It had been a few years since the Christmas debacle and even Oogie's return and domination over every holiday. Halloween Town and its inhabitants developed good relations with Christmas town and the lands of other holidays. The holiday leaders had band together in a counsel. They would often get together when trouble was going on in the real world or when one holiday was getting behind schedule.
The King of Halloween also welcomed his Ragdoll Queen into his dark castle. They lived together for a few years and now brought a young princess into the family. Her name was Odella. She wasn't natural born since her mother was handmade. Her parents settled on creating their own little monster with the help of Doctor Finkelstein and some local witches. Features of each were mixed and matched until they developed the seamless plans for a doll. Not a ragdoll like Sally but a kind of porcelain doll. Her features were elegant and slim like Jack but she had the feminine charm and red hair of Sally.
Odella kept her hair in two pigtails. Her eyes were seemingly devilish black in most lights but sparkled with silver flecks usually under the moonlight. Her skin was so stiff it was hard for her to express emotions or expand her mouth enough to speak loudly. As she grew she had to undergo multiple operations to replace parts in order to get the feeling that she's growing; her body was held together by strong wires that vibrated with her life and soul. If a single thread is nicked she might have to live with difficult health conditions or even lose her life. Because of her delicate conditions her parents kept her in a cushioned room unless they were around to help her. It was hard for her to balance and falling often led to chips or cracks. Jack usually carried her on his back whenever she convinced them to bring her out to town.
Jack and Sally loved and raised her to be the next Halloween leader. Being caged in her room gave her more than enough time to study and read every book they owned. She learned to love it and her father taught her everything there was to know about Halloween town and even facts about other holidays. She often had trouble understanding and remembering a few of them no matter how many times she recited the books.
Fifteen more years had passed with peace and the success of thrilling the living. The dark house, once only fit to be home for a skeleton, was expanded to make room for the new queen and princess. Odella was learning more and more about being a ruler of an entire holiday; but she preferred to sit in her study and read books that had fallen from the human world into theirs. They were usually dark and grim which was perfectly fine for her. She was mature for a young girl and her favorites were romances between two unlikely beings. A forbidden love was her most addictive dream.
Today was the eleventh of November. A time of relaxation for the citizens as the King and mayor decided on the plans for next Halloween. Odella spent all day in her study reading and writing, as her father instructed, on the subject of why Halloween was important to the real world. Even though she was still young, Odella knew the answer. She just wanted to finish a book she had been re-reading for the tenth time and ended up staring out of her window most of the day. Zero laid in a small basket beside her desk and didn't mind napping through the silence as she ignored her work.
"Hello?" The voice of Jack rose and echoed up through the house. He was off at work, handling the Mayor and his ideas. "Anyone home?"
"I'm up here father." Odella called down to him. Shortly after giving her response, Jack appeared in the room. Zero yipped a greeting to his master before nuzzling back into his bed.
"Ah. How is your studying?" He took a look at the almost blank note in front of her on the desk.
"I'm sorry it's not done yet." Odella turned her eyes down and slumped slightly in her chair; she was worried she had disappointed him.
"Are you having trouble remembering it again?" Jack asked with a kind softness in his voice.
"No. I just don't feel interested enough to write an entire essay about it." She turned in her chair to face him. "I know it's important to understand why our town does what it does. I know that it's important to have a bit of horror in your life, to have a scare and feel alive. I just feel a little bored of it is all."
"Well you have been working a lot and you do know the subject almost as well as I do. So I guess you deserve this." Jack reached inside his coat and pulled out a small red leather book. Odella's eyes widened as she saw the title. Beauty and the Beast. She jumped up and hugged her father.
"Thank you so much." She was excited. It was the very book she was hoping to find. It had been mentioned in some of her other books and she felt like she had been missing out on an important experience. She then pressed the book as close to her heart as she could.
"By the way, do you know where your mother is?"
"Earlier she remembered more of her dream and said that she wanted to think about it. She said she was going to the graveyard." Odella casually explained. Her mother loved sitting on the spiral hill and it was common for her to leave during the day and visit it. She would usually bring Odella with her unless Jack was tutoring her again.
"Alright then bring your book and we'll turn it into a family outing." Jack swiftly lifted his daughter into his arms and led her down the staircase and out of the house as she couldn't stop herself from starting the book. Zero gladly volunteered to watch the house and finish his nap.
It didn't take them long to reach the hill. It was a short walk through the town and to the graveyard. Odella took a seat at the bottom of the hill with her back leaning against a pumpkin and turned the page she had been reading. Jack walked up the hill and stood behind Sally. She held a small dead flower in her hand. What the other two didn't know was that she originally had seven of them, but they vanished. One by one they fell from her hand and turned to ash blowing away in the wind.
"Sally? Is everything alright?" Jack asked worried about his wife. Sally stood and turned to him. She wore a grim expression.
"I'm afraid something terrible is going to happen. My dream; People are going to disappear Jack." She griped the last flower. "Everything we know is going to vanish. Our homes, our holidays."
Her voice cracked before turning to a whisper as tears rushed over her cheeks. She held up the last flower as it began to crumble and fall to a pile in her hand. Jack griped her shoulders and pulled her against him in a tight embrace.
"Then we need to do something. I will go and warn the other leaders. You should go see if Finkelstein will be able to do anything." He pulled a few inches away and looked into her eyes. "Sally, I need you to be strong, ok? I promise that everyone will be alright. Especially you and our Odella."
"Ok Jack. You're right." She sniffed and wiped her tears.
"Good." Jack smiled softly before turning and walking to the base of the hill with Sally close behind him. "Sweet Odella, I have a mission for you."
Odella giggled to her father's playful tone, it was important for her to laugh since she knew it was hard to read her emotions on her face. She rose carefully and curtsied.
"Anything for the king. What do you ask?"
"I want you to stay with your mother and keep everything calm and running smoothly." Jack spoke with a more serious tone but kept his small smile. "It looks like some trouble is brewing and we need to take immediate action."
"I understand." Odella nodded gently.
"Now I won't be gone long." Jack bid his simple goodbyes and headed towards the gates at the edge of town. Sally and Odella made their way over to the laboratory. It was a quiet walk. Odella cradled her book to her chest as her mind wandered. Worry was growing in her heart and visions darker than the normal sprouted in her head. When they entered the metal building Odella did her best to focus on helping her mother and forgot her thoughts.
This is my first and possibly only nightmare before christmas fic and also my first fic to use an OC. Please review and tell me if anything is unclear, peculiar, or if my OC is just a bad idea. (OC's are a little weird to me and I don't want to mess the story up by making one) I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter.