Disclaimer: A Nightmare Before Christmas and all associated characters belong to Tim Burton.

Kristy awoke in the middle of the night. She brushed back her shoulder-length black hair and sat up. She glanced at the small clock on the old dresser beside her bed, and her sharp green eyes went wide. She had planned to leave hours ago. The orphanage had been her home for almost eighteen years. Now she was turning eighteen, and was due to be released. She had a job, and enough money to start a proper life for herself, but someone had thrown a real problem into her plans.

Just a few weeks before her scheduled release, she was adopted. She remembered, muttering to herself about what kind of people wanted a seventeen-year old kid. She had complained and refused to the head mistress at the orphanage, but it had been no use. See, there were rules. If you were under eighteen, you could not make any decisions about these sort of problems. She couldn't decide her own future.

Now, such a short time before this permission could be granted to her, someone decided to be nice, and adopt her. The only problem was, she didn't want to be adopted. She didn't want to have new parents, she hated the idea. She had never known her real parents, and she never really wanted to. She had been left at the steps of the orphanage as a small baby, the only thing that her parents had left her, was a small necklace, from which hung a golden pentagon, and a small piece of paper, with the name "Kristina" written on it.

She got out of the bed as quietly as possible, managing to untagle her slim body from the sheets. She tried not to make the floorboards beneath her small feet groan too much. Reaching under her pillow, she brought out a large school bag, stuffed to the brim with clothes, some food, and other necessities. She had saved up more than four hundred dollars from her job at a local restaurant, and figured that it was enough to find a small apartament somewhere. She tip-toed past all the other beds. Some had small children, others were around her age.

She reached the door, and twisted the handle. She cursed inwardly when the handle would not turn. It was locked. She walked over to a window, and opened it slowly. She looked down cautiously. She was on the second floor, and the window was right next to a large black pipe. She took a large breath, and carefully placed one foot upon the pipe. Then she went all the way out the window, grasping the pipe for dear life. She slid down, wincing at each creak the pipe made. In her mind's eye, she could see the head mistress come rushing out from the front door, catching her before she had any chance at freedom. But she pushed the picture out of her mind, and as soon as she hit the ground, she began to run.

She ran all the way to the front gate, which was also locked. She made a small job of climbing up and over, landing on the hard cement in less than a minute. Without a look back, she walked away. She walked down the street. She had never been out this late before, and the city was eerie. There were no cars or people. Once in a while, she couldn't help thinking about those shows on television. The ones about young girls like herself being kidnapped.... She looked around nervously, but continued down the street at a faster pace. It suddenly dawned to her that she would have to find herself a place to stay for the night.

She couldn't just go to some rooming house, and knock on the door at 2:00 am in the morning. She walked around some more, glancing occassionaly at the pumpkins layed out all over the place. Halloween had finished a few hours ago, but the decorations were still strung about. She was suddenly aware of someone behind her, she turned around sharply. She could see three small shadows coming down the street. She dived behind a large willow tree on someone's front yard, and waited. Soon, three small children walked past the tree.

Yet as Kristy looked at them, she realized that these were like no children she had ever seen. They still had their costumes on, and were having an obnoxious, and very loud conversation amongst each other.

One of them, Kristy guessed, was a girl dressed as a witch. The other two were boys, and were dressed as a skeleton, and a devil. All three of them had very high-pitched voices, and were putting them to good use. She caught parts of their odd conversation.

"If Jack finds out how late we're were up, he's gonna kill us, you morons," said the little witch-girl.

The trio started fighting, occassionaly hitting or slapping each other. Kristy could hardly hide her own amusement. This was certainly a very interesting bunch. She decided to follow them, to see where they were headed. The way these kids were behaving, they struck her perfectly as run-aways.

She followed them down the street, staying in the shadows. They soon reached a cemetary, and too her utter amazement, the trio lifted a stone slab off one of the graves, and climbed inside. She entered the cemetery and looked around. The trio had definately climbed into the grave. She quickly grasped a side of the stone slab and pushed with all her might. It gave way rather easily, and Kristy was surprised to find a flight of stairs leading into the darkness. Luckily, she was prepared for that. Reaching into her bag, she brought out a black flashlight, and shined it into the opening. She could see a tunnel leading somewhere, but that was all.

Kristy knew she shouldn't do this. But her curiosity always outdid her common sense, so she began to climb the dark stairs, and into the tunnel. Her flashlight played across the walls, which were covered in a slimy substance. She wasn't really desperate to find out what it was. The could no longer see or hear the trio, but she continued on. She was sure that the ground beneath her sloped down as she walked, giving the impression that she was walking a few feet below the city. She walked for almost an hour, figuring that the tunnel had to lead to somewhere. She finally saw light ahead, she shined the flashlight on the digital watch she was wearing and saw that it was almost six in the morning. The first rays of the sun could be seen from the hole up ahead.

"I must have been walking for more time than I thought," Kristy muttered.

At last she reached the opening, which led straight up. She had to dig her shoes into the wall, and pull herself up. She peeked out of the hole and was surprised to find herself in a place she had never been before. She had explored much of the city when time allowed, but this was a place that was completely unfamiliar to her.

She stood at the edge of a dark forest. Shadows played across the earth, even though it was pretty bright. She looked around and saw a small path leading away from the woods. She followed it until she came upon a scary-looking scarecrow, with a pumpkin carved into a menacing face for a head. The scarecrow's arm was lifted and it seemed to be pointing somewhere. Attached to the scarecrow's chest was a sign that read Halloween Town. Kristy looked at the sign in confusion, but then she shrugged.

She began to walk towards the way that the scarecrow was pointing, kicking small pebbles out of the way as she walked. Little did she know that her life was about to take a completely different turn. All she had ever known, and all she had ever believed to be nothing more than her imagination, was about to collide with her reality. She was about to make a very unlikely friend, and this was going to be a very interesting friendship.

**********

Jack was furious, the Boogie Boys had clearly disobeyed his direct instuctions, and now he had to find a way to punish them. The trio stood shivering before the king, with his queen at his side. Sally whispered something to Jack, who seemed a bit dissapointed. He looked back towards the trio and spoke.

"Alright you three, this is a warning to you. If you ever disobey me again, I will personally make sure that you never go out on Halloween as long as you live, understood?"

Shock nodded, and Barrel and Lock whimpered out a, "Yes. Sir." The king shook his head and looked back at Sally, who smiled at him in a reassuring manner.

"Alright, you can go now," Jack muttered. Lock, Shock, and Barrel high-tailed it back to their tree house, and Jack went to make a speech to the town.

**********

Meanwhile, in his laboratory, Doctor Finklestein was working on yet another experiment. He had a live rat in a cage and was giving it large masses of electrocutions, to see the outcome. Once in a while, his new wife Jewel would come in and hand him something, but that was pretty much all she ever did. Although the doctor hated to admit it, he missed having Sally around, and the news of her marriage to Jack hadn't exactly thrilled him.

True, she had been a constant trouble, but at least she had been more lively. His new wife was completely cooperative, never said a word of complaint. Then again, she never said a word about anything. Jewel couldn't speak at all, and all the doctor really took her for was an assistant. He was too old to think of her as anything else.

Once in a while, he and Jewel had tea, but it was always the same. The doctor always felt as though he was talking to himself. He realized suddenly why he had just a resentment for Jewel; she was an exact replica of him, thus completely predictable. He had not realized how faulty his actions had been until it was too late.

He moved his wheelchair over to the large window that overlooked much of Halloween Town and sighed. His eyes played over the outskirts of the town and rested on a figure moving towards the town. He took off his dark glasses and cleaned them with the hem of his lab coat carefuly. He put them back on and looked once more. He could still see the person approaching, yet he couldn't tell she was human.

**********

Kristy walked along the path, and the first thing that she noticed was the huge building that loomed up ahead. She could also see a town, but the building stood behind it, reaching higher than all the other houses.

She picked up the pace and began to jog. She reached a large gate, and couldn't believe what she was seeing. The town was a bustle of people, well...not exactly people. She walked inside and noticed that most of them were giving her confused looks. Kristy could feel herself grow afraid. They looked like they had come from a Hallowen convention, each of them dressed as some sort of creature. Kristy walked past vampires, witches, mummies, and other odd-looking spectors. They watched her silently as she walked. She stopped in front of a large building with a clock attached to it, and stood looking up at it for a while, until she felt a tap on the shoulder. Kristy turned around very slowly, and as she got a look at the bony creature that was smiling down at her, she fainted.

She awoke to find herself looking up at the most increadible, yet disturbing sight she had ever seen. Her vision took a moment to adjust, as very tall and skinny skeleton helped her stand.

"What....where am I," she whimpered.

The skeleton stood up and bowed. "Welcome to Halloween Town. May I ask how exactly you got here miss...?"

Kristy let out the breath she had been holding and stood up to face the skeleton. "K...Kristy, I...I followed someone here, three...children!"

The skeleton shook his bony head and groaned. "When I get my hands on those three..." he muttered under his breath. He seemed to notice the odd look he was getting from Kristy and quickly put on his best "I'm not going to kill you" face.

"Allow me to introduce myself Kristy. I'm Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town." The skeleton brought out its bony hand and Kristy reached forward and shook it gingerly. It was cold, but not as strange as Kristy had thought it would be. She found herself smiling for the first time since she had got there.

Suddenly, Kristy's attention was drawn to someone that approached Jack. She looked like a doll, was Kristy's first thought. She was made of materials used for clothes, and had scars that looked like they held her together. Suprisingly, the doll-girl struck Kristy as a very pleasent-looking type. She was pretty in a very unique sort of way. The doll came over to Jack, who kissed her on the cheek lightly. Kristy realized the fact that the two were a couple, and strangely, it wasn't much of a shock.

"Kristy, I would like you to meet my wife, Sally," Jack said to her, giving Sally a gentle nudge. Sally smiled and waved slowly. "Hello," the doll said in a very light voice. Kristy smiled at her. "Hello, nice to meet you." Jack looked back towards Kristy.

"Well...now that we all know each other, I hope you won't fear us enough not to answer some small questions." Kristy nodded and Jack took her aside momentarily. "I know how you got here, but you haven't told anyone you're here...have you?" Jack asked her, with a note of worry in his voice. Kristy looked uncomfortable.

"I...well...no one really knows where I am. I sort of...ran away!" Jack's hollow eyes seemed to widen. "You mean...you ran away from home?" Kristy shook her head. "Not from home, from the orphanage I was staying, there were some...complications I didn't have the proper right to deal with," Kristy said sadly.

Jack seemed to be thinking something over. He looked towards Sally, who had seemed to like the girl. The town people were all gathered together now, looking at her in a mix of wonder and confusion. He rubbed his bony skull with his hand and narrowed his eyes in thought. Suddenly, an idea dawned on him. A very crazy one, but an idea. The Mayor was amongst the people. This is going to be very difficult to explain, Jack thought. He looked at Kristy once more.

"Tell me, did you have a place to stay there?"

Kristy bit her lower lip. "No...I mean, I was going to find a place to rent, and get a job."

Jack's smile suddenly grew, and he rushed over to Sally in a short dash that startled Kristy. The two were talking with each other, and then they turned to the Mayor and conversed with him. The Mayor was a fat, short man, with a tall hat. His head seemed to rotate according to the way he felt. It kept going from sad to happy. Sally was smiling and nodding in exitement.

Sally walked over to Kristy and spoke. "We wouldn't mind if you decided to stay in Halloween Town, seeing that you have no other place to go."

Kristy was surprised at the suggestion. Jack and Sally talked with her over the possibility. She wasn't sure; she wouldn't mind staying there, but she didn't want to impose on anyone in the Town. At last, after a lot of arguing and looking over facts, they convinced her to stay.

**********

At first life there was not very comforting, but Sally assured her that in time, she would get used to it. Everyone had been treating her nicely, minus Lock, Shock, and Barrel. But on Jack's advice, she ignored them. She had been staying in a small shack that Sally had once lived in before she moved in with Jack, it wasn't much. but it was better than the orphanage.

One day, she went up to Jack and asked him if he knew anyone that needed help with anything. When Jack had asked her what for, she had simply said, "You've all been nice to me, and let me live here, so I want to pay you back in some way." Jack had agreed to ask around and got many people who could use her help.

For the next two weeks, she made many friends. The three vampires needed someone to arrange the bottles of blood in their basement by proper type. She made short work of that, and actually enjoyed litening to them talk about the things they did on Halloween. Then Kristy helped the witches by assisting them with their shopping. It took her some time to get used to the food, but lucklily, she didn't have to eat it. She made weekly trips to the Human World and bought normal food for herself.

Halloween came once more, and she enjoyed it more than she ever had at home. She was amazed at the celebration and contests that were held. She helped out with the decorations and things that needed to be done; she was happy! Sally came aorund a lot, (they had quickly become good friends) and Sally had even told her about the adventure she had before she and Jack married. Kristy was clearly amazed by the doll's bravery.

It was nighttime when she got a knock on the door of the shack, which she had furnished and fixed so much that it looked like all the other houses in Halloweentown. She went over to the door and opened it, Jack came in, and Kristy smiled immediately. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Jack was the most trusting person she had ever known, and he was always great when she needed advice.

"Hey Jack, how are you?" she asked. He sat down on a chair and motioned her to do the same.

"As always Kristy, but I have some good news for you!" Jack said. Kristy sat down and smiled mischeviously. "You're going to be a daddy?" she asked. In the time that she had been here, she and Jack had spoken very outwordly with each other, often making jokes, and taking it all lightly. Jack turned a bright red, which was funny for a skeleton. He coughed slightly, but managed to regain himself. "Anytime now," he answered hopefully. Kristy knew that Jack wanted to be a father very much, and it looked like Sally had recently become pregnant. Kristy was glad for her, and Sally had even said that Kristy could name the baby.

Jack spoke. "Actually, I got you a new job with someone, and if things work out, it may be your official proffesion!"

Kristy smiled at the news. "Great, with who?" she asked. Jack shrugged. "Have you ever heard of Doctor Finklestein?" he asked. She thought momentarily. "Not really, I've heard a little of him, but I haven't met him personally." Jack nodded and stood up, heading for the door.

"Well, Sally will be here tommorow, and she'll take you to his laboratory." Jack said. Kristy bid Jack goodbye and closed her door after he had left. She fell sleep later that night, thinking about what surprises the next day would bring.

It was still early when she heard the gentle tapping on her door. She knew immediately that it was Sally, for no one else tapped so lightly. She quickly put on a dark dress that she had made from some material and opened the door. Sally smiled at her.

"Are your ready to go to your new job?" Sally asked her, smiling.

"Yes, are you taking me there?" Kristy asked her. Sally nodded but then looked confused. "I am, but Jack never told me where you would be working," she said. Kristy walked along side Sally, down a small path.

"I'll be working as assistant for some doctor...um...Finklestein," Kristy answered, recalling the strange name. Sally stopped, her eyes got slighly wider. "What's wrong?" Kristy asked, concerned about her friend. Sally began to walk again, and shook her head. "Oh...nothing, I just...had to remember where he lived." Kristy watched her for a moment, a look of worry in her eyes. They didn't talk for the rest of the way.

Kristy was surprised to find that the home of the doctor was the tall building she had seen when she had first arrived here; it was almost as tall as Jack's mansion, she thought. When they reached the front door, Sally turned abruptly.

"Well...I really should go now, I'll leave you to meet the doctor, good luck!" With that, Sally walked away quickly. Kristy watched her go, wondering if she had said something to insult her, but she dimsmissed her worries and rung the doorbell of the mansion. There was a moment of pure silence, before she heard a high voice from the inside.

"Come in, the door is open!"

She opened the door cautiously, not knowing what to expect. She moved inside and closed the door behind her. She stood there for a moment, and then called out, "Hello? Doctor Finklestein?" There was some noise from the top of the stairs, and in the next instant, the doctor was making his way down the stairs.

Kristy was awed at first. She had met pretty much everyone in Halloweentown, exept him. She didn't expect to see what she was seeing. He was certainly one of the Town's more interesting inhabitants. He was dressed in a lab coat, wearing small, think black glasses. He had a comepletely bald, very white head, which made him look like he was covered in chalk. He was seated in a wheelchair and had large black gloves on. He was short, and fairly skinny. He took a look at her for a moment, trying to remember where he had seen her before.

"Yes?" His sounded slightly annoyed, but Kristy ignored that.

"Jack said that you needed some assistance here," she said softly. She didn't need to make him angry. He seemed to be thinking for a moment.

"Ah yes....you are the one he was talking about....Kristen?" he asked.

"Er..it's Kristy," she said.

He nodded and motioned her to follow him. "Good, very well then, all I need is someone who can help me around the laboratory, and help me with daily routines, such as cooking meals and cleaning up. Can you manage that?" he asked. She nodded and followed him to a room at the other end of the hall. "I needed some help around here since my wife was recently....dismanteled," he muttered the last part. Kristy decided to ignore that. He opened the door which led to a small room. There was a great window there, along with a table, a shelf, some chairs, and a nice little bed. "You will be staying here, this is accomadible, I trust?" he asked her.

Kristy was slightly surprised. "You want me to live here?" He nodded. "Unless there is some problem with that?" She thought for a second, but shrugged. "Alright, I guess I can stay here." He nodded again and turned his wheelchair around.

"If you need anything, I will be in the laboratory, otherwise, do not disturb me until I send for you." He turned around and left, shutting the door behind him. She looked stunned for a moment. He sure is grouchy, she thought. She looked out the window, and could see Jack's mansion clearly. Kristy sat down on the bed and sighed. This was going to be a very weird job.

**********

Kristy moved into the small room within the week. She had spoken to Sally recently, who had seemed troubled over the idea.

"Is something wrong Sally? You seem to be a little upset, ever since I told you I'd be working for the doctor!" Kristy told her one night, when they were having lunch together in Jack's mansion. Sally's eyes widened, and she glanced out the window for a moment.

"Oh, it's nothing really! I just...I used to...work for him too. We got along well once, but things changed. We didn't exactly part on good terms," Sally muttered sadly. Kristy was surprised, and decided that it would probably be best not to question her on the matter any more.

So for the past week, Kristy helped the doctor with whatever he needed. Her usual routine job was cleaning the test-tubes, and other appliances. She also had to cook him food. It was almost nightfall, and Kristy was in the small kitchen, which was below the building, cooking the doctor's dinner. At first, she couldn't get rid of the feeling of pouring things like Worm's Wart, Bat's Eye, and other Halloweentown products together produced, but after a while, it became normal for her. But she still politely refused to "join the doctor for dinner."

She mixed some of the products together. She had learned that the doctor preferred Worm's Wart the most, and decided to make that soup for dinner. Kristy and Doctor Finklestein got along fairly well, but there was something that bothered her, a feeling she got whenever she mentioned Jack and Sally. Well, it was Sally that caused him to make Kristy feel strange. There seemed to be a hint of sadness in his voice whenever he spoke of her. Still, whenever he did, all he said was that she had been a foolish young girl, and demons forbid if Kristy ever became like her.

Their conversation during dinner was mainly of experiments, which the Doctor was letting Kristy assist him with more and more all the time. He was still a grouchy person whenever he didn't get things right, but Kristy learned to hold her tongue whenever she was unfortunate enough to witness one of his mood swings.

Kristy felt sorry for him most of the time, even when he acted like a total jerk. She figured he didn't have too many friends, and it was pretty tough to spend most of your after-life in a wheelchair.

To Be Continued....

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page