Chapter 20: All Hallow's Eve Part 2

I'll admit it, I was freaking thrilled. I might have had absolutely zero experience with boys (unless one counted Jack, but I'd never considered him anything more than a close friend), but Chip was hot. I know it sounds stupid, but what thirteen-year-old girl hasn't had a crush? Besides, this was Halloween we were talking about. Not only was I going to go outside, but it was going to be on my favorite holiday! And I was even meeting new people! After only having Pitch for company for so long, it felt like my birthday, Christmas, and Easter all rolled into one day. It was enough to send me in ecstacy.

Once I got over my initial excited state, though, I remembered a problem I hadn't fully pondered over yet.

Pitch.

"No. Absolutely not." Pitch didn't even look up from 'Dracula' as he answered.

"What?" Lucy's jaw dropped. She hadn't been naive enough to think that her mentor would immediately agree, but she hadn't expected him to flat-out turn her down, either. At least not without hearing what she had to say first.

"Lucy, running off with perfect strangers is not only childish but dangerous." Pitch turned the page of his novel, "For all you know, he could be a drug addict or a rapist."

Lucy blinked, then smiled softly. Even though he pretended to be tough and uncaring, Pitch really did concern himself for her well-being. The realization melted her annoyance towards her mentor. She reached out and placed a hand on his arm, "Pitch, I have Nightmare Sand now. If anything happens, I can send that guy flying into the next state."

Now, Pitch did look up. Lucy pulled away, flinching at the coldness in his gold eyes. "Have I taught you nothing? Nightmare sand is to be used against immortals only. The only time you may use it against a mortal is to give them nightmares."

Lucy's eyes widened. She'd forgotten about that detail, but now that Pitch was mentioning it, she recalled reading something about that. She blushed and played with the hem of her shirt, "I-I'm sorry, sir. I forgot. But-"

"No 'buts'." In one smooth motion, Pitch rose from his bed and towered over his apprentice. He didn't look like the almost paternal figure to her at the moment. He looked the way children saw him: a cold, dark monster. His eyes bore into hers, "Have you forgotten the reason you are here? I need someone to carry on my work, and you fit the bill." His voice rose with every word, "But how can you continue my legacy if you use Nightmare Sand against humans? You'll put us all in jeapordy!"

"I'm not talking about fighting anyone!" Lucy yelled in response, catching Pitch by surprise, "I just want to spend one night with kids of my own age! Is that so unreasonable?!"

"Yes it is!" Pitch shouted, "What's wrong with the Halloweens we've spent together, may I ask?"
"Nothing!" Lucy answered hotly, "I love spending Halloween with you; you know that! But this could be my last chance!"

"To do what?" Pitch laughed coldly, "To walk straight into a trap?" He waved at the door, "Well then go!"

His shouts echoed through the Realm, anger filling the air like smog. Lucy stared at him with wide eyes, her brow furrowed. As his wave of rage began to fade, Pitch felt his apprentice's emotions the same way a human feels a draft. And just like a draft, these emotions were just as unwelcomed.

Disappointment. Frustration. Shock. Anger.

And hurt. Lots of it.

Lucy bolted out of the room, her head lowered. Pitch heard a door slam shut a few minutes later. He sighed and crashed on his bed, his head in his hands. Why did that stupid boy have to talk to his little light? Everything had been going so nicely. Halloween was the highlight of the year for Pitch; that and Lucy's birthday, when he'd taken the liberty of taking her to places she'd dreamed of going to. They should have been making jack-o-lanterns and discussing the origins of Halloween, not refusing to talk to each other.

Lucy...why did this matter to her so much? She didn't even know this boy. Who cared if he asked her to attend his little shindig? To that boy, she was meaningless; just another girl he'd find in the street.
To Pitch, on the other hand...Lucy was the only one who knew what was hiding under the black cloak and toothy grin. She didn't just treat him like a mentor; the way she treated him was sort of like...the way a child would treat a father. Was that why he was acting like a stern father?

Pitch shook his head to clear it of such nonsensical ideas. What was happening to him? Sure, Lucy's welfare was important to him, but why wouldn't it be? She was barely in her teens yet; as such, he had to act as her caretaker as well. Besides, he might have been the King of Nightmares, but he wasn't heartless enough to ignore a child's basic needs. Especially if that child had chosen to come here with him.

He sighed again. "What am I going to do?"

'You're afraid, aren't you?' A voice whispered in the Boogeyman's ear, 'You're afraid that, if you let her go, she will choose to remain with humans.'

Pitch scowled and glared at the milky beams streaming in from his window. Dammit. He'd been so absorbed in his novel, he'd completely lost track of time. That blasted MiM was back to lecture him once again.

"Of course not." He growled, "You must be going senile, Tsar."

'And yet, you will not let her leave the Realm.'

"Because it's a dangerous world out there."

'Or,' Tsar countered, 'You're afraid of losing your family again.'

"Be silent!" Pitch rose again, ripping his black curtains aside. He glared at the moon with a hateful look plastered on his face, "Don't meddle in other people's lives, you fool!"

A soft breeze, almost as though the moon were sighing, 'Very well. But think about it: if you truly care for Lucy, won't you trust her in coming back to you?'

Those were the last words Tsar Lunar uttered. Pitch blinked, then growled and shoved the curtains back into place, shutting out every beam of light. He leaned against the wall, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

What was he going to do? While he never would have admitted it, not even with a gun to his temple, Pitch did care. More than he should have. Lucy was the closest thing to a family he'd had in centuries. He didn't want to risk losing her.

After a moment's hesitation, he closed his eyes and reached out to Lucy. Or rather, he felt the Realm for her presence.

Since he'd grown used to her ubiety (and she was the only other person in the Realm), it was fairly easy for him to find her. She was locked in her room just a few halls away, and the emotions oozing from her were detectable even from here. He simply read her sentiments as one would read a book.

Lucy was frustrated and angry at Pitch for being so illogical and overprotective, but at the same time, she felt guilty for feeling this way. She was afraid she'd hurt his feelings and ruined Halloween for the both of them.

Pitch sighed and rubbed his forehead. Human emotion. The single most complicated thing in the universe. It was even more complex for him, one who'd spent centuries in total isolation.
He really had made a mess, hadn't he?

Well, then it looked like he had to fix it. He couldn't just leave things the way they were. The longer he waited, the worse the problem would become. In all his years, this was something he'd learned far too well.

The only question was...how?

A faint neighing echoed through the Realm.

Pitch smiled.

Lucy sighed as she sat on the windowpane, kicking her legs in the air. Right now, she was looking at the Red Sea, but even as she watched tourists effortlessly float in the water, her problems kept rearing their ugly heads.

Why had she made such a big deal out of it? She didn't even know Chip, or the town she'd happened to meet him in. It had all been a complete coincedence. She should've just brushed it off and moved on.

But why hadn't she?

The answer was simple, but that didn't make it pleasant.

Lucy knew what she'd gotten herself into. Being the bringer of nightmares wasn't likely to win her many friends. Since she had time before that happened to her, she just wanted to enjoy socialization while she could. Stupid as it might have sounded, she wanted to know how it felt to be normal again - even if for just a few hours.

But was this little desire worth upsetting Pitch? No, it wasn't. He'd saved her. He'd taken her under his wing, taught her so much, and was ready to pass his job onto her when the time came. And how did she repay him? By whining about a party. How childish.

Lucy rubbed her face with her hands and got ready to reenter her room.

As she swung one thin leg back into the room, her door opened on its own. Pitch walked in, but when he saw her, his eyes widened. "Lucy-"

She cracked a smile, "Relax, Pitch." She slid back into the room with eel-like ease, "I'm not gonna jump."

Pitch's mouth twitched, but he refused to smile. "Anyway, I have considered this...issue for a while now, and while I disagree with you attending a party with strangers-"
"Pitch, I'm really sorry." Lucy cut him off, "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry."

Pitch gave her a look, "Are you going to let me finish or not?"

Lucy blushed, "Right. Sorry, go on."

Pitch picked up where he left off, "While I disagree, I still think that you should have a little fun."

Lucy's eyes widened. Was he...?

"Which is why..."

Really...?

"I grant you permission to go." Pitch finished, sounding like the words had a bitter flavor. Lucy, however, exploded. Pitch found himself covering his ears as his apprentice trapped him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Pitch smirked and peeled her off him, keeping his hands on her shoulders, "Before you celebrate, I must inform you that there's a catch."

Lucy's smile vanished. "What do I have to do?"

"Well..." Pitch glanced at her doorway with a knowing smile on his thin face. Almost fearfully, Lucy followed his eyes.

A Night Mare stood there, ready to ride.

Lucy paled. She took several steps backwards as her breathing doubled. Her blood roared in her ears. Her fear slammed into Pitch like a cement wall.
"Oh, no!" She snapped, "I am not gonna-"

"No ride, no party." Pitch countered, using a tone that indicated that it was her loss, not his. "If you finally get over this absurd fear of yours and ride with Nyx once, I promise you that you will be permitted to go."

Lucy sighed in exasperation and cradled her head in her hands. What other choice did she have? She wanted to attend that festivity, but the idea of going near a horse made her knees turn to Jell-O. Never mind riding one! And a Night Mare, no less!

But Pitch was looking at her with that expression. It was the type of expression he gave her when he quizzed her on Black Sand or asked her to read to him in Latin. It was a look that encouraged her to perform well, and Lucy didn't want to disappoint him.
Besides, she was going to own these Night Mares someday. Might as well get over it now that Pitch was around to help her, rather than wait to deal with it on her own, right?

Finally, she asked, "When do we start?"

Lucy was gripping Nyx's mane so tightly, the nightmare stallion was shifting with discomfort. Pitch rolled his eyes, an amused smirk on his face, "Are you going to ride her or rip her mane out?"
Lucy whined, "Don't mock me. I'm scared out of my mind."
"Yes, I know." Pitch answered calmly.
Lucy took a moment to glare at her mentor before he began to speak. He straightened his back and said, "Keep a good grip on her mane; not too loose, but not too tight, either. Loosen it up a little. Yes, that's the way."

Lucy relaxed her grip a little. Pitch nodded approvingly before continuing, "You don't need to tell her where to go. Merely think it." He tapped his forehead for emphasis, "And when you want to stop, imagine landing. She will handle the rest. Understand?"

Lucy swallowed hard and nodded nervously. The instructions were easy, sure, but carrying them out would be another story.

Pitch nodded, "Now, then. You go first." He slapped Lucy's Night Mare; the horse neighed and edged closer to the edge of the stones. Lucy panicked, "W-w-wait! I can't do this!"
Pitch grinned, thoroughly enjoying himself now, "Of course you can."

"No, I can't! Really!"

"It's not the fall that frightens you." Pitch cooed reassuringly. Lucy, however, was beyond advocacy. "The hell it's not!" She snapped.

"You're just afraid you won't be able to control Nyx on time," Pitch explained, trying not to smile as he did, "and you will turn up at that party as an omelette."

"No, I'm just scared I won't control her on time!" Lucy retorted. Pitch smirked again before turning to his apprentice's horse, "Nyx, forward."

"No! No! GAAAAAAAH!" Lucy's screams boomed through the Realm as her horse leapt from the cliff, sending them both tumbling down.

Pitch watched them go with an amused grin, "I haven't had this much fun in ages." With that, he kicked his horse sharply in the ribs, "Yaah!"

His horse, Kuro, dipped into the darkness below. Pitch relished in the cold air tousling his hair and whistling in his ears. Before too long, he caught sight of Lucy and Nyx. The stallion looked calm, like everything was under control.
Lucy, on the other hand, was clutching the horse's neck like a life preserver. All the color had drained from her face, and her eyes threatened to pop out of her skull.

Pitch grinned like a fox, "Enjoying yourself, dear?"

"I hate you with all my heart!" Lucy yelled back. Pitch, however, took no offence to it as he hollered, "We've reached the red zone. Tell her to go up." Without waiting for Lucy to complain, he and Kuro glided into the air.

Lucy watched her mentor go miserably. Great, just perfect! She was going to be killed in this strange place on a horse!

Nyx, sensing the danger, whinnied and jerked from side to side. The sudden movements made Lucy yelp and almost lose balance. She had to clutch onto Nyx's mane to keep from falling off. When Nyx had a particularly violent spasm, Lucy lost it.
"JUST FLY STRAIGHT ALREADY!" She yelled.

To her amazement, Nyx followed her orders. Before Lucy could blink, the Night Mare flew out of the pit and higher into the air. Catching her breath, the girl tucked her russet hair behind her ears. She was...she was doing it! She was flying! After two years and a half of avoiding the ranch like the plague, she was finally flying.

"Yeah...yeah, good!" She patted Nyx's neck, "Now, go to the left!"

Nyx obeyed, glissading through the air like a seagull. Lucy's eyes were wide, but with excitement this time. She stared at the view with a dropped jaw. This was beyond breathtaking. The late afternoon sun painted the rocks a strong gold color, and the iron bird cages swung softly in the breeze. The Realm looked so much more...mystical from way up here. Maybe that was why Pitch loved flying so much?

"Not so terrible, now was it?"

Lucy grinned and turned in the direction of the voice. Pitch was smiling at her like a proud father, and that completely razed the negative emotions she'd had earlier.

After an hour and three quarters of flying, Lucy felt she was about to collapse. Which she did, in fact; Pitch had to carry her back to her room. Lucy didn't know what to feel happier about: the fact that she'd finally defeated her fear, or that Pitch wasn't agree with her anymore.

"Well done, my dear." Pitch cooed as he placed her on the bed, "I am quite proud of you."
"You are?" Lucy asked hopefully.
"Yes." Pitch nodded, looking at her with warm gold eyes. He pushed a lock out of her eyes before straightening up. "Rest now. You've earned it."

As he turned to leave, though, he felt a small hand grab his wrist, "W-wait."

He turned back to Lucy in surprise, "Is something wrong?"

"No, but..." Lucy chewed on her lip as she continued, "I wanna tell you why I was afraid of horses. If you wanna know."

Pitch blinked in surprise and fully turned so that he was facing her. He did want to know, but he'd never asked out of respect. He didn't see why she had to tell him something so personal, especially since she'd already been upset today.

He knelt down, "Lucy, you do not have to tell me if-"

"I'm sure." Lucy nodded, "You helped me; seems only fair, right?"

Pitch was silent for a minute. Then, he sighed and sat down next to her, silently allowing her to begin the tale.

For a few minutes, though, Lucy didn't speak. She just played with her hair or dress, a pensive look clouding her eyes. Pitch was about to get up and leave when she began, "Back when I was four, my mom had a love for horseback riding. She'd go to a ranch every single Sunday, and Dad and I had to wait for her until five thirty. It took her an extra hour just to clean them up and everything."

Pitch blinked, saying nothing.

"But one day, there was a fire." Lucy spoke intimately, like she'd never spoken of this before, "I don't know how it happened. Dad smoked; maybe he didn't put one out well. Or maybe one of the other riders just got careless. I don't know. All I know was that the whole ranch was on fire." She shivered, "The horses were still inside, and since we'd been the first to arrive, no one was around to help them."

"What did you do?" Pitch asked softly.

"Dad called the fire fighters," Lucy continued, "And Mom just started crying. I don't know, I...I couldn't see her like that. I couldn't see her so upset. So I...ran towards the burning ranch."

Pitch's eyebrows shot up.

"I managed to open the door for one of them, but my hands got burned. But that was nothing compared to what happened next." Lucy squeezed her eyes shut at the memory, "The horse was terrified. All of them were. So once it realized the door was open, it burst out. I remember being so scared, seeing this huge animal tower over me..." She waved her hand, indicating that she was skipping some details, "Long story short, that horse hurt me pretty bad. I had three broken ribs. Considering how big it was - and how big I was - it's a miracle I wasn't killed." Lucy shivered despite the warm air, "I've avoided horses ever since."

Pitch nodded, "I am...sorry. Maybe I did wrong in forcing you to confront your fears."

"I would've had to face them anyway, right?" Lucy asked with a weak smile, "If I gotta be here alone one day, I have to know how to handle the Night Mares."

"True." Pitch took a deep breath and stood up, "Now, come on. Get some sleep."

"Okay." Lucy yawned as Pitch tucked her in, pulling the black satin blanket over her. "You were very brave, you know." He whispered, "See you tomorrow evening."

"G'night, Dad."

Pitch froze in the act of walking to the door. For a minute, he wondered if he'd imagined it. Slowly, he turned back to the child. She was already asleep, a serene smile on her heart-shaped face.
Gradually, a soft smile found its way on Pitch's face. He felt...different, somehow. Less bitter and lonely. It was different...but in a good way.

He bent down and planted a gentle kiss on the top Lucy's head, "Goodnight, sweetheart."
With that, he melted into the shadows, leaving his newly-adopted daughter to sleep.