To Walk Among The Dead - Hugs.And.Kisses (easy readers txt) 📗

crossed my arms. "Oh, Lock, it's not that bad. I like it."

I smiled, feeling a little appeased. "Yeah, well... anyway, I got talked out of killing myself, they got talked out of leaving, and we basically became inseperable."

Aubrey hugged me. "Aww, that's cute. Not the part where you were going to kill yourself, that little end bit."

I rolled my eyes and put an arm around her shoulders. "No, really? I thought the knife I stole was the cutest. I even named it."

"Whatever. So how did you guys end up here?"

All three of us grimaced. "Arlem's caught on fire. We got trapped inside."

Shock laughed. "Trapped? Those bastards probably locked us in!"

"It's possible. But for all we know, they could've-" I stopped as I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

The door opened, and Jack and Sally walked in. "Aubrey! You're awake." Jack said happily.

"Lock, Shock, Barrel; we need to talk to Aubrey."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, we get it. C'mon guys." I mouthed 'bye' behind Jack and Sally's backs before walking out.

xXx

"You had us very worried, Aubrey." Jack scolded. "Why didn't you tell someone?"

"I didn't think it was serious. I thought I had a cold or the flu or something."

Jack sat down on the bed. "I suppose they filled you in?" She nodded. No need to tell him that she'd been eavesdropping to.

"I have to go back, don't I?" She asked, her eyes wet.

Jack nodded. "Sandy- er, Santa Clause is going to take you back."

Aubrey blinked. "But… that means I've only got a day left here."

"Well, then you'd better make the best of it, and you certainly won't do that in here." Jack told her, smiling. "Go find Lock, Shock, and Barrel and go have some fun."

Aubrey didn't need to be told twice and ran downstairs, where the three trick-or-treaters were waiting. All four walked down to the Hinterlands, more precisely, the spot where the door used to be. They needed some privacy, and this was the best place to get it.

xXx

"So you're going to be gone tomorrow?" Lock asked. Aubrey nodded. Shock and I stayed quiet. We had both really started to like Aubrey. She wasn't an official trick-or-treater, but she helped us pull off some great pranks!

An idea suddenly came to me. I tugged on Shock's sleeve. "We need to have a quick meeting. Lock, come on." He gave me a look that clearly said he'd rather not. "Come on! It'll just be for a minute." He sighed and walked over behind Shock and me. Another sign something was wrong. He usually was fighting with Shock to be in front.

I explained my idea. Shock agreed with me. "We've gotten her in trouble with Jack so many times, she's definitely qualified."

Lock's usual grin had returned. "You two are great."

Shock groaned, but you could tell she appreciated the comment. "Don't get all mushy on us; just go get your girlfriend."

He ran over to Aubrey and dragged her back to us. "What is it?"

"We've decided that…" I started.

"Since you're leaving and we can't do a proper initiation on Halloween like we're supposed to…" Shock continued.

"That we're gonna make you an official trick-or-treater!" Lock finished.

Aubrey's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Would we lie to you?" Shock asked. Aubrey nodded. "Well, would we lie to about something as important as this?"

She laughed. "I'd hope not."

Lock looked around. "Either of you got something sharp?" Shock and I both checked our pockets.

"Nope."

"Me neither."

Lock groaned. "Of course. When we actually need it…"

"Well, this was sort of an impulse based thing." I reminded him.

Aubrey pulled something out of her costume. "Will this work?" She held up a pin. "Sally was hemming my sleeves yesterday. Guess she forgot about it."

Shock took it and scratched her palm. A blood leaked out quickly. "Yeah." She passed it around to me, then Lock, and he cut Aubrey.

"Ow! I could've done it myself, Lock." She muttered, staring at her hand. "I'm sort of surprised you guys still have blood."

"Just press your hand to each of ours before they heal." Shock ordered, pressing her bleeding palm to Aubrey's. Lock and I did the same, though Lock had to cut himself again because it was already starting to heal. Shock muttered a healing spell and Aubrey's cut sealed too.

"Hold on." Aubrey took the pin again and pricked her finger. She squeezed it until a drop of blood hit the ground. "It's a blood oath thing. I did it with Emily once. It's sort of like a promise, only more powerful and binding and crap."

"What are you promising?" I asked, curious.

She grinned. "That when I die, I'll end up here, in this spot."

Lock took it and copied her. "Okay, then I promise when you die, which better not be anytime soon, by the way, I'll be here waiting."

"Ooh, ooh, me too!" I took the pin and did the same.

Shock took it next, which surprised me a little. "Me too. Trick-or-treaters stick together forever, right?"

"Right!" Lock and I responded, grinning.

xXx

That night in the room Lock and me shared, Lock wasn't doing so well. Jack had just left with Aubrey to take her to Christmas Town. They had spent a lot of time alone together since we got back, but he still looked miserable. "It isn't fair, Barrel. Why does she have to go back? What did we ever do that was so wrong? I… oh god."

"Lock?" I asked. He wasn't acting like himself.

"I think I'm actually in love with her, Barrel."

It was killing me all over again to see Lock like this. Normally, I'm the one who came to him with problems. "I guess...sometimes... love just isn't enough." I didn't know what to do. I'd never been in love before, and normally I wasn't the one giving advice to my older "brother". "But, it's for the best, right? And we'll see her again." There was a silent 'eventually' at the end of that sentence.

I couldn't be sure, but I could've sworn I heard Lock mutter, "I hope so."

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A Christmas Epilogue

December 25, 2:56 a.m. Somewhere in The Towers' hospital wing…

Aubrey Peterson had been in a coma for almost two months. Or, at least, that's what the staff at The Towers and the rest of the world thought, courtesy of one Mr. Nicholas Claus. So when she woke up very early Christmas morning, everyone was amazed. Especially Leon Jacobs.

At noon, he went to visit his patient. "Hello Aubrey."

Aubrey looked over at him. She was sitting up in her bed, eating her lunch of macaroni and cheese. "Hello Dr. Jacobs."

He smiled. "I'm glad to see that you remember me."

She swallowed her mouthful of noodles. "Why wouldn't I?"

Leon sat down in a chair next to her bed. "You took quite a fall, Aubrey. Tripped on one of Lindsey's books and slammed your head against three-inch steel bars. You don't remember?" She shook her head. "What about Halloween Town?"

Aubrey remembered. Santa had told her he would implant false memories into everyone's mind. She asked one thing.

Don't tamper with Emily.

He'd agreed. Emily was smart. She'd figure something out.

She remembered sneaking out. She remembered living in Halloween Town for the past two months. She remembered Jack taking her to Christmas Town so Santa could take her back.

Aubrey remembered everything. But she couldn't go back to Halloween Town. Not for a very long time anyway. It was lost to her. So, looking Leon straight in the eye, she replied to him, "What's Halloween Town?"

xXx

It took five days to get all the paperwork done that would allow me to go home. Leon had declared me completely sane, saying that the bump on the head had gotten rid of my delusional fantasies. I played the part of the confused girl, and said I didn't remember anything. You get really good at lying after a couple weeks of hanging around with Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

So, as I waited for Emily to come pick me up and take me home, I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out the amulet. I'd hid it under my robe when I'd woken up. I doubt Santa had made up an excuse for it, and I didn't need to manage another lie. I hooked it around my neck just as Emily's Mercedes pulled up.

She leaned over and opened the door for me after I'd put my stuff in the trunk. "Looks like we've got some catching up to do." I said.

"And six hours to do it in." Emily grinned back. "We're taking the long way. I'll take you to lunch." I couldn't help but grin. I was so craving some greasy fast food.

As she drove through the gates, she told me that mom and Ryan had suddenly started babbling about how you'd fallen into a coma. I thought I was going crazy, because we'd known since your birthday that you'd disappeared from The Towers."

"It was Santa." I told her.

She shrugged. "Wouldn't doubt it. So… where did you go?"

I smiled, almost dreamily. "Halloween Town. I can't ever get back, though. The door's gone."

"You'd better start from the beginning." Emily told me.

And so I did, starting from the very first time I'd gone, to when mom stuck me in The Towers, to getting rid of Oogie Boogie, to getting enrolled in High School there, finishing with coming back here.

"You got to ride in Santa's sleigh? Cool." Emily admonished.

I was quiet for a minute. "Em, why'd you suddenly start believing me?"

I saw my sister's grip on the steering wheel tighten, making her knuckles go white. "I was looking through some of our old medical records, you know, from back when dad died." She gulped. "Mom had hired a… a hypnotist of sorts. For two treatments."

It took me a second to absorb the information. "Me and you. Oh my god. What for?"

Emily pulled into a parking lot of a burger place. "I'll tell you over lunch."

When we had our food and were back in the car, she continued her story. "I looked this guy up and set up an appointment with him. When I told him I wanted him to undo whatever he did, and he did it…" She leaned her head against the steering wheel. "We were in the car when dad crashed, Aubrey."

My fry dropped into my lap. Oh. My. God. I remembered now.

xXx