Chapter I
The roses are dead, and the violets are new. I don't own The Nightmare Before Christmas, and nether do you. Unless your Tim Burton…
Ok guys, just a little not beforehand. Welcome back to the world inside my dirty mind. Sorry I haven't starting writing this yet. I've actually been kind of procrastinating. But, I am out of the fog and ready to write the sequel to Voices on the Wind. So, without further ado I present: Running from my Dreams.
Grace sat upon her bed, her head turned toward the window where the roses sat in full bloom. It felt like only yesterday when she and her mother had planted them, back when the air still had a chill in it, but spring brought everything to life. Her ears strained to hear farther; she begged her unfocused eyes to see them, but as usual, her pleas were useless. It was one of the days when Grace wished she hadn't been born blind.
Ever since childhood, Grace's hearing, tasting, and smelling had grown to be almost super-human strong. Since her blue eyes were empty and unaware, she grew extremely in touch with her sixth sense as well. In her mind's eyes, it was like she could something about people; whether they were truthful, or whether they thought they could take advantage of a helpless blind girl.
Grace sighed and gently held the golden locket around her neck in between her thumb and index finger. It's surface was covered in swirls, crisscrossing each other so that they mystified Grace's mind enough that it left her a few moment that she didn't have to think about anything.
When her thoughts finally gathered themselves, they began to haunt Grace once again with the only image of her mother she could ever remember. It was something she had put together by herself, with her mother soft, silky blond hair, and her big blue eyes that her father said shone in the moonlight. The splatter of orange freckles across her nose, the big smile with the tiny gape in the middle made a small splatter of tears drop from Grace's eyes to her bed sheet. Everything was overwhelming her; it was just too much for someone who couldn't even run to her mother, the only best friend she had ever had. Grace's inner eye took her back to the horrifying day her mother had taken her last breath. That day had changed her life forever.
Grace had sat beside her bedside while her father had cried beside her. Her mother's soft, warm hand caressed her cheek and wiped away her tears. Grace felt her mother's body, trying to make it change it's mind. Her curly hair was just beginning to grow back, the soft tiny curls whirling their way around Grace's fingers. Her cheeks were warm and no doubt a soft, barely visible pink.
The cancer had put her in so much pain, and it was finally having the last laugh. "Don't cry Gracie." Her mother whispered. Her voice was not smooth and musical, as it had once been, but a scratchy voice like that of a smoker. The tears kept coming as Grace whimpered and rubbed her mother's hand against her cheek. But the moment that her mother's hand become cold and limp, she knew it was over. It only made the tears stronger.
It hurt to think of that day, the pain it had caused both her father and herself. It hurt to think of how the doctor's had almost smelled like pity. The whole hospital felt like a place where so many had lost hope at the hands of their sad, pitying doctors. It made Grace feel like it was only her mother dying, but a part of her as well. She was tempted to ask her mother's doctor if she could take a look at her heart, but she knew it was no use.
Part II
Quinn sat on the windowsill of his bedroom, looking out at the same view he had of Halloweentown that he had been looking at for seventeen straight years, everything changing with the exception of the humans that dwelled in the land of Halloween. Quinn had barely changed since the day his little sister had fallen through into the world, and the day that Chelsea had died.
It seemed like everyday was the same without her; eat, sleep, breath. Nothing new ever happened, everything was planned and organized down to the last detail. Quinn just hadn't been the same since that day she had rid the world of Oogie Boogie, but in the end, it hadn't been the happily ever after they had been dreaming of. Sure, it sounded cheesy, but in the end they were hoping for a miracle.
Now Quinn was hoping for another; that somehow she would come back to him, even though in his heart, he knew it was never to be.
Part III
Grace listened to the beautiful voice drifting from her CD players speakers. Her father had bought the CD almost ten years ago, and if it had been scratched then, it was hard to tell whether the back had once been a smooth surface now. But Grace knew every word that the woman sang by heart.
"Love is a feeling
That we can't explain;
Love is a feeling
That brings us pain.
Love is a feeling
That makes us cry;
Love is a feeling
That makes us lie.
Yet love is a feeling that we all share
Love is a promise to be there…"
Her song was like the feeling of a cool water on Grace's fingertips; clean and fresh, as if it was made just for her. Grace's father had told her the name of the singer, but it lingered on the edge of her memory, teasing her.
"Hey Dad?" Grace called and heard the heavy footsteps of her father moving down the hallway toward her.
"What's wrong Gracie?" He said, poking his head into her room.
"Nothing. I just forgot the name of this artist."
"Chelsea Stewart I think. Anything else you need beautiful?" Grace giggled and blew her father and kiss and touched the side of her nose. It was a little code they had always had. I was like their own language; it was a sign that meant 'love you'.
"No. Love you Daddy." Grace knew in her heart that his index finger laid on his nose as he walked away. Grace sighed when she heard the soft rustle of her father's footsteps moving away. "Chelsea…" Grace used the word, the strange feeling on her tongue tickling something in her mind
"I hope you understand
I don't want to live this way
Living, breathing, yet forgetting
I want to remember…my name."
A:N/ Ok guys, so I hope you liked the first chapter of Running from my Dreams. I think it turned out pretty good. And sorry for the wait; I've be totally busy this week. But don't worry, I'm going to write the second chapter right after this one, just cause I'm awesome. Alright see you guys (:
Oh and to answer some questions my dad asked that I thought might clear some things up:
Was Chelsea reincarnated as Grace? Yes.
While this story be longer than it's prequel? Definitely.
Is Grace going to end up in Halloweentown? I'm not sure yet, but I don't think so.
Are you awesome? Yes. (LOL)
Alright, bye!
- Lila 3:05 PM
