Chapter 1

You've all heard of Halloween. Horror movies, trick-or-treating, candy ad nauseam... But have you ever wondered where it all comes from?

Well, I'm here to answer that question. My name is Antanasia Hallows, and I'm the Spirit of Halloween. This is my story.

"Jack! No fair!" Jamie cried as he felt a cold, wet snowball hit the back of his head. Only Jack could make such a perfect snowball; it was designed to cover the target in freezing, sticky snow.

Jack laughed merrily as he zipped over the boy's head, pelting Jamie's friends as well. They all laughed joyfully and began throwing snowballs at each other, getting into the mood. Suddenly, Pippa pointed at the sky and said in a curious, innocent voice, "I thought that the Northern Lights only happened at night."

Instantly perking up, Jack turned his face skywards and found that there was, indeed, Northern Lights flowing through the sky in the middle of the day. North was sending out the Guardian call! "Sorry guys, but I have to go," he said to the children. They made disappointed sounds, but Jack just laughed and promised them he'd be back in a couple of days to bring them another snow day. Even though it was a week to Halloween, Jack had gotten impatient and caused a light snowfall for his favourite believers.

After saying goodbye, Jack requested the Wind that it take him to North's workshop as soon as possible. On the way there, Jack wondered what could be so urgent that North felt the need to send out the Guardians' Call-Out. Certainly Pitch Black hadn't regained his powers already! It had only been a year and a half since Easter 2012 and the defeat of the Boogeyman.

Finally, Jack arrived at the Workshop at the North Pole. He was the second one to arrive; Bunny had arrived but a few minutes ago.

"North, what-" Jack began to ask the big, burly Russian when he flew through an open window into the Globe Room. But North held up a hand, a silent order to wait until the other Guardians had arrived. And soon, Tooth and Sandy arrived as well, Tooth with an entourage of mini-fairies and Sandy with a question mark made out of sand over his head.

"Okay! Now that we all here, I explain reason for call-out!" North said in his broken English.

"Yeah mate, what was that for? I only have five months to prepare until Easter!" Bunny complained. Jack snickered and muttered something about a fussy kangaroo and Bunny said warningly, "Watch it, Frostbite!" to Jack.

North promptly ignored the two and turned towards Tooth, who was still chattering with her mini-fairies about the many places in the world where teeth needed to be collected. "Tooth! Pay attention! Is important!" he exclaimed, and Tooth finally took notice of the serious tone of his voice and shushed her mini-fairies.

"Now..." North began. "Today, I was preparing for Christmas and everything was ordinary, until Man in Moon spoke to me!"

Gasps were heard around the room. The Man in the Moon hardly ever spoke to the Guardians unless it was very important.

North continued. "He showed me Pitch's shadow, then he lit up Guardian Crystal!" Everyone gasped in shock again except for Jack, who didn't know what the Guardian Crystal was.

"Um, what's a Guardian Crystal?" he asked tentatively, wondering what the fuss was about. Sure, Pitch was back, but after defeating him last year, Jack didn't doubt his abilities in winning a fight against the shadow spirit again.

Tooth answered Jack's question. "The Man in the Moon only ever lights up the Guardian Crystal when he's choosing a new Guardian!"

Then Bunny spoke up. "That's what he did a year and a half ago when he chose you, Frostbite."

"Then... who did he choose, North?" Jack asked the man, who had stayed silent while the others were explaining the Guardian Crystal to him.

"I not know," North admitted, his expression somber. "Man in Moon said wait until others arrive, so I send Guardian Call-Out."

But why would the Man in the Moon choose a new Guardian now? Sandy signed using his golden dream sand.

Bunny agreed with Sandy. "Yeah! Since when do we need help with defeating Pitch?" Jack huffed and was about to point out that they certainly had needed his help last year to defeat Pitch, but something in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he stopped to observe it. A beam of moonlight was shining upon a large crystal with the Guardian symbol on it in the corner of the room. He quickly pointed this out to the other Guardians, who rushed over and stood in a circle around the crystal, trying to guess who would be the new Guardian.

"Maybe it's Spencer Valentine!" Tooth guessed, meaning the Spirit of Valentine's Day.

"Ugh. I hope it's not. I just wish it's not the groundhog." Bunny said with a groan.

Sandy made a sand four-leaf clover over his head and Jack interpreted, "Maybe the Leprechaun?" Sandy nodded to confirm Jack's interpretation.

Finally, the figure that the Man in the Moon was creating cleared and everyone got a vivid image of a girl of average height with black hair, orange eyes, greyish skin, a black Grim Reaper-like hood and a scythe.

North concluded in surprise, "Antanasia Hallows."