was a sight that made her pause. Without word she reached out, her fingers grazing the scarred flesh. She knew all about scars...or she used to. Her body was different than how she remembered it but while she didn't bear them anymore, sometimes she could still feel them. But Megan's were different. Those were not made out of malice, but of creating something beautiful - her spiders. It was a thought that brought joy to her eyes, not sadness.

"So they truly are a part of you," she mused, still touching the scars. "That's so gorgeous." She smiled but then realized her fingers were still stroking Megan's skin. Instantly she pulled her hand back. "Oh... I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that without asking." she smirked slyly. "I'd hate to get tased."

They were both blushing at each other at one point, and for a moment there she felt a little like she was floating. Agnes was really very pretty when she blushed.

This was all new territory for Megan though, so she struggled internally with how to take that exactly. It didn't help that they were still holding hands, and that Aggie thought she was sweet.

Sweet to the right people, yes. Flannel could go @#$% right off.

Her skin burned in a weirdly pleasant way when Agnes' fingers traced her scars. She thankfully managed not to jump right out of her skin, but found it a little harder to breath normally in that moment. She looked down at where the girls fingertips were, blush deepening a tad, and looked up again when she started to speak again.

"T-thank you." %$#@ no stuttering! She tried to cover her nerves with a laugh. "No worries, I only tase stupid men who don't know how to leave pretty ladies alone."

Glancing away once she had her hands to herself again, she rubbed at the back of her neck awkwardly for a moment. "Hey, so... a little awkward maybe, but would you like to go get coffee with me or something?"

Her face was burning again. Dammit!

God things were so awkward and yet so intriguing. Normally Agnes would have had a hard time articulating herself in the presence of a pretty girl, like she did with Jasmine, but things had begun to change. Maybe it was a throw back from those years that she lost but Agnes felt an underlying layer of confidence that she didn’t remember having before. A sort of self-assurance that she knew she was worth it. It was a different feeling but she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Megan was beautiful and while there were times when Agnes felt like her face was going to catch fire, she found the will to press on. She liked talking to her, she seemed interesting, and her abilities were on par with her own; she would have been a fool to not see herself through any awkward.

She grinned as Megan stammered, founding the sound adorable but saying nothing about it as the spider-girl confirmed that Agnes would have never been the target for such an attack. It was aimed more at those people who really deserved it, like Flannel and the rest of his ilk. Her smile grew, looking away shyly as Megan, in essence, referred to her as one of the ‘pretty girls’ that she was attempting to defend.

”My knight in webbing armor,” she teased.

Agnes turned and continued on, Megan following just behind. She opened her mouth as she summoned her hive back. They all began to return, moving back inside of their homes within her body. When the last of flies returned, Agnes turned just in time to hear Megan ask if she wanted to go out for coffee. She stopped, crystalline eyes looking her over for seconds that seemed to last an eternity before she finally spoke.

Smiling, she nodded her head once. ”Yeah...we can definitely do that,” she replied. ”I’d love to go out with you.”

There was that underlying confidence again. With Jasmine it had been all stammers and fear of rejection, but it felt more natural now. She would have to ask Professor Grey if she had been this confident when they last chatted before her change.

Once again she fully turned to face Megan, walking backwards, hands stuffed into the pockets of her leather jacket. ”When and where, cutie?”

She said yes! Woohoo! Her grin widened a tiny bit and she stumbled slightly before catching herself. The idea that Agnes liked her even marginally enough to go on a coffee date with her was spectacular. Now she just needed to not @#%@ it up, right?

... Ah, @#$% did she even have any places in mind for a date?

he was practically brand new to the city. She wracked her brain for a moment for the few places she did know. She sure as heck wasn't about to invite Agnes to the mansion on the first date. Maybe the second, if there was a second. She put a pin in that idea for later though and pulled her phone from her other pocket to check the time.

"Well, um, if you aren't in a hurry right now there's a little coffee place not to far from here." She was still blushing slightly from being called a cutie. She found herself absently wondering if she had been this lame at romance as an adult, and if she would grow out of the terribly awkward stage anytime soon. "I would love to share a coffee with you and get to know you better."

She couldn't turn off the shy filter! The words sounded freakin great in her head, but once they reached her mouth they flew out with all the charm of a nervous middleschooler. She cursed inwardly, but forced herself to take a few steps closer to Agnes so she could offer her an elbow. At the very least she could be a proper date and lead the beautiful lady along the way. The fact that they were exactly they same height and similar in body shape only helped to make her feel comfortable offering her arm like she did.

"I'm kinda new to the city... so I don't have a grasp on where all the good places to go are yet. If you know any better places to go, i'm all ears."

She smiled warmly.

Agnes was all smiles. She had been hoping this could be a possible outcome. She didn’t know what it was about Megan that pulled her attention so thoroughly but she knew that there was something that she couldn’t quite ignore. She was beautiful, she was sassy, and she just won Agnes over in a fairly impressive way. Honestly she didn’t think there would be anyone after that debacle with Jasmine, but it seemed like things were looking on the up.

So she said yes -- she would love to spend some time with her. Megan looked so cute, blushing and shyly asking, as if there were even a hint of a possibility that Agnes would have said no. But she guessed, if the shoe were on the other foot, that she would have been just as nervous. She said nothing teasing or joking to her, and instead just basked in the happiness that wafted off of Megan and felt her own nervous energy rise just a tiny bit.

She was actually going to do this...she was going on a date with someone she just met. It wasn’t hard to notice little changes like this and it made her wonder about the person that she used to be before losing so much time. But such questions and thoughts were not for a first date. Better save it for one down the line.

After checking her phone, she shook her head. ”Nope, my calendar is 100% clear,” she beamed. ”Beside, even if I had plans, I’d cancel them.”

It was odd to feel this flirty. She never really had this kind of confidence before but it was just seeping out of her pours. The only time she stopped was when she attempted to argue with herself that it felt off. Apparently she was going to have to learn to just go with the flow. Besides, she liked Megan. Why force herself to feel any different?

Megan pulled up next to her and offered her arm. With a warm smile, Agnes sidled up next to the pretty Goth, slipped her arm through the crook, and walked side by side with her. It felt...really nice. And, with the revelation that Megan was new to the city (somewhat) Agnes hummed in thought.

”OH! I know a place. ‘The Honeycomb’,” said with a nod. ”It’s a couple streets over. I saw an advertisement for it and it looked pretty cool. Coffee, tea, juices, etc.. They’re claim to have the best Lavender Honey Frapps in town. Care to be a judge with me?” She grinned as she nudged Megan playfully with her hip.

I'd cancel them

Even with it being the middle of winter, that admission had Megan heating up like she'd stepped into a sauna. She hadn't even been this flirty in her last relationship, because, well... Trevor had just kinda done everything himself. She had't really needed to lift a finger for anything.

She much preferred it this way, if Agnes' smiles were the rewards for her efforts.

"I think that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." She fluttered her eyelashes demurely, hiding her lips behind her fingers in an effort to escape her own awkwardness. It helped a little when Agnes took up her offer at linking arms, and she was able to settle into focusing on matching her strides with the other girl.

"The Honeycomb? Sounds like it's right up my al-" The hip bump threw her off and she let out a bark of a laugh that was totally attractive. "-Alley!" She bumped Agnes right back with a wink and settled her other hand on her forearm as they walked.

She was excited for this for many reasons, and all of them involved Agnes to a degree. She was the first girl other than half of Mirror that she truly got along with on a comfortable level, and it was probably due to the traits they shared in their powers. She was also drop dead gorgeous and seemed to think Megan herself was pretty cute, and toss in the fact that they were now on a date together out of the blue- which she was still surprised had worked- she was floating up in the clouds from all the butterflies in her stomach.

She was also pretty interested in trying out that frapp that Agnes had mentioned and-- Oh.

Oh no, she couldn't eat things! @#$%!

A bead of sweat formed and escaped down the back of her neck as the spider mutant realized the position she had put herself in. She had been having stomach problems for days from trying and failing to eat normal foods, and here she was heading off with the most beautiful girl on her arm to eat and drink things.

She was a goddamn idiot. What was she going to do? would it be weird if she didn't drink anything? It would feel so weird!

She didn't know the girl very well obviously, but based on first impressions alone she really, really didn't want to screw this up. She decided to take the high road, even if it was a little awkward.

"Oh, Aggie... I just remembered something." She blushed awkwardly, "I don't want you to think i'm weird or anything when we get there and i'm hesitant about having anything... I, um, I've been having problems eating things for a while now. Water is generally fine, but almost everything else is problematic. I think it may be related to my mutation somehow." She hoped her expression was enough of an indication that she had the best intentions about bringing this up, and that she wasn't just a weirdo who liked to talk about her stomach issues.

"I still really want to go out with you! But I may just stick to water to be safe." It ended with an awkward chuckle.

Agnes smiled warmly to Megan. ”Only nice things should be said to you,” she grinned. 

As the two continued on, arm-in-arm, Agnes found herself marveling at everything that was going on in her life. Just the other day (to her) she was finishing up her last semester at Xavier’s and was going to start looking at colleges. She just had a great date with a wonderful girl, and things finally felt like they were looking up. But then, all that changed as she found herself cast into a time that didn’t feel like hers. 

Everything felt like it was going to fall apart. The world she knew was gone and the life she was supposed to have lived she couldn’t recall. It would have been enough to send anyone into an existential crisis. But things seemed to truly be on the up now. Like pieces were fitting together again, one at a time.

Megan was sweet, beautiful, and Agnes truly felt good around her. They just met but Agnes was hopeful to see how things would play out.

Arms interlaced, both girls moved on, a destination in mind. She had heard a couple students at the Mansion talk about The Honeycomb. She had been wanting to try it. Now was the perfect excuse. A place full of yummy treats... she eyed Megan... in more ways than one.

Feeling lighter and giddy, Agnes pursed her lips in thought about what she wanted. However she didn't get to spend too much thought on it. Megan stopped her, looking somewhat embarrassed as she revealed she was having some stomach issues. She explained it could be mutation related but she hadn't figured out yet. Water was okay but the sweet treat Agnes just mentioned seemed to be out of the question.

Oh poor thing. She looked so nervous. Quickly she reiterated how much she wanted to go out with her. It was clear she felt bad, like she put a damper on the excursion. The truth was, it couldn't be further from the truth. Rather then be scared off or turned away, Agnes offered a sympathetic smile as she stopped and turned the other to face her.

"I'm honestly good with whatever you want to do. So long as you're there to hang out with." Her voice rang with honesty. She was genuinely thrilled just to be spending time with Megan, which she punctuated by squeezing her arm. "We don't have to go there if your worried. We can pick something else! Something non-food related. I thought I heard there was a winter carnival in the park today. Maybe we can play some games? Ride some rides? What do you say?'

Despite herself, Megan's eyes widened a fraction and her blush bloomed again. Whatever she had been expecting Agnes to say, it had't been that! The fact that she truly didn't care what they did so long as Megan was there to enjoy it with her. Oh jeez, the butterflies were back. Maybe Agnes had left some out.

Her expression relaxed into a soft, adoring smile. "Thanks, that means a lot to me. I was so worried i'd ruin our date." She giggled a little and hopped right on board with the carnival idea.

"I haven't been to a carnival in quite a while! I would love my first carnival in this city to be spent by your side." Her attraction to the girl had started off somewhat superficial, honestly. She was pretty and a glimpse of personality and sunk the lure in nicely. She was good and hooked, now. Seeing how honest and kind Aggie was only solidified things more. She was hardly fighting being reeled in at this point.

"Wanna place a wager against who wins more games than the other?" She let Agnes lead the way, bumping shoulders with her slightly. She wasn't quite sure what she would wager if Aggie liked the idea. She didn't wanna jump into anything too weird, obviously. They had only just met. Instead she was wondering what kinds of things she could buy for Agnes. Cotton candy? It certainly matched her colorful, sweet personality. She supposed she'd have to see once they got there.

Agnes smiled as she took the other girl’s hand and gave it a squeeze. ”Nah, I don’t think you could have ruined it.” She shrugged her shoulders. ”We just thought of something even cooler to do.”

With a nudge she began to steer them back into the park, heading for another section of it. She remembered seeing advertisements for the carnival peppered all over the entrance to the part. It was even more apparent when she walked in and found could see the towering Ferris wheel peeking out over the tops of the trees. It was hard to miss. It would serve as the perfect alternative for their date, rather than upsetting Megan’s stomach.

Megan was too adorable. Agnes blushed a little as they walked, arm in arm, reminiscing about carnivals. She hadn’t been in some time. Agnes, meanwhile, had -- or at least she remembered being at one recently. There was a small pop-up one that she went to with Jasmine that felt like it happened a month ago. However, apparently years passed so it had been a bit longer than that. But this was different. This carnival they were going to was going to be a bit bigger and grander.

Plus, the young woman she was going with actually seemed to like her a lot. With Jasmine there had been a lot of “What if’s” and “Compromises”, but Megan, for as brief as they’ve known each other, really seemed to like all aspects of her. That was a good feeling to bask in.

”The feeling is mutual,” she said, turning to Megan and catching her eye. This was a surprise that she was in no way expecting. But she was certainly glad that it happened.

Agnes nodded towards the distant carnival, the Ferris wheel peeking over the trees like she had seen before, the sounds of laughter and joy passing through the trees. There wa sa riot of colors flashing in bursts of reds, blues, and greens. With every step, the sounds of gears and wheels filled the air, causing the smile on Agnes’ face to broaden. Feeling a nudge on her shoulder, she turned to Megan and smirked.

”Ooooh, a wager huh?” she purred. With an agreeing nod, she continued. ”I’m good with that. Anything...specific you have in mind?” She teased Megan as they drew closer to the carnival entrance. She was all ready for a good time.

She thought about it for a second as they walked, eyes drawn forward to where the carnival was coming into view. What would she ask for if she won? Well, a kiss seemed just a little too forward so she wasn't going to jump on that. She'd like something to remember the moment by though, so...

"If I win the wager, i'd like for us to take one of those silly carnival pictures. With the costumes and props... to remember the date by. Does that sound alright?" Was that a lame option?! It's not like she could demand matching tattoos or something. She eyed the girl for a moment to see how her request would go over before moving on.

"If you win, what do you want from me?" She managed a mischievous smile, even with all the butterfly's and inner turmoil stewing about.

She would do pretty much anything. Megan had relatively few limitations on herself at this age... she wasn't sure about her older self. If Agnes demanded they go on a scary ride, she would. Face painting? Totally! She couldn't envision a single thing the girl could ask for that she couldn't agree too.

That confidence made her feel a little more sure of herself as they drew closer to the festivities.

A wager. That actually sounded like a lot of fun. Far more entertaining than just sitting in a small, hipster coffee shop, trying to make idle conversation while one of them just drank water and worried the whole time about ruining the date. Agnes never thought the date would have been ruined like that but she wanted to make sure that Megan had fun too. this was the perfect remedy for both of their issues.

Now as they made their way closer to the carnival, the question came to mind -- what could they wager on. There were so many diabolical things she could ask for but the mere thought of them caused a slight blush to color her cheeks. No, this was a first date and therefore she needed to calm that previous unknown confidence that kept trying to take over.

So she asked...what did Megan want? The pretty Goth thought it over before she replied that she wanted a cheesy carnival picture with props and balloons and silliness in order to remember the date by. The thought of it made Agnes smile all the wider. That was too adorable to disagree with.

”Deal!” she announced with a giggle. ”That sounds perfect to me.”

Before Megan even asked her, she tried to think about what she wanted from the brunette. There were a multitude of things she could ask for. Hell, what Megan suggested sounded amazing. But it wouldn’t have been fair to ask for the same thing. No, she had to think of something else. Something that she both really wanted and was appropriate enough for their date.

They made it to the entrance of the carnival before her eyes lit up. As she peered around the park, her gaze swept back to Megan as an idea formed. That was it. She knew what she wanted.

”Okay, if I win…” she chewed her lip, smiling. ”Then you have to get me any prize I want in the park.” It sounded lame, it really did, but there was another layer to her request. One that she hoped to spring onto Megan when she won. But she would keep her lips sealed...for now. So, holding out her hand, she smiled a bit mischievous. ”Deal?”

Her wager was accepted. Perfect! Her grin widened in a cheesy way and she giggled. She could already imagine the both of them in period dresses or cowboy clothes with old fashioned pistols. It was great and she felt like a huge dork for being pleased with it.

Agnes was quick to come up with her own demand, which was neither evil nor torturous. Megan could imagine them leaving the carnival with a giant stuffed unicorn or something clutched in Aggie's arms. Also great, and super adorable. The image of the girl laughing with rosy cheeks while clutching her prize was already seared in her brain and it hadn't even happened yet!

"Deal!" She shook on it, and then... casually didn't let go of Agnes' hand. Instead she unlooped her elbow from the other girls and set about trying to walk hand in hand, like a proper date instead of close friends.

Aggie's hand was warm, and realizing that brought back the blush across the bridge of her nose. "what to first? Games or rides?"

She already had a list of wants forming. Bumper cars, Ferris wheel ride, roller coaster if they had one. Ooh, maybe they would have a haunted house?!

"I call dibs on the haunted house, if they have one!" She'd admit it only to herself, but the thought of walking through a silly spooky box in a park with Agnes by her side was much more entertaining than it should have been.

She had an idea what she wanted, but not exactly. She wouldn't know that until their date was nearing its end or it was time to decide the winner of their contest. But she would keep that holstered until the right moment. For now she wanted to focus on the the fun activities that lay ahead and there very beautiful brunette standing next to her.

At her agreement Megan offered the most illuminating smile. It warmed Agnes' heart to see it. No matter which of them won the prize, Agnes would insist they still took the picture. If this was their one and only date, she wanted to remember it forever.

The deal was struck. They could now enjoy the park.

Only they stopped. Megan didn't release Agnes' hand, but she didn't either. Instead their arms casually unwound and shifted into straight up holding hands. Her own fingers laced through Megan's and a small, nervous laugh fell from her lips. She liked this. She liked holding Megan's hand. It felt...right. This was a good sign.

She didn't say anything. She just went with the flow, looking ahead and giving get date's hand a small squeeze as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And now they could take a moment to decide what they wanted to do first. The options were limitless but Megan managed the first suggestion.

"A haunted house?" she smiled. "I'm game. So long as I get to hold you tight if I get scared." she beamed and winked.

She wasn't that much of a scaredy cat. As a matter of fact she's seen far worse than plastic skeletons and foam tombstones. She'd lived through true nightmares. But she wasn't freaked out by cheesy decorations or a playlist of scary sounds. It actually sounded like fun, especially if she were experiencing it with Megan.

"Now we just gotta find one."

Sapphire eyes scanned the surrounding carnival. Rollercoasters, game booths, and a variety of shows and other forms of entertainment were scattered about. The sound of a shrill scream followed by a giggle caught her ear. She turned, looking through a tilting, spinning ride and saw a large, diabolical face.

With a smile to Megan, she pulled her along, around the corner of one ride and pointed out what she saw a second ago. It was several large trailers hidden by a massive, decorated front that looked like a haunted graveyard with a massive devil face up front. It's open mouth revealed the door leading inside. One attendant stood at a podium just outside the mouth, taking tickets. Agnes turned back to Megan.

"Looks like this fits the bill!" she announced. "Shall we purchase some tickets? My treat?"

"I'll hold you, if you hold me. One thing I can't tase is ghosts." She giggled, trying desperately not to let on how that wink had affected her. Agnes spotted the place and they headed on over. She got giddier the closer they got. She glanced at Aggie as she offered to buy the first tickets, and relented easily.

"I'll buy tickets for the next one!" She was starting to think she'd let this woman lead her anywhere. They hurried on over and once tickets were had, they stepped into the haunted house. Megan cuddled up next to her date, ohgoshitwasadate, and had already devolved into the giggles before they had even stumbled across anything scary.

In fact, the first things laying in wait for them other than spoopy paintings, were various mirrors on the walls. Some were tall, others were short. They warped and changed their bodies as they moved past. Megan had to stop for a second in front of one that made them look ridiculously short. She snuck her phone out to snap a picture of it quickly before they moved on.

The next room was directly after a rotating hallway that was a little disorienting to walk down. Megan devolved into full blown laughter at one point when she started to stumble in her heeled boots. She'd chosen the place and was already thoroughly embarrassing herself!

Still, it was already well worth it getting to watch Aggie react to her shenanigans.

The room after the hallway was pretty dark, with only a few strategically placed mood lights in red and purple. As they walked in Megan was still fixated on Agnes and didn't notice that one of the paintings right by the entrance looked animatronic. "ohmygod, I think I got a selfie in that hallway on accident." She was bringing the picture up on her phone when the ghost in the painting leaped out at them with an electronic banshee shriek.

Megan just about jumped out of her skin, screaming herself in the most girly manner, and bodily threw herself at Agnes.

... The moments directly after realizing what had happened were torture. Her whole upper half blushed deeply while she fought off a heart attack. "JESUS@#$@!"

She detached herself a little from Agnes and stuffed her phone back in her pocket, thoroughly embarrassed.

Agnes beamed. ”That’s a promise,” she said as she gave Megan’s hand a little squeeze. With the agreement that they would trade off buying tickets, they steeled up their courage and headed for the entrance to the haunted house.

Now, it should be known that Agnes knew of haunted houses but she had never actually been inside one (to her knowledge). She had seen them on TV or in movies at the mansion around Halloween time, but growing up in the extremely strict religious household that she did, such things were considered sacrilege. So she was more than eager to partake but this would be her first time traveling through one. Therefore, in the back of her head, repeatedly she muttered that it wasn’t real. It was all for fun.

When they first walked in, Agnes felt a small raise in her heartbeat but it truly wasn’t all that bad. The rooms were dark with minimal lighting. She could hear laughter from other haunted house goers in other parts of the attraction but at the moment it was just her and Megan, accompanied by the sounds their creaking footsteps. It definitely had the aesthetic she expected but what surprises lay ahead?

First there were the mirrors. She didn’t jump when she saw them, instead she just laughed. Megan found one that made her short and squiggly. Agnes found another that made her taller and extremely thin. She giggled as she stared at the vastly different version of herself and shook her head. Taking out her own phone, Agnes’ old phone that she didn’t recognize, she did the same before she turned and snapped a photo of Megan with her squiggly, shorter doppleganger.

She grinned at Megan and shrugged her shoulders. ”Two beauties for the price of one.”

Hand-in-hand, they continued on to another section which...was a disorienting mess. Agnes at first had no idea what was going on and thought she was sick or getting dizzy. But when Megan began to laugh, struggling to stay on her feet, Agnes realized it was the entire room. It was part of the ride. She stumbled with nervous laughter, her wings fluttering in an attempt to stabilize her footing. For the most part it seemed effective, causing her to hover when she felt herself loose grip, but it wasn’t completely preventative. At least once she fell into Megan, catching herself on the brunette’s shoulders, immediately causing a deep blush.

She said nothing, merely smiling as she regained her footing, chewing on her bottom lip and proceeded to get out of the rotating room. Was it supposed to be this hot in these things? She felt hot.

Approaching the next hallway, with was long, dark, and menacing, Agnes peered down but stopped when Megan giggled about accidentally getting a selfie during one of the many times she had fallen over. Agnes turned curiously, spying over Megan’s shoulder. She snickered a bit and pointed at the denim.

”Did you...Did you really just take a picture of your own bu--”

The movement was so suddenly she didn’t expect it. One of the paintings on the wall was no painting at all. Instead a ghastly, shrieking animatronic leapt from the framework like a denizen of Hell, terrifying in appearance with wide eyes, an open maw, and dried, twisted skin. The clawed fingers with the gnarled nails reached out for them and both girls screamed for their lives.

Megan leapt against Agnes. Wrapping her arms protectively around her, the insect queen pulled her date close, moved back against the wall, shouting at the horrifying demon that came at them. It only lasted seconds but it seemed an eternity before the banshee made a gear grinding noise and released a hiss of compressed air before retracting back into the painting, resetting its position. The two girls stared at the animatronic for several seconds before they looked at one another and Megan shouted an expletive.

It was enough to pull Agnes from the fear that had gripped her and brought a smile to her lips. Megan was embarrassed and began to continue on down the hall. Agnes quickly followed suit. Casually she glanced at the corner of her eyes, her own cheeks still red, before she bit her lip and grinned.

”Wow. They toooootally got you,” she teased. ”Good thing I’m completely unflappable.” She didn’t. But she figured the best way to move past the embarrassment was with the light teasing. This was a date, after all.