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"It's Halloween" by xakemii
Neopia was, by most counts, an enjoyable place to grow up. Canca loved throwing snowballs at her friends in the caves at Snowy Valley, watching cheese rounds hurtle down a hill in Meridell, and even lurking around Jhudora's Bluff, trying desperately to capture a glimpse of the infamous dark witch. The one exception was the Haunted Woods. Just being near the place gave Canca the shudders. She couldn't stand the looming trees that seemed to whisper about you as you walked by. Edna's cackling seemed to penetrate far beyond the walls of her castle, and the sound of it made Canca's heart turn to ice. Even the shops were creepy—filled to the brim with eyeball-themed foods and petpets that nipped at her feet. Canca's friends said that the Deserted Fairground made it all worth it, but Canca disagreed. She'd never won a single game in the place and was convinced that all the stalls were rigged. Her friends insisted that they had won before, but Canca had never seen it happen, so she assumed they were all lying in some desperate attempt to look cool. And so, Canca was not thrilled to be standing at the edge of the Haunted Woods. She shifted from foot to foot as her friends cackled with glee. Woisan nudged his shoulder against Canca's, getting her attention. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to," Woisan said, quiet enough that the Wenzhi wouldn't overhear. Canca knew that Woisan was trying to be kind. She knew that if she said that she absolutely refused to step foot into those Woods, he would come up with some excuse for their friends and walk her home.

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