Chapter V
'They Moved'
'Dimitri!' Kate whined. 'It's six AM! What do you want?'
I had knocked on the door of her bedroom rather loudly. I couldn't believe what I was about to do...
'Shh!' replied with a finger over my mouth.
She got my drift and began to whisper. 'So, what DO you want?'
'You wanna go see it now?'
'What?'
'Earth.'
'I lived there...you said...right?'
'Yeah.'
She smiled a little and tried to hide it. 'Okay; let me get my coat.'
In the Hinterlands, she trailed behind me nervously. The winter winds blew a fresh sensation into my lungs. I felt a little nervous about doing this. There was no telling what would happen by bringing the dead to Earth. But now, come to think of it, I was dead and I went to Earth a lot of times. Then again, that resulted in the unneeded death of Kate. Jeez...I really need to stop thinking so deeply. The Halloween Door was just ahead of us. I took her hand and climbed through it. She was fasinated by all the doors.
"Dimitri..." she whispered in amazement. "What are these things?"
"These are the Holiday Doors." I explained. "See; the Pumpkin Door we just came out of leads to Halloweentown."
"Do the others lead to different places?"
"Yeah." I replied. "I want to explore them all one day." I turned to her. "Maybe you'd like to come with me."
Kate blushed and my stomach lept. "I'd like that, Dimitri." She changed the dubject quickly. "How long until we get there?"
"We're about halfway there." I estimated.
"Dimitri? What's my family like?"
I was confused at the sudden question. "Well," I began, "They're really nice people. They loved you so much; when I told them you were hurt, they wasted no time in getting to you as quickly as possible!"
"Do you think they'll be happy to see me back?"
"No."
"WHAT?!"
"They'll be overjoyed!"
In minutes, we were at the mound of dirt with the stone door in it. I opened the door slowly and the both of us stepped through it, Kate with more caustion than I. Not expecting it, Earth was freezing cold. Or was it Earth? I couldn't see anything because I was buried in crystal-like, freezing white material. I sat up and spit the stuff out of my mouth, my mouth numb. Kate sat up, too.
"It's f-freezing!" she exclaimed as she held herself to keep warm.
"No kidding..." I said, bewildered.
I stood up and I walked over to the barbed-wire fence. As expected, I saw Kate's house through it. I motioned her over and we both hpped the fence in no time.
"Wait 'till my parents see that I'm alright!" Kate cried.
"Yeah!" I said, thinking about it. "Be ready to be stormed with hugs."
She laughed.
We looked through the window. Inside, there was a tree with different decorations on it and with a plastic star ontop. A family was gathered around it. There was a mother, father, son, and daughter in red and green sweaters, holding hands and singing in the glow of a fire place. "What a nice family". I thought to myself. But then I realized something that made my heart sink. It wasn't KATE'S family.
"That's my family?" said Kate joyfully. "They look like such nice people and look; I even have a little brother and sister!"
"You were an only child..." I muttered.
"Only child?" Kate replied, confused, "Then who the heck are these people?"
"That's a really good question."
The happy look on Kate's face disappeared quicker than the twinkling of an eye.
"Well, if that isn't MY family, where'd they go?"
I racked my brain for an explanation. Then, it came to me; what was the reason why she couldn't go to the party?
"I'm sorry, Kate, there's just too much to do around here before we move!" Her mother's words echoed in my mind.
"They moved." I said simply.
"What?"
"They moved. I remember your mother saying that your family was moving."
"Where are they, then?" asked Kate.
"I don't know..." I said softly.
The walk back to Halloweentown was a silent one. Kates heart was heavy with sadness and I put my arm around her and she smiled at me.
"Everything's gonna be alright." I whispered to her.
She nodded and put her head back down.
Kate needed a friend to help her. And I think I was that friend.