Chapter IV
"Face to Face"
I woke up thinking about her. "Kate…" I whispered. I wondered if she was okay. It's not every day you meet a skeleton from a totally different world. I tiptoed down the cobweb infested stairs and I could hear my parents still sleeping (Dad snores loud…really loud…). Zero didn't even wake up as I snuck past him. I was almost home free to Spiral Hill when I felt something pull my leg.
"Where ya going?" a little voice asked me.
I looked down and saw three kids, Wing Demon, Corpse Kid, and Mummy Boy, all of their second generation.
"Not now, guys," I told them. "I have to go visit a…friend of mine."
"Can we come?" Corpse Kid asked.
"No!" I snapped at them. "Just don't tell my Mom and Dad."
"Okay!" They all ran off to go play dodgehead.
I walked to the forest so no one would suspect that I was in a hurry and once I was a good distance into the mysterious wooded area, I ran. I soon spied the Pumpkin Door ahead of me. I dashed toward it and pulled it open with all my might. I jumped through it and ran past the Tree Circle, ignoring the mesmerizing patterns. I came upon the mountain of soil and before I opened the coffin door, I made sure my mouth was shut. I sprinted across the sump and jumped the barbed fence with ease. I ran to the house and I scurried up the side where Kate's room was. Everything was so confusing in the human world; their sky was a pretty blue color instead of a blackish-yellow and their sun didn't even have the face of a jack-o-lantern.
I peaked inside her window and Kate sat on her bed with a book; she was writing something in it and then she suddenly put it down and I ducked below the windowsill so she wouldn't spot me.
She sighed. "Nature calls…" she yawned.
I winced. I heard her step out of the room and close the door behind her. I slipped inside and overturned the book to see what she was writing. It could've been about last night. I just wanted to see what she thought of me. I looked at the book and couldn't have been more surprised.
It was a picture of me from her point of view. It was of when I first looked into her beautiful blue eyes. She drew it all from memory…
"Wow…" I whispered. "It's beautiful…" It looked exactly like me.
"Do you like it?" I heard Kate's voice say right behind me.
I turned around and she just got back into the room and she was shutting the door.
"I was wondering when you'd come back."
I didn't know what to say. "Uh…"
"You were there last night. I was at the party…and than nothing. And then you were in my room. Who are you?"
"Dimitri…" I managed to choke out.
"'Dimitri' who?"
I gulped. "Dimitri Skellington."
She gave me a look.
I had to give up the ghost—no pun intended. "I'm sorry," I pleaded. "Please forgive me; I came to this world and heard that conversation with your mother and I followed you to that club…you got drunk and I brought you back here." I looked up at her. "I understand if you want to call the police…I shouldn't have meddled…"
"Wait," she closed her eyes and held her head. "Another world?"
I grinned sheepishly to show all my candy corn shaped teeth. "Sorry. I come from Halloweentown."
She was baffled. I'm not sure if she noticed I was dead.
She gasped. "I know who you are…"
"Huh?" I had never met her before—ever.
"Even though I was only one, I'd never forgotten this; a skeleton that looked just like you came into my house dressed as Santa Claus and left horrible things in my house…but later Santa took it all away."
"That wasn't me;" I assured her. Then I tried to change the subject. "This drawing is amazing!"
"Thank you," she said blushing. "After you left, I couldn't stop thinking about whom you were and where you came from…"
I told her my whole story, but I don't think she believed me. The only thing I didn't tell her was that I was heir to being the Pumpkin King. She probably wouldn't know what I meant.
"I want to be your friend." I told her embarrassedly after the story. I didn't know how else to tell her.
"Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief.
"I want to be your friend." I repeated. "You seem like an amazing girl and I just want to get to know you better."
She raised her eyebrow.
"Nonono!" I said quickly, not wanting her to take it the wrong way. "My father dislikes humans." I lied. "And I want to prove to him that there's nothing wrong with you."
She nodded.
"And what better way to show him that he's wrong then by befriending one?"
"You're lying." Kate said with a grin.
"I'm s—"
"I'll be your friend."
I perked up. "Really! That's great!" I tried not to seem too happy. "I mean…cool! Thanks."
She shook my hand. "Meet me in the sump tomorrow."
I grinned. "I'll be there."
