CHAPTER 5: THE BEST OF FRIENDS

Jill slowly came to, sitting up and examining the dry ground beneath her. Her mind spun, going back to that moment that felt like both an instant and an eternity ago… the book had opened at last, and she, Grim, and the eleven other Night Raven students had fallen inside.

"Wh-What's… this…?" she slurred. Slowly, she fully came to, and she realized that she was in the middle of the Hinterlands. The hub of the Land of Holidays that connected the different towns together in the form of a forest.

Panic and guilt gripped her. Of course she wanted to go to Halloween Town, but she didn't want to get these classmates involved! They didn't even believe in Jack Skellington, and they definitely wouldn't appreciate meeting him the way she would! Oh, wherever they were, they were probably blaming Jill for this, weren't they? Yeah, they'd be furious once she found them, and they'd never let her live it down. That killed virtually all her enthusiasm for this trip.

Jill examined herself. She was now in a black dress with a pinstriped, lacy skirt. She had black-gray gloves and boots with large white stitches near the edges, as if to keep the fabric in place. All her hair was pulled to the right with an orange ribbon, and she also had a headband with a small top hat on the left side. She had a small choker with an orange gem, and gray pinstriped shoulder pads that somewhat resembled Jack Skellington's bat-shaped bowtie. She felt an odd weight on her lips and eyelids; she was wearing heavy black makeup. She rubbed her lips with the back of her hand, but the lipstick wouldn't come off.

"If I had a nickel for every time I've been sent into a magical book with its own makeover, I'd have two nickels," she joked quietly to herself. "Which isn't a lot, but weird that it's happened twice!"

Her chuckle faded as she looked around herself again. Not only was she left on her own, but the sun was ready to drop. With the countless dead trees around her, she was suddenly reminded of that old game Slenderman—it would be just her luck if a different tall pale guy in a black suit would meet her here.

She searched her pockets, finding her magic pen but no phone, wallet, or other accessories. That didn't surprise her; the island where she met Stitch worked the same way. She lit up her pen and moved in a circle, determined not to let anything or anyone surprise her—

"Hello, dear."

"GAH!" Jill scrambled back, nearly dropping her pen, and glanced at whoever had frightened her from behind.

It was a boy around her age with a pinstriped black suit, stitched together with white thread in a patchwork design. He wore spats, gloves that made his hands appear skeletal, and a crown of black jagged jewels. His eyes were obscured by a pair of large circular glasses with black lenses, and his skin and hair were as pale as bone. As soon as Jill shone her light in his direction, he smiled sheepishly and raised his hands in surrender.

"Did I frighten you?" he asked amusedly.

"No," Jill lied. "I'm the housewarden of Hallowgrim dorm, so I'm not scared of anything!"

"Hallowgrim dorm?" The boy seemed perplexed. He took a few steps forward. "Pray tell, what is that?"

"Uh, well…" Jill regained her composure. "It's a dorm in Night Raven College that represents Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King. I'm actually a huge fan of him—I came here in the hopes of meeting him."

"You as well?!" The boy asked excitedly. "It seems we are cut from the same pinstriped cloth, my dear! I too have come to seek the Pumpkin King!"

"No way!" Jill squealed in delight. She stepped so close that her breath ruffled the boy's cravat. "You must've been at the book fair! Oh, shoot, where are my manners? I'm Jill Bones, nice to meet you!"

"A pleasure." He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I am Skully J. Graves."

Jill blushed. "I'm flattered, buddy, but I have a boyfriend," she said.

"Oh, don't get alarmed. This is how we greet each other back home," Skully chuckled.

"Really? Where are you from?" Jill asked.

"Rosebud Town. It's in the queendom of Wonderland," he replied.

"Wonderland…" Jill was familiar with the term itself, but everyone at Night Raven called it 'The Queendom of Roses'. Apparently the name 'Wonderland' had stopped being used ages ago.

"And from where do you hail?" Skully wondered.

"I'm… well, from a land that's very far away," Jill laughed. "It's a town called Crittenden, and it's from another world. You've never heard of it…"

"That I haven't, but it sounds lovely," Skully said.

It was so strange. Though she had just met this Skully person, she felt as if she'd known him her whole life. Like her bizarre dream in which Jack Skellington spoke to her as if he'd always known her, there was a definite connection between them, right down to their bone marrow. Maybe—

"FREEZE!" Jamil called out.

Skully was suddenly seized in a burst of magic, immobilizing him in a sparkling aura. The twelve missing Night Raven students came bursting through the dark trees, their pens raised.

"There ya are, minion!" Grim said. "Looks like we found ya just in time!"

Jamil stepped forward, his pen shimmering with the same light that bound Skully where he stood. "Just so you know," he told Jill, "you're in a lot of trouble when we get out of here."

"Wha? Hey!" Jill protested. "I've been trying to open that book for days! If I knew the way to open that seal, I wouldn't force you guys in here!"

"We'll talk about this later," Vil said. "And who is this… character with you?"

"A pleasure to make your acquaintances, lovelies," Skully said placidly. "I am Skully J. Graves. Are you Miss Jill's friends?"

"Yes, we're her dearest friends," Jade said. "That's why we were so worried to see her with a stranger."

"Were you back at the town? I don't remember seeing you at the book fair," Idia mentioned.

"Ah…" Skully frowned. "Apologies, but my immediate memories are a little muddled. I do remember a mysterious book with a curled hill on the cover, and seeking the Pumpkin King… that's all I know right now."

"Weird. Why are his memories shot, but ours aren't?" Leona asked. "Something's not adding up…"

"Either way, can you please drop the spell on him?" Jill requested. "Skully isn't bad or dangerous! He wasn't trying to hurt me, I promise!"

"It's true, I was just overjoyed at meeting another Halloween enthusiast," Skully said earnestly.

The Night Ravens glanced at each other, deciding that even if Skully did try something, they had him outnumbered and overpowered anyway. Jamil dropped the spell, and Skully gave a full-body shudder. Jill pulled her arm around his shoulders as she faced the group.

"Skully," she introduced, "these are my friends from school. Riddle Rosehearts, Trey Clover, Leona Kingscholar, Azul Ashengrotto, Jade Leech, Jamil Viper, Vil Schoenheit, Epel Felmier, Idia Shroud, Malleus Draconia, and Sebek Zigvolt. Oh, and the direbeast is Grim!"

"Nice to meetcha!" Grim said. "I see Jill saved the best for last!"

"I was hoping not to give away our names just like that," Jamil admitted. "But there is something rather… familiar about this guy."

"Yeah, Skully seems really similar to Jill, somehow," Trey noticed. "Like, he could be her brother."

"This is an unusual circumstance," Malleus said. "Then again, we all met this Daughter of Man in a strange way as well." He smiled and offered his hand. "So if you are Jill's friend, then we have no qualms."

"Oh!" Skully grinned widely. "What wondrous people you all are!"

And then, with an inhuman agility, Skully sprinted to the others and kissed each of them on the hand, darting between each student just as the last one cried out in surprise. Just as the eleven students were blushing and massaging the backs of their hands, Skully picked up Grim and kissed the little direbeast on the forehead.

"Myah! What's that for?!" Grim complained, struggling out of his arms.

"It is my greeting, to seal our newfound friendship," Skully said pleasantly.

"How dare you make a mockery of us, human?! Especially when Malleus gave you an offering of peace?!" Sebek cried in outrage.

"Sebek, it's okay. Please calm down," Malleus cautioned his underclassman. "He didn't mean it as a mockery."

"At least Jill doesn't go around kissing everyone," Azul said. "So the two are not completely similar…"

"Still, he shares her spontaneity," Trey mentioned.

"Geez, warn a guy before you do that!" Idia cried.

"Is it really that shocking?" Jamil asked. "In some cultures, people greet by kissing each other's cheek."

"That's true…" Riddle said. "I suppose this is Skully's way of being polite."

"Still obnoxious, though," Leona said. "So, you're a Pumpkin King fanatic like Jill, huh? Think you know the way outta these woods?"

"Ah, of course! We mustn't dilly-dally!" Skully snapped back to his senses. "I've seen these woods many times in my dreams, so I can help you find the way out!" He reached out his hand, but no one took it, so he curled his fingers slowly and drew the hand back.

"You saw this in your dreams? That's… not very reassuring," Vil said.

"Jill, how about you? You know the way?" Epel asked.

"Well, I know that we must be in the Land of Holidays—specifically, we're in the Hinterlands," Jill said. "But it's not like I have a map or anything…"

"Oh, that's perfect!" Idia complained.

"But don't worry, we'll find an escape," Jill asserted. "We've all found our way out of worse messes, you know!" She approached Skully, took him by the hand, and pulled him forward. "C'mon!"

The remaining students followed the gothic duo deeper into the Hinterlands.

Author's Notes: Happy Thanksgiving! I guess this is the perfect event to cover around this time of year, huh?