Chapter 9: Just a Little Fun

Catherine had kept her new powers a secret from most of the town, and stayed with Arpeggio for what seemed forever to Jack. One day after practicing, Catherine happened upon three trick-or-treaters.

"I've never seen you around here... Who are you?"

"I'm Lock."

"I'm Shock."

"And I'm Barrel."

She thought they were kind of cute. But they began to giggle and sneer at her and before she could realize what was going on, the three trapped her in a magic sack. She tried clawing her way out, but the material seemed impervious to her scratchings. She could hear footsteps and realized they were taking her somewhere... She needed Jack. Using all of her lung power, she let out a terrifying screech, hoping it would reach Jack, back in his tower.

She sat in the sack for what seemed an eternity. Finally, there appeared an opening and she clambered out as fast as she could. As she stood up, she saw a terrible gray world. She saw floating pieces of land and dark twisted houses and buildings that seemed to have lost all color. The only color arose from the orange sun, setting over the horizon. A dank mist hung over the whole place. She held her hand over her nose to keep out the smell. She began to walk through, looking for any clues as to where she was, or how to get out. She nearly froze when she saw a hauntingly familiar sight... It was her home. Oogie had turned her home into a barren, lifeless world. Or at least... It seemed lifeless.

She walked through the town she once knew, seeing the horrifying changes it had gone through. The warped buildings stared at her as she perused the streets. She heard a faint giggle coming from between some buildings. Curiosity won her over and she walked slowly over to investigate. Shadowy figures loomed behind her as she squinted in the dark. She turned to go back and met with five devilish creatures. They all snickered and shifted focus from each other to Catherine, and back again. They lunged for her but were blown back by her forceful scream. She had learned a few good tricks... She decided the ground was too dangerous and that it was time to use her wings. She spread them wide, and before the monsters could stand up she was airborne.

She wavered a bit, still new to the experience, but quickly gained control. She wove between various floating objects and masses. A faint smile could be seen on her face as she gracefully hovered onto the top of one such mass. She could see a large black castle in the distance. When did that get there? Suddenly an eerie green glow appeared from inside. She felt something telling her to wait for Jack, but her curiosity won out again...

Upon arriving at the palace, she could see various demons and creatures entering with gifts. Some of the "gifts" were humans who had escaped the transformation. She summoned her courage and fell into line. No one questioned her, as she blended right in. As soon as she was inside, she was surrounded by paintings of the same burlap creature she had seen the night she changed. That must be who's behind all this... She carefully snuck out of the line and traveled down an interesting corridor. At the end of the dimly lit hallway there was a large room. She ducked down as a small bat creature flew hurriedly out of a crack in the door. She peeked carefully inside and saw a banquet fit for a monster. Florescent bugs covered the plates in a festive fashion. Ugh...

As she traveled down corridor after corridor, she became aware that she was getting thoroughly lost. She decided to stop walking and try to figure out what she should do. She didn't realize quite how tired she was... Small bugs began to crawl across her body as they put her in a deep slumber. They had her now.

She opened her eyes to the human world, the way it used to be. She walked through the town, gazing at terrified people. What is going on? She realized that they were all afraid of her. She was still a siren. She tried talking to the people, but they all ran away screaming, "Monster!" In the distance she saw Jack, his head blocking the setting sun. She ran to him calling his name, but as he turned to her, she knew something was wrong. He grinned like he did the night he scared her. He clasped his cold hands around her neck as she screamed for her life. Suddenly, a chilling wind blew, shattering the world around her, replacing it with a gloomy Christmas. Jack's Christmas. People ran from man-eating wreaths, vampire teddies, and killer duckies. She could hear Jack cackling from a coffin sleigh in the sky. He can't do this... No, it's a lie! She was flooded with images of Jack's many hauntings from his many years of scaring. Tears streamed down her face as she closed her eyes and held her head, hoping to make it all go away. Letting out a siren's shriek, the images vanished, leaving her in a black void.

She heard a deep voice in the distance, slowly coming closer...

"You see what ol' Jack can do? He's been the best scarer in all of Halloween. You think he'd change all that for a human?"

"He's not like that... He's not."

"Sorry, but that's the truth. How do you think he got to be the Pumpkin King?"

She remained silent as it all sank in.

"Come with me... We'll get Jack back for all he's done. And all that he's done to you..."

"He didn't make me this way..."

"Yes he did. Do you think all this would've happened if he'd just let you be? Of course not. He never cared about you. Let me help you. I can take away the sorrow... I can make you stronger than he'll ever be..."

Not knowing what she was doing, she slowly rose up and took the creature's "hand."