White Nightmare: Enchant Me (I)


The moon was shining overhead, giving the teenagers walking home extra light as they headed home. There was a light breeze in the air that ruffled through the trees and made a howling sound as it bounced off the buildings. The group was heading home and took the main streets as it seemed safest, especially seeing as it was close to ten o'clock at night.

"Tell me again, why we had to get dinner on the other side of town?" Selphie asked in annoyance as she shivered. The brunette's thin jacket was not protecting her from the unusual, icy wind of the island.

"Because," Riku told her, yawning, "Sora specifically wanted to get dessert from that restaurant. After all, the blitzball team just won the championship." He threw an arm around Selphie. "Let him live a little!"

Sora grinned from ear to ear, catching up to a familiar, raven haired girl. "What did you think about the game Jasmine?"

She brushed a strand of hair from her sun-kissed cheeks and adjusted the glasses on her face. "You guys did great," she stuffed her hands in the pocket of her jeans. "You deserved that victory."

Kairi glanced at Jasmine and linked arms with the older teen. "Too bad we have all this homework tonight," she said with a sigh.

Selphie groaned. "Why the heck do we have so much homework TONIGHT?" She threw her arms up in the air dramatically. "The teachers knew the championship game was this evening and that everyone would be out late. Totally unfair…"

Sora's shoulders slumped then. "If it wasn't for that quiz we had tomorrow on folklore of the island, we could stay out as late as we wanted!" He kicked a nearby can down the alley they passed and groaned.

"Island Folklore?" Jasmine queried.

Kairi nodded and smiled. "Our teacher is really into myths and legends. The Destiny Islands has quite a few actually."

Jasmine glanced at Riku and pursed her lips. "I find it strange how the ones younger than us got far more interesting topics than we EVER did when we were in their year."

Riku snickered. "Right? I'm ALMOST jealous of them."

"Why legends?" Jasmine was curious. "I mean, shouldn't you guys be reading Shakespeare or something along those lines?"

Selphie smiled and walked backwards to face the group. "That's because WE have an awesome teacher. She swears that half these stories are true."

Jasmine and Riku seemed skeptical. "Okay," the silver-haired teen drawled out, "let us hear one and THEN we can decide."

While the group chatted on, Jasmine heard a soft, light tune carry through the air. She closed her eyes and concluded that the instrument was a flute. She could barely make out all the notes (being a musician herself) but knew that the song was quite beautiful.

"Do you guys hear that?" She asked distantly, halting completely when the group came to a stoplight.

Riku stared at Jasmine curiously. "I don't hear anything," he told her.

Jasmine frowned. "How could you guys not hear that? There's nothing else going on besides us talking and there's a random flute playing."

Sora laughed heartily. "Guys, I think Jasmine is tired," he teased playfully.

Jasmine's cheeks reddened in embarrassment when the group erupted in laughter. "Just shut up and walk," she grumbled, pointing to the green crosswalk light. The group continued on their way.

"So anyway," Riku changed the subject, hoping to ease Jasmine's obvious displeasure. "What are you kiddies reading anyway?"

It was Selphie who answered first. "We're reading about different legends and myths that are famous on this island. I didn't think there'd be so many…"

Jasmine's mind was elsewhere. She had separated from Kairi and fell to the back of the group. Despite growing up on Twilight Town where the weather was much more harsh and severe than that of the Destiny Islands, she found that the air was particularly chilly tonight to the point where she was having a hard time focusing on just walking. In addition to that, she could still hear that same lonely flute playing it's heartbreaking tune in the distance.

"Tell me one," Riku smirked then, "nothing happens on the island."

"You sure about that?" Selphie cleared her throat in preparation for the story. "You guys know the old theatre?"

"Yeah, the one a few blocks away near the shoreline?" Riku pointed in its direction. "It's been closed for years. My dad says they're trying to tear it down and rebuild it but for some reason no one will take the job."

"There's a reason behind that,"' Sora chimed in, smiling mischievously.

Jasmine was never one to believe in fairytales or urban legends. "Well out with it," she said through chattering teeth.

"They say that over a hundred years ago," the bubbly brunette girl began, "that there was a group of musicians who performed at that theatre on a regular basis. One of them, a talented flute player and pianist was in love with a young woman, a singer, whom he wanted to play for. On the night of their last show on the island, he planned to propose to the girl when she came to the show."

Riku was one step ahead of Selphie. "Let me guess, she never showed up, right?"

Selphie nodded excitedly. "As it turns out, she was killed on her way to the theatre. The musician went insane after that and even though he knew she was dead, he wanted to wait for her. So in a fit of madness, he locked everyone in the theatre and set it on fire, claiming that he'd perform for her in the next life and that he'd wait for her to return."

Everyone in the group digested the story, their faces ranging from disinterest and disbelief to shock and horror.

Jasmine played with the tips of her long, black braid before letting it fall against her chest. "There's so much wrong with that story," she deadpanned.

"You don't think it happened like that?" Kairi questioned curiously.

The hazel-eyed girl frowned. "I'm sure there was a fire, but the way in which it happened is sketch. REALLY sketch. That guy couldn't have managed to kill all those people on his own. Someone could have stopped him." She shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "Then, how did he KNOW that that woman was killed?"

"News travels fast?" Kairi guessed.

Jasmine was unimpressed. "These stories are LOADED with plot holes. Never trust anything you hear without having documentation."

Riku chuckled. "Guess you're not into love stories."

"I think it's crazy how far someone will go for love and how much it can tear someone up," Selphie sighed dreamily.

"And why is the theatre still abandoned?" Sora asked. He sheepishly explained himself. "I kinda spaced out for the back end of the story."

Selphie rolled her bright green eyes. "Yeah, I heard you snoring. IF you were paying attention, you'd know that everyone who goes in there to inspect the place ends up going missing. People go in, but they don't come out."

"Let me guess…again," Riku and the group took a left. They were almost home now. "The spirit of the guy traps people in there and kills them, leaving their mangled bodies about the theatre."

Kairi stepped in. "Well, the story is that he kills them. Angry that they trespassed to begin with and the only one he'll let live is the girl. He's waiting for her to come back. Apparently, there was a rumor that it's dark magic surrounding the place."

"Now there's magic? Oh god now this is really getting cheesy."

Jasmine stopped dead in her tracks. The music at this point was impossible to ignore. It was so loud that she was beginning to get a headache. She shut her eyes in an attempt to calm it down, knowing good and well that it probably wasn't going to make the headache go away.

While the rest of the group chatted away with one another, Jasmine spotted a deserted street with a dark, ominous building at the very end of it. She carefully opened an eye. The origin of the music seemed to be coming from the direction of the building.

Under normal circumstances, Jasmine would have tried to ignore the sound and head back home but for some odd reason she couldn't fathom, she began making her way toward the building, leaving behind her friends as she did so. It was so bizarre. Every muscle in her body told her to go home, crawl into bed and ignore these feelings of curiosity. And so, against her better judgment, Jasmine split from the group and made her way towards that very same building where the sound originated.

The need to venture out on her own felt unnatural but it was as if a force was pulling her towards the old, decrepit building. Even the wind seemed to be carrying Jasmine, urging her in a way.

Jasmine was standing in front of the building. It was a complete wreck. Perhaps at one point it been a movie theatre but it seemed much grander than that like maybe an opera house of sorts. The sign hanging above was the color of ash and soot with the wooden paneling falling apart. What's more, the entrance seemed to be blocked off so there was no way inside to investigate.

"Look at what we have here," a boy's voice said mischievously.

Jasmine snapped out of her thoughts and nearly jumped out of her skin. Out from the shadows of a nearby building appeared a young man perhaps her age or a bit older with pale skin, spiky black hair and vivid gold eyes. He looked as if he had come from a ball or gala the way from the way he was dressed, wearing a well-fitted tuxedo and dark, fingerless gloves. The boy reminded Jasmine a lot of Sora, except this person had a more muscular build, mature features and a devious aura around him.

"It's odd to see a young woman walking around the town this late at night," he said with a charming smile.

"I'm not alone," Jasmine said politely. "I was walking with my friends." Her eyes wandered and in one of his hands was a beautiful gold flute. She was so busy focused on the building and the attractive boy that she almost forgot that the music had stopped. "You were the one playing, weren't you?"

He gave a gentlemanly bow. "It was. My name is Vanitas."

Jasmine was taken by his charm instantly. "You're quite good," she told him, folding her hands together.

"Why thank you," Vanitas said graciously. "Coming from you, it means a lot."

She raised an eyebrow in interest. "You just met me."

"This is true," Vanitas twirled the flute in one hand expertly. "But a complement is a complement. Especially from such a beautiful girl like you," he added slyly.

Jasmine blushed and turned her head away in embarrassment. She wasn't used to such flattery from anyone.

"Would you like to come inside?" Vanitas tilted his head toward the building. "My colleagues and I are giving a special performance. I'd love for you to hear us."

It was now that Jasmine's better judgment was getting the best of her. "I'm sorry, but I really need to get home."

Vanitas was persistent. "But I insist. We won't be here in town for much longer."

Jasmine stepped back, torn between going home and wanting to hear more of Vanitas' outstanding playing. "I can't. Besides," she glanced at the building, skeptical that anyone could be inside of it, let alone a concert, "there's no way that you could actually be giving a show inside of there. The building looks like it's about to fall apart."

Vanitas laughed then, a musical sound to her ears. "You don't believe me?" He smirked then and slipped the flute into his pocket. "Come see for yourself. I guarantee you that it's absolutely stunning on the inside."

For some reason she could not understand, Jasmine seemed hypnotized by Vanitas' intense stare. There was something about him that was just so attractive. His physical appearance obviously helped him, but it was much more than that. In his eyes, she could see maturity, intelligence and something she couldn't place her finger on that bordered on dark, mysterious, yet seductive.

"I wish I could," Jasmine attempted to put more space between herself and the young man before her. "Perhaps I will see you again."

Vanitas scoffed and closed his eyes. "Your curiosity tells me that you want to stay, but your logic is saying that you should run off and be a good little girl."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Excuse me? You don't know the first thing about me." She argued, now feeling flustered.

He took out his flute once again and gave a heavy sigh. "I'm good at reading people, Miss. It's one of my many talents." Vanitas then pulled out a long, gorgeous, long stemmed red rose and tossed it at Jasmine, the latter catching it with both hands and marveling at its beauty. "But I suppose if you want to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime, then who am I to stop you?" Vanitas turned around and began walking back toward the building where he appeared. "It's your loss, not mine."

Jasmine breathed in the intoxicating scent of the flower, not bothering at this point to hide her rosy cheeks. Her curiosity was finally getting the best of her and her usually sound judgment.

"Only for a moment," she yelled at Vanitas.

He stopped in his tracks and unbeknownst to Jasmine, he had a devilish grin on his face that would have startled her otherwise. "Oh really now? Have you finally come around?"

Jasmine's pride caused her to pout in defeat. For the first time, someone had been able to make her use her emotion over her logic. "Just for a few minutes and then I'm going home. It's late and I need to get out of here."

Vanitas was now standing before Jasmine and he extended his hand out to her. "That's all it takes."

Jasmine felt herself becoming lightheaded. Vanitas' smile paired with his mesmerizing eyes were like a drug that she was slowly becoming addicted to.

"And your name?" Vanitas asked her.

"It's Jasmine," she replied. Jasmine took hold of his free hand, feeling a chill run up her spine upon physical contact with the mysterious stranger.

Vanitas' smile became much more devious then. "Alright Jasmine, let's go."

The pair walked along down the dimly lit street until they came to the building. However, Jasmine found that the entrance (which she originally thought to be blocked off) was now clear off all debris, giving them a clear path. Vanitas held the door open for her.

"Ladies first," he said simply.

Jasmine nodded in thanks, finding herself stepping into complete darkness. It wasn't that Jasmine was uncomfortable with the lack of light, it was just that she was uncomfortable with being in the dark in an unfamiliar place with a person she had just met.

Vanitas shut the door behind them and then rushed over to the raven-haired girl, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as if to protect her.

Jasmine shut her eyes against the sudden light that flooded the area. The floors were a sparkling white alabaster with black streaks in the tiles. Down the foyer and in the center of the room was a marvelous statue of a couple reaching out to one another. Portraits of people Jasmine did not know hung along the silver walls and a marvelous chandelier hung overhead, bringing light to the entire area. Jasmine's jaw hung open in shock and awe. Vanitas was right. This place was not just some run-down building. It was an absolutely stunning theatre.

"I'm not sure an "I told you so" would cover this," Vanitas teased.

"B-But how?" Jasmine stammered, whipping her head around to face him.

Vanitas took a step down and playfully flipped her braid with his flute. "Not everything is as it seems." He held out his arm for her to take. "Shall we? I think we should explore the theatre a bit first. We still have some time before the performance."

Jasmine sniffed and noticed something in the air. The scent was thick, pungent, and heavy. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it was definitely odd.

"I told you that I had to go home," she reminded him politely.

"Oh come on," Vanitas sounded a bit impatient then, "you're already here. Why not go all the way?"

"I'm sure my friends are looking for me," Jasmine turned toward the direction of the exit. "I have to go."

Vanitas snatched Jasmine's hand, eyes flickering with desperation for the briefest moment. "Please! Just a little while longer! I promise it'll be worth it." It was clear that he did not want her to leave and rejoin her friends. He gave her hand a squeeze. "Just a little while longer, Jasmine…."

Her heart skipped a beat at the way her name rolled off his tongue. It was as if there was a need, no, desire for her to stay with him and there were dark, almost sensual undertones present. Jasmine shivered. No one had ever called out to her in such a way.

"A little while longer," she conceded. "It won't kill me."

Jasmine missed the sudden flash of danger present in Vanitas' amber eyes. He brought her hand to his lips for a kiss and smiled. Jasmine closed her mouth the hold back a gasp. Despite the sweetness of the act, Jasmine could not deny that his lips, like his hands, were as cold as ice. "Let's head to the ballet studio first," he proposed, leading her down the stairs carefully. "Some of the dancers are preparing for a new show. They're so much fun to watch."

As Vanitas led Jasmine to the ballet studio, she couldn't help but notice that very same scent in the air that had been bothering her earlier. She was starting to recognize what it was: the smell of ash and blood. While they walked, Jasmine did her best to try to ignore the odor by holding her breath whenever Vanitas was not looking at her.

Vanitas pulled her down a very dark, dimly lit hall or doorways with blood red walls and red and gold carpet. Beside each door was a table, covered by a black table cloth with a gold vase on top. Within each intricately crafted vase were at least a dozen, radiant, blood red roses. While Jasmine thought that the layout was beautiful, she couldn't help but feel uneasy at the tightness of the area and the fact that she could not see the end of the hall because it was shrouded in an unnatural darkness did not help matters at all. Without her knowing, Jasmine stopped, eyes fixated on the floor in an attempt to keep herself from staring down the hall.

Vanitas appeared in front of her with a speed that startled her. "What's wrong?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned for his guest.

Jasmine's eyes flitted to the darkness pouring out from the hall and then to her rose. "What's down that hall? Why is it so dark?"

Vanitas laughed teasingly then. "Nothing is wrong. I'm afraid that someone probably left one of the windows open and the draft blew out the candles. Why?" His face was dangerously close to hers with their noses almost touching, causing Jasmine to shiver. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

The undertones in Vanitas' voice were alluring, if not somewhat seductive. Jasmine felt her heartbeat pick up and found herself lost in his eyes once again. She came back to reality though and cleared her throat. "I'm just...curious is all."

With a smile of satisfaction, he headed towards the nearest door and gently pushed it open. "Curiosity killed the cat," Vanitas told Jasmine as he motioned for her to enter the room with his index finger. Even though Jasmine was more than a little concerned about continuing to follow Vanitas in such an odd, almost eerie building, she did as she was told and found herself standing at the entrance of a large ballet studio. However, the sight she took in was one she would have only seen in nightmares.

The studio was quite large and had mirrors all along the walls. However, the mirrors were shattered and destroyed beyond repair with shards of glass covering the old, rotten, wooden floors. A red substance appeared to be smeared into the wooden floor but Jasmine did not want to know what that substance may have been. The dancers were perhaps the most disturbing things inside the room altogether. There were about thirty or so men and women, their bodies thin and withered with their bones clearly poking through their leotards and tights. Their skin was pale to the point where it was beyond healthy and their faces were gaunt and devoid of all emotion. Their movements were stiff and gangly as if they were being controlled by something and even worse, all of them were chained together by their ankles as one, zombie-like unit.

Jasmine felt a wave of dread wash over her and pulled her hands to her chest. 'What kind of studio is this?'

At the front of the studio was a short woman with blond hair reaching her chin and antennae-like bangs. Her bright green eyes appeared to be sunken in and her skin had an ashen, almost grey tone to it. She stopped the dancers upon noticing that she was being watched.

"Vanitas," she said with an annoyed look on her face, "you know better than to interrupt us while we're practicing." Her eyes eventually landed on Jasmine and she smirked. "Who's the girl?"

"Her name is Jasmine," Vanitas took one of Jasmine's hands and laced their fingers together, "she's my special guest."

Larxene's eyes widened and an evil smirk crept onto her face. "This must be the one you've been waiting for."

"I'm just trying to prove to this girl, that the theatre isn't a run-down building," Vanitas replied nonchalantly. "There's a bit of magic here."

Larxene's laugh was more of a cackle than anything else. She placed a hand to her cheek and spoke to Jasmine. "Be careful about being alone with Vanitas. I'm sure he'd love to eat a sweet little thing like you up with no hesitation. He's got a thing for beautiful girls."

Something told Jasmine that there was probably some truth to Larxene's words.

Vanitas' eyes flashed with anger. "I think it's time Larxene went back to her students. They have a show coming up." He wrapped an arm around Jasmine's waist and pulled her along toward the exit.

"Goodbye, Jasmine," Larxene snickered.

Reluctantly, Jasmine waved to the blond ballet teacher as she left the room. Somehow, Jasmine was not feeling comforted at being inside the theatre anymore and wished that she could be home.

"You have to ignore Larxene," Vanitas said apologetically, "she likes to scare away girls that come into the building." He led her out from that particular hallway back to the foyer.

"Why?" Jasmine's nostrils were now burning from the smell from before but yet, she started to pick up what exactly that smell was: blood and smoke.

Vanitas smirked. "She's exceptionally vain and hates the idea of anyone more attractive than her being in her presence. If anything, she feels threatened by other females…" He looked her up and down, "Especially ones as beautiful as you."

Jasmine's eyes fell to her feet. Never in her life has she ever been praised so much for her physical appearances. All throughout her life she had been considered a tomboy, never put into the same categories as other girls such as Naminé, Kairi or even Selphie. No one man had ever given her so much attention in this way as Vanitas had been now. While it flattered her greatly (not to mention concerned her), it also made her uncharacteristically self-conscious.

A loud thud shook through the room and caused Jasmine to bump into Vanitas who laughed and took the opportunity to hold her close.

"What was that?" She asked, staring down the nearly pitch-black hall.

"Despite its beauty, this building is quite old," Vanitas explained.

The scent was making Jasmine feel weaker and weaker with each moment and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Vanitas, what is that smell?"

Vanitas' smile faded as if he were greatly irritated. Judging from the look in his eyes, Jasmine knew that he knew what she was talking about. But instead of explaining himself, he merely pulled her along with a bit more haste now, towards the foyer.

"It smells like smoke and blood," Jasmine mentioned, barely keeping up with his fast pace while struggling to breathe. She coughed then and began surveying the area in an attempt to pinpoint where exactly the smell was coming from.

His eyes hardened and he refused to respond to her questions. "I guess we don't have as much time as we thought."

There was something a bit chilling about the way Vanitas spoke to her. "Time for what?"

Once they were in the foyer, Jasmine's eyes widened in shock. Instead of its normal black and white theme, the color scheme had changed to a more dramatic black and crimson pattern with lighting that was even more dim than she remembered. Jasmine could barely make out the bottom of the stairs and only saw darkness waiting for them at the bottom.

Vanitas smiled then but Jasmine was not at all comforted by this. "I was hoping that we could fully explore the theatre just so you could get a better understanding of how we operate, but you don't look so well."

In truth, Vanitas was correct. The smell was becoming too much for Jasmine to bear and she was having a hard time staying on her feet.

"Vanitas," Jasmine began hoarsely before coughing, "I have to get out of here. Please let me go," she pleaded.

Vanitas was slowly turning her back toward the bottom of the stairs. "I can't do that Jasmine."

A wave of dread instantly washed over her. "Why not?"

The room's lighting began to dim even more to the point where Jasmine could only just barely make out Vanitas' face.

"We've come too far to stop now and you are the guest of honor."

Jasmine felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as she felt something approach her from behind. She could tell automatically that whatever it was coming towards her was rather large yet quick and her fear was keeping her from turning around to see what it was.

"It'll be over soon," Vanitas took one of her hands and kissed it lightly before she took a step away from him. "I promise."

The young, raven-haired girl suddenly felt herself being restricted from some unknown, dark, tentacle like thing and latched onto her body pinning her arms to her sides and began to pull her backwards so that it felt as though she were falling.

Jasmine opened her mouth and let out a blood-curdling scream that shook through the theatre. However, once she disappeared into the darkness down below, her screams were nothing more than an echo and Vanitas' sadistic smile widened, his blazing amber eyes wild with excitement.


Author's Note:

Thank you guys so much for reading this first chapter in my series of horror stories! I really appreciate it! With this particular story, there will definitely be a Part II. I promise I won't leave it there. That would just be really ridiculous.

White Nightmare/Black Fantasy is a series of short, independent stories with different creatures and tales with two totally different themes. White Nightmare is one while Black Fantasy is another. As the story progresses and continues on, you'll even find little tips, hints and clues to my other story Sins and an Absolution which is the sequel to Heartbreakers. For now this story's rating will be "T" but there is a good chance that the rating might change to an "M".

In any case, tell me what you think and thanks for reading! I'll try to have the next chapter up by the end of this week.

Take care!