The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Prince and the Orphan - Fanfic Story 3

Chapter 6

--Jack's POV--

I woke up to Father pounding his fist on my door.

"Wake up, brat!" he yelled. "We have a meeting today! The Mayor and Finkelstein will be there and I expect you to not say anything about what we're talking about!"

"Then why am I going?" I demanded.

"Because I said so!"

I shivered under my covers and sneezed. My stomach was churning. I whimpered as I sat up, and I held my head.

I was in no condition to go to a meeting.

But I had to.

And I'd told Kayla we could meet up again at the graveyard tonight.

I forced myself out of bed, and I got dressed in the typical Jack Skellington clothes--a pinstripe suit and my bat bowtie--and I went into the bathroom and stared at myself.

Anyone with a sharp eye or who was paying attention could see that I was not okay. And since Finkelstein was going, Sally most likely was, too.

Sally could spot anything.

I pulled the thermometer out of my pocket and checked my temperature. As I looked at the 100.6 that glowed on the screen, my stomach turned to water. I vomited violently in the sink.

I rinsed the sink out and brushed my teeth to hopefully rid my mouth of the awful smell.

When I was ready, I stumbled down the stairs and unsteadily followed Father to the Town Hall.

Once we got there, I spotted Sally and tried not to look miserable.

"Stand up straight, brat," Father whispered sharply.

I obeyed and walked up to Sally.

"Hey, Jack," she said.

"Hi," I replied. "So, you got the privilege of leaving the house, huh?"

"I guess so," she sighed. "But he told me not to say anything."

"Father said that same thing to me," I said. "I mean, heck, I'm the prince. I should--." I broke into a fit of coughing and nearly threw up again.

"Jack??" Sally asked anxiously. "Are you alright??"

"Yeah," I lied, looking back at her.

She squinted at me.

"No, you're not," she said. "You're sick, aren't you?"

"Yeah..." I sighed.

"Then why in the world are you here?" she asked.

"Because Father made me," I said. "Duh."

She felt my forehead and cringed.

"You're burning up," she said. "You need to sit down."

"No, I'm fine," I replied.

"No. No, you're not, Jack. Stop lying."

"Sally, it's not like I'm gonna die," I said.

Halfway into the meeting, I gagged.

"Jack?" Sally whispered.

Father gave me a sharp glare.

I looked at him and gave him a thumbs-up.

He rolled his eyes and muttered something, then turned his attention away from me.

"I have to go," I whispered to Sally, soft enough that Father wouldn't hear.

"Okay, I'll cover for you," she whispered back.