Chapter 6 - Who are you?
"I wanted to meet Hallow"
In front of him, the two had gone quiet, Sally watching Jack (Skellington) and Jack watching him. The smile was gone now, replaced with…shock, perhaps? The two Halloween creatures exchanged looks equally unreadable to Jack (Frost) before Sally nodded once. The suited skeleton turned back to the winter spirit, still seeming apprehensive,
"Well, you see, Jack. We would love for you to meet her, but she's not up to visitors right now and-"
"I know she sleeps for half a year, but it's nearly August! She must be waking up soon, isn't she?"
Sally took over the explanation, "it's not that easy, Jack. You see, she doesn't really…appreciate when Guardians visit. I understand she's never met you, but there are some…events that happened in the past that prejudiced her against Guardians. We don't want you to get hurt, is what Jack means" she gave a small smile, and Jack (Skellington) rested a hand on her shoulder,
"Sally's right. The last guardian to visit was chased by the hellhounds before he even reached the gate. I brought you up here but not because I had her approval to do so. Not that she could really have given it...but you understand." Jack (S) looked up to what Jack (F) assumed was Hallow's room, before lowering his head again, "I'm sure you don't want her to hurt you either, do you?" Well, were it not for the way his powers suddenly cut out, Jack (F) wouldn't be worried, but…
"I'm here now. There's no point in going back just before you've reaches where you want to be. I asked my friends, they've called her dangerous, they've called her terrible, but her record doesn't make her seem anything like that. I've said this so many times it's getting boring now – I just want to see her for myself. I want to know her from my own experiences." Jack (F) gave a harsh sigh. This was getting on his nerves now. This was one girl, and the amount of hardship he was going through was ridiculous!
It began to make him wonder if it was worth it. What if she really was just a little brat? What if she was as scary as Tooth had said? If she really was dangerous, then she would have more years of experience behind her and more monsters and nightmares than Pitch. And these nightmares wouldn't just be Pitch's sands and shadows. These would be real, touchable, and deadly.
Jack mentally shook himself hard.
He was not going to give up! For Christ's sake! If he was doubting himself over this, how was he going to last as a guardian if the few children's belief he held stopped believing in him? He pulled himself out of his mental debate just in time to see the conversation Jack (S) and Sally seemed to have been having. Jack (S) gave a sigh and turned to face the spirit of winter,
"I really don't think it would be safe for you to-" Jack (F) shot a look of heavy annoyance at the skeleton,
"Are you just gonna tell me she's dangerous too?"
Both faces wore equal expressions of surprise at his words, Sally speaking up first, "dangerous? Of course she's not dangerous! Why would you think that? She a lovely girl, strict where she needs to be, and strong, definitely, but not-"
"I don't see how you could ever even think that! Hallow is nothing short of adorable even on bad days. The finest trickster it has ever been my pleasure to meet, and certainly not dangerous of all things!" Jack's (S) words were accompanied by sweeping gestures with his arms, which made it difficult for Jack (F) to doubt what he was saying. He sounded honest and passionate as he spoke. But then that would mean she wasn't the vicious creature his friends had made her out to be.
Jack (S) giving a sigh as he rested his head on his bony hands in though brought him back to the world of the living (or…dead, considering, you know…skeletons?) He looked at Sally, who tilted her head at him with a smile. He turned back to Jack (F),
"Alright, you win. She will be waking up shortly, so I'll take you to see her. On one condition!" and then Jack (F) had a face full of skeleton poiting a finger at him like a disobedient child, "If she tells you to leave, or if there is a sign you should leave, you WILL leave immediately! Understood?" Jack (F) nodded a few times, eyes widening. There it was again, that thing about this place and the people here that just instilled fear. Oh who was he kidding? This place was MADE of fear. Thrived on in. But not like Pitch's world had. This was a different sort of fear. The fear of inevitably hitting the ground as you were falling.
Jack (S) leaned back, seemingly satisfied with Jack's (F) agreement, and motioned for the winter spirit to follow as he headed for the door. It was as Jack (F) was reaching for his staff that Sally's slender hand rested on his shoulder, he turned to face her wide eyes and stitched smile,
"Don't judge Hallow by what you first see. That will be your biggest mistake…" her smiles almost seemed sad as she let go of Jack's arm, giving a faint wave as he left the room, following after the suited skeleton.
A hand of bones fell onto his back as he walked, and he looked up at Jack (S), the skeleton was frowning at him, "what is your fascination with Miss Eve? Most people would simply ask someone else about a person and leave it at that, not travel all the way to a place crawling with goblins, ghouls and ghosts" Jack filed that information away for future reference, and shrugged,
"At first, I just wanted someone my own age to talk to and to mess around with for a little. I mean, even if you make friends with children, where are they going to be in eighty years time? And I'll still be stuck just the same…I asked North if there was anyone else, he mentioned Hallow. He was the one who called her dangerous. Tooth – Tooth told me she was scary and powerful, and Bunny gave me a short record of her past. So at first I probably did think she was 'evil'. But I've met Pitch, and no one brought about the fear that he did, s I couldn't see how…and then you and Sally said she was lovely…I guess…I dunno, I guess I just want to see for myself and make up my own mind. That, and it seems like she needs a friend outside this place, if she spends six months sleeping."
The skeleton nodded in understanding, "Well, here we are" they had stopped at the bottom of a spiralling staircase, "she always had a love of the traditional, towers, stairways and all that. Just keep going straight up and the door at the very top is her bedroom. I would come with you, but I have pumpkin seeds to sow!" With another flourish, Jack (S) turned and walked away, humming as he went.
Well then.
Jack (F) turned back to the staircase and began to walk. Each step echoed off of the stone walls. Loud and clear in the empty space. Jack passed door after door, curiosity making him pause before driving onwards, and by the fifth door wishing, again, the wind could just carry him.
He was out of breath by the time he finally, finally reached the last doorway, made of black oak wood, a heavy iron handle to the left of the door, curving into an archway at the top. A typical old-castle doorway. Jack spent a few moments longer staring at it before knocking with the top of his staff. No answer. He waited a few moments more before knocking again. It paid to be polite after all. Still, no answer.
Slowly grasping the iron handle, he pushed against the heavy door until it swung open. He leaned forward instead of just waltzing straight in, looking around the circular room. Polished wooden flooring and stone walls, jut like the bedroom he had been in. A thin wardrobe was pushed against the wall as best as it could be. A small cabinet. Two windows on opposing sides of the room, letting in the artificial moonlight. A curved fireplace set impressively into the wall, with a small table, a deep red and gold carpet and a comfy looking black couch sitting in front of it. The fire was unlit. Not even ash nor embers remained in the hearth, yet the room was pleasantly warm. Not overly so for Jack, but enough to be enjoyable.
Finally stood a huge bed, the main feature of the room, with the foot of it directly opposite from the door. Four poster, draped with thin, reddish-orange curtains. Taking slow steps through the room, Jack called out softly,
"Hello? Anyone here…? Hallow?" by the time he'd reached the side of the bed, there had still be no answer. He stood there, debating with himself for a long while whether or not to push back the curtains. He leaned against his staff as he thought-
-Before crashing into the bedside unit as his staff was wrenched upwards from his grasp. He gasped at the pain as the sharp edges of the furniture pressed into his arms and chest from the fall, before pushing himself up and whipping his head around, looking around the room in panic. No one was there.
"Who are you? Hm?" a fierce voice leapt through the room, childish but angry. Coming from…above?
Jack raised his head, blue eyes meeting with the abnormally bright yellow of a girl hanging upside down from the wooden bars and supports in the ceiling. Before Jack even opened his mouth, she spoke again, twirling his staff and pointing it accusingly at him, but still miles out of reach,
"Who are you?!"
Well, they've finally met face to face at least. Sorry for making you wait six chapters to see her, but I often read fanfictions where you meet the OC or the character head on and make up your own opinions straight away, and with this I wanted you to see how different people view her before actually introducing her and having Jack make his own view on her.
Once again, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed this story, it really does put a huge smile on my face when I get an e-mail saying it's been liked. Suggest tricks if you want to, and enjoy the new year everyone!