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I am sooooooooo sorry about the hiatus guys...I've been really busy lately and haven't had time to work on fics. Forgive me.
Thanks to: Toki, IamtheIinteam, NightmareBeforeChristmasFreak, and Musically for the reviews. (glares at people who didn't review) maybe SOMEBODY could follow their example.
"I know just how Cedric and Vannesa can get out of this!" Jake pronounced proudly.
"Thats wonderful Jake! How?" Suzy asked.
"Its so simple, I can't believe I didn't think of this before..." Jack mumbled, ignoring Suzy.
"Thats great, how?" Suzy asked again.
"Really, just stupid of me..."
"Jake, would you kindly tell me this fantastic plan?!" Suzy said, irritated. Jake blinked, realizing he had been ignoring her.
"Oh, sorry Suzy...you see, Cedric is going to die."
Suzy gasped. "You're going to kill Cedric?!" she said, stunned.
"Shhh!" Jake shushed her in their living room. "And NO! I am not going to kill Cedric. Cedric's going to have an accident..."
Suzy scooted away from Jake, nervous. "Jake, are...are you okay?"
Jake shook his skull furiously. "NO! Listen. We're going to fake Cedric and Vannesa's death."
Suzy cocked her head. "How will that work?"
"We'll set it up in front of the town...it'll be risky, but I'm sure we could pull it off..." Jake's mind began plotting possible deaths for Cedric.
"No, I mean, how would it help?" Suzy asked, confused.
Jake snapped back to reality. "Well, if he's dead, then he could live with Vannesa in the Hinterlands. You don't have to follow the laws out there, if you're far enough away from the town. Nobody would go looking for them. Its perfect!" Jake exclaimed, grinning.
"Its perfect Sally!" Jack exclaimed, pacing and grinning at her at the same time.
Sally frowned. "Its a good plan Jack, but..."
Jack stopped pacing and looked cross. "But what?"
"If Cedric turns into a human, we'll never be able to see him either."
Jack slumped. "You're right...and I spent all that time thinking of it..." Jack sat beside her on their bed.
Sally went behind him and relaxed some of his aching vertebrae. "It was a good plan Jack." she said.
Jack sighed. "I thought if Cedric was turned into a human, it'd be alright. I guess I didn't think about us seeing him..."
Sally bit her lip. "You know Jack, perhaps that plan would work...I mean, we could get a potion from the witch shop, Ceddie drink it, and he would be changed into a human...then he could live in the Human World with Vannesa."
"We'd never be able to see him again Sally, don't you want to know what happens to him?"
Sally bit her lip again. "Well, he is almost sixteen, the legal age here...and, well...I think its his life Jack. We can't control him, as much as I wish we could."
Jack frowned deeply. "I don't know Sally...Cedric could get eaten alive out there! The Human World is dangerous, trust me. They're a destructive race."
"Open your sockets Jack, he's getting eaten alive here! He's miserable! How can we keep him from happiness?" Sally retorted.
Jack blinked in surprise. Sally, usually so soft-spoken and shy, had raised her voice. "I see..." he said.
"Do you Jack?" Sally asked. "I'm so...sick of being in the middle of you and Cedric's clashes..." her voice was cracking. "You say he's not talented Jack. He is talented. He draws, did you know that? He draws so well...and he tries Jack, he really tries to be scary."
Jack felt all the hope fluttering inside his ribcage crash like a stone.
"I know he tries Sally..." he said.
"Then why isn't that enough?" Sally asked, near tears. "As if the kids at school tormenting him aren't enough...he just wants you to accept him Jack."
Jack gulped for air. "How...how do you know all this Sally?"
"Have you ever seen his drawings? Or the way he keeps his thoughts quiet? Down to the way he walks, he's always alert. On the look out. Have you ever seen those bruises from the bullies? Or the ripped up school papers in the wastebacket? Have you ever thought maybe something wasn't right? Ceddie was so happy before he went to school, when he was little. Before he cared what people said...how does a happy little kid turn suicidal? Magic, is that what you thought Jack?" Sally was near a breakdown.
Jack rocked her in his arms, running his skeletal fingers through her flaming hair. "Shhhh...I'm so sorry...so sorry..." he kept repeating until she fell asleep in his arms.
Cedric was so filled with rage after that flashback, that his grip began to tighten. Vannesa noticed, as he was holding her.
"Cedric?" she asked. He shook his head. "I can't stand this place any longer...lets leave." he said, getting up, fire in his sockets.
Vannesa looked confused. "What? We can't leave...we have nowhere to go."
Cedric pounded a fist into the wall. "This is all so fucked up..." he growled. "We gotta get outta here before the town finds out about you..."
Vannesa frowned. "Why? What difference will it make?"
"They'll burn you at the stake or something! There are still quite a few monsters here who still bear a grudge againest humans..."
"Cedric, I am not about to run off with no food, money, or plan. Thats just plain moronic." Vannesa said, crossing her arms.
Cedric took a deep breath, calming himself. "You're right...I just lost my temper..." he sighed. "How about I show you to our guest room? You can sleep here for the night..." Cedric said, lighting a candle.
Vannesa followed him through a labyrith of corridors, ending at the door to a bedroom.
"My rooms right next door if you need anything." Cedric said, opening the door. "I hope it'll be okay..."
The room was more than okay. The impossibly long bed, built for a Skellington, was covered with rich, wine-colored satin covers. The windows were shaded by long, drapes, and the view looked over the Town Square, the streetlights brightening the cobble stones in the street. It was a rather spacious room, and had a high ceiling, which, Vannesa figured, must be on account of the average Skellington's absurd height.
"Wow...its great Ceddie." she said. He feebly smiled, then set down the candle on a side table. "I'll see you in the morning." he said. "Goodnight." He turned towards the door.
Right as he was about to leave, he turned back towards her. "Oh, watch out for the monster under the bed. He can give you a start sometimes."
Vannesa looked warily towards the bed. "Great."
Cedric shrugged it off. "He's harmless. Goodnight Vannesa."
She smiled as well as she could at the time. "Goodnight Cedric." she said.
He closed the door behind him.
His room was across the hall, so he lit another candle for light in his room. What a hassle it was with limited electricty. Only the living room, the tower, and the kitchen had it.
Cedric threw off his trenchcoat and shoes, making a thud in the corner. Then he wadded up his shirt, throwing it on the ground. He yawned. It had been a long, stressful day. He was dead tired, pardon the pun.
Groaning, he more or less felt his way to his desk, and plopped in the chair. A loophole, there had to be a loophole...
Flipping through books until one a.m., when he finally fell asleep, skull dozing on mountains of literature.
Vannesa, however, couldn't sleep a wink. She was frightened.
Now, that was absurd. This was the same girl who had spent nights in alleys, switchblade in hand for emergencies, with no fear. But this was one scary house. The wind whistled through a smal crack in the window. The floorboards creaked. The foundation groaned. Screams wafted in the air. The lit candle in the corner cast long shadows, looking to Vannesa like monsters ready to burn her at the stake.
She gulped, then shut her eyes. 'This is ridiculous, pull yourself together.' she told herself. But still the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
She wondered about Cedric. He did say if she needed anything, he was right across the hall...
Gathering up her guts, she darted across the hall into Cedric's room.
She almost laughed at how Cedric looked. Slumped on his desk, skull resting on mountains of law books. He looked peaceful, almost.
She gently nudged his shoulder. He didn't stir.
She tried again. "Ceddie?" she whispered in his ear hole.
He opened his sockets. "Huh? Vannesa?" he asked, dazed and confused. "Why are you in my room?"
Vannesa blushed a little. "Umm...Cedric, I couldn't sleep...could I, maybe, sleep in here?"
Cedric looked confused, but nodded. "Sure...let me clear off my bed..." he tosed several books, drawings, and clothes of the top of the bed, and smoothed the top. "Here you go." he said, giving her a feeble smile.
Vannesa smiled back at him, grateful he had not made fun of her. "Thanks Cedric..." she said, climbing into the bed, suddenly feeling very much tired.
Cedric really wasn't all there to begin with, so he nodded and sat in his desk chair. He was puzzled by her odd expression...could that be fear?
"You alright?" he asked. Vannesa nodded quickly, but the expression was the same. Cedric frowned. "Are you scared Vannesa?"
She bit her lip. "Of course I'm not Cedric Skellington! What's there to be frightened of?" she said, turning on her side from him. Cedric chuckled a little. She was lying.
Oh well, he was tired. He rested his skull on the pile of books again, and soon was dozing off.
Vannesa's mind, however, was decidely more troubled. While Cedric slept, she was panicing.
It had been almost two weeks after when her period was supposed to start...
a/n: first person who reviews what Vannesa's worried about gets...I dunno...knowledge? Knowledge is power you know, so...you get power! C'mon guys, this is an easy one...
((Hey, did you see that coming?))