Ariel walk though the maze.

She was lost for sure, there was a maze like this in her book as well.

She dreamed about it three years ago.

She closed her eyes to remember the ways she came from.

"Okay…am at the east side, so…"

She took a deep breath in.

"So then…the maze has spots where…"

She was heading in the right direction.

She ran down the path and found the first skeleton.

She grab it and saw Zero.

"Zero…what are you doing here?"

Zero grab the first skeleton and was heading back to the hanging tree.

"Zero…is Jack still there?"

Zero shake his head yes.

Zero return the skeleton to the hanging tree.

"She found one already."

Everyone start to whisper when Jack realize that he was still holding her journal.

He smile at the thought of her.

"Well Jack, since she found the first one and more then four felt to go."

Jack was ready to kill Oogie, but Ariel was on his mind.

The Maze was fill with twist and turns.

She could get lost easy then a normal maze.

Oogie went over to his henchmen.

"Alright, get that tree mad as ghost. That girl will know that thing's burke is worst then it's bite."

Ariel was able to find at last two more skeletons in the same spot.

This is easy for her, the first test was easier then the last two were.

She notice she was getting close to the tree.

It was moving for sure.

She stop when she saw the three kids again.

Were they following her.

She thought something was off when the laugh at her fall.

She found the next skeleton.

"Zero! Found another one!"

Zero came and took the skeleton from her.

"Jack still there right?"

Zero gave the same answer to her.

She really enjoy talking to the ghost dog.

This is the first she ever talk to a ghost.

"Am guessing the tree is last…"

She ran till she made it the center.

When she reach the center she saw nothing but bones.

Did people fall from the tree.

"Top one…"

She grab a branch that was close to her height. She begin to climb up.

"She at the center!"

Jack saw her.

He notice the tree was acting odd.

One of the brunches look like they were ready to attack her.

Jack called Zero over to him.

"Zero, did you do something to the tree?"

Zero didn't do anything, he barked at his master.

Jack saw Oogie's boys coming out the maze.

Oogie was trying to make Ariel fail the test.

Jack couldn't just stand around and do nothing.

Ariel's life was on the line.

Jack start to ran a little bit.

"Oh Jaaaack! You're not going to ruin her test now, are you?"

Oogie stop Jack in his tracks.

This was something Oogie was trying to do.

Ariel stood on the brunches.

It was like a sidewalk to her.

She was about to grab the next one.

It moved before she could grab it.

"Weird…"

Then the brunch started to move.

It was like the tree in those Harry Potter books she read once.

It nearly crushed her.

It throw another one at her.

She grab it till she was at high point.

She found one and let go, she nearly fall.

"Oh god…"

She hold on to the brunch tightly.

It tried to shake her off.

One hand slip, looking down, she was high then any normal tree.

Scared of letting go, she try bring her hand back to the brunch.

She hop on to the other one.

She grab the next and fall.

One brunch caught her from her crashing death.

"Oh my god!"

Ariel realize she was half way back down.

The skeleton was all the way up.

And she was no way near to her goal.

"Please, please, please!"

She slip on the brunch and hear the tree laugh.

Was it ticklish in way.

She rubber her hand against it, it was laughing.

Hard enough to drop the skeleton.

It give her an idea what to do.

She kept rubbing it till it cause it to fall off.

It was strange for a tree to have a tickle spot.

She saw the skeleton fall off.

She grab it and fall off the brunch.

She leaned on the next brunch and it clam down.

The maze was changing.

Jack said it would change when she was finish.

She climb down.

She walk down the new pathway.

She saw Jack again, still there as she hope.

She hanged the last skeleton on the hanging tree.

Jack came up to her.

"Amazing job Princess! First Test…Passed!"

Everyone return to town, Oogie walk up to Ariel and Jack.

"Well Jack, just two test left. Let see how she does on the next one."

Laughing at his words.

Jack return Ariel's journal.

"Thanks…"

"It nothing. I was amazed how you kept up with-"

Lost in his thoughts.

Jack smiled at her.

Looking at her more, she was beautiful, even beautiful then the true princess.

"Well…I should get you back home."

Agreeing on his words, she need to go home.

Her family is wondering where she was by now.

Jack open the door to her world.

It was the same as she left it yesterday.

"Jack…can I come tomorrow?"

"Why not. It would be perfect for you too on the second test."

It sounded like a good deal to her.

"Alright…"

Heading home, Ariel's heart was jumping uncontrollable.

The first test was like a sign from god to her.

The people and Jack treated her like an idol.

Jack was her friend so far.

She wanted to draw in her journal, but didn't want to.

"Ariel!"

"Will!"

Will hugged her.

Ariel thought she died on her.

"Where have you been, your mom was freaking out. I-"

"Will, am fine, I was…"

She can't tell her about Jack and Halloween Town.

Not like she was going to believe her.

"…Help someone move in town."

"Really…?"

"Yeah, he let me stay over as thanks."

She was hoping she was buying this.

She was going back tomorrow, but how can skip out of the school again.

Today was lucky.

She need to lay down for the day, after that tree attack.

She need a bit of rest.

"Well…I'll let it go. For now. Is this boy cute?"

"Will…you wouldn't like him."

It was a bit rude talking about Jack like that to her friend.

It was to cover about going to Halloween Town.

Ariel took a bath, feeling the warm water help clam her down.

It was like heaven to her.

Her mother made her favorite stuff for dinner tonight.

She ask her mother if there was a letter from her father yet.

Nothing yet.

She wanted to tell him about Jack Skeleton.

He was amazing, talent and scary though out the world.

Looking at her birthmark, she cover it with hand.

She wanted to show Jack, she was worried what will Oogie will do if he saw it.

"Ariel, are you done in there?"

"Sorry mom."

She came downstairs to the table and saw her favorites.

She like different foods all over world, she like one dish from each one.

She like all of them with some pumpkin spice for some odd reason.

She laid down on her bed with her stomach filled.

It wasn't like Jack's bed.

But for now, she need to find a sneaky way to leave school.

She wonder what Jack was doing at this moment.

She look at a picture a few years ago.

It was her and her father.

"Hey dad. I nearly had life and death fall today. I meet this guy name Jack Skeleton. He a nice guy…so far. He calls himself the Pumpkin King. I think he in love with this princess still, he think I'm her. Am starting to believe he needs me in his town more then this place did."

Ariel smiled at it.

She missed her father a lot.

She wished he never left for war.

Jack inside of his tower, thoughts about Ariel.

The next test was fighting the lord of death.

After the maze, he didn't want her to fight the lord of death.

With Oogie around, he would get the chance to have his excision here and now.

"Oogie is up to something. What is it?"

He thought carefully.

He knew he wanted to be King of Halloween town no matter what.

Ariel was in his way for the time being.

"He must be after Ariel?"

Jack need to find a way to keep him away from her.

"Lock! Shock! Barrel! Get Over Here!!"

Oogie called the names of his henchman.

They were his trustful followers.

"She still passed. How is that?"

"We don't know, she should have been killed by now."

The one called Lock in a devil costume said.

"We had the tree wild up."

The one who was called Shock in a witch costume told him.

"She somehow passed?!"

The one who was called Barrel in the skeleton costume said.

"Well, I'll let this go. For now. But the next test will be…more of a game."

This chapter is long, I really work on it till my hands drop. I had fun writing she bad boy out! Well, I hope you like this chapter^^

Nightmare before Christmas (C) Tim Burton

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