Everyone was getting ready to celebrate a holiday that used to not exist in their world, Christmas, even though it’s a month away. Ever since they discovered it, and Jack trying to take it over, they found the joy of the holiday and made it part of their own, with all the other holidays they found out about. It was nice to take a break from Halloween work once in a while, it was kind of like a vacation, only at home.
The Mayor introduced Jackie to everyone in Halloween Town, who each welcomed her with open arms. Jackie felt a little awkward, she wasn’t used to people welcoming her to their town, usually she’d get evil glare and then they’d walk away. Soon they started back at their work, taking boxes here and there, and wheeling in Christmas decorations. Soon Jackie was helping out, mostly carrying boxes. Behind the fountain, Lock and Shock were up to their devilish plans.
“Ready?” Shock asked pulling out her sling shot. Lock nodded.
She poked her head up so she could see Jackie carrying the boxes. She slowly pulled the slingshot, aiming at her foot. She paused for a moment, then let go. Direct hit, the pebble had hit Jackie’s left foot, causing her too fall, which cause the box to fly and crash on her, breaking some of the decorations.
“Sorry!” She shouted as some of the townspeople gave her a disappointed look. She pulled her foot up and rubbed of the sore spot. She looked behind her, but saw something, so she picked up some of the broken pieces and continued her duties.
Shock and Lock hid behind the fountain giggling. “Nice shot.” Lock whispered.
“I know.” She poked her head up again. “Look!” She pointed. “She put the box down, let’s take it.”
“Good idea.” Lock agreed.
They both snuck around the fountain and to the box. Jackie and the Mayor were talking with their backs turned, perfect opportunity to take something huh?
“Quickly!” She whispered as she took one end and Lock took the other end. They lifted the box up, realizing it’s heavier than it looks. “How the heck does she carry this like it’s nothing?!” Shock thought to herself as they carried the box away.
“Ok.” Jackie said, lowering her head and turning to pick up the box, but it was gone. “AH!”
“Something wrong?” The mayor looked with his worried face on. Where’s the box?”
“I don’t know.” She said looking around. “It was sitting right there.”
The Mayor smacked his forehead. “Maybe you should go back and watch Cindy, we’ll take care of the rest.” He walked away shaking hid head in disappointment.
“Ok....” She lowered her head again and walked over to Jacks house.
“Hold on a minute.” Shock demanded as they dropped the box.
“What is it?” Lock gave her a puzzled look.
She look a small box, quite heavy for it’s size, and pulled her slingshot again. Once again, she was right on target, this time hitting Jackie on her back, knocking her forward and crashing into Wolfman, who was carrying fragile items.
“Sorry! Let me hel...”
“Don’t bother!” Wolfman snapped as he snatched the box away and gave an angry growl. Jackie jumped from this outburst. Shock and Lock laughed as they started running off, leaving the box behind. Jackie lowered her head and darted for the house after the angry Wolfman walked away.
Barrel sat on the couch bored out of his mind, his two friends get to have all the fun while he was stuck watching a toddler who wasn’t even awake. He let out a sigh and was about to get up until he heard the door open and slam and what he thought was someone crying. He ran over to see Jackie leaning against the door with her head lowered, rubbing her eyes. Barrel knew is was all Shock and Lock’s fault.
“What’s wrong?” He asked anyway.
She looked up and blinked, putting on a fake smile. “Nothing, I uh kinda make an ass out of myself out there, so they told me just to come back.” She sighed as she dropped her arms.
“I see..” Barrel started to think but then...
“Want to play the Doombox160?”
“180 you mean?” Barrel corrected.
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “He said it’s in the closet next to the big clock. I was wandering who he was saying that to.” She thought as she pointed forwards, then let out a nervous laugh. “Can you get it? I don’t want to end up breaking it.” She blushed.
“Sure.” He said as he they went over to the closet and pulled out the game system. Barrel pressed a button and the Skull that was on the top of the box popped up. Jackie awed in amazement, she’d never seen such a thing in her life. He pulled out a game called Zombie Invasion and put it in the box, closed it and started hooking it up. While that happened, Cindy woke up, she rubber her eyes with they tiny hands and examined what the two were doing. She quietly sat there like a patient little girl and watched, not saying a word.
“Alright!” Barrel cheered as he heard the tune of the DoomBox180 play on the TV. “Let’s see who can eat more humans.”
“Uh ok...” Jackie said as she took the controller and examined it. She had no idea what she was doing.
They played for hours and hours, Jackie finally got used to the controls, so she was getting some good kills, Cindy eventually got off the couch and sat on Jackie’s lap again, watching with excitement. Obviously when Jack had the time, he’d invite the Mayor and occasionally Dr. Finklestein over and played to see who’d win, with Sally and Cindy cheery Jack on. She just sat there cheering Jackie on as they played, then the door opened.
“Momma, Dadda!” Cindy got off of Jackie’s and ran over to Jack and Sally, who didn’t look too happy.
“Jackie, we heard you made quite a mess in town today.” Jack said and Sally lifted Cindy up and gave her a small kiss on her forehead.
“I’m sorry.” She stood looking ashamed at what she done. “ Something kept hitting me and I fell, then the box when missing. I didn’t mean to mess things up.”
“Something hit you?” Jack made a puzzled look. Barrel paused the game and turned towards them.
“Yeah, first it hit my foot, then a big one hit my back.” Jackie explained.
“Mmm.” Jack put a hand under his chin, then he noticed something. “Where’s Lock and Shock?”
“They went off to so something.” Barrel answered.
“Mmm? Maybe they have something to do with it.” He concluded.
“But why would they do that? What did I do?” Jackie was confused.
“Ah they do it to everyone don’t worry.” Barrel said walking up to them.
“Oh?”
“We’re Trick or Treaters. We pull tricks on everyone, sometimes we can be a little mean about it. But don’t worry, I’m sure they’re getting you used to it.” Barrel lied, he knew exactly why they did it.
“Oh ok.” She giggled
Jack looked at the TV. “Ooo! I see your playing Zombie Invasion, can I play?” Jack smiled like a little boy.
“Yeah!” Both Jackie and Barrel said as they ran into the living room, plugged in another controller and started playing again.
Sally stood there, holding Cindy in her arms. “Well.” She sighed. “There goes four more hours.” Laughing a little as she walked into the living room to join them.
What they didn’t know was that Shock was watching them through the window the moment Jack and Sally stepped through the door. “DRAT!” She thought to herself as she kicked the ground. “They were supposed to be MAD, not HAPPY!” She growled. “I’ll show her, that was only the beginning.” Storming off.
Shock didn’t bother going back home, she was too much in thought planning something to get this Jackie girl out of Halloween Town for good. She made her way through the graveyard, across the Spiral Hill and into the Hinterlands. She stopped after walking a while and leaned against a tree, crossing her arms, she started planning. “What can I do? Mmm.” Then she snapped her fingers. “ I know!” She started walking. “I have to expose her. I know she knows Oogie.” Then she gasped. “She must be working for him. No, Oogie’s dead, there’s no way. We were his only henchmen, were we?” She smacked her forehead “Dammit! Why can’t I think of anything!” She punched a random tree, then heard something.
“Hello?” She paused, then saw a shadow movie. “Lock this isn’t funny! Come out right now!” She stumped over to the moving shadow, but when it came up, it wasn’t Lock.
Jackie was taking a walk around the graveyard, her staff by her side, to clear her head a little. She walked slowly, head down and was almost to the point of crying, it was happening again. She looked up at the moon, it was nice, maybe she was assuming to much right? It was just one mistake, people can forgive right? She let out a sigh opened the gates to Spiral Hill.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”
Jackie heard the faint scream and almost jumped out of her skin. “What the hell!?” She quickly crossed the hill and ran into the Hinterlands.
Shock was slammed into a tree, her right arm was badly cut from shielding her face from shiny claws that were headed right for her. She screamed in pain as she held her injured arm and looked up, her eyes widened, she never seen anything so....horrifying in her life. It was a shadow figure, with three long claws hanging from it’s hands, it’s teeth were long and sharp, but were bloodstained. Shock backed up as the shadow began to charge at her again, raising it’s claws. She let out another scream then suddenly, it stopped, looked behind it, and ran away. She sat there, holding her injured arm, trembling she’d never been so scared for her life.
“Shock!” Jackie ran up and saw that her arm was badly injured. “What happened to you!?” She looked at her in shock.
“Nothing happened!” She snapped at her and started running.
“Wait! Let me help you!” She ran after her.
“Leave me alone!” Tears were starting to form in Shocks eyes, the pain was too unbearable. She managed to get across the hill before tripping on a small rock.
Jackie finally caught up to her and went by her side “Please your hurt!” She put a hand of her shoulder.
“Just leave me alone.” She smacked her hand away and faced her. Jackie eyes widened, she’d seen this face before, when they first met, well sort of. Shock let out another scream and bend down, the pain was getting worse then ever.
Jackie’s eyes softened. “Please let me help you, I can heal this.” She gave a warm smile.
Shock looked at her arm, then looked back at her. “Fine...” She said quietly, getting up with Jackie’s help. They got out of the graveyard and to the fountain area.
Shock took a seat on the fountain ledge and Jackie kneeled down. She put down the staff that she’d forgot about all day. Reaching behind her back, she pulled out a small bag. Shock raised an eyebrow. “Where did this bag come from?” She thought. In this bag, Jackie reached in and pulled out two small bottles.
“This bottle will heal the inside, I must warn you, it will sting.” Jackie gently took her arm and slowly pours a little bit of the liquid of one of the bottles along the wound.
Shock let out a yelp and her body started to shake as, tears flowed down from the pain this so called help she was getting was giving her, then Jackie quickly took the other bottle and pour it on the wound, the pain stopped. Shock looked at her confused.
“This, will numb it.” Jackie said as she reached in and pulled out a needle and thread.
“What are you doing?” Her eyes widened. “She’s not gonna stick me with that needle is she!?”
“I need to close the wound up.” She explained as she tore a bit of string with her teeth and tied it to the needle. “ You shouldn’t feel anything, just a slight pressure.” Sticking the needle into Shock’s skin.
Shock turned away and closed her eyes tightly as she began sewing her skin together. After a while, she turned around and watched and Jackie sewing in, and out and pulling tightly, wiping the blood from her arm from time to time. She was right, all she felt was pressure of the needle going in. Then a guilty feeling was starting to form on Shock, she’s been planning on getting this girl kick out from this town, and all she’s doing is helping. She looked at Jackie, who was still fixing her, she sucked it up and started to talk.
“So umm, what were you doing outside at this time?” Shock managed to ask.
Jackie smiled, her eyes still on Shocks arm. “ Well I had a bad day today, so after Jack and Sally, came back, I decided to take a walk outside, you know to clear my head.”
“Oh.” She looked away. “So how are you liking this town?” She turned back.
“Well, it’s nice.” She said finishing up and wiping the remaining blood. “People here are so nice, well, if you don’t mess things up.” She giggled. “You know, I never got that anywhere else I went. I uhh....” She chocked up a bit, refusing her let herself cry again, she let took a deep breath and continued. Skipping what she was about to say. “I don’t mind living here, well, it’s not like I’m planning on to.” She lied, she really wanted to stay, this was the only place she felt welcomed. Never in her life has someone else welcomed into their home, eat their food, and sleep in a bed. That was the greatest feeling she’d ever had. If only she knew where she was from.
“Oh....” Shock sighed, something in her didn’t want Jackie to go all of a sudden. She felt maybe Jackie isn’t such a bad person after all. Then she wanted to ask one more thing. “How did you do that?
“Do what?” Looking up.
“Pull that bag out from behind your back.” She tilted her head slightly.
“Magic.” She winked as she went in her bag again and pulled out some gauze.
“Oh...”
They both went silent as Jackie finished bandaging her arm. Afterwards, Shock began to examine her bandages. Her arm was wrapped nicely with white cloth, and the pain in her arm was gone. She gently drew a line with her index finger along her stitches, realizing the cut was all down her forearm. Then she thought what would’ve happened if Jackie wasn’t there to help her, would she have bled to a second death? She knew she couldn’t have stopped the bleeding by herself.
“Thank you Jac....” She looked up to see Jackie going through the gates to the graveyard.
Shock sat there for a while, dazed, she didn’t know what the hell just happened. One minute, she was planning on getting Jackie booted out, to be attacked by some monster, got aid by Jackie, and leaving suddenly. She looked around the town, empty, the lights of the Skellington manor were still on. “They’re STILL at it?” She raised an eyebrow, that must be one hell of an interesting game. She turned around to look at the bright moon, then noticed a figure on Spiral Hill. She knew right then, it was Jackie. She got up and slowly walked over to the gates.
She made her way through the graveyard and once again to the gates of Spiral Hill, She looked through the gate before going in. It looked like Jackie was shaking her head about something. Slowly, trying not to make a sound, she opened the gates and crept in. Hiding behind some of the tombstones, she made her way close to see what Jackie was up to. Finally she reached a tombstone that could get her as close as she could get. When she poked her head up to see what she was doing, her heart dropped. She stood there, her eyes widened, not in fear, but in sadness, as she witness something she’s never seen before.
Jackie stood on Spiral Hill, her staff at her side. She looked up at the bright moon, tears were flowing down her face. She had reached her breaking point. “Come on stop it your stronger than this....” She said to herself, sobbing even more than ever. She could take it anymore, the three years of her life were hell. Traveling from place to place, only to run away from the humiliation. Why was she being treated this way? She didn’t understand. If only she knew where she was from, she’d turn back and run in a heartbeat. Until then, she is left with blank pages in her memory. She started to cry, wiping her eyes with her free hand. “Why me...?” She managed to get out between her sobs. She looked towards the Hinterlands, and then her mind went back to where she found Shock. “Something did this to her. I better go find out.” She wiped her tears away with one swipe and when into the hinterlands.
Shock turned around and slumped down behind the tombstone. She couldn’t believe what she saw. All those times she’d been so happy, were they lies? Has her smile always been a frown in disguise? She leaned over and looked at the hill, then leaned her back against it. Suddenly, her tears began to flow down her cheeks also. She had been hiding her feelings just like Jackie. Not showing them till they were alone, no one around so see how they truly feel. She looked at her bandaged wound, then clasped her hand together, letting her tears flow, she whispered....
“I’m sorry....”
