I'm sorry this is so behind. I hope you like the story! Also, I plan on writing one long story for the month of December. I'm not sure what fandom I should write it in, so let me know if you have any thoughts. I have a google form link on my tumblr if you want to respond that way! Otherwise let me know in a review!
-owl
Jack was not quite sure how he had gotten into the situation he was currently in. Jamie had had the great idea to try to convince his mother to let him go along with his friends to a haunted house. While he had been hoping to get an affirmative answer, both he and his friends had been surprised that Mrs. Bennett had agreed to let Jamie go, although Sophie was strictly forbidden from going with. Provided one of the other kids' parents were supervising.
Well, it had turned out that instead of a parent going along to supervise, Cupcake's older brother of seventeen was going with to make sure none of them would get hurt or otherwise.
Jack had also told Jamie and the rest of the kids that he would love to join them. He had never been in a haunted house before, anyway. The kids were thrilled that he was going to go to the haunted house with them, but none more than Jamie.
They had been in the haunted house for all of an hour by now. Cupcake's brother had long since disappeared into the dark depths of the house, leaving the children behind.
Jack was glad that as of yet, they hadn't run into any of the staff. He was also very annoyed with Cupcake's brother for leaving the kids. Luckily Jack was there and the group of kids were able to see him.
"So," Jack said, trying to keep the kids in a positive mood, "are we ready to explore?"
Jamie nodded. "Yeah!"
The other kids also gave answers of agreement. Then, together, the group of children and the Guardian of Joy began their trek through the haunted house. They walked through dimly lit hallways and up rickety stairs. All the while organ music with a spooky quality wafted through the building, permeating the floors and the walls, seeming to seep into their very bones.
"Who found this place?" Jack asked the group.
They all pointed at Caleb, who smiled sheepishly. "I thought it was a little less scary than it turned out to be," he said in his defense.
Jack shook his head and let the kids lead the way. The first room they came into properly was a bedroom, with a large four-poster bed. Drapes hung from the bed frame, tied to the posts. There was a vanity table with a mirror on top. In the mirror was a message.
The secrets are not what they seem, prepare, they lie in wait.
Jack was not sure what the message in the mirror meant, but it certainly startled the kids, though it was doubtful that they knew what it meant either.
"Why don't we keep exploring?" Jack suggested, gently ushering the kids out of the bedroom.
The next room they came to was the dining room. The table was set in what Jack recognized as a fancy setting for late 1800s dinner parties. In the middle of the table was a covered serving plate.
At some sort of an unseen trigger, probably a motion sensor, the cover for the serving plate rose up into the air on a set of strings to reveal a fake severed hand. As if on cue, all six children screamed and sprinted out of the room into the hallway.
As they exited the dining room, they locked eyes with one of the staff members. He was wearing a costume and a mask. The long reddish-black cloak and the mask with no face was creepy enough, but what really sold the image was the long scythe in his hands.
"Jack, we're scared," Monty and Cupcake whispered together in fear as they hid behind his legs.
Jack nodded the slightest bit, barely moving his head. It was his job to protect these kids, he was the Guardian of Joy, he could defeat the fear.
Memories flashed through his mind, his sister, panicked, calling to him that she was scared. He hadn't been able to do anything to stay with her. Then Jamie's same words ran through as well. A whisper, barely there, barely heeded. Jack had helped that time, but too soon the nightmares had overtaken the small amount of joy he had brought.
But, this time, Jack was not helpless, like when his sister cried as he fell. This time, it was not a battle between the five weakened guardians and the boogeyman. This time, Jack was going to help, going to bring joy to the kids.
"There's nothing I can do that you can't," Jack said, turning around to look at the kids. "Do you remember how you defeated the nightmares? You stood there, and faced Pitch, and you didn't let him scare you. Now, this guy won't disappear like the nightmares did, but you can still face your fears. Nothing will truly happen, don't worry. I'll protect you, but you gotta try it yourself, first."
Jamie nodded and took a step forward. After a long moment of staring straight at the man, he spoke. "Let's go!" he called, leading the kids in a dead sprint through the hall and past the costumed staff member.
As they turned a corner to get away from the creepy costumed staff, Jack spotted an exit sign. He nudged Pippa, and she noticed it too. Pippa then led the way outside of the haunted house.
Once outside, they saw Cupcake's brother, talking to the person who had checked them in. When he saw the group, he stopped his conversation and ran over to his sister and her friends.
"Where did you guys go?" he asked, worry thick in his tone. "I lost you quite quickly once we were inside."
"We didn't know where you went, so we made our way through the house," Claude answered.
"Why would you go that way? I was going to take you down the less-scary path!" Cupcake's brother exclaimed.
"Oh…" all the kids muttered.
Jack had to fight the urge to smack himself in the face. Of course, they had gone the wrong way!
