Ronaldo didn't know how to feel in this moment other than equally thrilled and terrified, his breath caught in anticipation and, almost by reflex, he started recording with his phone the very situation he found himself in.
But everything happened so fast that he didn't really understand what was going on—from the sound of the door breaking to that voice pulled straight out of a supernatural horror movie with way too much budget, to the ominous pink light fading away with that anguished female scream, ending with the sound of flesh striking flesh.
Ronaldo felt like he was witnessing the opening scene of a horror movie, and no matter how much fear filled his heart, he loved it. He loved being part of something supernatural, even if only as just another spectator.
But just as quickly as that horror-filled atmosphere had been painted by that supernatural being dressed in human skin, it was undone with the snap of his fingers, in an act even more theatrical than the last. He didn't know what to think in that moment, but it seemed clear he wouldn't forget this night for a long time.
…
Nora was confused no, the word "confused" wasn't exactly what she felt. But she didn't think there was a word precise enough to describe it; so she had to settle for that.
She didn't know how to react to what was clearly a ridiculous stunt on Adrian's part. For he didn't make her heart race with pure fear maybe insecurity about the way he used his powers, but fear? She didn't believe she could feel that until she saw him adjust his head, which had been twisted almost a hundred and eighty degrees, while a bulbous mass reformed out of nowhere to become his eye again. It was simply a spectacle of horror for her on far too many levels.
But beyond how she felt about having hurt her friend, deep down she felt furious. He shouldn't have done that if he wanted to play a prank. To top it off, he went back to his normal self as if nothing had happened it was annoying and frustrating that, despite how angry she was with him, she couldn't bring herself to protest.
And that damned look he gave her when his eye went back into place, as if he knew something about her that she herself didn't know… dealing with him was like trying to solve a riddle that kept changing, contradicting itself annoying and yet highly addictive, even if she would never admit it.
But lately he had been in such a strange state yes, "strange" was the word she was looking for. Always trying to smile or take the world as some kind of joke, or as a spectator watching a play, waiting for the punchline of something she couldn't grasp. She didn't know how to feel about this, but she didn't expect it to last. She felt like he hadn't been himself lately but only… ah, she couldn't put it into words, and that infuriated her.
He approached the rest of them as if nothing had happened, with a strange facial expression that she interpreted as: "I'm sorry, I won't do it again, but look at your face and tell me it wasn't funny."
The height of insolence. But she smiled faintly, accepting the unspoken words with her own strong gaze: "You'd better not."
The sound of someone coughing reached her ears, making her realize that Adrian and she had been staring into each other's eyes, changing expressions, for at least three minutes.
The feeling of embarrassment didn't hit as hard as she expected, but it still arrived, while Connie finished coughing, her half-closed eyes flicking between the two of them and if that faint smile of hers meant anything, Nora chose to ignore it for tonight.
"Well, we had a little mishap during movie night…" she said while everyone—correction, everyone who was conscious looked at Adrian, who waved as if nothing had happened.
"… but movie night must go on," she said a bit awkwardly, waiting for some objection, which strangely never came a surprise in itself.
With a sigh she sat back down on the old sofa, and the others did the same: Sadie settling into a beanbag, with Lars passed out beside her. Ronaldo sitting—was that really a throne from the movie Dracula? No, he wasn't going to question anything else tonight; he already had enough on his plate with Connie giving him that smile from the other end of the sofa every time she looked at him and Adrian.
Kiki and Jenny sat wrapped in blankets one watching everything without understanding what was happening, the other completely passed out in her sister's arms. Sour Cream looked a bit uncomfortable on the other couch along with Buck, who was still wearing sunglasses even at night.
Meanwhile, Nora clearly sat beside Adrian to prevent him from doing anything supernatural for the rest of the evening. Bad boys needed to be punished.
With everything said and done, Ronaldo, the host, stood up from his "throne" or decorative piece of furniture to finally kick off movie night once and for all.
…
The night passed without further eccentricities from Adrian, aside from small spectacles like making popcorn appear out of nowhere or changing the entire design of the lighthouse to look like a horror movie set. This was the Adrian Nora knew someone eccentric and sarcastic in equal measure. As she watched him, she couldn't help but smile, and he smiled back. She ignored Connie's gaze as well as that of the other girls present, and Adrian seemed to do the same when he spoke to her in a low voice.
"It's been a while since I've seen you smile for real…" he said quietly, while that bad old horror movie kept playing in the background.
"I feel the same it's been a while since you've smiled for real," she replied, taking some popcorn he had pulled out from who knows where.
"Mm, I think you look prettier when you smile…" he said casually, and for a moment Nora froze, her heart beating faster, until he continued, "But not prettier than me." He finished in that mocking tone, laughing sardonically. She laughed too, giving him a "small friendly punch."
The worries about what had happened and what might come in the future didn't cross her mind in that moment of happiness.