Nightmare before Christmas: The Valentine Vendetta
Summary: 20 years after TNBC, Jack and Sally are now happily married and gave two children, Jasper and Desiree. All seems peaceful until Oogie Boogie rears his burlapsy face once more and teams up with a new villain to take over the seven holidays. After banishing Jack and Jasper to Valentine Town, they meet Valentina; the jailer of dark spirits who agrees to help them win back Halloween Town. Can the Pumpkin King rise up once more, save his kingdom as well as his family?
A/N: Salutations all fan-fiction readers across the world. This is my first TNBC story and I am anxious to post. After watching the movie and video-game walkthrough on YouTube, the muse struck me with its iron grip, not releasing it until I wrote this. Yes this story does contain OC's and yes I realize this is a major turn-off to most people. I assure you, I'll try to keep all the characters with their normal personalities, just give this a chance. Now enough begging; I give you my work, Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own TNBC, just my OC's and plot line.
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Prologue: Dealing and meeting
The sun was beginning its journey down the sky as it cast shadows across the Hinterlands, baking the trees in an amber-gold light. There in the long abandoned and dreaded lands of mystery stood the seven doors of the holidays; each decorated in its own fashion, forming a semi-circle inside the woods. There were many different kinds; a burning firecracker, an emerald clover, a plump turkey, a pastel egg, a cerise heart, a decorated evergreen tree and, last but not least, an orange pumpkin with a scary grin carved into the front. These doors have been the gateways to new worlds and things that existed in your wildest dreams, and are wanted by many; to gain power and control over others. Always, there exists an opposing force to this tyranny; a pure hope that defends those innocent and return balance to the scales of fate. What does this have to do with anything? Well, perhaps it is best that we begin our tale, and in the end, may we find that answer.
Our story begins in Valentine Town; a place where emotions run as freely as the wind crosses the plains. A light, cheery place painted with reds, whites, pinks and golds, the eternal colors of happiness and adoration. In this town lived Valentine angels, winged humans with immense talent of casting spells and charms upon living beings with such simplicity a baby could do it. That is what Cupid is- was- an angel who created the idea of match-making, helping lost souls find their mates. He was the leader of Valentine Town, taking pride in his work. All loved him and females desired his gorgeous looks. However Cupid did not run the show alone, although he was the main control figure, there was another hiding behind the scenes.
They say that behind every great man, there is a great woman. In this case, this woman was the young Valentina Lucardia. She was a young, teenage fairy assigned the task of watching over the jailed spirit troublemakers in the holiday worlds. Now, it may seem strange to those reading that a prison be established in such a warm place as Valentine Town, and there is a reason for that. What better place to hide a bunch of vile, vengeful villains than the vexingly voluptuous village of love and peace? Exactly that, it's a crazy idea that no one would ever suspect; the perfect cover-up. Prisons in the holiday would were quite different than those we think of with iron bars, moats or police. Since most criminals were spirits, their souls would be contained in special jars, specifically created to hold powerful beings for long periods of time. These jars were no bigger than a small bird and made of magical metal created for withstanding epochs of harsh conditions. They were stored in a large labyrinth of corridors beneath the streets of the town; where the citizens are oblivious to the terrors that are imprisoned bellow their feet. Or even some may ponder why a fairy to guard the prison, isn't that sound so insignificant? Well see, in Valentine Town, some female children born are not created with the high level of talent of the Angels, which are mostly male, only when proving their development in control do they receive their angel wings. Consider it like a diploma after graduating from high school or college, along those lines.
Valentina has no connection to Cupid, whatsoever, not even by blood. She was a stranger living in his mansion, hidden away from the public eyes for the safety of all worlds. Not that she didn't blend in with the citizens of Valentine Town; oh contrary, her vibrant red was the perfect shade to make any man stare and her heavenly blue eyes rivaled the clearest, cloudless sky in summer.
Once a year, Valentina allowed herself one day of relaxation from the daily grind. While out in the town, taking in the beautiful scenery and sounds she rarely experiences annually; back in the prison a certain magenta jar begins to vibrate. Not a simple, low twitch but a loud trembling quake bouncing all over the shelf it was placed on. This motion became more and more violent, until the jar fell from the heights to the cold, cemented ground, shattering into a thousand pieces; rose-colored shards of metal skidding across the floor on all directions. A crimson, velvety mist unshelled by the dark pink prison began to cloud and swirl together, a figure arising within the dark destruction.
A sigh of relief echoed through the blackness, followed by a sultry laugh and squeal. These sounds came out of the devilish pink lips of a tall, well-developed figure of the now materialized spirit; her long, curling blonde hair shimmered in artificial night as smoky eyelids opened to reveal blood thirsting crimson eyes. Blinking and examining her surroundings, the nameless demon smirked and made her way toward another room, stacked with various books. Fingering her cerise-painted nails through the volumes she settled for a brown leather work, the words Del libro della lussuria embroidered in gold letters on the spine and front cover. Smiling a bewitching grin, she opened the book, flipping to a certain page before murmuring the contents of the page. She smirked horrendously as the mist swirled around her, vanishing into the dry, stale air around her; making her presence there questionable.
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Meanwhile, in the town where pumpkins scream in the dead of the night, the pumpkin sun began its daily task of crossing the sky, bathing it in a pale orange glow. The zombie-like crow cawed, welcoming the rays of light into the terrifying town. The light traveled everywhere, awakening the undead from their silent slumber. Some particularly daring rays passed throughout the drawn curtains of the master bedroom located within Skellington Manor, located in Halloween town. In this house, resided the sole aristocrat of the Halloween world; the legendary pumpkin king, Jack Skellington. He was the king of fright, the master of all Halloween. Women used to faint and drool in his presence, crave him for their own dastardly purposes. However, their hopes were shattered when on that fateful Christmas night twenty years ago, when Jack Skellington fell, skull-over-heels, in love with Dr. Finkelsteins rag-doll creation, the shy and devoted Sally. Their courtship was the talk of the town for several weeks, no one ever suspected Jack and Sally to end up like this, but love is a blind archer. After one year of courtship, Jack proposed to Sally and, of course, she said yes. The wedding was horrifyingly lovely, however dear readers that's another story.
Sally unconsciously winced as a small beam of light entered through the drawn curtains of her and Jack's-their-room. Her pale blue body began to respond, slowly exiting the land of sleep and coming back to reality. Her eyelids fluttered open, adjusting to the dark light in the room, and her body uncurled in a cat-like manner. She froze for a split-second as she felt something caress her waist, slowly relaxing as small kisses adorned the base of her neck. Sighing, the rag-doll shifted positions to turn and face the owner of sweet touches, her husband.
"Good morning." Sally whispered happily, almost afraid that if she raised her tone that of this all would be a dream; a wonderful, heart-touching nightmare. The skeleton man fluttered his eye sockets open to the ragdoll woman beside him, that skeleton grin growing upon his non-existent lips.
"Good morning, my beautiful bat." His compliment came with a chaste kiss upon her devil red lips. Sally closed her eyes, savoring Jack's kisses to their fullest. Even though they kiss often, too many times for either to count, she still felt sparks race through her limbs; just like their first time. "How was your sleep, darling?"
"Wonderful, as always," Sally curled her arms around Jack's waist, resting her head on his chest, well ribcage area, "But it's ways a pleasure to wake up and see you my love."
If skeletons could blush, Jack would be turning several shades of red by now. Even after 20 years he still felt the same passion he did that cold Christmas night. He was about to thank her with a kiss once more when a shriek echoed through the manor, followed the grumbling under the breath of the Pumpkin King.
"What, in God's name, would the mayor want at this hour?" His tone clearly annoyed, it seemed the mayor couldn't do anything without his advice. Halloween was still 311 days away; even the Mayor didn't begin this rude awakening till about 175 days before.
"You'd better answer the door, Jack." Sally suggested as she turned her legs over the sides of the bed. Jack sighed, almost pouting, like a child who had been told 'no' to its favorite toy. He crawling over and wrapping his long, bony appendages around her waist, nuzzling into Sally's soft, rustic red hair.
"Can't we just be quiet and hope he leaves?"
The ragdoll giggled, although she loved to stay in bed with her husband, today was a very special day and she needed to get up anyhow.
"If you don't," she sighed happily but wisely, "Then one of the children will, and we don't want a repeat of the last incident, do we?"
Jack grumbled once more, the memory resurfacing in his skull. It was a few years ago following the Halloween town celebration of Independence Day. The citizens had decided to celebrate by creating a firework display of epic proportions to be set off that night, at midnight to be correct. A newly formed band called The Sirens had volunteered to perform, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the concert. The display went off without a hitch and soon mostly everyone had headed home, excluding the vampire brothers or other nocturnal beasts living in the town, satisfied and undead tired. The following morning, Jack and Sally jumped awake to the sound of a scream, and not the spider sound attached to the doorbell. After flying down the main staircase in a fit of waving arms and concerned voices, they came across two figures standing on opposite sides of the door frame. On the outside was the mayor, his faced revolved to show a look on nervous anxiety in a shade of gray washed over his triangular head. The papers and usually long list had scattered along the wooden floors of the front porch, his hands clenched close to his body, shaking with fear. On the other side of the doorframe, with their back turned toward the royal couple, was a young girl around the age of 14. She was average height for a girl her age; towering over the short man, wearing a set of light purple pajamas and fuzzy, black, bat slippers.
"DESIREE, what in the name of Halloween is going on here?" Jack stepped forward, his hand reaching up to straighten the orange nightcap that was slowly sliding of his skull.
The girl tensed as she heard the familiar, masculine voice boom from behind her. She turned to face the king and queen, a shy smile spreading on her stitched lips.
"Uh… Hi daddy! What are you and mom doing up so early?" Her tiny hands clasp behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels, imitating the perfect image of innocence.
"I heard a strangely feminine scream come from down here. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Jack's long, bony appendages wrapped over his chest, a stern paternal glare showering down on the young girl, with Sally rubbing his shoulder's from behind, offering her silent support. The young Desiree fidgeted, her foot scuffing the wooden floor below her, refusing to meet her parent's gaze. The Mayor sort of stood there awkwardly at the entrance. He hated to be involved in family matters since he was a single man himself. A moment of intense silence passed through the scene when the girl, broke out in in a frenzy of apologies spilled from her mouth.
"I'M SORRY! IT'S JUST THAT I'M TRIED FROM THE PARTY LAST NIGHT! AND THE DOORBELL GOES OFF AND I FALL OUT OF BED AND I JUST LOST IT! I STORM DOWNSTAIRS, OPEN THE DOOR AND I SCREAM! IT'S JUST ANNOYING! I'M SORRY!" Her confession was emphasized by her waving arms and the faint tears moistening her eyes.
"I don't believe it is I whom you should be apologizing to." The king hinted once more.
Sighing, the ragdoll child turned to face the two faced politician, her dark, wide eyes refusing to move from the wooden floor. "I'm sorry for yelling at you Mr. Mayor."
"It's alright, Desiree no harm done, gave me quite a scare though… Jack what do you think of including Desiree in a more prominent part in the Halloween processional?" The stout man was now smiling, picking up the scattered papers from the porch. "She takes after you so well, you both must be horrified."
"Yes, Mayor we are." Sally said taking Desiree's hand and began leading her back up stairs. Meanwhile, a 16 year old teenage male skeleton dressed in a tight black T-shirt and sweatpants of a dark gray; came sleep-walking down the stairwell, rubbing his eyes sockets.
"What happened, I thought I heard screeching." The boy yawned, obviously semi-conscious of the events around him.
"It's nothing, Jasper, go back to sleep." Sally soothed him sweetly.
"You don't have to tell me twice." He humored and began trudged back up the staircase.
"Awww, is Jaspie tired from his wittle evening out with Sabrina?" Desiree cooed mockingly as Jasper froze in mid-step halfway up the structure.
"You dare mock the Pumpkin prince?" His head shifted to show he acknowledged her words.
"No, I'm mocking Jasper Skellington, who is currently standing in the foyer in his PJs where all his fan-girls can see him." Desiree smirked and covered her mouth to snicker as they heard female whispers from the outside gate.
Jasper fully turned around, leaning one arm against the banister, smiling a sly skeleton grin, "Well, thank you captain obvious."
"Hey! You know I hate that name! I am not that slow!" She stomped her foot, a pout edging over her dark purple lips.
"Yeah, that's what Ka-mon-rah said last night too." He smirked, snapping his skeleton digits in a 'take-that' gesture. That had been the limit for Desiree, she tore her hand from her mother's and chased her older brother up the creaking staircase. "JASPER, YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Jasper laughed as he turned and ran away from his sister, obviously enjoying his sister's annoyed look.
"It's been one minute and you two are already at each other's throats!" Sally sighed, slightly upset at the two's childish behavior.
"I'm terribly sorry about Mayor, I'll be at the town hall in a half an hour and we can discuss the new processional there." Jack apologized once more. The mayor then left the manor, heading toward the Town Hall to make preparations for their special holiday.
Jack got up, stretching his frame up and hearing several bones crack into place. "Yes, I suppose, I should." Sally arose, placing the red, wool bathrobe over her knee-length blue nightgown, and exited the room, partially to allow Jack to dress in private, also to wake up the rest of the Skellingtons.
Sally walked down the main hallway, leading to the bedroom of her first born, her son Jasper Nightshade Skellington. Yes, nightshade as in that nightshade; the deadly nightshade that got her into so much trouble. Why name a child after that, well he was so quiet, silent as the latest night in the cemetery and for a moment the skeletal bundle in her weak arms seemed to fit the name, silent and peaceful sleep what Deadly Nightshade is supposed to be used for. A calming sedative used to help the worried/sick person sleep. Anyway, the mother quietly knocked on the gray door leading to the skeleton's private chambers.
"Jasper? Are you awake?" To her surprise there was no response. That was strange; she could have sworn he was in his room last night. Then again, she shouldn't be this off guard; Jasper had a habit of journeying into the night alone, most times through the graveyard. It was almost eerie how much he and Jack were alike. The two skeletons took the coined phrase "like father, like son" to a new level.
Sally deduced that if Jasper wasn't in his room, he would show up soon enough, the boy could handle himself. She would have gone in and investigated his absence further, but Jasper had kindly asked both his parents to stay clear of his room for privacy's sake; the last thing she wanted to do was to betray her son's trust. Trying to fight her overbearing instincts, the ragdoll continued down the hall to a dark purple door. After knocking ever so lightly on the gateway, she creeped over to the violet and black bedspread that covered it's sleeping creature. Sally smiled warmly as she sank into the fluff of the comforter, earning a small moan from the head of the bed.
"Wake up, my pumpkin princess." Sally kissed a purple stitch on the pale white forehead of her daughter's head as another female moan leaked out from the black and silver spider web quilt.
"Good morning, mother." Wide, feminine eyes with dark pupils blinked away the remaining sleep. She ran her tiny hands through her midnight yarn hair, the stitches on her mouth curling upward in a big one of a kind smile. This little ragdoll was the second child of the Skellington family, Desiree Juliet Skellington. A pale, ghostly white ragdoll with stitches all over her body, most of the time held together with violet stitches. She had earned the nickname "Halloween Town sweetheart" at an early age when it seemed all the citizens loved her sweet and innocent aura. Then there was her scaring; although she appeared as innocent as a newborn, she had the scream of a banshee. Once when was little, she was sitting by the town fountain; playing with the vampire teddy bear (from the Christmas incident) the Vampire brothers gave her for her 5th birthday, when Underwater Gal came up for air and managed to frighten the child. Desiree let out a wail so powerful the whole fountain shook and nearly fell to pieces, attracting everyone's attention. After several apologies the fish woman gave to Jack as he tried to soothe the crying girl, the child sniffled and whimpered an "I sowwy for bweakin da fountan."
"Good morning, Desiree." Sally smiled once more as the girl stretched. Fully awake, Desiree blinked and hugged her mother full-force, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
"Oh gosh, today's the day isn't it? I'm 16… I'M SIXTEEN!" She squealed, jumping up and pirouetted in a circle, before calming down.
Sally giggled at the teenager's enthusiasm, "Let's not forget your coronation, darling."
"Oh how could I, mom?" She seemed to flutter to her spot beside the blue ragdoll on the bed. It was the tradition in the royal bloodline for each member of the Skellington family to be crowned on their sixteenth birthday; a debutant into adulthood, the ultimate sweet sixteen. The only exception was those related by marriage, Sally was crowned Queen of all Halloween when she and Jack said 'I do'. The eldest child was to inherit the throne, but this did not stop the other children from being crowned, they still had royal blood and were still considered royalty. The young woman hugged her mom again, and Sally gladly hugged back, today was a big day for the whole family. Desiree pulled away to speak when the old grandmother clock on the wall rang out the 8 o'clock hour.
"Oh snap, I'm going to be late for work!" She rushed into closet and grab clothes to throw on.
"I thought the witches gave you the day off?" Sally slightly frowned at losing the tender bonding moment with her child. Even though she was a princess, Desiree preferred to be socially active instead of being cooped up in the house all day. Since she wasn't to take over the throne she had to find some other way to live and got a job working at the Witches Shop, run by Helgamine and Zeldaborne. She enjoyed her time there, plus it gave her more moral values and became an outlet for the citizens' idea and complaints.
"Helgamine said I could work a half day, besides if I do nothing I'm bound to get into trouble." Wasn't that the truth, Sally shook her head ever so lightly. Desiree reappeared, wearing a purple, off the shoulders, long sleeved top, black skirt and black flats decorated with little purple hearts. She reaches over and grabs a large black tote bag, embroidered with her name in purple and green vines. "I may stop around and check to see if all of the RSVPs are in order."
"Be careful." Sally rose to her feet, quickly making the bed and looked over her shoulder.
"Always."
The speedy girl flew down the hallway, nearly hitting her father as she ran down the stairs. "Hi, daddy! Bye, daddy!" This little push sent the skeleton into a tornado spin, finally slowing to a stop as he grasped the side of his skull, waiting for the world around him to stop moving as well.
"Good morning, Desiree." He leaned over the banister to see Desiree run into a teenage skeleton, the intruder who had accidentally caused the shrieking doorbell to go off. His bones were whiter than a sheet with deep, expressive eye sockets a color somewhere between gray and black. He wore a formal black suit with a black shirt underneath, a cat-whisker bow tie and black dress shoes. He wasn't as tall as his father, but the resemblance was undeniable.
"Sorry Jasper," the ragdoll teen helped her brother off the foyer floor, "but I'm gonna be late."
"You're always late," He scoffed, brushing some acquired dust off this jacket arm, "Jeez, Dez, you'll probably be late to your own wedding!"
"Well I see you're in a good mood…" She mumbled, rolling her eyes as they caught the attention of the hall clock, now reading 8:10, "I don't have time for this!" She darted off again toward the door, pit stopping in the kitchen to grab a crab apple. Jasper sighed and looked down, catching sight off a small device left to sit on the floor. With a quick movement he picked it up and called out again, "Sis!"
"Yeah?" She responded, swallowing another hasty bite of the souring fruit.
"You might want this!" He held up the small device shaped in the form of a human skull. Desiree's eyes lit up at as she recognized the object motioning for him to throw it to her. With a gentle toss, the object flew across the foyer landing in her waiting palms, "Thanks Jasper, wouldn't go anywhere without my skull-phone."
"You're welcome." He called back brush more dirt off his pants, "Say 'hi' to Sabrina for me." The last part was as sincere as the boy could get. If Jasper had been famous for one thing besides his bloodline, it was his crush. The skeleton had met a strong and bold, guitar-playing girl named Sabrina Web when he was 10 years old and had fallen skull over heel for the unique female, who currently worked part time at the Witches Shop with his sister.
Desiree giggled, "Oh course, you have anything from her 'secret admirer'?" That was another thing, he must have inherited his mother's shyness because no matter how much he willed himself he couldn't confess his true feelings for her, so he took a traditional route of slipping her letters and small gifts labeled with the anonymous 'secret lover' card.
Jasper swore if skeletons could blush, he would have had a red skull a long time ago. He walked over to his sister, who was now half way out the door and gave her a small box wrapped in black wrapping paper, topped with a silver bow. "Remember-"
"I know, don't say anything, and no hints." Her voice had raised a pitch higher to mock his instructions, but she took it and hid it in her tote. He gave her a quick hug and gave her that famous skeleton smile, "Happy Birthday Dezzie."
"Thanks." She winked at him before setting off down the porch and out the gate.
Jasper sighed, rubbing his imaginary eye lids as he shook his head, he could hardly believe how much she had grown. It seemed only yesterday to his that she was a toddler of 5, and him the protective older brother of 7. That Halloween had passed without a hitch; Desiree was playing by the fountain as her parents talked with the rest of the citizens. They had took their eyes off her for one second to find her gone the next. A shriek emitted from the crowd as someone spotted the baby up on the roof of the Town Hall, highlighted from the large harvest moon, dangerously high off the ground! There was a moment of split panic in Sally as she watched in fear as the little girl followed a black spider, cooing happily. Jack was about to do something when Jasper dashed out of the crowd and over to the drain spout, but the boy had no intention of climbing it. If one looked close enough, the drain had a small shadow that lead right to the top of the roof. Focusing his energy, the skeleton dissolved into a black shadow, melting his essence into the shadow of the pipe, using it like a highway straight to the top. He rematerialized at the top, holding his arms out, calling to his sister to come happily. The little girl, blissfully innocent to the danger around her, turned and walked into his arms. The boy then repeated the process to come down, earning applause for his courageous act. These days Desiree had no problems with buildings anymore; it was some people the skeleton brother grew territorial of. Jasper sent a bone chilling glare to the teenage werewolf that happened to stare much too long at Desiree's passing for his liking. The dog shrunk under the weighted look and headed off in the opposite direction of the skipping female.
"There you are!" Jasper closed the door and turned to see his mother with a frown on her devil red lips. "Jasper, where have you been?"
"I fell asleep on Spiral hill last night, I'm terribly sorry to worry you." Jasper explained, walking up and kissing her pale blue cheek.
"It's alright. Just try not to let it happen again, ok? You had me frightened."
Jasper gave another skeleton grin, "Isn't that my job?"
Sally scoffed and smiled, heading into the kitchen with Jasper close in tow.
"Are you finished with the costumes for this evening mom?" The boy asked as he leaned against the counter.
"I have to add the finishing touches to Desiree's dress, but your suit is in your closet." Sally grabbed a glass and cranberry juice from the fridge.
"I'm sure they'll both be completely dazzling, my dear." A new voice entered the kitchen as Jack straightened his pin stripped jacket.
"Thank you, darling." Sally beamed and took a sip of her juice.
"That reminds me, I need to remind the Mayor to remove the Pumpkin Princess tiara from the vault in his house." Jack took a moment to straighten his bat bow-tie in the mirror perfectly placed on one of the kitchen walls. "That reminds me once more; he moved the meeting up to 8:30, due to the decoration proceedings. We'd better hurry if we want to be accounted for."
"Because, Halloween knows, he can't do anything by himself." Jasper groaned, ever since his 16th coronation he'd been learning under his father's shadow. That meant going to every meeting, every party, every social outing to learn the procedures of being Pumpkin King. "The Mayor does what he can." Sally spoke up, leaning against the fridge door.
"Yes, well, he needs a hobby. Or a cat. Or a girlfriend. Possibly all three." The boy joked, earning a chuckle from both parents.
"Let's not ask miracles now." Jack played along, "Can you grab my briefcase out in the hall?"
"Sure." As soon as the boy went out of sight, Sally blinked to find Jack wrapped around her, kissing her delicately. Giggling like a school child, she responded back, wrapping her arms on his broad shoulders. Jasper walked back in to announce their departure, when he caught his guardians in their romantic moment. Sighing, he looked back at the clock, "Hate to interrupt your private moment, but its 8:20."
Jack pulled away from Sally, breathless and clearly happy, "I shall see you soon, my love?"
"I'll stop by at eleven to help with the decorations." Smiling sweetly, she fixed his tie once more, before Jasper pulled the Skeleton man out the front door.
"Bye mom!"
"Good-bye." She waved as her two men left trot the town plaza, leaving her to work in peace.
Desiree strolled down the cobblestone streets of Halloween Town, humming a small tune under her breath. It was a rather breezy winter day; a chilling sensation filled the air as she sighed. She loved the cold, snow and frosty delights of winter. As she walked by several citizens greeted her and wished her a happy birthday or a congratulations and she would smile and thank them before continuing on her way. One particularly daring demon gave her a black rose, which she accepted happily. For a split second, she felt like a dumb, high school cheerleader from a plastic movie; however her emotions just flooded her being like a tidal wave. She walked past the Music band, dancing to the sweet jazz music that bellowed from the saxophone player, flipping a soul into the hat that lay on the ground.
"Happy birthday, Dezzie-girl." The sax player charmed, sending a deteriorated smile her way.
"Thanks, will you be attending the coronation tonight?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Fantastic, keep it playing fellas." Her cloth hands snapped to music as she bid them farewell, practically dancing toward the Witches Shop.
The shop was a relatively small facility, mostly open to allow many people to enter at once. There were two main counters, one for Helgamine, selling brew, crystal skulls and other magical talismans; another for Zeldaborne, selling herbs, cloths and in rare cases items from the other holiday worlds. Lately the two witches had developed a horrible case of river-fever; leaving Desiree and Sabrina to run the shop. The two took the job seriously, and actually manages to boost profits, filling them both with a sense of dignity and pride.
"Morning, Sabrina." She looked to find the woman nowhere in sight, a faint "Back room" muffled by the curtain hiding the storage area. The ragdoll smiled walking around Zeldaborne's counter, heading toward the back room.
Tying an orange apron around her waist was a tall, 17 year old girl with long, snow white hair with straight bangs, highlighting he hauntingly beautiful green eyes. This was the whispered Sabrina Anastasia Web. The creature before her appeared to look like an ordinary human, fitted with all the natural curves women were created with. However, she was a creature of Halloween Town, meaning she had some horrifying ability to terrify people. Sabrina was born with an extremely special gift of metamorphosis, the talent to transform her body and voice into anything she touched or thought of. This god-like trait made people question their neighbors and wonder who they were actually talking with. Isn't that horrific? For any person to be frightened of speaking to anyone, or anything, for fear of being fooled of their identity? This gift was a true step in the evolution of scaring! Sabrina was not only gossiped about due to her power, but her history. She was the only daughter of some considered the nearly the wealthiest monsters in Halloween Town, the Webs. Sadly, tragedy fell upon the parents before Sabrina got time to know them; they died of a nasty disease called Pandora's Pox, a sickness mainly caught by spiders that lingered around their cobwebbed home. They contracted the disease through spider bites and unfortunately did not survive. People rarely died in Halloween Town, but there were those few whose bodies became so frail that their spirits could not stay within cavities and joining the ghosts of the unknown. Sabrina was given to the only other eligible guardian, her wacky, aging aunt Abigail. Abigail happened to own most of the land currently serving as the Town cemetery, an area that covered most of the uninhabited land in the town. With Abigail now shut-in her home, it was rumored that Sabrina would inherit the large fortune left by her parents and the land of her aunt, which the young woman immediately denied. Sabrina wore a tight long sleeved cream and silver striped shirt with a round, modest neck line that flattered her pale skin, tight black skinny jeans and silver high heeled shoes.
"Look who's the birthday girl!" Sabrina greeted in a cheery and familiar tone as she finishes lacing her apron.
"Make that birthday princess." Desiree laughs as she removes her cloak, placing it on the rack by the fire.
"Oh, of course, how silly of me to mistake that." Shaking her head, Sabrina mocked playfully. She was interrupted by the ringing of the entrance bell, quickly excusing herself to go help the latest customer. Desiree looked once more before stealing off toward their personal lockers. Quickly flipping through the keys, the ragdoll unlocked Sabrina's locker to see she hadn't opened it yet, and reached in her bag to pull out the little present from her brother. Hearing the bell once more, she placed the gift, locked the door and unlocked her locker, acting as if nothing happened. Sabrina re-entered, moving toward her locker, motioning for the keys. Desiree sneakily peered over to see Sabrina's reaction as she opened the locker to see the little gift inside for her. Upon seeing the little black box, her emerald eyes lit up in surprise and confusion.
"Oh," a faint gasp admitted from her lips.
"What is it?" Desiree placed her bag in the locker and shut the door, leaning over inwardly curious about what Jasper got her.
Sabrina removed the metallic bow, taking an incoherent breath in as she opened the container. Inside the box was a stunning silver ring, embedded with blue and green precious stones. It sparkled in the dim light of the shop, placing the shapeshifter in awe.
"Wow-"
"That's so pretty, it matches your necklace." Desiree slyly pointed out the similarities between the small ring and the thin, silver, break-away chain around her neck. On the chain was a small pendant in the shape of an electric green guitar. This necklace was no ordinary piece of jewelry; it was the only piece of her parents she had. As a finial wish, her parents gave a magical present to their toddler of a girl; a guitar that contained perfect sound. It was a hope that Sabrina would use the gift to help others and bring joy not only to her but to those around her. When Sabrina touches the pendant and thinks of her parents, the guitar grows to life-size and has the ghost-like power to fly. Needless to say, it was treasured by the woman immensely.
"Yeah, that is a freaky coincidence." Sabrina slipped the ring on her
"Unless he's a stalker..." Desiree mentally smacked herself for suggesting such a thing, imagining Jasper face-palming his skull at her slip-up.
"Oh I highly doubt that," Sabrina waved the idea off like a dying housefly, "Anyone who knows me, knows about the necklace."
"Right." Desiree put on an orange apron and both girls walked out of the backroom, ironically just as the bell rang again. Entering the door was another girl around Desiree's age with long, golden curls and deep, sapphire eyes. This girl was the town prodigy witch, Belinda Dawn Shadow-spell. She was a shy, intelligent girl with a modest insecure nature. Belinda wearing a traditional dress, a magnificent blue color, with short sleeves and knee length skirt, small black, heelless boots. Also keeping in the spirit, she was riding a broomstick, a classic essential to any witch.
"Hey Belinda, what brings you here?" The ragdoll smiled at her best friend.
"Salutations," The young witch brought her stick to a stop, sliding off from her side saddle position. "just thought I'd say 'Happy Birthday'."
"Awww," Desiree ran to hug her girl BFF, "Thank you, Linda."
"It really nothing." she slipped over toward the jewelry case, eyeing a certain ring like a lion stalks it's pray. It was a simple gold band decorated with a deep, cerulean sapphire in the center. Desiree leaned against the counter, looking at her friend that radiated in a mix of amusement and sadness.
"How much have you saved?" She questioned, looking at the rung herself.
Belinda was leaning on the glass top with both arms folded, a sigh passed her lips, "I only have 300 souls..."
"I thought you had 900?" Sabrina entered the conversation, the scene looked so natural yet strange; the three girls around the ring talking about it
"Unfortunately, I had to get a new broomstick." She still gazed at the ring in desire, the same way she had for two years since the first time it entered the shop. Jewelry isn't extremely popular in Halloween town, and only the rich could afford it; not to say to say the citizens were poor. "That cost me some of my expenses, unfortunately."
Desiree felt her heart sink for the witch, she had oh so desperately wanted that ring, it was like her soul
"Unfortunately, I had to get a new broomstick." She still gazed at the ring in desire, the same way she had for two years since the first time it entered the shop. Jewelry isn't extremely popular in Halloween town, and only the rich could afford it; not to say to say the citizens were poor. "That cost me most of my saved expenses."
Desiree felt her heart sink for the witch. She had oh so desperately wanted that ring, it was like her soul. She had tried to help her reach her goal by lending her some money, but of course she refused. Understandable, yet it was hard to watch her struggle.
"Well, I'd best be going," the blonde stated after a fee moments of awkward silence, "Mr. Hyde wants me to open the bookstore earlier, since all Halloween will close for the coronation tonight." Hopping on her broomstick, she waved goodbye to her friends and smiled out the door.
"It's a shame she can't get that ring." Sabrina tutted as she sighed.
"Yeah, I could buy it for her as a gift, but she would know." Desiree pushed off the case and began to pace. Another noticeable trait that could relate the doll to her father was that whenever she felt troubled she would pace back and forth. "Someone has to buy the ring, that doesn't really work in the shop, and give it to her... but who?"
A ding of the bell interrupted her in mid pace. A boy around the age of 16 had walked into the shop; his body covered head to toe in bandages and tattoos. His eyes were a deep brown, partially hidden by black sunglasses. Wearing a light blue toga around his hips, it seemed obvious to what creature he was, a mummy. His name was Ka-mon-rah Nepurtati, Rah for short. The mummy was a cocky but loyal friend of the witch and princess, an ex-boyfriend to the dark-haired beauty. Yes at one point the ragdoll and gangster were very close; however both were not ready for a real relationship, it felt too awkward. So they split with the promise to remain friends, and so it was till this very day.
"Wassup, ladies?" The mummy strolled in, obvious swagger in his step.
"Oh, hey Rah." After seeing who it was, the doll began to pace again.
"Not excited it see me, princess?" His smile rained a million kilo-watts as he leaded his back against the glass jewelry case.
"No, not really." She rolled her eyes, partially annoyed the boy was doing his best to interrupt her train of thought.
The mummy scoffed, "Morning, 'Brina."
The white haired girl nodded in recognition, going to answer the phone that was screaming off the hook.
"What on your mind?" He asked, noticing her familiar pacing. "See the ring?" She motioned with her stitched digit to the glimmering band, protected under glass.
The teenager nodded, "Who can miss it, that's why I'm here."
"Huh?" She turned, curiosity ran through her mind.
"I'd like that ring please." A smile sprouted across his face, half-hidden by bandages.
Desiree's jaw dropped, where could Rah, get 1000 souls? His parents were relatively wealthy, and could afford it; it seemed unlikely that they would give that boy that much money.
"Did you rob a bank, cuz that's not far below you-" She scolded herself for letting her skeptic thoughts getting the best of her.
Ka-mon-rah blinked with a surprised look on his face, then chuckled. "No..." he then looked kind of uncomfortable, shifting position, "Uh, can you keep a secret."
Desiree leaned across the counter and Rah places his lips to her small ear, "I haven't gotten Belinda her birthday present, yet." It took every ounce of control she had not to laugh and scream for the ironic twist in coincidence. Covering her mouth to suppress her giggles, she motioned for Sabrina to come over.
"What tickled your funny bone, Dez?" Rah felt a tweak of embarrassment run through him, diverting his eyes to the corner of the room that suddenly seemed so interesting.
Snickering, Desiree said nothing but smiled followed by the older girl's re-entry into the loop. Sabrina brushed her gossamer hair over shoulder, and held out two boxes; in one was the sapphire ring and another was a larger, thinner box in what contained a necklace.
"Aw sweet, my medallion arrived!" The teenager said like a child as he tore the box open to look at the jewelry. It was a gold, circular medallion decorated with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and a large falcon standing in the sun. The large gold coin was hanging on a sky blue ribbon, designed to go around the neck. A very gaudy and flashy item, it seemed like something a pharaoh would wear. "This is awesome!"
Sabrina rolled her eyes with a small grin coming to her pale pink lips. Her green orbs looked toward the clock hanging on the far wall, the time reading 11:00. "My, is it 11 already?" Sabrina mumbled, stretching her arms over her head, "It's time to close."
Rah, a look of confusion then dawned to realization, "Oh yeah, Dizzy's getting crowned! Watch her ego go up s few bars."
Desiree laughed and lightly pushed Ka-mon-rah's shoulder, "Hardly, if anything you'll be cocky just by being there! Oh, and don't call me Dizzy..."
Sabrina came out of Tyne back room with Desiree' things in hand, passing it to her, "We'll be heading to the Town Hall, are you coming?"
"I need to check on one more guest before the party, please tell my mom that I'll be at the house when I return, getting ready." Taking the black bag from the shape-shifter, exchanging it for her orange apron, the young woman smiled and briskly left the shop, obviously in a hurry to get to whatever she was going.
Sabrina rolled her eyes and sighed before getting her things and shooing the mummy out the shop to lock the doors and extinguish the candles. Outside, Rah stood tapping his foot to the cobblestone, music blasting from the hidden earpiece tucked under wraps. He snapped his fingers, blissfully unaware of the figure hovering beside him. Turning around nonchalantly, he came face-to-face with an enticing pair of blue eyes, her blue eyes…
"Having a pleasant morning Ka-mon-rah?" Belinda softly greeted as her broomstick came to a short stop, making eye contact with her friend.
He unnoticeably jumped, hiding the bag containing his recent purchases, smiling widely. "Morning Belinda, how are you doing?"
"Pretty well, thank you, waiting for someone?" She dismounted her ride, letting it rest in her hands like the ordinary cleaning tool it was.
Sabrina emerged, a black, tight leather jacket placed to shelter her from the cold, and a large silver purse slung over her shoulder. The group then headed up the path toward the oldest building to exist in the realm of Halloween, the damp and dreary Town hall.
A/N: Ok so here's the bad news, this is isn't the first chapter. This is the first part of the prologue. I would submit it all together but it is taking much too long. So, after I receive five (5) reviews, I'll post part two of the prologue. I know it seems silly but this prologue will be a summarization of most the characters so I can focus on the actual story in the future to come. So please read, review, enjoy, hate just have fun; after all isn't what writing is about?
Catch you on the flip side
-Phoenix