Augusta's Costume
Episode 1 of The Belles of St. Anthony's
Good evening. This is the first of several flash fiction stories I started writing last week about a collection of eccentric teenage girls. It started with a quick sketch of what turned into Augusta—the star of this story—and expanded into enough characters that I knew I had to explore their world further.
I didn’t think they or their setting called for a novel or a short story, which is how I landed on the idea of going with flash fiction. I’ve only very occasionally tried writing it, as I never really figured out how to intentionally limit myself like that. Augusta and her friends feel better suited to a comic strip than anything else, so for them it clicked: flash fiction as the literary equivalent to a comic strip!
Since Halloween’s coming up, I thought I’d start with something appropriate for the season. I hope you’re as interested in seeing where this goes as I am. If you like it, you can help out by clicking either of these buttons:
Out of uniform days are always a fun time at a school like St. Anthony of Padua's. Girls don't have to wear the plaid skirts and boys don't have to wear those neckties, and everybody can wear sneakers instead of penny loafers or dress shoes. Halloween's especially fun, because we basically get to cosplay during class.
Augusta seemed to be one of the people who forgot. Some people do, and show up in uniform anyway. It was too bad. In Freshman year she and her friends Charlotte and Helena had blown everyone away with their Electric Mayhem costumes. But I guess they didn't coordinate as well for Sophomore year.
Heck, even the English teacher, Sister Anne, was wearing cat ears with her habit, whiskers drawn on her face. Before class started, she complimented my zombie makeup, then expressed disappointment that Augusta was the only one without a costume. "And after I gave you that coupon for the costume shop." I've heard she was an actress before she joined the Dominican Sisters, and still has some theater connections.
"Oh, don't worry, Sister, I used it," Augusta said.
"But you forgot to wear your costume."
"I didn't forget. I'm wearing my costume right now."
Sister Anne thought about it for a moment, and nodded. "I suppose we're all wearing costumes, if you think about it. Well, no harm done. I was just rooting for you."
She then moved on to having us finish our essays on We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and if you looked around the room you would have seen rows of zombies, superheroes, and anime characters hunched over their desks, scratching their pencils on their paper. Only the girl obeying the uniform policy stood out.
After the last bell, Charlotte and Helena appeared waiting by the door for Augusta. Both of them were wearing ratty lab coats and rubber gloves, and Charlotte had her hair flaring out around her.
"Not bad," I said on the way out. "Too bad Augusta forgot her costume."
"Oh no no no," Charlotte said. "Augusta's got the best costume out of all of us."
Helena was snickering as Augusta came out in her white button down and plaid skirt.
"How's that her costume?" I said. "What's she supposed to be?"
"Our test subject." Charlotte turned to Augusta. "You all set?"
Augusta nodded, chewed on something, and smiled.
A waterfall of red poured down her chin.
I screamed, and backed up, and crashed into a pair of seniors. Soon others were screaming around me—mages and Batmen and street fighters alike.
"I called it!" Charlotte proclaimed with a cackle. "Didn't I call it?"
Augusta strutted out to the middle of the hall. A splash of blood covered her shirt, with drops and streaks all over her sleeves.
Now Sister Anne ran out to the hall to see what the fuss was all about. She saw Augusta showing off her gory grin, and let out an awkward chuckle.
"Oh, so that's what you did with the coupon!" she said. "Do they still make it in mint flavor?"