Happy Easter Everyone! Every Holiday get a double update! And yes, this chapter is a little emotional, but we'll get through it. Also, I glean details like those weird skeleton traits from the video games. Enjoy! Don't forget to review, especially on this chapter!

Chapter 20

Snap

She was standing this time. There was no falling.

Where's Jack, or the weird dream version of him?

First of all, where was she?

She was in the village again, but it was nighttime.

"You."

Anna jumped and looked behind her.

"Oh. How long has it been now Jack?"

Jack glared at her. "A day…" Suddenly his eyes widened as he noticed something. "Your injuries..."

Whatever shock she was in from waking in a dream suddenly wore off all at once, and she yelled, struggling to stand.

Jack took her arm and guided her to sit on a bench outside the nearest house.

Anna sucked in a shuddering breath and dared to look at her hands. Her left hand was blackened and burnt down to the bone, and her loose fingers had lost all feeling. She couldn't imagine what her face looked like. She forced herself to try touching her mouth, but her right fingers felt wet bone. The left cheek was burned away exposing her jaw and teeth.

"What happened to thou? How are thou still…" Jack stopped talking as she screamed when touching her face caused severe pain.

The girl was in no condition to respond.

He didn't know what to do.

They sat there for a little until Anna somehow became a little used to the pain.

She whimpered. "What is this? Why are you doing this?"

"I am not doing this to you."

Anna cried, clutching her arm to herself.

"This dream sucks."

Jack looked confused, "What doth 'sucking' have to do with anything?"

"It's…um…slang from where I'm from," Anna ground out.

"Why are you here, spirit? Following me seems to be causing you pain," Jack said changing the subject.

The decaying, burnt girl cried, "I don't know….Please. Make it stop."

"I am sorry. But I doth not know how I can abate thy pain."

The sound of human voices pulled Jack's attention away from the strange girl who appeared and disappeared around him at odd times.

"She's getting worse," James said sadly, walking out of his house with a friend, a shorter man with lighter hair. "I don't know what to do."

Jack quickly picked up the girl from the bench, holding her bridal style and ignoring her cries as he got himself and her off the bench before the two men sat down.

"It will be okay James. Trust the gods."

"I don't worship the same gods as you, my friend," James snapped.

"Maybe you should. Look what misfortune thy family has suffered," the other man said tersely.

"I will honor my mother and father. They believed in a god that had mercy. At least Mother did."

"You can barely remember her."

"Still."

"And you thought your father was a Lichbourne."

James glared at his friend. "That was long ago. I twas but a child."

The other man sighed at looked up at the sky.

"You are praying, but perhaps you need to consider other paths. She is very sick, my friend," he stood up to leave, "The fields call. Harvest time is coming to an end. Stay here with your wife and the women if you wish. The others and I can handle your part for the time being."

"Thank you, Ykren," James said gratefully.

Anna couldn't focus on them, her eyes were hurting, but she did catch a glimpse of James going back inside as the other man left.

"Put me down, please," she whispered.

Jack obliged and set her carefully down on the bench.

Anna clenched her teeth. The pain had settled somewhat. "What's happening?"

"My daughter-in-law is very ill," Jack said sitting next to the girl. "And my son fears that she and their child will not survive."

"Do you know what she's sick with?"

Jack looked at her a little confused.

"There are lots of different kinds of diseases," Anna said. She frowned and winced at the pulled blistering skin on her face. She probably looked terrifying. "But I guess you wouldn't know much about that."

Jack sat thoughtfully, a little insulted at Anna's perception.

"Don't you want to go inside?" Anna asked.

Jack chuckled. "Apparently, some of the rules of Fae apply to me. I can't enter a house unless invited."

Anna frowned. "That doesn't sound right. Then how do you sneak into houses to scare people on Halloween?" she mumbled.

"What?" Jack didn't catch all Anna's words.

Anna stood up. "I'm going inside."

Jack watched her, surprised that she could stand. "I doubt thou art immune to such rules either."

Anna frowned. She forced herself to walk a few feet and stood in front of the door. Looking into the spacious one-room house, she could see James speaking in low voices to his wife as two women were busy making some food.

James sat on his chair, whittling something distractedly as he spoke about his day.

She couldn't get in.

It wasn't like a wall stopped her, more like her feet were stuck in place and her muscles couldn't push her past the threshold.

"See?" Jack sighed.

Anna ignored him because of something catching her eye. She couldn't explain it, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from what James was doing.

"Are you done playing with that turnip, James?" one of the women said. "We have a meal to finish."

"I think I'll keep this one if that's alright," James said. Standing up, he walked over to the windowsill and set the turnip down, it's little, carved face looking out. "There. That will keep the evil spirits out."

His wife laughed weakly from her bed. "Oh, James. You've got all the village children doing that."

"I see no harm in it, Mira. My father was always telling me that they'll keep watch and ward away demons."

"Ah yes," she laughed, "But will it let the good spirits in? We could use a little fortune."

"I think so."

Anna frowned. "I wonder…" she mumbled.

Taking a moment, she stepped into the room. She froze, half expecting to be electrocuted or something.

"Huh." She laughed.

"How did you…" Jack said before Anna took his bony hand and pulled him inside.

"I think the Jack O' Lantern let you in this once," Anna snipped playfully, forcing a cheerful smile. A draft licked her wounds, and she hissed.

"Jack O'Lantern…" Jack said, with a perplexed chuckle. How did she know what he used to call himself when he made the lanterns for Jamie?

James looked up in confusion. "Jack O'Lantern…" he whispered.

The young man shook his head.

Anna looked at him, a little disturbed that he heard them. Well, he sort of heard them. "Did you keep yours?" she asked Jack as they moved out of the way.

She limped out of the way, and Jack had to catch her good arm to prevent her falling over.

"What?"

"The lantern you lit with that ember Satan threw at you."

Jack stared at her in shock. "I keep it near me. I hide it. How did thou possibly…"

Anna gasped as a headache struck her and she went to her knees, her tears burning her wounds again.

Jack took her bloody arm and guided her to sit against a wall. "Be still, you art…"

The skeleton suddenly straighten and stared out the door.

Anna winced and forced herself to lean out to look at what Jack was staring at.

The forest's tree line was visible from the house. At the top of a tall hill where the fields met the woods stood a man. He was far away, but Anna could tell he was staring straight at Jack.

The man didn't seem to notice Anna and only locked eyes with the skeleton.

She immediately didn't like that man. There was a horrible nasty feeling in Anna's gut as she looked at him. She could sense the danger.

Anna had gotten into the habit of thinking of her newly acquired fear like another person, but this time, she was completely in synch with it, and she felt horrible. She still hated feeling fear, but she couldn't find herself able to argue with it this time.

"Stay here," Jack warned.

"Wait. W-who is that man? Why can he see you?"

"That's a demon. Stay here. You should be safe."

"Wait! Don't lea…" she cried out as another headache hit her and she closed her eye that she could still see with.

And she woke up.

"Ah!" she said sitting straight up with a sharp gasp.

She winced and glanced at her hands after she let go of her grip on the table cloth.

They were bone and not half-bone/half-burnt human flesh. She was a weird disproportioned skeleton creature again.

She groaned and set her head on the table.

"What the heck just happened?" she moaned.

Wait. Why was she asleep on a table?

Oh, right….

Oh, God. Did she seriously fall asleep during dinner with Jack and Sally? What the heck?

She looked at the twisting and slanted architecture and groaned in awkwardness. She had fallen asleep at Skellington Manor, and if the windows were telling the truth, it was morning.

Anna stood up. She had better leave. She should probably leave a note so that Sally wouldn't be worried.

Anna went toward the kitchen to look for pen and paper but froze. She thought she heard her name and looked up at the ceiling as she caught the sound of voices upstairs.

A note would do, but she'd rather apologize for falling asleep in their house in person.

"Jack?" Sally asked when she poked her head up into the Pumpkin King's study. There was no response. "Jack? I brought you something."

Jack didn't seem to hear Sally behind him as he continued to write furiously at his desk. He mumbled to himself as his pen made little scritch-a-scratch noises on his paper while the feathered end jerked violently in the air.

Sally sighed and almost turned to go back downstairs when she remembered both her reasons for invading Jack's private study. "Jack!" she said, louder this time.

That seemed to do the trick. Jack suddenly jumped and sat ramrod straight. In his surprise, he knocked over his inkwell, spilling it over a section of his work. "S-sally!"

"I'm so sorry, Jack," Sally gasped as she ran forward with the napkins she had brought with Jack's breakfast. She didn't even take a moment to consider that she had just scared Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. She sat the plate down on a small table.

"No no!" Jack suddenly seemed panicked as he quickly grabbed Sally's hand before she could touch the napkin to the rapidly growing stain. "Let me see that," he said as he attempted to take the napkins from her. "What's one more stain on this old thing?" he joked, patting the desk.

Sally held the cloth away from his hand. "Absolutely not! I shouldn't have startled you. Let me fix my mess!" she insisted.

"Normally I wouldn't argue with that tone of voice, but I have to disagree at the moment. Please give me the napkins," Jack said forcefully, surprising Sally at the tone. He deftly took what he needed while she was stunned and proceeded to mop up the spill, moving papers out of the way as needed. As he worked, the ink bled through the cloth and stained his snow white bones at the fingertips.

He grinned at the puzzled look on Sally's face. "The ink would stain your skin permanently. We can't have that now," he explained.

Sally nodded at his reasoning. If the black bled into her fingers, she might be able to get some of it out, but the stain would likely never completely leave. She had to be very careful when she wrote anything. "I'm sorry Jack. I didn't mean to make you ruin your work." She carefully lifted up one of the papers and read the first line, "'Lightning/Electricity can heal you and isn't too painful.' What's this, Jack?"

"Oh that's…well," Jack walked over to his waste basket and threw a few of the ruined papers away but kept the stained cloth. It was still usable after all. "They're for Anna," he explained.

"Anna?" Sally queried, then read a few more lines aloud, "'You can completely disassemble your bones, then reconstruct yourself telepathically. It will take practice. If you stood in very strong acid for a while, you would melt into a rubbery liquid substance while maintaining your consciousness and ability to move around. However, I would strongly advise against attempting this as it is slightly painful, leaves little hope of your clothing surviving (depending on if you're wearing your costume or not), and it is an incredibly difficult process to reverse.'" Sally looked up and stared questioningly at a sheepish Jack.

"I admit, that third one is quite odd," he said, "I thought a list of unique skeleton traits would be helpful to Anna."

"I actually came to talk to you about her. That and bring you breakfast." Sally looked at her gentleman with a pleading look. There were times when Jack went several days forgetting to eat.

Jack looked at the bat bone and cricket egg sandwich in appreciation. "Thank you, my dear. It looks terrible, and I promise I'll eat it. But what did you wish to discuss about our new arrival?" He offered her his rolling chair and sat on a rung of the ladder that was attached to his enormous bookshelf.

Sally hesitated. "I spoke with Mr. Hyde yesterday. From what I understand, when a new monster joins the town, they're given a mentor of the same kind of monster or similar to teach them about their abilities as a particular creature," Sally said as she nervously twisted her hands around.

"They also coach them while they develop their own unique scares and decide when the new monster is ready to journey to the Real World," Jack added. He dreaded where this conversation was going.

Sally nodded. "But Anna's been here for nearly three weeks, and you have yet to say anything about being her mentor. Is there some rule I don't know about that says the King can't be a mentor?" She reached out and took Jack's hands in her own. "Please tell me, Jack. Anna doesn't know this, but she knows something is wrong and that everyone isn't telling her something. I was talking with her last night, and I said I would get answers..."

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and breathed. "You shouldn't have done that, my dear."

"Then explain to me why ever not."

Jack studied her face for a moment but saw no judgment there…yet. "No Sally. There isn't a rule that says I can't be a mentor. Not exactly. But I feel…no suspect that…ah see, there aren't any other skeletons in Halloween besides the Hangmen and well…they don't… that is…they're technically not skeletons and part of Hanging Tree…." Jack trailed off at the blank look Sally gave him. "I believe conversation may get rather awkward between Anna and me." Oh, how to explain!?

Sally frowned in such utter confusion and concern it was almost painful. "Should…I be….worried?"

"What? No! I didn't mean it like that," Jack said hurriedly as both he and Sally blanched and blushed respectively. Jack buried his skull in his hands and sighed. He knew what he was trying to say, but he wasn't quite sure how to say it.

Sally took one of his hands again and only sat quietly as she let him collect his thoughts.

Jack rubbed a thumb in circles on the side of his skull, the slight grating sound of bone on bone helping him to keep his thoughts moving. Honestly, he hated the sound. It annoyed him but seemed to work at the moment. Should he tell her?

Jack looked up straight into Sally's eyes and grinned slightly.

Sally watched as Jack let go of her hand and paced a little, a sad smile on his bony lips. He then began humming a tune she had heard before.

Jack sang.

"There are few who deny it, at what I do I am the best…"

"For your talents are renown far and wide," Sally added her voice to what Jack thought would be a solo.

The spindly King of Halloween started in surprise to hear Sally sing the words. Perhaps he was distracted at the time, but he was sure the only one's in the graveyard at the time were him and Zero.

But he continued anyway albeit with a questioning look toward Sally.

"When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night…"

"You excel without ever even trying," Sally sang.

Jack grinned. "With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms

I have seen grown men give out a shriek!"

Sally laughed at the way he pronounced "charms."

"With a wave of your hand and a well-placed moan, you have swept the very bravest off their feet!"

"Yet, year after year it's the same routine, with the people never ceasing at the praise of my screams. And I, JACK, the Pumpkin King, have grown so tired of the same old thing."

Jack took a breath he didn't need.

Yet, as the years catch up to these bones

Mistakes I've made, begin to show

Dearest Sally, can you be so sure

That I wouldn't make them again once more

Sally nodded. She didn't know what mistakes Jack was talking about, but she understood that Jack was afraid of making the same ones again with Anna. Did he have an apprentice before perhaps?

But Jack, don't you see, what a chance this could be

A student to pass on all your frights

To a guy in Kentucky, you're Mister Unlucky

And you're known throughout the darkest of nights.

Anna has things to know, not a Witch nor a Crow

Could teach her everything she needs to learn

So please will you tell, your reasons for this tale

Dearest, please know you can always trust in me

Jack couldn't meet her eyes.

But Sally…please, you couldn't understand…

That the choices I made went hand in hand

Would cause….such grief. You couldn't understand

That Anna's better off without the guide of my hand.

Yet, as the years catch up to these bones

Mistakes I've made, begin to show…

Dearest Sally, can you be so sure.

That I…

Sally took his hand.

You won't make the same mistakes once more.

Jack trailed off.

"Jack?" Sally came forward in worry.

"You couldn't understand," Jack pleaded. "Sally. I know. Trust me, I know everyone's expecting me to take Anna in. But I can't. She would never…"

"She would never what, Jack?" Sally said seriously. She glared a Jack sternly, "Please tell me, Jack."

"She would never…." Jack put his skull in his hands.

"What?" Sally was completely confused.

Zero suddenly barked at someone at the bottom of the stairs.

A second later the front door closed.

Sally straightened in shock that they were overheard as Jack mumbled something now that Anna was gone.

"She would never forgive me."

"Jack we have to…"

Jack stopped her by the arm and whispered something in Sally's ear.

The ragdoll pulled away and looked at him in shock. She covered her mouth with a gasp. "How…" her voice was quiet. "Y-you couldn't have..."

Jack went to the staircase and started walking down. "I'll explain later. But you mustn't tell anyone. Especially, Anna. Not yet."

Sally rushed to follow him, her face tight with worry and concern.

Anna ran away from the house a little dizzy at the news.

That's what everyone was refusing to tell her?! That Jack was supposed to adopt her or something. What the heck? He was meant to be the one training her?

Why wasn't he?

"Annalise!"

"Leave me alone!" she snapped behind her at Sally's voice. Her shout drew the attention of everyone in the town square.

Helgamine and Zeldabourne stopped walking as they heard Anna.

"Anna! There you are," Helga chuckled and shifted her basket, "We were worried Boogie's Boys had…"

"Did you know?" Anna snarled at the witch as she slowed down.

Helgamine glanced behind the skeleton to see Sally and Jack running to catch up.

"Know what?"

That was the wrong answer as Anna's snarl deepened.

Zeldabourne backed up, but Helga stared right at Anna. "Did I know Jack is supposed to be your mentor? Of course, I knew. Everyone knows."

"Then why didn't you tell me?!"

"Anna," Jack said, "Please. Don't blame them."

"I'm not blaming them! Why are you ignoring me like this?!" Anna was clearly furious. She pointed at him accusingly and growled.

"I have…reasons," Jack said.

"Jack!" Sally hissed.

Citizens were looking on now. No one wanted to get involved, but all were interested.

"What reasons?" Anna growled, her voice taking on a weird echoey quality as she lost control of her voice and mimicry took over. They could hear Anna's voice overlayed with several other voices. It only lasted a moment. "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything, Miss Anna," Jack said.

"This is my fault," he stressed guiltily.

"No duh."

Jack shook his head. "Annalise, please. You can't understand, but I can't mentor you."

"Can't or won't?!"

Jack stopped. He squeezed one eye shut then glanced at the crowd. "This isn't a conversation to have in public, Anna."

"Can't or won't?!" she shouted desperately.

"I won't!" Jack said sharply.

The square was quiet for a long moment. Monsters stopped everything they were doing.

Jack continued, even as Anna's expression fell. "I know you don't understand yet. But I won't train you. You…you wouldn't want me to."

"Why?"

"You'll learn eventually." He said cryptically.

"What?!"

Jack didn't say anything. He ignored the horrified looks he was getting and moved to walk away.

"Jack," Sally fretted. "Why would you…"

"Those aren't dreams are they?!"

Jack froze as Anna's words echoed through the square. He didn't turn around.

"Anna. What dreams?" Sally said carefully.

Annalise glared at Jack's back. "He knows. Doesn't he?"

Sally looked toward Jack and took his hand. "Jack…"

Anna waited for a response. "I know what you did, Jack!"

"If you're saying so, then you really don't know 'what I did'," Jack quipped dryly.

"I had three dreams before I died!" Anna shouted, "The last one was about me, but the first two was your story. You lived in Ireland..o-or Scotland. You trapped Satan in a quince tree and wouldn't let him down unless he agreed not to let you into Hell."

"Anna," Zeldabourne said nervously as monsters shifted at the story. "Everyone knows this, believe it or not…"

Anna glanced at her, mildly surprised that it wasn't as much of a secret as she thought. She kept speaking. "Then years later, your son was trapped in a burning barn, and you ran in to save him."

Jack stiffened and stared straight ahead.

"His…son…?" Some monsters whispered. They didn't know Jack ever…that was never in the story. Did he…remember?! But how... No one ever remembered.

Except Anna… Was she remembering for both of them?

"You got him out. But you…"

Jack shook his skull and growled at her. "Don't test me, girl. I don't have to explain myself to you."

Jack turned to walk away again, ignoring Sally's pleas.

Anna scowled at him. She wasn't done!

Suddenly, the ground right under Jack's feet burst into bright purple flames and ropes from a nearby cart shot out and wrapped around the Pumpkin King, arms cinching to his side.

Anna was too angry to be surprised, even as Citizens gasped in horror at the attack, unable to look away. Her hands weren't held out but clenched at her sides.

Apparently, the Pumpkin Fire wasn't faded like the witches thought. What on earth…

"I just had another dream! Jamie put a Jack O'Lantern on the windowsill and…"

"Anna!" Helgamine snapped in fear, "Put him down!"

Anna didn't have a moment to respond as her fire was suddenly engulfed by a different, bright orange fire and the ropes were burned off to ash. Her hands sparked, and she shouted in hurt and pulled them up close.

She jumped and cried out as the orange fire suddenly trapped her in a ring on the ground.

Jack glared at the girl as he stalked toward her.

She cowed as she felt his aura surrounding him twist and turn in her mind. She couldn't look away and froze in terror at the look on his face.

Jack walked through the fire, the flames harmlessly licking his coattails until he was glaring right at her sockets.

He was so close that Anna for a brief moment feared for her life before something reminded her Jack wouldn't hurt her. It wasn't a very comforting fact.

Jack was dangerous. Maybe not to her, if she was on his good side, and he had a well of patience. But he was dangerous, and she was pushing the line.

"Never…" he growled harshly, "Do that again. Am I clear?" His voice was sharp, but there was an odd…pain under the tone.

Anna nodded quickly in distress, tears pricking at her black circles when he wouldn't look away. She trembled. "Y-yes, sir."

Jack frowned and whispered so inaudibly that even the sharpest of ears couldn't hear. But Anna did. "I'm sorry Anna. But you shouldn't be here."

Jack just stared at her while Citizens murmured, wondering what he could have said to make her shut her eyes and flinch like that. "I, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Hallow's Eve, refuse to be your master," he announced loudly.

The surprised murmuring turned to gasps.

Anna looked down and nodded.

"Everyone! Get back to work, please," Jack requested.

The fire was extinguished, and Anna stood still. She tried not to whimper as her still developing fear twisted around in turmoil at being touched by the cloud of fear that surrounded Jack as the Pumpkin King stalked away.

Sally looked at Anna for a moment before glaring at Jack and walking to comfort the young skeleton.

"I didn't mean to…" the teenager whispered, "That fire…I…I thought it was gone. It was an accident…"

"I know…" Sally said.

The Mayor caught Jack's eye and tried to speak with him but Jack waved him off and shook his head, squinting in guilt as he went back to the Manor.