Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy! I also have a lot to say at the bottom so give that a quick read too!

Chapter 3: A New Friend

"Mommy I'm scared!" a timid voice whimpered in the darkness.

"It's ok my child. They won't hurt you! They're nice monsters!" replied a soft, comforting voice.

"T-they are?"

"Of course baby. You have to be brave at times like this! Be brave not only for your sake, but for others too ok!"

"Ok momma! I will!"

The voices echoed away in Cassandra's head as she stirred awake. A dream? Yeah. It was a dream. In the dream she saw her mother standing on their porch in her witch costume with her familiar smile. A cauldron of candy at her feet. Cassandra started to cry as she tried to hug her, but her mom stopped her. Telling her that the moment wasn't right yet but it would be soon. Those words spoken right before Cassandra woke up. Teary eyes fluttered open to a black wooden ceiling, the orange setting sun shining through a window on her feet.

She sat up slowly, while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Where am I? Augh! I'm dizzy. She was lying on a black velvet vintage lounge chair in what looked like a small living room. The gray and white striped wallpaper was peeling off the wall and there was spider webs strewn across the corners of the ceiling. There were a couple of small lights and hanging portraits on the walls, but she didn't have the energy to actually look at them.

Beneath her feet was black creaky, and dusty floorboards and she could've sworn she saw a bug antenna peek out from under the couch, but she chose to ignore it. Next to her was a small black lamp table that held a black spider themed lamp that may not have been a decoration. Across from the chair was a medium sized black coffin coffee table that held her bag and a tall glass of water on top of it. How macabre and if it were any other moment, it would've appealed to her. Despite how green it looked, she took the water and chugged it down, feeling a bit better that she did. On the opposite side of her was a door and next to it a set of stairs going down into the floor.

"Ow!" she groaned. Her whole body hurt, especially her hand and she looked down to find it bandaged up. She must have broken some bones or something because it didn't feel like any sprain she ever had. "What happe-?" She looked up at the window on the wall to her right and remembered. The skeletons, the fighting, the…monsters. Carefully, she stood up on sore feet and limped to the window, but the only view she had was of the small dead tree right in front of her, the distant graveyard and part of the city. The other window on the other side only gave the same result. As she was still recalling the events, she could hear a rumbling outside, as if a lot of people were talking right outside the house.

The front doorway was down the set of stairs she saw earlier, but upon closer inspection she found it was a very thin door. What could possibly walk through that? How did I get in? How do I get out?! She climbed back up to the couch and looked around in a panic to find another way out. In the corner of the room, there was a black iron spiral staircase, however after striding over to see it, she looked up the staircase and was shocked on how high it was going. Ok. So that's not going to go outside. She looked over at the door that was across from the chair she was previously laying on, then walked towards it. Above it, she noticed a small window that she was too short to look through. She pulled the door open slowly and found it lead to a small wooden balcony. The voices were louder and as she carefully walked closer to the edge, she could see a giant crowd of monsters talking amongst themselves in excitement.

The iron-gate and the tall skeleton man were the only things keeping them from storming inside. They were murmuring their curiosities about the newcomer who was not only alive, but human! The skeleton was trying to calm them down and trying to tell them to go home, but they wanted to see the living girl. A small, round kid with sewn shut eyes noticed her presence and pointed up at her.

"There she is!" he shouted in excitement. Everyone looked up at her and starting yelling for her to come down. Taken back and afraid, she backed away and quickly walked back inside. She bit her lip nervously as she closed the door.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered to herself. Just as she calmed down a bit, she heard the click of the front doorknob turning. Someone's coming! She ran back to the chair and grabbed her bag with one hand ready to swing at whoever would come near. The door opened and in walked the skeleton man. His thin body slipped through the thin doorway easily.

"Hello?" he called out. He walked up the stairs and stopped when he saw her with the bag in her hands. Wide blue eyes met black eye sockets. "Uh miss…you can calm down now! I won't hurt you! No one will!" She looked at her bag then at him.

"Not until you tell me what the HELL is going on?! Where am I?! Who are you?! How are you moving and talking?!"

"Please just-"

"No! I fall into a door in a tree and I end up here! I get attacked by skeletons and find myself surrounded by monsters! This is all just impossible!" she shouted. Her body was shaking and her heart was hammering in her chest. He moved his arms in a downward motion to try and calm her down.

"It's going to be ok! Please put the bag down and relax. You'll only hurt yourself more! I'll try and answer your questions the best that I can. Now take a deep breath!" he reassured her as he walked closer. She looked at her bag then at him. He seems like he's telling the truth and doesn't look like he wants to hurt me. I guess… he did save me too. She took a deep breath in as she let her bag hang at her side before letting it go. She plopped onto the couch with a defeated sigh and rested her face in the one good hand she had. He tilted his head and slowly made his way toward her to sit across from her on the table.

"How are you feeling miss?"

"Physically or mentally?" she replied shakily while looking up at him. Her broken hand gently reaching up to brush her hair back.

"Both preferably."

"Physically not that great, mentally at this point I don't know! This is all too weird! I mean it's all kinda cool in its own creepy way, but it's impossible. I-I have to be dreaming or dead! I mean I'm talking to a skeleton in a suit for Pete's sake," she gestures to him.

"I am very sorry for the way you are feeling! You must be in some pain and confusion."

"A lot of confusion," she corrected him. "The pain in my hand is getting there."

"We will get your injuries looked at in no time. You don't have to be scared, although I'd prefer you were." Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"Why is that?" she asked cautiously.

"Scaring people is what I do best! I am the 'Pumpkin King' after all!" he exclaimed dramatically with lots of arm movements.

"'Pumpkin King'?" His long arms dropped in disappointment.

"Wow you really don't know where you are, do you?"

"That's what I've been saying here!" she snaps. After a moment, she sighs. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I promise I'm a lot nicer when I'm not scared."

"It's quite alright! I understand! You're in Halloween Town of course! My wonderfully terrifying town! The best place for scares, thrills and chills! Halloween is what we do best and I, the 'Pumpkin King' am the best at it all!"

"Halloween Town? Like the holiday? I have never heard of this place!"

"It looks very much like you're from a different world. The human world correct?" he asks. She only nods since that made some sense to her. "I think I understand now, but don't worry everything will be ok! You're in good hands!"

"So scaring is all you do? You don't hurt anybody do you?"

"Of course not! My people and I only love to give a good scare! That and celebrating Halloween!

"While that sounds like a blast, when you say, "my people" you mean those monsters out there?"

"Yes, but don't be fooled! They are all so very nice! Maybe a little gossipy, but nice nonetheless! You have nothing to fear, so to speak!" he chuckled. The small pun made her crack a small smile at that and for a moment she forgot the pain. Cassandra is a sucker for puns.

"You all sound very nice and a skeleTON of fun," she joked back. A massive grin spread across the skeleton's face.

"Now that is what I like to hear," he laughs. After a moment of gaining his composure, he looked a little concerned. "Now back to your injuries. How are they?" She looked down at her hand and tried to bend her fingers. Pain instantly shot through her arm as she hissed and clutched it close to her chest.

"I think I broke it, but other than this I'm just a little sore and have a few scrapes," she grunted.

"Oh dear, well I suppose I will take you to see some help once you feel a little better on going outside, but as I can see you're not ready for that." She smiled softly at him and he returned it.

"Thank you, uh…" she realized she didn't know her own saviors name.

"Oh!" he stands up quickly and turns to her. "My name is Jack! Jack Skellington! I am, as I said before, the Pumpkin King and ruler of Halloween Town!" he exclaimed with a bow.

"Oh! Uhhh…" she said in realization that the title was serious and stood up as well. "My name is Cassandra. Uh…your majesty?" She did a small bow in return.

"Please! Just call me Jack! I am not like those kind of kings. Think of me as a friend instead."

"A-a friend?" This was new to her. Very new.

"Of course! I'm sure we'll be the best of friends!" he replied while placing a bony hand on her shoulder. She looked down at her wrist to the bracelet with no emotion on her face. Jack noticed something off about this.

"Friends." The moment was interrupted by a low grumble from the pit of her stomach. Her cheeks began to redden in embarrassment. "Sorry. I'm a little hungry."

"When did you last eat?" She blinked as she remembered when that was. She hadn't eaten much except for a piece of toast yesterday morning. That's right! She hadn't eaten her dinner!

"Oh man! I haven't eaten for a while now!" she realized before picking up her bag and going through it. The dinner she had packed was still there and still good. "Do you mind if I eat here?" she asked.

"Not at all go ahead!"

She sat back down, with him following, and began opening her food. The moment she tore open her food, her hunger took over and she began to devour it in minutes like an animal. Jack's eye sockets seemed to stretch impossibly wider at the sight. His smile however, never left and his face showed intrigue. She looked over the room then at him mid chew on the last bite of her food.

"So, uh, I gotta admit even though you've told me where I am, I still don't think I understand. I'm still very, very," she swallows," lost. I'm still not even sure how I got here! I was in the middle of the woods and there was a bunch of trees with doors on them-"

"Doors? Oh! You mean the holiday doors!" She arched an eyebrow.

"You know what I'm talking about?"

"Of course. As the King of Halloween, I need to know about them! Frankly, I'm the one that found them. They lead to all the holiday worlds and obviously you opened the one with the Pumpkin." She nodded with confusion written all over her face as she finished her food. Then watched as he got up and walked over to the spiral staircase in the corner. He waved his hand to beckon her over. "Come up and I'll show you!"

A little hesitantly she stood up, wrapped her bag around her shoulders then followed him up the iron stairs. After about 15 steps, there was a landing leading to a wooden door possibly another floor of the house, but they continued up past it. As they climbed up, Cassandra studied his form in curiosity.

"So, is this all magic? Like with all the monsters and you walking? This world for that matter? Where I'm from, you guys are only known as scary story characters and Halloween decorations. Or heck even dead and in the ground." He looked over his shoulder at her as they neared the top.

"Possibly, the witch sisters use magic and this is 'Halloween' Town. Although, I have never thought about my people's existence or my own. Do you ever think about yours?"

She was quiet while his words began to sink in. Her chest was heaving by the time they reached the top and she wiped the sweat off her brow. The demon like design of the statue at the top of the staircase welcomed her to his room. Said room was huge with large windows that had iron spirals and swirls across them as a design. They were also on the windows downstairs if she thought about it. There was torn white silk curtains that covered half of them, but all of them had larger red velvet curtains that were tied to the side. In one corner, red curtains are pulled aside to reveal a fireplace with a small rusty bed resting in front of it.

A dog bed was placed over by a desk in an opposite corner where papers were strewn across it and a roll-in chalkboard waited alongside a small pedestal with Knick knacks on top of it. On the other side of the room was tall bookcases filled with books and Jack went over to them to climb the ladder that was connected to it. He looked around one of the higher shelfs for a moment before pushing the ladder away to slide to another bookcase.

"Aha! Here it is!" he exclaimed triumphantly as he took a dusty red book out. He held it down to her, his long arm reaching her easily as he climbed down. Cassandra took it and found no title, but it had a black stamp of a pumpkin in the corner. "Go ahead and open it! This book has all the knowledge that I know of about the holiday doors and my travels there."

She followed his instructions and opened it to see journal entries that were written by him. The first page showed an illustration of the circle of trees with the same images she had seen before. His recap of how he fell into the Christmas tree door mimicked her same experience. She looked up at him in surprise then back down at the book.

"I came here the exact same way, but I thought I had died or something," she paused and looked back up at him. "I'm not dead, am I?" she asked. He lifted a bony hand and grabbed one of hers to check her pulse.

"I'm afraid you're very much alive, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing," he then gestured to the book. "I have been through all the doors and have met all the rulers, each a great world as it is, but none better than my own." He began walking over to one of the windows and sighed. Cassandra walked over with the book in hand and followed his gaze.

"Whoa!" Any fear of this town seemed to disappear at the sight. The twilight sunset had painted the city in a soft light and windows were being lit up one by one in preparation for the night. Monsters have left the outside gate, and were walking around the town leisurely. "It's so beautiful! It may not be all that colorful, but it has a beauty."

"Thank you. It is, isn't it? Our land of the terrifying and scary may not be the most as you said colorful, but it's home."

She turned her head to him to see him still looking out among the city. His face even as a skull was full of pride and love for his world. She could tell he was a caring and good leader. A caring and good friend. Any fear she had with him was gone. He turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's getting dark out and there is a town meeting tonight. It's about your stay here and the whole town will be there asking about you. We don't get many outside visitors. What should I tell them? Are you planning on leaving our town any time soon or would you like to stay and rest up before you make a decision?" The sudden realization that she had to make a choice was slightly over whelming considering she hasn't made her own choices in years.

"Oh I uh…" she bit her lip as she thought. She had woken up in a strange world and was attacked, but everyone seemed so nice, at least for now. Her whole mindset has slightly changed in the confusion, she couldn't go home now not at least without thinking it through and getting her hand fixed. "Would it be alright if I stayed for a day or two to think things through? I could also use some rest."

Jack's smile widened as he clasped his hands together. "Of course! You can stay here at my house for the time being, if you're ok with the downstairs couch."

"That's fine!"

"Great!" he says as he begins walking to the staircase in the middle of the room. "I must be on my way now. Go ahead and read through the book, if you're still interested. I won't be gone long! Oh and there's a washroom downstairs through the door we passed. I'll be back soon! Make yourself comfortable." He turned to go down the stairs, when she called for him.

"Jack! If you could, can you tell the monsters that I'm sorry for not meeting them or for fainting when I saw them? I don't know if they took it as some sort of insult or not."

He smiled before nodding then took his leave. From atop his tower, she watched his bony figure leave and disappear amongst the many monsters crowding into the building with the clock at the top. She looks down at the book then back at the staircase. Might as well try and clean myself up a bit. She set the book down on the desk in the corner of the room before walking downstairs to the door of the washroom.

She opened the door to find a huge wooden room that resembled the living room, but looked more like a dressing room with a tub in the corner. The room had high vaulted ceilings and near the top on 3 sides of them had dirty glass windows that let the sunshine in if there was any. Along the left side of the wall was a long row of suits and costumes. Jack's wardrobe perhaps? Most of the suits were the same pinstripe he was just wearing, but there seemed to be more patterns and colors as it went on then after a while there was just straight up Halloween costumes of all kinds. Above the suits was a long shelf that held hatboxes of different sizes and below the suits were countless rows of the same kind of black shoes along with a variety of costume shoes. Halfway to the tub, she noticed the clothes stop and pushed closely together as if to make room for more clothes. Maybe he is intending to buy more?

On the right side of the room was more shelf space that held a lot of Halloween props and decorations. This must be some sort of storage for Halloween time too. There was also two black velvet armchairs with a tall lamp and a small table in between them. Possibly for others to judge outfits? I've seen people on T.V do that. Straight ahead, where the wall had the biggest window above her, was a decent sized porcelain bathtub with no showerhead but it had white curtains. On the left side of the tub was a tall body mirror and a folded up Victorian style room divider to block anyone from seeing someone who needed privacy. To the right to her surprise, she saw a toilet against the corner with a sink right next to it on the wall.

"Why would he need a toilet? He's dead," she asked herself. "What am I even saying? He is a walking, talking skeleton! I don't think drawing the line at using the toilet would be appropriate." She set her bag down on one of the chairs and walked up to the mirror. Another tall lamp stood beside it, so with a click she turned it on. Her reflection remained the same as the one she looked into hours ago in the town fountain, maybe even worse. Her face was dirtier and scratched with a busted lip to go along with it. Her hair was a tangled, greasy mess with a few stray pebbles hanging along the strands.

She walked over to the tub and found the water working, so she started filling it up. In her giant bag of things, she pulled a rolled up towel and a small bag with toiletries in it. She had it in her room in case she need to leave in an emergency, like running away. With the tub filled up, she took a much needed bath and the time to clean any injuries missed. They weren't all that bad except for her hand. She gave those skeletons a beating and to her that was the most badass thing she has ever done! It was awesome! The water felt like heaven on her body and she almost didn't want to get out, but decided that it would be best to do so.

She carefully got out but left the water in the tub. She dried herself off, freshened herself up then took her dirty clothes and dropped them in the semi soapy water. This was the closest she had to getting them cleaned for now. She went through her bag to find a clean shirt and some sweats, which she happily changed into then dragged the brush she kept in her bag through the bush she called a hair. When that was done, the raven haired girl went to the tub and tried her best to single handedly scrub off mud, dirt, and blood then hung them on the now stretched out room divider to dry. She would have to find some thread to fix up the tears and find a laundry mat somewhere. Finally, when deemed decent enough, she walked back out with her bag and climbed back upstairs.

Jack didn't seem to be back yet, so she grabbed the book from where she left it to read. She set her bag down and decided to sit down. The large velvet desk chair was a nice feel as she began reading the books contents. Turning page after page, she learned about Jack's understanding of the other holiday worlds. Ink illustrations followed his descriptions about a land covered in snow and happy elves, chubby cherubs flying through the air, and giant colorful eggs strewn across grassy meadows. He even recounts the time he went to her world to deliver presents in the place of Santa Clause. How is it that no one has ever found the trees in my world? Scientists and people all over the world would have flocked to them in a second! How did I find them? According to the book, the doors in this realm lay deep in the forest called the Hinterlands. Would that be the way home? Or would it be one of the graves that Jack has mentioned?

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't hear the front door open and someone trekking up the stairs then almost jumped out of her skin when a hand was placed on her shoulder. Her head whipped over her shoulder to see Jack looking down at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, not this time at least. You look a lot better now. Did you wash up?"

"It's alright, and uh, yeah. I really needed it. I also left some clothes hanging on the room divider to dry. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not! Make yourself at home," He looked over her shoulder to see the journal." Are you enjoying my findings?"

Nodding her head, she looks back down at the open pages. "It's interesting and your experiences are really exciting, but I was wondering? Where is the Hinterlands? Would that be my way out?"

"I'm afraid not. I haven't found a way to get to your world through any of the doors. The only way I suggest is to go through one of the graves."

"I see," she sighed before standing back up. "Well, I'm pretty exhausted, so I'm going to go to sleep."

"Ah, alright! Here!" He walked over to a chest on the other side of his bed and brought out a pile of blankets and a fluffy pillow. "If you need anything, just come up and wake me," he says as he hands her the blankets and her bag.

She takes it with a smile holds it close. "Thank you Jack. For everything."

Just as she was about to head down the stairs, Jack suddenly calls for her. "Oh wait! Tomorrow, I would like to take you out for lunch and if you're comfortable enough, a tour of my lovely little town. Would that be alright?"

She blinks up at him in surprise. Someone wants to take me out? And it's voluntary?! "I, uh, sure," she replied without thinking about it.

"Fantastic! I'll come and get you sometime in the afternoon. I have to leave the house early, so don't be frightened to see me leaving. You'll be safe!"

"Ok. Uh, goodnight!"

"Goodnight! Sweet nightmares!"

She made her way downstairs and set up her little bed. From where she was laying, the moonlight was shining through the window onto her feet, casting a blue glow in the room. The stars in the distance were a comfort to see in this different world. The fatigue was finally setting in with the physical and mental exhaustion pushing it faster. Finally comfy, her eyelids drooped and she fell into a deep sleep with a little excitement for the day to come.

I tried my best to describe the environment because it's supposed to be more of the perspective of Cassandra, but it was extremely difficult so I'm sorry if it confused you. I also made up parts of Jack's house like where she woke up because of course we have never seen that part of Jack's house in the movie. If you want a better idea of what you're seeing, obviously you can see the movie or ask me and I'll show you screenshots I based them on. Hope it was decent.