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Elizabeth rummaged through her cabinets in search of food; opening each drawer and cupboard, but finding nothing-except a few cobwebs. She hadn't even gone outside the past week since she met with Derek on Spiral hill, so she hadn't the chance to buy any food at the market. Dismayed, She took her coin purse from dresser, and was just about to reach for the doorknob when she heard Oogie's voice.
"Take a knife with you," he told her ominously.
"What? Why?" she asked, confused. Why would she need a knife at the market?
"In case you meet up with him, Idiot!" Oogie roared. There was no question who 'him' was.
"oh," Elizabeth said, reluctantly grabbing a knife from the kitchen and hiding it the ruffles of the back of her dress. "anything else?" she asked Oogie in an almost mocking tone. He said nothing in reply, and Elizabeth walked out the front door, locking it behind her.
The sky was bright. Not from the sun, though, but the clouds. The over cast sky-almost white-blared down on Elizabeth, and she lifted up her had for a visor.
-x-x-x-
Elizabeth walked through the market, stopping periodically at stands, but always pressing on despite the calls of "pretty necklace for the pretty lady!" and so on from the merchants. When Soon, she found herself walking through the outer reaches of the market-the merchants became dodgier, and their merchandise--more obscure.
But among all this, one cart in particular caught her eye-a small apple cart. She felt pulled towards it and found herself looking over the apples in her hand. Each apple was as red an perfect as the last and made her mouth water and her stomach ache in hunger.
"Are you going to pay for that?" the cart-owner asked impatiently. Elizabeth looked up, feeling shaken, then opened her purse and dug her hand around looking for a few coins. She felt nothing. Elizabeth held the purse closer to her face, looking into the purse, hoping she had simply missed the coins in there, but she found nothing. She cursed silently to herself, and handed the apple back to the merchant when she heard a familiar voice from behind her.
"She is," it said, answering the merchant's question, and giving him a few coins. Elizabeth whipped around, finding herself face-to-face with Derek. He took the apple back from the merchant. "This isn't much of a meal, though," he said, waggling the apple in front of her, a devious smile slipping over his lips.
"I guess you're right," she said quietly, forging a nervous laugh. She stared at the apple, then up at him. His face grew serious with-agitation, was it? She wondered.
He handed her the apple, seeming to be wondering as to whether or not be angry with her, though she didn't have the slightest idea as to why. He seemed to give in to his forgiving nature, and flashed her a warm smile. "Why don't you have Dinner with me tonight?" he asked. "I promise we'll have more than apples," he laughed. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at that. "So, what do you say?" he asked. He stood very close to her-almost trapping her between him and the apple cart. How could she refuse?
"of course," she smiled. But then she though of what she was getting into. Dinner with Derek? Surely that meant with his parents too. But then again, what threat did this pose for her? It wasn't as if Oogie's hold on her was apparent to the naked eye. The only difference it made in her appearance (besides her fresh cuts and bruises) was that now, her once hazel eyes had become a stunning shade of emerald, but how would his parents, or Derek for that matter, ever notice this, especially considering that none of them had ever known her before Oogie had inhabited her?
"Wonderful," Derek smiled. He offered her his hand, and she took it.
-x-x-x-x-
Derek led Elizabeth up the steps to the front of his house. The lack of banisters and the long drop mad Elizabeth nervous as she walked up the steps. She felt a sigh of relief escape her lips as they reached the top step and Derek opened the front door. Elizabeth looked around the home. There was no doubt that Derek and his family were well off.
The two were greeted at the door by the family dog-A small ghostly fellow with a Jack-O-lantern nose. He let out a few short yaps of glee, then proceeded to sniff Elizabeth as any dog, ghost or otherwise, would. After a moment of sniffing, he started to growl, then his growls turned into shrill barks. Elizabeth's eyes grew wide and she took a step back. 'He knows,' she thought. 'He knows you're there Oogie. You can just see it in his eyes.'.
"Stop it, Zero!" Derek commanded the dog. The dog obeyed with a small whimper. Having heard the barking, Sally walked it the room, her face brightening at the sight of Derek.
"Just in time for dinner," she beamed. Her eyes averted to Elizabeth. "And who's this?" she asked excitedly.
"My name is Elizabeth. I'm a friend of Derek's" she told Sally, who gave her a knowing smile.
"Aren't you lovely," she said, glancing over at Derek and trying to stifle a giggle, for, being a mother, she knew that there was no such thing as mere friendship when it came boys and girls in Halloween Town. "Are you going to stay for dinner?" she asked.
"Only if that's alright with you, of course," Elizabeth said politely.
"Well of course it is!" Sally said, walking into the kitchen with the two on her heels. Sally looked into a large pot she had set on the stove and stirred it thoughtfully for a moment.
"Jack!" she called, "Dinner's ready!"
"Just a moment" Jack called from the second story. Elizabeth could hear his footsteps as he walked down the stairs. They were soft, yet strong with a steady rhythm.
And there the man was, elegant and spindly; the Sovereign of Halloween town. He smiled courteously at her. "Who's you're friend, Derek?" he asked.
"Her name's Elizabeth," he said. Jack nodded with a smile. Sally set four bowls and a pot on the table as the rest sat down. Elizabeth thanked her as she ladled some soup into her bowl, as did the rest. All the while she could feel Jack's eyes watching her. But why? Surely he couldn't have had any evidence that she was...different...that his one foe had planted itself inside her. But then why did he keep staring? Elizabeth shook the thoughts from her head, looking up for a moment.
"May I be excused for a moment?" she asked "I need to get some air."
"Of course, dear," Sally smiled. Elizabeth walked quickly to the door, shutting it behind her after she left.
"Maybe I ought to check on her," Derek said a moment later, getting up from the table and walking out the front door.
Elizabeth looked up at Derek as he walked down the steps, meeting her at his front gate.
"Are you alright?" he asked, but he seemed angry somehow-frustrated maybe.
"I'm fine," she replied mindlessly, looking down at the ground.
"Listen," he sighed, "I want to ask you something."
"You should ask it. You'll never get an answer anyway else," she said.
"Why'd you run off when I kissed you a week ago?" he spoke the word 'kissed' unsurely, as if she wouldn't agree that it had been a kiss.
Elizabeth sighed. What was she to say? She couldn't tell him that Oogie made her uncomfortable...knowing what she'd have to do. After a moment of thinking, Elizabeth spoke up.
"I was just nervous," she replied, which wasn't really a lie at all, though it wasn't quite the truth either. "I guess I...it was my first..." she trailed off. She looked up at Derek, and to her surprise, he was smiling.
"I have just one more question," he told her, stepping closer and with a look in his eyes that made a Elizabeth's heart race faster and faster. He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, looping the ends around his bony fingers before letting the ringlets drop to her shoulders.
"And what would it be?" Elizabeth asked. He was so, so close now. She could feel her legs shaking slightly. Derek chuckled a bit, looking down into her eyes.
"Are you going to run off this time?" he asked, then kissed her softly on the lips. Elizabeth felt a giddy shiver of excitement shoot up her spine as he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. He broke away first, waiting for his answer. Elizabeth smiled slyly at him, then stood on her toes and whispered "Never again," into his ear.
Derek beamed at her, then quickly pulled her into another kiss. One fierce, and gentle all at once that made Elizabeth's heart leap. He rested his hand on the small of her back, and for a moment, she worried that his hand would travel lower and discover the knife hidden in the folds of her dress, but the longer he kissed her, the more she realized she didn't care.
Raindrops started to fall from the heavy clouds above them, and Derek looked up, letting them fall onto his face, laughing. Elizabeth looked up also, allowing the rain to wash away all resistance. Before long, she found herself laughing about the rain as well.
"You're all wet," Elizabeth giggled, resting her head on his chest. The rain kept pouring-getting harder and harder-but they didn't mind in the least. Elizabeth Sat down on the cobblestone path in front of Derek's gate, and pulled him down with her. She rested her chin on his shoulder, gazing up at him as he gazed at her. Derek reached out, wiping rain off her cheeks with his thumb.
"I love you," he whispered to her, anxious for response. Elizabeth's eyes grew wide, and she felt her stomach grow sick as reality hit her. This wasn't supposed to happen! She wasn't supposed to have feelings for Derek, and he certainly wasn't supposed to have any back! What would she say? Elizabeth thought for a moment, and decided the best thing to do was to just tell the truth-
"I love you too," she told him. She leaned forward and kissed him with a smile. 'Tonight', she promiced herself, 'Will be the end of Oogie's hold on me'
The two sat on the cobblestone pavement, deep in thought. The night rain lulled them both to sleep laying together-Elizabeth's head resting on Derek's shoulder.
-x-x-x-x-
Elizabeth blinked as the morning sun shone into her eyes. She looked up at Derek, still asleep, and smiled. She sat up and quickly kissed him on the cheek. He didn't wake, but she saw him smile in his sleep. She watched him for a moment-untill an all too familiar voice spoke to her.
"Kill him now," Oogie told her. Elizabeth felt her stomach lurch at the seriousness in his voice. She sat in shock staring at Derek in horror.
"Whatcha waiting for?" Oogie demanded. Elizabeth didn't reply-she couldn't-she stood up, took a few steps away from Derek's sleeping body, then collapsed in a heap-trembling all over.
"DO IT NOW!" Oogie yelled, making a searing pain run through Elizabeth's body. She bit her lip, trying not to scream. Tears flowed freely from her eyes and she struggled even to think.
Using all of her strength, Elizabeth picked her self off the ground, fingering the handle of her knife-then dropped it, and ran as far and fast as she could.
A/N: Sorry the chapter took so dreadfully long...I've been concentrating on my art since It's better than my writing can ever hope to be, and I already have a possible scholarship coming from my art (why bother with anything else?), so I haven't been working on fan-fics. I'll try to update In His Will next.
Live long and prosper, chickletts (and various dudes)
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