Jack awoke wearily, his eyelids unwillingly peeling back. Jack felt unbelievably horrible. He didn't feel sick, but he felt exceptionally dirty. He turned over to find, with a shock, that he was on his bathroom floor. Groaning, Jack sat up, glancing around. It was nearly daylight in the small room. Looking at the clock on his wall, Jack saw it was almost six 'o clock in the morning. He stood up, his vision swerving back and forth. He almost fell over, had the counter been just by his side, nice and sturdy. Feeling that it would help, Jack reached out a bony hand and turned on the water to the absolute coldest it would go, and bent down, washing his face thoroughly. It cleared his aching mind. He leaned back, straightened up, and grabbed a towel on the counter and wiped his face dry of the cool water. Jack looked into the mirror, and with a violent prod to his brain, he remembered the previous night. The sickness, the black, the dark...
Jack glared at his black complexion in the mirror. From what he had remembered, his reflection had spoken to him. That certainly wasn't happening now. Jack took a deep breath, trying to convince himself that he had just been so sick, he was hallucinating...but he was better now...yet his bones were still midnight black.
"Jack?"
Jack nearly tumbled to the floor. Sally was calling to him through the door; he felt a sudden surge of annoying frustration and hatred. Jack scowled, annoyed, then inhaled sharply to himself, startled; he had never been truly angry with his wife before, and this was no reason to be so unreasonable; she was just checking on him.
"Yes?" His voice cracked.
Sally knocked on the door roughly. Jack could nearly feel her concerned vibe pulse its way through the thick door. "Jack, please, can I come in?"
He hesitated, not wanting Sally to see him in this unexpected, eerie form. Yet, he unlocked the door, turned the doorknob with a slightly shaking hand, and whipped the door open. He saw Sally's face contract and heard her wild gasp of shock.
She was staring at him, mainly his face, which was the most dramatic change that had happened. Sally's face exploited fear, absolute fear, but curiosity as well.
"Jack...?" She trailed off, still gazing into his eyes. Jack looked to his feet, desperate to break eye contact with her penetrating stare. "What's happened?"
Jack looked back into her face, trying with all his will power to look as normal as possible. Her face held the opposite expression; she wore a look of extreme, disconcerting worry. He hesitated, trying on the spot to find a way to sooth her thoughts, so he attempted at a smile and tried to casually say, "Don't worry, Sally - "
"Don't you dare tell me that again, Jack Skellington," Sally growled fiercely. "There is something obviously wrong, and I want to know what it is...Jack, you're in pain, and it's torture to watch, it's unbearable..." She trailed off, her voice pleading now.
With love, regret, and internal scolding, Jack lied to her.
"Sally, it's really all right. I wanted a change for this year's Halloween..." Jack was hurriedly trying to come up with a convincing story. "Well, everyone can recognize me in my normal...er, form, so I thought I would go for a different look. Sally," He paced forward and grasped her hands into his. "Everything is really honestly all right. This whole thing is temporary." He hadn't wished anything was more temporary than anything in his whole existence.
She seemed confused...and disbelieving. "So, how did you get yourself like that?"
"What?"
"How did you get all black?"
"Oh...um," Jack hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Actually, I went to Easter Town, and they're professional painters. They agreed to dye me black. And they're so sweet, bless them." He added sympathetically, trying to add to the effect. "They were more than willing to help me...probably because I intimidate them so." Jack attempted a humor-filled smile and was pleased to find that he had one in place. It was hard to smile these days. Sally's eyes were still narrowed, yet not as ferociously.
"Alright, Jack," Sally grudgingly said. "But please know, Jack, that I'm here for anything." Jack nodded, and she sighed. "I need to use the bathroom this morning. Is that okay with you?"
Jack nodded again, and smiled slightly as he leaned down to press his lips to his; he never contacted. Surprised, Jack leaned back to find Sally's lips pressed together firmly, her hand on his chest, holding him back. Her eyebrows were creased.
"Please, not now. I'm late, and so are you." She entered the bathroom, pushed him out gently, closed the door, and turned on the shower after a moment's pause. Jack was bewildered. She had never refused a kiss. She was definetly worried about him...or angry with him, one of the two.
Jack sighed as he walked to the mirror. His all-black face, hands, and neck were overpoweringly stunning; he was not used to seeing himself black. His eyes were the things that made him most umcomfortable, however. They were white, but very, very deceiving. He looked like...some fantastical creature. In his own opinion, Jack thought he looked more ferocious and intimidating. With a faint pleasure in the back of his skull at the thought, Jack strode to his closet, took out his favorite suit, and slipped into it. When he only touched the suit's fabric, Jack felt...strong. Physically powerful. With a sudden urge, Jack curiously strode to his door and yanked on the door handle; it was swept cleanly away from the door. With an evil grin, Jack placed it back, and tested his strength again. He walked to his bed and grabbed it by its underside, and heaved. The bed was lifted at least a foot off the ground, and it hardly weighed more than a feather to Jack. Chuckling now, he replaced the bed and looked around at the clock. He certainly was late; it was a quarter after six. Sighing, his adrenaline gone, Jack headed to the door and swiftly stepped down the stairs, and rushed out the door, sprinting to Town Hall for his meeting with the Mayor, discussing the candy for Halloween night. He recieved very concerned stares from the citizens that were on the streets. He must look strange to everyone, since they weren't used to his new look, either. It took him a second to realize that he was hardly looking at the citizens because he was running too fast. He was running twice as fast as he normally did, the building were whipping by, as were the people, as he ran.
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Woo! YEAH! XD I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to upload, but...I've just been extraordinarily busy lately. Hope you enjoyed it, and I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible.
Thanks. ^^
