Welcome To Your So Called Insanity - Hugs.And.Kisses (best novels for beginners TXT) 📗

Aubrey!" Both girls looked up to see Jack walking toward them. "Sally." He greeted courteously. Sally nodded, looking embarrassed.

"If you'll excuse me…" She muttered, walking hurriedly toward Dr. Finklestein's lab.

Jack stared after her for a moment before turning to Aubrey. "Well, did you like it?"

"Jack… that… that wasn't Christmas. You turned it into Halloween with presents." She reprimanded.

He looked hurt. "Yes, I know… but I had to give them what they wanted-"

"But what you gave them isn't Christmas." She restated.

Jack knelt down so that he was eye-level with her. "I know, I know. But I would appreciate your support, of all people's, on this."

Aubrey bit her lip, gazing at the ground. With a sigh, she looked back up at Jack's face. "All right. I still don't think this is a good idea, but I'll try to help." Jack smiled brightly at her.

"Good, because I need your help on a few things…" He stood up, walking with her over toward Skellington Manor.

.o0o.

"Jack, this really just looks… weird." Aubrey said, looking at their nights work. The thing that Jack needed her help with was decorating his room in a Christmas-y style. Considering that it was already decorated with gargoyle heads, spider webs, and an electric chair, it wasn't an easy task.

"Well, I think it looks wonderful." Jack stated proudly, with a glance at his clock. "Whoops, look at the time! Come on, we'd better get you home." It was almost midnight; which meant it was time for Aubrey to go home, and Jack to go to bed. Aubrey nodded and followed Jack down the stairs.

When she woke up, back in The Towers, it was almost five a.m. She shook her head. She'd long since stopped trying to figure out how time could move so differently in Halloween Town; she'd fall asleep at ten, which was when Dr. McIntire put her anesthesia IV in, but when she arrived in Halloween Town, the sun would just be setting. And when she left, no matter what time it was there, it would hours later here. It was just plain confusing.

With a sigh, she reached under her bed and pulled out her book light, then grabbed her book off the table. It was a Goosebumps book, one that she'd read almost seven times now, but it was one of the only 'scary' books that The Tower's library stocked, so she'd have to deal.

"Back already?" A groggy voice called from across the room. Aubrey looked over to see Sandy sitting up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. She had gotten skinnier in the past year, probably because she really wasn't eating much. The doctors were beginning to think that she had an eating disorder.

"Yeah." Aubrey replied, going back to her book. It was somewhat pointless to talk to Sandy when she was like this; she'd actually taken her pill the night before, which made her sleepy and stupid when she woke up.

"Anything fun happen?" She asked with a yawn.

"Jack's trying to take over Christmas."

Sandy yawned again. "Oh. That's nice." She muttered, slumping back down to her pillow.

xXx

"So, Aubrey, any more nightly ventures last night?" Dr. McIntire questioned.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. Ever since Sandy had accidentally mentioned Halloween Town in one of their 'group sessions', Dr. McIntire wouldn't leave it alone. "Yeah. I met the Tooth Fairy." She replied sarcastically.

Dr. McIntire frowned. "Aubrey, I've asked you before not to use that tone with me."

"Yes, and I've asked you not to bring up Halloween Town in our sessions, but you've yet to do so." She replied.

Dr. McIntire frowned. Aubrey may have been only nine years old, but she was brilliant. He'd even planned on giving her an IQ test to see just how smart she really was. "Yes, but I am the adult here. And talking about this fantasy world of yours-"

"It's not a fantasy." Aubrey interrupted with a harsh snap.

"Aubrey, it's a town full of, from what you've told me, dead people. I think that you're trying to tell me something." Aubrey raised an eyebrow, confused. 'Trying to tell him something?' She thought. 'What the hell would I be trying to tell him?' Dr. McIntire leaned over his desk, peering at her over his reading glasses. "Aubrey, do you want to die?"

"No." 'But I wish you would.' She thought evilly, glaring at him. 'I wish you would die so I wouldn't have to deal with these stupid meetings about my sanity anymore.'

Dr. McIntire sat back in his chair, blinking. "I'm sorry; I seem to be getting a migraine. You can go." He waved her out, rubbing his eyes. She stood and walked out, still angry.

Sandy looked up as Aubrey slammed the door to their room. "What's wrong?" She questioned as the younger girl flopped down onto her bed.

"He asked me if I wanted to die." Aubrey grumbled into her pillow.

Sandy was silent for a minute. "Do you?"

Aubrey shoved herself up, looking at Sandy in shock and disgust. "No!"

"Then don't let it bother you. If they see that it bothers you, they think that they've touched on something that's going wrong." Sandy flashed an almost cheeky grin. "Don't let 'em see ya' sweat."

Aubrey nodded, lying back down. Really, what Dr. McIntire said hadn't really bothered her.

It was the fact that she almost said yes.


Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Part 1

Life got increasingly weirder from then on. By the end of November, Jack had decided that not only was he going to celebrate Christmas, but that he was going to take it over! This was the last straw.

"Jack, this is going too far!" I protested. "You're the Pumpkin King! You rule Halloween, not Christmas!"

He shook his head. "Not anymore I don't. From now on, it's Christmas."

I crossed my arms and looked away from him. "Santa isn't going to be too happy with that." I muttered.

Jack paused, and scratched his head. "Hm, you've got a point there. I'll just have to tell Sandy that he can take a vacation this year."

I sighed. Nothing I said could convince Jack not to go through with this. Or that it was 'Santa Claus', not 'Sandy Claws'. I sighed and looked down at the paper I was sketching on. My drawing was finished. Well, in all reality, it was actually just a tracing of Jack's favorite picture of himself (he's not vain; it's just a really good picture): the one of him standing out by Spiral Hill however many Halloweens ago, a pumpkin in his hand, the full moon casting eerie shadows over the scenery behind him.

But my new picture wasn't of the Pumpkin King. Oh no, it was of Jack, but in a Santa Claus outfit, and Jack was now referring to himself as Santa Jack. Not Pumpkin King Jack. Santa. In my picture, Spiral Hill and the pumpkin patch were covered in snow, and Jack's terrifyingly evil expression was one of happiness, with the jack-o-lantern in his hand replaced by a Christmas present. "All right, I'm done." I sighed. Jack took the picture and beamed at me.

"It's perfect, Aubrey!" Honestly, I really wasn't sure whether to take praise in that statement or go and shoot myself for helping Jack with this crazy plot of his. I looked up at his clock. It wasn't even eleven-thirty yet.

"Jack, what do you need this for, anyway?" I asked. "Sally's already making your Santa- Sandy Claws outfit."

He was about to answer when a scream cut through the air. Someone was at his door. "Hm, that must be the Mayor." He said cheerily. "Would you mind getting it Aubrey?"

I sighed once again. It seemed to be all I did when I came to Halloween Town lately. "Yeah. Sure." 'Better than sitting up here and helping you destroy Christmas.' I added to myself.

I slid down the last half of the banister, jumping off at the end and landing on my feet, if not somewhat unsteadily, on Jack's living room floor. After I regained some of my balance, I made my way to the door. Reaching for the knob, I heard high-pitched giggling, and stopped. Sneaking over to the window, I peered out to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel standing there. My eyes widened. The four of us weren't on the best terms in the world, mainly because they had tried to kidnap me so many times that I finally fought back. The more serious end results were Barrel's bloody nose, Lock's black eye, a large cut on Shock's forehead where I hit her with a tree branch, and my split lip. The less serious ones included, but were not limited to, bumps, bruises, scratches, bite marks, and one possible concussion when Barrel tripped over Lock (who I'd just pushed down).

Needless to say, we didn't like each other much.

I felt Jack put a hand on my shoulder. "Something wrong?"

"It's Boogie's Boys." I told him with disgust. "What are they doing here?"

"I invited them." Jack told me simply. I stared at him, my jaw dropping slightly. "Don't worry, they'll behave themselves here." He opened the door and the three of them walked in.

Lock caught sight of me first, stopping and glaring at me. Shock and Barrel saw me a second later and did the same. I crossed my arms over my chest, returning the looks. A small smile of satisfaction flitted across my features when I saw that I was taller than all three of them. Jack had told me that Oogie had most likely placed them under a 'no-age' spell, so that they'd stay the age that they had died at until Oogie himself died. And according to Jack, it was going on almost three hundred years.

Jack stepped between us, stopping the impending fight. "Aubrey, would you stay here while I talk Lock, Shock , and Barrel?" I nodded begrudgingly, and sat down next to the table in the middle of the room, picking up the pencil Jack had left there and beginning to draw on the paper in front of me. He ushered them into the kitchen. Oh yeah, like I wasn't going to hear him in there.

"The job I have for you three is top secret. It requires craft, cunning, and mischief."

Shock giggled. "And we thought you didn't like us, Jack."

"Absolutely no one is to know about this. Now…" I couldn't hear what Jack said to them as he started to whisper, but a moment later, the four of them walked out. I purposely turned my gaze to the paper on the table in front of me, continuing to draw. If there was one thing Lock, Shock, and Barrel hated more than my presence,