Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve Read online

  “That look definitely implies that you’re thinking it,” Jasmine said, sighing. “But I did tell her the truth about the family. That they disappeared. We can’t exactly bring the case to trial with the entire family missing now, can we?”

  “Good point,” Jade murmured, turning and pushing through the doors behind her. She leaned in, snatching the basket of fries off the counter and walking back out of the kitchen. “Hmm. These fries are so good!”

  “You definitely are living up to the image of a pregnant woman, aren’t you?” Jasmine asked, laughing.

  “And enjoying the snacks,” Jade said around a mouthful of fries. “But I am glad you didn’t tell her our secret. I would hate to have to kill you. I nearly killed Julie when she told Tyler.”

  “You’re not seriously still mad at her for that, are you? After all, it did turn out to be a good thing.”

  “Depends on your definition of good,” Jade said finishing off the fries and dumping the basket in the garbage at her feet. She lifted her head, gazing across the bar at Josslyn. “This is the happiest I’ve seen her, Jasmine, since he left. I know she didn’t love him, but he hurt her. He broke something inside of her. I have never seen her like this. Growing up, she never, ever got depressed over a boy. One left, and another came. That was the tornado of Josslyn. But these last couple of months, watching her crying over stupid dramas on the television, I just about lost it! I’m supposed to be the emotional one, not her!”

  “She’s grieving, Jade. Give her time. Who knows what kind of connection they had. Speaking of you, how is the little one?” She reached her hand out.

  “Don’t you dare.” Jade grabbed her wrist before her hand reached her stomach. “Jeez, what is up with you guys? I hate it when you do that! She’ll be born in a few months, and then you can hold her as much as you want, okay? But do not touch my damned stomach!”

  “Jeesh. Someone’s temperamental.”

  “Have you met me? I’m always temperamental,” Jade said, laughing as she stared out across the bar, scowling when she caught a glimpse of gold light underneath the door to her left. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  “What?”

  “Sky’s back.”

  “What? Where?” Jasmine swiveled in the stool, gasping as she nearly fell off. “Whoa!”

  “Jesus, Jasmine! Would you be careful?” Jade asked, shaking her head in dismay. “Control your alcohol! He’s right there.” She pointed across the room, to where Sky was exiting the mop closet. He weaved through the mass of people, heading toward them. She let out a growl. “I knew he was going to show up sooner or later.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” Jasmine asked, leaning back against the bar and grinning. “I thought you’d come to terms with Sky being in our lives.”

  “I have, but him being back from up there…” She pointed up toward the heavens. “Can only mean one thing. Trouble, and I do not like trouble.”

  “Oh, Jade, would you chill? Sky’s done a lot for us since he’s come into our lives.”

  “I know that.”

  “And he is quite yummy to look at.” She smiled, licking her lower lip. “I saw those muscles rippling, under that white tank top he wore while swinging that hammer. And that blonde hair, those deep blue eyes…” She sighed, fanning herself.

  “Oh my goodness, Jasmine! Would you just go over there and ask him out already?” Jade asked, rolling her eyes. “Good grief! All you ever do, is stare and drool over him! Go tell him how you feel, dammitt!”

  “I don’t think so,” Jasmine said, shaking her head. “I haven’t done something like that in a very long time, and the last time did not turn out so well.”

  “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” Jade muttered, rolling her eyes. What is it with my sisters? Swooning over some man or another? Didn’t they know that you could be happy without a man? She smiled. “Hello, Sky.”

  “Hello, Ladies,” Sky said, nodding to them as he stepped up to the bar. He leaned against it, glancing at Jasmine. “Nice hair.”

  Jade smirked as Jasmine blushed. “He noticed.”

  Jasmine shook her head, jumping down from the stool. “I think I’m going to go join Josslyn and Julie on the dance floor. Bye Jade! Bye Sky!”

  “What’s her problem?” Sky asked, glancing at Jade.

  Jade shrugged. “Oh, you know, us Morgan women. We are very hard to figure out.” She laughed at his confused expression, setting a beer in front of him. “Here. As a thank you for helping out around here.”

  “Ahh. You must be getting used to me being around,” Sky said, picking up the beer. “Hmm. Corona. How did you know this was my favorite?”

  Jade shrugged. “I have a knack for knowing exactly what people like to drink. It’s what always made me such a good bartender.”

  “I see.” Sky took a swig, glancing around him. “I am impressed through. You’ve gotten so much done in the last few months. This place is hopping! And the band you got…” He let out a whistle. “I don’t think you could have drawn a better crowd.”

  “It is nice to have some old connections,” Jade said, wiping the counter in front of her. “And you helped a lot, Sky. Having friends who were an electrician, an exterminator, I swear you saved me so much money! Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, Jade. I wanted to do it.”

  “I know.” Jade sighed. “But I am worried, Sky. It’s been so quiet here, since we defeated Satan. Not to mention, you’ve been gone two months. You do realize you were gone two months, right?”

  “Yes, I know. Although it definitely did not feel like two months. Time moves at a different speed up there. So nothing major happened while I was gone?”

  “Nope. Quiet as can be. It was nice. It gave us time to get to know Jasmine and to do the whole sisterly bonding thing.”

  “I’m glad you guys got a chance to connect.”

  “So what did the all mighty ones have to say?”

  “Just as I expected they would say,” Sky said, taking another drag from the beer. He closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts. “They’re worried, Jade. Like really worried.”

  “What? Why? We took out Satan. Shouldn’t they be happy?”

  “Oh they are, but they also know that every demon and warlock in the underworld is going to be fighting over who’s best to take over as leader. As long as the God’s have been around, there has always been someone in charge. Someone telling the other demons what to do, who to kill, but with there being no one in charge, it’s a mess down there. Not to mention, there’s a higher being that the God’s can’t quite get a read on.”

  “Higher being?”

  “The next big bad.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring.”

  “Just be careful, Jade. We have no idea what’s going to happen next, who’s going to be coming after you. I do not want anything happening to any of you. Not after what you almost went through with Josslyn.” He paused, gazing across the room at Josslyn as she danced with her other two sisters, swallowing the lump in his throat. I almost failed. I almost lost her. I can’t lose another one.

  “Believe me, I know,” Jade said, breaking into his thoughts, and nodding to a gentleman as he came up for a beer. “It scared me too, Sky.” She smiled, watching as Josslyn grinned, dancing to the music Over my dead body will I let that happen to another one of my sisters. “Do you really think someone’s going to attack soon?”

  “The underworld works in mysterious ways, Jade. There’s no telling what they have planned, but I’m willing to guess very soon your little hiatus will be over.”

  “You know, I did not miss you,” Jade said, scowling, crossing her arms across her chest. “You’re always so damned depressing! Don’t you ever have something nice to say? Happy thoughts?”

  “I—”

  “Oh my God! Ouch!” Jade suddenly let out a loud cry, clutching her stomach as a searing pain tore through her abdomen. She grabbed the bar, lowering herself to the floor. “Oh God, it hurts! It h
urts!”

  “Jade?” Sky jumped over the bar, catching her before she fell. “Jade, talk to me. What is it?”

  “It’s the baby,” Jade gasped out, clutching his arm as she stared up at him. “Something’s wrong, Sky. I know it is. Please. You have to get me to the hospital… now!”

  “Sky?”

  Josslyn rushed through the automatic doors of the hospital, sliding to a stop when she spotted him pacing in the waiting room. “Oh my God! Sky! What happened?”

  Sky stopped, glancing over his shoulder as Josslyn, Julie, and Jasmine rushed up to him. Do I really have to be the bearer of such bad news? he wondered, swallowing hard, trying to get his emotions in order.

  “Is she okay?”

  “What happened?”

  “What about the baby?”

  They rattled off the questions without taking a breath, and he sighed. “Girls, I have something to tell you.” He paused, glancing from one concerned face to the other. “Jade lost the baby. I am so sorry.”

  “What?”

  “How?”

  “Where is she?”

  “Can we see her?”

  Sky nodded. “Of course. Come on. Follow me.” He led them down the hallway, around the corner, and punched the button to the elevator. The elevator doors swung open, and he stepped inside, stabbing the button to the eighth floor. The whole ride awoke the most painful feeling he’d felt in all of his years on earth. He’d seen a lot, been through a lot, but Jade, Josslyn, Julie, and Jasmine were beginning to worm their way into his heart. He was starting to care for them, and if the Gods ever found out…

  He shook his head, clearing himself from his thoughts, the elevator dinging. He lead them out of the elevator. They walked down yet another hallway, and he stopped next to a doorway, pointing. “She’s in here.”

  “Jade?”

  Julie hurried into the room, stopping next to the bed, staring down at her sister’s pale face and a tear streaked down her cheek. “Jade, it’s me. Julie. I’m here.”

  “We’re all here.”

  They placed their hands over Jade’s, and Jade creaked an eye open.

  “Gee. You all look like I died, or something. I promise, I’m okay.”

  “But you lost the baby, Jade!”

  “The odds of the baby surviving were low anyways,” Jade said, refusing to shed any tears or show any emotion. “It was half demon, remember? Half snake demon.”

  “Of course! But it was still your baby!” Josslyn cried, clenching her hand into a fist. “And you!” She jabbed a finger toward Sky. “We were three feet away from you! Why didn’t you tell us what was going on? Where you were taking her? Do you have any idea how scared I was, when I saw the bar empty, and then that phone call…” She trailed off, biting back a sob. “You should have told us, dammitt! We had a right to know!”

  “Josslyn, please. Don’t be mad at Sky,” Jade said, grabbing her by the wrist. “He saved my life. If he hadn’t gotten me to the hospital when he had I would have died, too. I’m equally relieved that he has a friend here. A magical friend who’s a doctor. A friend, who thankfully didn’t bat an eye when the baby disappeared.”

  “Wait. What? How can it just disappear?”

  “I don’t know. I was in so much pain, girls. I felt like my insides were being torn to shreds. They had to induce me, you know with me being four months along and all, but then it just disappeared.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that.”

  “Where did it go?”

  Jade shrugged. “Hell if I know. It must be one of the many things we don’t know about magic.” She paused, glancing at Sky. “Didn’t the Gods say this baby was due to be very powerful?”

  Sky nodded. “Yes, but things change all the time, Jade.”

  “Could it be a repercussion to the spell you cast?” Jasmine asked. “You know… the resurrection spell?”

  Jade shrugged. “I have no idea, but if it is, at least I can finally relax. Because I no longer have to worry about any of you.” She smiled, glancing up at her sisters as they leaned over her. “As much as I loved the baby inside of me, it had an evil inside of it left over from Tony. An evil I don’t know if I would have ever been able to get rid of. You are my family, and you, are the ones I care about.”

  “Awe, Jade…”

  “Well it’s true!” Jade cried. “I have the rest of my life to have children and trust me I will grieve for the one I lost.”

  “I just wish I could have seen what was going to happen,” Julie whispered. “I would have loved to have saved you from all of this pain, but I couldn’t see it! I should have! What is the point of being able to see the future when I can’t use it to help the ones I love?”

  “Give it time, Julie,” Sky said. “You can’t expect it to work over night. You’ve only had your powers for four months.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Be patient. But I’m sick of being patient!” Julie cried. “I want to help people!”

  “And you will.”

  Julie nodded, laying on the bed next to Jade and laying her head on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Jade.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Julie.”

  “I wish we could have seen it,” Josslyn said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Been able to hold it, bathe it, play with it…”

  “Do you think it’s up in heaven?” Jasmine asked. “With Mom, Dad, Gram, and Gramps?”

  Jade shrugged. “Who knows, but I do know that this is not the end of the line. We’ll all have children. We’ll all get to hold them, play with them, watch them grow up. I guarantee it.”

  Six weeks later…

  “Jade! Are you coming?” Josslyn adjusted the black and gold mask over her face. Running a hand over the identical colored dress she was wearing and glanced behind her. “Do you think she’s coming? The masquerade’s going to be starting soon.”

  “Give her a minute, would you?” Jasmine asked, stepping out from the kitchen, as she pulled her long hair back into a messy bun. “She did after all just lose her baby six weeks ago.” She spun in a circle, lifting the hem to her white and pink dress. “How do I look?” she asked, reaching for her black jacket lying on the chair.

  “Gorgeous,” Julie said, from where she was sitting on the couch. She sighed, fiddling with the glittery, brown mask laying in her lap. “But I’m worried about her, guys. She hasn’t missed a step since she got out of the hospital. She’s at the bar every day from sun up to sundown, ordering supplies, booking bands, cleaning, not to mention the damned demon hunting she’s been doing! How many has she found?”

  “At least one a day,” Sky said, walking into the room, and adjusting his tux. “Do I really have to go to this damned thing?”

  “If we have to go, you have to go,” Jasmine informed him, straightening his tie, and laughing at his look of sheer pain. “Come on, it’s not going to be that bad!”

  “That’s easy for you to say. You haven’t been all over the world, in different times,” Sky said. “You know, I never understood the point to these things. Why spend your night in uncomfortable clothes and shoes, dancing until your feet hurt, without even knowing who you’re dancing with? It makes no sense!”

  “It’s called having fun, Sky,” Jade said, as she appeared at the top of the steps. She lifted the hem to her black and purple patterned dress, descending the stairs. She stopped, lifting her head to stare at the four. “Why are you guys staring at me like that?”

  “You look…”

  “Amazing!”

  Jade laughed, staring at her three sisters. “So do you.” She glanced at Sky. “And you clean up very nicely.”

  “Thank you, Madam,” Sky said, bowing like a gentleman. “Shall we get this show on the road? It is after all, all Hallow’s Eve. One of the most magical days of the year.”

  “I still can’t believe it’s Halloween!” Josslyn cried, as they stepped out of the house. She glanced up the street at the decorations lining the houses, and children decked out in costumes, refusing to
fall victim to All Hallow’s Eve. It would always be Halloween to her. “So, Jade. Should we be prepared to vanquish any demons tonight?”

  Jade shrugged. “Who knows. We are, after all, the protectors of mankind.”

  They all groaned. “Jade!”

  “What? It’s not like I have any control over any of this. It’s out destiny, remember?” She paused, picking the pumpkin up off the railing and turning it in her hands. “I do love Halloween,” she whispered. “The pumpkin picking, the carving, the costumes, even the parties. It’s all so much fun!”

  “And don’t forget about the trick or treating,” Julie put in. “All that candy!”

  “I thought you hated Halloween, Jade,” Josslyn put in. Hadn’t she always said it was a pointless holiday? What had happened to her sister? “I do.”

  “What’s to hate about it?” Jade asked, setting the pumpkin back down. Smiling, as a group of kids decked out in costumes raced down the street. “It’s the only time of year you can be anyone you want to be. A pirate. A ghost. Even a princess, and no one will judge you for it. It’s the one day a year you can escape from who you really are.”

  “Is that what you’re trying to do, Jade? Escape?”

  Jade froze, stopping on the step to glance at the four behind her. “Is that what you think? That I need to escape?”

  “Well, you did just lose a baby.”

  “And I’ve dealt with it.”

  “The hell you have!” Josslyn snapped. “For goodness sakes, Jade, you’re acting like it didn’t even exist! Six weeks ago, you had a child inside of you. A little human being who was growing inside of you. How can you not be phased by that? Now, you can say again and again that the baby was half demon, that it wasn’t really yours but show some damned emotion, will you? You haven’t cried once, for the baby, Jade. Instead, you keep going like the damned energy bunny! You’re at the bar, day in and day out. In between vanquishing demon after demon. Dragging us along, nearly getting us killed. You’re being reckless, Jade, which is nothing like you!”

  “So, let me get this straight. You believe, I, should be wallowing? Crying my eyes out? Binging on Netflix because I went through something horrible?”