Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve

by Nicole Coverdale

  “It’s the fear, Josslyn,” the man said, stepping forward. “You’re scared. But what are you scared of?”

  “I’m not scared of anything!”

  “Everyone’s scared of something, Josslyn. But what you’re most afraid of…” the man pulled the mask from his face. “Is me.”

  Josslyn gasped, her eyes widening, as she stared into familiar indigo colored eyes, and dark, red hair.

  “Oh my god. It’s me,” she whispered, stepping forward. “I’m not afraid of a serial killer from a movie. I’m scared of me! Of who I use to be. That I’ll never be enough. That I’ll let everyone around me down. That I’ll never make amends for my mistakes, but I’m wrong! And I’ll be damned if I’m scared of my own freaking shadow!”

  She let out a shout, racing forward. Wrapping her arms around herself and tossing herself off the top of the stairs.

  “Ahh!”

  Her own ears filled her ears, and she closed her eyes. The sound of a thump sounding far below, and she snapped her eyes opening. Watching as her body disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

  “Josslyn?”

  Julie turned, squinting through the darkness. “Where is she?” She raised her hand, a ball of fire appearing in the palm of her hand, lighting up the room and she smiled. “You know, I really do kind of like this power.”

  “I know what you did, Julie…”

  The voice sounded behind her, and she jerked her head up, staring into the darkness. “Who’s there?” she asked, staring at the empty spot behind her.

  “I must be imagining things,” she murmured, turning, and continuing across the room. She cocked her head to the side, listening. “Is that… music?” She walked across the room, stopping at a door to her right and pressed her ear to the door. “It’s so magical,” she whispered, shoving the door open and staring at the piano lying in the middle of the room.

  “Oh…” She stepped forward, taking a seat on the bench. Running a hand over the keys, remembering when she’d played as a child. She’d loved music. She’d even had dreams of going to Julliard, of becoming a famous singer, or artist, or something. She pushed on the key, frowning, when no music came out. She stood up, lifting the back off the piano.

  “Argh!”

  “Ahh!”

  She screamed, jumping back as a man in a black hat and black jacket jumped out from the back of the piano. “What the…”

  “I know what you did, Julie…” the man said, climbing out. He walked toward her, the hook on his hand glistening under the low light. “You… you’re the fisherman!” she cried. “From I know what you did last summer?” She stumbled back, tripping, and falling to the floor. “Dammit, I hate that freaking movie! So many people died! But I never did anything like that! Why are you coming after me?”

  “Because you have a secret, Julie,” the fisherman said, stepping closer. “And secrets… must be punished.” He raised the hook, striking it downward.

  Julie screamed, jumping out of the way. She lifted her hand, her eyes widening when nothing happened. “What happened to my powers?”

  “You lost them. Just like you’re going to lose everything else, Julie,” the fisherman said, his hook gripping the front of her dress and pulling her toward him. “You’re scared, Julie, and fear can do a lot of things to you. Like, freeze you.” He laughed.

  “What?” Julie tried to jerk free from him, but her arms and legs wouldn’t move. “I can’t move!”

  “Because you’re scared. Scared that I’m right about you.” He laughed again. “And you will die with those fears.” He raised the hook, striking it toward her.

  “No!”

  Julie ducked, missing the tip of the hook and shoved him back. “You’re lying! I didn’t do anything!” She swallowed, pushing back tears, as images flashed through her mind. She shoved them away, jerking the hook from his hand and swung around, striking him in the chest.

  “Agh!” He gasped, stumbling back, staring at her in surprise. “You…”

  “Yes. I killed you,” Julie said, as he disappeared in a cloud of dust. “Deal with it.” He disappeared in a cloud of dust and she let out a sound of disgust. “I hate haunted houses.”

  “It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.”

  Jasmine shuddered, a cold gust of wind rushing through the house, and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Goosebumps rose up on her skin, and nearby, she heard footsteps.

  “It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.”

  She repeated the words to herself, turning a corner in the house, annoyed that her sisters had decided to disappear on her. Where had they gone? Wasn’t it better to stick together… when they were looking for an evil witch of all things?

  She shivered again, continuing down the long hallway. A door slammed shut nearby, and she jumped. Glancing over her shoulder. “Hello?”

  “Hello?”

  Her own voice echoed back at her, and she rolled her eyes at herself. “Get a grip, Jasmine. It’s just a castle. A really, freaky castle, but it’s just a castle.” She turned another corner, stepping inside a room and gazed around at the dozens of mirrors surrounding her. “Let me guess… if I look in these mirrors I’m going to look different, right?” She rolled her eyes again. She’d been in enough haunted houses to know about these things.

  She stepped forward, gazing into the mirror. She noticed her face seeming to grow bigger. “So, I guess this one makes me look fat?” She giggled, continuing on. “And this one makes me look tall. This one makes me look old. But this one… this one is just right.” She stopped in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. She smiled, running a hand down her long hair. Touching her white skin, her cheekbones, and her eyes widened as red suddenly washed over the mirror. “Is that… blood?”

  She reached a hand out, and a hand suddenly reached out from the other side of the mirror.

  She screamed, jerking back, but the hand wrapped around her wrist. Legs appeared, stepping out from the mirror. A young woman, dressed in white, drenched in blood standing before her.

  “Wh-who are you?” Jasmine stammered, stumbling back. Her eyes widening, as the woman lifted her head, recognition dawning. “Holy crap! Carrie?”

  “You must pay for what you’ve done to me.” Carrie lifted her hands, the mirrors shattering. Jasmine screamed, spinning on her heel and racing down the hallway. She ducked, glass splintering around her as Carrie’s footsteps sounded behind her.

  “You all must pay for what you’ve done to me…”

  The chandelier above her flickered, and Jasmine turned, racing around the corner. She hovered against the wall, shivering. Is this real? she wondered. Am I really being stalked by a psycho? She drew in a deep breath. “Come on, Jasmine. You have the same power as her. You can defeat her. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be a coward.”

  She drew in another deep breath and stepped out from the wall. “Hey, Carrie!” she shouted, lifting her hands. Nothing moved, and she froze. What the hell!

  “Lost your power there, little girl?” Carrie asked, laughing as she walked down the hall toward her. “You must be scared.”

  “Scared of what?”

  “I don’t know. You tell me.”

  “What could I possibly be scared of? I have everything I could possibly want! A family. A nice man. I’m a witch! I’m more powerful than anyone!”

  “But aren’t you afraid, that you might be evil?”

  Jasmine ducked, the chandelier sparking above her and she froze. Was she scared she was evil? No! She wasn’t evil! She was a good person, who helped good people! She was not evil!

  “I’m not evil!” She screamed, jerking her hands up. A reign of white light appeared in the palm of her hands, searing across the room. “I’m good!” she shouted, as the light seared through Carrie.

  “Ahh!”

  Carrie screamed, her body combusting into flames and Jasmine stared down at her hands. “Holy crap! What did I just do?”

  “Whaa! Whaa!”

&n
bsp; The baby’s cries sounded somewhere nearby, and Jade froze. She stopped, cocking her head to the side. “Was that… a baby?”

  “Whaa! Whaa!”

  This time, the noise sounded closer. She turned the corner in the hallway, and stopped, when she saw the crib lying in the middle of the hallway. “What’s a baby doing here?” She hurried forward, staring down at the little human being, as it cried. “Oh, baby, what’s wrong?” she asked, picking it up and cradling the infant in her arms. “Where’s your Mommy?”

  “That would be you, Jade.”

  “What?” She turned, glancing over her shoulder. “Who said that?” She glanced down at the infant, and it disappeared, along with the crib.

  “Me.” the voice sounded in her ear, and Jade shivered. A hand wrapped around her shoulder, spinning her around and she stared up into his pale, white face. His dark eyes narrowing as his pale lips leaned forward. “Hello, Jade.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Someone who’s trying to remind you of who you really are,” the man said, leaning in close. “Why did you do it, Jade? Why did you sacrifice your own baby? Why did you kill your own flesh and blood?”

  “I didn’t kill her!” Jade screamed, lifting her head. She stared up into his eyes, not being able to look away. “I was in an impossible situation. A situation where either my sister died, or my baby died. How could I choose?”

  “You could have had both. All you had to do was believe in yourself, but you just couldn’t. You’re a failure! Now you’ll never find love. You’ll never find happiness, but most of all you’ll never be able to forgive yourself for what you’ve done.”

  “You’re lying!”

  “Am I?” the man smiled, fangs showing and Jade gasped. “Oh my God! You’re Dracula!” she cried, stumbling back. She eyed his black cloak, his white dress shirt, and the red bowtie across his chest. She lifted her hand, striking it forward.

  “You’re not going to kill me Jade,” Dracula said, stepping forward. “Because you’re scared that I’m right. You’re scared, that I’m right about everything!”

  “No. No I’m not,” Jade said, gasping as he lifted his hand. He drew her forward, and she lowered her gaze. Watching as her feet moved toward him. “What are you doing?”

  “Making your worst fears come true,” he whispered, placing a cold finger underneath her chin. “And showing you, that the only thing you will ever love is a demon.” He leaned forward. “Kiss me, Jade.”

  “No.” Jade shook her head.

  “Kiss me, Jade.”

  “No! I won’t!”

  “Kiss me Jade.”

  She lifted her head, her eyes locking with his. He’s so pretty, she thought, raising her hand and stroking his pale cheek. Maybe he’s right. Maybe it won’t hurt to embrace my dark side. She raised up on her tiptoes, her lips inching toward his.

  “Jade! Don’t do it!”

  “Get away from my sister!”

  Jasmine raced around the corner, flinging her hand forward, knocking Dracula back.

  “Jasmine?” Jade shook her head, staring down at Dracula. “What’s going on?”

  “What’s going on is you almost kissed Dracula!” Josslyn cried, sliding to a stop in front of her. “What the hell, Jade!”

  “I… I… I think I was under a trance,” Jade said. “I don’t even remember doing it. The last thing I remember is hearing a baby cry.”

  “A baby?”

  “You know you want me, Jade,” Dracula said, rising to his feet. “You want to kiss me…” He leaned forward.

  “Will you just shut up!” Jade shouted, swinging around. She narrowed her eyes, electricity shooting from the depths, striking him in the chest. “I don’t want you! I don’t want anyone! I just want to be left alone!”

  “Jade! You’re not going to kill him that way,” Julie said. “This castle plays on our fears. Our powers are frozen or lessened in the face of fear. You have to—”

  “I know. Splash him with holy water, stake him in the heart. I know. I’ve watched enough vampire movies to know what to do.” She grabbed the wooden stake off the wall, flinging it toward Dracula. “There, you bastard!” she cried as he evaporated in a cloud of smoke. “Take that! Now, let’s go. Let’s find this freaking witch and get the hell out of here. I’m sick of this damned place.”

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  Jade trudged up the stairs, the sound of her steps bouncing off the walls. She turned, glancing behind her. “Well, aren’t you guys coming?”.

  “Jade, I think we need to talk about what just happened,” Julie said, softly.

  “What is there to talk about?” Jade asked. “I saw something, just like all of you did.”

  “Yes, but we almost didn’t make out with Dracula!” Josslyn cried. “Jade, you have issues. Like really, big issues! They’re not just going to go away overnight!”

  “You need to talk to someone, Jade,” Jasmine added in. “It doesn’t have to be us, but you need to talk to someone.”

  “And just what am I going to say?” Jade snapped, whipping around and glaring at each of her sisters in turn. “That I fell in love with a man, who wasn’t a man at all? Who was a demon? A snake demon? And what about my baby? How do I explain to someone about my miscarriage? About how I sacrificed my own child, to save my sister? Oh, and let’s not forget about our powers. How do I explain to someone that I can hold electricity in the palm of my hand? Explain to me how I’m going to bare my soul to someone, without being sent off to the freaking funny farm!”

  “Jade.” Jasmine hopped up the steps, pulling Jade into a hug. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Talk to me.”

  “It’s everything,” Jade whispered. “I feel responsible for everything! For Mom, Gram, Gramps, Dad, Josslyn nearly dying, Julie, falling in love with a demon. Letting my baby go.”

  “Is that why you almost kissed Dracula? Because of Tony?”

  “I think so,” Jade whispered. “I feel like something inside of me is broken. That he took something from me. That the only love I will ever find, is evil.” She leaned her head on Jasmine’s shoulder. “I know I told you guys that I’m fine. That I’ve dealt with everything, but I haven’t. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Maybe Sky can help you,” Jasmine whispered. “He has a lot of connections, Jade. Maybe he knows someone you can talk to.”

  “Maybe.” Jade sighed. “But what about love? Do you think I’ll ever find it?”

  “Of course you will!” Julie cried, hurrying up the stairs toward them. “We’re all going to find love, Jade! And we’re going to have lots and lots of kids.”

  “Ah, guys.”

  “You think?”

  “I know! You’re meant to be a mom, Jade. You know what kind of guy I see you with?”

  “No. What?”

  “A man with dark hair.”

  “And funny,” Jasmine added.

  “Chivalrous.”

  “And who treats you right.

  “Guys!”

  “What!” They swung around, just as three arrows flung toward them.

  “Holy shit!”

  And they froze in midair.

  “You know, if you had listened to me, you all could have avoided that,” Josslyn said, rolling her eyes as she climbed up the steps. She plucked the arrows out of the air, dropping them to the ground. “We are in a house of horrors after all.”

  “Well, thank you, Josslyn. For saving our lives,” Julie said, laughing.

  “Hmpht.” Josslyn snorted, rolling her eyes. “And Jade, as for the way you’re feeling. I told you, you had to deal with it! But no, you said you were fine. You’re not fine! I know, because I was pregnant too.”

  “What?” Julie, Jade, and Jasmine swung toward her, their jaws dropping open. “You were what?”

  “I was pregnant,” Josslyn said, softly, remembering the day like it was yesterday. “When I left after graduation, I was in a very rough place. I did things I’m not proud of. Smoked. Got drunk a few too many times an
d slept with way too many boys.” She laughed. “It was when I was in jail I found out I was pregnant. I wasn’t ready to be a mother. Hell, it scared the shit out of me! So, I did what Mom and Dad did. I gave it up.”

  “Josslyn…”

  “It was my choice,” Josslyn said. “Please, no lectures. I regret the decision every day.”

  “So, you’re telling me I have a niece or nephew out there somewhere?” Julie asked, her eyes wide.

  Josslyn nodded. “Yes, Julie, and maybe somewhere down the line we’ll go find him or her. I’d like the chance to get to know my baby.”

  “Before we do that, we have a witch to take care of,” Jade cut in. “Shall we continue? I’m feeling some dark energy coming from up above.”

  “So do I,” Julie said, shivering. “The aura in this place is insane!”

  “You can read auras now?”

  “No. But I can definitely tell when something’s not right!”

  “Good point.”

  They continued up the stairs, and Jasmine glanced down, cringing as it wobbled under their weight. “You know, these stairs really aren’t that safe. Look at them wobble! What if…”

  “Don’t say it.”

  Jasmine glanced at Jade and took another step forward. The step wobbled, breaking in half, and Julie and Josslyn screamed. They jumped forward just as the stairs started to crumble.

  “Guys! We have to go, now!”

  They sprinted up the steps, wood splinting behind them. They jumped forward, falling to the carpeted floor, and glancing behind them.

  “Well it’s going to be fun getting out of here later,” Josslyn said, rising to her feet and dusting her dress off. “Come on. I hear something coming from over there.” She pointed to the room down the hall.

  “Then I guess this is it,” Julie said, sighing. “Let’s go defeat the wicked witch.”

  “Evil witch!” Jade cried. “We’re not in the Wizard of Oz, Julie.”

  “Whatever. In my book, they’re both equally as bad.”

  They stepped inside the room, the darkness enveloping around them. Fog swirled, and a splash sounded nearby.