Note: Awww yeah. Chapter two! Whoo! I'm sooo cold right now... -puts on another sweater- It's like 80 degrees in my house and I'm still cold.

Anyway! I don't own NMBC, only my character Annabelle. You'll see soon why I named her Annabelle... y'know... if the title didn't already give it away.

"Wouldn't you like to see something strange?"

Chapter Two

"Annie, how was your day at school?" An innocent question from Father, it seemed, right? Annabelle burst into tears and jumped into her father's thin lap, burying her little stitched head in his bony chest. "Oh, honey, what happened?"

"They said mean things, Daddy. They called me Raggedy Anne and made me sad." Annabelle continued to cry.

"Well that wasn't very nice of them. Don't they know who you are?"

"Uh-huh and that makes them meaner. They say I'm freaky and they push me and Marco pushed me in the lake and miss fish lady person had to get me out because the water made me all heavy and I couldn't swim and I was drowning and they were all laughing at me and it made me cry and they started laughing at me more!" Annabelle sobbed out in one long run-on sentence.

"No! That's not right at all!" Jack stood and held his daughter against his hip protectively.

"What's not right?" Sally asked, walking into the room.

"The children at Annie's school are the most heartless little monsters I've ever heard of!"

"What happened?" Sally asked, tilting her head.

"Mommy, they were mean! They pushed me in the lake and I went all blub-blub-blub and the fish lady pushed me back on the land part and squeezed me like a spongy until all the water came out!"

"What? Why would they do that?" Sally asked.

"I dunno, Mommy, but they made me cry and they were laughing."

Jack snorted angrily. "We're going down to the school. This can't go on."

"NO! They'll laugh at me and call me names again! I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go!" Annabelle struggled against her father's thin but powerful grip until she dropped to the floor, still shrieking "I don't wanna go!" over and over.

With a lightning-quick motion, a muffled thump of bone on dead flesh, and a whispered "I'm sorry," Annabelle was out cold in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Or so it seemed.

"Jack! That was cruel! She's only a little girl, you could have really hurt her!"

"Sally, it was the lesser of two evils. It was either do that, or have a screaming five year old shrieking at us over and over for hours on end. She'll be fine, I promise."

"It was still far too inhumane. Promise me you'll never do it again..."

"Sally..."

"Promise me, Jack!"

"I promise. I'll never lay a hand on our daughter ever again." Jack felt guilty. He felt guilty for hurting his precious little girl. He felt guilty for not trying to help her more. And he felt guilty about upsetting Sally, the one he loved. Jack left the house, heading towards the little red schoolhouse where Annabelle took her classes.

About an hour later, he was still pleading with the principal to do something.

"I'm sorry, sir Skellington , but the incident happened after school hours and off of school grounds. It's not our responsibility..."

"It damn well will be your responsibility! Those little monsters nearly drowned my daughter and if you don't do something about it--"

"Jack, please. Calm down."

"No! They refuse to help us! Our daughter almost died, Sally."

"Well, sir Skellington, I am sorry, but the school's code clearly states we take no responsibility once the final bell has rung."

"Then I'll get other authorities involved! I will not stand for this!" Jack stormed out of the office, knocking over his chair in the process.

Once he had left, Sally sighed. "I'm very sorry about him. When it comes to Annabelle, he gets very protective."

"I understand. I have two little ones of my own. I would gladly give up my life for them." The principal replied, fixing his glasses on his face.

"You know, before we got here, he had to knock Annabelle out with the back of his hand to keep her quiet. I wish she could grow up like a normal child."

"Well, I can't say that will be possible. It might be that the other children are jealous of her status. She is the daughter of the Pumpkin King after all."

"I know, but I wish she wouldn't come home crying every day."

"Ma'am, I believe I can bend the rules a little. I'll make sure those children who are doing such horrible things to her are brought to justice."

"Thank you very much, sir, and believe me when I say I can not thank you enough for your time."

End of Chapter Two

Next chapter takes place on Annabelle's 10th birthday.