CHAPTER 9: TOWN MEETING
As the unlikely group walked out of the graveyard, Zero floated around and sniffed at everyone.
"I've seen ghosts and dogs, but not a ghostly dog," Jamil said with interest. "You called him Zero?"
"Yes, Zero is my dearest pet," Jack said happily. "Say hello, boy."
Zero sniffed Jamil and then licked his cheek. Jamil touched the same spot on his cheek, managing to crack a small smile for the first time since he arrived here. The ghostly dog floated around the students, some of whom petted him. Then Zero swooped down towards Grim again.
"Augh, stop it!" Grim hissed. "Jill, make him leave me alone!"
"Oh, he likes you. How sweet," Skully laughed.
"Zero!" Jill clicked her tongue. "Here, boy!"
Zero appeared near Jill, and she stroked under the dog's chin with her free hand. "D'aw, who's a good doggie," she cooed. "You remind me of my little Una from back home…"
At this point, everyone passed through the metal gates. They were now at the entrance of a dark and dismal town. Nearly everything was either black or dull gray, and the buildings were reduced to frightening shadows in the light of the gigantic moon. The streets were currently deserted, but it felt as if something would jump out at any moment.
"Here we are, Halloween Town!" Jack introduced, gesturing with his long arm.
"It's so dark," Trey said quietly.
"It reminds me of the depths of the Coral Sea," Jade said with a smile.
"It reminds me of the Isle of Woe… except somehow even darker," Idia noted gloomily.
"Hope you like gray," Jill joked.
Skully stepped forward, his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "So this is Halloween Town!" he cried. "It's even more terrifyingly beautiful than I imagined!" He ran forward, flitting between place to place with his alarming speed, asking questions to himself all the while.
"He reminds me of a younger me," Jack laughed. He stepped back to give the Night Ravens some space. "Well, don't be shy. You can run around too, if you'd like!"
"No thank you," Vil said dryly.
"I'm pretty tired from all the walking," Jill admitted. "I don't know how Skully still has so much energy…"
"I'm getting a sense of déjà vu," Leona mentioned. "I remember a certain someone running around Sunset City asking, 'Ooh, what's this? What's that?'"
"I remember something like that too," Jamil agreed. "Except it was in Silk City."
"Hey, I get easily excited, okay?" Jill defended, her face turning red. "I wasn't that embarrassing… was I?"
"You definitely were," Grim said.
"Okay, you know what? I'm joining Skully," Jill decided, and she left. If her classmates were going to be grinding her gears the whole trip, then she may as well spend time with the only other person who was happy to be here.
Skully was now in front of the town fountain, an ancient structure made of stone with opaque water inside. A sculpture of a twisted ghoul was at the top, serving as the water spout. Jill stepped to the edge and peered into the water, but she couldn't see her reflection.
"This place is so amazing," Skully said. "I could live here forever."
"That would be cool," Jill agreed. "Though the guys wouldn't agree…"
"Those other gentlemen, are they your friends?" Skully asked suddenly. "Because they seemed to enjoy teasing you."
"Well, they tease me—and each other—all the time," Jill explained. "The others were sucked into the book by mistake, and I think they're still mad at me for activating the spell. Not that I meant to do it, mind you, but they don't care about details like that. Never mind all the mistakes they've made…"
"So they aren't your friends," Skully summed up. "It seems your experiences are much like my own."
"Oh, no, they are my friends!" Jill was quick to say. "They're just crabby right now, but when they're in their element, they're really nice! …Rough around the edges, and sometimes a little hard to approach, but still nice!"
"I see…" Skully looked back towards the group. Jack was now speaking with a small, triangular man in a suit and top hat. His head was split into two faces like a Janus sculpture, and he was stuck on the chalk-white, unhappy face. Jill stepped forward so she could hear better.
"But what does this have to do with Halloween?" the little man asked impatiently. "We only have 155 days left, and we still haven't made any progress towards—"
"We'll have Halloween on time, don't worry, Mayor," Jack assured him. "But this takes precedence! I need you to announce a town meeting. There are some people that I want you all to see!"
"These people?" The Mayor gawped, staring at the Night Ravens. "Well, when will the meeting be?"
"Immediately!" Jack ordered. The Mayor promptly ran to tell the news, jumping into a funeral car with a large megaphone on top.
"That's… quite a way to spread the news," Riddle said mildly.
"I wonder what sort of people live here," Malleus mused.
"If the stories are true, then there must be all kinds of monsters!" Epel said with a boyish grin.
"I'm simply wondering how the people could know something that the king doesn't," Sebek said. "We're supposed to be trying to find a way back!"
"Patience, friend," Jack chided. "This is how we make all our decisions in Halloween Town. We'll all come up with a solution, so just relax and enjoy your time!" He put a bony hand on Sebek's shoulder, and though he flinched, the Diasomnia first-year accepted the gesture.
Meanwhile, the Mayor was driving his car around town, announcing the meeting. There were faint voices and grumblings from the shadows; the monsters were heading this way.
"It won't be long until everyone gets to Town Hall," Jack said. "You should all follow me into the back—I'll take care of the rest." He glanced to the two goths, who were lingering from a distance. "You two, come join us!"
Jill froze for a second, still taking it all in, and then allowed Skully to grab her hand as the duo hurried to the Night Ravens. Jack herded everyone into the Town Hall, which by itself also looked like an enormous mausoleum. There was a gigantic clock with bat-shaped hands, and a sign underneath that counted the days down until Halloween. A pumpkin model was just above the doors, as well as tattered flags in orange and black. It looked a lot like Hallowgrim dorm back at Night Raven, which gave Jill a brief moment of comfort.
The inside was packed with dull wooden pews, leading up to a small stage with a podium on the side. Jack gently shooed the students to the very back, up the stairs and on the stage, then pulled a rope so that a large black curtain obscured the group from view.
"Why are you hiding us behind a curtain?" Idia asked nervously. "Don't tell me you're going to unveil us in front of everyone once the meeting starts!"
"Oh, but that's exactly what I'll do!" Jack announced. "This is the best way to introduce you to everyone in town at the same time!"
"It most certainly wouldn't be the best way!" Riddle cried. "This feels more like a play than an announcement!"
"And you've given us no time to prepare," Vil seconded.
"Don't be nervous, it'll work out!" Jack said. "Please stay here. The townsfolk should arrive soon." And with that, he left through the curtain.
"Great, we're gonna be gawked at by monsters," Idia complained.
"This guy just likes to do whatever he wants, huh," Leona sighed.
"I guess we should just put our trust in Jack. He is in charge," Trey decided.
"Of course you should! He's the Pumpkin King, so he knows what's best!" Skully demanded. "He never makes mistakes!"
"Nonsense. Everyone makes mistakes once in a while," Azul said.
"Well, not Jack Skellington. He's perfect," Skully argued. "He's conducted perfect Halloweens for ages since the holiday's creation!"
"Hmph. Malleus is the perfect ruler here," Sebek scoffed. "When he claims his rightful throne in Briar Valley, he will—"
"Shhh! I hear voices!" Jill hissed. Indeed, there was shuffling and muttering on the other end of the curtain.
As the others quieted their banter, Jill couldn't help but think about Skully's words. Of course Jack wasn't perfect—in both Earth and Twisted Wonderland lore, he tried to steal Christmas and had to learn the error of his ways. That was a pretty big mistake if Jill ever knew one… but she still loved the Pumpkin King all the same.
Could it be that Skully didn't know about the Christmas fiasco…?
Suddenly, the lights went out.