-Bullworth Academy-

[October 31, 2006]

It was Halloween—what better day of the year could there be at a boarding school like Bullworth? It was the perfect day. Only a small group of prefects remained on patrol, and even they seemed more interested in the Halloween festivities than enforcing the rules. The teachers were occupied with other matters, allowing students to get away with far more than usual. For some, it was the perfect day for pranks and for the kind of chaos normally kept in check by prefects and teachers—chaos that now ran wilder thanks to the students' newfound freedom.

Dusk was settling in, and everyone was donning costumes as the Halloween festivities got underway. The few prefects still on patrol barely paid any attention to the students, and the decorations were fully in place—cobwebs, pumpkins, and skulls everywhere. The cool, crisp evening air offered a welcome respite from the usual stench of dirt, grime, and sweat—especially from the jocks—that permeated Bullworth. Some students were already prowling about in costume, pulling pranks and contributing to the academy's usual chaos, which was amplified by the absence of prefects; the atmosphere was alive with shouts, laughter, and the sharp crack of firecrackers popping near the dormitories, sending startled students laughing and scattering before quickly returning to the fun. Most students were pouring out of their dorms to enjoy the night, the vast majority of them in costume. Eggs splattered against school windows, and rolls of toilet paper draped the trees like ghostly streamers, adding to the night's cheerful mayhem.