Chapter 10:

August 31, 61 days until Halloween

Oogie had never felt so much pride in himself. To think, he'd finally managed to crawl away in a new skin where no one suspected a thing. He couldn't wipe the evil smirk off his new face. That nosy, little rag doll-that he had to masquerade as his mother for the time being-had sobbed right into his shirt. He'd willingly went home with her, met by none other than the Pumpkin King himself. The bone man had hugged him, and Oogie had found the sensation very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Jack rambled on how worried they were, how glad they were to see him again, blah blah blah...

There was only a handful of days to go by; Halloween was quickly approaching. Though Oogie Boogie thought himself very clever and dastardly, he admitted to himself that this couldn't be done alone. He marched outside, spotting the three brats instantly.

"Lock! Shock! Barrel!"

They froze in their places, a lit stock of dynamite held aloft in Lock's hand as he was trying to drop it into the Witches' Cauldron. Barrel dropped his box of explosives a beat after he'd heard the voice-his voice! He'd made a few tweeks by cleverly capturing the Prince's voice with that horrid song-and hung his mouth open. Oogie marched over, his new, longer legs giving him a quick stride. He snatched the dynamite from Lock's hand, throwing it absentmindedly over his shoulder.

"B-Bram?" Barrel stuttered.

Oogie rolled a die between his fingers, a new attachment that he'd come to love. "Bram isn't here right now, boys. He had to deal with something that was bugging him." A cockroach scattered its way out of one of the rag doll's seams and disappeared between the folds of his arm and wrist.

"OOGIE BOOGIE!"

He swiftly grabbed two heads and banged all three together, hard enough at least to make them see bats. He then snatched all three by the backs of their collars and dragged them into the cemetery. They choked and gagged before cowering before him. Good. He wanted them to fear him.

"Oogie Boogie?" Barrel asked.

"It's really you! In...Bram," Lock noted.

"It's so...beautiful!" Shock awed.

Oogie snapped her a disgusted look, clearly very confused. But the sly smile returned within seconds, turning into a chuckle.

"Don't you see, twits? With that bag of leaves out of the way, and me in this body, I'll be the object of the holiday. Once I dispose of that Skellington and Dollface, and I'm ruling this town, I'll have the entire town of Halloween in the palm of my...hand. I'm still getting used to these things. And, you'll have all the privilege of wreaking as much havoc as the place can stand, until all the Holidays are brought down and belong to me."

The three imps beamed at each other, anticipating the thought of wreaking havoc. Oogie chuckled. "Yes, I knew you'd love it. So, we go ourselves a deal?"

The auditorium was empty, and Bram was finished with that day's rehearsal. As silly as it may seem, he actually took a very quick liking to the small children, sitting patiently and talking to him. He made sure to take care of one little girl in particular-Noelle-who was in a tiny wheelchair. She looked as if she would snap in two if he dared to pick her up, and could quite possibly. But he vowed never to do so.

The children raced to the seats to retrieve their belongings, and Bram went to carry Noelle down the stage steps. Happy, little things. They weren't as rambunctious as the children of Halloween town. More well-behaved and relaxed. He finally set Noelle down on the floor and she raced to catch up with the other children. He smiled to himself.

"That was a very beautiful rehearsal."

He flinched, noticing the blonde-haired beauty seated front row. His new heart beat rapidly, his skin becoming wet. She rose from her seat.

"The children seem to really love you."

"Really?" he asked. "Well, that's a relief."

She eyed him curiously, making Bram's gaze drop down to his shoes. She flew past him, making her way to the piano. She ran her fingers over the keys.

"I never really thought much of the music that came from other places," she admitted. "The ones you play are so beautiful."

Bram took his place on the bench beside her. "Thank you, though I'm still getting used to the feel of a piano."

She raised her eyebrows. "What? You play as if you'd been since the day you were born, and you're getting used to it?" She laughed.

Bram's stomach-Oh wow! A stomach!-sank, not sure whether this was teasing or insulting. He decided to try teasing, since her face fell into a look of concern. "Oh! Well, at first, I played xylophone. My mother saw how great I was at it, and tried me for organ. At my church!" he quickly added. "I grew up to be very talented at it, and I began wandering. I don't exactly know how I wound up here." That last bit wasn't a complete lie. And, Holly seemed convinced. She set her hand on his.

"Well, I'm very glad you did."

He smiled sheepishly, his cheeks burning. She stood, patting his shoulder. "Keep up the good work."

Once the door had safely closed behind her, he stood up as started shouting with joy. Holly was actually liking him! But, how long would this go on? He'd have to tell her sometime, and he probably had some bones to pick back in Halloween Town. He wondered what the boogeyman had done to change Halloween Town, and how would it affect him. He sighed, not knowing what to do.

"No, no, no!" Ben stopped the choir about two weeks later. "All wrong! Sopranos, do not use that throat voice so much. It needs to come out of here." He pinched the top of his head, raising it as if he were pulling a string. "Like a marionette, straight back with the control coming from the head. Altos, you were a bit flat on that last measure. Tenors, Baritones, Basses, I need more energy from you! You're the driving harmony that keeps everyone grounded. I need that force!" He played the starting note again. "From the top!"

Holly spied from the curtain of the stage. This young man was brilliant! Confident and kind, very good with children. She had seen such a change in town since his arrival. People talk, and the talk of him was the most brought up subject. Her triplet sisters had been giggling and gawking over him, thinking him handsome. This wasn't false, of course, but Holly found him rather endearing, familiar even. He was tall, lanky, and large eyes that swelled with emotion. She had seen those eyes before, violet.

Holly lost track of how many times she sneaked off work to spy into choir rehearsal just to see Mr. Kin, er, Ben. It must have been many, because the Triplets were waiting for her by the door, giggling. She glanced over at them, one hand on the door.

"What?"

"You're here to see Mr. Kin again. Aren't you, Holly?" Winter chirped.

"We know you like him," December added.

"You're in love with him!" Crystal emphasized the word 'love'.

"What?" Holly blushed, ticking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Why on earth would you say that?"

"You're blushing!" they sang.

Holly groaned and pushed her way in. Yes, she was enamored, but it wasn't love, was it? She had never fallen in love before, and, well, maybe someday she would. But she had anticipated it to be NOW! She stopped at the stage, her mind boggling. The children were spilling down the stairs, grabbing their coats and scarves. Ben shut the lid to the piano, packing away the sheet music.

"Holly?"

She slid down to sit on the floor, confused. Why was it that every time he spoke, she heard Bram? She missed him, cursing herself for acting so cruelly. If she could only talk to him for one minute, to say she was sorry, to say she wanted to see him again...

A hand rested on her shoulder, and she looked into Ben's eyes. Violet. Strange, yet beautiful violet. She realized hers were filling with tears.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She wiped her cheek, nodding. "I just...I was just thinking of a friend."

He raised an eyebrow. "A friend?"

She nodded, wondering if she could trust him to keep his secret. Unless, there was something he was keeping secret himself.

"He was a...strange character. He came from a far away place just like you did. But, under different circumstances. He'd ran away from home."

He blinked, which Holly found rather strange. Why react like that? No gasp, nor widened eyes. Only a blink. She continued.

"I helped him. I tended to his injuries, brought him food, even offered to stay. I really felt a close connection with him. But, I found out that he..." She stopped herself, not sure whether to continue or not. He squeezed her shoulder lightly, prompting her to move forward. "He was the Pumpkin Prince from Halloween Town! He ran away to avoid his fate. The Queen had stopped by, and...I suppose he ran. I never saw him again afterwards."

Tears ran down her cheeks, and she buried herself into Ben's chest. She felt his heartbeat, heard his lungs breath in and out. She was surprised at how brittle it sounded, as if dry leaves were scratching the sides of his body. He held her gently and helped her to her feet.

"Would you like to come to first dress rehearsal?" he asked. "It's next week. I would love for you to see."

She nodded, smiling. His eyes shone a lavender color with joy. She suddenly remembered: Bram's eyes were violet. Could Ben and Bram be the same person? She had no evidence, but it seemed clear as day. He looked vastly different, but his chest was hard, almost lumpy. His eyes were very purple. Their voices were exactly the same. She was almost surely convinced. She wrapped her arms around him, and he returned the gesture, and he whispered into her ear:

"I'll see you then, Turtle Dove."