Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve

by Nicole Coverdale

  Josslyn narrowed her eyes. “Now, that’s just mean.”

  “I’m not trying to be mean, Josslyn, but I’m not you! I’m not going to bury myself in my sorrows, thinking about what might have been. Stuff happens, Joss. Stuff that we have no control over, but I will not stop living my life. Yes, I lost a baby, and it’s terrible. It’s heartbreaking, but I will be damned if I let life pass me by. I like to be active. I like action, and being able to work on the bar, being able to help people makes me feel good about myself! We have a destiny, guys. A destiny to help those, who know nothing about the demon world, but who are being hunted by those ugly, nasty, hideous monsters, who by the way seem to be growing stronger every day. It’s who we are! It’s who I am, and we should all be doing everything we can to help them!”

  “But Jade…”

  “No buts!” Jade snapped, swinging back around, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the four standing behind her. “I am sick and tired of you four talking behind my back. Oh, Jade, she must be so heartbroken. She must be so sad. She needs a hug. She needs tea. She needs sleep. Just stop it! I’m not in mourning! I’ve come to terms with what happened. Hell, as soon as I learned the repercussions to the spell I cast, I knew there was a chance the baby would be taken from me, so I shielded myself. I prepared myself, so now that you know everything about what I’m going through, can we go? Because I for one, am looking forward to this party! I worked hard on it, but if you four don’t want to go by all means stay here and worry about your sister, because I am going to have a damned, good time!” She spun on her heel, trotting down the steps. “I should not have to explain myself to you! I am a grown woman for Christ sakes!”

  “Damn! She really does know how to yell, doesn’t she?” Jasmine asked, rubbing her ear as she watched Jade trudge toward the limo waiting for them. “Maybe we should have kept our mouths shut?”

  “Please. She would have found some reason to yell at us,” Josslyn said, her lip curling. “She always was temperamental. What do you think? Were we worried for nothing?”

  “I’m not so sure,” Julie murmured, staring after Jade, still not a hundred percent sure she was okay. But she also knew that Jade was a Morgan, and that she would do things her way. “But we best get in that limo before she leaves us.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” Sky asked. “Maybe we should just let her go. I for one, would love to stay home!”

  “Oh, stop being such a baby!” Jasmine cried, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him toward the limo. “You made a promise, remember? You promised to go to this thing, and if you bail now, Jade will not forgive you!”

  “I suppose you do have a point,” Sky said, sighing. “Okay. Let’s go get this thing over with.”

  “Oh my God! Jade! This place looks amazing!”

  Julie pushed through the glass doors, brushing the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling to the side, and stepped inside the bar. Glancing at the skeletons that were hovering high above them, swooping down toward them as the doors opened again. Rubber spiders were hanging from the ceiling, a large bowl of candy corn was sitting on the table next to them, and above them a witch was circling, its cackles filling the room. “When did you get time to do all of this?” she asked, jumping, as she passed an old hag holding a pumpkin. Her eyes glowing yellow as she passed by. “It’s also a little creepy!”

  “You think?” Jasmine asked, shuddering, as a couple of ghosts hovered above the doorway. She ducked, their boos echoing in her ears as they entered the bar. “Is that… a huge spider?” she asked, pointing at the thing hovering over the bar.

  “Of course! You can’t have a Halloween party without spiders, ghosts, and witches!” Jade cried. “Come on! It’s about to start!”

  They stepped inside the room, each of them going their own way. Julie pulled her mask over her face, weaving through the crowd toward the bar. Jade headed toward the snacks in the back of the room, scooping up a spider shaped brownie. “I wonder if this will give me bad karma,” she said aloud, taking a bite of the sweet goodie. She gazed around the room, her eyes landing on Jasmine as she danced with Sky. “Hmm. Maybe she’ll actually tell him how she feels?”

  “Can I have this dance?”

  Josslyn turned from where she was still standing in the doorway. Eyeing the man in front of her, his face hidden by a white and red colored mask. She shrugged. “What the hell? It is a party after all.” She laid her hand in his, and they headed toward the dance floor.

  “You do look beautiful,” the man said, as they swayed to the music. He placed his hands on her hips, and Josslyn sighed, staring up at him. I’ve missed this, she thought, wrapping her fingers around his strong shoulders. Being free. Having fun. Being wild. Ever since Tyler had left, she’d felt nothing like herself. That was going to change.

  “Thank you,” she said, as he spun her in a circle. She laughed, twirling back to him. “And thank you for the dance. It was quite nice of you.”

  “What can I say? I needed a dance with the ice queen before she disappears forever.”

  “Wait. What?” Josslyn stumbled back, jerking free from the man’s grip. “Who are you?”

  The man just smiled. “Oh, I think you know.”

  “Demon.” Josslyn narrowed her eyes, lifting her hands and freezing the room.

  “What the…” Jade, Julie, Sky, and Jasmine all jerked toward her. “Josslyn, what the hell?”

  “Demon!” Josslyn shouted, whipping her mask off and pointing to the man standing in front of her.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the four lovely sisters, and their lovely angel.” The demon drew his mask off, his pale, white face glimmering under the low light as his small, yellow eyes leered at them. “It’s nice to see you all, the ones who took out Satan. Not that he was much of a challenge. He was dying, after all.”

  “Are you always this rude to your superiors?” Jade asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Satan might have been dying, but he was still powerful. More powerful than you, I’m guessing. Who are you?”

  “Just the messenger… that’s going to send you on a lovely trip.”

  “A trip?” Jade lifted her hand, a ball of energy appearing in her palm. “I think the only one going anywhere, is you.” She threw the energy ball toward him.

  “Jade, Jade, Jade. You really are a spitfire, aren’t you?” The demon asked, disappearing in a flash, and reappearing behind her. He wrapped his hand around her throat, leaning in close. “I may not be as powerful as Satan, Jade, but I know all about you four. What makes you tick. Nah uh.” He lifted his hand, freezing Josslyn, Julie, Jasmine and Sky in place as they started to run toward them.

  “H-how did you do that?” Jade gasped out, wincing as his fingers dug into her throat.

  “I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve,” the demon said, laughing. “I’m a trickster, Jade, and Halloween is my favorite time of year. Plus, my master has been studying you four, for months now. You threaten her, and she wants you gone so that she can control the underworld.” He smiled. “Have a nice ride, ladies and gentleman.” He snapped his fingers, the ground giving away underneath them. “Where happy endings cease to exist.”

  “Whoomph!”

  Josslyn let out a yell, her body falling through the ceiling, and hitting the bed with a hard thunk. She groaned, lifting her head and staring around the room.

  “Where am I?” she asked a loud, sitting up and rising to her feet. She stumbled, tripping, and grabbed the bed post for support. Staring down at the long, yellow dress that trailed down her body, and stopped just above her feet. “What the hell?” She lifted the hem of the dress and peered out the window. Staring out at the bright green grass, dozens of trees, and flowers trailing out for miles and miles.

  “Hopefully here to help,” a voice said from behind her. She jumped and swung around, scanning the room. “Who said that?” she asked, staring around at the oak colored armoire, and the matching dresser. Her eyes scanning the bare walls of the room and the very, boring w
hite paint that smelt fresh. “Who’s there?”

  “Me.”

  “What?” She jerked her head around, spinning in a circle. “Who? There’s no one here!”

  “Look to your right.”

  “My…” She froze, her eyes widening as the doors to the armoire flew open. “Wait… an armoire is talking to me?”

  “That’s right, my dear, and since you can hear me you are exactly what we asked for. A witch. Thank you for coming. I’m Maria.”

  “Maria?”

  “The house cleaner for Sir Brandon. I really, do miss him. He was always so kind…”

  “I don’t understand…” Josslyn took a seat on the bed, scratching her head. “You’re a piece of furniture. How can you be a house cleaner?”

  “It’s part of the curse. The curse, the evil witch put us under.” The armoire bounced toward her. “All the furniture here was once human, Josslyn.” The doors to the armoire swung open. “Look.”

  Josslyn eyed the piece of furniture but rose to her feet. Peering inside and staring at the picture of a handsome, dark-haired man lying in the drawer. “Is that…”

  “Sir Brandon, yes.”

  “And he’s missing?”

  “Yes.”

  “But what can I do?”

  “You’re a witch, but more than that, you’re human. You think, you feel, you love, and we need your help returning things to the way they’re supposed to be. If you don’t, happy endings will cease to exist, and you and your sisters will never find love. The line will end with you four.”

  “But that’s crazy! Someone can’t just take away the happy endings!”

  “Evil can do many things, Josslyn. You know this.”

  “Yes. I do,” Josslyn murmured, rubbing her thumb and forefinger between her eyes. Damn, I’m getting a headache! “But how did you find me? Get me here?”

  “It’s Halloween, Josslyn. The most powerful time of the year, where even different realms are connected. Take a look.” The bottom drawer of the armoire flew open, and Josslyn caught the book that flew out. She ran a hand over the cover. “Beauty and the Beast? I love this story!”

  “I know. Flip to the back page.”

  She flipped through the book, staring down at the page. “What? Belle and the Beast didn’t end up together? Gaston killed the beast? That’s not right.”

  “It’s the evil witch. She wants to take away the happy endings, Josslyn, and if she does all hope will be lost throughout the realms. Even yours. Will you help us?”

  “How can I say no?” Josslyn asked, setting the book back in the drawer. She glanced down at the dress she was wearing. “But just to get this straight… I’m stuck in my favorite fairytale?”

  “Something similar to it… but… yes.”

  “Hmm. And just when I thought nothing else could possibly surprise me.” She sighed. “Well, I guess I should go check out this castle, huh?” She lifted the hem to her dress and made her way across the room. She twisted the knob, pulling it open, and peered out into the dark hallway. Staring at the dark maroon carpet as it went on for miles to her left and right. Taking a step forward, she wrapped her hand around the railing, staring down into the foyer, her jaw dropping open. “It’s beautiful!” she cried, turning and gazing at the portrait of the young brown-haired woman behind her. “Who’s that?”

  “Princess Sophia, bless her heart.”

  The dark voice sounded behind her, and Josslyn jumped. She jerked her head around, her eyes widening as a large, black wolf appeared from out of the shadows.

  She screamed, stumbling back a step. Her back hit the banister, and she froze as it stalked toward her. Its large paws echoing in her ears and it stopped in front of her. His nose stretched toward her, sniffing and she closed her eyes. Please don’t eat me!

  “It’s good to see you again, Josslyn.”

  “Get her!”

  The loud, booming voice sounded behind her, and Jasmine jumped. She jerked her head up, her eyes landing on the guards, as they raced toward her. What the hell?

  She jumped to her feet, racing down the sand covered road. She glanced to her left, watching as men and women wearing turbines didn’t even blink an eye. Where am I?

  She raced passed a cart where a man was selling apples.

  “Apples! Apples! Buy one, get one free!” The man shouted, holding an apple out to an older gentleman.

  “Want a nice necklace?” A young woman was asking a dark-haired woman. “I can get you a good deal!”

  The voices sounded around her, and she paused, glancing around. A hand wrapping around her shoulder.

  “I got you, street rat,” a deep voice said, swinging her toward him and lifting his sword. “It’ll be my pleasure to bring you to Jafar.” He struck the sword forward.

  “No! Please…” Jasmine lifted her hands, flicking her fingers, her eyes widening. “What the…”

  The sword came toward her, and she ducked. The metal sailed over her head, hitting the haystack behind her and she spun on her heel, racing past the guard. I need to get out of here!

  She turned the corner and a hand suddenly covered her mouth, pulling her back.

  “No!”

  “Jasmine! It’s me!”

  “Sky?” Jasmine’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here? Better yet, what am I doing here? Where am I? And why aren’t my powers working?”

  “Because, you’re stuck in a fairytale,” Sky told her. “And in fairytales, there are no powers.”

  “I’m in… a fairytale?” Jasmine stared at him. “But I thought those were just stories!”

  “Haven’t you learned anything since becoming a witch? Everything’s real!”

  “Of course it is,” Jasmine muttered. “Wait. Street rat. Soldiers with knives. I’m in Aladdin, aren’t I?”

  “Ding. Ding.”

  Jasmine glared at him. “Don’t be rude, Sky. It’s my favorite fairytale. I fell in love with the story as a kid, and when they made it into a movie and television show I was obsessed! But why would that demon send me here?”

  “Weren’t you listening to the demon? He said his boss wants to ruin happy endings, so here we are. But, luckily for you, I got sucked into the same fairytale, so together, we can fix this mess and get back home. Come on! We gotta get to the palace!”

  They got up and raced down the street, hearing running feet behind them. “Come on! Up here!”

  Sky jumped up on the cart next to him, pulling Jasmine up. “Come on! We have to go higher!” he shouted, pointing to the ladder ahead of them.

  “Is this a bad time to tell you I’m afraid of heights?” Jasmine asked, as she scampered up on top of the cart.

  “The worst time!” Sky shouted. “Come on! I won’t let anything happen to you! I swear. But we have to keep moving!”

  “Right.” Jasmine blew out a breath, placing her hand in his, and a hand wrapped around her ankle.

  “Sky!”

  “Hold on, Jasmine!” Sky cried, grabbing the piece of plywood that was lying next to him. He swung it down, striking the guard over the head. The guard yelled, falling to the ground.

  “Come on!” Sky cried, grabbing her by the hand and racing across the top of the cart. They grabbed a hold of the ladder, scrambling up, and he pointed. “Look. There it is.”

  Jasmine dropped her hand from his, her heart skipping a beat as she stared at the palace in front of her. Glowing, underneath the golden hues of the sun as it set in the distance. “Oh! It’s so pretty.”

  “One of the most beautiful sunsets you will ever see,” Sky said, turning and gazing into Jasmine’s eyes. He cleared his throat, glancing away.

  Jasmine swallowed herself, feeling heat wash over her, and something jumped on her shoulder. She squealed, glancing down, and staring at the monkey, wearing a purple vest and an identical hat on top of his head. “Abu?”

  The monkey squealed, sounding like he was laughing. He scrambled up her shoulder, ran across the back of her neck, and sat down on her other shoulder. T
ouching her face, her hair, her ears with his long fingers, looking like he was making sure he could trust her.

  “Don’t worry, I’m trustworthy,” she said, laughing. “So, Sky, tell me, what exactly are we supposed to do here?”

  “Help Aladdin.”

  “What? How?”

  The monkey jabbered something, and Sky smiled. He grabbed the banana lying on the table next to him and handed it to Abu. “By getting him and Jasmine back together.”

  “How could you possibly know that? Or do you speak monkey?” she asked, eying Abu.

  “I might be able to do a lot of things, Jasmine, but speaking monkey is definitely not one of them,” Sky said, laughing. “This is Aladdin’s house, Jasmine. What’s the one thing that’s missing?”

  “Aladdin.”

  “Correct. And that demon sent us to where?”

  “A place with no happy endings,” Jasmine said. “Wait, Sky. If there are no happy endings here, does that mean our world has no happy endings too?”

  Sky nodded. “Yup. Everything’s connected, and if we don’t fix this, happy endings will be gone forever.”

  “That’s horrible! We have to do something!”

  “We will,” Sky said, just as the door behind them slammed open.

  “Trespassers!”

  The loud shout blared through the air, as armed guards filled the room, surrounding them. Jasmine gasped, jerking her head up. “Sky!” she shouted, wincing, as her arms were jerked behind her, rope being tied around her wrists.

  “Jasmine, breathe. It’s okay,” Sky said, smiling, as his eyes connected with hers. “Let them take us, because they are taking us exactly where we need to go.”

  “They—” Jasmine trailed off, smiling suddenly, as they were escorted out of Aladdin’s house. Oh my God! They were taking them to Aladdin, weren’t they? Now it made sense!

  “Whoa!”

  Julie screamed, her body propelling through the dark hole of nothingness, the world opening up below her. Her body propelled downward, crashing into cold, rippling waves. “What the…”