CHAPTER 2: UNDER ATTACK
It had started out as an ordinary day—well, ordinary for Jill Bones anyway.
The Hallowgrim housewarden woke up and quickly got ready for her day with Grim by her side and the ghostly trio helping her get things together. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, hinting at the summertime that was coming soon. Jill used to feel uneasy when she looked at the sky for too long—watching the clouds drift along reminded her of how much time she had spent in Twisted Wonderland. How her hometown of Crittenden, Kentucky was still left behind, maybe still waiting for her.
Just days ago, the homesickness caused so much grief that it made Jill overblot. It was still an uneasy thing to think about, seeing so many overblots on the outside and then going through it herself. She was tempted to ask the others about their respective blots, but she didn't want to open any wounds. Jill would simply find her own way to move forward.
And she was getting lots of help. Her friends were still at her side throughout the day—and her boyfriend, too. Ace Trappola insisted on a casual relationship that wasn't broadcasted to the world, yet Jill caught him smiling or even winking at her sometimes. Every time his eyes met hers, her heart skipped a beat. No one really commented on it, though the others in their friend group were quickly catching on (well, except for Grim).
As for her little isekai situation, Jill had gained a powerful ally in Headmage Dire Crowley. For most of the year, the crow-masked man had insisted on telling Jill as little as possible for her own good. But as she learned after her overblot, her family was also taken to a Kingdom Hearts location called Twilight Town. So even if Jill were to return to Crittenden, she would be alone. The situation had become much more complicated than it really needed to be.
And it was all because of Minuet-Hand. The evil side of her late grandfather's heart.
After classes, Jill met Crowley in his office so they could discuss the matters at hand.
"It's frustrating, having to wait for Minuet-Hand to make his move," Crowley said sternly. "He hasn't even appeared in my dreams to taunt me… any news, Miss Bones?"
"No," Jill said quietly. "I've been wracking my brain on how to reach Minuet-Hand before he hurts more people… or rather, who can reach him…"
"If you're thinking about recruiting an ally, it would have to be someone who can freely travel through worlds," Crowley reminded her. "With the Skeleton Key, Minuet-Hand can travel wherever he pleases."
"I might know someone like that," Jill went on. "So there's this old mirror in my dorm from the Ramshackle days. Months ago, it started to glow, and I saw a little cartoon mouse!"
"Cartoon mouse?" the headmage asked confusedly.
"His name is Mickey Mouse," Jill explained, starting to pick up steam. "In my world, he's an iconic cartoon that's been on television for decades. But this version isn't from Earth or Twisted Wonderland. When he dreams, he sometimes appears in the mirror and I can talk to him! And other times, he dreams of classic Disney movies that happen around similar circumstances. So when we were dealing with Riddle, Mickey was dreaming about Alice in Wonderland. And so on."
"Hmm, that 'Disney' corporation again," Crowley mused. "It seems to be coming up more and more, isn't it? So you believe that this Mickey Mouse can help us stop Minuet-Hand?"
"I want to recruit Mickey, but there are some slight hiccups with that," Jill mentioned, glancing at her black fingernails. "See, Mickey can't control when he appears in the mirror. He just comes and goes… and he can't pass through the mirror. He's just an observer."
"So even if he could locate Minuet-Hand, he couldn't do anything to stop him," Crowley said. He sighed.
"I don't think Mickey is a complete dead-end," Jill was quick to say. "There are a lot of things about his mirror that I'd like to look into. For example, why I'm the only one who can see Mickey. Or why only Grim sees Mickey's dreams about Disney."
"It's possible that you two have been somewhat affected by the mirror's magic," Crowley said. "In which case, you and Grim have a connection to Mickey, albeit in different ways. If we could strengthen that connection and talk to Mickey whenever we wished… hmmm…" He smiled and stood up. "I think it's worth experimenting on," he agreed. "That ghost camera I gave you for your birthday should be able to take a picture of Mickey that everyone can see. It might be the first step towards others making contact with him."
"Yeah, that was the plan," Jill said. "Mickey's been scarce, though. Not to mention, last time I saw him, I was preoccupied with… you know…" She traced her wrist, feeling the bones inside. "…my problem."
"Is your blot acting up?" Crowley asked. "I could contact your parents through the Dark Mirror again—"
"It's okay, sir, you already did that for me yesterday." Jill smiled at the thought. Her mother, father, and even dog were in Twilight Town, living as ice cream vendors rather than morticians. The shift in careers was almost comical, but her family seemed at peace with their conditions. Jill wondered if they wanted to go back to Crittenden after all.
"Even so, I…" Crowley tried to say, but he was interrupted by a faint but ominous sound. The sound of glass breaking.
"What's that?" Jill wondered. Crowley raced to the window and peered out.
"Oh no… the barrier…" Crowley muttered to himself.
"What's with the barrier? What's wrong?" Jill asked. She tried to squeeze past the headmage to have a look, but Crowley spun around and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.
"Miss Bones," Crowley whispered. "You need to stay here. I'll go out and confront them."
"Who is 'them'?" Jill demanded. "I can help—"
"Miss Bones, please listen! I'll explain later! Now do as I say for once!" Crowley commanded. He was gone in his usual burst of feather-like magic, leaving Jill alone in the office.
Jill stared out the window, straining her eyes to see whatever Crowley was panicking about. There was a strange crack of light in the distance, like a chunk of the sky had fallen down… was the barrier broken?! And looking closer, Jill could see a number of small dark shapes swarming in from the hole. Night Raven College was being invaded! No wonder Crowley was so alarmed!
Jill's heart raced as she tried to find a solution. Charging in with no idea what was ahead wasn't a good idea. If she knew who these people were or what they wanted, maybe she could think of a way to drive them off! Were they ghosts? Fairies? Tsums? Some other creature that she hadn't encountered yet? She wracked her brain, going through all the Disney movies she knew, but she couldn't find a good comparison. There had to be some clue to help her figure out what was going on! Maybe Grim would have an idea—
"GRIM!" she shouted. "Oh no, he's in Hallowgrim! And he doesn't have a phone… I need to help him!"
Okay, Jill, just sneak around these intruders, get into Hallowgrim, and hunker down with Grim in the basement, she thought to herself. She was rather talented at running and hiding (not that she considered herself a coward), and given the slow spread of dark-suited figures, she had some time to get to her dorm.
She sprinted down the long flight of stairs and ended up in the main castle hallway. It was mostly empty, save for some students who were studying off-time. Jill looked left and right, hedging her options, when she finally found someone at the other end of the hall.
It looked to be a tall man clad in black armor that glowed blue around the edges. He wore a skull-like mask and carried a large staff that glowed blue at the tip. As soon as he spotted her, he approached her with long strides.
"Subject G," he said in a mechanical voice. "We ask that you surrender and come with us."
"Subject… G?" Jill stepped back, laughing nervously. "Y-You must have me mistaken for someone else…"
Two identical armored soldiers appeared behind the first. They looked more like clones than an army of humans. Jill couldn't read their expressions, but she knew they weren't taking no for an answer. And those weapons looked quite formidable.
"Ah, see, the thing about that is… uh, bye!" Jill took off in the other direction.
"Get back here!" the head soldier boomed, and the trio gave chase. Jill shot various magic spells behind her to slow them down, but her attacks just seemed to bounce off of them. Even 'Fright Master', her fear-inducing smoke spell, wasn't effective in keeping her pursuers at bay.
Jill miraculously made it to the outside and veered left, barreling towards Hallowgrim. Her muscles were burning and her heart was about to give, but it was okay! She just needed to find Grim and hide somewhere, and everything would be okay!
When Jill could see Hallowgrim, she stopped in her tracks, falling to her knees on the ground.
The roof had large holes in it, and several windows were smashed. Most of the pumpkins in the front were pulverized, and there was a loud and distinct crying.
"NOOOOO! LEMME GOOOOO!" Grim wailed.
The dorm was surrounded by armored soldiers; one was walking out while carrying Grim in a small cage. Probably some super-strong anti-magical cage. These people were far beyond what Jill had seen before, and she knew that all her powers and experiences have failed her.
"GIVE HIM BACK!" Jill sobbed, mustering up her last ounce of strength. She rushed up the stairs towards the soldier holding Grim, only for two more soldiers to grab her by the arms.
"Jill! Where the heck were ya?!" Grim complained. "These freaks just came in and started smashin' everything up! The ghosts got injured tryin' to fight back! Even I, the Great Grim, couldn't stop 'em!"
"Who are you people?!" Jill demanded, ignoring Grim's whining. "Why are you here? Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?!" She struggled, but couldn't break past the soldiers.
"Quiet, Subject G," said the soldier holding Grim's cage. "You and Subject F are coming with us."
"F? G?" Grim asked. "What're you talkin' about?!"
"F… G…" Jill quickly went through the alphabet. Was there any meaning behind F and G…?
Another soldier tapped the sides of his temple. "Director, we have Subjects F and G in our custody. Proceeding to the transport," he said. "Are the other subjects captured?"
"Subject A has been captured," said someone on the other side of the communicator.
"Subject B has surrendered," another soldier said.
"The Director has helped us capture Subject C."
"Subject D has been captured."
"Subject E has also been captured."
"Good. Let's get out of here," said one of the soldiers holding Jill. The goth housewarden was going through the letters again, realizing what this was all about.
Grim and Jill were the sixth and seventh students to overblot in Night Raven. And F and G were the sixth and seventh letters of the alphabet… so were the other overblotters supposed to be Subjects A through E? Jill felt like an imbecile for not getting that before.
If she was being arrested for her overblot… then maybe she deserved it. Only her, though. The others have atoned for their sins in their own ways, but Jill didn't have the chance to do that yet. She could feel the sins crawling up her back now.
What was going to become of Jill and her friends…?