Broken Doorway: Chapter 23

The trio ambled down the hallway in the treehouse, unsure exactly how to feel. They had succeeded in getting Mimipede on Oogie's bad side, but…

"Well, it'll be quiet here without that twat crying all the time." Lock grumbled.

"Yeah…" Shock agreed.

Barrel scuffed his feet on the wooden floor, somehow not getting any splinters. "I had kinda gotten used to scaring her so easily…"

They all had gotten used to the extra noise around the place, and while it may have gotten annoying at times, it had nonetheless kind-of grown on them. Besides, they didn't have to go into town to get a good scream. Thinking of noises, though, Shock noticed that the usual ruckus was missing now. She paused, the boys stopping soon after her. "What?" Barrel asked.

"Do you hear anything?" Shock asked. They all listened for a moment: nothing. Either Lenora had fallen asleep, or she had finally managed to impale herself on something… The kids looked at each other momentarily, then quickly went off to look for the girl.

"Not here!" Barrel called from a cupboard.

"Not here!" Lock said, looking in a closet.

Shock popped into a few rooms, "Nope."

"Not in here!" Barrel said from a cauldron.

Shock then passed by the room with the pipe down to Oogie in it. She glimpsed something still in one piece on the floor, so went back and into the room. It was a broom, lying by the pipe. It looks like one Lenora usually used… But Lenora stayed out of this room. Shock briefly wondered if she herself had left a broom there earlier, when she was interrupted by Lock's voice.

"Hey! Over here!" Shock and Barrel joined Lock at an open window. That was weird; they'd kept all windows closed since Lenora came. Lock pointed to something on a branch nearby – it was a bandage; one of Lenora's wrappings. They all stared in silence out the open window, where she must have escaped.

"Why… did she leave?" Barrel voiced, confused.

"She probably heard us, you twit!" Shock snapped, "Or at least Oogie! I just saw a broom over by the pipe, and Oogie wasn't exactly quiet down there."

"That brat!" Lock growled, "After all we've done for her, too!" After a moment's hesitation, he turned and started heading for the tub. "Let's go track her down!"

Shock joined him. "Yeah! Before someone else finds her!"

Barrel ran to catch up to them. "Hey, hold up!" They didn't' slow. He shot a glance back out the window worriedly, almost tripping over himself in the process. "What about La Llorona?!" he finally exclaimed.

Lock and Shock paused, then turned to look out the window again. It was now dark. It was still early into the night, but still… There was always the possibility.

Shock broke the tension, though; "Do you want to go and tell Oogie we lost her?" Barrel balked at the notion. Not receiving a reply, she turned around and continued on her way. After a moment, Lock and Barrel followed just as determinedly.

* * * *

Jack walked briskly through the Hinterlands, not noticing if the breeze moving his coattails was natural or being caused by his pace. It didn't really matter, though – the search pack that had been out a few weeks ago haven't turned up anything except the occasional skeletal appendage, which was normal, and none had been child sized. He felt he could assume that Lenora wasn't lost in the forest; the packs were quite thorough. He was now going to check the trick-or-treaters' treehouse himself, and he hoped she was somewhere in its branches. Albeit, the trio were just children, but Jack had thought about it more as he'd just left the witches in town, and had recognized that having had worked for Oogie Boogie, they might have held onto a few habits he'd taught them.

Jack suddenly glimpsed movement. He froze to get a better look, since it was small and he saw some white. However, what he saw was Barrel's backside a few yards away, looking around a tree. At first, Jack was disappointed that it wasn't Lenora, but then he thought that maybe he could work this to his advantage, since he didn't see the other two around. Jack easily sneaked up behind the boy with a few strides. When Barrel turned around, he collided with Jack's lanky legs and fell backwards.

"Waaah!" He exclaimed as he hit the ground and immediately scrambled backwards against the tree. Looking up, he recognized the Pumpkin King. "Oh, J-Jack!" Barrel said, with only a bit more composure than his previous yell.

"Hello, Barrel." Jack said conversationally, "I was just on my way to the Doors, when I happened to spot you. Since you are here, I have a question for you." Barrel had already gotten up, but at Jack's statement he froze. "Have you seen Lenora around? [9-27-12] You see, she seems to have run off somewhere, and I haven't had any luck finding her. At least, not in town. You run around here in the Hinterlands more often than I; surely you might have seen her somewhere?"

Barrel fidgeted slightly under the skeletons gaze. "Uhm… Lenora? You mean, that white bird girl?"

"Of course;" Jack confirmed, "you three 'helped' her once, don't you remember?"

Barrel glanced away. "… Right; her… Well, I haven't seen her out here, that's for sure!"

"Not at all?" Jack pressed, "Not even a white feather?"

Barrel shook his head. "Nope!"

"Hmm…" Jack pretended to muse, "Well what about Lock or Shock? Perhaps they might've seen her?"

"I don't know about them." Barrel countered, "We're playing hide and seek right now, so I don't know where they are, but I'm pretty sure they haven't seen Lenora."

Jack leaned forward and continued staring in silence at the boys for a few seconds. Barrel wasn't sure if he should run off, or say something else, or… what. Before he could decide though, Jack backed off and picked up his conversational tone again. "Well, alright then. I'll continue with my investigation, and you three just let me know if you see anything."

"S-sure thing, Jack!" Barrel stuttered, surprised to have gotten off the hook so easily, but not forgetting to cross his fingers behind his back. Jack grinned and walked briskly off. Barrel watched him for a few moments, and then dashed off himself. Jack heard the boy scamper off, and he is grin grew darker. He veered off his course, and began following Barrel.

Barrel was thankful to get away from Jack's probing stare; despite the emptiness of the skeleton's sockets, Jack had a way of staring into your soul. Barrel was now off to find Lock and Shock. He had been searching for Lenora for what had felt like forever, and since he had been alone, La Llenora was never far from his thoughts. Jack's interruption had scared him pretty well – he had no desire to be on his own in the Hinterlands anymore.

After retracing his steps for a while, he tentatively called out. "Loooock… Shooock…?" There was no response. He moved to another area nearby and looked around. He spotted a red tail on the other side of the tree. "Hey!" He barked out. The tail twisted in surprise, and Barrel heard some ambiguous exclamations. He got closer, asking, "What?"

Lock wheeled on him; "I said shut up! I thought I heard someone else…" Both boys looked around, but saw nothing but the trees and their shadows in the pale moonlight. The sun had set rather quickly, and the moon was never too far behind it. Shadows failed to reassure Barrel on this night, though.

"Lock, we gotta go find shock."

"What's-a matter?" Lock sneered, "Ghosts on your trail?"

"No;" Barrel answered defensively, "… I ran into Jack."

"What!?" Lock cried, "You idiot! What'd you do that for?!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Barrel shot back, "He snuck up on me! Besides, he's gone now."

"And how do you know that?" Lock growled.

"Because he said he was going to the Doors." Barrel retorted, "And… He was looking for Lenora."

"Did you tell him anything?!"

"Of course not! What do you think I am, stupid?"

"Sometimes you are." Lock responded.

"Well," Barrel continued, "I think we should still go back."

"You're just scared." Lock shot off.

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"You're just scared because you didn't find anything!"

There was a slight uncomfortable silence.

"Well… I bet you didn't either." Lock finally retorted. The further silence was worse than a reply might have been.

"… Let's just go find Shock." Barrel muttered.

Instead of arguing, the devil boy simply glanced around uncomfortably and started walking off. Barrel followed, as did an extra shadow that neither noticed.

* * * *

Lenora leaned on her own legs for support as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Despite her motivation, she could only run for so long without taking a break. Pariah, who had been flying above her, landed in the branches of a nearby tree. The moon was slowly beginning to make its climb higher into the sky, but for the moment it still cast long shadows in the night. Lenora's mind was blank as she breathed heavily and tried to ignore the aching in her legs. She had tried running straight for a while, simply away from the treehouse, but was convinced that at some point she must have turned because she felt like she was running in a circle. So she had turned, and continued on in that direction since. She believed she was going the right way into town, but she certainly felt like she was taking a roundabout way to it.

Meantime, Pariah waited patiently in the tree. Suddenly, he perked up and looked around. Then he cawed and took leave of the tree, to the right of Lenora's current location. Lenora heard him and, assuming he was telling her to get moving, said in between breaths, "Okay; okay I'm almost ready…" She glanced up as she finished talking, but he wasn't in the tree, or above her. Panicking for a second, she frantically scanned the area; her heart calm down when she saw him in another tree further away. She sighed and stood upright, having regained most of her breath again. "Come on, Pariah…" she called out, taking a few steps toward him; "We gotta find –"

Her voice cut off as she saw a figure begin to move out of the tree's shadow. Lenora registered long hair; her instant thought was of Sally, but the hair was too dark, so her next thought was of La Llorona. But before the thought had time to process fully, the figure stood full in the moonlight, and she saw a black cloak. Once her instant panic subsided, Lenora recognized that it was Demise. He was looking up in the tree, and once he spotted Pariah, extended an arm. Lenora saw his hand, starkly white in contrast to his dark cloak; the moonlight seemed to give it an aura of pallor, as if it were emanating a glow of whiteness. Pariah flew down on the extended hand, and Demise quickly moved bird to his shoulder. He stroked him gently a few times, then turned to Lenora and smiled.

"Thank you for caring for Pariah." He said smoothly, beginning to walk towards her.

"I… I didn't really do much." She replied softly; she remained frozen.

"No, it doesn't take much;" Demise continued as he approached, "just watching and getting attention and he's quite happy." Demise's smile turned into a smirk briefly as he glanced at Pariah. She wished that she could shoo Pariah off of Demise's shoulder, but the raven seemed so content that she didn't think would help her feeling. She wasn't sure what it was about Demise, but he unsettled her. Although, it wasn't like he had any claws or sharp teeth or anything. In fact, his hair was really flowy, and while he was really white, he wasn't transparent like a ghost. And his covered-red-eye-thing wasn't that bad, compared to some of the citizens in town.

Demise came to a stop near her. "So, what brings you out here again?"

"Um… Well…" Lenora didn't know what to say – she wasn't sure if she should spill her guts again, although it hadn't really had bad consequences last time. She looked at his face, and it looked… somewhat soft. Not like Sally, for sure, but… open. And expectant. He still made her feel nervous, but… the more she looked, the more she questioned why. She tried to choose a medium truth. "… Running."

"Really?" he intoned curiously, raising an eyebrow; "You seem to give your legs a lot of exercise."

"Umm… I guess…" Lenora responded, little confused, but she was the one who had brought it up.

"What about your wings?"

"… What?" Lenora asked, now really confused, and subsequently relaxed out of her frozen state.

"Your wings;" he repeated, "do you give them as much attention? Exercise, stretching?"

Lenora twisted her face and shifted her wings a little, honestly trying to think of what she usually did with them. "Um… n-not really."

"What a pity." He stretched out a hand, but then seemed to catch herself and drew it back, although he didn't lower it. "I'm sorry;" he apologized, "do you mind?"

Lenora tilted her head slightly. "What?"

He gestured to her; "Your wings – I'd like to feel them."

Lenora was a bit taken aback; no one ever asked to feel her wings. Some wanted to see them, and other kids usually just attacked her if they were curious about her, but no one ever asked… Except for Sally, near the beginning, but she was different. Although Lenora felt somewhat awkward, Pariah was right there, and since Demise had asked, she felt obliged let him touch her wing. She reluctantly extended one wing, not all the way, and watched him warily.

He put out his hand again and brushed it along some of her larger feathers. He lingered there moment, then moved his hand gingerly set it on top of her wing; it didn't hardly feel like anything was on her at all. Then, he gave a quick squeeze. It caught her off guard, but didn't last long enough to warrant more than a glance. Also, his fingers had felt… much skinnier than they looked. And… sharper?

Before she could sort out what exactly she had felt, Demise spoke; "Your wings are quite grand. People would kill to have them themselves." Thrown off, Lenora gave him a look of disbelief and confusion. He saw her face, and couldn't help letting a few short laughs burst out. "You really don't know much about your own kind, do you?"

Lenora was still confused, and her face showed as much. Everyone she had known always make fun of her wings, except for Sally. Well, Jack might have avoided it, but Lenora always found it hard to remember his exact words rather than just his shadowy presence. And here was Demise, complimenting her wings, and staying others wanted them. Badly. Yet his words also reminded her of one of Shock's first accusations against her… You really don't know anything, do you?

Demise smiled at her still confused expression, although he did register the slight hurt as well. "Humans have all had dreams of flying," he explained, "at one point of their lives or another. Other species, too." He looked back at her wings. "Some would give their lives to be granted wings… Some would take the lives of others." He slid his hand lightly along her wing, outward. There was hardly anything of weight to feel, but the sensation still unsettled her. His words didn't help. Lenora quickly retracted her wing.

Demise left his hand in the air for a few moments, then brought it back to his side. "Of course, that's just what some people say." he continued, "Sometimes what people say and do are two different things."

Lenora processed that for a second, and then realized what she was supposed to be doing. "Oh!" She gasped, "I-I really need to get going!" She stepped away and started turning to run off, but then she glanced back worriedly at Pariah. Pariah showed no intention of leaving.

"What's the hurry?" Demise asked, "I thought you were just… 'running'?"

"Well, y-yes;" Lenora sputtered – she hadn't anticipated needing to defend her actions; "but…"

"Where are you running to?"

"… T-to town; to Halloweentown." Lenora managed to piece together. It was hard to keep secrets when she didn't know why she was.

"Well…" Demise drew out, "I do believe that your destination is that way." He indicated to his left, opposite from her intended route. Lenora faltered; she was sure she had been going the right direction! Well, mostly… Sort of. "Although, I'm not sure why you want to get back there so quickly." Demise continued, "From what I recall from our last meeting, you weren't exactly all that welcome there."

"Well, n-no…" Lenora conceded.

"Have things changed?"

Lenora opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out for a while. "… I-I dunno."

Demise raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you been back there since then?"

Lenora shifted her gaze around, avoiding his look. "… N-not… really…"

"Do you think they still remember what you did?"

Lenora's heart thumped as she remembered, and closed her eyes tight, but she could still feel his question pressing on her. "I… I don't know!" She had to help Sally, but Sally could still be mad about the witches' shop, and if she ran into Jack before finding Sally, or if Jack got back while they were talking…

She heard a caw at her feet, and opened her eyes to see Pariah looking up at her. She unclenched her hands, which he hadn't realized she'd been clenching, and gave a shuddering sigh.

"… I'm sorry." Demise said in a subdued tone, "Can you just tell me what you need to do?"

Lenora looked up at Demise; he actually looked concerned. And worried. Like Sally did when she cried in her arms… Lenora couldn't sustain her lies anymore – and she didn't want to.

"I… I have to go and warn Sally about Oogie Boogie!"

Demise's expression became more alert, but his voice maintained its composure. "What? What do you mean?"

Lenora looked at him and used her hands for emphasis; "He's going to use me to get back at Sally and Jack! He's already forcing Lock, Shock, and Barrel to help him, and this… Mimipede thing is helping too."

"…How do you know this?"

"I heard them talking to the pipes." Lenora continued, "So I need to go and warn Sally now. I'm sorry," she started turning the direction Demise had pointed out before, "but I have to-"

"Wait;" Demise demanded, taking Lenora by surprise and forcing her to stop; "think for a moment. Why do you need to go and warn Sally?"

Lenora looked at him in consternation. "I just said, I need to warn her that Oogie is going to use me against her and Jack!"

"How?" Demise continued, staring at her intently, "How is Oogie going to use you?"

"Well, as… bait, I guess." Lenora replied slowly.

"How?" He pressed.

"I don't know! He has me, so I guess he-"

"Ah!" Demise interrupted her; "Look around you. Last time I checked, the Hinterlands were not owned by anyone. I don't think that Oogie can decide what to do with you right now." His smile returned.

Lenora stopped, and realized that Demise was right – she was no longer at the treehouse, and the trick-or-treaters didn't know she had left. Mimipede hadn't been around, either. So, since she was no longer at the Boogie Man's mercy, she didn't really need to go warn Sally anymore…

"…Is that where you've been this whole time? Demise asked after a moment, "With Bogie's Boys?"

"… Maybe…" Lenora answered, still a bit thrown off by the recent realization.

"… Is that where you got your bandages?"

Lenora looked confused momentarily, forgetting she had bandages; she was so use them now. A few had fallen off during her escape and subsequent run, and she briefly looked over what was left in surprise. "Oh, these? Y-yeah…" She saw him raise an eyebrow again, and suddenly understood his meaning. "I-I mean no! No! It's not like that!" she immediately defended.

"If you say so."

"They're not like that!" Lenora insisted, "They don't hurt me! …Well, not usually, not really, I mean – It's not the same!"

"How do you mean? Weren't they holding you hostage for Oogie Boogie?"

"They don't have a choice in that!" Lenora argued, although her resolve was wavering.

"… Does that mean you want to go back?" Demise asked seriously.

Lenora wasn't sure; the trio were her only friends besides Pariah, but… The Boogie Man was their boss again…

"Do you want to put Sally in danger again?"

Lenora's face was stricken with such fear and shock, Demise was almost sorry he'd asked. "No;" she whispered, "No I don't."

Demise stared at her face a bit longer, then hardened himself again. "… Alright then;" Demise surmised, "you won't be returning to them."

Lenora was still too wrapped in her own thoughts to realize his emphasis. "No…" She responded emptily. But… now where would she go? She could still go back to Sally… right? Lenora looked despairingly into the trees, in the direction she believed town was, although she honestly couldn't remember anymore. But she was more concerned with how Sally might react. Would she be welcomed with open arms? Or…

"Well, I suppose it up to you where you go from here." Demise said; "I'm afraid I have some business I ought to see to and must be off." He looked at Pariah, who flew back to his shoulder.

Lenora snapped out of her reverie. "W-what?!"

"I wish you the best of luck, I really do," he continued, "but I should go. Now." He turned around to the way he'd come, his cloak and hair swishing with him, and began walking briskly away.

"Wait!" Lenora cried, more desperately than she'd intended. Demise paused, then turned back towards her. She had one put one hand forward, but just retracted it close to her chest.

He raised an eyebrow in expectation. "Yes?"

"… W-where are you going?"

Demise didn't change his expression. "To do some errands."

Lenora looked down for a moment then back up. "… In town?"

"Halloweentown? No… no; someone else has that job."

"… What do you do?"

"Why do you want to know?"

An exceedingly long pause followed. Lenora fidgeted and looked around nervously, but couldn't seem to say anything. Eventually, Demise started turning away again. "Well I should be going-"

"Can-I-come-with-you!?"

Demise stopped, and hid a smirk. "What?" he asked, looking back at her.

Lenora looked very distraught, and her eyes were wide, but she continued. "I… I don't know what to do. I can't go back to the treehouse, and I can't go back to Sally… Not right now. I… I'm scared to be alone in the woods. Can I please come with you?"

Demise evaluated her. "… You seemed fine running alone earlier."

Lenora looked over at Pariah. "I wasn't alone." she said softly.

Demise glanced at Pariah, then back to Lenora, gauging. "… Are you sure that you want to-?"

"Please!" Lenora interjected, her eyes begging for help.

He let the suspense hang for a few moments, then smiled and waved one arm out, towards his intended direction. "No one's stopping you."

Relief flooded over her visibly, but the comment seemed to remind her that others could be about, for she looked around before quickly coming over. Once she was close enough, Demise rested a hand on her shoulder briefly, as though welcoming her. Again, his touch was hardly perceptible except by sight, but currently Lenora had a hard time trusting even her inner feelings – why should her outer feelings be any different? Pariah cawed and flew over to her; she extended her hand and then put him on her shoulder. It helped calm her, and she was grateful to her friend for it. She hadn't noticed Demise's look at Pariah, nor did she see the smug smile on his face as he led her away.

* * * *