(The following is a work of fanfiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the writer's imagination or are used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.)

(I do not own Soul Eater, Soul Eater NOT!, or any other related names. All rights belong to Manga Entertainment, Madman Entertainment, Square Enix, and Atsushi Okubo)

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And welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the second chapter of A Soul Eater Christmas Carol. Now this where things will get a little scary here, so I hope that you are all prepared for what's coming.

But anyway, enjoy! ^_^

- Chapter Two -

Shaula's Ghost

9:45 in the evening.

The wood in the fireplace snapped and crackled, as Arachne sat in her chair, resting her feet on a small stool, dressed in her black satin nightgown worn underneath her silk bathrobe. Right next to her was a small table where a bottle of her most favorite brand of wine was located. After she took a sip of her wine from the glass chalice she held in her left hand, the alcohol pouring down her throat and filling her with warmth, she placed the cup back onto the small table and continued to read the large red book she held in her other hand; a copy of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.

After about twenty more minutes of reading, Arachne placed a bookmark in-between the pages and placed it onto the small table where the wine was, lifted herself up from her chair, placed the cork back inside the wine bottle, and walked across the library with the bottle and glass in both hands. After walking out of the library and into the foyer, a loud knocking came from her front door and the voices of children caught her ears and they were coming from the other side.

She placed her right ear to the door; there must have been four, maybe five of them outside. Together, they were all singing to the carol God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Arachne's face hardened. Great. Christmas carolers. Just what she needed tonight. She flung open the door to see five young children standing in front of her patio. Many of them ranged from close to nine or twelve years of age. Arachne growled under her breath and her dark eyes morphed into a hateful glare.

"Get out of here!" she barked. "Get off my property, you filthy rats, before I give you something to sing about!"

In seconds, the children quickly ran for their dear lives and out into the darkened snow streets of the city until they could no longer be seen. That will teach them, Arachne thought, smiling cruelly in triumph. Before she had the chance to shut the door, an eerie voice suddenly whispered her name. This catching her attention, Arachne stuck her head out and peered around her front yard that was covered by the blanket of snow and darkness. Again, that same eerie voice whispered her name, only it was somewhat louder than before. Confusion covered her face.

"Who is calling me?" she said, raising her voice to whoever it was. "Did someone call my name?"

In response, a cold chill suddenly ran down her spine and an unexpected feeling came over her; a nagging feeling that told her she was being watched, that something was stalking her. As she was about to close her door, she saw something that struck her soul with the feeling of indescribable fear. Her door knob began to glow a whitish neon-blue. The knocker then twisted and morphed into a shapeless ball.

But then, the next thing that happened, surprised Arachne even more so; the shapeless knocker changed into the face of what appeared to be a young woman. There were no words to describe the feeling of dread that coursed throughout Arachne's body. Her eyes were wide as they could be, and her gray pupils nearly shrank into dots. Without even knowing it, she dropped her wine bottle and it fell to the floor. What made it more petrifying was that Arachne recognized the ghost's face after examining it closely.

"S... S-Shaula...?" she whispered.

The ghostly face of Shaula Gorgon did not react. But then, its black eyes snapped wide open and stared down at Arachne as if it was staring deep into her soul. Arachne stared back, frozen in place, like she was being hypnotized by the ghosts penetrating gaze, and then it began to open its mouth and called out her name in an awful voice, which could only be described as simply bone-chilling. Arachne, quick as a flash, slammed the door shut and locked it tightly. For a moment, she turned around and rested her back against the door, breathing heavily and her heart pounding hard in her heaving chest. She then gazed down at the corked wine bottle on the floor. She then wiped away the growing sweat from her forehead.

"I think I have had enough for tonight," she concluded.

After that, she picked up the bottle and ascended the staircase to the second floor of the mansion up above. Even though she had decided that what she had just seen was only her imagination, or so she tried to convince herself that it was, she could not, however, shake off the nerve-racking feeling at how realistic it looked, at how life-like that face was. As she made her way through the somewhat darkened hallway, a sudden noise came from the opposite direction, catching her attention.

And it sounded like it was coming from the staircase. She turned around and tried to peer into the darkness. Ghostly whispers resonated throughout the end of hallway, calling out her name in dull moans and wails. Her whole body began to tremble, and her breathing became heavy again. She began to slowly and easily back away, as the voices became almost louder.

"M-Mosquito?!" she called out nervously. "Is that you? If this is your idea of a prank, it is not funny!" Nothing happened.

"If you do not stop this at once, you will be fired!" she called out again, this time a little more sternly. "Do you hear me?!"

As much as she wanted to deny it, but the sensation that slowly clouded her mind was becoming stronger by the minute, dawning on her that this was far too realistic-looking to be either a dream or an illusion, even though she wished that this was one of the two. This must be all in my head, she thought, trying to convince herself, while shaking her head at the idea she so desired not to have. Yes, that is it. My mind is playing tricks on me This is not real. She nervously swallowed a hard lump that suddenly appeared in her throat.

"Mosquito?!..." she called out one more time, her voice no longer carrying the sense of authority, but was once again laced with fear. "P-Please, tell me that it is just you!"

What came next was the rising of mist and an eerie but faint whitish-blue glow grew brighter as it gradually came from the ascending staircase, this Arachne realized. To put the icing on the cake of this abysmal horror show, the brightening glow was accompanied by the resonatingly heavy sound of footsteps marching up the staircase. As the footsteps became louder and louder, just before finally reaching the top, Arachne, now dreading what could possibly be the worst, swiftly turned back around and ran straight to the end of the hallway, swung open her bedroom door to the left, ran inside her bedchambers, and slammed the door shut.

To make doubly sure that nothing could get through, Arachne firmly locked the door in every way possible; turning the latch, twisting the keyhole, fastening the chain, and sliding the bar. Two bars, actually. After that, she quickly darted to her wingback armchair and twisted it 'round so its back was turned from the door, kneeled onto it in a backwards position, and carefully peeked her head out from the top, closely and cautiously watching her bedroom door. She anxiously waited for something, if not anything, she hoped would not happen. She nervously bit the bottom of her lip and her slender fingers curled and tightened around the top of the back of the armchair.

After a short while now, after nothing had happened, Arachne began to relax, believing that the worst was over, or so she had believed. Just when she was about to get up from her chair, soft knocking suddenly came from her door and that same bone-chilling voice from before echoed just outside her bedroom door, calling out her name in an unnerving moan. Arachne's heart skipped a beat and felt as if it was about to burst out of her chest.

Her eyes widened when she saw the mist slithering its way below her door, accompanied by the whitish-blue glow that threatened to penetrate through. Never in her entire life has she ever experienced such fantastic horrors before, and it became all the more terrible when she helplessly watched the locks undo themselves all on their own, as if some unseen force was responsible, which she believed was becoming very likely. The doorknob twisted and turned, and then in a swift motion, the bedroom door swung open slamming against the wall.

Arachne leapt from her chair and backed away until she was close to the unlit fireplace. Her face was written with fear as she stared at the ghostly figure who stood before her just outside her bedroom. The ghost took one step forward, and then another, and another, and another, until it was almost standing ten feet close to the middle of the bedroom. Arachne stood where she was, frozen in complete terror at what she saw before her. Finally, she mustered up whatever courage she had and spoke the first words that came to mind.

"W-Who and what are you?" she muttered. "And what do you want with me?" The ghost eyed Arachne and then its lips curled into a kind smile.

"Why, Arachne," it said. "Do you mean to tell me that after all these years, you had already forgotten about your own baby sister?" Arachne looked at the ghost with a furrowed and confused face.

"B-Baby sister?" The phantom smiled, and a giggle escaped its mouth.

"Yes, Arachne," it said. "Look closely, and tell me what you see." Arachne rubbed her eyes furiously and blinked a few times until she could see the ghost more clearly. For a moment, she paused and then closely examined the spectral being in great detail. The apparition had the appearance of a young teenage girl, possibly nineteen years old. Her pale and unblemished complexion served to accentuate her slender facial features, which were characterized by the ominous-looking irises displayed in her eyes.

She appeared to be dressed in a long-sleeved sailor outfit; the kind that had been adopted by many schools in Japan as their standard uniform. Her hair was arranged into a long loose plait that ended in the shape of what looked like a scorpion's stinger, through the use of an appropriately tied bow. From all of this, Arachne's eyes widened in shock as the sense of recognition consumed her brain.

"S-Shaula?" she uttered. "... Is that you? ... Is that really you?" The ghost nodded its head.

"Yes, big sister," the ghost of Shaula Gorgon stated. "It's me."

"No..." Arachne said, before shaking her head violently. "No, you are not real. You cannot be real." Shaula's delightful smile turned into a frown within a split second.

"What reason have you believe that I am just a figment of your imagination?" the ghost asked. "Why are you denying the fact that I had just revealed my very existence to you?" Arachne merely scratched the side of her head, trying to find the right words to use.

"Well, I did have a few drinks recently," Shaula placed both of her slenderous hands on both her hips.

"Oh, so you blame the wine for me being here?" she questioned, in an almost offended manner. "I am not here because you had one to many sips of alcohol, Arachne Gorgon."

"No?" Arachne said hesitantly. "Then, why exactly are you here?" The ghost of Shaula raised her hand as if to tell her older sister to remain calm.

"I will tell you," she said. "But first, is it alright if I have a seat?" Arachne blinked for a moment and hastily nodded her head.

"S-Sure, be my guest," And so, Shaula's ghost walked up to the chair Arachne was at earlier. Once after reaching it, she slowly knelt and sat down and nothing more. Arachne eased on over to the spare wingback armchair that she had opposite from Shaula. Now, with both sisters seated, one alive and the other dead as a doornail, Arachne waited patiently for the ghost to speak. What she thought the ghost was going to say, ended up being something completely different.

"I must say though, I must have given you quite the scare earlier, didn't I?" she asked. Arachne shot her dead sister's ghost an annoyed glance and a huff.

"You think that was funny?" she grunted "You just about nearly gave me a heart attack!" She placed her hand on her own chest, to make it her point. A sadistically mischievous grin appeared on Shaula's face.

"I know, right?" she stated with a child-like giggle. "You should have seen the look on your face. Admit it, you miss the good times."

Arachne crossed her arms and grumpily pouted. She had forgotten that Shaula used to be quite the prankster when she was still alive back in the day. Simple and immature games only to try and get a laugh. Arachne remembered that Shaula one time she poured ice cubes down her dress when she was was twenty-three. Shaula must have been either thirteen or fifteen years old when that happened. That was the one aspect of her baby sister, Arachne did not miss at all. But although, as much as Arachne wanted to deny it, she knew that deep down within her, she actually did miss Shaula's unique sense of humor. Arachne then sighed softly, her shoulders slumped, and her arms laid down on her lap. By this point, she had now become almost exhausted from what she had just went through. After inhaling and exhaling a calm breath, Arachne looked straight at the spectral creature in front of her and spoke again.

"Alright, Shaula," she began. "Let us get back to business. What is the real reason why you are here? I assume that it is not just to catch up on old times, am I right?" Shaula's playful and happy expression transformed into a serious visage and she looked at Arachne with a somber demeanor the older sibling never knew she had.

"I have come for your sake, Arachne," the ghost of Shaula declared. "I've been sent to warn you. To save you." Arachne creased a confused eyebrow.

"Save me?" she asked curiously, but regretted it in seconds when the ghost said the next words that got to her.

"Yes... from your imminent doom," the ghost of Shaula Gorgon said. "To save your soul from eternal damnation." Terror had once again captivated Arachne. The more Shaula said, the more compelled by dread Arachne felt.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked.

"Arachne," Shaula's ghost began, making sure that what she was about to say became very clear to her older sibling, who remained within her chair opposite from her. "The path that which you have set yourself a course on is a very dangerous one. A path that you will not escape from, if you do not turn back now while you still have the chance. Even as we speak, you're standing near the tip of a razor's edge. If you do not stop now, you will be doomed for all time, and all of those around you will suffer the consequences of your actions."

"Shaula, please talk sense. Just what are you talking about?" Arachne asked. Shaula groaned in annoyance.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" she said, almost exasperatedly. "Something horrible, something far more terrible is waiting for you in the afterlife, a nightmarish fate far worse than what you could possibly imagine, if you do not change your ways before it's too late!"

"Just why are you here telling me this?" Arachne questioned. A sad expression covered Shaula's face.

"You may not know it," Shaula began, "But I had been watching you from Heaven above these past five years. And frankly, I'm not in the least bit happy with what I'm seeing. I can't stand the sight of you treating other people so badly, especially towards Medusa, your own remaining sister, who pours her heart out for you every year around the holidays. My heart breaks whenever I see you all by your pitiful lonesome, drinking only God knows how much wine, scotch, and cocktails you've downed. It pains me to witness my own sister, you, who was once a gentle soul become a miserable miser, consumed by your own lust for wealth, and by your hatred for Christmas."

Arachne uncomfortably twiddled with her fingers and then rubbed the back of her neck, unsure of how to respond to the ghost of her dead sister. And then, she found her voice once more.

"Well, not everyone is perfect," she stated. In a heartbeat, Shaula's ghost sprang forward until she was up in Arachne's face, making them just about close to being nose-to-nose.

"That is no excuse for your distasteful behavior, Arachne Gorgon!" she shrieked in a blood-curdling tone that could almost shake the entire earth. Arachne helplessly gazed into her dead sister's dark and angry eyes, completely petrified and frozen in terror at Shaula's sudden outburst. Eventually, Shaula's ghost relaxed and sat back down onto her seat as if nothing had ever happened.

"The point I am trying to make, Arachne, is that as your sister, I do not want you to die as a loveless and hardhearted sinner. Because I do not want you to burn." At the last word, a feeling of foreboding suddenly cast itself over Arachne's soul. Her heart pounded deeply and loudly in her chest as random nightmarish thoughts instantly ran through her head.

"But, b-but-"

"I know what you are going to say next, sister," the ghost said, cutting her older sibling off, and then spoke in a gentler voice. "And no, you're not beyond saving. It's not too late to make amends with those you have wronged. There's still time for you to repent and escape your terrible future."

"Then what must I do?" Slowly and carefully, the ghost of Shaula Gorgon rose from her chair, but did not remove her gaze from Arachne.

"Tonight, once after I depart, you will be visited by three other ghosts," Arachne looked at Shaula absurdly.

"More?" she said "Is this the second chance you are offering me?" The ghost nodded her head.

"Yes," she simply stated. "And I have some serious advice for you as well." Arachne hesitated for a moment but finally gave in.

"And that is?"

"Listen to them!" Shaula commanded. Arachne folded her hands as if she were in prayer and nodded her head hurriedly.

"I-I will,"

"And do they say!" Again, Arachne nodded her head like an obedient little child, which was of course very strange considering that Arachne was the eldest among of her two siblings. Normally, they would be the ones listening to her instead of the other way around. Of course, there was a time when she was still the authority figure of her family, since she was the first born. But right now, it was her youngest sister who was acting very much boss-like for the moment.

"Because if not," Shaula continued and then paused for a second before speaking again. "Well, I think you've got the idea." And just like that, the ghost moved away from Arachne and approached the bedroom window on the other side of the chamber. Arachne quickly stood up after watching her dead sister maneuver on over to the window.

"Wait," Arachne called out. "Where are you going?" Shaula turned around and smiled pleasantly yet sadly.

"I have to go now," she said. "It's nearly midnight." Suddenly, the bedroom window slid open and a force of cold, freezing air assaulted the room. Arachne covered herself with her dark-purple bathrobe to protect herself from the nipping chill.

"Shaula, wait!" she called out again, as a sudden wave of emotion came over her, an emotion she had not felt in a very long time. "Please, do not go!"

"I have to," she said. Arachne shook her head and reached out with her left hand.

"Please, do not leave me again!" she begged, her voiced a little bit cracked from the sadness that threatened to eat her up. "At least give me the chance to-"

"Expect the first ghost at one o'clock!" Shaula said, not listening to her sister. "The second shall arrive at exactly two! And the third? Well, let's just say that you better be prepared for that one, because I promise you, he will not be so merciful like the rest!"

"Wait! Shaula, wait!"

And just like that, without uttering another word, Shaula's ghost closed her eyes, and her physical form dissipated into mist until she was nothing but a glowing ball that radiantly shined with a whitish-blue aura. And then, the ball slowly floated over the window and disappeared into the darkness outside. Arachne ran to the window and peered her head out. She called out to her sister, but nothing answered back. Sadly, all that she could see were the falling snowflakes, and the darkened, snow-covered streets of Death City bellow. Feeling like she was defeated, Arachne hung her head as she slid the window shut and locked it tight.

After that, she undressed from her bathrobe, revealing her entire black satin, shoulder-strapped nightgown, and hung the robe on a nearby coat hanger next to her queen-size bed. For a moment, she paused and started to feel a lump growing in her her throat and her chest tightened with emotion. What I'm about to give to you is the best description I have, because I do not think anyone else could have describe it any better; for the very first time ever in five long years, Arachne covered her mouth with both trembling hands and openly wept, her puffed red cheeks now covered in brokenhearted tears.

"I did not get the chance to say goodbye," she muttered sorrowfully. Without another spoken word, fully exhausted and very much shaken by what had just transpired, Arachne Gorgon fell immediately into her bed, not even once bothering to cover herself with her blanket, and buried her tear-soaked face into her pillow and continued to cry miserably throughout the evening. Ultimately, she finally slipped into the hollow stillness of a dreamless slumber.

Okay, I am not gonna lie, I got a little bit emotional when writing the ending of this chapter. Can you all imagine yourselves going through the same kinda pain Arachne had just experienced? Truly, I understand how it feels to lose a loved one or family member. It is never an easy thing to go through, especially when they die on your favorite holiday, which would only become a painful reminder.

But anyway, let's move on. This is the part where I need all of your help. I want you all to tell me who you think should play the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Which Soul Eater characters would fit the roles? And no, I'm not gonna use Lord Death as the Future ghost, as much as I really like the idea. I'm afraid that if I use him, it will ruin the seriousness of this story. Sorry, guys :/

As you guys give me ideas, I will get to work on the third chapter of our beloved Christmas tale. Until then, have a splendid weekend. ^_^