•Y/N: Your Name
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Author's POV:
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"Almost there! Hurry! Hurry!" Y/N giggled, following after Jack with a pounding heart, the feet of her family and friend struggling to stick close behind her as they made their way through the path up that eerie, old hill. It was much less creepy traveling it in the daylight, but the gravel road brought about a keen sense of familiarity, sending her back to that night last year, when he had swooped her up and carried her when her feet could not keep up. Now, she felt so much adrenaline coursing through her that she hardly struggled as much, though she was sure the spirit would've gladly picked her up if she had asked.
At the sight of brilliant lights shining through the dark and twisted branches of the trees ahead, she swore her feet pushed to move faster all on their own as her hand tightened around the one that eagerly pulled her along with twice as much energy. It would soon be upon them, the park they had been planning nonstop for the past year. While Y/N had been reunited with her family, Jack had conjured it into existence. She wondered, would it be everything that they hoped? All that they dreamed? Would it boost the spirits of people near and far?
She prayed so. She wanted this to work for him. It has to. Simply knowing they were moments from it was enough to bring tears to her eyes, and when, at last, they reached a pair of wrought iron gates, they were welcomed by the faces of jack-o-lanterns woven into the curled pieces of metal. The doors were open wide to allow all who wished to enter beyond, but Y/N found herself admiring it all without even stepping foot past it.
Before her was nothing short of a wonderland, an amalgamation of all that made Halloween such a wonderful experience. The movement of rides were the first to catch her eye, for there were many of them scattered throughout the park, ranging from the most frightful rollercoasters for the brave-of-heart to slower more kid-friendly ones, such as a train that traveled the perimeter of the park and carousels. Each one held it's own theme of monsters, kitschy characters and other Halloween staples that would make one's head spin with wonder of which to go on first. Everything was so colorful, and it was a pleasing sight to find people of all ages proudly parading around in costumes. Not one was underdressed for the occasion.
To the left and right extend a row of little shops selling various goods from spirited outfits and decor to yummy treats with delightfully delicious aromas which wafted out onto the cobblestone streets, decorated in pumpkins, fall flowers and all manner of spooky things. Children dressed as pirates, fairy princesses, monsters and favorite characters giggled happily as they admired the land of ghoulish delights, some being wary of the more scary decorations but still enjoying themselves in other aspects. Many a soul even dared their friends to go near the ones that jumped and shrieked with a cackling laugh.
Placed here and there are small stages where creatures who looked to be a little too good to simply be in costume, told spooky stories, purposefully bad jokes and performed all sorts of unusual tricks and stunts to get the crowd roused, luring many in for a fright or laugh. To know what was occurring when and where, conveniently set at the entrance is a large bulletin board posting the schedule of the day's delightful offers of entertainment, along with the rules, which basically whittled down to dress up and have fun. Also included on the board are times for outdoor screenings for later on in the night. For those wishing to partake in the indulgence of horror movies or Halloween classics early, amongst the shops stood a small theater with displays of posters for what is showing. Last, but not least, far at the back resided that old, haunted house Jack had taken her to a year ago to the day, where a long line of folks wait in anticipation to get the pants scared off of them by what lurked inside. She swore she could hear the screams right from where she stood.
"It's so much better than I imagined." Y/N brings her hands to her mouth, near-tears as she took some steps forward inside the park. Her heart immediately lifted upon entering through the gates as she walked herself in a full circle to properly take it in, so enraptured by the beautiful dream that had taken it's first breath of life that she hardly noticed her parents and Nathan finally catching up from behind. Whiskers was smart enough to hitch a ride in her mother's arms, not the least bit exhausted by the ride up by the time he leapt onto the ground. All three of them had nearly the same reaction to her, surprised at what Jack had been able to make in just a short amount of time.
"This is..." Her father trailed off as he came beside his daughter in awe, her mother joining to his right with the same expression on her face.
"Incredible."
"Only the best for my sweet," Jack declared, embracing his beloved queen from behind, knocking her out of her trance. Smiling widely, the girl spun around to take his face and kiss his cheek strongly with pride.
"It's perfect! Everyone looks to be at full spirit." Grinning wider to match her, the magician nodded his head with vigor.
"It's fantastic! I feel so alive!" Laughing, the spirit, without warning, lifts her up and twirls her around, dancing with the girl in his arms as she clung to his neck, shouting out to her parents and Nathan. "Don't wait up! I get to have one last night with my queen before I give her up!" Cackling more, Jack whisked her away, and she shook her head as he smiled down at her. "Where would you like to go first?"
Humming, Y/N spins her head and points to one of the more terrifying coasters, making his eyes light up as he carried her there. The ride was super fast, much more than she was expecting, going through so many winding twists and turns with even a double loop before reaching the end, which was a giant drop down a giant, red devil's gullet. Neither could hardly stand on their feet once they got off, but regardless, Jack took her hand and dragged her to a small haunted house. Even being used to the trickster's jump-scares, there were plenty of frightful surprises that startled her into the spirit's arms on more than one occasion. By the end of it, they were both laughing, though.
The next stop was one of the costume stores, where they chose their outfits for the evening before trying out the rest of the rides until inevitably getting hungry, stopping at numerous food vendor carts and shops for fresh hot chocolate and apple cider, pastries and more, sampling all that they could stomach before meeting up with her family and Nathan to watch one of the movies being played outside, sitting cuddled up in the grass with Jack and Whiskers on her lap, a bag of caramel popcorn in hand, and of course, plenty of candy to hold them through the film.
Seeing the two of them interacting with each other, the minds of her parents and friend eased further, able to tell just by how he looked at her that Y/N meant the world to Jack, and he meant the world to her. It was a harsh strike to the heart for Nathan, as he had always harbored a few feelings towards Y/N, but it was clear who she preferred. He tried not to let it get to him, since he was mainly just glad to have her around again. Having her energy around always brightened his day, reminding him to let loose. Regardless of everything, she is a dear part of his world too, even if they'd have to remain as only friends for the foreseeable future.
When Jack took out his pocket watch for the first time of the night, however, the joyful atmosphere between them had diminished to something more solemn and bittersweet. Jack and Y/N locked eyes after seeing the time, and the spirit gave a small smile before leaning over to kiss her cheek and getting up. Y/N is quick to follow when he starts to walk away, picking up Whiskers in her arms and standing at his side as her parents and Nathan try to keep up from behind. Jack slid an arm behind the girl's back, rubbing at her shoulder in comfort as they make their way to the cemetery to say goodbye.
"Where are we going?" F/N finally asks after the dreadful silence. Tearing up, Y/N turned her head to look behind and answer his question.
"He can only stay for one day, remember? It's almost midnight." Her father was a bit shocked to see how sad she was as she looked forward and leaned her head onto Jack.
"Hey, don't be so sad. I really think this plan is going to work. I feel great, like I could stay an extra day, maybe even a week!" He exaggerates, hoping to make her feel better, earning a small smile out of her.
"Really?" Nodding confidently, he releases her as they near the mausoleum, standing in front of it's doors before he spun around on his heel to face them all as Whiskers jumped out of her arms to rub against his legs. Squatting down, Jack pets the cat on the head.
"Be good, Whiskers. Keep watch on her for me." The creature purrs in response before walking to where Y/N stood as the girl came forth to squeeze the boy in her arms.
"I'll miss you." Closing his eyes, the blonde rests his head on her as she sniffles against his shoulder, hugging her just as hard.
"I'll miss you too, Sweetie." Turning his head, the spirit gives a kiss to her cheek before pulling back, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he smiles down at her sadly, already feeling a bit lonely, though they haven't even parted yet. Ruby eyes drift up to view the three behind her, and he gives a big smile to them all. "You all take care of her for me." Y/N felt his hands trembling on her shoulders, causing her heart to break. "Make sure she's always happy."
"You make it sound like you'll never come back." Giggling, the girl raised a hand to his fair-skinned cheek before leaning up to kiss the other side of his face.
"I'll always come back for you, Y/N. Halloween will be just around the corner. I'll be back before you know it. You make our dream come true, okay? I look forward to it. You'll make me proud." Jack kisses her forehead, lingering a little before pulling back and kissing her lips for a small amount of time that didn't feel long enough for either of them.
"Until then," she mutters.
"Until then, my sweet." Stepping out of her hold, the spirit looks to the others again. "It's was fun meeting you all. We should get together again next time too, and Nathan," his tone spoke a bit more sharply, making the boy jolt. For a moment, they stared at each other before the spirit smiled genuinely. "Be a good friend to her. If I hear anything about you hurting her, I'll put razors in your candy."
"Jack!" The spirit giggles as she slapped his arm, making him laugh as he opens the doors.
"Goodbye. Happy Halloween, everyone." And, with that, the doors were closed, locking the spirit inside for another year. Jack lost all feeling in his legs in that moment, collapsing to the floor and breaking down into tears that he had tried so hard to keep at bay. He wanted to appear strong, so that she wouldn't have to worry for him being all alone, but he was confident that Y/N would not let him down, that she would try her hardest to make their dream come true. Y/N choked on a sob and covered her mouth with both hands as she faced away from the doors, closing her eyes as she wiped the seemingly never-ending tears cascading down her cheeks. When pulled into a hug, she looks up at Nathan in surprise, sniffling as he smiled genuinely.
"He'll be back next year. Don't cry, okay? It's good to have you back again." Nodding, Y/N accepts the hug, crying still.
"Yeah. I'm just gonna miss him. Let's go home now. It's been a very busy day." Everyone nods in agreement before leaving the cemetery, giving Y/N words of comfort and pats on the back, encouraging her to continue on strong.
For her, this was just the beginning.