Yes, you may be wondering what am I doing with this story after all this time, but.. I decided to finish it! I re-read it all and decided that my first ever TNBC story shouldn't be left so blatantly incomplete. So, here it is.. chapter 7!
(No, not the disclaimers again! ..Oh, fine. I don't own anything but my OCs.)
~Chapter 7~
Things in here were getting weirder every minute. First, I found out Katie had some kind of 'ghost powers' which she got when she arrived here, then I realized I was in Halloween Town of all places; and finally, that every monster here (except Jack and Sally) freaked out if they saw a human, which was why we were doing this now.
Jack had to call a town meeting—for the second time this day, he informed me—to announce my arrival to the rest of the town. I was not only uncomfortable with this (since I hated being the center of attention, unlike Katie), but I was also feeling a little guilty at the looks some monsters were giving me, mostly of tiredness and annoyance, the latter which I attributed to me being a friend of Katie. They had every reason to suspect I would be just like her.
Of course, I hadn't understood this until Jack and some of them relayed me how she had been spending today, and the reason she would be getting some sort of punishment tonight. I would have to talk to her, again, about that.
I heard Jack declaring something about a break for the town so the 'new citizens' (meaning me and Katie) could 'accommodate' to the style of life in here. Or, as Jack had later translated to me, to prevent one of Katie's pranks to interfere or even ruin the Halloween preparations.
Some of what Jack had last said had stuck with me and left me thinking as we made our way back to Jack's manor. 'Citizens?' He had called us citizens..of the town, as if suddenly appearing in it made you an active member of it. I had no idea why this was or if it was this way, but I figured asking Jack would clear it out.
"Jack..is it true that...you're expecting me and Katie to stay here? As in..forever?"
Strangely, this seemed a funny matter to him, as he chuckled after I said it.
"Why is it funny?" I asked defensively, frowning. I was serious with it; hadn't he noticed?
"Oh, no, it's not funny," he said with a smile, "It's just that Katie asked the same thing..and after I announced it to the town, too."
"Oh." was my coherent reply. "Then is it?" I pressed on.
"Well... When she arrived, I hadn't planned it. I just.. I don't know, saw in her something that belonged here..and assumed she would want to stay here because if it. Had I not felt this, I would have told the townspeople that she would be staying for a few days until she could go back to where she came from. Guess there's no going back about that now." He shrugged, looking conflicted. Apparently, there was much more to this than I had initially thought of.
"And..what about me?" I finally asked, after a brief silence.
He sighed uncomfortably. This was not looking good for me.
"But.. I only said it now because, since you're Katie's friend, I figured you would want to stay with her.. I don't mean to offend you, but..I don't think a human will fit in well in Halloween Town... As it is, you're free to leave whenever you want, if you don't like it here," he whispered at last.
Bowing my head, I contemplated the situation. I sadly reflected that if I were Katie, I too would want to stay in this town. She just loved it, I knew it. It would definitely be an upgrade from her previous lifestyle.
'What about me, though?' Was I willing to let go of everything I'd ever known to stay with my dear friend? Well, I didn't know that now, but I did know one thing... Without her by my side, life wouldn't be worth living. Happily, at least.
In that instant, I made my decision. I would be staying here with Katie, no matter how things would turn out for me. This was about her. I would watch over her, keep her out of trouble, and make sure she was happy. Because if she was happy, I was happy too.
Absentmindedly, I lifted my head to look ahead, only to notice we were getting close to our destination. It was getting dark, and I was getting rather tired of walking so much (being a kid, distances get so much greater, I noticed).
After going up the steep stairs, I ringed the doorbell while Jack closed the gates, and as soon as the door opened I was met with the most beautiful sight ever seen (in my opinion). Katie had opened the door and was just standing there, with that pretty little smile...
I just smiled back at her, just glad I could be with her again. For some odd reason, she hugged me after I entered, giggling in a way so content that it gave me the urge to laugh with her. She pulled me in excitedly, chatting non-stop about what she had been doing with Sally while we were gone. I listened patiently, knowing she wasn't going to stop any time soon.
I chatted to Danny about how delicious Sally's meal had been, despite it being Halloween Town-type of food. Even though, I was so hungry that I ate it all. While I talked to him, I led him to the living room where we sat in the big couch and continued talking for a while.
I hadn't noticed how much time went by, but it was because talking to Danny had been such a welcome distraction. It was when I began to rub my eyes tiredly and Danny yawned that I noticed we were both sleepy, and that didn't happen until late at night when I was at home. I remember when we used to stay awake all night long during one of our many sleepovers. But now, could it be so late that my body was already demanding sleep?
"Jack..." I called him weakly. I felt I could fall asleep any second now. "What time-" I yawned, "Wut time'z it?"
He looked at me funny, then smiled fondly. "It's the time when kids go to sleep," he answered in a warm voice, and got up from where he was sitting to standing right in front of me. I saw his intentions and wordlessly lifted up my arms, and he chuckled softly as he lifted me up and carried me in his arms.
No sooner than when I was settled in his arms did I found myself falling asleep. I kept fighting it, though, my eyes getting drawn back to Danny. I heard someone mutter his name, not realizing it was me.
"Sally, dear, can you get Danny?" I heard Jack say, though faintly. Then there was some shuffling and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a small room, laying in a bed and already tucked in. I smiled as Sally lay Danny down beside me and finished tucking us in. Shuffling closer, I slipped one arms over Danny and felt him doing the same, hugging him as though he was some kind of teddy bear.
I smiled contently as I let sleep claim me at last, although not before hearing Jack mumble something as he left the room.
"I always wanted to have children someday..."
I hope that wasn't too terrible.. I just couldn't help myself with the last part! ^^" As I said before, she sort of looks up to Jack as a father figure..and then that just kind of happened. I hoped you liked Danny's point of view; he's kind of like Sally and the real me, so it's easy to write for him. :)
Oh, and over the next few days, I will be editing the earlier chapters a little, so I might be a little busy with that to update another story.. Sorry! I just need to find some inspiration and remaking this story might help... ^^"
As always, please review! :D
