Chapter II: Myths and Legends

Sam

I slipped off my backpack and fell onto the soft bed. "I am so glad to be...," there was a knock at the door. My mom said that she had wonderful news for me. "You're finally let me go on that Edgar Allan Poe sightseeing tour?" She opens the door with a frilly pink dress.

"You are going to your first debutante ball tonight. Colonel Smith is hosting his annual gala night and you're finally old enough to enter." As much as I would love to go to some Civil War cosplayer's party I had plans with Danny's family tonight. "But this has been on the calendar for months. I had your dress planned out and everything."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," I tell her pointing to the door. She glared at me said the colonel will be upset. "I am sure colonel whatever can make some chicken to make himself feel better. Now if you excuse me I would like to get some rest before it's time."

I go over to my closet and take a black and silver dress out. It had a spider web pattern and a bat wing shawl. "Perfect," I said dusting it off. Looking at the dress a new thought entered my mind- what if this is finally the night.

Ever since the traumatic summer vacation with Freakshow. I have been looking at him in a new way. More than a friend. A knot formed in my stomach. What I would say to him? What if he doesn't feel that way about mine. "I need to get my mind back in order." I put on Sopor Aeternus' Hades Pluton and placed my dress on the bed. The song relaxed my nerves. I smile at the silver pentagram belt buckle on it. "Danny had got that for me for my birthday." I smiled thinking back to how my parents went pale when I showed it to them.

I laid back on the bed and looked up at the black curtains around it. Those thoughts were still buzzing in mind and now my stomach. "It's just a normal dinner with Danny and his family." That was all nothing special...nothing...to...worry...about.

Mayor

"Welcome home sir," my butler monster said as I walked inside my room. "I trust you meeting with Jack went well?" I shook my head. He didn't believe me that the Ghost King was coming back. "It was a far fetched idea to begin with. A stolen book does not equal the return of the tyrant."

Hearing someone else say it cheered me up, "did you find my book?" I ask switching to my happy face. The butler shakes head and says they've searched every dark corner of this place and still no sign of it. "Oh," I switch back to my sad face. He says that the ghosts brought over the plans for the seance. "Put them on the table," I tell him sitting down in my study chair.

"The chef has made your favorite tonight, Black Widow surprise. Just like your mummy used to make," the thought of a meal eased my fears and asked if it's served with scorpion wine.

"Yes sir, the finest vintage," he says as I race into the kitchen.

"Mmmm," I pick up a knife and fork when one my servant monsters came in the room. They say the found a clue as to who took my book. "Really," he says there was water found at the source. I switched to my sad face. It was even worse than the king coming back. "He's coming back," I leap out of the chair and race to my car. The chef asks about dinner. "This is an emergency I need to warn Jack."

"But Monsieur le maire..."

Jack Fenton

"I don't know why I need to wear this getup," I said trying get comfortable in this suit. Maddie says this is important to Danny and we agreed no ghost hunting tonight. "I still say it's a stupid rule. What if...," Jazz walks in and says there will be no ghosts tonight. We are going to have dinner like a normal family. "But ghosts are normal for us." she asks if I have anything in my pockets. "No you said," she raises an eyebrow, "fine," I take out the Ghost Grabber and portable Fenton Foamer.

"This is a classy restaurant, it took Danny two months to get a reservation," I ask her why he wanted to go to this place when the diner is not far and...,"He's trying to impress Sam. He's already stressed out and the last thing he needs is you going on about ghosts." Well if that's important to him I guess we can do this. "Thank you dad," she kisses my cheek and walks out of the room.

"If you don't mention ghosts tonight, I'll make your favorite meal tomorrow." Maddie says in a sing song voice. I ask her if she means... "Yes, chocolate covered ham with marshmallow sauce," I tell her she has a deal. "You know you look like a secret agent in that suit," she says smiling. I ask her if it's true "yes and a secret agent knows he can't blow his cover."

"Don't worry, you're in the company of Agent Double 0 ghost." I tell her trying to sound like Sean Connery. She laughs and says this mission is the most important yet. "Don't worry, Double 0 ghost can handle it," I put my arm around her waist and pull her close. "Now, now we wouldn't want to gross out Danny," she says as I laugh and kiss her.

Barrel

"Why are we here again?" I asked Lock as we walked through the desecrated cemetery. He says we're for answers to our riddle. "You mean the one about one being alive and...," he covers my mouth as we approach a shattered grave. There was no writing on it save an inverted pentagram. "Who's buried here?" I ask as he forces me to my knees.

"Open your hand!" he says as ask taking out a black knife from his pocket. I ask him why he needs my hand. "For this," he forces my hand open and runs the blade over my palm. He smiles as my blood drips on the ground. "Here me oh damned soul! I conjure thee from the Inferno and demand you appear before us now!" the ground began to move as a pair of skeleton hands emerged.

"Who dares disturb my damnation?" A rotting corpse wearing black and red tattered robes crawls out. Lock says we need his help in deciphering a text. "What text?" he hands the necromancer a piece of paper. "It says one who walks between life and death is needed to perform the rite."

"We already...," my brother shoves a fist full of dirt in my mouth and apologizes my insolence. The corpse tells us that there is a being known only as the halfa. "Half a what," I try to ask spitting out the dirt.

"He is...," howling is heard in the air. "They come to drag me back to my torment." I ask him who's coming. "The Wanderers they scour the world for souls escaped from Hell and brings them back."

"Maybe we can give them a substitute," Lock says looking at me. "You'd be a fine addition to Hell," I ask him if this is a joke. "Of course not, they need a soul and you're it." The howling

gets closer. The corpse sinks back into his grave returning to his punishment. "Come on we have to tell Shock what we learned. I ask him what is it we learned. "That you're a fitting candidate for damnation."

"You wouldn't dare!" I shout as he heads back to the lair. I try to catch up to him but he is too fast. "Hey wait up!" I shout out.

Danny

"What the Hell is wrong with me," I asked myself looking into the mirror. "This is your best friend. You've known...," Jazz knocks on the door and asks if I am alright. "Just a little stressed I'll be down soon," I tell her as a shiver goes up my spine. "Just what I need," I transform and fly out the window. "Okay, I don't have time for...," Vlad's geezer squad appears. "Isn't a little late to be out?" I ask them firing an ectoblast their way.

"You won't be so smug when we get done with you!" the leader says as the fly after me but I disappear and blast them from behind. "Damn stop doing that!" he hisses as I laugh at him. I taunt them saying they couldn't capture a snail. "You're going...," he begins to say until he hears something. "Follow us if you dare!"

"Is that a challenge Moses or are you Methuselah," the bird brain growls and says I crossed a line. He powers up an ectoblast ready to attack but the other's hold him back. They say Vlad won't like it if I'm damaged. The bird brain grumbles something in another language and sticks his tongue out at me. "I have a Thermos with your name on it," I tell them chasing them.

"Khmet dart," the second one says as I try to blast them. They fly into a dark alley, I follow them but they vanished.

"Typical...," a blue mist escapes from my lips.

Jack Skellington

"Jack! Jack!" the voice of the Mayor cried out rousing me from my sleep. I walk over to the door and ask what is wrong this time. "It's worse than I thought." his eyes yellow eyes darted left and right. "He's coming back," I told him that the ghost king is not coming back. "It's worse than the ghost king- it's him. Think of it my book was stolen and there was water found at the scene." For once he makes a good point.

"I'll look into this Mayor. In the meantime we should keep this to ourselves." The Mayor switches to his happy face and says that I am so wise and that is why I'm the Pumpkin King. He races out to his car and take off for his mansion. "Thank the demons he's going," I said watching him speed off. "Maybe now I can...," one of the devils pop up asking for my help.

"We're working on the new Hell House for Halloween. We have an idea to really scare the daylights out of people." He unfurls a blue print. "See here we're going to have massive fan. Just as reckless souls let their passions steer and toss them around. So in Eternity they will tossed about by a hellish hurricane," he says as I examine the plans. He tells me that have everything except the proper amount of brimstone for their fires.

"I will make sure you get extra brimstone," I tell them as he smiles and says that I will impressed with what they have in store. "I am sure I will." Once he leaves I head back in my house as I am hit with idea. "Of course why I didn't I think of it before," If I am going to solve my mystery I need to look at the other side. "Mort and the ghosts should be dig up information from the ghost realm."

I take out a ghost call from my pocket summon them. "Jack what can we do for you," Mort said as he appeared in the room. I asked if he and the others could check something for me. "Of course, what do you need to know?" I ask them if they could search the records of the ghost realm for accounts of the ghost king's invasion of the town. Mort stood still for a moment like he was frozen in place.

"Is everything okay, Mort?" I ask him worriedly. He snaps out of it saying the records are the war are kept sealed. "I know it's a long shot but I would really appreciate it," he says he'll try to but the records are kept in the forbidden realm especially since his escape. "The stories are true?" I remember hearing reports of the ghost king waking up only to be defeated by a mysterious boy. He nods saying the boy was said to be half living and half dead.

"By Lucifer, the halfa," I gasped in awe. Tales of the halfa are known through out the town. Many thought it an urban legend. "Did you ever see him?" I ask Mort. He shakes his head. Only those ghost who cross into the living world have seen him. He acts like a guardian of worlds.

"I will see what I can do." Mort says as he vanishes into the darkness.