Butterfly Complex

Must be a spike in her brain, or something else large and sharp. It felt like her head was going to explode. And the sorry excuse for a pillow under her head didn’t help. She may as well be laying on a rock. At least she felt comfortably warm. Groaning, Shock raised her hand to her forehead. Something pulled at the back of it, but that didn’t matter.

“Barrel, she’s moving!”

“Huh?”

“She’s moving, go get Finklestein!”

The voices and the door being flung open sent another jab through her skull.

“Can you hear me?”

“God, yes, now shut up,” she grumbled, opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was Lock sitting over her. He didn’t look offended by her first words. His sharp teeth showed through a small smile, but his eyes were dark with confusion and concern.

“Where the hell were you last night?”

“Where am I now?”

“Finklestein’s place. Barrel and I found you on the hill and didn’t know where else to go.”

“The hill…” The events of last night came rushing back to her and she jerked upright. The resulting complaint from her head made her double over with her fingers pressed to her temples. When she noticed the tug on her hand again, she gave it an irritable look. An IV tube trailed out of it. “What am I doing here?”

“You threw up on me and passed out,” Lock answered, the smile tugging into a frown. When Shock giggled, his scowl deepened. “Shut up, it’s not funny!”

Though she didn’t apologize, she bit the back of her hand to stifle any more laughter. It had hurt her head, anyway. “I don’t really remember what happened…” she lied, turning her face into her hands again to hide it.

“You were bitten by a snake,” Dr. Finklestein said, joining them from almost nowhere. “A Hinterlands adder, to be specific. You’re very fortunate these two found you when they did. Another half hour or so and you would have been a corpse or a ghost. What were you doing out there, anyway? It’s far too dangerous for a girl your age.”

“Can’t the third degree wait until my head isn’t throbbing?” She decided not to argue the point that she’d lived there as a kid.

“A headache? You’re lucky that’s all that happened.”

Lucky. Lucky girl… Shock almost laughed again. If only he knew…

Finklestein checked her pupils, her pulse, and her temperature. Shock ignored the lecture he continued to deliver throughout the procedure. She was sure she’d catch it the second or third time around from Sally or Jack. Right now, she wasn’t in the mood. Once her head stopped screaming, she had enough to think about with Oogie, both what had happened there and what had almost happened. She only wanted time alone. However, once Finklestein announced that her system was clear and she could leave as soon as the headache went away, Lock and Barrel continued to hover over her.

“Why did you go to the Hinterlands?” Lock hissed in a low voice as soon as the three were alone.

She groaned. “I saw a neat moth in the pumpkin patch and chased it into the woods.”

“At night?” Barrel asked.

“Some things are nocturnal, dipstick,” Shock said.

“You haven’t been out there before, have you?” Lock asked.

“I have, actually. I go out there a lot.” Shock eyed him, trying to think of a way to chase both of them out of the room. The sick and hostile routine wasn’t putting them off. They were probably used to her being snappish. “You two never cared about what I do with my own time before. Why so interested now?”

Lock didn’t waver that easily, however. He stared straight at her, his eyes dead serious. “Did you go to that place?”

The young half-witch decided a blank stare would be the best reaction.

“You know,” he said in a lower voice still, almost mouthing the two words, “the tree.”

“The… No! Of course not.” Shock made herself look offended.

Grabbing her arms, Lock continued to whisper, “Barrel might be dumb enough for you to bullshit him. Hell, Jack might be dumb enough, but I know something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she insisted.

“If you were into something dangerous, you could tell me. I wouldn’t tell anyone else.”

Shock jerked away from him, getting mad. “Lock, in the last four years, most of our interactions have been me yelling at you two for playing some stupid prank on me. And now you want to come over here and, what, ride to my rescue?” An idea occurred to her. “You suddenly take an interest as soon as I start wearing a dress that shows I have boobs?”

Lock blushed furiously and sat back, looking everywhere but at her. “I- No! I… you… you almost died!”

“Like anything stays dead for long in Halloween Town.” She crossed her arms, but when she spoke again her voice had softened. “I didn’t die. I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Shock wasn’t sure she would be fine once she had a chance to think everything over, but she had to get these two off her back somehow. Lock still couldn’t seem to look at her. Exactly the kind of reaction she’d wanted. She didn’t know why they disliked being reminded she had boobs, but whatever worked. It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but in the end him and Barrel left with only a few words about feeling better soon.

Would she? Oogie came back. Oogie had almost killed her twice. Or did this make it three times? She could still feel his hands on her skin. Hear his voice in her ear. He frightened her, and she wanted to go back so badly. Wanted him so badly. Wanted him to terrorize her, push her to the brink, again and again. Was that wrong? Like it mattered anymore. She had a butterfly to chase. A brilliant red butterfly to chase into the cold, lonely dark.

A/N: Just wanted to make note that this is the end of this piece, because it might look like it hangs a little. I do have ideas for follow-up pieces. We'll see if I get to them.