Wow, everyone, thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Babbelfish: Thanks for pointing that out, I've gone in and fixed it in Word and I'll go and do that now to Chapter One.
Disclaimer: I don't own characters, places, things, blah blah blah, this is a song I'm sure you've heard more than once.
Chapter Three
It was a small, black tunnel, and her fingers scrabbled uselessly on the smooth wood, trying to slow herself down. She didn't want to go back to those satanic kids, but she didn't want to go further into the tunnel, either.
Suddenly she fell from the tunnel into open air. The scream that sat in her throat didn't make it out before she hit the ground.
She just sat there for a moment, totally dazed. She held a slightly shaking hand to her forehead, gripping her temples. A noise made her head jerk up. Quickly she crawled out from the open and tucked herself into a small space, bringing her knees up against her chest. Then she took her first good look around.
She seemed to be in an entryway, with a jack-o-lantern sitting across the street from her. She twisted around to look at the gate, and her eyes widened.
It was black iron, the top of it with a large, iron-wrought pumpkin with a grinning face.
"No," she whispered. "That's impossible."
Hesitantly, she leaned forward to look out the gates. If possible, her eyes widened even more. She saw all sorts of unimaginable creatures walking around, holding armfuls of frightening-looking things. There was a burly werewolf, with a torn plaid shirt and a long snout, with sharp teeth…a short but huge lady with slightly rotting skin, rollers in what must have been hair, holding a child with much the same looks and skin on a leash.
And stepping out of that house…was that…
"Oh my God," she whispered, jerking back into the small space. She curled up into the tightest ball she could manage, squeezing her eyes shut. She assured herself that once she opened her eyes, she would be home, in the forest, with her bike, with no little things chasing her and talking about gruesome manslaughter.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Stone walls, jack-o-lantern, noises of strange things behind her.
She swallowed hard.
A figure suddenly stepped through the gate, making Tera look up. It was a woman, with almost blueish-tinged skin. She seemed to be stitched together with thick, black thread. She had very large eyes framed by thick lashes, a petite, pointed nose, and a softly smiling mouth. Her dress was pieced together of rags of different material, and her long dark red hair fell down her back. Tera watched her go with wide eyes. Sally didn't look like she was made of plastacine…
She seemed to be looking for something. She walked slowly, her head turning to search the place.
After a minute someone else stepped through the gate, and Tera's heart nearly stopped. He was at least over six feet tall, with long, gangly arms and legs. He didn't have any flesh on him whatsoever. He wore a suit with uneven, white pinstripes, tails on the jacket, and the bow tie was a black bat whose wings stretched out over the skeleton's shoulders.
"Jack Skellington," she whispered.
He paused and half-turned, as if he had heard her. The bone around his eye sockets moved like flesh, which creased into a frown. Luckily, he didn't look down.
He strode up to Sally in two steps.
"Sally?" he said. She turned around. "Oh, Jack, there's no sign of them anywhere."
His frown deepened. "Not at all?" The rag doll shook her head. Jack sighed, rubbing his skull with his long fingers.
"I might have to go ask him," he said, and Sally's already large eyes widened. "No! Don't, Jack, you know what he would do if he trapped you!"
"I'm the King of Halloweentown," he said firmly. "It's my duty to take care of things like this, including the disappearance of Boogie's Boys."
Tera gasped, and they both turned. Slowly, on shaky legs, she stood up. Their heads swiveled to look at her, the wide-eyed, disheveled, staring girl, and Sally gasped, putting a small hand over her mouth. Jack's mouth hung open slightly in surprise.
Tera stood awkwardly, one hand quickly tucking her Jack Skellington key chain into her pocket. They stared in silence at each other for a minute, until Tera said, "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was there, if I heard anything I wasn't supposed to, I swear, I won't tell anyone--"
Jack held up a hand to gently quiet her. "No. I'm sorry. That was something anyone could hear, so don't worry. My name is Jack Skellington, and this is Sally."
"I'm Tera," she said. "I…" She stopped herself just in time. She couldn't tell them she knew who she was, could she? "Nice to meet you," she finished. She felt slightly numb. Sure, she had wished they were real, but to find out that they were?