*Moonlight & Mischief* Raven didn’t come to the Hollow Woods to be scared. She came to _be_ the scary one. Her boots crunched dead leaves. Her chains jingled. Her blue-and-purple pigtails caught the moonlight like neon signs in the mist. This was her stage — bare trees, cold rocks, and a full moon so bright it turned the world black and silver. She’d practiced the pose for hours in her bedroom mirror: one hand on the mossy stone, head tilted, eyeliner sharp enough to cut glass. The forest was supposed to feel her energy and back off. Except it didn’t. Something behind the rock went _eep_. Raven froze. Slowly, she turned. A small, round ghost was peeking out, its sheet-white face caught between “boo” and “oops.” One stubby arm was raised in a wave that had aborted halfway. They stared at each other. The ghost was first to break. It sank lower behind the rock until only its eyes showed. Embarrassed. Raven snorted. The tough-girl act cracked right down the middle. “You’re supposed to haunt _me_, you know,” she said. “That’s how this works. Spooky forest, full moon, mysterious girl. You jump out, I scream. Classic.” The ghost made a tiny, sad _womp_ sound. Raven sighed and crouched down. Her purple combat boots sank into the damp leaves. “Hey. C’mon. You new at this?” The ghost nodded, rising just enough to show its whole worried face. “Thought so.” Raven dug in her little skull-shaped purse and pulled out a safety pin. She stuck it through her plaid skirt for luck, then held it out. “Here. Ghosts like shiny stuff, right? Beginner’s kit.” The ghost floated closer, took the pin in both hands, and immediately looked 200% braver. “Better,” Raven said. “Now try again. But this time, commit to the bit.” The ghost vanished behind the rock. There was a beat of silence. Then it shot up with both arms raised and a sound like a kazoo trying to howl: _“BWOOO!”_ Raven clutched her spiked choker and staggered back against the stone, eyes wide. “Oh no!” she gasped. “The horror! Whatever shall I—” She broke, laughing. “Okay, okay, that was actually pretty good.” The ghost beamed. Or, well, it _glowed_. Same thing. They sat there for a while, the punk doll and the rookie ghost, watching the moon move through the bare branches. Raven told it which graveyards had the best acoustics for wailing. The ghost showed her how to make the mist swirl into skull shapes. When the sky started to turn from black to blue, Raven stood and dusted off her fishnets. “Same time next full moon?” she asked. The ghost did a happy little spin, sending leaves fluttering. Raven smirked and headed for the tree line, chains jingling. She didn’t come to the Hollow Woods to be scared. But making friends with a ghost? That was way more punk.