CHAPTER 11: SILENT NIGHT

"So then," Jack said, "we want to know how you all celebrate Halloween!"

The monsters in the audience quickly settled down, awaiting with bated breath. Jill swallowed, but regained her composure. "Well," she began, "to start with, our school is separated into several dorms. On Halloween, we each decorate a part of campus after a certain theme and we put on elaborate outfits. We invite guests from outside school to our campus, and we give them candy and have a parade at the end!"

"It's all loud, flashy, and cool!" Grim seconded. "And each dorm has its own style! Though Hallowgrim has it beat in the Halloween department, obviously!"

"As I recall, I did help with your decorations," Malleus said. "In fact, all the other dorms pitched in for Hallowgrim. It was rather enjoyable, seeing everyone come together like that."

"…Is that how you celebrate Halloween?" Skully asked quietly. "It's not quite what I expected."

"Really? You celebrate Halloween differently?" Epel asked curiously. "Then how do you do it?"

"We don't have decorations in my town," Skully said. "And we also don't dress up in costumes. The very idea seems frivolous to me."

"You… don't?!" Jill cried. Skully seemed so eager and energetic—exactly the sort of person who would enjoy crazy costumes and spooky décor. Then again, she had only met him moments ago. She didn't have the chance to ask him about preferences.

"It's not frivolous! Costumes are very important!" Vil said defensively. "Such as these gothic outfits we have now, for example. They help us fit into this world and understand its denizens better. Costumes can help you feel like a new person when applied correctly."

"And there's nothing wrong with decorating," Azul seconded. "It helps set the atmosphere. I've grown to appreciate all the bright and varied colors you have on land."

"What about food, Skully?" Jill asked worriedly. "You still have sweets and candy, right?"

"No, we don't have anything sweet like that," the goth boy said with disdain.

"You don't have any sweets? Not even tarts?" Riddle asked in shock. "Then what do you eat on Halloween?!"

"The same thing we have every other day," Skully said. "Nutritious food created from our crops. We need the energy for that special night."

"Nutrition is indeed important," Trey agreed. "But there's nothing wrong with having some baked goods or candy once in a while, especially on a holiday. I've always enjoyed making Halloween treats for everyone."

"You 'need the energy'…?" Jamil asked. "Oh… I get it. Do you partake in dance and song on Halloween?"

"Dance and song? Perish the thought!" Skully shuddered. "It would completely destroy the mood!"

"Destroy the mood?" Epel gawped. "But we love our music! It's fast and loud and gets us all dancing!"

"…Granted, I wouldn't mind having a quiet Halloween," Idia chimed in.

"Then what do you do on Halloween, Skully, if you don't seem to do any actual celebrating?" Sebek finally asked with dwindling patience.

"I'm glad you asked," Skully said, adjusting his glasses. "We spend Halloween completely in the dark—some of us light pumpkins to guide our way, but it's always dim on that night. We sit there, soaked in the wonderful silence, as we fend off the ghosts that intrude on our world. This is Halloween—what Halloween is all about!"

Zero whimpered in the audience, and Skully seemed abashed. "Oh, I don't have a problem with all ghosts!" he assured the undead dog. "Just the evil ghosts that come to our town on Halloween. I have a special dead bell that I sometimes use for protection, but I've left it behind…"

"The ghosts who cross to the other side are our guests," Malleus said firmly. "It would be terrible manners to shoo them away after they've made the trip to our world. Why not celebrate with them, as we did this Halloween?"

"Yeah, those ghosts from the Spectral Realm threw us a great Halloween bash!" Grim cheered.

Skully looked as if he was slapped in the face. "…Terrible manners?" he asked. "Do you think of me as rude?" He glanced to Jill. "Miss Bones!" he pleaded. "Please help me educate these people!"

"I…" Jill shrugged. "Forgive me, Skully. But I don't celebrate Halloween the way you do. I have to side with the other guys on this one."

"Oh…" Skully stared at her, then the Night Ravens, then the monsters. "I see…"

"Jack…" Leona began, then he stopped himself. "No, I don't want to get you mixed up with Howl. Skellington, you've heard us debate. It's your call—what kind of vibe would be best for this mock party?"

"Hmmm…" Jack thought for a moment. "You all have interesting ideas! Skully, your vision in particular reminds me of the very first few Halloweens I used to lead!"

"Really?" Skully lifted his head.

"But the goal here is to create enough holiday magic for you all to leave this world," Jack continued. "And with the majority vote, I'm siding with the others! Your energy and creativity might be the key to your freedom—and it would help give us new ideas with the real Halloween!"

With the decision made, the monsters clapped and whistled. The Night Ravens all looked excited and proud, even Idia, though the Ignihyde housewarden remained near the back of the stage. Jack was positively pleased, and while Sally smiled and clapped, she did cast a worried look towards Skully's slumped frame.

Jill stepped up to Skully. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm sure we can fit your ideas in with ours…"

"What's to be sorry about?" Skully asked. "I still get to celebrate a sort of Halloween with you all, so I'm not disheartened!" Still, his smile looked strained.

"Are you sure?" Jamil asked at his other side. "We could talk about it if you like…"

"I'll be fine," Skully said. "Mr. Skellington has been conducting Halloweens since before we were born! So he will always make the correct decision, even if I don't understand it yet! He never makes mistakes, after all!"

"Skully…" Jill bit her lip. So he didn't know about the Christmas thing. How was she going to break it to him?

She would have to put Skully aside for now—the real challenge would be in the upcoming party plans. If there was one thing she knew about mingling with all the Night Raven dorms, it was that it was hard for all these personalities to agree on anything.

After the meeting was over and the audience dispersed, Jill was left with the other students to try and plan this 'mock Halloween'. She was given a clipboard and pen to write down everyone's thoughts, but as everyone started to talk at once, her writing soon devolved from neat cursive to barely-legible scribbles.

They all had to work on decorations, music, and food—that much everyone could agree on. But trying to sort the different members was where it got dicey. Sebek insisted on being on the same team as Malleus. Malleus and Leona didn't want to be on the same team. Jamil and Trey had the expertise to be on the cooking team, and Azul and Jade wanted to join too, but Jamil wasn't that fond of the Octavinelles. Idia claimed he wasn't particular about which team, but he shot down every suggestion given to him. Skully remained off to the side, polite but completely neutral. The whole thing felt like a ludicrous puzzle, one of those word games where you played process of elimination to sort everyone in the correct spot.

At last, even the Mayor lost his patience, swiveling his head around so fast it caught the whole group off-guard. Snatching the clipboard from Jill's hands, the politician declared that if no one could decide what to do, then it would have to be decided for them. Jack chimed in that he would find a way to sort everyone tomorrow, but it was getting late and they could work on preparations tomorrow.

Except there was no hotel of any kind, or any room in Jack's house to store fourteen guests. So Sally helped the group find some coffins that were in the Town Hall's storage room that would serve as beds with the hall itself as shelter. There were even some thin blankets and pillows to make it a bit more bearable.

It was far from comfortable bedding, but they didn't have much of a choice. And so Jill laid there on her back, her spine dully aching from the wood beneath her, wishing she could roll over and stretch. Her coffin was on the stage, and the others laid around her, in the pews, or even out in the hallway itself. She closed her eyes for what felt like hours, but her body refused to fall unconscious.

It was going to be a long night…