CHAPTER 11: THESE EMPTY TEARS

Jill opened her eyes to find that her bedroom was gone. So was Grim. Her eyes immediately adjusted to the darkness, and then darted around in terror as her breathing hitched.

She was inside a coffin. Her pajamas were replaced with ornate ceremonial robes, and muffled voices echoed past the coffin lid above her head. Just like her orientation night when she first arrived at Night Raven—was she dreaming of that? She pushed at the lid, expecting to fall out again and explore the castle…

But the lid held tight. She couldn't open it. No… something was wrong.

What's more, instead of being upright, now she was laying on her back. She searched the lid all over, looking for some sort of handle or hinge, but there was none. It felt like there was a great weight on the other side, preventing her from freeing herself. What was she supposed to do?!

"…We're gathered here today to mourn the death of Jillian Bones," a worn voice said. Was that Father Matthew from Jill's church?! "She was only sixteen when she passed away, and though she has not lived long, her death will be felt here for generations…"

"WHAT?!" Jill screamed. "NO! I'M NOT DEAD! LET ME OUT!" She kicked and beat her fists against the lid. "DON'T BURY ME, PLEASE! I'M STILL ALIVE!"

The pastor went on, detailing Jill's life in Crittenden, then her life in Night Raven College. As he spoke, Jill could hear her parents weeping hysterically, and her classmates bidding her goodbye…

"CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?!" Jill screeched. "YOU'RE GONNA BURY ME ALIVE! OPEN THIS UP!"

Her fingers searched all over the coffin. In the old days, coffins had strings that were connected to bells. If someone was buried alive, they could ring the bell to summon help… but there was nothing here. No way to tell anyone she wasn't dead. Jill fought and yelled and pushed with all her might—her voice was sore and her muscles ached—and yet none of the mourners above acknowledged her efforts.

"…And so we will bid farewell to Jillian Bones in this life, knowing she is in a better place now," Father Matthew finished.

"Goodbye, Jill…" the voices all said at the same time.

"Pl-Please…" Jill burst into tears. "Someone please… get me out…"

The air was growing thin, and darkness was closing in all around her. Jill's head spun, and her tears froze on her face. She wasn't ready to die yet… there were so many things she wanted to do, places she wanted to go, people she wanted to meet…

She never got to hold her parents one last time…

"JILL! JILL, WAKE UP!"

Jill gasped and opened her eyes. She was back in her creepy, cozy bedroom, with Grim sitting on top of her pinstriped bedsheets. The first rays of sunshine were peeking through the curtains, chasing away the last shadows of her dream.

"G-Grim…?" Jill rubbed her wet eyes. "Oh, thank God… I'm not dead."

"Of course ya ain't dead," Grim snapped. "It was just a bad dream! You were cryin' and flailin' around like you were possessed! Ya even kicked me right in the butt!"

"Oh, Grim, I'm so sorry…" Jill sighed. "I dreamt that I was being buried alive, and everyone was at my funeral, and I tried to get out, but…" Only now did she realize how ridiculous she was being.

Grim huffed, then put his paw on top of her hand. "What is it with you and nightmares?" he asked.

"I don't know," Jill muttered. "Back home, my worst dreams were just being late to school on the first day, where I have to take the final exam that I didn't study for. But now…"

Strange nightmares had plagued Jill's subconscious since her arrival to Night Raven. In her dreams, she'd been beheaded by Riddle, thrown into a wildebeest stampede by Leona, drowned by Azul, strangled by a serpentine Jamil, poisoned by Vil, and mauled to death by Grim. And that wasn't counting the memories of home that gave her a bitter nostalgia when she awoke. But this was a strange mix of both. There was a deep sense of agitation inside her, like her bones had been rattled.

Grim gazed at Jill for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Well, maybe this'll cheer ya up," he said. "Y'know how sometimes I have those weird dreams where the mirror glows? And then I see the Great Seven?"

Jill nodded. She didn't see these dreams herself, but somehow Grim's dreams about the Great Seven were much closer to the Disney villains they really were than the rose-tinted history he was taught.

"Well, I had a dream about the Pumpkin King last night," Grim went on. "There was this weird town where all these monsters were goin' around singin' and scarin' each other."

"That sounds like fun," Jill giggled.

"Then someone was pullin' a fake horse, and on top was this scarecrow with a pumpkin head." Grim blinked, as though he couldn't believe his own words. "Then the scarecrow grabbed a torch and ate it! It was on fire, then it jumped into a fountain and… the Pumpkin King appeared!"

"You probably dreamed about Halloween, the way the Pumpkin King's people celebrated it," Jill said.

"Yeah, it was wild. And then everyone was cheerin' and congratulatin' their king, but… he ran away from them as soon as he could," Grim muttered. "And even though everyone else was happy, the Pumpkin King seemed… sad." He shook his head. "I don't get it. The guy was on top of the world! What was there to be sad about?"

"Grim, well…" Jill wasn't sure how to put it. "I think the Pumpkin King was tired of performing Halloween for all those years."

"Ya think?" Grim tilted his head. "But why?"

"Well, even you'd get bored doing the same thing over and over," Jill said.

"I don't think settin' myself on fire and jumpin' into a fountain would ever get boring," Grim dismissed. "Eh, forget it. This is bummin' me out. We gotta get breakfast and head out for class."

"Right…" Jill climbed out of bed, then nearly jumped out of her skin. Her phone, which was recharging at her nightstand, suddenly played Oingo Boingo's "Just Another Day" like it always did for her morning alarm.

Jill turned off her phone's alarm. "Just another day," she repeated. "You can do this, Jill."

She quickly brushed her hair and teeth, then got into her Hallowgrim school outfit. It had the same basic look as everyone else's school outfits—a white shirt that was covered by a black jacket with golden buttons. But she wore a matching skirt instead of pants, and on her feet were Mary-Jane shoes and knee-high striped socks. A simple black bowtie was tied around her shirt collar, and her dark hair was fitted with an orange ribbon and draped over one shoulder. The Hallowgrim insignia was on her lapel, and a little golden icon of it was tied around her left arm with an orange-and-black striped band. The insignia in question was a scowling jack-o-lantern with cat ears and bat wings. Grim had been the main inspiration behind the dorm's name and symbol, something that the fiery direbeast held with pride.

Breakfast was a quick plate of toast and pumpkin butter, and then Jill was ready to follow Grim out the door. Before she made it, though, Philip stopped her.

"You forgot your magestone pen," the ghost said, and handed it to her. "…You may want to hold off on magic for a little bit."

"Why…?" But Jill's question was answered when she stared at the amber-orange magestone attached to her pen. There was a single drop of black right in the center, like the pupil of an eyeball. Blot. It was roughly the size of the nail on Jill's pinkie. As she thanked Philip and headed out with Grim, with her backpack weighing on her shoulders and her magestone in her chest pocket, Jill felt as if that black spot was a target of sorts.

It made no sense for so much blot to appear out of nowhere like that…

Author's Note: Jill and Grim both have a connection to Mickey's mirror due to being in close proximity to it. Grim is the one who sees the Disney dreams, while Jill is the one who sees Mickey.

Another note, "Just Another Day" is an awesome piece that I like to attribute to Jill as a character song of sorts. I can't post the lyrics here because of copyright, but I suggest you check it out for yourself, especially the chorus.