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Mario Ilașcu is participating in the 5th International Literary Creation Competition, from Iași, Romania and is 17 years old. Mario is guided by Mrs. Professor Cristina Maria Frumos at the Pedagogical College „Vasile Lupu” Iași. We thank him for his participation and wish him success.

Cool witch party

At the table in front of me sat my four favourite people, I stalked them as they played a sort of card game from the couch in the other room, doing a sort of cat-like peek over the height of the furniture, my knees numbing as they slowly dug my weight into the leather. Not to say I was fat, I was not... probably. Maybe a little chubby. 
There were other people around the house, but I'll keep spying on the main girls. I honestly think they spend more time together than separate, and naturally, they were the ones who set up everything. I usually don't pay much mind to my surroundings, but I do have to compliment the decorations, they really pulled off that mystical-horror vibe that they were going for: shimmering blue and purple lights set up in every corner, strange green-glowing slime on the walls and floor, candles, demonic circles, pentagrams and even random runes and sygils drawn around the place. Besides, everyone at the party was dressed like a witch or a wizard, which added to the vibes. 
Susie, the gorilla (I’m actually jealous of her physique) in a leather robe on the left side of the table was losing a couple of the sphere currency in the game to Dara, the short one with glasses which sat furthest from her at the table, and because of the enormous gap between the two, she had to slither over half a table with her upper body to collect her reward, also trying to avoid the jar with a very pretty soul-blue rose in the middle of the table, while the other one pretended to be mad at the interaction. Dara was the smart one, one year younger than the others, typical nerd, slightly cold, but also cute, always top of the class and won competitions.
Next to Susie was Rae (Raphaella, but no one really calls her that), slumping with one arm behind the chair and smugly observing the interaction. Always carefree and relaxed, that type of cool girl that is also really good at listening, reading the room and giving advice. 
And next to Dara was Adora, laughing at the situation, words don't really feel enough to describe her. She brightens every room she's in, always really humble, nice, and fun to be around, she's really sociable and always manages to lighten the mood, good at everything she does and is always engaged into what she's doing. The witch party was her idea, she first came up with it exactly 7 years ago and it's become Halloween tradition for the group since. They also always gather at her place, it almost feels like they all live here, they may as well do. 
I know I just described a bunch of walking stereotypes, but they just feel so right to watch, as if I was watching a show, or a sitcom maybe. And also, I feel like they're aware of themselves, they just don't care, or feel like they have to act around anyone. Maybe it's alright to be a stereotype, to have a trait, not necessarily unique to you and follow it wherever it takes you.
They’re also all accomplished, not like my lazy ass that sits on the phone all day, like any regular teenager should. I really have no idea what to do in the future, I'm not really good at any sports (I feel, and probably look like a pizza roll), I've never been interested in any school stuff, I don't like video games, never read a book in my life (I'm good at remembering résumés for school) and I don't really care about people, I started losing contact with the few "friends" that I had once high school started and also I've recently been hating most people (I may look half-social but I can't stand the usual "friend conversations" enough to build a good friendship. My mom always said you have to water a relationship, to grow it like a flower, but I don't like that. Why can't I just get along with someone at first glance? That's probably how these girls got together.)
It's not like they don't have their own problems either, they all got their own issues and insecurities, I often see each of them sad, or unsure, but they can always rely on each other for any minor inconvenience, meanwhile I feel like I can't tell anyone I know anything, not my "friends", and certainly not my parents. And how would I even say anything honest about myself if I don't even know who I am? I always wonder if there's something wrong with me. I think I would be better off like any other braindead human, like the others at the party. 
Since my legs got pretty numb and I felt like crying, I decided to start walking a bit. 
To pass time, I started counting people. There were four other people in the room in pairs of two, one pair was gossiping about people I don't know over at the purple juice bowl, the other pair I recognized as classmates, amongst them was one of the two guys at the party, they were arguing about some game I think. They're actually usually pretty nice but I said hi to them earlier and they didn't answer (I know they just didn't hear me, but I was too ashamed to try again).
No one in the entrance hall or downstairs bathroom. Upstairs three people making use of an excessive amount of toilet paper, one of them was the other guy. In the bathroom two gals were filming some video. Two others in Adora's bedroom talking on the bed. Once I opened the door they stared towards me weirdly which made me incredibly anxious, so I went downstairs again.
There wasn't too much noise, only some generic Halloween songs in the background from the tv downstairs and the idle chatter. It wasn't the typical, loud, drinking, dancing, couples party. If I would fit in, it would actually be really cool. Too bad I will never fit in anywhere.
After spending some more time in the bathroom, and accidentally laying eyes upon my ugly mug in the mirror, I got back to my espionage. Middle of the room, phone in hand so I didn't look like I was only staring. They were still sitting at the table but now silent and with an eerily solemn look, they seemed to have really gotten into whatever witchy, ritual thing they planned.
Adora gently grabbed the blue rose from the jar with both hands, stood up, and started walking slowly, the other girls following behind her. Heading my way, I awkwardly pretended to have business texting something while walking towards the wall opposite the entrance hall (I apparently forgot to charge it so I was really just staring at a black screen during the manoeuvre). 
They went past me, into the hall. I got in there too, behind the crowd somewhere, wondering if they sent me the message too, but I wouldn't find out until at home since I wouldn't dare to try and borrow a charger, just to find out my prehistoric phone wasn't compatible.
Apparently this type of occult business is serious, because no one was talking, and they all had the same half-determined, half-sad expression. Led by Adora, we all got out of the house.
Even through the thick fog, I guessed by the route that we were heading to the graveyard. Which made sense, it was a witch party after all, though the silence was eerie. I can tell what's weird and what's not, I've been to every witch party they made until now but always had to leave early because of my parents. Can't remember why they let me now, I don't really even remember when I got to the party... probably cause I'm tired. I've been constantly tired for a long time and I'm not sure what's wrong. It might be that I only get a couple hours of sleep each night, but when I sleep a lot, I'm also tired. I don't understand how people can just function normally. Always giving the same answers and talking about the same people, maybe different places and events, but too similar all of them. I feel like I'm slowly fading out of reality, and my life starts to matter less and less, I wonder if anyone would notice if I were to die, I wonder if even I would notice.
I guess I forgot to mention how we got acquainted. I was their classmate since 5th grade and happened to sit next to Adora, we made a bit of small talk, she thought that Elena (my name) and Adora sounded similar, which they didn't. I think she mostly felt like she had to invite me for their first party, and then they kept inviting me to each one since, and I always showed up. Asides from that, our interactions are minimal, though I also sometimes stalk them during class.
Anyhow, we now got to the graveyard and started walking amongst the graves. I do have to admit that it was fairly creepy when considering the mist and the tender silence from my company, lead by the holder of the blue rose. Many wild ideas started appearing into my mind concerning the mysterious nature of our spontaneous visit, the most likely at the moment being that they were actually legit occultist and were about to summon a ghost or sacrifice someone.
I was becoming more and more aware of the noise our steps were making when we suddenly had come to a halt. I could see that Adora placed the blue rose at a grave, I got closer.
Rest in peace; Elena Wilson, it wrote. I couldn't see the date of death through the fog. I thought it was weird since I haven't been given a flower before.