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

though he's not supposed to be there and is going to get all three of us in trouble." He shook his head. I couldn't help smiling. Lock had... matured, I guess would be the only word for it, since Oogie died. Unfortunately, he was the only one of the three. Don't get me wrong, he was still just as nasty with his pranks, but he now had the common sense of when enough was enough. That didn't stop the spider incident though...

I sat down, tugging him next to me. "So do they still hate me?"

Lock shrugged. "Barrel's coming around, I think, but Shock..."

"Not so much?" He nodded. "God, what did I ever do to her to make her hate me?"

"Well, you're alive for one thing. And you stole me."

I pouted. "I didn't steal you, you come here of your own free will."

"Not in her eyes." He laughed.

I frowned. "You know I hate talking to you with that mask on. I can never tell what you're feeling." And so, to remedy this problem, I did the obvious thing: I stole it.

"Hey!"

I scrambled as he grabbed at me and ran behind a tree. "You have to catch me if you want it back!"

"Not much of a challenge." I jumped as he appeared next to me, but then stubbornly stuck the mask behind my back. "Aubrey..." Lock growled, crossing his arms.

I grinned, if you'll excuse the pun, devilishly. "You've gotta pay up first."

He leaned down, he was a few inches taller than me, being a guy, and a year older, and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Now, can I have my mask back?" I nodded and handed him the mask.

"Aubrey?" Jack's voice called.

Lock looked over his shoulder. "I'll see you later."

I nodded. "Bye." He ran off, back towards the tree house.

Jack came over the hill. "Ah, so you're here already. Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid Dr. Finklestein's latest experiment malfunctioned and broke out."

"Ah." Was all I could think to say, considering that was old news to me.

He put a bony hand on my shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

I growled. "It's that new doctor I've got. He's such a... a prick!" I stopped myself from cursing just in time. Jack was always telling me to watch my language.

Jack, forever wanting to be a helpful skeleton, just had to offer his help. "Want me to come give him a good scare?"

I shook my head. "No. He'd dismiss is as a nightmare. Nothing short of you and Oogie Boogie would get rid of this guy. Too bad that bag of bugs isn't around."

That may have surprised Jack a little. Normally, I would never wish Oogie's presence on anyone. He smiled anyway. "Well, I have something that may take your mind off it. Zero! C'mere boy!"

The ghost dog flew up, barking happily... right before he happily flew up to lick my face. I laughed, futilely attempting to avoid him. That dog could cheer anyone up.

xXx


Chapter 3

Chapter 3-

Guess who?

"Mom, why do I have to go visit Aubrey?" Emily asked, clearly upset.

"Don't start this again, Emily. You know why." Her brother replied, placing a hand on their mother's. She didn't even look up from her cross stitching when she pushed it away. "The doctor said that to much stress is bad for mom. Driving out to The Towers and seeing Aubrey in... well, it would be too much for her."

"But then why do I have to visit her? Why can't you Ryan? She wouldn't care whether or not any of us came to see her anyway."

"No..." Her mother whispered. "Aubrey is getting better. She'll come home soon. She... she will."

Emily jumped up. "Mom, she's just doing this to get attention. She just does this to upset you!"

Her mother didn't look up. "No, Aubrey's a good girl. She'll come home." She suddenly took on a different personality. "Emily, you need to get going if you want to be back in time for dinner. We're having spaghetti. Your favorite."

Emily sighed and walked out the door. "Spaghetti is Aubrey's favorite, mom." Her mother didn't hear her, just went back to her stitching.

xXx

The window in me and Sandy's room looked out over the gate and forest that surrounded The Towers, so when Emily's bright red Mercedes rolled in (mom spoiled the little brat rotten. Well, okay, she's really not so little, she's nineteen), I figured it was time to make myself somewhat presentable. Don't get me wrong, I loved my big sister to death, but she didn't believe me either. Besides, I think she'd take my standard, insane-asylum-white gown as an insult.

So, by the time she got up here, I had changed into a light-blue tank top, baggy, white shorts, and flip flops. She, however, put me to shame. With her short, shimmery hair combed straight back, pale lip gloss, light-blue eye shadow on her lids, and a hot pink tank top over a white shirt and a black miniskirt, she looked radiant. As usual.

"Pretty dressed up to come visit your crazy little sister." I commented.

"I have a date later, if you must know." She said, sitting down.

"Scott still?"

"Yes." She beamed with pride. I don't know why, though it was probably because she had a boyfriend and I didn't. Like I'd date any of the guys here.

I crossed my legs. "How's mom?"

Emily shrugged, tossing a few strands of hair back over her shoulder. "She's really worried about you, you know."

"Oh is she?" I asked, my tone dripping anger. "Then why won't she come down here to visit me herself?"

"Aubrey, you know it kills her to see you here." Emily said sadly. "She'd probably have a breakdown."

"Good, I'd have some company." I muttered sarcastically.

Emily's expression had changed from a look of half-assed happiness to a look that rested somewhere between shocked and horrified. "Aubrey!"

"It's a joke, Ems. I was just kidding." I assured her. And I was… mostly.

"It wasn't funny." She smoothed down her skirt. "So how've you been?"

I scoffed. "I'm locked up in an asylum. How do you think I've been doing?"

Emily sighed. "Aubrey, I really wish you would stop insisting with these fantasies-"

"Halloween Town isn't a fantasy!" I growled. Then, under my breath, I added quietly, "Dad would've believed me."

But as quiet as I was, Emily still heard me. "Aubrey, please. I know you were traumatized by dad committing suicide, but you need to get over it. You're thirteen now; it's been ten years! You're not just punishing yourself here; you're punishing the entire family, especially mom!"

"Dad didn't kill himself!" I yelled, becoming slightly hysterical. "It was an accident!"

At that moment, Dr. Jacobs- or Leon, as he asked us to call him- walked in. "I'm sorry to cut your visit short, Ms. Peterson, but Aubrey has a session with me."

Emily stood. "Oh, yeah, sure. I'll see you in a few months, Aubrey." She stood and walked out quickly.

I didn't move. "We've already had our session."

"Well, we're having another one. Now come." I growled. I was not a dog. But it was either you come willingly, or you get dragged there by security. The second option left bruises, so I stood up and followed him out.

xXx

"You were making quite a scene back there." I didn't answer. "Aubrey, why do you insist your father didn't kill himself?"

"It was a car accident." I growled through clenched teeth. I could feel a headache coming on.

Dr. Jacobs- sorry, Leon- looked through a few papers on his desk. "According to these reports from the police-"

I sat up, surprised and, duh, angry. "I thought police reports were supposed to be confidential."

"I have quite a bit of power, Aubrey. If it's to help a case, I can get my hands on just about anything." He smiled at me. I glared in return. Yep, there was that headache, and it certainly wasn't going to help my mood. "Now, according to these reports, he swerved off an empty road and over the edge of a cliff. The blood tests proved that he wasn't drunk, so it must have been deliberate."

"Shut up." I hissed. My head throbbed once.

He rested his chin on his hands. "Aubrey, I believe your father's death is what's causing you to make up these fantasies. If you could just come to terms with it, I believe we could finally make some progress."

"Shut the fuck up, damn you!" I screamed, clutching my head. "I'm not making things up, Halloween Town is real, my father didn't commit suicide, and I'm not crazy! I... I..." The room was spinning and the edges of my vision were going fuzzy. I felt myself fall out of the chair I was in, and pain laced through my skull, then everything went black.

xXx

Lock rubbed the side of his head. Shock had really good aim when she was mad. At least he wasn't bleeding again. And Barrel asked him why he liked Aubrey instead of Shock. Aubrey wasn't abusive, she didn't threaten to turn him into a toad whenever he said something wrong, which was becoming more and more frequent, actually, and she was- dare he say it?- cute. Other than the small facts that she could only be in Halloween Town from after sundown to right before sunup and she was alive, she was as close to perfect as possible.

He shook his head. When did he get so mushy? Thank god Oogie wasn't around any more, or he'd have probably been eaten already. He shuddered. Not a fun way to die. Again.

A bug suddenly crawled across his path. Lock glared at it. He'd had a serious dislike of bugs since Oogie tricked him into working for him. He lifted his foot to smash it, but stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Behind his mask, his eyes widened in fear.

"What did I say about stepping on bugs!" Oogie roared, holding a squirming, eight year old Lock by the tail over the "fryer" pit in the center of his roulette wheel.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He cried, trying desperately to get out of the Boogeyman's grasp. "It'll never happen again, I promise!"

Oogie threw him against a wall. "See that it doesn't." Shock and Barrel, who had been standing at the end of the stairs, in the shadows, ran over and helped him up.

"C'mon Lock, let's go." Shock said, helping Barrel to half drag him up the stairs.

"Lock?" The devil turned around to see Jack Skellington standing there,