Chapter 1: PROLOGUE
Chapter Text
From the beginning of time, magical beings and humans lived together in perfect harmony. Many non-humans were considered to be earthly gods, while others the helpers of humans. Although most magical beings belonged to the Magic Dimension, the home of monsters had always been Earth. Monsters with important powers like witches, plant monsters, water monsters, ghosts, spirits, and elementals protected the planet and provided safety for humanity. They were considered protectors, while werebeasts were worshipped as gods. After different creatures arose, the term ‘monster’ became more commonly used. Magic and monster societies never believed humans to be a threat, but humans always feared the unordinary and inexplainable. Their unusual capabilities, distinctive looks, and immortality caused human societies to either worship or outcast them. Some groups labeled as monsters were only found in particular parts of the world and considered mythological figures rather than living creatures. Others were created by humans.
Once the most prominent group on Earth, as humans started growing in numbers, monsters became the minority. Some who had relocated to the Monster World never looked back, but many families couldn’t let go of their home countries and cultures. Countries drew borders separating monsters from humans. Some monsters were forced to hide and others were banned from entering different places. More progressive humans intermarried with monsters. Some moved to the Monster World and asked to become vampires or werewolves to stay with their children for eternity. Even if this meant risking being disowned by their families. This caused an uprising between humans, people claiming that these terrible creatures were purposely ripping their families apart. Strict rules were put in place. The Monster World's portal was only allowed to be opened to humans with monster family members. After monsters were banned from human schools, educational institutions celebrating monsterkind were opened, allowing non-humans to feel safe for the first time. Regardless of this, many groups of monsters ended up turning against each other. Vampires and werewolves had been feuding for centuries, as had salt-water and fresh-water monsters. Half-normies were often excluded in different spaces, being told they would never fully belong to either group. Not monsters, not humans.
Transylvania - once home to a considerable vampire and a werewolf population, became almost entirely inhabited by humans. Boo York City, the monster half of New York City, was only established in the 19th century by the Ptolemy and the King family. A school named Monster High, built in the 19th century, quickly became the most popular institution for high-school-aged monster students. It was built in New Salem, Oregon, a town that was once the center of a diverse monster population. At one point, the school was the only one that welcomed half-normie students, preaching equality for all and thriving for a more accepting world. Unfortunately, this paradise didn’t last for long.
Just a century later, this portion of New Salem was taken over by normies. The families that fled to the Monster World established a town under the same name and rebuilt the infamous school with the help of 2 sister witches. The witches cast a spell on the original school, making it impossible to demolish unless someone found a magic spell in an ancient spellbook. Before their mysterious disappearance, one of the sisters ripped the book apart and buried the pages in the second school’s walls, leaving only a few clues that only the chosen one could uncover. After this, the two sisters disappeared without a trace, with only one descendant to continue the family line. A young baby, hidden away somewhere in the normie world.
Since then, the original building of Monster High stands still in New Salem, untouched and abandoned, with all its deep secrets left behind.
Chapter 2: Chapter 1 - A New Beginning
Summary:
" You cannot find peace by avoiding life."
- Virginia Woolf
Chapter Text
Song to set the mood: Shadows by Sabrina Carpenter
It was September 5th - the sky was cloudy, and the weather was starting to cool down, but it was still ideal for a family barbecue. Each year, before the kids left Boo York City for school in the Monster Universe, the Wolf family would hold a barbecue in their garden. It was a tradition all of them adored. They felt it brought them closer together. Clawrk, their father, had a habit of telling childhood stories to his eight children. He would talk about his high-school adventures and always retell the story of how he became the leader of one of the most influential wolf packs in the world. Clawdia, the oldest, would always sit back with her nose buried in a new novel she was obsessing over.
Clawdeen and Clawd stood in the back of the garden, away from their parents. They talked about their worries for the next school year, what they were excited about, and what they were scared of. This was going to be Clawdeen’s first time attending high school, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Monster High was one of the most successful schools out there for monsters. She had waited for this all her life, but something made her feel uneasy. Her mother taught at that school, so she felt a need to keep up her siblings’ good reputation. All her other friends teased her about being seventeen and having no high school experience, as Monster High required a two-year pre-course for all their future students.
Houses in their neighborhood were detached family houses. The Wolf family home followed the local style, with two stories and a large courtyard. The only difference was that their home was closer to a dark forest at the edge of the city’s border, cutting off monsters from humans. A noise coming from the forest behind their home cut them off. As her nose caught a familiar yet foreign smell, Clawdeen’s eyes lit up in fear, her brown irises turning bright yellow. She immediately turned towards her brother and took a few steps back. “Somebody's there.”
“What are you talking about?” Clawd shook his head and carefully moved his headphones down to see if he could hear anything. “Where?”
“I smell humans,” Clawdeen muttered. She made eye contact with the dark-skinned boy in front of her. “Clawd, please tell me you can smell them, too. Tell me I’m not going crazy.”
“Deena, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He answered, but was cut off by the same noise coming from the bushes. “Stay here,” Clawd instructed, his dark eyes strictly eyeing his sister’s piercing yellow ones. The seventeen-year-old let out a sigh. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. She hated having to be protected by her older siblings, but deep down she understood that without her underveloped werewolf powers, she couldn't do it herself.
“Who’s there?” Clawd asked, his deep voice echoing through the quiet night. He walked forward, making Clawdeen freeze in one spot.
“I don’t think you should go further.” She muttered. She was starting to feel chilly. It wasn’t because of the cold weather, but her terrible anxiety. Unexpectedly, a German Shepherd puppy ran out of the bushes, followed by a tan, curly-haired girl sprinting after him.
“Rambo!” The young girl screamed. Multiple leaves hung out of her messy curls, her clothes dirty as if she had fallen into deep mud. It seemed she had been running after her dog for a while now. “You can’t go there! Come back right now!”
Clawdeen was immediately startled, but her brother let out a deep sigh and whistled. Under two seconds the puppy stopped in his tracks and approached Clawd, raising his head to look at him. “Sit, Rambo!” Clawd instructed. The dog followed the order and sat in front of the werewolf, his tongue sticking out as he curiously stared at the two siblings. Werewolves knew how to communicate with dogs as their animal counterparts shared a common ancestor. Having a common ancestor meant that their brains naturally understood each other. Although Clawdeen was more of a cat person, she couldn’t deny that dogs were equally as adorable. She would’ve loved to have one as a pet if it weren’t for her cat Crescent who couldn’t tolerate other pets.
“Oh, my God.” The dark-haired girl forced an awkward grin on her face, gulping in fear. “I am so sorry. I’ll leave right now. Please don’t hurt me.”
“We don’t bite people,” Clawdeen said through gritted teeth as her wolf ears twitched annoyedly. This wasn’t the first time a human entered their courtyard. The Wolf family lived near the border, so oversights happened often. Despite there being nothing to be scared of, most normies would freak out and run away.
Clawd sighed, “Need a bandaid?” He asked, glancing at the girl's bruised right knee. It was bleeding, causing the girl much discomfort.
“I… No.” The young girl nodded, her hands still shaking. “Actually, wait…Thank you, I would appreciate that.”
“No worries.” Clawd cleared his throat. “My sister will be right back.”
Clawdeen groaned. Why was she always the one who had to fetch things for others? She turned around and headed up towards the porch. Inside the kitchen, she opened one of the cabinets to take out a pack of bandaids. Although wolves had healing powers, they preferred to use them for accidents worse than simple cuts. They also didn’t use their powers on humans - there could’ve been possible side effects, and they refused to risk anything. “Did something happen, love?” Harriet asked, eyeing Clawdeen worriedly. “Did you hurt yourself?”
The auburn-haired werewolf sighed. She didn’t know if she wanted to tell her mom about the human, but decided to let the annoyance out. “Guess what? There’s a human girl in our courtyard.”
“Again?” Harriet raised her brows. As their mother, Harriet bore a resemblance to mostly Howleen and Clawdeen. She was a beautiful brown-skinned woman with big eyes, a round, wide nose, and a strong jawline. She wore her hair in a buzzcut. It was often said that Howleen, the youngest daughter, looked like her the most.
“Yeah, again!” Clawdeen nodded. At seventeen, she was already taller than her petite, 5'2" mother. “Tell me, why did a tiny girl with a small puppy think it was a good idea to cross the border and enter a dark forest in the middle of the night?”
“Sweetie, humans and monsters aren’t banned from crossing the border!” Harriet shook her head in disbelief. She spoke as if it couldn’t have been dangerous. Despite that, Harriet was very much aware of how normies viewed monsters. And if there was one thing she refused to let her kids get away with, it was any slander towards humans. “I have explained this multiple times. Accidents like this will happen. They’re inevitable.”
"Well," Clawdeen sighed. “Someone needs to explain to her that the forest is strictly off-limits. Even for werewolves.”
“She should’ve been more careful.” Harriet agreed, patting Clawdeen’s back. “But maybe she’s new here. Come on, cut her some slack.”
“Yeah.” Clawdeen shook her head. “I can’t wait for her to tell everyone that she saw a family of werewolves and then wait until we get attacked for breathing.”
Her mother sighed. She watched as Clawdeen left, peeking through the blinds. After perceiving the situation as harmless, Harriet stepped onto the porch and sat next to Clawdia. She was reading another famous classic novel, completely ignoring her surroundings. She tapped her daughter’s shoulder, and the blonde jumped in surprise. “Oh! Hey, mom.”
Spotting a golden ring on the werewolf’s fourth finger, Harriet raised a brow. “Can I see it?” Clawdia let out a soft giggle and raised her hand. Harriet nodded, noticing an inscription on the inside. “Impressive. Is it from Nefera?”
“Yes.” Clawdia smiled as she lifted her right hand above eye level. “It was a special gift.”
“Oh, a special one?”
“Today was our first anniversary, and she took me to an antiquary.” The blonde beamed, brushing her butterfly locs further from her face. “She planned a whole romantic dinner for me at the Ptolemy Tower. On the rooftop. Not going to lie, at first, I thought I was going to pass out, but it was surprisingly pleasant.”
“And what’d you give her?” Harriet asked. “I heard she likes expensive things.”
“I bought her an Egyptian-inspired jewelry collection.” Clawdia shrugged. “It was expensive, but it put a smile on her face. She’s been having a hard time this summer. Anyway, maybe it’s not my place to talk about it.”
"Don't worry," Harriet patted her daughter’s back. “I know all about it.” Finally, she stood up and left Clawdia to herself. Clawdia never felt comfortable discussing Nefera’s family life with other people. Everything Nefera was going through was a secret to most people - except Clawdia and the therapist they both shared. Clawdia introduced Nefera to him, and they both started having weekly appointments. Although the werewolf was only there to deal with minor problems, Nefera had worse and darker issues to deal with. Issues only Clawdia knew about.
In the dark hallways of the Ptolemy tower, Cleo was heading towards her bedroom. She had a tiring day. It was her last night before her bottom surgery, and her nerves were getting to her. It was a feeling she couldn’t explain. There was no one she could talk to about it who would’ve understood. Maybe in a better world, Cleo would’ve wanted her sister to comfort her, but unfortunately, they weren’t close enough for that. Seeing that Nefera’s bedroom door was slightly open to allow air inside, Cleo leaned against the wall. Nefera was on the bed, speaking to who sounded like Clawdia. She was in a sheer white button-up and Victoria’s Secret undies. Her long Nile blue box braids fell on her shoulders effortlessly, kept together in a high pony. It was her signature look. Her gorgeous hair color was unique to her and the outcome of playing around with the family’s amulets. It was a story their father, Ramses, hated telling other mummies about. It happened a few days after Cleo and Nefera were brought back to life by the Ptolemy family, who helped them fit into monster society. Ramses preferred telling others that the events were only humorous coincidences, but the princesses knew this was otherwise.
Cleo, although her body centuries old, was around 7, and Nefera was 10. They were kids running around inside a skyscraper, interested to learn about the new world they were brought back into. As they chased each other, Nefera tripped and fell through a door hidden by the wall’s sumptuous purple tapestry. Cleo immediately followed her, discovering a room full of expensive jewels and amulets. The amulets sat in front of their respective labels, with a description belonging to every piece. However, being so young and unable to understand English yet, the girls ignored that the amulets could’ve been potentially dangerous. “What does this one do?” Nefera asked, raising a blue amulet of Horus and in awe at the sight of her reflection.
"I don't know," The youngest princess muttered, jumping up and down to see the table she couldn’t reach. “There is a label. Can you read it?”
“I don’t understand this modern language.” Nefera scoffed. She tilted her head to the side, swung the amulet, and unexpectedly after a blinding spark, she fell hard on the cold marble floor. Cleo turned her head, gasping as soon as her eyes landed on her sister. The crown princess groaned as she held her forehead with one hand. “What was that?”
“Your hair…” Cleo said, stepping forward to touch Nefera’s locks, which were now a shiny turquoise. Her sister shook her head. “What?”
When Cleo was about to pull out a hand mirror, a scared Ramses rushed inside the jewel room, dragging his golden cane next to his sore leg. “For the love of Anubis! Nefera! What have you done?”
Nefera took a strand of hair and raised it, her eyes widening in shock as she realized the consequence of her actions. “Daddy!” She cried. “Make it go away!”
“We will find a solution, don’t worry.” Ramses sighed, scratching his head. Without one look at Cleo, he turned towards the broken amulet on the floor and slammed his cane onto the floor in rage. “This was the most precious amulet in the Ptolemy family’s collection! Didn’t I tell you back in Egypt that running around like a wild person isn’t appropriate behavior for a Crown Princess?”
Ramses was never the best father. Although his wife, Dedyet, always made up for the parenting skills Ramses lacked, the trauma caused by their father was something that would keep on haunting Nefera and Cleo forever. They knew they would never really be free from him and his expectations. It was something that they had to endure almost daily. Hearing no new information about their mother’s whereabouts, Cleo and Nefera were devastated. They would pray to the goddess Isis, requesting protection for their mother, hoping she would one day show up. However, eventually, Nefera lost all hope and gave up.
Hearing laughter coming from Nefera’s bedroom, she stepped closer to the door and peeked inside. Without wearing her hearing aids, Cleo couldn’t hear the door squeaking, so she didn’t think Nefera would notice her. Her sister immediately turned her head, waving her hand in Cleo’s direction. “What a lovely surprise,” Nefera raised her brows, walking up to the door. “You need anything?”
"I was curious to see who you were chatting with." Cleo forced a smile on her face, shrugging. "Was it Clawdia? It’s been so long since I’ve seen her.”
“Privacy, please.” The crown princess rolled her eyes and shut the door immediately. Cleo leaned against the door, kicking it with her platform sandals. “You know, I may not hear you talking shit about me behind my back, but I can certainly sense it!”
Annoyed by the noise, Nefera blew a kiss to Clawdia. “Gotta go. Bye.” She shut off her laptop, standing up once again to unlock her door. She swung the door open, and before Cleo could lose her balance, she pulled her inside. “What do you want, Cleo?”
“I was just passing by.” Cleo raised a brow, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I heard laughter, so naturally, I got curious. It’s rare to see you smiling or laughing unless you’re with your girlfriend.”
"Be serious," Nefera scoffed. “What do you want, Cleo?”
"Well," The princess let out a defeated sigh. “I’m getting my long-awaited bottom surgery tomorrow. I thought maybe, you and I, dear sister, could look over our animosity towards each other for one night. You could help me calm down before I make a crazy decision and opt-out last minute.”
“Wait, that’s tomorrow?” Nefera shook her head, the tone of her voice suddenly changing. “Fuck. I completely forgot about it. I’m so sorry. You must be so excited!”
“I’m shaking in my sandals!” Cleo grinned happily. Nefera nodded and hopped down on the bed, wrapping herself in a fluffy blanket. Even after having lived in Boo York City for over 11 years, the older princess still had a tough time adapting to the falling temperatures. That’s why she considered summer her favorite season. Cleo continued. "I will walk out of that hospital as a brand new person. Confident and carefree, no longer having to make awkward dick jokes to ease my discomfort!”
"My sweet summer child!" Nefera sighed. “You will be in so much pain after that surgery that you’ll be glad you can stand up. I promise you, the last thing you’ll be worried about is looking confident.”
“I meant it metaphorically.” Looking around Nefera’s room, Cleo started feeling nostalgic. Her first coming out happened in that room when she was only 12 years old. Two years later, after Seth came out as trans, Cleo also found the strength to tell her father. The gold and blue bedsheets, the 3D wallpaper showing the sunset over the pyramids of Giza, the indoor water fountain in the corner of the room, and the gold ceilings all took her back to that particular day. The younger princess dug her fingers into her hair, worrying that if she said anything wrong, she could cause an argument with Nefera. “Look, I know we aren’t close anymore, but can I please ask you to be there for me? After I wake up? We both know mom can’t be there, and I would… Like the family to be together.”
“Of course, I’ll be there for you. Are you stupid?” Nefera laughed, taking Cleo’s hands into hers. “Cleo, you’re my baby sister. I was there when mom gave birth to you. When I was brought back to life, I didn’t leave your side until you woke up. And when they wanted to take you for a CT scan, you refused to let go of my hand. You think I would leave you to yourself after a big surgery?”
“I don’t know.” Cleo shrugged. “I’m anxious, and my thoughts are all over the place.”
"You should go to sleep." The blue-haired mummy patted Cleo’s brown cheeks. “Hey, maybe you should speak to Seth! He had his top surgery almost three or four weeks ago. Maybe he could give you some advice.”
And Cleo did indeed do that. After showering, she stormed inside the prince’s bedroom with a bag of chips and a silk pillow stacked under her right arm. She didn’t expect to find Seth lying in bed, still not dressed for the plane ride. “Good evening.” Cleo announced. "I can't sleep again! Please help me."
“Evening?” He asked, squinting as he checked the time on his phone. He wore an oversized black rock band hoodie over his off-white mummy wraps that covered his body like a turtleneck. His mid-eyebrow-length dreadlocks were covered by his hood, hiding his tired face. He looked exhausted. “It’s almost 2 AM.”
"Nefera told me to come here."The princess scoffed and tossed her golden pillow on the bed. “Plus, I need someone else to cuddle with when I’m nervous. My bottom surgery is tomorrow! I’ll be staying in the hospital for possibly 4 nights. I’m terrified.”
“Oh, right.” The prince nodded. “I completely forgot about that. How are you feeling?”
“I’m scared but mostly excited.” Cleo shrugged. “Even though I’m aware that, for the first few weeks, everything will be a painful mess down there, I can’t believe it’s finally happening.”
“As you know, I’ll be in Cairo with my mother for some kind of gala,” He said, throwing back his hood and running his fingers through his locs. “I won’t be able to visit you, but you can text me anytime. Sorry about that.”
"Right," The princess let out a small chuckle. “Those silly galas. I know how much you hate them.”
“Hey, at least I’ll get to be in Cairo for once.” Seth laughed.“ It’s where my mom found out she was pregnant with me, so it’s special. Not as special as Luxor, at least not for me, but I’m also not so opposed to the idea of it this time.”
"Luxor..." Cleo rolled her eyes jokingly. "Well, back in my day, that was called Waset."
"Sure, sure." He burst into laughter, nodding along. "When my mom was born, it was called Thebes. See? We could argue about this for days."
“Mhm.” The princess nodded with a smile. “I refuse to call it Luxor, though."
"Do as you wish."
"So, how’s your chest recovery going? Fill me in with all the details.”
The boy raised his brows in surprise. “ I thought we were talking about you?”
“Nope,” Cleo muttered, lying down and placing her head on a silk pillow. "I need to get my mind off the idea that I’m about to be cut open,"
“It’s been healing well.” He laughed. “It’s slightly swollen, but it’s looking great.”
“ Can I see it?” She raised her brows.
"Uh," Seth sighed, giving Cleo a dead-pan. “Cleo, my mummy wraps took me two hours to do by myself. I’m still wearing a compression binder underneath.”
“Who said I wanted you to go naked?” The princess laughed. “Do you not have a picture?”
“I’ll search.” He muttered.
While Seth reached for his phone on his gold nightstand, Cleo covered her body with the prince’s dark purple duvet and stared at the blue ceiling with multiple gold stars painted on it. “I want your room,”
“Well, I’m not giving it to you,” Seth muttered as he scrolled through his picture gallery. Finding the 3 weeks post operation picture, he shoved his phone in Cleo’s face. “There.”
"Impressive. The scarring isn’t even bad.” She nodded. Soon, her eyes drifted to the boy’s gorgeously sculpted abs. “Damn, son! How long did those take you?”
"That’s not the topic of this conversation!“ The prince laughed, feeling his cheeks get hot. He switched his iCoffin off and threw it back on the nightstand. “Anyway, I’m so glad I got that shit off my chest. Literally. It saved me so much back pain.”
“Aw, well, I’m happy for you,” Cleo said, poking Seth's right cheek. “I hope this surgery gave you the confidence boost you needed.”
“For sure.” He smiled. “ I am happy with the outcome.”
As the Ptolemy family was the one who had helped bring the De Nile family back to life, Seth and Cleo grew close from the beginning. Cleo was seven, and Seth was eight, so they were more comparable in age. The only difference between them was that while Cleo’s family got mummified after their death, Seth was born a mummy in the 21st century. The two helped each other through the most challenging parts of their lives. They helped each other figure out their identities, come out to their family, and support each other when needed. At one point, Cleo started growing feelings for the prince, but those feelings weren’t returned. Seth looked at Cleo as a best friend, while Cleo felt differently. Regardless of this, they always had an inseparable bond. Madame Ptolemy would always claim Cleo was getting Seth into trouble, but it was usually otherwise. Seth inherited his father’s free spirit. He loved sneaking out at night and partying - far from what his royal status restricted him to.
“I heard your dad’s back in Boo York,” Cleo muttered, bringing up the topic carefully. “Did you know about that?”
Seth sighed, pursing his lips. He responded with a nod. “He, uh, texted me. He sent good wishes for my coming out anniversary after you tweeted.” (click here for the tweets)
“I see.” Cleo sighed. Noticing Seth seemed rather uncomfortable by the theme of the conversation, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “You owe him nothing, and you know that, too. He’s an attention seeker. He thrives off drama.”
“I know that. I know that very well.” He said and bit the inside of his lips. “Can we move on? I don’t want to talk about him right now.”
“Are you sure?” The princess hesitated. The last thing she wanted to do was make Seth uncomfortable, knowing how sensitive he got when talking about his father.
“Yeah.” He forced a smile. Eventually, he got up to grab his suit from the closet. As he glanced toward the large gold mask in the corner of his room, he wondered if there would ever come a time when he could be himself. Not who his mother expected him to be, but his true self.
Song to set the mood: Jenny Of Oldstones by Florence + The Machine
Though most monsters had the freedom to live safely, this wasn’t true for all. In some countries, hiding was still the norm for some communities. This was especially true for Romania’s vampire community. Draculaura couldn’t remember the last time she was allowed out of her father’s castle in broad daylight. It wasn’t that she was forcibly keeping her there. Both Dracula and Draculaura dreamt of a better life. But having been exiled from their home country, the family of two had no choice but to hide. The young vampire didn’t know if she would ever experience freedom. Her father always told her the time would eventually come, but after surviving multiple wars and revolutions in 176 years, her hope was lost. As she didn’t have a teacher and the proper experience, it was challenging to continue her education and assimilate into modern society. For years, her only social interaction was with the ghosts of the castle’s former human inhabitants. It wasn’t easy not knowing when was the next time they had to leave again.
Dracula sat in his dark office, scribbling on paperwork under the light of a single candle. Opposite him was sitting his daughter Laura on the office’s antique red sofa. She was caught up in her world, playing around with the hem of her oversized hoodie. The office was the castle’s most significant room, storing up to hundreds of ancient books from Dracula’s early lifetime. Being only a family of two, Dracula and Draculaura spent a considerable amount of their time together. Her father would dig through paperwork while Draculaura would tell him about all the different stories she had heard from her ghost friends. Despite others thinking otherwise, Draculaura wasn’t ignorant of the outside world. In reality, she knew all about it. Sometimes she felt she knew more than she needed to. They both learned to hide their vampire identities, but they still had to be careful. There were always normies lurking to hunt them down. Hearing her father drop his pen on the black oak desk, the young vampire raised her head. Dracula stood up, slowly walking in front of his desk and leaning against it with a worried expression. “I’ve been given an offer.” He spoke. “But it would mean leaving home.”
“Don’t say anything further if it’s not about Transylvania.” She slammed her head into a silk pillow.
“It wouldn’t be safe for us to go back,” Dracula answered, making eye contact with his daughter. “They don’t want us there, and you’re aware of it, too.”
Draculaura shrugged. “It isn’t safe for us anywhere.”
"Laura, listen to me." Seeing Draculaura walk toward the exit, Dracula approached her. “We can’t stay here forever.”
“Really? So is all eternity just going to be you and I constantly moving homes?“ She scoffed. “When will you finally get up and take back what was originally ours? Tell the vampire council that you’ve had enough of their offers once and for all.”
“This particular offer didn’t come from the vampire council.” The count sighed.
Draculaura let out an annoyed laugh, turning back around to look at her father. “So, I’m supposed to believe their hand wasn’t in this?”
Her father hesitated for a few seconds and responded with an irritated expression. “Why won’t you believe me?”
“I never said I didn’t believe you,” Draculaura muttered. “I said I didn’t trust the council. You have been saying that for a whole century now.”
“ Are you willing to hear me out?” The count raised his brows. The younger vampire rolled her eyes, not to disrespect her father, but because she had already made up her mind. She shook her head. “Whatever I choose, it won’t matter. You’re going to take me with you anyways.”
Dracula leaned forward. “The offer was given to us by the government of the Monster Universe. You could find a place where you finally belong, meet other monsters, and go to school as you’ve always wanted to. Doesn’t that sound good?”
She nodded and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Can I sleep and decide?”
“I only want what’s best for you.” Dracula smiled, his facial expression softening.
Draculaura sighed deeply. “ f I go,” She made eye contact with her father.“You must promise you will fight so we can return to Transylvania. Please, apu, it is my only wish.”
Dracula let out a sigh of relief and agreed. “ I will do what I can.”
After cleaning up the dinner plates, a few Wolf siblings settled in Clawdia’s bedroom. They were all supposed to pack their belongings for the next school year, leaving home again for the Monster World.
They would do this each school year since Clawdia started attending Monster High. Most students attending had to take pre-high school courses to prepare them for their studies at Monster High. Not only did this ensure the safety of the students, but it also taught them about the world. At Monster High, the school’s most important value was tolerance, which also meant teaching monsters about the lives of normies. Their main goal was to make all students feel safe - including half-normie ones.
“That was truly something.” Howleen laughed, climbing onto Clawdia’s red canopy bed. “I can’t believe you two got scared of a human and her dog. What are they going to do? Bark at us?”
Clawdeen rolled her eyes. “You clearly don’t understand how many cases have been of humans attacking monsters. It’s not something to take lightly.”
“Yeah, but we’re in Boo York,” Howleen muttered. “In most areas, like Manhattan, monsters, and normies live side by side just fine. They get along. A quarter of the population is half normie around here.”
“Of course, there are normies around.” Clawdia sighed, zipping up her thick suitcase. “ It’s Labor Day, so there are public gatherings everywhere. It wouldn’t be the first time a human got lost in the woods.”
“And that’s not the issue,” Clawdeen said as she hopped down in a bean bag. “The issue is the normies in our area pushed us to the side. As for the woods, I can’t be the only one aware of how dangerous it is. I was scared of that girl getting hurt. The forest is closest to our home, and I know normies would’ve blamed us.”
The oldest sighed. “Maybe, but it’s unlikely.”
“Are you not afraid of them?” Clawdeen raised her brows in shock. Before Clawdia could reply, Howleen interrupted the conversation. “Why? Why do we need to be afraid?”
Clawdeen shrugged. “I heard stories.”
“See, this is why we will never progress towards the monster and human equality.” Clawd scoffed, leaning against the wooden door. “Monsters like you love saying ‘Stay away from normies’ as if that’s going to help with anything. We deserve to go back to our homes. Live amongst normies. We aren’t a danger to each other.”
“It’s never going to work, Clawd!” Clawdeen argued. “They don’t want us there. If we were mortals, they would’ve already killed all of us. You know that, too.”
Clawd made eye contact with Clawdia, who refused to further participate in the conversation. She had her own opinions but knew that arguing with Clawdeen would’ve been useless. Clawdeen was another teenager in Monster Society who had been brought up with scary stories about humans harming monsters. “Anyway, ladies, I must wash the dishes now. Howlmilton has again damaged the dishwasher.”
“Wow.” Clawdia chuckled, tying her hair into a low bun. “Again?”
“But I want to go out to the city!” Howleen complained. “This is our last day here for a while, so we should go out and have fun. Tell Howlmilton to do the dishes, and let’s go on a walk.”
The other three siblings looked at each other, leaving out a few chuckles. The blonde smiled, “I mean, it doesn’t sound too bad.”
Clawdeen agreed and raised a brow at Clawd. “What do you say, bro?” After a few sighs, her brother finally accepted the offer.
Fine by me.” He laughed.
Song to set the mood: We Own The Night from Zombies 2
Following in the tracks of Howleen, the siblings headed out to the city. As wolves got most of their power from the moon, the night always made them feel powerful and free. When most monsters were asleep, werewolves loved running around town with their friends and finding enjoyment in the dark. They had the chance to forget the treatment they got from normies and celebrate their abilities.
Their part of Brooklyn was almost empty at this time. Most families had gone to the Monster World for the new school year while the remaining ones were inside their homes. Whenever they spotted a couple of other werewolves who weren’t from their pack, it made them feel less alone. Growing up, Clawdeen remembered hearing about the dark fairytales revolving around the forest. Allegedly, it was in the ownership of a specific wolf pack that didn’t like intruders. Not humans and not monsters. They dealt with everyone who trespassed into their territory. I would love to live in one of these brownstones.” Clawdia sighed, staring up at the buildings next to her. “They look so dreamy.”
Clawd raised a brow. “Hey, you’d give up our whole garden and outdoor pool for a boring apartment?”
“It’s romantic.” Clawdia shrugged and slapped her hands to her thighs in annoyance. “I like the idea. My girlfriend and me living together.”
“Imagine telling a De Nile Princess to give up luxury for a brownstone apartment.” Clawdeen laughed, throwing her arm around Clawdia’s shoulder. “Those girls probably have servants for something as small as adjusting their mummy wraps.”
“One nasty word about my girlfriend, and I’ll tell mom you want to do all the chores for the rest of this year.” Clawd scoffed, raising a brow at his younger sister.
The auburn-haired wolf laughed. “Right. I almost forgot. The two lovebirds. You’re so… Annoying. You make me sick .”
Clawd shrugged. "Jealousy is a disease.” He ran forward, avoiding this conversation at all costs. “The last one to get home will be cleaning dogshit at grandma’s house for two weeks!”
“Denial is a river in Egypt!” Clawdeen screamed in a somewhat irritated tone.
“Whatever,” Clawd shouted back. Howleen shook her head and followed her brother immediately. The oldest stepped next to Clawdeen, massaging her arm softly. “I know it is hard to see your brother dating your ex-girlfriend. Especially when it all ended on such a sad note.”
At this point, Clawdeen was getting annoyed. “Dia, I am not jealous. I could care less that both of you are dating princesses. But you know, if someone is so blinded by a high school crush, that they can’t call out someone’s wrongdoings, I’m allowed to be upset.”
“Are they wrongdoings, or are you angry that she came up with a dumb excuse because she didn’t want to date you?” Clawdia raised a brow. “I mean, I’m not trying to tell you what to think. You were never willing to tell me about what happened.”
“Cleo told me she didn’t want to date a werewolf, yet here she is,” Clawdeen said. “Dating my brother, who is a werewolf.”
"Okay," Clawdia sighed, digging her fingers into her blonde locks. “I think that was her dad pushing her. He didn’t like that both of his daughters were dating girls. Nefera and I also had a tough time getting accepted, but we never gave up on each other.”
“At least she fought for you.” Clawdeen scoffed. “But no, this girl got up, broke up with me, and a week later, she started dating my brother.”
“I’m not going to get between whatever you two had going on.” The older shrugged. Having little knowledge about Cleo other than what Nefera told her, she decided to leave the topic alone and catch up with her siblings.
Being the only one behind, Clawdeen looked up at the moon above and sighed. Could she have been overreacting? She almost felt guilty for having mixed thoughts about Cleo, but at the same time, she wasn’t going to pretend she wasn’t hurt by the breakup. It was her first relationship, and she didn’t expect it to end the way it did. Their relationship may have only been a summer fling, but it meant a lot to her. After being compared to her older siblings all her life, seeing someone choose her brother over her made her feel lonely. As much as she tried to pretend she wasn’t jealous, everyone saw through her.
The pure idea of seeing Cleo again made Clawdeen feel anxious, but she wasn’t going to let that ruin her year. She didn’t need any more pain. This was a new chapter in her life, and she was ready to see how it would all pan out.
A whole new beginning.
Chapter 3: Chapter 2 - Love You, Hate You
Summary:
" Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear."
- Baruch Spinoza
Notes:
Sorry for taking so long to update! I am very busy. I haven't had the time to proofread or edit the text I pasted, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes!
Text from conversations spoken in a different language is in the Italic font.
Chapter Text
Taking one last look at the grand castle opposite her, Draculaura sighed and approached her father's black Nissan Rogue. Usually, she would’ve trusted her father’s decisions, but this time something was different. She was unconfident. She had stayed so long in the same place that going even further away from her home felt like a terrifying idea. Despite her doubts, the idea of a new and better life gave her hope. Perhaps, this time aorund, she could finally be free, meet new people, and live the life she always dreamed of having. Once Draculaura finished loading her heavy suitcases into the car boot, she took out her phone and snapped one last picture of the castle. Even if she couldn’t physically stay there, she wanted to remember the place forever. “We're going to be alright.” Dracula smiled, giving his daughter a comforting nod. “If you think about it, by the time you finish high school, we’ll be able to return to Székelyland.”
“You promise?” She asked, wiping her tears with the sleeves of her heart-print hoodie. Dracula nodded and wrapped his arms around his daughter’s torso. “I wholeheartedly promise. Are you ready?”
The young vampire looked up at her father, “Will I ever be?” After hundreds of years without socializing with the outside world, she wondered how she would handle a high school environment. Would people be patient with her? What if she messed up and made a fool out of herself? She wouldn't be able to bear public humilation. She would've rather stayed hidden away in her father's castle forever. Dracula patted her back and opened the car door at the passenger's seat, so his daughter could sit inside. Traveling by car was something Draculaura enjoyed but got to do so rarely as her father only traveled at night. She usually sat in the back, her earphones plugged in, a warm blanket over her legs, and a bag of sweet treats in her lap. The girl pursed her lips, throwing her wavy black mane behind her shoulders. ”How far are we driving? And why can’t we go from here?”
The count pulled out an old map and carefully unfolded it. He traced his fingers over the wrinkled paper and pointed at a circle marking a hidden forest in a village named Ľubica. Draculaura nodded. “Some more explanation, please?”
“Each country has a map marking the entrances to the Monster World,” Dracula answered, hiding the map in the pocket of his suit jacket. “Only monsters have access to these maps. If a human has one, it’s because a monster gave it to them. However, everyone is allowed to enter.”
“Understood.” She nodded. “And how does the portal magically know where we want to go?”
“All portals lead to New Salem, with a few exceptions.” He explained. “It is the center of the Monster World. From then, you use public transport as we do here. It depends on where you want to go."
“I see.” Draculaura muttered. Her father gave her an annoyed stare, so she responded with an eye roll. “It doesn’t sound that bad. You’ll still have to convince me that it’s somehow better than Transylvania, though.”
“I promise you will have a great time.” The count chuckled. He fastened his seatbelt and placed the car key in the ignition. Draculaura closed her eyes, finding it hard to believe she was about to leave the place she viewed as her only home for the last one-hundred years. Although it was hidden deep in the mountains, the young vampire grew so attached to her father’s castle in the High Tatras that it was hard for her to imagine leaving. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like not waking up in her antique baldachin bed and the lovely pink room that she had spent a whole century decorating.
Sighing deeply, Draculaura unzipped her half-heart handbag and pulled out an old picture of her birth mother, wearing a traditional Romanian folk costume from Sibiu county in Transylvania. In the image, Camila was holding Laura as a one-year-old. Although Camila was born lower class and in the 1840s, photography was reserved for middle and upper classes, her Székely husband, Mihály, was a hussar born into an upper-class family. Despite Mihálys's rank, Camila refused to leave her village behind. She was only 25 at the time of her death.
“Your mother was beautiful,” Dracula spoke, noticing the crumbled-up image in his daughter’s hand. “And intelligent. Just like you."
Draculaura nodded. “You loved her a lot, didn’t you?”
“Teenage love is teenage love.” The count said. It seemed he was also holding back tears. ”I had to leave for Wallachia. When I returned, she was already married to Mihály and pregnant with you. I loved Camila, but she loved your father. And even then, she was human. It would’ve been forbidden for me to marry her.”
The young girl shook her head, wanting the image of her biological parents’ death out of her head. Every second of it haunted her. She could smell the burning wood, hear the screams of the villagers and remember being carried away by an elderly woman. “They deserved better. They deserved so much better.”
“Those were cruel times, kincsem ,” Dracula answered. “Nothing could’ve been done.”
"Yeah," Draculaura bit the inside of her cheek to stop. "Nothing." She didn’t like talking about her past. Not only was it a sensitive topic, but witnessing such a horrendous event so young traumatized her for life. She would often dream of standing helplessly in the middle of her birth home's living room covered in flames, unable to move her body as she watched the entire building fall apart piece by piece.
Inside his mother's private airplane, Seth felt a sensation of nostalgia. As a child, he used to be terrified of flying. He was always scared that something terrible would happen. It was before he understood what it meant to be a mummy - a monster. Undead, his parents told him, was the right word. Someone who never died yet was never quite alive. Still, the prince never understood why normies feared him. He looked exactly like them. He could sneak out to the other side of the city but always had to hide his mummy wraps. Because if he had exposed those, the humans wouldn’t have been kind to him, and he knew that very well. Although he was looking forward to his trip to Cairo, the royal meetings were the last thing that interested him. Seth knew the city's entire history, as he had studied it since his childhood. As Prince of Egypt, he was expected to know every small detail about his birth country.
Growing up with stories of normies unwrapping mummified bodies and taking them away from their resting places made him feel uneasy. He wasn’t against Egyptology. In reality, he was fascinated by it. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean it wasn’t frightening for mummy families. Deciding to piece puzzles together instead of bringing them back as monsters and hearing their stories seemed like a waste of time. Unfortunately, most of his ancestors’ former homes became tourist attractions for normies. Only a few parts of the desert were accessible for monster archeologists trying to find missing family members of other mummy families. For a child to listen to such reports was always frightening. He was always afraid that his family would become just that - nothing more than a lifeless body in a fancy museum. His people were not museum artifacts or scary horror movie characters. Monsters were just one of the incredible parts of the Earth’s uniqueness.
“You’re awfully quiet today.” The Queen sighed, sitting down in the armchair opposite her son. “It’s almost worrying. Are you alright?”
"Huh?" Seth yanked his wired earphones out of his ear and turned towards his mother. “Sorry, what?”
“I said you were being awfully quiet today!” The queen repeated, leaning back in her chair. “It’s unusual for you.”
“Unusual.” Seth let out a chuckle and raised his legs on the seat. “I guess, I was just… Lost in my thoughts.”
“We’re about to land in about forty minutes, so you should find your mask.” Madame Ptolemy noted. “There will be photographers and journalists waiting for us as usual. You’ll change into a new suit at the penthouse and we’ll have lunch. After that, you may explore the city for the rest of the afternoon. Good?”
“Mhm,” Seth nodded. He was entirely used to these situations. His whole teenage years were about hiding from the media. “I’m curious what school will look like for me. You know, people will be seeing my face for the first time in years. I don’t remember the last time I introduced myself to others without that.”
“Your privacy will still be protected,” Amuncommon answered as she stood up, grabbing her handbag from another seat. “Nobody is allowed to post pictures of you without your mask, so the general public still won’t get access to your true indentity unless you’d like them to. But you must know, that comes with royal expectations."
“All I want is to be myself.” He shook his head. “I’ll never be a perfect prince, so stop pushing this role on me.”
“Being a royal is tough,” Amouncommon said, choosing her words carefully. “This is your destiny, Seth. It’s what you were born into. You wish to distance yourself from all this, but you’re only a teenager. Your opinion will change when you’re older, I can promise you that.”
“I didn’t choose to be born into this family.” He spoke in an irritated tone.“ So, naturally, the least I should be allowed is to decide on my future.”
“I think I’ve always let you decide, haven’t I?”
“Right, as long as my choices don’t stain our family’s image." He nodded. "Let’s say I decided to be a musician like dad. What would you say? Would you approve?”
“I would say that is not the appropriate occupation for a prince,” Amuncommon spoke strictly. She knew her son had a passion for music but never understood what he loved about it so much. To her, it all seemed like a waste of time, money and potential.
“Of course not.” Seth shrugged and made eye contact with his mother. “That’d be the whole point.”
“I know." The queen said. “And I also know I can’t lock you away from the world. You can make your own decisions if you’d like, but no matter what you choose, you’ll always be a royal. Now pack your belongings, we're about to land soon." She walked into another cabin on the airplane, leaving her son alone. Seth sighed, closed his eyes in tiredness, and tried to get away from his thoughts. What if high school was the only freedom he would ever experience?
Eventually, he got up from his seat and tucked away his necklaces under the collar of his shirt. He often wore a rainbow necklace with tiny beads that he got from his father for his 12th birthday. Seth didn’t feel a lot of love for him, but that particular item meant a lot for multiple reasons. He believed it brought him luck and kept him safe, besides it represented being part of the queer community. Stepping into the washroom, he cleaned his face off and grabbed his wash bag, ensuring he had everything necessary for the trip, including his testosterone injections. He shoved everything into his backpack and after handing it to a servant, he stepped inside the same cabin as his mother, hopping down beside her. "Can’t we just pull down the blinds? And then I’ll wear my mask when I land? It genuinely makes me feel suffocated."
“As you wish,” Amuncommon muttered. From the corner of her eye, she peered at the necklaces tucked under the collar of Seth’s shirt. “Is that a Catty Noir necklace I’m seeing?”
The boy rolled his eyes playfully, pursing his lips to stop laughing. “You recognized it?”
“Of course, I recognized it.” Amuncommon shook her head. “I also know about the multiple copies of her albums you’ve ordered. I mean, 4 versions of the same album? Do you need that many?”
“They’re different!” He argued, getting defensive of his interests. “Each version has a different photobook and also multiple photo cards. Don't be so condescending. You used to collect badges."
“No wonder you insisted I add that girl to the invitation list.” She sighed and fastened her seatbelt. “I wholeheartedly dislike influencers and other celebrities attending my galas, but she is descended from our Goddess Bastet, so I am not upset.”
“For your information, I invited her because we met as kids, and she’s also trans.” Seth said. “I think it’s important for me to socialize with more people who I can relate to.”
“There’s Cleo,” Amuncommon said. “She’s trans, isn't she? You have her."
“Yeah, but she’s Cleo.” He groaned, unsure how to phrase his words. “She is like a sister to me, and although I truly appreciate her, I need other trans friends who aren’t Cleo. Who aren’t royal. She's just one person."
“I think there is more to this than wanting a simple friend.” Amuncommon let out a sigh. “You say you admire Catty and have posters of her all over your bedroom. You have a crush on that girl! Don’t say it’s not true, because I see right through you.”
“But she’s a pop star-”
“And you are the Prince of Boo York, son,” Amuncommon responded, raising her brows with a rather annoyed expression. “Must I remind you?”
“Which is precisely the problem.”
The queen didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned to the front and crossed her arms. Amuncommon didn’t want her son to think being a royal was a chore. She believed her son was destined to do great things. Although she would’ve liked Seth to appreciate his role as a prince, she knew nothing good could come out of force. The boy inherited his father’s free spirit, and when he made his mind up, it was hard to convince him. This had always been the case. All those times Seth wanted to do something different than what was expected of royalty, his mother eventually gave in. "Being a prince isn’t a problem." She said, imitating her son's Boo York accent. "You were born with opportunities others could only dream of.”
“And I acknowledge that.” Seth nodded. “But only because I have wealth and a title, that doesn’t mean I am happy.”
“I know, sweetheart,” Amuncommon said, starting to feel she might have been holding her son back. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Seth was Amuncommon’s only son, her only surviving child after a series of miscarriages. She always treated him with much love and raised him with royal etiquette and education on mind. Regardless of the focus on these lesson, Seth's father wasn’t royalty and taught him that he always needed to be true to himself. Amuncommon knew her husband felt limited after marrying into the Ptolemy family, so she allowed him to continue playing with his band and tour around the world. This meant that Nicholas was barely ever home. And eventually, he publicly cheated on her.
“Anyway, I need to talk to you about something.” Seth replied, his elbow on the armrest and his eyes glued to his golden rings. “Dad's been sending me texts. Since my coming out anniversary.”
“Eh? Has he?” The queen turned towards her son. Her eyes widened in shock, staring at her son confused and almost scared. “What did that cockwomble say this time?”
"Cockwombe..." Seth repeated quietly, amazed by his mother's choice of words. “Just… Good wishes. He, um, said he missed me and that he wanted to see me. He’s in Boo York.”
"I see," Amuncommon wrinkled her forehead. “What’d you respond?”
“I left him on read.” Seth pursed his lips. He almost felt guilty. “Not on purpose. I just don’t know what to say. Do you know what I should say?”
“Honey, I…” The queen scratched her neck. Whenever this topic came up, the awkwardness was unbearable. She loathed her ex-husband, but he was still Seth’s father. "You’re grown enough. You can decide.”
Seth switched his phone off and fastened his seatbelt. He tilted his head on his mom’s shoulder, the queen pressing a peck on his head. “It’s okay if you miss him,” Amuncommon said. “And it’s also okay if you don’t. I know I used to.”
“Yeah,” Maybe to some people, it seemed Seth and his mother had a complicated relationship. This may have been true sometimes, but they loved and cared for each other. Raising a child alone was tough, especially because of the family’s royal status. Amuncommon tried to offer her son as much care as she could, but as a busy woman, she could only do so much. She often wondered if the lack of time spent together was why she struggled to understand her son’s interests. As much as she wanted Seth to be the next king, she knew nothing good would come out of force.
When Clawdeen thought she could finally be at peace, Clawd decided he wanted to stay in Boo York until Cleo was out of the hospital. It wouldn’t have been a problem if the whole family hadn’t decided that they wanted to stay for a little longer. Clawdia had to return early because of work, but she refused to take Clawdeen with her. She wanted some alone time and planned to go apartment hunting. Clawdeen begged her parents and promised them that she could take care of herself, but her mother had a different idea. "I think you should visit Cleo."
Hearing those six words, Clawdeen felt like jumping out of a window. "Excuse my language, mom, but what the actual f-"
“I’m sure the girl wouldn’t mind some support.” Harriet answered, ignoring Clawdeen's angry protesting. She took a seat at the dining table and handed her daughter a bowl of oatmeal. "It would be a sweet gesture."
"Yeah, no." Clawdeen bit her lips and angrily dug her spoon into her food. “I don’t think she would want me there.”
“It’s not good to stay on bad terms with others.” Harriet said, shrugging. “Cleo is a sweet girl."
"Sweet girl?" The young werewolf exclaimed, her mouth stuffed with food. "Are we talking about the same person."
"Calm down," Harriet muttered and placed her index finger on her mouth, signaling to her daughter that she could've been quieter. "I know she’s your ex, and the relationship ended on a bad note, but Clawd said she’s far from how you described her. Give her another chance?”
“Clawd has already left.” Clawdeen said. “I am not obligated to give Cleo a second chance.”
"Honey, I understand that she has hurt you." The mother wolf sighed deeply. “Your feelings are more than valid. I'm only saying that we must comprehend that the De Nile girls don’t have it easy at home. I’ve spoken to Mr. De Nile before and he’s frightening. I feel bad for those girls.”
The werewolf smiled bitterly, "Well, I don't."
After stuffing her empty bowl in the dishwasher, she hurried inside her bedroom, planning on texting Frankie. Eventually, her phone rang, the same name glistening on the screen. Accepting the call, she could see Frankie fiddling around with something, “I was just about to text you!”
"Telepathy." Frankie smiled, finally sitting down and using the camera screen as a mirror to adjust their long black and white hair. “Telepathy, I guess.”
“Where were you all summer?” Clawdeen shook her head, lying down in bed. “I genuinely was worried that your head fell off or something. You responded to everything only yesterday. I actually considered calling your mom.”
“Aw!” Frankie laughed, forming their plump red lips into a pout. “Wifey, you were worried about me?”
“Wifey? You ghosted me!” Clawdeen gasped jokingly. “I felt like a military wife when her husband is stationed overseas. It's not funny."
“Not the military wife joke..."
"So?"
"I was at my grandparents' house in Bavaria. Those two have no internet! Can you believe it? Sometimes I feel like we would live more valuable lives without it. Anyway!” The Frankenstein monster shrugged, leaning back in their chair. “Notice anything new?”
“Um, hair extensions?” Clawdeen raised a brow, referring to Frankie’s butt-length black hair. Compared to the chin-length bob they had when the two last saw each other, it was a very sudden and unexpected change.
“No!” Frankie groaned. They got off their chair and walked backward, but the chair still covered most of the view. “This is a cheap lace front wig I got in a local shop. I thought you’d notice? It looks terrible. Now, look behind me.”
“Love, I can’t see anything.” The wolf chuckled and shook her head. “Your room is darker than a wolf den. Also, you forgot to remove the black-and-white filter.”
The simulacrum muttered something unintelligible, leaning over their chair to switch off the effect. “Drumroll, please.” The green-skinned monster laughed, excited to announce what they wanted to say all summer. Clawdeen clapped her hands together in support of Frankie. “I’m non-binary!” They shouted. “I finally figured it out! Happy noises!”
"That's amazing." Clawdeen smiled.
“ That’s a non-binary flag behind me! I figured it out a month ago. I just had no mobile data left to text you.” Frankie laughed, their thoughts drifting off somewhere else. “Can you believe I spent one month without internet? I felt so lost I went on a date with a random tourist guy who's family got absolutely lost in the middle of Bavaria. Apparently, the family thought they were in Luxembourg. That is a six hour drive!”
“This random guy?” Clawdeen raised a brow, shocked. “I thought you weren’t into guys.”
“It’s complicated.” Frankie sighed. “We went on a date, he seemed cute, but it didn’t go anywhere. You see, the guy’s related to Jekyll / Hyde. He has this other side. One time he’s this guy Jackson who looks like your usual normie, the next moment he’s a blue-skinned fire elemental named Holt, who is very energetic. More energetic than I am.”
“Right.” She nodded. “So, it didn’t work out?”
"Not in a million years." Frankie let out a laugh.“ After our first date, he told me he was gay.”
“Well,” Clawdeen giggled. “ I guess, you could say you were his gay awakening? Except it’s the opposite way around. You made him realize he’s gay because he’s not into you.”
“Very funny.” Frankie rolled their eyes playfully. “Anyway. Enough about me. I had a feeling you wanted to talk about something, so go on. Spill. What’s up?”
“The sky!”
“Quit the dad jokes, Deena!” Frankie instructed, faking a strict expression and extrending their index finger. “I’m asking in all seriousness. Is everything alright?”
“Where do I start?” Clawdeen sighed. “You know how I used to date, Cleo? My brother Clawd got together with her, and I don’t know how to feel. She said she didn’t want to date a werewolf as an excuse to break up with me, but now she’s dating him. And she’s having her bottom surgery today, and mom thinks I should visit her. She thinks forgiveness is the key to everything.”
“Well, mama Harriet is usually right." Frankie nodded understandingly. "I don’t think Cleo is as bad as everyone makes her out to be. I’ve spoken to her about group projects, and she was fine. She was my gay awakening.”
The werewolf giggled. “I think Cleo was everyone’s crush.”
“One hundred percent.” Frankie said dreamily. “Anyway, whether you want to visit Cleo is your own choice. If you’re uncomfortable, then don’t.”
“I guess, I do want to speak with her,” Clawdeen muttered, shrugging. "I don't expect much, though."
“Wait,” The green-skinned monster raised a brow. “Speaking from personal experience, deep convos aren’t fun after surgery.”
Clawdeen snorted. “What surgery did you have?”
“You know how my insides aren’t actual organs?” They asked, trying to think of a proper way to explain how their body functioned. “In the past, my so-called stomach wasn’t digesting things properly, and uh… My dad had to make me a new stomach.”
“Oh…” Clawdeen grimaced. “Scary.”
Frankie smiled, shrugging. “At least I can eat now!” This wasn’t anything unusual for them. Quite often, some of their limbs would fall off, and they had to reattach them. At first, it was annoying, but it quickly became something that both Clawdeen and Frankie found funny. After multiple occasions, they both started to carry a needle and thread in their backpacks for a potential emergency.
“ When are you coming to New Salem?” Their best friend asked, scratching one of her itchy wolf ears with her index finger.
“Which one?” Frankie joked, leaning close to the camera. “The one in Massachusetts? Or Illinois? Or the monster side of Salem in Oregon? Or the one in the Monster World?”
“See, now you’re the one with the stupid jokes.” Clawdeen scowled and pulled a face. "You know I meant the Monster World!"
In Frankie’s camera view, their mother appeared, bringing a pile of clean clothes into Frankie’s room. “Darling, don’t go to sleep at 5 am again. You need enough time to recharge.” Leonie spoke, her accent southern. She was another simulacrum, green-skinned like her child.
“I promise.” They muttered, spinning around in their chair. “Mom, say hi to Clawdeen!”
Leonie turned to wave to the camera. “Hi, Clawdeen!” She was a tall woman, another Frankenstein's monster but of African-American heritage and a former runway model. Frankie was tall too, but not as much. Some expected them to follow in their mother’s footsteps, but they were more interested in medical studies. They dreamt of becoming a doctor, specifically a forensic anthropologist. They wanted to work with human remains.
“Hey, Mrs. Stein!” Clawdeen smiled. “How’s Germany? Have your German skills progressed?”
“Oh, you know,” Leonie laughed, running her fingers through her thick black shoulder-length curls. “I know how to order coffee, and that’s pretty much it.”
“See, you couldn’t even do that a week ago!” Frankie said and gave their mother a round of applause. “Baby steps are big achievements, mom.”
“Go to sleep, honey. We have a long day of packing ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Right…” Frankie nodded. “I guess I do have to get charged up. Sorry, Deena!”
“ Nah, it’s fine.” Clawdeen smiled. “ Good night, Frankie!” Clawdeen took a few minutes to think through what she wanted to do when the call ended. Being on bad terms with someone she once cared about was difficult to handle. No matter how much she tried to hate Cleo, her feelings for the ghoul were still there, and everyone saw right through her. Maybe it was better to face her fears rather than hide them forever.
Cleo woke up 20 minutes after her surgery. As her eyelids fluttered, trying to focus her vision, she spotted her father and sister sitting on the sofa beside her bed, bickering over some magazine article. “Hello?” Cleo muttered, her voice hoarse and quiet. "Dad? Nefera?"
“Oh, you’re awake!” Ramses said, his voice reliev. He stepped over to Cleo’s bed, kissing his daughter's cheek immediately. He was terrified of any complications and wanted his daughter to be safe and sound. “Nefera, go inform the nurse!"
"It’s not like she woke up from a coma." The crown princess groaned, rolling her eyes. At last, though tiredly, the princess got up and stepped into the doorway to tell the nurse Cleo had woken up.
After being informed, the nurse rushed inside to check on the princess. She was a light-skinned mummy, perhaps from Northern Egypt. She looked to have died in her late 70s and was likely from the Hellenistic period. "Good afternoon, beautiful princess. How are you feeling?” She asked, touching Cleo’s arm lovingly. “I am Nurse Maye. You’re in the recovery room right now. We’ll take you to your room in a few hours, alright?”
Cleo nodded. She wasn’t fully conscious yet, but she was slowly coming to her senses. After removing all unneeded tubes, checking everything necessary, and helping her fix her body positioning, the staff allowed Cleo spend some alone time with her family and friends. “You glad you’re through it?” Ramses asked tensely as he fixed Cleo's comforter. He then leaned over his walking stick and sat on the armchair next to the bed.
“Yes…” Cleo muttered and sighed. “It’s really done now. Holy sh-”
"Language!"
Interrupting her father, Nefera rushed inside, "I baked you a cake.” Nefera said, unveiling a round white cake with pink frosting with the words ‘HAPPY VAGINA DAY SIS!’.The moment Cleo saw the cake, she burst into laughter. She may have been exhausted, but this made her smile. Ramses, on the other hand, wasn't as impressed.
“That is so inappropriate!” The former king whisper-shouted. “You better hide it. What will the nurses think?”
Ignoring her father, Cleo turned her head towards Nefera. “Wow, you actually touched an oven?”
"Yeah," The crown princess grinned annoyedly. “I’ll never do it again.”
“Good,” Ramses muttered. “I’m afraid you’ll one day burn down the Ptolemy Tower, the same way you broke that amulet when you were a kid. Some things never change."
“Didn’t you say you had a meeting?” Nefera raised a brow, carefully placing the cake on Cleo’s bed tray. “You should get going. You don’t want to be late, do you?”
Ramses scoffed, “What an insolent girl you are.” He grabbed his walking stick, stood up, and walked to the doorway, leaving his daughters behind. The moment their father left, the girls burst into laughter. “I need to take a picture!” Cleo giggled, reaching for her phone. She turned towards her sister. “Come! You should be in it.”
Ugh,” The older princess groaned and let out a sigh. “Fine. “ Stepping over to her sister, she bent her knees and leaned closer to fit the cake into the frame. Cleo snapped a quick photo, and after adjusting a few settings, she posted it on her Grimstagram profile.
“Well, Nefera…” Cleo raised a brow. “This may be my day, but we should celebrate you learning to cook.”
"Cook?" Nefera rolled her eyes. “I baked a cake. I’ll never do this again. I had cake dough in my braids!“
"You know," The younger princess smiled. “People usually tie their hair up when working with food. I admit I have never touched a stove or oven before, but that much I know.”
“Of course you do.” Nefera nodded, slightly annoyed. “Anyway, your friends are here. Can I let them in? I need to rush somewhere right now.”
“Sure.” Cleo agreed. She was excited to see her friends after so long, even if she didn’t have that many. Cleo found it tough to make friends. Most of her friends were boys, so sometimes she felt she never really had girlfriends she could relate to. When she was younger, she never understood why other girls didn’t want to hang out with her. Was it her family that made everyone push her away? Eventually, she found comfort in a demigirl zombie named Ghoulia. She was of Afro-Cuban and Begitka Roma heritage. They were Cleo’s first true friend, the only person Cleo knew would never betray her. Another thing that drew them closer was that they both had hearing loss, so they could understand each other’s experiences. Cleo found some werecat friends in her fearleading group, but ultimately, they turned on her and became Nefera’s minions.
Once Nefera stepped out, Clawd barged inside. He was holding a bag of Egyptian takeout and a bouquet of flowers. “How is my princess?”
"Clawd!" The princess squeaked in excitement. Wrapping her arms around Clawd, she buried her head in his chest. “Oh, I missed you so much!” They were about to share a kiss, but a knock on the door interrupted them. “Guess who?”
“Get your ass in here, Heath!” Clawd shouted in a lighthearted tone. Cleo’s eyes lit up happily. “Heath’s here? He came all the way here?”
"Yo-ho-ho!" Heath stepped inside, holding a gift bag in his hands. “Cleo! Happy vagina day! How are you doing, princess?”
“Little sleepy, but you know.” She giggled. “I’m ready for the roller coaster this recovery period will give me.”
In that second, Ghoulia appeared in the doorway. She moaned in zombie language. “I told you all to wait for me!” They groaned, looking drained. “The elevator was occupied. You ran up the stairs, and I almost got lost. How much more do I need to say I can’t run?”
“Bestie!” The princess shouted, reaching out her arms towards Ghoulia. She stepped closer, holding onto Cleo’s hands. “Oh, look at you! No makeup or expensive jewelry, just you in your natural state! How adorable. You actually look your age.”
“She doesn’t look two thousand." Clawd gasped, almost offended, "What are you on about?”
"No," Ghoulia gave him the death stare. “I meant sixteen! She looks sixteen.”
“A few more weeks and I’m officially seventeen.” Cleo sighed in relief. “It’s so weird that I’m somehow the oldest and the youngest in our friend group.”
“Well, your body may be two thousand, but-” The zombie started. Heath shut them off immediately. “This is not the time for philosophical pondering, Ghoulia.”
“Wait, where’s Deuce?” Cleo shook her head. “I thought he’d be here. I mean, maybe we aren’t as close as I thought...”
“Deuce is recovering from his top surgery in Greece.” Clawd laughed, shrugging. “ on’t worry, he didn’t forget about you. He was kind enough to give me specific instructions on what he would like to gift you. So, please accept this gift in his name.” He pulled out a gigantic bouquet from behind his back. It had flowers of varying colors, specifically yellow and blue - Cleo’s favorite colors. “He paid for the entire thing.”
“Wow.” Cleo giggled, accepting the bouquet. “That is crazy. I love how he chose lotus flowers. It’s Egypt’s national flower.”
“Yeah, he knows. He specifically said-” He cleared his throat, putting on a fake voice to replicate Deuce’s deep tone. “The lotus flowers meant creation and rebirth, symbols of the sun.”
Everyone laughed, but Cleo noticed someone appear in the doorway. She thought it was Nefera, but it wasn’t. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be late."
It was someone she didn’t expect or want to see. Clawdeen Wolf. As she made eye contact with the werewolf, Cleo fell silent. The group exchanged a few worried looks. The sound of her heavy platform heels cut through the silence and made the situation even more awkward. Clawd grinned, "No worries, sis."
“We can leave you two to yourselves if you’d like." He said. "I’ll go grab Cleo some coffee and then come back.”
“Oh, then I’ll bring her some pastries!” Heath offered. He noticed the awkwardness of the situation. He made eye contact with Ghoulia, telling her to play along.
“And I have a check-up at the orthopedic.” Ghoulia moaned. “ Sorry, Cleo. Scoliosis problems.”
“Take care.” Cleo smiled, attempting to hug Ghoulia. The zombie bent their knees and gently hugged Cleo. The zombie eyed Cleo with a playful, yet strict expression. "You especially! See you later, queen."
After everyone went their way, Clawdeen closed the door and leaned against the wall. "Congrats." The werewolf was almost unable to look at Cleo. After seconds of silence, Clawdeen finally said something. “I see you got quite some gifts.”
“I did.” Cleo shrugged, placing the bouquet in the empty vase next to her.
“Well, you must be relieved.” Clawdeen scratched her head. “This surgery is intense. You must be glad that it’s over.”
"Why are you here, Clawdeen?" The princess clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I don’t think I asked you to be here.”
“If it makes you feel better, I didn’t want to come either.” She shrugged, raising her brows at Cleo. “My mom told me I should come here, so I did.”
“Alright,” Cleo muttered. “ ’m tired right now, so if you want to have a deep conversation, I think we should leave it for another time.”
Clawdeen sighed. “That is not why I’m here.”
“Okay, then why are you here?” Cleo scoffed. She hated others beating around the bush when talking to her.
“I just wanted to congratulate you,” Clawdeen replied and forced a smile. Stepping to Cleo’s nightstand, the werewolf gave the mummy a young adult novel she picked up at the nearest bookstore. “So, congrats. I won’t bother you further.”
Cleo hesitated. She wasn’t sure what would’ve been an appropriate response. She felt guilty about how her relationship with the werewolf ended. The breakup happened for multiple reasons. It was true that Ramses disapproved of Clawdeen, but that wasn’t all. He thought it was a bad look for the family if both his daughters were dating girls. Even though Cleo was openly bisexual, her father insisted that the council would think she didn’t want to marry a prince. She never understood why this was such a big deal. There weren’t any princes her age other than Seth, and he wasn’t interested in her. When she was younger, she imagined she would marry him one day, but he liked different girls. He was not looking for a relationship with royalty and she had to accept that.
She broke up with Clawdeen, using not wanting to date a werewolf as her excuse. That was a lie, though. Clawd and Cleo started their relationship during the summer. Cleo understood that Clawdeen still had feelings for her, but she didn’t like the things the wolf said behind her back. Cleo was not a cheater. The relationship may have escalated quickly, but Clawd confessed to her, and she liked the idea of dating him. He was cute, he took her on a few dates, and the relationship also boosted her popularity. Clawd was the casketball team’s captain, which meant he was in Nefera’s friend group. She was the fear squad captain, the most popular girl in school, and the most followed model on Grimstagram.
Cleo wanted to be her.
“See you in school,” Clawdeen muttered, heading towards the doorway.
The mummy nodded. “Yeah. See you.”
Humans knew not to enter a deep forest during the night. The centuries' worth of legends revolving around scary creatures appearing out of nowhere and attacking people never died down. Some believed them and decided to be cautious, while other risk-takers didn’t care and went on their own adventures. Monsters knew these stories were created to further enforce the idea of them being dangerous creatures. Sure, some groups and tribes of monsters didn’t enjoy being disturbed, but they would never attack without a valid reason.
Dracula and Draculaura stepped out of their car, walking through the crumbled-up leaves of the dark forest. Draculaura had no idea how her father managed to orientate. The fog blocked her vision, and the weather was cold. The trees grew densely near each other, and the branches were long enough to injure those passing by if they weren’t careful.
“So, where’s this infamous entrance to the monster world?” Draculaura muttered after she almost tripped over a tree log. “Is it in a tree? Or a hole in the ground? Like Alice in Wonderland?”
“Be patient, sweetheart,” Dracula spoke.
The young vampire scoffed. “Hm. You always say that, don’t you?” Draculaura was shocked at how easily her father walked around without tearing his expensive blood-red suit. He looked as classy as always. Even in that situation, he kept his elegance and perfect posture. She thrived to become like him, but deeply she knew she was built differently. Her biological mother was only a countrywoman, after all.
After passing through the fog, they reached a part of the forest where the trees grew in circles, leaving an empty spot in the middle. When Draculaura raised her head, she could see the night stars shining above her. “Is this it?”
Dracula formed a smile with his lips and took a red handkerchief from his pocket. With a sudden move, he threw it up in the air, followed by a blinding light, constructing a glowing portal of smoke to appear in front of them. As the red mist gathered together, it formed into the shape of an arched door. It was a shocking sight. “Not bad.” Draculaura laughed, shrugging. “So, where does this lead again?”
“It leads to our new home,” Dracula said. With a clap of his hands, his car appeared next to them. He sat inside, and Draculaura followed him. Dracula turned towards his daughter with a cheeky expression. “Fasten your seatbelt. The ride could get shaky.”
Chapter 4: Chapter 3 - The Gala
Summary:
"“Like dust, will those memories change and leave?“
- Kyuhyun of Super Junior
(Lyrics from Hope Is A Dream That Never Sleeps)
Notes:
Sorry for taking so long to update! I was very busy, but this is also a super long chapter. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Text
Abbey stepped out of her car, arriving at the home she spent the first five years of her unlife. Born in Kathmandu, she and her family relocated to Chandragiri. Her father, the Yeti, married a half-Bengali and half-Bahun Yeti woman from Chita, Russia. After discovering Abbey’s passion for ice skating and dance, her family resettled in St. Petersburg, Russia. She attended the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet but dropped out and decided to become a figure skater. Winning her first gold medal at seventeen, Abbey became an Olympic champion.
“It’s a shame our plane was delayed.” Her mom, Suchi, said, unloading the car boot. She spoke Nepali with all her children. “We missed Bajyai’s birthday.”
“It’s like her 1000th.” Katya sighed, inhaling the smoke of her cigarette stick with one hand in the right pocket of her blue mini-jean skirt. She was one of the twins. One of the positives of being a yeti was that no matter how cold the weather, a yeti was never cold. “She won’t even realize. Either way, we’ll be staying until the end of Diwali. She’ll get tired of us by then.”
“Abbey’s going to the Monster World, though.” Karina shrugged. “She won’t be here for Diwali. Or Holi. She’s going to miss all the festivals.”
“We’ve missed almost all of them for the past 13 years.” Abbey laughed. “I didn’t see you bothered then. Why are you bothered now?”
“Because…” Katya sighed. “The family is back together, and you’re leaving.”
Abbey sighed, rolling her eyes. “I promise it is not that serious. I have always dreamt of attending this school, and I finally can. It’s a big deal for me. There are multiple cultural centers in the area I’m moving to.”
“You’ll be fine.” Her mom chuckled and patted Abbey’s back.
“Thank you.” Abbey nodded. She grabbed her bags and carried them inside the house.
As her half-siblings were older than her, sometimes Abbey felt they didn’t fully understand her interests and intentions. She was a free spirit who disliked being told what to do. She was born when the twins Karina and Katya were 20. The large age gap was often uncomfortable. Abbey felt like she had nobody she could relate to. While her sisters were born in Yakutia, Russia but raised in Nepal, Abbey spent most of her childhood in Russia. Naturally, she was better at speaking Russian than her native language. Because of her busy schedule, she barely had the time to bond with that side of her family.
“Oh, my dearest Abbey!” Ihina, the grandma said, extending her arms to pull the taller Yeti into a hug. “It’s been so long, hasn’t it? You’ve grown so tall.”
“It’s Baba ’s genes, you know.” Abbey chuckled and pressed a kiss on her grandmother’s forehead. “Happy birthday, Bajyai. I’m so sorry that I can’t stay longer. I promise I’ll come to visit you, though.”
Ihina shook her head and patted Abbey’s cheeks. “Don’t feel bad. You won us an Olympic gold medal. How could I be upset with you?
Katya rolled her eyes. “Gosh, can this family stop bringing up Abbey’s win for once? We know she won a gold medal. It’s been months. Get over it.”
“Um,” Abbey turned towards her sister. “Katya, if you’re bored, could you carry those suitcases upstairs? My arms hurt so much from the vaccine I got yesterday.”
“Huh? But, you just-” Katya gasped. Karina burst into laughter, scratching her head as she stared at her twin sister from the side of her eye. The other twin cussed under her breath, grabbing Abbey’s belongings and carrying them up the stairs.
“She’s a bit jet-lagged,” Karina whispered to her grandmother.
“Ah,” Ihina nodded.
“Welcome to the Monster World.”
After a rather long and bumpy ride, Dracula and Draculaura arrived in New Salem, the center of the Monster World. Stopping in front of the portal, Dracula stepped out of his car, and with a swing of his long black cape, he closed it. As he started the car again, his daughter woke up from her slumber. She was too tired to ask questions, so she wrapped herself in her warm blanket and tilted her head to the window. "If you have motion sickness, I have medicine.”
Draculaura gestured no with her hand, and Dracula nodded in answer. Once they left the deep forest and reached the city, the younger vampire opened her eyes and glanced at nearby sights. Snowy mountains on the east, a large beach on the north, and a long river cutting the forest away from the city. As they drove by the airport, it reminded Draculaura that she had only once sat on a plane. Her father owned multiple private airports and jets, but previously she didn’t have the opportunity to try any of them. She wasn’t allowed out of the castle too often. “How many live here?”
“Not as many as you’d imagine,” Dracula answered. “The city provides free houses and lodgings for those interested. There are around as many people as in Boocharest. Those temporarily living here don’t count into the overall population.”
“I see,” Draculaura muttered. “So, where’s our castle? Is it close to the school?”
“Everything in time, darling.” He said. “After this long journey, I believe we need breakfast. How about a bloody stake? It’s the DieNer’s specialty.”
Draculaura shook her head in disgust. She had grown a distaste for blood and anything meaty a while ago. But growing up on Eastern European food, it wasn’t easy for her to switch to a vegan diet. Despite that, she decided she would make it happen. “I would prefer something bloodless right now. Not meaty and stuff.”
Her father raised a brow. “Kislányom, without blood, you’ll be so weak you won’t get out of bed.”
“I can always take iron supplements.” She shrugged. Dracula sighed, so Draculaura shook her head. “Dad. Please. Just get me a meatless salad. I don’t care if it has cheese on top, but I won’t eat the steak.”
“Fine.” Dracula agreed. “I’ll get you a salad. More steak for me, then.”
The younger vampire nodded. “Thank you.”
Finally, a chance to enjoy the sun. A sunny day without feeling like her skin was burning. That was one benefit of the Monster World. The sun couldn’t harm vampires, the waters were clean, and each climate suited every monster. It was almost too perfect. But if it had been that, monsters could’ve been able to survive there as long as they wanted to. The truth was, their actual home was between the humans. Not a parallel universe created to imitate Earth. It was only a temporary solution that became the ultimate situation for those monsters whose homes had been destroyed by humans.
Eating her salad silently, Draculaura bopped her head to the local radio, watching her father from inside the car. He was on a call with someone. Probably business, Draculaura wondered. Once she packed away her leftovers, she left the car and slammed the door behind her. She stared at the long street filled with buildings on both sides, built-in Haussmann-style architecture. It could’ve been mistaken for France if there wasn’t a gigantic Gothic castle wasn’t blocking the view of the rest of the town. It was the infamous Monster High School. The one she was going to be attending. Although she had heard many great things about the school, she still questioned whether it would be ideal for her.
“It’s a bit boring, don’t you think?” Draculaura asked as her father ended his call. “It’s beautiful, but the street looks like a copy and paste of Scaris’ streets. Where’s the fun? I don’t get it.”
“You’re underestimating the Monster World, Laura,” Dracula said, staring at his daughter through his lowered, dark-tinted sunglasses. “There’s a lot more here than it meets the eye. You’ll find out, eventually. I’ll take you to our home now. I have some business to attend to.”
“You always have some business.” She groaned. “Especially nowadays. What are you working on?”
“It’s top secret.” He smiled. “I can’t share. For now.”
Draculaura rolled her eyes and followed her father back to the car. Looking at the buildings, she realized almost every street was built with different architecture. Her father explained that the first monsters to settle in those areas had their homes built in the style of their birth countries. It was an intriguing sight to witness. It reminded her of a particular tourist attraction in South-West Slovakia. Suddenly, she wanted to return to Eastern Europe even more than she had thought. “If I don’t feel good in the Monster World, may I leave?”
“What about high school, hm?” He raised a brow. “Lauri, I cannot bring you back to Transylvania, but I can make you feel at home. Going back to the mountains would do you no good. You need to socialize, find a place you belong, and enjoy your teenage years like others.”
“I’ve been a teenager for 163 years.” She laughed with a small smile. “At this pace, I’ll become an adult at 1800.”
Dracula shook his head. “I want you to have a fulfilling 4 years because I never got to enjoy being a teenager. I was always sick and an orphan until a family of vampires adopted me."
“Sounds like my story,” Draculaura muttered, twirling her black locks around her index finger. “I don’t know, apu. This is hard for me right now.”
“I understand.” He nodded. “Believe me, I would never want to burden you. You can trust me.”
“I know.” She agreed and leaned back in her seat. “The only thing I can do is give it all a chance. Am I right?”
When the Ptolemys disembarked the aircraft, they were greeted by a crowd of local photographers and journalists eager to document their arrival. As usual, the family avoided all questions, and their bodyguards kept all strangers away. A black luxury car waited for them, driven by a trusted family favorite driver. Mahmoud had worked for them even before Seth was born and knew all their secrets. The heat was insufferable, but the windows had to be closed for privacy. The windows were tinted and decorated with dark curtains, so once he was inside, Seth handed his large mask to a bodyguard, who placed it inside the car’s boot. As she had some private matters to discuss, Madame Ptolemy stayed behind to wait for a different car, so her brother stayed with the prince.
“Excited to be back in Egypt?” Ammon asked, smiling at his nephew. He was Queen Amuncommon's younger brother, but the two's faces couldn't have looked more different. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with narrow eyes, a wide nose, plump lips and a buzzcut. He wore a simple black suit, golden rings decorating his fingers. He was always dressed more plainly, expressing his lower status compared to his sister and nephew.
"A little bit," Seth nodded, almost exhausted at this point. “It’s different now that I'm eighteen. I actually get to, you know, go out and enjoy the city life.”
“You wanna go clubbing?” His uncle raised a brow, winking playfully.
“That’s not what I mean.” Seth laughed, his tone almost defensive. “I don’t know. Maybe. I might go to a hip-hop club. If you don’t tell Mom, of course.”
“Hey, as long as you’re safe, I don’t care what you do.” He answered. “You’re an adult now. You do what you want."
“Yeah, so…” Seth nodded. “ I want to have fun before the gala. I won’t drink, though. I can’t be hungover for the gala. Or in general.”
"I heard you invited that Catty girl.” Ammon said, staring at the prince's hands as he removed his heavy rings. “You could spend some time with her at the gala. I don’t think your mom would mind.”
"Right," The prince nodded with a small smile. “When was the last time she let me stay with someone in private? Specifically, a girl I didn't know.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll convince her.”
Seth sighed and turned his head toward the window. It had been a while since he visited Cairo. He thought the view was breathtaking, but it was a shame the pyramids were on the normie side of the city. He wanted to see them so badly. “The situation still hasn’t changed, right?”
"Nope," His uncle shook his head. “The council has allowed more archeological digs to take place, but on the condition that any mummy they find has to be handed over to their respective families.”
“What if they have no relatives?”
“Then they end up in the museum.” He answered, his voice quieting down. “If you ask me, it’s barbaric. If I had been born human, I would have never allowed anyone to experiment on my body.”
“I think this conversation is more complicated than some of us make it seem,” Seth responded with a brow raise. “In the end, we were born mummies. The De Niles allowed themselves to be examined, and they’re fine. I don’t like acting as if all normies are evil.”
“I don’t think that they are all evil.” Ammon agreed. “I’m simply afraid of the contract being abused. If those mummies were our family members, I would sue those museums immediately.”
“That wouldn't solve anything.” The younger prince sighed. Arriving in the underground garage, Seth could finally have some privacy away from photographers. The street where the family's penthouse stood wasn’t accessible to non-residents unless they had been granted a special permit. The cool temperature of the room was relieving compared to the blazing sun outside. He would’ve loved to go for a swim, but he was only 3 weeks post top-surgery, and his surgeon instructed him not to swim before the 6-8 week period. He did consider dipping his legs into the pool, but he wasn’t sure if he would even have the time.
Hearing the elevator door open, he turned and saw a tan mummy girl running towards him. "Cousin!” Nanu screamed, embracing Seth in her arms. She was his second cousin, related to him through Amunet, his mother’s first cousin, Nanu’s mother. “Oh, it’s been so long. It felt like a thousand years.”
“Hi, Nanu.” He smiled as he gently hugged the curly-haired princess, not too tight so he wouldn’t hurt his still-healing chest. “I missed you, too.”
“Sorry, I just got out of the hot tub.” She laughed, pulling away so she wouldn’t get the prince’s expensive suit wet. “I couldn’t wait. I just wanted to see you! You look incredible.”
"Thank you," Seth nodded, “So do you.”
The apartment complex had its own department for each part of the family. Still, as Amuncommon was the Queen of Boo York, her family owned the building and the penthouse unit. The building had forty-two floors. Stepping into the elevator, Seth felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Nanu raised her brows, “Is it your mom?”
“Yes.” He muttered, accepting the call and raising the phone to his ear.
“Change of plans.” The queen spoke. “There are no official events for today. My mother decided she wanted a casual family gathering. Only us and my parents. Is that okay with you?”
“Fine by me.” He said. “It’s been a while since we’ve spent time with them. I didn’t know they were here in Cairo.”
“They wanted it to be a surprise, apparently.” Amuncommon sighed. “Anyway, I’ll be there in twenty minutes. They said to dress comfortably, so wear whatever you want. I’ll meet you in your bedroom.”
Nanu was kind enough to show Seth around the penthouse. Although it wasn’t her part of the building, she still spent some time there whenever her great-grandparents visited. Seth loved his home country, but Cairo was never his favorite. His father, Nicholas, was born there. Everything about the city reminded him of his father. Every summer until his 7th birthday, they would come to Cairo, and his father would perform at music festivals. He would sneak him out secretly, take him backstage and show him what it meant to be a rockstar. Nicholas never took his role as king seriously. He didn’t care for his duties, only for the wealth his title gave him. He only cared for his son when it was beneficial to him. Otherwise, Seth’s childhood was in the hands of Amuncommon. She was the one who handled his education, religious upbringing, and royal etiquette classes. The disagreements between his parents caused Seth to turn out the way he did. A prince who never truly wanted to be royal but never felt like he belonged among commoners.
Arriving in his old bedroom, he felt a sense of nostalgia hit him. The room had the same brown furniture, and the bedroom’s walls were decorated with his favorite musicians and his father’s band’s vinyl records. Everything looked exactly the way he left it when he was 13. His pillows, plushies, and stuffed animals lay in the same position as he remembered them. The bedding was still the same black and white checkered piece, with multiple colorful space-printed blankets folded on top. It seemed the servants took good care of the room and didn’t have the heart to drastically change anything. Seeing his luggage had already been carried upstairs, he threw his suit jacket and tie on his bed, then unzipped his clothes suitcase. Way too tired to unpack, he pulled out a t-shirt and track pants. He neatly placed his suit in a garment bag and hung it on his walk-in closet door. After a deep sigh, he hopped on his bed and rested for a few minutes. The knowledge that he had no schedule for the rest of the day felt comforting.
He didn’t know how lunch with his grandparents would go. It had been many months since he had seen them, and he knew anytime they saw him, they turned emotional. Sometimes he envied those teens who saw their grandparents weekly and had a close relationship with them. He barely saw his grandparents twice a year. When Seth entered the dining room, Aton extended his arms with a gasp, "My little boy! You’ve gotten so tall. When did you grow up so fast?”
"Of course, I grew up fast." Seth laughed, accepting the hug. “ Of course, I grew up fast. You have seen me twice in two years.”
“Well, it’s not our fault your mother never wants to come home,” Aton muttered. “Never forget, Seth. You’re Egyptian-American. Always Prince of Egypt first. Prince of Boo York second.”
Amuncommon rolled her eyes. “I would argue he’s Prince of Boo York first.”
“Oh, you two! Always arguing over titles.” Mutnedjmet sighed, placing her handbag on the leather sofa. “ Come here, Sethie.”
“Hi, granny.” Seth smiled, embracing his much shorter grandmother in his arms. Like Amuncommon, Seth inherited his tall genes from his grandfather, who was around 6′ 11″. He was shorter than his mother and grandfather, but at 6'1”, he had nothing to complain about.
“Look at your pretty little face.” She said, patting Seth’s cheeks. “You’ve changed so much in two years. I’m getting emotional. But sweetheart, you look so tired. Amuncommon, does this boy get enough sleep?"
“We, uh, wanted to follow you on that app.” Aton cut into the conversation. “What’s it called? Crittor? Chittor? Chatter? Ah, I don't remember."
"Critter!" Mutnedjmet glared at her husband. “Idiot! It’s called Critter.”
“No, why’d you call him an idiot?” Seth let out a laugh. His grandparents were a sweet couple, but they sure argued a lot. It was usually nothing serious - they loved each other wholeheartedly and never let anything get between them. “Grandpa’s trying his best, you know.”
“He’s not trying hard enough.” Mutnedjmet hissed. She sat beside Amuncommon, pressing a loving motherly kiss on her cheek. The queen shook her head, feeling almost awkward. Seth burst into laughter, immediately recognizing how similar his mother's mannerisms were to his own. His grandma gasped. “Does nobody in this family like affection anymore?”
“Mom is always moody recently,” Seth said, settling at the dining table.
“I am not moody.” The queen shook her head, trying to stop her mother from touching her hair. “I’m just overwhelmed. But I don’t want to talk about myself right now. Let’s talk about Seth! You two haven’t seen him in two years. He just got top surgery.”
Aton nodded as he drank a sip of wine. “Amazing! What is that again?”
“Well, as you can see, I don’t have boobs anymore,” Seth explained as he leaned back in his chair. “I feel a lot more comfortable now. No back pain anymore, thankfully. I don’t think I need to explain why I hated the fact that I had a big chest or that I had them at all.”
“You do look happier.” Aton smiled, placing his hand on Seth’s.”Funnily enough, your grandmother just got breast implants.”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing that, Mutnedjmet almost spat out her drink. “Aton? Who asked you to share this information?”
“It looks great, Mom,” Amuncommon said as she tried to hold her laughter.
“When we were fifteen, Cleo and I went to the temple together.” Seth continued, remembering an old memory. “She prayed for boobs, and I prayed for a flat chest. I still don’t understand why we thought that would do anything, but it was funny, regardless.”
“That is adorable.” Mutnedjmet chuckled. “ always thought Cleo and Nefera were sweethearts. I once slipped and told Nefera there was no tooth fairy. I know she hasn’t forgiven me since. She holds grudges, that’s for sure. She probably thinks I ruined her childhood.”
“She sure ruined the experience for me.” He muttered. “After that, when another one of my teeth fell out, she came over to me and said, ‘There is no tooth fairy, you bitch!’ And yes, she called me a bitch. She was eleven!”
Amuncommon shrugged, finally an honest smile appearing on her face. “ That is her way of showing love, you know. I care for Nefera like I were her mother, but Ra knows she has many issues. Ramses is not a good father.”
“He makes Nicholas look amazing,” Aton added. “Which says plenty because we all know what kind of man he is.”
“Can we not bring him up? Please?” Seth asked, forming his plump lips into a pout. “I understand that you all don’t like him. He is still my father, though, and talking about him makes me feel weird. And I know Mom probably doesn’t want to hear from him, either.”
“I’ve gotten over him, sweetheart.” Amuncommon smiled and touched Seth’s right cheek lovingly. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about him. That is completely your choice.”
“May I ask something, though?” Mutnedjmet raised a brow. “Has he tried to contact you? In general, I mean.”
“A couple of times.” Seth nodded. He pulled his phone out, opening up the text messages his father had sent him. “Since my coming out anniversary. Oh, look at that. He sent me a new text an hour ago. Have you landed safely?” He read, rolling his eyes as he scrolled through his messages.
Amuncommon nodded. “Give me your phone.”
Seth handed his phone to his mother, letting her scroll through what Nicholas had sent him. Her facial expression was strict, and her eyes seemed squinty without prescription glasses. Eventually, she gave the phone back. “I think he wants to invite you to his upcoming concert. I mean, I’d imagine because he used to be the King of Boo York, he wants to show the media he still has a relationship with his son.”
“I can’t go to public spaces without my mask, anyway.” Seth shrugged. “He doesn’t even know what I look like. Also, as you’ve said before, we Ptolemys don’t do publicity stunts.”
“If he wants to see you, I can arrange a meeting,” Amuncommon said, “Inside the Ptolemy Tower. No cameras or sketchy friends or his weird girlfriend. He can only come by himself, and there will be bodyguards.”
“When?”
“A day before you leave for school.”
The prince let out a deep sigh. He wasn’t sure if this was a good idea, but hiding from his father took too much of his energy. Of course, he still wanted there to be boundaries. He was going to discuss everything with his mother. Nicholas didn’t deserve his honesty or to know about his private life. He had chosen to leave his son behind years ago, and Seth wasn’t willing to be a pawn in anyone’s media game. One day, he thought. One day he could tell everyone how he truly felt about his father.
Sitting in Casta’s car, Catty leaned back in her seat as the tropical breeze blew through her pink locks. She had been in Egypt for two days now, preparing for the last stop of her world tour. Her family had roots in South East Egypt, but this was her first time visiting the country. Casta, who owned a penthouse in Cairo, was happy to show the werecat around. Catty was always a big fan of Casta’s music. Before she became famous, Catty met Casta at a meet and greet even before one of the witch’s concerts. When Catty gained some fame again when attending a talent show where she won first place. They met again at an award show in 2020 and quickly became friends. Casta eventually became the only celebrity Catty trusted.
“Are you more excited for the gala or the concert?” Casta asked, handing Catty the food she got from a restaurant’s drive-thru.
Catty raised a brow. “You’re kidding, right? You can’t make me choose. Both are equally as important to me.”
"I’m asking ‘cause you’ve been stalking that prince’s Grimstagram profile for days.” The witch laughed as she drove away, not to keep the rest of the line waiting. “What’s so interesting about him, huh? I’m genuinely curious.”
“He’s one of the first black openly trans celebrities my age I knew.” The werecat answered, brushing her fingers through her pink hair.
“Well, I don’t exist?” Casta gasped dramatically.
“I said one of!” Catty responded. “He’s my age, and you’re older. I can simply relate to him more. Plus, he’s also bisexual! You should know why everyone is fascinated by the Ptolemys. You grew up in Boo York.”
Casta nodded. “Look, I grew up in Queens, not Manhattan. I promise you out of Manhattan, nobody gives a fuck about that family. Especially not the Italian neighborhood I grew up in.”
“Okay, but my family originates from Southeast Egypt,” Catty said. “He’s from Luxor. Southern Egypt. We’re both Nubian-Egyptian. We should be best friends!”
“I think you need to exit Dreamland.”
Stepping out of the car, Catty and Casta walked to the private elevator that would take them to the penthouse. At first, Catty’s mom was against staying in Casta’s penthouse because she thought it would be too much of a bother for the witch. But after days of Catty’s begging, Mau finally accepted the offer. “These few days are going to be so much fun!” Casta said, clapping her hands in excitement. “Shit, if I didn’t have errands to run tomorrow, I could help you prepare for the gala.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Catty shook her head. “I’m just thankful to be here.”
“Well, we should go clubbing tonight!” The witch offered, pressing the numbers on the elevator keypad. “I know a hip-hop club just down the corner. And since you’re 18, you can finally come with me.”
“My mom would never allow it!” She gasped, getting slightly startled as the elevator started going up. “She would be so mad if I got drunk.”
“We won’t get drunk, kitten.” Casta scoffed as she tied her long black wig into a messy ponytail. “All I want is for you to have a fun night. We could get our nails done before, too. I kind of need a manicure.” She raised her left hand, wincing in pain as she looked at her cracked index fingernail.
The werecat rolled her eyes. “Good luck convincing my mother.” As soon as the elevator door opened inside the penthouse, she threw her heels off and ran straight onto one of the sofas.
“Oh, you’re back already?” Mau, Catty’s mom, smiled. Handing her the bags of food, Casta pecked the older werecat on both cheeks. “Mrs Noir! I’m sorry I couldn’t come and greet you yesterday. The Greek side of my family was visiting the city, so I had to spend some time with them.”
Mau chuckled. “Your brother didn’t want to come, huh?”
“Spelldon always misses out on everything,” Casta muttered, pulling down the zipper on her tight boots. “He’s in Boo York. Working. Also, I just realized. Where’s your husband?”
“At a relative’s wedding in Senegal.” Mau shrugged. “I don’t like that particular person, so he only went to keep up the family relations. Anyway, enough family problems. What food did you girls bring?”
“Italian.” The witch answered. “She got two different pizzas. We have three types of soup, cheesy pasta, fish, risotto, and tiramisu. Eat up, everyone!”
As the three sat at the dining table together, the topic of clubbing was brought up. Casta, an expert at convincing her parents to do things for her, started off easy. “I thought Catherine and I could go out somewhere for the night. Not for too long. I just want to show her the city and have her gain some inspiration.”
“For the night?” Mau cocked a brow.
Catty gulped down her soup, laying low. Casta grinned. “Yeah. I’d like to take her to a hip-hop club. No drinking. It’s actually not allowed there. I mean, she is of age.”
“Yes, I know,” Mau said as she turned towards her daughter. “You want to go clubbing?”
“I trust Casta.” Catty shrugged, smiling as sweetly as she could. “She has lived here for two summers now.”
"Okay," Sighing deeply, the older werecat nodded. “Fine by me. As long as you come home in one piece and sober… You may go.”
“Thank you, Mom!”
Nanu and Seth were driving through the streets of Cairo when he got a call from Nefera. It was unexpected, but she informed Seth that Cleo was home already and sleeping. Although he would’ve preferred to hear from the younger princess if she was alright, this information did calm him down. “By the way, I’m never feeding your cats again.” Nefera hissed. “ Your ugly hairless cat punched me and left me with cheek scratches.”
“Who told you to feed them?” Seth raised a brow. “You could’ve asked anyone else to do it for you.”
“I don’t care about your cats!” She screamed.
Seth rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Well, you should. Also, Lisa isn’t ugly! She has blue eyes like me. I think that’s cute.”
“Next time, tell your cats to stay away from me,” Nefera instructed. “They’re evil.”
Tired of Nefera’s whining, Seth ended the call and shut his phone off. Sitting beside him, Nanu burst into laughter but decided to keep her opinions to herself. Seth dug his fingers into his hair and let out a sigh. “Living in the same house as Nefera is both a blessing and a curse.”
“No doubt about that.”
Song to set the mood: Tonight’s The Night from Let It Shine
Nanu and Seth parted ways for the night. She was sneaking out for a date, and Seth wanted to visit a hip-hop club. It wasn’t his first time experiencing this type of fun, but anytime he went, something was different. There were always new musicians performing. It inspired him. He always dreamed of being on stage and showing off his talents, but it seemed impossible. As a prince, he wasn’t allowed to do it. Even if it was all he wanted. The club was mostly filled with others his age, everyone enjoying the loud music bursting through the speakers. He could finally enjoy himself, spend time with other 18-19-year-olds, and have fun without being judged.
The club was one of the most popular ones in the area, specifically for his age group. As expected, there weren’t many mummies around. He thought he’d get a few looks, but he didn’t. All that mattered to everyone was to have the night of their lives without worrying about everything beyond that. Catty and Casta only happened to be at the same club at the same time as Seth. When Casta went to grab something to eat, Catty tried to find a better view of the stage. This was her first time attending such a party, and she loved it. She could sing her heart out without people judging her. Trying to push through the crowd, she bumped into someone taller than her. “So sorry!” She shouted through the music.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Seth turned his head and made eye contact with the werecat. Unable to recognize her in the dark room, he smiled and stepped back to let her walk forward. The sudden eye contact made Catty freeze, so when someone pushed her out of the way, she crushed straight into the boy’s upper body. “Ow…” Seth muttered, rubbing his still-healing chest.
“Sorry, are you okay?” Catty asked, touching Seth’s arm in shock. “Did I hurt you?”
He shook his head. “No! I’m fine. I promise.” As the club lights shone on the werecat, Seth immediately recognized the pair of pink eyes staring at him. Respecting her privacy, he didn’t say anything. “What about you? You almost fell.”
"So far, so good.” She giggled. Finding the boy attractive, she decided she would continue speaking to him. “What’s your name?”
Shocked by the sudden question, Seth hesitated about what he should’ve replied. Should he have said one of his middle names? “Pharaoh.” He answered, using a name he had only ever used online before.
“Nice to meet you, Pharaoh,” Catty nodded. “I’m… Valérie!”
Realizing he wasn’t the only one lying about his name, he laughed and played along. “Nice to meet you.”
“You’re not local, are you?”
“Uh, no.” He shook his head. “I’m from Manhattan, Boo York, actually.”
Before she could answer, Casta showed up behind the pink-haired ghoul. “Bestie, come on, you need to see this!” The witch exclaimed, dragging the werecat with her.
“Sorry!” Catty shouted, staring at the prince. “I hope I’ll get to see you again! Take care!”
Seth stared at the two girls in surprise. Suddenly, he spotted a pink beaded bracelet on the floor. Crouching down to pick it up, he saw the beads spelled out “Catherine ”. He looked around, checking if the werecat and witch duo were close. He couldn’t see them because of the large crowd, so he shoved the bracelet into his pocket and decided he would find a way to give it back to her. He couldn’t do it at the gala - not without exposing himself. He had to wait until school started.
Ever since she was a child, Catty was always amazed by royals. Not because she liked the idea of the constitutional monarchy but because of all the rules they lived by. She moved to Boo York City at eight and always saw the Ptolemys on every billboard. She would walk by the Ptolemy Tower every evening going home from school and wondered what living there must’ve been like. After winning a local children’s talent show, her family met the Ptolemy family. This was an unbelievable opportunity for her. She was only 10 years old with barely any knowledge about the world, but even Queen Amuncommon said she felt Catty would make it big one day. She even funded the werecat’s education. Being invited to a gala so many years later meant a lot to the family.
“Does this look like a gala outfit?” Catty asked her mother, staring at her floor-length pastel-pink satin gown in the mirror.
Mau smiled, glancing at her daughter. “It’s beautiful, chérie.” She spoke in a soft Belgian French accent but had a habit of concealing it in some situations. She was fluent in English, but some people still acted rude towards her because of her accent.
The young werecat sighed deeply. “Isn’t it too simple? Ugh. I wish I had big enough boobs to fill this dress in. What does one even wear to a gala?”
“Sweetie,” Mau stood up and stepped over to Catty. She placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, helping her feel more relieved. “You always say you want things, but you forget something. You are already beautiful!”
“Yeah, but I just want something up here.” Catty formed her lips into a pout, touching her chest. “Nevermind. You don’t get it.”
“No, I get it!” Mau replied. “I used to be insecure about my chest, too. Once I became an adult, it was the last thing I cared about.”
“Okay, mama. That is not the same as my dysphoria.” Catty muttered. She hopped down in front of her vanity, annoyedly brushing through her long wavy hair extensions.
Mau shook her head. “I’m only saying that having a flatter chest doesn’t make you less of a woman. Hm? If you want to get your boobs done, I understand. Je comprends tes raisons. It’s simply a motherly instinct to tell your daughter she’s beautiful when she’s not feeling good in her body.”
“I know,” Catty sighed. “But you see, even if I wore a sack of potatoes, you’d still find me beautiful.”
“That’s because you are beautiful.” Mau smiled, grabbing her daughter’s hairbrush and brushing through Catty’s hot pink hair. “This dress looks parfaite on you. Pink will always be your color. You’ll be the prettiest girl at that party.”
Catty nodded, placing her hands on her sternum to express her thankfulness. “Je t'aime, maman .”
“Je t'aime aussi, ma petite fille .”
The Ptolemy skyscraper in Cairo was gigantic. Catty would’ve expected the family to live in an expensive palace, but the building outdid all her expectations. It looked so much like a mansion inside that it was easy to forget it was only a skyscraper with a penthouse. Stepping out of the car, Catty nervously clutched her handbag to her pelvis and took in the fresh air. This street was much less busy, with only a few cars driving past and much more nature around.
Mau turned toward her daughter, extending her hand for Catty to hold. The young werecat accepted and felt more relief after making eye contact with her mother. “Can we go?”
“Mhm.” Catty smiled.
Inside, Queen Amuncommon and Prince Seth stood in the main hall, greeting the guests. This was Seth’s least enjoyed part of these events. He had to stand there for hours with perfect posture in his uncomfortable black and gold couture suit that was way too warm for Cairo’s hot weather. This was one of the times he thanked the gods that mummies couldn’t sweat as other monsters would. It would’ve resulted in quite some awkward situations. “You look tired.” Madame Ptolemy said through gritted teeth, keeping up her smile. “How long were you out last night?”
“Why do you want to know?” Seth muttered. At least he didn't have to smile.
“Because Nanu came home two hours earlier.” Madame Ptolemy replied. “One of the assistants found out she was on a date, which is forbidden for royals without parental consent. What do you know about that?”
“I don’t know anything about anyone’s dating life.” He said, lowering his voice. “You won’t let me date, Mother. This is not the place to discuss this right now. I understand your worry, but as you have said, private conversations should be reserved for later.”
Amuncommon scoffed. “Fine. We’ll talk about it later.” Seeing Catty and Mau enter through the door, Madame Ptolemy forced a smile on her face and stepped forward. “Oh, it’s wonderful to see you both again!"
“Nice to meet you, Your Majesty.” Catty curtsied out of respect.
“Look at you!” Amuncommon smiled, looking up and down at the werecat. “What a beautiful girl you’ve grown into.”
Catty giggled. “That is so sweet. Thank you.”
“Oh, my pleasure.” Amuncommon nodded and turned towards Mau. “It’s been so long, but where is your husband?
“Unfortunately, my husband couldn’t make it." Mau smiled. "He had a relative’s wedding to attend in Senegal, but I am so grateful that Your Majesty invited us. Catty was so happy when she read the letter.”
“Yeah, um, I was shocked,” Catty replied. “I didn’t think I was important enough to be invited to such a gala. Or that I’d get invited at all.”
“It was my son, Seth, who chose her.” Madame Ptolemy explained. “We heard that Catherine would attend the same school as my son, so he invited her.”
Catty gasped. She had no idea that Seth was going to attend Monster High. The Ptolemy family was so secretive. “Well, thank you so much. I am honored.”
“We’re equally as honored to have you here,” Seth spoke, making eye contact with the dark-skinned werecat. Staring into the prince’s bright blue eyes, Catty almost froze. Seth was someone she looked up to for a while. They were the same age, yet so different. The werecat found many parts of the prince attractive. Not only because Catty had distant Egyptian relatives but also because she always found the Ptolemys to be great people. As mysterious as they were, their charity work and activism made them much respected. She felt comfortable knowing there was another black trans teenager in the media, possibly going through similar experiences.
The werecat smiled, and she nodded, accepting the handshake the prince offered earlier. "Seth also grew up well!" Mau turned towards the prince. “Look how tall you’ve gotten. Very handsome.”
Seth nodded, thanking Mau, but he could barely take his eyes off Catty. She looked gorgeous in her strapless satin dress and matching fingerless opera gloves. He was obsessed with her long neon pink hair that fell on her shoulder in waves. Her bubblegum-colored lips brought out her bright eyes perfectly. She looked perfect - she was perfect.
“If you two don’t mind,” Madame Ptolemy started, placing her glass of wine on a table behind her back. “Mrs. Noir and I will go and meet some guests. Have some adult conversations. In the meanwhile, you two should get to know each other better. You’ll be classmates, after all.”
“They’re teenagers.” Mau chuckled. “They will not run out of topics to speak about. And, of course, His Highness has fascinated Catty for some years now.”
"Okay, Mom." Catty let out an awkward laugh. “You don’t have to give away everything about me.”
Seth’s lips turned into a smile underneath his mask, and he raised a brow in surprise. It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard someone say that about him before, but more so that he would’ve said the same thing about Catty. He was also fascinated by her. “Alright then.” The queen nodded. She made eye contact with her son, reminding him about the strict rules he had to follow. And Seth knew that. He wasn’t supposed to break character, even if Catty was someone he so badly adored. As the two adults disappeared behind the staircase, Catty felt butterflies fill up her stomach.
“Hi!” Catty beamed. The moment was a rare opportunity. Everyone knew that His Highness didn’t always partake in galas. And even if he did, it wasn’t easy to speak with him. His mother never left him alone. To many teenagers, Seth seemed closed off and uninteresting. To Catty, he was one of the most intriguing monsters she ever knew. She was pumped to spend some time with him. “It’s so nice to meet you, Your Highness. I have heard so much about you.”
“Likewise.” The prince responded with a nod, trying to control his excitement “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it?”
“Oh, you remember!” Catty giggled, her eyes shining in happiness.
Seth chuckled, “It would be hard not to remember the girl who stepped on my foot when we were ten.” He found the werecat’s enthusiasm adorable. Finally, there was someone who cared to treat him like another teenager.
The werecat felt her face heat up. “Yeah. Please pardon me.”
“No problem. I remember that day fondly.” He answered. Moving away from the center of the room, he led Catty closer to a quieter area. “How are you feeling, by the way? I heard you were touring.”
“Exhausted, but it’s been fun.” Catty shrugged, walking after the prince. “Music gives me an insane amount of energy. I love singing. And what about you? How are you? Do you like music?”
Seth bit his lips. He wasn’t supposed to say he liked her music, but he didn’t want to make Catty feel alienated. “ My family doesn’t appreciate modern genres. As someone who writes poetry, I often feel inspired by classical music.”
“What about your father’s music?” Catty asked. “He’s a rockstar. You must’ve grown up listening to that.”
“My father…” Seth started, unsure of how to respond. He wasn’t allowed to share any personal information. “I admire his success, but he’s not a good person. We don’t usually mention those members of the family who have renounced their titles.”
“Well, anyway, I heard you used to do ballet!” Catty said. “Fun fact, I have a music box with a spinning werecat ballerina. I always wanted to do ballet but was told I was rather clumsy. It’s too late now.”
“I believe it’s never too late.” Seth shook his head. “If you love something and it inspires you, you should go for it. Don’t let your clumsiness get to you.”
“By the way. You forgot to answer my question.” Catty laughed. “How are you?”
Seth smiled under his mask. “I’m quite enjoying your presence.”
“I’m so glad.” Catty smiled, loosening her shoulders. “You know, I was worried I had offended you by asking about your father.”
“I can reassure you, you did not offend me.” He shook his head. “Most people I meet ask me about him. Please, don’t feel awkward. We’re the same age.”
“It’s just that I don’t know how to speak to royalty.” She replied, fidgeting with the hem of her fingerless gloves.”It’s a bit of a struggle trying to figure out what to and what not to say. Do you get what I mean?”
“Of course.” He replied. “We’re going to be classmates. I think we should feel comfortable around each other.”
The werecat chuckled. “I do talk a lot, don’t I?”
“You do not.” He answered gently. “I am grateful that you’re here. Without you, I’d be standing next to my mother, talking about the new vintage carpets she had bought for her office.”
“Doesn’t sound very fun.”
“Because it is not.” He laughed. “ Also, I just remembered. Around 5 years ago, my uncle sent a video of us dancing when we were ten. That exact moment when you stomped on my foot. We looked ridiculous, but it was a delight to watch.”
“No way!” Catty giggled. “Can you airdrop the video? I would love to see it.”
He nodded. “Yeah. One second.” He took out his iCoffin, and Catty’s eyes immediately drifted to his expensive gold phone case. Seth had the video within his favorites, so he found it rather quickly. “Which one is your phone?”
“It’s actually the one named Valérie’s iCoffin.” She smiled. “That is my middle name. Something my fans don’t even know about me.”
Seth remembered Catty introducing herself to him last night as Valérie. He was shocked that nobody recognized her, but maybe even if they did, they didn’t want to bother her. Nevertheless, he thought it was a good idea for her to use another name. “You were born in Belgium, right? Is that why you have a French name?”
“Yeah. Both my parents were born and raised in Belgium.” Catty agreed, saving a video to a different folder. “My maternal grandma is from Egypt, my grandpa is from Senegal, and my paternal grandparents are from Egypt. But then again, my paternal great-grandmother is Sudanese. We’re a bit multicultural.”
“Multicultural families are great.” He nodded. “Do you remember what it was like living in Belgium?”
“Mhm.” She smiled. “Great chocolate. But I don’t feel as connected to the place anymore, you know? I spent four years there, and I’ve only been back twice. If I had the chance to go again, I absolutely would. I missed out during this tour because my label decided that way. Speaking of home countries, do you like it in Egypt?”
“Depends on the city.” He said. “I prefer Luxor, though I am incredibly thankful we didn’t go there during this time. It’s probably the second hottest city in the country.”
The werecat nodded. “I fully understand. You were brought up in Boo York, so you’re not used to the hot climate. I can very much relate to that.”
“Would you like to sit down?” He asked, looking at a long empty sofa in the bar area. ” I think that’d be more comfortable for both of us.”
“Sure.” Catty nodded. The two settled down, and the werecat made herself comfortable. A waiter placed two empty glasses in front of them, letting them decide which drink out of the ones on the table they wanted to try. Catty poured herself some punch. “Weird question, but how do you drink and eat with that on?”
The prince snorted, “I can drink easily.” He lifted the glass to the slight gap in the mask’s mouth area and drank some of the punch. “It requires practice, you know.”
“Shit, that was hot,” Catty muttered quietly. Just under a second, her elbow knocked her glass over, and the purple punch stained her gown immediately. “I knew it would happen!”
Seth shook his head, unable to control his laughter. “Now I know why you said you were clumsy.”
“I hate myself right now,” Catty said, grabbing a napkin to dry up the rest of the liquid.
“Okay, come with me.” He chuckled, almost unable to control his laughter. “I know how to get it out.”
“Really?” The werecat raised a brow. “You are so experienced in this situation?”
“Royal etiquette classes have prepared me for all types of emergencies.” He smiled. Offering his hand for Catty to hold, the pink-haired ghoul accepted and stood up, letting him lead the way for her. Running to the quickest elevator left them with some unpleasant stares from other guests, but Seth wanted Catty to enjoy that night.
Standing inside the elevator, they let go of each other’s hands but stayed beside each other with hardly any distance between them. Although it felt a little bit awkward, they could still have a proper conversation. “Your mom won’t get mad that we just disappeared, right?”
Seth shrugged. “There are too many guests for her to worry about me.”
“That’s true.” Catty nodded. “This building is beautiful, by the way. I’m so thankful that you invited me. You know, perhaps if you’re interested, I could give you a ticket to the last concert of my tour. It’d only be right if you came.”
Biting his lips to stop himself from smiling, Seth cleared his throat and tried to stay in character. “You want me to be there? Why?
“You’re Prince of Egypt as well, aren’t you?” She said. “It’d mean a lot to have you there.”
“When is this concert?” He asked.
“Tomorrow night.” Catty answered with a shrug. “Unless you have somewhere to be.”
“I actually don’t.” He laughed, nodding. “I’ll think about it. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure.” The werecat smiled. The elevator door opened on the fourth floor, showcasing a hallway decorated with expensive gold tapestries. The walls were decorated with pictures of all the royal children as babies. Seth’s picture was second to last. He had his big blue eyes, a head full of hair, and a white bear onesie with ears on its hood. “Oh, that is adorable.”
The prince opened the door to one of the bathrooms. “My mom has this… Mixture. It’s a mix of dishwashing detergent and white vinegar.”
“Wow, your mom is prepared for occasions like this.” Catty chuckled, entering the luxurious bathroom. “I assume she learns from bad experiences, doesn’t she?”
“Or she’s always panicking and wants everything to be in perfect condition.” Seth laughed as he shut the door behind himself. “She’s always prepared for everything.”
Catty let out a sigh as she stared at her punch-stained gown. “So, you know how to get this thing out?”
“If you promise to close your eyes and not peek when I remove my mask, then sure.” Seth offered. “I’ll get the stain out for you.”
“Fine. I promise not to look.” The werecat smiled. To the prince’s surprise, she closed her eyes immediately. The werecat raised her arms, hiding them behind her back so they wouldn’t be in the way. Seth stepped back and removed his large mask, gently setting it down on the tiled floor. It had to make as little noise as possible. He didn’t want anyone to hear they were inside.
Releasing a sigh of relief, he grabbed the cup of the mixture and placed it near the sink. Catty reached out for the prince’s hand, and he led her closer. “Am I close enough?” She asked, her hand still holding Seth’s.
“Mhm.” He nodded. He poured some of the mixtures on the fabric and scrubbed it with his fingers. “Crap, I might need a napkin or something.”
“Oh?” Catty giggled. “Would toilet paper be ideal?”
“Yeah, wait for a second.” He answered, placing the fabric under the running tap water. “Okay, actually, I don’t need a napkin. The stain is almost completely gone.”
“Thank you,” Catty said, sighing in relief. Something inside her kept telling her to take a peek, but only for a few seconds. Still, if anyone knew how important privacy was, it was her. As interested as she was, she didn’t want to ruin a future friendship. “Can I ask why you wear a mask, or is it something that’s… Top secret?
“I don’t mind you asking.” Seth nodded. “If another person asked, I probably wouldn’t have answered.”
“I see. I'm special. So? What’s the deal?”
“I’m not allowed to tell you the whole story, but everyone knows how my dad cheated on my mom.” He said. “ After he left, he kind of never showed up again. I came out as transgender to my mom and, of course, eventually to my father. Let’s say he didn’t vibe with the idea of me taking hormones and being a guy, so...”
“Oh, I get it. You don’t want your dad to know what you look like.”
“Exactly.” He muttered. “Because if my father doesn’t know what I look like, he doesn’t know what I’m up to, and he can’t bother me.”
“Hm, sneaky. I love that for you.” Catty smiled.
“Okay, you’re all done, and my fingers are all purple now, but the stain is out!” He sighed, stepping back. “Your dress is a bit wet. If I blow-dried it, though, your makeup would melt off. So, um, sorry about that.”
Catty giggled.“Thank you. I appreciate your commitment. Can I open my eyes now or… I guess you’re not wearing your mask yet? I’m getting kind of dizzy.”
“Like two minutes, okay?” He said.
Catty intertwined their fingers, making Seth freeze for a second. “Can you lead me somewhere to sit?” She asked, gently rubbing the prince’s hand.
He nodded, finally answering. “Of course.” He led the werecat to the side of the corner bath, ensuring it wasn’t wet. “I’ll wash my hands now.”
“I will wait patiently.” Catty shrugged. “I might fall asleep, though.”
“I’ll be done in a second,” Seth sighed, trying to get the stain off his hands. It was sticky, and he didn’t want to get his costly suit dirty. “Okay… I got it off.” He answered, taking one last look at himself in the mirror. Completely forgetting she wasn’t supposed to look, Catty opened her eyes. She glanced at the prince but could only catch a quick glimpse of him before he placed his mask back on. He stepped over to the werecat. “This was the most random situation I’ve ever been in.”
“Ah, so you’re telling me you’ve never run off with guests before, trying to get punch stains out of their clothes?” Catty raised a brow as she walked towards the exit. “I feel so honored.”
“Glad you feel honored,” Seth replied, leaving out a chuckle. “You had the opportunity to spend five minutes alone with the Prince of Boo York. It’s sure not an everyday occurrence.”
“Yeah,” Catty said. “I kind of wish it would be.” She then turned around to face the much taller prince walking behind her. “Thank you so much for treating me like a normal person. I don’t get that from a lot of people.”
“Thank you for respecting my privacy.” Seth nodded. “That means a lot to me.”
“Hey, I get it.” Catty shrugged. “I know you don’t have it easy. It’s valid that you’d want to keep things to yourself.”
He raised a brow underneath his mask. “You don’t think I’m weird?”
“You? Weird?” Catty shook her head. “I think you’re charming.”
“Oh. Well, I certainly don’t hear that a lot.” Seth nodded, unsure how to process this sudden burst of information. Did Catty just call him charming?
“I think we should go downstairs. Our moms are probably wondering where we went.” Catty sighed as she checked the time on her phone.
“Yeah.” He agreed.
Entering the ballroom, Catty and Seth felt all eyes on them. They knew they wouldn’t survive the night without rumors spreading about them, but they enjoyed spending time together and didn’t care about what others thought of them. Settling down on the sofa next to their parents, they felt lucky that nobody else was trying to speak to them. Seth especially. Galas usually produced the most boring conversations. “Honey, why is your dress wet?” Mau asked, eyeing Catty.
“Um, I had a punch stain, and His Highness helped me remove it,” Catty muttered, slightly embarrassed. Mau and Amuncommon made eye contact, staring at each other equally confused.
“Seth, you should get yourself something to eat,” Amuncommon answered. “Are you not hungry?”
He shook his head. “No?” Getting a feeling that his mother was trying to tell him to spend less time with Catty, he wanted to leave even less.
“Alright. I was simply curious.” The queen nodded, securing her headdress. “Catherine, dear, since you and Seth will be classmates, it’d be great if you two could have each other’s phone number. I don’t want him to feel alone on his first day.”
Seth raised a brow underneath his mask. It was unusual for his mother to allow sharing such private information. “Sure. Um, just one second.” Catty dug her hands into her purse, grabbing a block of Post-it notes and a pen. She scribbled down her phone number, handing it to the prince beside her. “I hope it’s readable.”
“I’ll save it.” He said. “Do you want to dance?”
“Want me to step on your foot again?” Catty joked.
“I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t, but I’d love to dance with you.”
“Let’s do it then.” She smiled. Catty was never trained in any royal dances, especially not waltzes, but she had much respect for anyone good at them. “I thought you were trained in ballet.”
“Yes, that,” Seth answered, intertwining his fingers with Catty. “And also waltzes. It’s mandatory in my family. As you can guess, I had not had one day of rest as a child. So, if you want to learn, follow my steps.”
“Everyone’s staring at me.” Catty laughed, looking around. “Are you sure this won’t cause any trouble for you?”
“It’s about time I do something fun.” He said. “I mean, be honest. Has your impression of me so far been that I’m exactly like my mother?”
“You’re confusing me.” Catty raised a brow. “One moment, you follow the rules, but the next second, you’re here dancing with me. Or is that not against the rules?”
“It’s, in fact, not.” He answered softly. “You’re the only one out of these people I actually will speak to again. We’re the same age. Both celebrities. It’s only natural that I’d prefer spending time with you.”
The werecat shrugged. “That does make sense. So, have you decided? Are you coming to my concert?”
“If you don’t tell anyone I’m there, then gladly.” He agreed. “Because for my dearest mother to agree, I must convince her that nobody would find out it’s me.”
“I’ll convince her,” Catty said. “She can’t be that tough-headed.”
“Leave it to me.”
Mau and Amuncommon sat silently, staring at their children dancing. Mau didn’t know how they became friends so fast, but Amuncommon knew it was because Seth had a crush on the pop star. “Your Majesty’s son is very charming.” Mau smiled.
The queen nodded. “Indeed he is. Seth is too hard-headed and empathetic for his own good, but he always knows what he wants. I see he’s enjoying Catty’s company. He rarely hangs out with anyone else other than family members.”
“I’m relieved Catty’s having fun, too,” Mau answered. “I think they’ll be great friends.”
As the end of the gala approached, Seth took Catty to one of the balconies. He wanted to show her the view of the pyramids and other parts of the city on the normie side. Catty inhaled the fresh air, sitting on one of the outdoor chairs. Egypt was beautiful. She would’ve loved to see the pyramids or the Pharaonic village, but as she was a werecat, she couldn’t even hide. “I wish I could go there.” She said dreamily. “I keep binge-watching videos about Giza. It’s so pretty, but I know we can’t go there.”
“Yeah.” He muttered. “I know.”
“Well, anyway,” Catty said, sighing. She stood up. “I have to go soon. Don’t forget to save my number.”
“I already saved it.” He answered, getting up from his seat. “I’ll make sure to text you after the gala.”
“Can I hug you?” She asked.
“Uh, sure.” He answered, still shocked by what Catty had told him earlier. He pulled the werecat into a small hug. “Take care, Catty.”
As Catty pulled away after a few seconds, she looked into the prince’s eyes and smiled. “You too.” They headed out to the hallway, but Seth wasn’t planning to go downstairs this time. She then waved, heading towards the nearby elevator. Once the elevator door was about to close, she shouted. ”See you soon!”
The second the elevator door closed, Seth leaned against the wall and removed his golden mask. “Shit…” He muttered, staring up at the ceiling. After minutes of hesitation, he pulled his phone out. He opened Catty’s official Grimstagram profile. Within a second, he pressed the follow button. Knowing he wasn’t supposed to do this, he shoved his phone into his pocket and let out an annoyed groan.
He was attracted to Catty. And he couldn’t have her.
Chapter 5: Chapter 4 - Family Is Complicated
Summary:
" I can't imagine how it is to be forbidden from loving."
- Exist For Love by AURORA
Notes:
Hi! Haven't had the time to proofread, but I'll do it once I get the time!
By the way, sometimes in the fake tweets I add to my fics, some physical descriptions like hair color and particular hairstyle may not match because I couldn't find an ideal picture, but when it comes to hair color, I tried my best to edit the pictures (spoiler: it didn't fully work out).
Chapter Text
Tweet 1: click here
When the rest of the Wolf Family arrived at the portal, Clawd refused to shut up about Cleo. Clawdeen, her lips in an annoyed pout, sat in the backseat with her dead earbuds and limited mobile data. Next to her, Howleen was quietly dozing off, unaffected by the loud conversation or the younger kids’ deafening Nintendo game. Living in such a large family meant that loudness was the norm, and everyone was used to it. By all means, it was impossible to avoid. Clawdeen adored her large family, but she couldn't help but crave privacy sometimes. Having to share a room with her younger sister sounded like a teenager's nightmare. Not to mention, sometimes her siblings were... too much.
The moment the family arrived at their home, Clawdeen ran inside and refused to speak to anyone else. The red-brick home, built in Victorian style, resembled most of the houses in the neighborhood, except its courtyard had been modernized by the previous owners and was also suitable for a large family. “Sweetheart, you left your sweater in the car!” Harriet shouted, but the young werewolf had already run up the stairs.
“It’s Clawnor’s.” Clawdeen answered, running through the hallway to reach Clawdia’s room. Expecting her to be alone, Clawdeen burst through the door into the floral tapestry-covered bedroom. “Dia!” The girl shouted excitedly, but quieted down almost immediately when she spotted Nefera lying beside her sister on the gothic-style, wrought iron bed. “Oh...”
"Clawdeen!" The blonde popped her head up, got out of bed and covered up her underwear with a fluffy red blanket. “You’re already here? Why didn’t you message me? I couldn’t hear the car coming.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Clawdeen sighed and forced a smile. “Hi, Nefera. How come you got here so quickly?”
“I arrived a few hours ago,” The princess answered. As she got out of bed, she slid on her turqoise, bandage, bodycon mini dress. She slipped into her gold heels and fixed her long ponytail in the mirror while Clawdia searched for something quick to wear. She then headed to the doorway. “I’ll get going. Now that I live alone, I have to unpack my belongings myself.”
Preparing to accompany Nefera to the door, Clawdia followed her girlfriend, but before they could leave, Harriet approached the princess. “Nefera!” The mother wolf smiled, arms wrapping around the tall mummy’s boney shoulders. “It’s been so long since we've seen each other! Are you staying for dinner? We'll get Egyptian takeout for you."
"That is so sweet of you!" The crown princess chuckled, eyeing Clawdeen from the corner of her eye. "I don’t want to be a bother. I know you already have so much to worry about, so I don’t want to ruin any necessary... family bonding.”
Harriet shook her head, insisting. "You are also family! As a matter of fact, I don’t believe you’ve ever stayed over for a meal.”
“Yeah,” Nefera nodded and a small smile appeared on her face. "I guess, I could stay for a few more hours.”
“Wonderful,” Harriet smiled, then turned towards her second-oldest daughter. “Clawdeen, will you please ask your father to make an order? I’ll set the table.”
"Sure," Clawdeen pursed her lips. "He'll order, and I'll pick it up. I think I might need some fresh air.”
Clawdeen didn’t hate Nefera unreasonably. She could never forget how much better Ramses treated Nefera compared to Cleo, and she wholeheartedly believed the crown princess was enabling her father’s actions. The two sisters were only close as children, but as noticed by many, Nefera only liked Cleo when she didn’t get in her way. She knew there would be trouble once Cleo reached high school age - there couldn’t be two queen bees at once, and Nefera demonstrated that to everyone who got in her way. Clawdeen couldn’t understand how a sweetheart like Clawdia could love someone as toxic as Nefera. Yet, no matter her actions, to Clawdia, Nefera was the most incredible person she had ever met.
Hopping on her violet sportbike, the auburn-haired wolf took a deep breath and lowered her helmet’s protective shield. Noticing movements near a previously uninhabited castle, she stopped at a nearby playground, keeping her eyes peeled on the foreign namplated Nissan Rouge standing inside the courtyard. A raven-haired girl, seemingly about her age, stepped out, following behind a tall and lean vampire. That must’ve been Count Dracula, she thought. Realizing her curiosity had her forget she was rushing, she started up her bike and hurried through the streets of New Salem. She parked her bike in front of the luxurious restaurant in the Egyptian quarter of the city and headed inside, coming face to face with one of her classmates. “Hey, Tora,” The Nile Oasis was owned by a family of Egyptian werecats, but was a popular hangout place for the local mummy community. Although it was expensive to many, the Wolf family made enough money to dine there at least once a month. It was Cleo’s favorite restaurant.
Toralei gave the werewolf a blank stare, handed over her order, and turned to the cash register. “It’ll be $155.99, please.”
"I didn’t expect to find you here, you know?" Clawdeen handed her a fifty-dollar coupon with the remaining money. “Did you specifically choose this day because your friends are out of town, or are you ready to own up to your lies?”
“That’s none of your business, Clawdeen,” The orange-skinned answered bitterly. “Here’s your receipt. You should go now. You’re holding up the line.”
The werewolf rolled her eyes and picked up her order, but before she left, she felt she needed to clarify something. “If you’re afraid your friends won’t love you once you tell them you’re poor, you deserve better friends.” Hearing this, Toralei responded with a scoff, so Clawdeen turned around and walked out. Her words lingered in the cat’s mind.
It was past 3 AM in Egypt. Queen Amuncommon and Seth were still awake, discussing the contents of a new misinformation-filled article that had been released earlier that day. It was from a website that commonly spread rumors about the family, focusing on Seth and his personal life. Usually, none of it was true, but Amuncommon couldn’t help but worry this time. The claims seemed too realistic. Regardless, she trusted her son and didn’t allow her doubts to get to her. The article was ridiculous. “A dating rumor?” Amuncommon raised her brows. She was still dressed in her evening dress, while Seth had left the gala earlier, switching his suit for a t-shirt and sweatpants. The queen continued, “Who are they kidding? This is laughable. You and Catty… Please tell me you didn’t break the rules.”
“Mom, please.” Seth sighed, too tired to argue. “The most we did was hug and exchange numbers. I barely know her.”
“You invited her to the gala personally,” Amuncommon replied. “You randomly disappeared with her, took her upstairs, danced with her, spent the whole afternoon with her, and I’m somehow supposed to believe you didn’t take your mask off?”
"Oh, you think we're dating?" Seth chuckled. “You know, that’s funny. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to hear about it.”
“You have a serious image to upkeep,” Amuncommon said strictly. “You cannot be acting like this.”
“Except I don’t,” Seth said. “Mom, I’m a legal adult. I decide what I want to do with my public image. I have made it clear multiple times that I’m not interested in the same things that you are into. You just told me yesterday that I was grown enough to make my own decisions. What happened to that?”
“I don’t need people to compare you to your father,” Amuncommon muttered. "The moment you publicly remove your mask and start acting how you want to, people will accuse me of being a bad parent. They’ll say you hate me and you’d prefer living with your father. I’m not ready for that.”
“Hold up, hold up,” Seth shook his head, sitting up and turning towards his mother. “That is not true. Dad hasn’t been in my life for years. Why would I want to move in with him? He’s an asshole.”
“According to some people, he’s been changing,” Amuncommon said. “I looked at his Critter account. He’s been speaking up about LGBT rights and attending pride events. People praise him for speaking out, and I’m getting criticized for not doing enough for you. What am I supposed to do? Carry around a trans flag everywhere I go?”
“Mom, don’t compare him to yourself,” Seth answered. “You stayed, while he didn’t. I love you. Please, don’t for a second think that you haven’t done enough for me.”
“I know.” She sighed, shaking her head. She then opened her arms, gesturing towards her son. “Come here, you!” Pulling her son into a hug, she softly kissed his head. “I’m sorry for jumping at you like that. I’m simply worried about you. I love you, my little one.”
He nodded, “I love you too, Mom.”
“You should speak to that girl about the rumor. You know what to say.”
Seth: Hey, I can see that you're online. Do you mind if I call you? It’s important.
Catty: Sure!
Even though he wasn’t planning on showing his face yet, Seth made sure it was dark enough in the room so that his face wouldn’t be seen if his camera was accidentally turned on. “Sorry. I know I texted so randomly, but, um, did you see that whole dating rumor a news account posted?”
“What dating rumor?” Catty gasped, giving him a deadpan. “No, I didn’t see anything. My management didn’t tell me anything. I mean, it’s almost 4 AM. They probably assumed I was asleep."
“I haven’t read the article,” He answered plainly. “Our WiFi blocks all websites spreading misinformation about my family. Our assistants read these articles, and if it’s problematic, they report them and they're gone in a few hours.”
“Wow.” Catty nodded, unsure what to say. “I suppose dating rumors for royalty aren’t okay. How did your mom react?”
“It happens anytime I’m seen publicly with a girl. ” Seth shrugged. “I often get asked if I am dating anyone, but… Nope. People are intrigued by who I am underneath my mask, all those magnificent suits, and gold jewelry, but not by the real me.”
“Why wouldn’t they be intrigued? You’re a prince. So many people dream of dating royalty.”
“Because underneath all that glam, I’m just an average guy.” He said, leaving out a sigh. “I’m not special. I’m just me.”
“And what’s wrong with being you?”
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with me. It’s just, “ Seth sighed. He had a hard time expressing his feelings. “ When people wish to date princes, they think of elegant, beautiful, and fairytale-like men, but I’ll never be that. I’m not what people expect me to be.”
“Who cares, though?” Catty laughed. “You are beautiful, Seth. You’re all that you’ve mentioned. I know it’s hard being unable to express yourself in public, but the people who love you will always appreciate you for who you are.”
“You don’t even know what I look like.”
"Does it really matter?" Catty raised her brows. “We had a great time yesterday, and I think you’re such a kind person. I don’t need to know what you look like to appreciate you as a person. I respect your privacy.”
“No, I get that.” Seth nodded, leaving out a tired groan. “I’m only saying that once you get to know me, I’m different from how I present myself in public.”
“That’s okay.” Catty smiled understandingly. “I bet it’s hard to differ from what your family expects you to be.”
“Yeah. It is.” He muttered. “Anyway, we don’t bother with dating rumors. We just move on. It’s not my first one.”
“Well, it's my first, so I feel honored that it's you.”
"Thanks," He laughed. Suddenly, he felt a lot more relieved. “Not going to lie, I feel awkward with you having your camera on and me not.”
“You don’t need to turn your camera on,” Catty said. “If you don’t want to, that’s c.ompletely fine”
“It’s not that I don’t want to.” He shrugged. “I’m not allowed to, but anyway. Thanks for understanding. Sorry about the rumor. I’ll try to be more careful next time.”
"Nothing to worry about." She smiled and nodded understandigly. “Also, have you decided after all? Are you coming to my show? I know you’re not into my type of music and everything, but your support would mean everything to me.”
“If you get me tickets somehow.” He laughed, running his hands through his dreads. “ It’s all sold out, love.”
“Would it be a lot to ask if you came down to your house’s entrance in the morning?” She asked, worried she could get him into trouble.
“That’s fine.” He answered. “ I’ll probably be fully dressed. Mask on and everything. I have shit to do.”
“Can you tell me something about yourself that isn’t breaking the rules?” Catty muttered, a soft giggle leaving her lips. “I want to know you better.”
The two ended up talking for hours. Before Catty headed to sleep, she received a picture dump from Seth. He covered his face with a different emoji in each picture, but they were all pictures of his tattoos. Although some of it he covered by painting over the image, Catty had the chance to learn more about Seth. The first one said, “Nothing will happen to me except what Ra has written for me.” It was written in small letters over his forearm. The picture was taken so precisely that none of his surrounding tattoos could be seen. At last, he sent her a voice recording - an acoustic guitar cover of Budapest by George Ezra.
Catty: I knew you’d be some sort of a musician yourself.
Seth: Haha, if you’d like to call it that.
Catty: Love you. Mwah. Good night.
Seth: Good night, Catty.
Dracula smiled at his daughter, gesturing towards the castle’s entrance. Staring deep into her father’s eyes, the young vampire gulped and glanced at the three-story, moss-covered gothic building opposite her. Taking a breath, she walked up the stairs and saw the doors open by themselves. Determined to overcome her fear of the unknown, she stepped inside and waited until her father caught up with her. With a snap of his fingers, Dracula closed the doors and lit all the chandeliers. “ Welcome to our new home, Laura.”
The long hallway was decorated in crimson tapestry. The tall rib vault ceiling resembled a cathedral’s, and the gold chandeliers matched the walls perfectly. Above the main living room’s entrance, a posthumous painting of Draculaura’s mother, Camila, was hung up. Seeing her face, the raven-haired girl froze in her spot. Dracula placed a hand on her shoulder. “I have a surprise for you in your room.”
Draculaura couldn’t contain herself. She ran up the stairs, searching for her bedroom. Slowly following behind, Dracula gave her the space she needed. Her bedroom and matching bathroom were the only pink rooms in the building. Above the fireplace, an identical oil painting to the one in the hallway decorated the wall. Feeling a mental pulling force towards the old oak chest pushed to the end of her bed, she unlocked the top and opened it, seeing a heavy old dress closely resembling a díszmagyar. “What’s this?” She asked, eyeing her father. “Whose dress was this?”
“Your mother’s wedding dress,” He said, stepping closer. “After she died, it was handed down to your aunt, who married a Hungarian nobleman, and it was somewhat updated to fit 1860s fashion. Your aunt wanted your mother present at her wedding, but unfortunately, that was impossible.”
“Where’d you get this?”
“Around two weeks ago, I was contacted by her great-grandaughter, Alexandra,” Dracula spoke. “Elisabeta, after her husband died, chose eternal life and moved to Munich. She refuses to meet anyone, but Alexandra was kind enough to gift you some of her precious antiques.”
“I need to meet her,” She said, dropping the dress. Getting up from her kneeling position, she turned towards her father. “I need to meet her, apu. Where is she hiding? I need to know! Maybe, somehow, there’s a chance that my mother isn’t… under dirt.”
“Laura, we can’t leave.” Dracula shook his head. “According to her descendants, Elisabeta has gone insane and refuses to let anybody except Alexa inside the house. And how could your mother be with us? I saw her be lowered underground with my own eyes.”
“Then let me speak to Alexandra!" She cried. "I deserve to have contact with my relatives."
"Of course, you do!" He nodded. “Alexa works as a teacher at the local kindergarten. You can speak to her anytime you wish.”
“I need some time to process this,” She muttered quietly but loud enough for her father to hear. “Can I have some privacy?”
“Of course,” He smiled. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
The moment Dracula left, Draculaura pulled out the thick dress from the chest and laid it out on her bed. Inside, she found an unopened envelope dated 1897. Ripping it open, she took the handwritten letter out and unfolded the paper. It was written mainly in Romanian, with only the last sentence using Hungarian.
My Dearest Niece, Laura
You probably don’t remember me, but what matters is that I do. It’s been decades since Mr. Drágfy adopted you. We hope you’re doing well and enjoying your time in Budapest. After my husband’s death, András, I asked a vampire to bite me and allow me into his home. The rest of my family didn’t take it well, and I was exiled from Romania. Now I live in Munich on my own estate. I don’t know when you’ll receive this letter - unfortunately, I can’t send it to you. I don’t know your address, but I trust it’ll reach you someday. Use the return address stated on the envelope to contact me. Take good care of yourself. Soha ne feledkezz meg a gyökereidről.
Best Wishes,
Elisabeta
Hastily, Draculaura tucked the letter inside her pillowcase and rushed downstairs to the dining room.
After falling asleep at 4 AM, Seth was so tired that he slept through his alarm. He was awoken by Catty calling him. He had to get himself ready in under fifteen minutes, but all his suits were downstairs in the dressing room. Catty didn’t mind waiting, but she couldn’t help but wonder why there weren’t any benches in the hallway. She would’ve loved to sit down after the lack of sleep she got. “ His Highness is not ready yet. You must wait.” The bodyguard spoke, standing before the door.
“ That’s okay,” She smiled.
Overhearing the conversation, Seth hurriedly placed his mask on, with no time to fix his locs underneath. He took a deep breath, trying to correct his posture and get into character. Yes, he knew he didn’t have to act around Catty, but he was still stressed. “She may come in.”
After opening the door for her, the bodyguard bowed and left, allowing the prince to leave out a sigh of relief. “I am so sorry for making you wait,” He said, approaching the werecat. “I overslept. I had to get ready in under ten minutes.”
“Well, you look great regardless.” Catty shrugged, leaving out a chuckle.
“Alright, I appreciate that." He chuckled. "Did you get enough sleep?”
“No, but I’ll get some before soundcheck.” She said and pulled out a pink envelope from her pocket, handing it to Seth. “Here’s your ticket. I also gave you a special pass, meaning you can come with me backstage anytime.”
“Oh,” He nodded, smiling under his mask. “Thank you so much. I’m unsure if I’ll be able to come backstage today, but I’ll send you gifts. Either way, I’ll be there cheering you on.”
“That is so sweet of you!” Catty smiled. “ Alright, I think I’ll go now. I need some more sleep. You should sleep, too! See you later. Bye!”
Watching Catty leave, he let out a sigh and removed his mask. As he stared at Catty’s bracelet under his shirt’s sleeve, he wondered how he could return it to her. Eventually, he decided the best option was to include it in the gift he wanted to send her. He wrote her a short letter, keeping it official without mentioning the bracelet. He would’ve loved to go backstage with her, but his mother wouldn’t have approved it. He wasn’t trying to fuel the dating rumors - his family and Catty’s label already denied those, but he wanted to show the world they were close.
When she arrived in her dressing room, Catty spotted a bouquet of roses and multiple gifts. Attached was a large, handwritten card with the signature Prince Seth of Boo York and Egypt, making the werecat leave out a gasp in happiness. “Oh, my God!” She whisper-shouted, jumping around like a five-year-old who received a large bag of candy. Unable to keep her calm, she knew she had to tweet about it. Seth, already at a concert venue, was freaking out. How was he supposed to respond to ‘take my heart’? Did she find the bracelet? He had many questions but decided to sit back and enjoy the concert.
The tweets: click here and here
Seth was blown away by Catty’s performance. He sat in a close VIP section, with multiple local celebrities surrounding him, and had a great view of the stage. As expected, the pop star was a captivating performer. Watching her singing her older songs, he remembered what caught his attention the first time he heard her sing. She was so open and kindhearted that her music felt more authentic than any other celebrity’s. That was what Seth loved about her. There was no doubt that he could trust her, yet he was still scared to get his hopes up. How was he going to get closer to her without the dating rumors?
As it was a tradition in the family, Clawdeen was the one who usually did all the shopping. She loved riding around the city on her motorbike, walking around multiple stores while her favorite music blasted through her earbuds. For two years straight, ever since the Australian Blue family bought a home in New Salem, Clawdeen would visit their home every month and ask for the herb seeds her mother often planted. Lagoona’s mother, Talia, an expert at herbs and plants thanks to her gardening business, happily gave the Wolf family multiple. This was because Harriet and Talia attended university together and stayed close friends. They considered themselves platonic soulmates - they married the same year and had large families. Naturally, they wanted their daughters to be best friends as well.
Lagoona was born in Tasmania to her Aboriginal and Māori sea monster father and Afro-Brazilian sea nymph mother of Seychellois origin. She was proud of her mixed heritage, having the most connection with The Great Scarrier Reef, where her family eventually moved when she was still a toddler. She often spent her time surfing or swimming, so Clawdeen thought she’d enjoy the sunny weather until it lasted. Instead, when she pressed the doorbell, a distraught-looking Lagoona stood in the doorway. “ Did you get chewed up by a crocodile?” The wolf asked, staring at the teary-eyed girl standing opposite her.
“What do you want?” She cried, wiping her tears as she walked back inside the beach house, Clawdeen following behind her.
“The usual herbs,” Clawdeen answered, trying to figure out what was happening with the blue-skinned girl. “You look… angry. Did I come at the wrong time?”
“No, I am totally not angry.” Lagoona protested, sniffing with her full nose. Sorry. You want plants, or what was it again?”
“Uh…” Clawdeen laughed awkwardly. “Herbs. Herb seeds. Your mom said she had prepared a box full of herb seeds for my mom. She said she put it on the balcony.”
“Right,” Lagoona nodded and sighed deeply, forcing herself to laugh. “Sorry, mate. I’ll be right back.”
Clawdeen cringed, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Mhm.”
“You don’t look okay to me.” The werewolf muttered. “Lagoona, did something happen? You can tell me. We’re friends.”
“Just…” Lagoona tried keeping herself together, but eventually, her tears fell like a waterfall. They hopped on the sofa, and Lagoona held onto a shell-embroidered pillow. “He cheated on me.”
“Who?”
“Gil!”
“Oh,” Clawdeen muttered, shocked to find out they were still a couple. “You were still with that sarcastic fringehead?”
“Don’t disrespect sarcastic fringeheads like that!” Lagoona gasped, throwing her pillow at the auburn-haired wolf. “Yes. We were reaching our second anniversary, but someone couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.”
Her friend nodded, pursing her lips so she wouldn’t potentially say something offensive. “So, write a song about it. Tell him he’s an asshole. Isn't that what you musicians do?"
“I’m not making my bandmates play a song that’s cussing my ex out!” She scoffed. “I also don’t need my safe place to become about him. He doesn’t deserve my attention. I might write a few songs, but I don’t want him to hear them.”
“I support you,” Clawdeen laughed, caressing Lagoona’s hand. “Honestly, I think you should keep doing what you enjoy. Go surfing. Go for a swim. He wants you to feel down, and you don’t deserve that.”
+I'll try." She nodded, a smile appearing on her face. “Alright, let me bring you those herbs! I’ll be right back.”
The truth was, Clawdeen always wondered about why Lagoona fell in love with Gil. What was that she saw in him? He had nothing special, and most of the time, he made her feel terrible about herself. Yes, they shared some passions and were both competitive, but never clicked. If anything, Lagoona shouldn’t have been crying over him.
After the concert, Catty thanked Seth through text for all the gifts he gave her. They promised they’d call each other once she was back in her bedroom, and they did. Catty was the first to call, eagerly awaiting his opinion on her performance. She had just showered and removed her hair extensions but was too tired for her hair care routine. She fell into bed, calling Seth almost immediately. “Good evening!” She smiled. “Did you have fun?”
“Yes!” He laughed. “I took so many pics and videos. I’ll send them over when I wake up. By the way, did the shoes I got fit you? I was so worried about that.”
Catty nodded, her smile still as big as ever. “They did!” She got up from bed, switched the lights on, and took the pink Dior heels out of their box. “You got the correct size, and I love them! I’m going to wear them all the time.”
“I’m so glad you love them.” At last, Seth turned his camera on, a slight outline of his face showing in the dark. “Well, here’s me in all my haven’t slept for two days straight glory.”
Catty shook her head, chuckling. "You know well I can’t see shit.”
“Oh, Dear Ra,” Seth muttered, turning his camera off. He sat up, turned on a nightlight, and eventually his camera. “Here’s one side of my face.” He said, but out of shyness, he burst into laughter immediately. “This feels so weird.”
“Your smile!” Catty giggled, completely mesmerized by the boy’s beauty. She particularly loved his laugh and how he covered his eyes out of shyness. She couldn’t help but feed him with compliments. He made her heart flutter. "Your smile is so beautiful.”
The prince burst into laughter, finally allowing Catty to see his whole face. “Trust me, my face has seen better days. I haven’t even washed off the smudged eyeliner around my eyes.”
“It’s a look.” Catty laughed. Something about Seth wearing eyeliner made him a hundred times more attractive than he already was. “2000s emo boy band.”
“I promise I know how to properly apply it.” He said, brushing away his eyebrow-length dreadlocks from his face.
“Wait for a second! Is that a Catty Noir hoodie I’m seeing?” She gasped.
Seth chuckled, nodding. “Yup.” He felt his cheeks heating up. The hoodie was one of his favorites. He didn’t intend to wear it for the call but wanted something warm for the night. Eventually, he decided to come clean. “I’m a gigantic fan of your music. I have all your albums, vinyl records, and your merch. Anything you could imagine.”
“Well, that’s quite a surprise for Mr. Seth ‘I don’t listen to modern music’ whatever your middle name is, Ptolemy.” Catty smiled, sitting back down on her bed. “You have some explaining to do, Your Royal Highness.”
“Okay, first of all, that isn’t my middle name.” He said as he grabbed his makeup removers, avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment. "Secondly, there’s an act I have to put up in public. My mother is obsessed with trying to prove to my dad that I’m nothing like him and that we are too good for him. My life is a joke, basically.”
“No, I get it.” Catty shook her head. “I heard how things work for royalty. My paternal great-grandmother’s aunt is a descendant of royalty. You know, pre-colonial Senegal. We don’t keep in touch, but she’s a tough woman.”
“The thing is, I’m a lot like my dad when it comes to interests.” Seth sighed. “Except being interested in other women while in a relationship, khm.” He pursed his lips, annoyed by the thought of his father. “My love for music comes from him. As a kid, he snuck me out to concerts and introduced me to rap music. The only thing I have in common with my mother, apart from my face, is my faith. My dad was never interested in the Ancient Egyptian religion, but my mom is very religious. I’m more in-between.”
“You know…” Catty laughed. “That’s very interesting to me. My great-grandmother is a literal goddess, and I respect her. I do. But she’s still family to me. We never discussed Ancient Egyptian beliefs at home. It’s all foreign to me.”
“That’s normal, though.” He shrugged. “Your family isn’t as old as mine. I’m eighteen, but still obviously Ancient Egyptian. I’m a mummy. You’re a werecat.”
Catty smiled. “It’s great that we have something that connects us. Without my great-grandmother, I would’ve never had the chance to meet you.”
“Aw.” He replied. “That is so sweet. I can’t believe my mom allowed me to have a friend who isn’t another boring royal.”
“I think your mom and my mom became good friends.”
“Also, shit, I need to come clean to you,” Seth said, unsure how to start. “I went to a hip-hop club the night before the gala. The guy you bumped into was me. You lost your bracelet. I found it and returned it to you. It’s in one of the bags.”
“Wait!” Catty gasped. “God… That was you? At the club? I never thought you’d be the type of guy to enjoy clubs and parties. You seemed so… sophisticated. So put-together. Does that make sense? I’m probably talking nonsense.”
Seth let out a laugh. “Yes, I fully understand what you mean. Technically, that’s the point. There’s a lot about me that people don’t know.”
“Well, I’m excited to get to know you.” She giggled. “The real you."
“Go to sleep first.” He smiled, locking eyes with the werecat. “ It’s late. Plus, you’re literally flying back tomorrow.”
"When are you going back?”
“It depends on my mom's wishes.”
Catty nodded, sighing again. She didn’t want to stop speaking to Seth, but they both needed some sleep. “I’ll text you when I’m at the airport. Sleep well!”
“Sleep well, Catty.”
Song to fit the mood: Anatomy by Kenzie
No matter how much he tried, Seth couldn’t fall asleep. Taking his phone with him, the prince sneaked downstairs to the music room, where he took piano lessons as a child when he came to Egypt. He read some of his father’s texts but couldn’t get himself to respond with anything other than a selfie of him in his hoodie and sweatpants, his head tilted on his legs in the dark room. He still hadn’t washed off his messy eyeliner, and it was clear that he was tired, but he wasn’t going to hide from his father.
Scrolling through his phone, he found lyrics to a song he wrote three years ago. He tried remembering the chords and recorded a voice note. He only had a few lines and a chorus, but it was good enough to make him feel at least somewhat more comforted. It's just anatomy, you're only half of me / But still, you don't know me at all / You've been my missing piece, so why aren't you missing me? / Guess I meant less than I thought / It's just anatomy / Hate that you're half of me
Hearing the footsteps in the stairwell, he sent a quick screen recording to his father and got up from the piano. He was about to leave when he made eye contact with his grandfather. Aton smiled, “I heard you needed a hug.” Without any words, Seth fell into his grandfather’s arms, allowing himself to set his emotions free. He cried and cried, afraid his tears would never stop. Aton seated him on a leather sofa, placing the prince’s hands into his. “Why are you holding yourself back?”
“Because being royalty and doing what I want simply doesn’t correlate,” Seth answered, his voice hoarse from all the sobbing. “I feel like nobody in this family knows me.”
The former king shook his head, “Don’t let your mother make decisions for you. You are you, and it’s time you embrace that. Go out, have fun, and make friends - like any teenage boy your age. You deserve it, Pharaoh.”
“Did you just call me Pharaoh?”
“Wasn't that the name you wanted?” Aton laughed, smiling at his grandson. “I think it fits you better than Seth.”
Hearing his phone notifications go off, the prince muted his iCoffin and leaned on Aton’s shoulder. After a deep breath, he felt he had gained enough strength to return to his bedroom and sleep. His grandfather was right - this was his life. He was sick of all that sadness and wanted to be happy. It was time to grow up and take matters into his own hands.
Chapter 6: Chapter 5 - Trust The Process
Notes:
The song lyrics mentioned in the fic are Over You by Radics Gigi.
Chapter Text
Cleo couldn’t wait to hug Seth after he returned. She rushed down the stairs while struggling. Her body was numb after all the painkillers. She barely felt any pain, and although she was advised to sleep, she didn't want to miss catching up with her best friend. As Amuncommon would only arrive later that day, she sent her son alone, knowing he would handle everything maturely. As his uncle’s car stopped in front of the Ptolemy Tower, he needed to rush inside as quickly as he could, hiding his face with an oversized hoodie and sunglasses. Attempting to ignore the paparazzi surrounding him, he pushed through the large crowd and reached the entrance until a journalist blocked his way. “What are your thoughts on the 2022 mayoral elections?”
“I'm the crown prince, I can't vote in mayoral elections.” He said, attempting to rush inside the building, but multiple cameras flashed at him, trying to get a clearer picture of his face. “Okay, can you please let me inside?”
“Why do you always hide your face?” A journalist asked, pushing a mic closer to him. “Will you do a face reveal?”
“Can you talk about your father?”
"Are you dating Catty Noir?”
Being bombarded with questions, he suddenly felt the need to have his mother around more than ever. Unsure how to answer, he tried uttering a few words. “It’s none of your business.”
In that second, a mummified hand reached outside, grabbing Seth’s arm to pull him inside. Shutting and locking the door behind himself, Ramses looked at the prince strictly. “What exactly do you think you’re doing without your mask? And in casual clothing? Where are your bodyguards? And your suitcase?”
Seth didn't say a word. Thankfully, his uncle Ammon was right there to save him. “Is everything alright?”
The prince nodded but didn’t want to let Ramses get away with thinking he could have authority over him. “Why don’t you explain to Mr. De Nile why he should’ve been minding his own business?”
“Ah, this is about Seth not wearing his mask,” Ammon sighed, giving Ramses a deadpan. ”Isn’t it?”
Ramses cleared his throat. He was taken aback. “As Her Majesty isn’t here, as the one in charge, I must ensure everybody follows the rules.”
“Oh, but she hasn’t put you in charge,” Ammon said, raising a brow as he scrolled through his text messages. “She sent me a message yesterday that I’d be guarding my nephew and replacing my sister in her duties.” With a smile, he handed his phone over to the tall man standing opposite him. “Prince Seth isn’t your relative, so I’m afraid you don’t get to tell him what he should be doing.”
“But his identity-” The former king opened his mouth to speak, but Ammon cut him off almost immediately. “He didn’t expose his face, did he?”
“ No, but-”
“Shush,” Ammon replied, raising his index finger to his mouth and pointed to his ear. “I don’t want to hear it.”
When Ammon and Seth began walking towards the elevators, Ramses slammed the bottom of his walking stick to the floor and threw one angry glance at Seth. “You little troublemaker. I’ve had enough.”
Hearing Ramses' comment, Ammon turned around, “As a matter of fact, you’re not allowed to speak to him like that. You’re a former king with no current titles. Seth is the crown prince of this state. If anyone, he gets to be the one giving you orders."
Ramses turned around, hissing. “I was talking to my sprained knee, not His Royal Highness.”
When the elevator doors closed, Ammon and Seth burst into laughter, sharing a bro handshake. Seth felt so much more relieved now. “I adore you, uncle." He smiled. "That was great.”
“Anything for my one and only nephew.” Ammon smiled, nodding. “Now go rest. You had a long week.”
Seth nodded, his thoughts about high school occupying his mind. “Actually, can I talk to you about something?”
Before Ammon could answer, someone approached the prince. “Sethie!” Cleo screamed, wrapping her arms around the prince. “You’re back!”
“Ay, you’re back too!” He laughed, shocked to see Cleo so early after surgery. He assumed she would still be in the hospital. "What’s up? Are you alright?”
“Other than the fact that I’m not allowed to sit normally for four more weeks, I’m doing great!”
“ Consider it as an excuse not to go to school.”
“Are you kidding?” She cried, horrified by the thought of missing the opening ceremony. She had too many plans for her first year of high school. “There is no way I’m staying home on the first day!”
"Cleo, if you don't mind," Ammon cut into their conversation. “Let him rest a little. He’ll be meeting his father in two hours.”
“Oh, sure.” Cleo nodded, confused upon hearing this. “Wait. That’s Nicholas, right? Why would you be meeting him?”
Seth shrugged, “I’ll tell you once we’ve spoken.”
Leaving out a sigh, Cleo smiled and patted his arm. As she understood how important this was for him, she gave him space and kept him in his thoughts. Getting to rest only for an hour, Seth walked to the royal dressing room to prepare for the meeting. He had to be dressed formally, presenting himself to his father as the prince he was. At least, that was what Amuncommon wanted him to do. It took 30 minutes alone for two people to finish the mummy wraps on his upper body, his royal stylist allowing him to vent if he felt the need to. He had known her since he was small, so she knew all the family’s secrets and watched Seth grow up before her eyes. “Did you meet a special someone while in Egypt?”
"Um," The prince chuckled, scratching his head. “If you’re talking about Catty, the bouquet was just a friendly gift.”
“Friendly?” Ashley raised her brows. “Are you sure about that?”
“Stop theorizing!” He said. He reached for his mask, his stylist arranging his locs so his large mask would sit comfortably on his head. “Ugh, I’m starting to get nervous.”
“Just be honest with him.” The werewolf shrugged. “Tell him how you feel with full honesty.”
Seth nodded. He sighed and placed his mask on, staring at himself in his full-body mirror. He was dressed in a dark purple and gold suit specifically designed for him. It wasn’t uncommon for high-fashion brands to reach out to his family and give them clothes they would eventually promote by wearing them to events. With fashion, the Ptolemy family only accepted the best quality with the most recent designs. They would always wear what was trending and never be seen in anything outdated. Before he left, Seth snapped a selfie with his mask on and sent the picture to Catty.
Catty: You look great. Love the suit.
Nicholas waited for Seth in a practically unused drawing room. He was with Ammon, the two talking about the Ptolemy family and politics. The two never quite got along, but they could have mature conversations with each other. Nervously, Seth twisted the doorknob and stepped inside the room, his heart beating out of his chest. Being a mummy, his heart would never function in normal situations, but stress almost made him feel alive. He felt vulnerable. He gulped and greeted his father, "Good morning." His eyes fixated on his father's body.
The dark-skinned man turned his head, seeing his son in real life for the first time in years. He was shocked by how tall he had gotten and how grown he looked. They were almost the same height now.
“I’ll leave you two to talk.” Ammon smiled, walking away and closing the door behind himself.
“My little one,” Nicholas stepped forward, wrapping his arms around his son, hugging him tightly. Seth felt like throwing himself out of a window, but his father didn't want to let him go. “Oh, how much I missed you. I can’t believe it’s really you.” Upon hearing the silence, he shook his head. “Sweetheart, why aren't you talking to me? I promise I am not trying to hurt you. Please, take off that mask so I can talk to you."
Feeling almost like his last wall of privacy had been broken, he sighed and removed his mask. He felt almost defeated. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want his father to know anything about him. Nicholas was speechless. “Oh my God. Well, you have grown up! This is crazy. Shit, you look so much like your mama.”
“I do.” The prince whispered, breaking eye contact and shifting his gaze to his dad’s tattooed arms, seeing the name Pharaoh Ptolemy tattooed on his wrist. He was too shocked to ask any questions.
"You have nothing of me." Nicholas smiled bitterly. “Maybe it’s for the best. I’d also be ashamed if I had a father like myself. I probably wouldn’t stand looking in the mirror.”
“Our voices are pretty similar,” Seth said, trying to speak without stuttering because of his emotions. “And our noses are the same.”
“It fits your face better.” His dad laughed. “I’m glad to see you authentically. Without that stupid mask that your mom forces you to wear.”
Seth shrugged, "The mask was my idea."
"I think we should sit down." Nicholas nodded, ignoring Seth's earlier comment. "Let's just talk okay?" The two sat at a table, and Seth attempted to make himself feel comfortable, but it wasn't easy. Nicholas noticed his son’s discomfort, so he started the conversation. “I received your voice message - or song. I am sorry for how I reacted when you came out. You needed a father and I didn’t fulfill that role properly. Eventually, I had to come to terms with this transgender thing, and your mama kept me updated for a while.”
“Don’t call it that.” Seth sighed and nervously played with the rings on his fingers. “It sounds condescending.”
“Sorry,” He said. “Either way, what a beautiful boy you’ve grown into! I feel bad for you, though. You seem so sad.”
“Trust me, I am doing pretty well.” The prince answered, still struggling with the eye contact. “I am not that sad. I am doing good. I’ll be attending high school. Homeschooling is… Not my vibe.”
"Gotcha," Nicholas said. "I never though you'd be into public school, you know, with all the commoners. You truly are different from your public image.”
"Huh, commoners." Seth scoffed. "That's a weird way to put it. My mom isn't classist, you know that, too. I simply want to have fun. Being a prince has never included that. I want to do music, but if I take my mask off, I can't do that.”
“Abdicate.”
“Why?” He shook his head. “I am proud of my family’s achievements. We aren’t like other royal families, and I can do so much for monster society as a prince.”
“You can’t be a prince and a rapper.” Nicholas laughed. “Your mother would never allow it.”
"Then watch me make it happen!" Seth raised his brows annoyedly. Finally, he made eye contact with his father. “You don’t know anything about me. I am not you, but I’m also not Mom. Isn’t it interesting how neither of you accept who I want to be?”
“Fine,” Nicholas nodded. “Then give me a chance to get to know you. How about you come with me to a rock festival?”
“Well, I have a few conditions.”
Heath spent his summer afternoons working at Monster High’s student café. He needed a job, and although he had wealthy parents, they insisted he make his own money to collect for certain things he wanted. It was a way of teaching him how to become more responsible. He was only seventeen but knew he wanted an apartment once he turned eighteen. He wanted to prove that he was ready to move out and care for himself. Closing the café in the evening, Bloodgood called him, asking to meet him and a special guest at her office. She said she had a vital question to ask him.
Arriving at the office, Heath sat in one of the armchairs, anxiously staring at a tall vampire lady dressed in the Ptolemy family’s colors, wearing their crest on her blazer. He had many questions, but there was no time to ask. Bloodgood was faster. “Allow me to introduce you to Ms.Cromwell, the personal assistant of Queen Amuncommon. The Prince of Boo York is coming to study at our school, but he must keep his identity hidden. We are looking to find him a friend who will ensure his safety. You were my immediate thought.”
The fire elemental shook his head and pointed at himself. “Me? Why?”
“Because you’ve proven to be responsible,” Bloodgood said. In reality, she chose Heath because Amuncommon had said enough about Prince Seth to know the eighteen-year-old needed an opportunity to live like an average teenager.
“Okay…”
Ms.Cromwell stepped forward. “You must keep his identity a secret and ensure his safety. And if you accidentally release his identity, I will contact Her Majesty and tell her you’d be interested in polishing her shoe collection. Understood?”
“Yes, understood,” Heath muttered. “I will do my best. I promise.”
Ocean Festival was an annual celebration on Lagoona’s island, celebrating the underwater life of Australia. It was a festival in which mostly saltwater monsters joined in, and it was observed at the beginning of every March to celebrate the end of summer. Ever since she had moved to the Monster World, she had to get used to the difference in climate and that seasons functioned the opposite way. Months after settling in New Salem, Lagoona’s father, Wade, received permission from the mayor to plan a similar event, hoping to make the town more lively. Lagoona, who had already been performing at beach restaurants to make money. Locals loved her charming personality and sweet Aussie accent, so it didn’t take long for her to become more popular. Her mom, Talia, was always there to cheer her on. That was how she became the face of New Salem’s Full Moon Festival, set during the night of every September’s first full moon to celebrate the end of summer.
After the breakup, Lagoona felt she needed a distraction, and singing was a perfect opportunity. She knew the music the locals preferred and knew they liked to dance, so she chose the songs after careful consideration. The restaurant was owned by Lagoona’s Brazilian grandmother and sold cultural food. Having grown up in Australia, Lagoona wasn’t close to her Brazilian heritage but appreciated the food. She always wanted to visit but was told it was no longer safe for monsters. Preparing for an outdoor performance, Lagoona nervously walked around the stage as she warmed up her vocals. Gil would always come and see her perform, but now, she had to go through everything alone. “Lagoona!” Hearing her mother’s soft, melodic voice calling her name, she carefully stepped over to the edge of the stage to accept a glass of cold lemonade. Talia sighed, “Oh, the line in front of the bar was terrible. My apologies for making you wait so long.”
“All good, Mom,” Lagoona muttered, crouching down as she sipped her drink. “Do you think he’ll come?”
“ Who?”
“ You know who.” The blue-skinned girl said. “He would always come and bring me flowers before every performance. I can’t believe I still miss him.”
“Querida, listen to me.” Talia sighed, tucking Lagoona’s long blonde dreadlocks behind her ears. “Your vovó said if she sees that racist white boy again, she’ll make him clean her grotto with a toothbrush until the whole cave shines! He better not show his face here because I will jump into protective mother mode.”
“I love protective mother mode.” Lagoona giggled and pressed a kiss on her mother’s cheek. “Also! Where’s Dad?”
“Standing in line for a fish finger hot dog.” Talia rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I don’t understand him. We have the most exquisite seafood here, and he wants fish fingers? He wants processed food?”
“Oh, you know, it’s the Australian in him.” The young girl laughed, carefully getting off the stage. “Birds Eye’s fish fingers are granny’s favorite. You know what? I’ll go find him.”
Walking through the beach, Lagoona stopped to take a picture of the sunset above the sea. It was a gorgeous sight - the sky was all pink and purple, lighting up the sky beautifully. She wanted to swim, go for a dive, and forget about all her problems, but nothing about the Monster Universe’s magic-made waters could compare to the beauty of her home in Australia. She wanted to go home more than ever. “Looking melancholic, blondie.” A feminine voice spoke beside her, making Lagoona turn her head. Next to her stood a light orange-skinned werecat with matching, above-shoulder-length curly hair wearing a black asymmetrical cutout bathing suit. “Oh, sorry, my bad. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Toralei Stripe. You must be Lagoona!”
Lagoona nodded, leaving out a chuckle. “I see everyone knows me around here. Do I look that Australian?”
“I’ve seen you around before.” Toralei shrugged. “We didn’t share classes at the preparation courses, but you must’ve heard about me and my friends. The Headmistress always boasts about how she saved us from juvie.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.” Lagoona sighed, getting uncomfortable. She had five minutes until her performance and needed to find her dad. “Oh, you just got out of the water, right? You must be so hungry. A vendor near the bar is offering some high-quality Japanese meals. I was told their curry rice is out of this world. You should go check them out! Gotta catch up with my dad! See you next time!”
Seeing how Lagoona brushed her off, the werecat sighed and moodily returned to her mother’s tanning bed. “Another day, another failure.”
“You can’t just go up to a stranger and start info dumping,” Sylvia laughed, shaking her head. “Ah, but what can I say. You’re just like me. I went on a blind date last time and told this Bulgarian vampire my entire life story. He never contacted me again.”
“Ugh,” The werecat hissed, hopping beside Sylvia. “I mention that I was in juvie, and suddenly, nobody wants to talk to me. And it wasn’t even that serious! I just damaged school property. I was fourteen!”
“I promise it’s not that.” Sylvia smiled. “Maybe you’re just a little too open sometimes? Obviously, that can be a great thing, but-”
“I know. I know.” Toralei muttered. “Some people are introverted. Understood.”
While the Full Moon festival was happening in New Salem, so was a rock music festival in Boo York City. Nicholas took Seth with him, introduced as his son. Although the prince was nervous, he felt nostalgic. Seth had been to this festival before as a child and remembered what it was like seeing his father perform. He missed those days but had to remind himself to be careful. Nicholas’ intentions were still unclear. “Are you sure they won’t find out?”
“So long as you keep your sunglasses on, sweetheart.” His father winked, lighting a cigarette. “Those blue eyes run in your family like crazy.”
“ Yeah,” Seth snorted. “ Maybe don’t call me sweetheart. We are not that close.”
“Then what am I supposed to call you?” Nicholas laughed bitterly. “Pharaoh is such a weird name choice. Couldn’t you have gone with something simpler? What about Steve?”
“Call me Steve, and I’ll leave right this instant.”
“You kept your middle names, though.” Nicholas raised his brows. “Amun. Anubis. I like the latter. Should’ve named my last child Anubis.”
The prince snorted, “Would it be that hard to call me Pharaoh? How many Egyptian guys have you met called Steve?”
“You'd be the first.” Nicholas shrugged and elbowed his arm playfully. “You're Egyptian, but you're also Afro-Greek and African-American on my side. Why don’t you like it? It’s better than the name Seth.”
“I would rather rot to death in a normie museum than be called Steve.”
“Alright, alright.” Nicholas nodded. “I see that one is out of the question. How about Simon? Samuel? Sebastian?”
“Be honest, why do you hate me?”
“The moment people hear that your name is Egyptian, they’ll know you’re the Prince of this stupid state,” Nicholas said. “Your mother was the only Egyptian woman I had a relationship with. They would know.”
“You’re also Egyptian.” Seth scoffed. “Who the hell cares anyway?”
“Yeah, but I’m very much American.” Nicholas insisted. “Never really considered myself Egyptian. I’m a mummy, but… ‘Ya know. I don’t even believe in the religion.”
“I don’t care what you believe in,” Seth answered, slightly annoyed. “If you don’t consider yourself Egyptian, why do you use Egyptian themes in your music? I think it’s ridiculous that you want to disassociate yourself from everything related to Mom and me, including your heritage.”
“Right,” Nicholas let out a laugh. “Anyway, we’ll say you’re Daphne’s twin. That’ll work.”
“Are we not going to discuss the fact that you’ve been cheating on my mom since she became pregnant with me?” Seth raised a brow. “And had Daphne? I can’t even pass for her twin. I clearly look like my mother - Daphne is half white!”
“Leave the details, sweetheart,” Nicholas said. “I was in a relationship with another woman before Stephanie. We can say you’re her son, then.”
“Oh, jeez, forgive me!” Seth rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry for not getting your horrendous dating life’s details right.”
“Say what you wish about me, but I am still your father.” Nicholas scoffed. “And you will always be my son."
“You do comprehend I’m not doing this to correct your image, right?” Seth raised a brow. “I came here to let you get to know me. I’m not certain I’ll talk to you after this. I haven’t forgiven you for what you did.”
“It was a mistake,” He said. “I know.”
“You and your mistakes.” Seth scoffed, shaking his head. “Apparently, everything you do is a mistake.”
In that second, one of Nicholas’ bandmates stepped inside the large bell tent, staring at the prince in shock. He had seen her as a child, so Seth knew Nicholas told him who he was. He was believed trustworthy; either way, he wasn’t allowed to expose anything. Amuncommon would’ve sued for an enormous amount of money. “Is this who I think it is?” The pale vampire laughed, staring at the blue-eyed boy opposite him. Nicholas nodded, greeting Anthony with a bro handshake. “Ain’t no way! Rapunzel’s out of the tower, then! How you doin’, lil bro?”
“Fine,” Seth answered, turning towards his dad. “You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone. So? Explain?”
“Well, Anthony isn’t just anyone.” Nicholas shook his head. “He’s my most trustworthy friend. He’ll keep his mouth locked. I can promise you that.”
“God, you’ve grown up!” Anthony muttered. “I remember how little you were. Insane. How the hell are you so tall?”
“Those Ptolemy genes are strong, man.” Nicholas cackled. "He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”
“Just like his mother,” Anthony said, a smile appearing on his face. The prince let out a sigh, biting his lip. Maybe it was a bad idea to come. His father could’ve easily exposed his secret, and he was not ready. He wanted to enjoy his evening without being recognized. Eventually, he uttered a couple of words. “Thank you, that's very kind.”
Realizing how upset he seemed, Anthony tried to figure out how to get Seth away from his father. It was clear he was uncomfortable and didn’t want to be there. “Hey, wanna come with me?” He offered. “Nick needs to sit for an interview.”
“Go,” Nicholas muttered, giving his approval.
Outside the tent, Anthony and Seth found an empty bench where the middle-aged man could light a cigarette. Seeing the prince’s nervousness, Anthony laughed. “You don’t want to be here, do you?”
Seth shook his head, “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Listen,” Anthony said. “ I know Nick is a lot. Obviously, I don’t know you or your thoughts about him. But if you don’t feel comfortable, don’t force it.”
“I want a father who cares for me, but he is not that.” He muttered. “He says he’s trying, but it’s too late. I spent eight years without a dad, and I turned out fine. I have my uncle. He’ll take care of me.”
“As someone whose dad also left him,” Anthony shook his head. “ on’t let him manipulate you. You’re you, not him. You are your own person. Throughout these years, Nicholas never spoke about you or your mom with respect. It was your maternal grandmother pushing him to talk to you. From my understanding, she wanted to break you out of your royal environment and take you to Greece.”
“To Greece?” He asked, utterly shocked by this statement. “But why would she do that?”
“Because she hates your mom.” He shrugged. “She wants you far from her, but you already know that. Your dad and your grandmother think that your mother is forcing you to hide behind a mask because she doesn’t like the real you.”
“As I’ve said,” Seth nodded. “I don’t consider myself part of the Avaris family. I’m a Ptolemy, I'm Egyptian and… As much as I disagree with modern-day royalty, I understand I can help people because of who I am. And I won’t leave Mom. She has been through enough hell. She’s not forcing me to do anything. I wear a mask for privacy, but I will take it off eventually. I just need time.”
“You know,” Anthony laughed. “Your mom and I dated before she met your dad. I accidentally got her pregnant, and she had a stillbirth. We were eighteen. Imagine if you had a little Scottish brother.”
“Oh,” Seth gasped, “That… She never told me anything like that. Is that why Nicholas trusts you so much?”
“And your mom.” Anthony nodded and let out a sigh. “She told me to make sure you were safe. Nicholas didn’t have to tell me you were coming. I already knew because your mom called me. She loves you so much.”
The prince pursed his lips. “Do you think my dad will be upset if I say I don’t want to see him again?”
“Your mom’ll handle it.” He shrugged. “But for now, I want you to enjoy the festival. She didn’t say it, but I know she wants you to have fun. Nick will speak to her after tonight.”
Although he wanted to, Seth felt he couldn't enjoy the festival. His thoughts were all over the place. Still, he felt he was thrown back to his childhood when his father still loved him. He would allow him to play his electric guitar before concerts and try on his heavy leather jackets. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed those times. Seeing that his son was spacing out, Nicholas pulled Seth into a side hug. “Remember when you were little? You once said you wanted to sing with me when you got older.”
“Sure,”
He couldn’t wait to get home.
It felt like a decade had passed since he had seen his parents together in one room. He sat on the sofa tiredly, allowing his mother to speak instead of him. There was no way he could get his true feelings out. He needed all the help he could get. Now he remembered. Any conversation his parents had ended up in screams and arguing. They couldn’t talk like two decent adults because Nicholas always raised his voice at Amuncommon.
“I know what your mother wants, and she won’t achieve it.” The queen scoffed. “Seth is eighteen now. He can think for himself, and your evil mother needs to keep her hands off my child. He is the crown prince of this fucking state, and I will not let you take away his only source of security. My side of the family is his only family. Your side hasn’t given a dick about him since you left.”
“He deserves to live a normal life!”
“He deserves to decide!” The queen shouted, slamming her hands on the table. “You will not take my son from me. You don’t even know him. You don’t know how much he struggled. He had to go to therapy for years because of you! Because you fucking left him!”
“Then why can’t he speak for himself, huh?” Nicholas raised his brows. “Seth, quickly, what do you want?”
"For you guys to stop fucking screaming for once," He answered. His parents quieted down, so he let out a sigh and continued. "Yes, I want to see what public school is like, finally make friends and date like any other teenager, but I’m not going to leave Mom. I am the happiest I’ve been in a while, okay? I don’t need you to ruin it for me. Everything was going so well until you decided to show up.”
“Why can’t you trust me?” Nicholas shook his head. “Have I not proved myself to you? I don’t hate you.”
“I want a parent that loves me unconditionally.” He answered, taking a deep breath. “You don’t. You wanted a daughter, and I understand, but I can’t change who I am, and it’s time for your side of the family to accept that. I don’t want people looking at me and associating me with you. Adulterer, serial cheater, a horrible father… I honestly could go on.”
“As I see it,” Amuncommon pursed her lips. “I think it’s best if you two don’t see each other again until Seth feels like it.”
“That’s never going to happen,” The prince nodded. “I don’t want to talk to you, Dad.”
“Wow,” Nicholas scoffed and shook his head. “So you’ll just forbid me from seeing my child? Is that really what you want?”
“He said it himself. I am not forbidding you from anything. You were never forbidden from seeing him,” Amuncommon answered. “So, why have you never visited or asked about him?”
Hearing that, Nicholas paused. He had no words left to say. Instead, he stood up, left the drawing room, and slammed the door behind himself. At this point, Seth was exhausted. This was too much for him to handle at once, and he saw the pain on his mother’s face, too. She was completely dumbfounded. Neither of them expected the conversation to end so soon. The queen’s posture dropped as she buried her face in her hands and massaged her forehead to ease her anxiety. Seth leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his mother. He pursed his lips, carefully choosing the words he would say. “It’s just you and me again.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Seth muttered, massaging her back with his palm. “It’s better this way. You and me against the world?”
“Yes,” Amuncommon smiled and kissed her son’s forehead. “No matter what you choose, I’ll always be here supporting you.”
He smiled, “I love you so much, Mom.”
Like all the other families, the Wolf family also loved partaking in the town’s festivities. They could enjoy the full moon without falling under its effect. Still, it wasn’t the same as in the real world. The Monster Universe’s rivers, seas, forests, sun, and moon didn’t hold the same power as their natural counterparts. Most monsters couldn’t stay in the Monster Universe for too long because they would become weak. Despite that, some chose not to return and use alternative treatments instead. Thankfully, werewolves were one of the least affected monster species. Water monsters, on the other hand, had a much harder time. Lagoona was lucky because her sea nymph mother knew every potion to keep her healthy.
Helping Lagoona touch up her makeup before the performance, Clawdeen, and the saltwater monster sat in an enclosed canopy tent while the blonde soaked her feet in a bucket of water straight from the Pacific Ocean. This helped calm her nerves before everything. “Do you think he’ll be here?”
“Lagoona…” Clawdeen shook her head. “Stop thinking about Gil. He was horrible to you.”
“I can’t!” The saltwater monster pursed her lips, “It’s not that easy. I wrote like 10 songs about him in a day.”
The werewolf placed her arms on the girl’s shoulder and made eye contact. “Tonight is all about you, Lagoona. Have fun and be yourself. You’re free from him, and I think you should celebrate that. Don’t you think so?”
“Okay,” Lagoona sighed. Hearing her name announced, she slipped on her pearl-decorated pastel blue heels, grabbed her mic, and ran up the stairs leading to the stage. As always, she greeted the crowd, and they responded with great applause. For the length of the first few songs, she was able to let go of all the pain she had been feeling for the past few days. The first couple of songs were all upbeat and happy, and they fit the mood on the beach perfectly.
Frankie, who had just arrived, immediately caught a glimpse of Clawdeen, and they found a seat near a non-alcoholic drink bar. Frankie’s curtain bangs were clipped back with safety pin hair clips, and they wore a dark blue checked a-line mini dress paired with black satin platform pumps. They seemed to have matured not only physically but also fashion-wise. As soon as the group sat down, they were greeted by Heath, who was working as a waiter. It was a surprise to see him employed, considering his father was a famous CEO of a phone company, and he used to insist he didn’t need a student job. “What can I get you, beauties?”
Clawdeen and Frankie cringed. The green-skinned monster cleared their throat, “You? Working? Sorry, am I dreaming?”
“No, my dear Frankie, you’re not dreaming.” Heath grinned. “But I very well may be. Holy smokes, dude. Were you this hot last year, too?”
Making eye contact with Frankie and exchanging a disgusted facial expression, Clawdeen raised a brow. “Heath, shouldn’t you pick up our orders? You know, that’s what you’re here for. To work.”
“Yes, yes, wait!” He sighed, taking out a notepad. His pencil looked half burnt, almost like he had accidentally rubbed it on his head full of flames. “Sorry. What should I bring you?”
“Two frozen blackberry smoothies, please,” Frankie mumbled as they looked through the bar’s menu. “Oh, you should bring us a large plate of shrimp cocktails.”
Heath nodded, his eyes still fixated on Frankie. Seeing the green-skinned monster’s discomfort, Clawdeen cleaned her throat. “Khm. Those smoothies don’t assemble themselves.”
“Oh!” He answered, shoving his notepad and pencil in his pocket. “Sorry. I’m very sorry. I’ll go now. Entschuldigung. By the way, only if you’re interested, ich bin Single.”
Seeing him wink, Clawdeen groaned, and Heath finally turned around. Clawdeen and Frankie leaned closer to each other, waiting to discuss what had just happened. Heath has always been a big flirt, but it was also true he never knew when to stop. The werewolf gasped. “Did he just?”
“Try and flirt with me in German?” Frankie let out a chuckle. “Yup. He did. God. Puberty is no joke, I guess. I mean, have you seen the pictures Deuce posted on Grimstagram? He has gotten buff.”
Clawdeen laughed, “Yeah, I saw. He’s finally here in New Salem, so my brother refuses to shut up about how hot he’s gotten. He actually said, and I quote, ‘He may be my ex, but I’d marry him.’”
“Oh my God?” Frankie gasped.
“Speaking of the devil,” Clawdeen smiled, noticing her brother, Clawd, and Deuce approaching their table. The boys immediately pushed two chairs to the table, Clawd settling beside his sister and Deuce beside Frankie. The latter two had been best friends since Frankie showed up at middle school, but somehow, this summer, they sadly distanced themselves because of everything in their personal lives. It wasn’t on purpose, nor did they have any disagreements, but neither could help being busy.
Having overheard their conversation, Clawd knew he had to comment. “Oh, am I the devil, little sis?” He gasped, fake-offended. “May I ask why you are gossiping about me?”
“I do what I want,” She rolled her eyes as she playfully kicked his hips with her platform boots.
“Oh?” Clawd laughed, not feeling any pain thanks to his werewolf strength. “You need to learn how to kick better, Deena. That was a tickle.”
“And when I step on your face, then-”
“Hey,” Deuce interrupted, leaning back in his chair. “Is nobody going to acknowledge me? Frankie? Hello?”
Frankie chuckled and immediately wrapped their arms around the gorgon, “Oh, Deuce. I am so sorry I couldn’t talk all summer. I swear I’ll make up for it.” In the process, their head knocked Deuce’s sunglasses off, but without causing any damage, as the Monster World made Deuce’s power immune to everyone.
“You will, I’m sure.” Deuce nodded, eyeing Clawd, who couldn’t keep in his laughter. Clawdeen handed him his sunglasses back, which he put back on right after Frankie leaned away. Clawd shook his head. “What do you need those for here, anyway?”
“Um, light sensitivity?” Deuce raised his brows. “I have albinism, and it makes me look cool, so don’t say a word. Frankie, I heard you’ve been experimenting with some dudes this summer. What was that about?”
“Some dudes,” Clawdeen repeated, smiling. “Yeah, I’m not sure they want to speak about it.”
The green-skinned monster formed their lips into a pout. “I was their gay awakening. Do you understand what I’m saying? I made them realize they liked men. I am very feminine. Can you connect the dots yet?”
“Well,” Clawd snorted, “A story for the grandkids.”
“I still don’t see the issue.” Deuce laughed. “It was your first relationship. Clawd was my first boyfriend, and we didn’t last either.”
“Technically,” Clawd raised his index finger. “The only reason we broke up was because you came out, and I didn’t know I liked men. Now I know. If-”
“Sure,” Deuce nodded. “I have a girlfriend, Clawd.”
“I lost.” He sighed, throwing his iCoffin on the table with a defeated look. Suddenly, he noticed someone standing under the beach’s floral arch, staring intensely at the stage. “No way.”
“What?”
“It’s Gil!” He hissed, about to stand up, but Clawdeen pushed him back down. “I know you are just as angry at him as we are, but if you cause a scene, you’ll ruin Lagoona’s night.
“We have to kick him out of here,” Frankie muttered, glancing towards the arch. “She’ll notice him, and she’ll lose focus. I don’t think she needs that right now.”
The two stood up from the table, leaving Clawd and Deuce to themselves. The two boys shook their heads in disapproval. Gil was hard-headed, and they were convinced he wouldn’t listen. Lagoona told all her former classmates what he did to her, and as former friends of Gil, the two boys didn’t want Lagoona to feel terrible. Still, they decided they would allow the others to handle it.
“You have quite the nerve to show up here, you know,” Clawdeen said, crossing her arms as Frankie stood beside her. “What do you want from Lagoona, huh? Do you wish to ruin her performance?”
“Calm down, wolfie.” Gil rolled his eyes. “Am I not allowed to visit the beach anymore? I live in this town.”
“From my understanding, freshwater monsters don’t like beaches, and they certainly don’t like seafood.” Frankie scoffed. “You better leave before Lagoona notices you.”
“I fear it’s too late now,” He smirked, bopping his head towards the stage where Lagoona was just taking a break to drink. She noticed her ex-boyfriend immediately, her body tensing up while looking at him. To calm herself, she took a deep breath and approached the band behind her, asking them to play a specific song they planned for later.
Lagoona stepped over to her mic stand, gaining the confidence to look up and face her audience despite Gil being there. “This is a song I wrote a day after a specific situation that happened to me a few days ago. I promised I wouldn’t write a song about it, but I knew I had to. Hopefully, there are people in the audience who can also relate to it. This song is called Over You.”
“Of course,” Gil muttered, shaking his head.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Lagoona’s grandmother to notice Gil. She threw off her apron in anger, walking up towards the beach’s entrance. Talia sighed, stopping her mother before she could approach the teenage boy. “Let her finish the song, mamãe.” She asked. “This is a big moment for her. She’s standing up for herself.”
Listening to her daughter’s plea, Maya nodded and stayed with Talia, looking at Lagoona’s performance.
I’ll say it loud, you tore me down / A better man would’ve pulled me up / Shouldn’t have gone and left me broken-hearted / Picking up the pieces, now I’m starting over, over / Even when you think that I’m going under / Rising to the top, that’s how I’ll be getting over, over you / Yeah yeah, over you.
“That’s my girl, woo!” Clawdeen screamed, hyping Lagoona. This was followed by Frankie’s screams. “Lagoona, you’re too good for him!”
There’s a new day waiting / up ahead, and now I’m leavin' / A life without you baby / I can finally breathe.
Maya and Talia smiled. As the song’s end approached, Maya left Talia’s side and stepped over to Gil. “Don’t you dare come around here again.”
Gil raised a brow. “Sorry, I thought this was a public beach?”
“Well, it is, in fact, under my ownership,” Maya said, raising her voice. “If you haven’t realized, my granddaughter doesn’t want to see you.”
The song was received with much applause, and Lagoona never felt so relieved. Seeing what was happening near the entrance, she announced how she felt and let the crowd know who the song was directed at. “Kick him out, grandma!” She shouted into the mic, making the audience turn towards the freshwater monster.
“Kick him out! Kick him out!” The crowd chanted.
Maya grinned, “I never want to see you on my beach again!”
“What are you waiting for?” Clawdeen asked, staring at Gil. “Go away.”
“Fine,” Gil scoffed. “I’ll leave, but my parents will hear about this, and they won’t leave it alone.”
“I couldn’t give two fucks about your parents, you dingbat.” An unexpected voice came from behind. Nobody noticed that Lagoona had gotten off stage to take a break because they were so focused on making Gil leave.
“Oh, I’m a dingbat now?” Gil laughed, imitating Lagoona’s Aussie accent. “Gosh, this whole shitshow is ridiculous. I meant every word I said about your parents, and I don’t care what your family or friends think of that.”
Lagoona’s dad, who had been quiet this whole time, finally spoke up. “Be careful. The school might have a few opinions on that video, Gil.”
Eventually, Deuce and Clawd got up, leaving Clawdeen and Frankie’s untouched food and drinks on the table. “You better leave right now,” Clawd said, growling at the freshwater monster. “You don’t want my dad to hear about this, do you?”
Rushing over to Gil, a ginger-haired freshwater monster held onto his arm and carefully pushed him away from the entrance. “Let’s get out of here,” Lorna muttered in a thick Scottish accent.”There are places far more welcoming.”
When the two rushed away, the crowd cheered, loudly chanting and shouting Lagoona’s name. The saltwater monster sighed in relief, and before her friends could pull her with them, her father gave her a big hug. “I am so proud of you, my big girl.”
Lagoona laughed. “I think I am proud of myself, too. Thanks, Dad.”
The rest of the party continued on as it was initially planned. Lagoona got to dance and sing her heart out before her first day of school. And, at last, she ate some from her friends’ large shrimp cocktail plate. This time, she felt better than ever. She was surrounded by the people who loved her, and although her last relationship ended horribly, she had better things coming.
Thirty minutes from the beach, a dark black car pulled into the driveway of an old Victorian-style mansion on Crown Street, dropping off possibly the most important person the city had ever seen.
Seth stepped out of his car, his locs hiding under his hoodie and blue eyes hidden by sunglasses reflecting the flashing lights of the paparazzi behind the locked, large, wrought-iron gates of the building. He muttered, “I guess I’m home.” With that, he turned around and pushed the heavy doors open, dragging his three bulky suitcases inside.
Chapter 7: Chapter 6 - Monster High
Summary:
"So I close my heart to old ends and open my heart to new beginnings."
Chapter Text
Dragging his bulky suitcases inside the large Victorian mansion, Seth could finally breathe when the doors closed. He could hear the paparazzi’s cameras quiet down, the loud voices opposite the building hurrying away as his family’s car pulled out of the driveway. Seth was alone in a creepy dark building, curtains pulled in to prevent anybody from peeking inside. This would be his home for the rest of the school year, and he better get used to it.
“Prince Seth?” A short, chubby, 19th century-born ghost lady appeared, dressed in a maid’s outfit. She looked intimidating and demanding, yet her aura seemed almost calming.
Seth nodded, his face shocked. “Yes?”
“Welcome to Old Bennet House,” She spoke, her voice strict and firm, and she had a British accent. “I am Mrs. Clarke, the housekeeper. Your room is on the third floor. Third floor from the ground floor since you Americans always get confused. Room 31. The key is at the reception. I am not your servant. If you want something, you get it done yourself. Understood?”
He nodded again, still in complete shock. The lady disappeared into thin air in that second, making him gasp. He shoved his sunglasses in his pocket, shaking off his hood to expose his locs that had seen much better days. Now that he finally had time, he could take care of himself better. He couldn’t remember the last time he could go through with his skincare routine. A second later, the front door opened, and Catty Noir stepped inside.
“Oh my God!” Catty gasped, making eye contact with Seth for the first time in real life since the party. Spotting her, Seth laughed, relieved to see somebody he was familiar with. Catty shook her head. “We are staying at the same house?”
Seth laughed and embraced Catty in his arms. “Hi!”
“I’m so glad!” She smiled, sighing in relief. “How are you? I saw you had some weird people running after you at the airport. I didn’t know you had so many fans.”
“Yeah,” He nodded. “Actually, me neither. Stuff has been kind of crazy since Egypt.”
“Well, if I can give you some advice,” Catty laughed. “Next time, try using a private exit.”
Collecting their keys from the receptionist, they headed upstairs to find their rooms. Their rooms were on the same floor but on opposite ends. The house wasn’t comparable to what Seth was used to, but he didn’t hate it either. His room was generously sized with an antique oak desk, a canopy bed with a wooden bed frame, two armchairs, and even a balcony. Although it was nothing like his old room, he didn’t hate it either. He knew he’d eventually end up decorating it. For now, he was excited to begin a new chapter in his life.
It was early morning in New Salem. Cleo was dropped off by a private driver at Nefera’s luxury beach villa on Lotus Street. Expecting her sister, the moment she walked through the gates, she was faced with a messy patio with broken bottles and ripped-up paper plates thrown around. Hearing laughter nearby, she saw a group of college boys pass by, whistling as they threw pieces of used napkins at her. “Get out!” Cleo groaned, looking around. Seeing sleeping people on the ground, she didn’t back down until she kicked all of them out. The thought of Nefera throwing a party the night before the first day of school made her want to crawl her eyes out. She simply couldn’t have made a worse decision.
Song to set the mood: Angel On Fire by Halsey
Nefera was nowhere to be found. Only when Cleo stormed her bedroom did she find Nefera fully dressed and asleep on her king-size bed. “Wake up!” The younger scoffed, shaking Nefera’s shoulders.
“Morning. What’s happening?” Nefera muttered, seemingly exhausted. “Cleo… What are you doing here so early? It’s already dawn?”
“Can you please explain to me what the hell happened here?” Cleo raised her brows. “The night before school? Seriously, Nefera?”
“Wait,” Nefera shook her head as she held her forehead tiredly. “What are you talking about? I only invited a few people…”
“A few people?” The princess scoffed. “Well, you should check the patio. It is messy as fuck, and you know I won’t be the one cleaning it up after the surgery I just had. Also, aren’t you too young to be drinking? There’s wine bottles everywhere.”
“But I wasn’t!” Nefera insisted, climbing out of bed. She was still in her party clothing, meaning she had fallen asleep without washing up. “I swear to you right now, I haven’t bought any alcohol. I know I’m too young, Cleo. I’m not irresponsible. Besides, there is a reason I don’t drink.”
“You’ve lied to me so much that I can’t tell when you’re telling the truth,” Cleo muttered, grabbing her sister’s small trashcan and throwing inside all the rubbish previously lying on the floor.
“I have already told you I fell asleep.” She muttered. “Please, for Ra’s sake. You can go ahead and ask Clawdia. She was here. She left in the middle of the night. I had a few classmates over, and whatever happened after I fell asleep, I do not know.”
Cleo raised a brow. “Did you take something?” She was starting to get suspicious.
“What are you talking about?” The older groaned and climbed out of her expensive Boocci tights, almost ripping them. “Don’t I look sober to you?”
“You are constantly sleepy and fatigued.” Cleo shrugged, listing some of the symptoms she noticed her sister dealing with. “I don’t know, Nefera. You have been acting weird lately.”
Nefera tilted her head back and sighed. “Dear Ra! Cleo. I am an adult. That is why I have my own house, and you have zero clue about what goes on in my personal life. Understood?”
“I think I should be allowed to know.”
“I have BPD, Cleo,” Nefera answered, her facial expression tense. “And recently, I found out I’m also bipolar. You connect the dots.” She sat down at her dressing table, beginning to wash off her heavily smudged makeup. “I have horrible mood swings. I take meds, and my side effects suck, so I had to get them adjusted. Is that personal enough? Or would you like me to go into it deeper?”
Finally, Cleo shook her head. “Does Dad know about this?”
“No,” She said. “Dad doesn’t know anything. Only Clawdia knows. And her mom, because she’s my teacher, and I trust her.”
“If Mom was here, would you tell her?”
Hearing that, Nefera turned around in shock. “Why would you ask me that? How is that relevant?”
“Just answer the question.” Cleo shrugged. “Would you tell her?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Nefera groaned in annoyance, “She was always the sanest person in the family. No offense.”
“That’s one way to say it,” The younger sighed. “Listen, we can call Seth and ask him to help you clean up. Right? Just forget I lashed out at you like that.”
“Let that boy rest,” Nefera shook her head. “I’ll handle it. I locked your room, so nobody went in there. It might be the cleanest and safest part of the house right now, considering Clawdia told me there were glass shards in the jacuzzi.”
“Well,” Cleo pursed her lips, avoiding eye contact with her annoyed sister, “Thank you for trusting me.”
Nefera nodded. Eventually, a smile appeared on her face. “Thank you for understanding.”
After showering, Nefera headed to her living room, cleaning up all the mess her party guests made. She missed being able to enjoy parties and have fun, but lately, her mental state made it hard for her to even socialize. She wasn’t the center of attention anymore. She missed who she used to be, the most popular girl in school who everybody wanted to be like. Staring at herself in the mirror, she understood she could earn her status back at the top if she truly maxed out all her potential. She refused to let anyone take her place, especially not her little sister. “It is time, Nefera.” The princess whispered to herself, brushing her fingers through her newly unbraided her. “Don’t let anybody steal what belongs to you.”
Before the school year opening ceremony at Monster High, multiple of Clawd’s friends gathered at breakfast at the Coffin Bean on Academy Street, the one-way street that the school closed off. Clawdia invited Nefera, who brought Cleo with her. Instead of communicating with either of them, Clawdeen ordered two bacon pancakes and sat further away from the rest of her classmates.
Cleo, who forgot her hearing aids, tried her best to make out what everyone else was saying around her. She was tired as she hadn’t slept properly in two days. Being a mummy meant that Cleo healed much quicker after surgeries, but her painkillers still made her a little tired. Still, she refused to miss out on school. Almost dosing off while waiting for her order to arrive, Cleo felt a soft tap on her shoulder. Assuming it was her sister, she didn’t look, but when she turned her head, she was faced with someone she didn’t notice was sitting beside her.
Deuce Gorgon.
“Where’d your hearing aids go?” The gorgon laughed, playfully tapping Cleo’s ear. The black-haired girl froze in one spot, her blue eyes meeting the boy’s neon green ones. Not only did he get more muscular, develop a sharper jawline, and grow taller, this was Cleo’s first time seeing him after he transitioned. Her middle school crush on the gorgon took over her again, and it felt like butterflies attacked her stomach.
Cleo shrugged, pretending she didn’t just check him out from head to toe. “Where’d your sunglasses go?”
“Contacts are a lot more convenient, believe it or not.” He answered with a wide grin, his voice deeper than Cleo expected.
“Are they?” The princess laughed.
“Sometimes.” Deuce nodded. “Can I get a hug, princess?”
“Oh, of course you can!” Cleo smiled, wrapping her arms around the gorgon, consciously avoiding his still-healing chest. “Deuce, I missed you so much! Zero updates on Grimstagram. You didn’t even send me pictures of Greece. I thought you forgot about me.”
Deuce shook his head. “Yeah, I kind of wanted a big reveal. And I got it! People’s reactions made not posting so fucking worth it.”
“I forgot to mention,” Cleo said, pursing her lips. “I’m dating Clawd! Surprise!”
“Clawd?” His brows shot up in surprise. “Damn, congrats. You scored. Dude didn’t even tell me.”
Hearing that, Clawd stepped over to the two seated monsters and pulled both into a hug. “Oh, my two favorite people. My girlfriend and my best friend. Oh, how much I missed you people.” Deuce gave him a playfully annoyed glare, and Clawd let go of him, his left arm still over Cleo’s shoulders. “We’ve been together for a month.”
“Congrats,” Deuce nodded, unsure about the pairing. “Well, speaking of relationships, I also found myself a girlfriend. Her name’s Rochelle. She’s a French gargoyle.”
“Congratulations!” Cleo smiled. Deep inside, she was disappointed Deuce didn’t show any hints of jealousy. She genuinely thought he had a crush on her. “Do you have pics of her?”
The gorgon nodded. Deuce took his phone out and showed off his wallpaper, showing a pale, stone-skinned gargoyle with pink-and-blue hair with her head resting on his shoulder. “You’ll be able to meet her today.”
“Very pretty, but my ghoul is prettier.” Clawd laughed, pressing a kiss on Cleo’s cheek. The gorgon just felt confused. How did these two end up together? They had nothing in common. Still, Clawd was his best friend, and even though he knew the relationship wouldn’t last, he didn’t say one negative word.
Clawdia cut into the conversation. “I convinced Clawdeen and Frankie to sit with us. Thank me later.”
“Great,” Cleo nodded, faking a smile. Avoiding eye contact with the werewolf, Cleo looked at Frankie, who just settled opposite her. They were busy untangling a pair of white wired earbuds. “Frankie, you look different.”
Looking up, Frankie raised a brow and turned towards Clawdeen. “Is it too late for me to change seats?”
“Stop being bitter,” Clawd answered, pushing the plate of pancakes in the middle of the table. He sat beside Cleo, his hand caressing hers. “She’s just trying to compliment you. Am I right?”
“Oh, yeah.” Frankie nodded, “As if I’m supposed to accept a compliment from someone who treated my best friend like crap.”
Cleo leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips in annoyance. Seeing her reaction, Clawd couldn’t help but speak up. “Listen, people change all the time. I mean, I’m not who I was last year.”
“Well, excuse me,” Cleo scoffed, “I thought we were on good terms. My mistake.”
Eyeing her from the corner of her eye, Nefera snorted, making Clawdia let out a worried sigh. If this continued, the breakfast would end up a hot mess. Eventually, Frankie gave in. Their worst fear was hurting a person’s feelings, even if they didn’t like them. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Cleo nodded, pursing her lips in annoyance as she noticed Clawdeen’s angry glances. When everyone started eating, the table quieted down. Just seconds later, a pale gargoyle stepped inside. She was dressed in coquette fashion, wearing soft colors, her hair blonde and wavy with pastel pink highlights. She was tall with a delicate frame. She had a sweet face with big pink eyes, an aquiline nose, and thin pouty lips. Looking at her, Cleo wanted to dig herself a hole and never come out. “Deuce!” Rochelle waved, approaching her boyfriend. With her platform sandals on, she was almost taller than him. They shared a kiss, the gargoyle handing Deuce a black-and-white Dior bag. “I felt so bad I couldn’t give you a gift last time, so I brought you something today. I hope you love it.”
The princess felt annoyance fill her body, so Nefera kicked her leg underneath the table, telling her to behave. Watching the couple walk closer, Cleo forced a smile, standing up to drift all attention towards her. “Bonjour, Rochelle. My name is Cleo. Very excited to have you here.”
Sensing some dishonesty in Cleo’s tone, the gargoyle replied simply. “Hi, Cleo.” She immediately sat beside Deuce, leaving Cleo standing alone. Clawdeen snorted, trying to cover her face with a napkin so the princess wouldn’t notice her. When Cleo sat down, Nefera gave her an annoyed glare. She decided the best decision was for her to shut up. Around the table, each of her classmates seemed to love Rochelle. “So, where in France are you from?”
“Scaris,” The gargoyle responded. She spoke in a thick French accent. “But I studied a while in Montpellier. I’ve never left my country before I went to Greece during the summer, so I’m excited to be here.”
“How lucky that you go to the same school as your boyfriend.” Nefera grinned, faking a sweet tone and a grin. “Some of us had to suffer through the two-year course to prepare for high school.”
Rochelle raised a brow, starting to feel annoyed. “Yeah, I got an offer from Headmistress Bloodgood herself. My family was in a bad situation financially, so she offered us help. She bought us a house and helped us relocate here.”
“Financially bad situation, but you can afford Dior?” Nefera laughed. The table quieted down, and everyone stared at her in shock. “What? I’m just curious.”
“I was working beside school, actually,” Rochelle said. “That is how we could afford to go to Greece as a family. I understand that’s hard to imagine, considering you and your sister have probably never had to work hard for anything.”
Hearing that comment, Clawdeen and Frankie burst into laughter. Clawdeen nodded in approval, high-fiving the gargoyle. “I like you. Want to hang out sometime?”
“It would be a pleasure.” Rochelle chuckled. “Clawdeen, right?”
“Yes!” She nodded. “You got that right.”
“Anyway, Nefera, could you stop being weird towards my girlfriend?” Deuce asked, staring right at the blue-haired princess.
Slamming a hundred-dollar bill on the table, Nefera collected her belongings. “Split the change. I’m out of here.” Sharing a quick kiss with her girlfriend, Nefera got up and headed towards the doorway, forcefully making her sister stand up as she dragged her out of the café. In the process, she slammed her ponytail in Rochelle’s face.
Annoyed by her sister’s tight grip, Cleo hit Nefera’s arm and untangled herself. “Why would you drag me away?”
“Because I can’t watch you act like a fool over that snake-haired boy’s stupid French girlfriend,” Nefera said, turning around to face her sister. The street had a cobblestone road reserved only for pedestrians, so they stood in the middle where they couldn’t be seen or heard from inside. “Whatever his name is.”
“I wasn’t acting like a fool,” Cleo scoffed, her arms in front of her chest. “His name is Deuce, and I’ve had a crush on him since middle school.”
“Aw, a middle school crush?” Nefera imitated her sister’s voice. “Sister, if you don’t shut up, I’ll probably gag. Since when have you been this… Childish?”
“Well, I’m sixteen,” Cleo said. “You’re about to turn twenty, so stop judging me, Nefera! Besides, I was trying to befriend her.”
“Befriend her?” Nefera laughed. “You weren’t trying to befriend anyone. You’re upset your stupid little middle school crush got hot, and you’re not the apple of his eye anymore. But oh, don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“I do, and I like him very much,” Cleo nodded. “I just didn’t think… I still had feelings for Deuce.”
“Let me give you some advice, Cleo.” Nefera scoffed, her tone annoyed and angry. “If you’ll be mean to Rochelle, you’ll lose Deuce and Clawd. Do you think he won’t clock you? I can take you under my wing, but I won’t let you act like an idiot or make my group seem foolish.”
“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Cleo sighed. She wanted to open up to her sister, but Cleo knew she’d be made fun of. “I don’t know. She is so pretty and has this sweet demeanor… I scare people away. She makes me feel insecure.”
“Okay, let me put this all together.” The older princess cleared her throat and held onto Cleo’s shoulders. “You’re an Egyptian princess. She is a nobody. Do you really feel threatened by a white French girl? Seriously?”
The younger groaned, “I don’t know! Maybe my looks and my title aren’t enough. Did Clawdia fall for you because you were a princess?”
“No?” Nefera said. “But that’s not my point. You are better than that stupid gargoyle, so fucking act like it, or else I’ll kick you out of my group. Understood?”
“Understood,” Cleo muttered. It was silly of her to hope for sisterly advice. Nefera wasn’t the type to give her any.
Draculaura sat in her father’s car in Monster High’s car park. Gathering her energy, the vampire picked up her backpack and unbuckled her seatbelt. She looked up at the large building opposite her, carefully observing all the towers and spikey, colorful stained-glass windows. His father let out a sigh, carefully caressing his daughter’s cheek. “You’ll be happy here, I promise you. Give it a chance.”
“What if we can never go back home?” Draculaura asked, her mind still thinking about how badly she missed her home country. “I don’t want to stay here forever.”
Dracula nodded, “And you won’t. Soon enough, Transylvania will be welcome to us again, and we can return. Until then, I think you should enjoy the freedom this place gives you. Go exploring. Find a few friends. And if it’ll help, I know a Hungarian therapist you could speak to.”
“I’ll think about it.” She muttered, taking out a hand mirror and a root touch-up spray. “Help me out?”
“Sweetie, couldn’t you have done this at home?” Dracula sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt to help his daughter. “I could’ve booked you an appointment with the hairdresser.”
Draculaura shook her head. “My blonde roots are showing too much. I don’t need everyone staring at me.”
“Fine, but next time, you should go and see a hairdresser,” The count muttered, shaking up the spray and carefully covering the girl’s grown-out blonde roots. “Is that better?”
“Much better.” The young vampire grinned. Ever since she could remember, she hated her natural hair color and found ways to color it even before hair dyes were invented. She just loved how she looked with black hair. It matched her intense makeup and gothic fashion. She smiled at her dad, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you for this opportunity, Dad. I’ll make you proud.”
Dracula nodded, returning the smile. “You make yourself proud first, Laura. It’s your life.”
“I guess it’s worth giving a shot.” Draculaura took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. She immediately smiled when she saw all the different types of monsters around. After years of feeling left out, things were finally going to change. She followed the crowd of students inside, trying to search for anyone else who could be a freshman. It seemed everybody except her knew the way around, so like the other students, she settled on a stone bench and waited for other students to arrive.
Draculaura noticed a pale-skinned woman dressed in a purple suit combo with flared pants and tall heels standing near the doorway, greeting the students she already recognized. A green-skinned Frankenstein-resembling monster and a dark brown-skinned werewolf stepped inside with other monsters following behind them. They seemed to be close friends, giggling at inside jokes and talking with the rest of their group. They were both quite tall, one dressed in preppy goth fashion and the other in a girly Y2K-inspired outfit. The group was welcomed by the woman, and Draculaura overheard their conversation. “Frankie, is that you?” The deep but soft voice spoke. “You look so different! What happened? You look like you took a 180. Did Germany change you so much?”
“I decided to update my wardrobe a little bit, headmistress.” Frankie giggled, flapping around their long black and white ponytail. “How do you like my hair? And nails?”
“Oh, gorgeous!” The headmistress nodded, “I also took some time to experiment with makeup. The bright red lip is my new favorite look.”
The werewolf cut into the conversation, stepping out from behind Frankie. “It fits you perfectly! Headmistress, we need to go and pick up our schedules, but we are super excited to hear your speech!”
“Before you go,” The headmistress said, glancing at Frankie again. “Congratulations on coming out.” Before Frankie could reply, a group of boys stormed inside on their skateboards, slamming into a giant statue in the hall behind Draculaura. The vampire stood up from the bench in shock, staring at the laughing seniors behind her. The headmistress immediately rushed over, yelling at the students. “If this is your idea of a senior prank, I take it with much distaste! To the nurse’s office right now! You’ll pay for those damages!” Noticing the scared vampire beside her, the headmistress gasped. “Oh, goodness, you must be Draculaura. I was looking for you. Come with me.”
“How do you know my name?” Draculaura muttered, following behind the headmistress, trying to keep up her pace.
“I recognize each of my students,” Nora answered. “You’re quite tiny, though. No wonder I almost missed you.” She stopped at a large door, unlocked it, and walked inside, the vampire following her from behind. “Don’t get scared of my horse Nightmare. She doesn’t bite.”
“Oh,” The vampire said, weirdly eyeing the blue and purple horse beside the desk. Asked to sit, Draculaura agreed and settled in an armchair. Bloodgood sighed, “I apologize for inviting you to my office on your first day, but you’re also unlike other students. I promised your father I’d take care of you, and that is what I’ll do. You know, your father and I actually go way back.”
Draculaura nodded in silence.
“I’m Nora Bloodgood, the headmistress of this school.” She began. “I won’t keep you here long, but I want you to feel welcome. I know you miss home. Believe me, all of us do, but I promise I will create the best environment for you. We have many immigrant students, but you’re the first one from Romania and the first Hungarian student. I think that’s wonderful.”
“I am thankful for this opportunity,” Draculaura muttered, shy to speak in English, considering she didn’t have anyone to practice with. Knowing nobody would judge her accent, she took a deep breath and nodded. “It’s weird now, but I’ll eventually find my place. Wait, you know my dad?”
“Dracula is loved by many.” Bloodgood smiled. ”Well, in the monster world. The novel written to defame your father was quite… Nevermind. That must be a touchy spot.”
Draculaura shrugged, “We don’t really talk about it.”
“Oh, well!” The headmistress said, handing Draculaura a gift bag. “Please accept this on my behalf. I’ll see you in the auditorium.”
“Thank you,” The vampire pursed her lips. “Um, excuse me, where is the auditorium?”
“Just follow the crowd of students,” Bloodgood answered. “Have a nice day, Draculaura. I need to talk to those boys out there.”
“Actually, it’s just Laura-” She said, making eye contact with Bloodgood, but the headmistress hushed her away. Walking out of the office, she leaned to the wall and let out a deep sigh. “I guess I’m called Draculaura now.”
By following the crowd, she found the auditorium easily. She settled between a group of stranger vampires, right behind the same monsters she saw in the main hall. They seemed to be such great friends that she couldn’t help but want to be part of their conversation. She was too scared to join, so she sat there silently and listened to them speak with their guy friends about an upcoming Cupsleeve event.
The auditorium fell silent when three werecats and two mummies entered, all dressed in perfect clothing with perfect hair and makeup. All attention drifted towards them, causing whispers around the room. A blonde werewolf got up from one of the seats, sharing a long and intense kiss with the blue-haired mummy. Some students cheered, but the auburn-haired werewolf opposite Draculaura looked less than thrilled. “I can’t believe my sister has decided to join their stupid group.”
Frankie smiled, placing a hand on Clawdeen’s shoulder. “Hey, let her be happy. She’ll realize Nefera is not all that soon enough.”
“You said the same thing last year,” Clawdeen argued, leaning back in her seat with an annoyed pout. Besides the werewolf, a blonde saltwater monster let out a giggle. “Let them be happy. Nefera just acts the way she does for attention.”
With all eyes stuck on Nefera and Clawdia, the princess let out a bitter laugh, eyeing the students who were giving her nasty looks. “That’s right, Monster High. I am back for one last year. I know you were all desperate to get rid of me, so I’m sorry to announce that you’ve failed. I give orders around here-"
Suddenly, a deep, raspy, and intimidating male voice spoke up, “If you wish to give out orders, why don’t you start working at the school café?” A fair-skinned fat man stood behind Nefera, staring at her annoyedly.
“Mr. Hack,” Nefera grinned, faking a smile. “Oh, it’s so good to see you back. Did the paternity leave end already?”
“Ms. De Nile, sit down Immediately!” Mr. Hack shouted. “And you, Ms. Wolf, I better not see you hanging around this group again.”
Hearing that, Clawdia bit the inside of her cheek. Clawdeen raised her brows, trying to make eye contact with her sister, but Clawdia settled between Nefera and Clawd. Draculaura stared at the scene in shock, her eyes fixated on the back row until Headmistress Bloodgood finally started her speech. It was the first day of high school, and there was already so much drama. She had a lot to tell her father about.
The headmistress did her usual school year opening speech, greeted the new students, and continued with her plans. “I am excited to announce that six normie students are joining us this year. As you all know, last December, we selected six students who would travel to Salem, Oregon, in the Human World and join the normie school through an exchange student program. Our new students will be arriving next week, so we need our fearleading team to have a fixed amount of members until then. You’ll be greeting them.”
Everyone applauded. Some were skeptical, others were excited, but Draculaura was shocked. She finally understood why the headmistress spoke so well of her father. They were both fighting for the same thing - monster and human equality.
Before going home, all students had to pick up their schedules and choose their lockers. Accepting whichever remained, she opened it, and a handmade item fell out, looking like a damaged keychain. Draculaura picked it up, finding the name Clawdeen Wolf beaded onto it. She knew only one person this could belong to, having previously heard her name during a conversation. Being one of the only people left in the school, she knew there was no hope in searching. She texted her father she would walk home alone. Deciding to grab coffee at a local store, she noticed a familiar face at one of the tables, sitting alone in the café. To her luck, it was Clawdeen.
Unsure how to get her attention, Draculaura waved her hands in front of the werewolf’s face. “Um, good day! Wolf girl?” Clawdeen didn’t answer, so Draculaura poked her shoulder. “Hi! Hello? Can you hear me?”
Clawdeen took out her earbuds, glaring confused at the vampire. “Can I help you?”
“Sorry.” Draculaura laughed and let out a chuckle. “I am looking for Clawdeen. Clawdeen Wolf. Is that you?”
“Yes,” She nodded. “It’s me. Why were you looking for me?”
“You lost your keychain,” Draculaura answered, handing her an item in the shape of a half-moon. “It has your name, so I assumed it would be yours. I found it in my new locker.”
The werewolf let out a silent gasp. Clawdeen gifted the keychain to Cleo on their first month anniversary. Her half of the keychain had Cleo’s name engraved. She left it in her Boo York City home. “Oh, right!” She accepted the item and shoved it into her pocket. “Thanks for finding it. I thought I lost it forever.”
“No biggie,” The vampire nodded. Standing there in silence, she cleared her throat. “Um, can I sit? Or are you busy?”
Clawdeen smiled. “No problem.” She moved her backpack, allowing Draculaura to sit beside her. “I’m eating breakfast. You’re Draculaura, right? Where are you from again?”
“That would be a complicated question to answer.” Draculaura chuckled. She pursed her lips and let out a sigh. "I was born in the Kingdom of Hungary before Austria-Hungary was formed. Does that make any sense?"
"Not to me, but I'm willing to learn more." Clawdeen chuckled, eating a bite of her bacon and cheese baguette. "Isn't Transylvania in Romania?"
“Yeah!” The vampire beamed. “It is now. I’m Székely, so Hungarian.”
"Oh, understood!” The werewolf nodded and wrapped up the rest of her baguette. “So, what does Romania look like?”
The vampire sighed. "I haven't been to Transylvania since I was 14 years old. It's been so long."
"How old are you?" Clawdeen asked.
"176," Draculaura answered. The werewolf's brows shot up, expecting the vampire to say she was older. She was shocked. "You know," Clawdeen laughed. "Based on how Headmistress Blodgood described you, I would've assumed you'd be at least a thousand."
"Not really," Draculaura giggled, brushing her fingers through her long black locks. "But these past hundred years most certainly felt like an eternity. Unfortunately.”
“I heard.”
“Oh…” The vampire laughed in surprise. “Everyone here knows more about me than I know about myself.”
“People adore your father,” Clawdeen responded, shrugging. “They’re curious because students like you always have interesting backstories. You were born during a revolution. Naturally, others will want to know more. But why weren’t you sent to an all-vampire school?”
“My father disagrees with separating monsters from each other.” She shrugged. “You know, I’ve been here for a week and haven’t met any other immigrants from home. My dad said there would be more.”
“Yeah, I mean,” Clawdeen pursed her lips. “You’re the only Székely student I know.”
Draculaura giggled. “Thanks for remembering my nationality. Most people say I’m Romanian, even though that is incorrect. It feels like they put us all under the same umbrella.”
“Right.” Clawdeen nodded. “ I remembered because our World History teacher is Székely. Mr. Rotter.”
“Wow.” The vampire raised her brows. “That is awesome. I am excited to get to know him.” Seeing her phone ring, Draculaura sighed. “It’s my dad. I should get going.”
Clawdeen laughed, “Follow me on Grimstagram and let’s talk more. See you in school, Drac?”
“ Yeah.” The vampire agreed, smiling. “ See you.”
Leaving the building with a warm coffee in her hands, Draculaura couldn’t stop thinking about how she made her first friend. Clawdeen was part of the group she wanted to befriend, and Draculaura found her so beautiful. She was just so charming. She was so excited to tell her father about all the drama, her new friend, and the exchange normie students. It all felt so surreal. Maybe the Monster Universe would eventually grow on her.
Chapter 8: Chapter 7 - Complicated Starts
Chapter Text
Finally arriving at the Monster Universe after her plane was delayed, Abbey called a taxi to take her to her dormitory. She missed the school year’s opening ceremony, but she knew the headmistress wouldn't mind. The weather could easily affect the portals, making them almost unable to function in some snowy places. The only thing she was worried about was the communication part. She did practice English on her way to New Salem, so although she could easily understand the drivers’ simple questions, she struggled with the responses. Her thick Rusian accent and broken English only made her more nervous. She was assigned a dormitory in the hills, but as the climate was much colder there, the driver could only take her so far. She had to hike, carrying all of her belongings with her. As a yeti, carrying heavy items didn't phase her, but she would've loved to get some rest.
The cold environment of the hills was too unsafe for most monsters. It barely snowed in the city center, but it did rain sometimes. The weather was warm enough for monsters from tropical environments, but never hot. Still, the Monster Universe couldn't serve as a replica of Earth. The rivers, seas and oceans didn't have the same power, making it necessary for water monsters to figure out different ways to balance their energy levels. Plant monsters also couldn't get the same energy as from the actual Sun, often leaving them weak and in need of medical aid. These were all disadvantages monster scientists tried to find solutions to, as fast as possible.
Releasing a worried sigh, the white-haired yeti dragged her heavy suitcases and reached an average-sized wooden complex resembling a ski lodge. “You can do this, Abbey.” She whispered to herself. “You’ve practiced. You can ask for a dictionary. It’s okay.”
Walking inside, Abbey stepped into a surprisingly warm hallway with winter-themed decorations. Turning her head towards the front desk, she saw a boy with flaming, messy, curly hair standing there, an earbud in one of his ears, softly humming to a melody as he was busy writing in a notebook. He wasn’t a yeti, rather the opposite, so why was he there? There were many questions circling her mind, but she kept them to herself. Weirdly, the way his hair warmed up the room made her icy body feel comfortable. “Sorry, can you help me?” The yeti asked, stepping over to the boy. She removed her heavy fur coat and grabbed her wallet in case she needed to grab anything. “You… Working here? At desk?”
“Oh, hi!” The boy nodded, taking out his earbuds. Looking up from his notes, he gave Abbey a smile. Her shiny, white, holographic hair immediately caught his eye. It made her cold, pale-blue skin seem like it was made of crystals. “You must be Abbey! I’m Heath. Our Headmistress told me you’d arrive later.”
“Headmistress…” Abbey muttered, piecing the words together in her mind. “Oh, Prinicpal Bloodgood. Yes. This is Abbey. Looking for… room.”
Abbey expected him to be thrown off by her English skills, but Heath kept his smiley composure and scribbled something down. “Can I see your ID? The Headmistress asked me to scan it for her. It's a requirement, you know.”
“Sure.” She unzipped her handbag, handing him her ID card. Patiently waiting, Abbey looked around the hall, the wooden floor creaking under her thick fur-and-leather-boots. When Heath finished, he returned the card and handed the girl her key. Needing to ask more questions, Abbey nervously pursed her plump lips. She knew she needed to communicate, but was afraid she'd be made fun of. She spoke multiple languages, but English wasn't her strongest one. “You see… My English not good. I need, uh, book. Wordbook. Translate.”
“A dictionary?”
“Yes!” Abbey clapped her hands together. “Dictionary, yes. Where is… book room?”
“The library?” Heath chuckled, stepping forward from behind the counter. “It’s here on the ground floor. I can take you there later if you want. Where are you from, by the way? Cool accent.”
“Oh, sweet!” Abbey laughed happily, caressing her arms. Maybe the people weren't going to be so mean to her, after all. “I'm originally from Thame. It's in Nepal. But, um, lived in Russia since five years old. I have distant relatives from Yakutsk. Coldest city in the world."
“Russia?” The boy nodded. “That’s a long way from Nepal, though, isn’t it? You must travel a lot to reunite with older family members.”
Noticing her staring at him blankly, Heath realized Abbey didn’t understand what he had just said. The yeti bit her lips, “I don’t understand.”
Heath chuckled. “No worries. You’ll get there.” Slightly embarrassed, Abbey smiled and walked away, following the boy’s directions to her bedroom.
Returning to the castle, Draculaura found a note in the hallway from her father saying he’d be back later. Even after all this time, he still preferred writing letters. It took him over three minutes to type out a single-sentence text message. Not only was he far-sighted and refused to wear glasses, he considered phone screens to be way too small for his taste. Entering the dining room, the girl saw a bowl of vegan pörkölt waiting for her. The walk had made her so hungry she scarfed it all down in only a few minutes. Having no servants yet, she did her own dishes and then went on a castle discovery. After a while, she ended up in her father’s bedroom, lying on the crimson king-sized bed while looking through a large box of old pictures from the late 19th century to the early 2000s. Her father stored newer ones on a shared external drive. Walking up to her room, she opened her oak chest and pulled out the pink Hungarian dress inside, deciding she wanted to try and wear it for herself. Sadly, she owned no historical underwear that could give the dress the correct structure. Either all her old clothes were stuck in Transylvania, or she gave them to someone else. Getting to wear something that belonged to her mother made her almost euphoric. Refusing to take it off, she opened up her laptop, using the Monster Web to search for her relative Alexandra. She wanted to speak to her, but this time without her father’s knowledge. She hoped without him knowing, she could somehow contact Elisabeta.
Texting her father that she’d be back later, the girl changed into more casual clothing and borrowed a bicycle from the garage. Having had no license yet, she had to rely on cycling or simply walking. She had never taken most modern public transport before and was scared of embarrassing herself. After thirty minutes of cycling, she arrived at a three-story kindergarten, hoping she would find Alexandra there. “Are you here to pick someone up?” The receptionist greeted her. She was a tan-skinned wererat of short stature.
“No, um…” Draculaura pursed her lips. “I’m looking for someone named Alexandra. She works here.”
“Mrs. Davis is currently on maternity leave.” The receptionist answered. “I am afraid I am not at liberty to disclose her address, but I could give her a call and tell her you're looking for her.”
“Yes, please!”
And so she did.
Alexandra spoke almost as if she had expected Draculaura. She gave the young vampire her address, and after, the girl was immediately on her way there. Although the city was big, it wasn’t easy to get lost. Every street had its own unique look, making them easy to distinguish. The girl stopped at a 12-story apartment building and entered the passcode Alexandra gave her. She left her bike in the entrance hall, rushing inside a half-full elevator that was about to close on her. Spotting her face’s reflection in the mirror, Draculaura gasped in shock. She still wasn't used to seeing her face. The outside world never had mirrors for vampires, so she learned how to get around without them. Seeing the other monsters staring at her, she silently took her place in one of the corners and patiently waited until the elevator reached the top floor. Stopping at apartment 48, she took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell, nervously waiting for an answer.
A second later, the door opened, and a tall, pale, middle-aged vampire appeared in the doorway. “I’ve been waiting for you.” Before she could answer, Draculaura was pulled inside, Alexandra engulfing the girl’s hands in hers. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
“Okay…” The girl muttered, staring into Alexandra’s deep red eyes. “Are you… Elisabeta’s great-grandaughter?”
Alexandra’s blood-red lips formed into a smile, pointing towards a dark living room. “Follow me, Laura.”
“Not going to lie, I expected you to have an accent.” Draculaura laughed shyly. “I mean, you speak Romanian, right? Aren’t you from Romania?”
“My grandmother was the last Romanian in the family,” Alexandra said, sitting on an antique crimson sofa. The apartment was dark. It seemed like Alexandra didn’t want any natural light to come inside, even if the Monster World’s sunlight didn’t hurt vampires. “She died from tuberculosis before our family became vampires, and my great-grandmother did everything she could to blend into German society. I barely remember Transylvania. Would you like some authentic human blood? It's from a morgue. It's a bit aged, but-”
“No, thank you. I don't drink blood.” The girl shook her head, shaking at the thought of drinking a dead person's insides. “Alexa, I don’t understand what happened. Elisabeta was practically the person who told me not to lose my Székely roots. She’ll just let go of hers like that?”
“Trauma changes people, love.” She shrugged, "You should know that better than anyone."
“Okay, I must speak to her.” Draculaura said. “I want to know more about my parents. About my childhood. My origins. I need to have answers.”
"Elisabeta is not fond of guests." Alexandra shook her head, gently wiping off the red fluid left on her sharp, polished fangs. “She refuses to see me or anyone else in the family.”
“Why?”
“She ran away,” Alexandra responded. Standing up from her seat, she walked over to an oak dresser and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a slightly damaged letter. Without much explanation, she handed it to Draculaura. “There are things you don’t know about yourself, love. I can’t help you figure those out, but I promise there will be a time when you find out.”
Draculaura scoffed, “If you can’t help me, who’s going to?”
“Everything in time,” Alexandra responded. After uttering those words, she touched Draculaura’s heart-shaped cheek birthmark and affectionately kissed her forehead. “You are capable of great things, young lady. A sorsod vár.”
“No, I need an explanation!”
“Go home,” Alexandra smiled, helping the raven-haired vampire up from her seat. “One day it'll all make sense."
More confused than before, Draculaura cycled back to her new home, seeing her father’s car pulling inside the driveway around the same time. Spotting her, he smiled happily and offered to put the bike back himself. Alexandra contacted him about Draculaura's visit, but seeing how distraught the girl seemed, he decided not to ask any questions. It was true. Moving homes and finding a distant family member was a lot to process. It was best if he gave her some time.
After spending more than half the day settling into her new bedroom, Abbey headed downstairs to the main hall, looking for Heath, who was still busy scribbling into a thick notebook. Abbey decided to speak up, “Hi!”
Hearing the girl’s voice, the boy jumped, his curls lighting up with fire. "Hey!" Seeing Abbey, he smiled, shyly fanning his hair. “Still looking for that dictionary?”
“You say you help me.” Abbey grinned. “So, I wait.”
“Okay, come.” He said, grabbing a key from the desk and walking towards a hallway behind the right staircase. “We don’t have a librarian yet, so I was told I must keep the door locked until notified otherwise. I’ve worked at multiple different places this summer. At the school, at the beach, and now here. Well, I’m only here as a backup.”
“Backup?”
“The original receptionist returned to Nepal for a family emergency,” Heath muttered. “I don’t think you know him, considering the Himalayas are gigantic.”
“I come from village.”
“My mom also comes from a village.” He said as they reached a stained glass double door. He carefully unlocked it and allowed Abbey inside. “She’s Afro-Guyanese. As for me, I’m from Miami, Florida. I'm all about the city life.”
"And your dad?"
"Chinese and Korean."
Abbey raised her brows, chuckling, “How do you handle cold?”
“We fire elementals don’t really feel the cold unless it’s extreme,” He said. They entered the enormous library. Abbey was shocked at the overwhelming amount of bookshelves. It seemed easy to get lost in. Heath switched on the lights, allowing the beautifully decorated ceiling to shine. Every shelf had its label, and the old PC on the librarian’s desk was free to operate for everyone. “I’m not sure which shelf the dictionaries are on, but I think they might be somewhere in the back. Why don’t you go back there and check until I turn this old machine on?”
“You talk fast.” Abbey nodded, trying to process Heath’s words. “I go where?”
The orange-haired guy laughed, “Check out the back shelves. I’ll turn on the computer.”
“Got it.” Waiting for the old machine to turn on, Heath settled in the brown leather armchair opposite the desk and watched Abbey looking around the library. He finally got the chance to observe her a little bit. The yeti was dressed in all white with hints of pastel blue, purple, and pink all over her clothing. She wore spiky pastel blue and silver boots trimmed with white fur on the top. Her body sprinkled snowflakes anytime she moved, helping her keep her body temperature cold.
“Found it!” Abbey exclaimed happily, lifting off two thick books from the top shelf. He was amazed by her strength, but after all, she was a yeti. She hurried to the librarian’s desk, signing her name and the date.
“You’re quick.” Heath laughed. He turned toward the computer, but seeing no change, he touched the PC box only to feel it was smoking hot. “Can you cool this down?”
Abbey smiled, “No, but I can freeze it. But if that melt, I damage it.”
“Ugh, that’s a shame.” He muttered. “It contains all the information about the books. It’d take forever to make a new database.”
“Leave it on for the night.” Abbey shrugged. “Nobody find out. Promise.”
“Alright,” Heath nodded with an impressed facial expression. “If I borrow the key for the night, the cleaners can’t come inside. You’re a genius. I can just come back tomorrow after school. Either way, I think I know someone who could fix it.”
The yeti chuckled, "Hard day, so…” She pursed her lips. “I go sleep soon. You live… where?”
“Crown Street,” He replied. “Over the bridge. It’s in the western part of the city, near a golf course that’s owned by my dad. He’s coming to pick me up.”
“I see.” She nodded. “Rich dad. Good night, then. I go sleep.”
Before leaving, Heath threw a dark blanket over the computer’s screen, making sure nobody knew he left it turned on for the night. He wanted to avoid getting accused of ruining it himself. The two said goodbye in the main hallway and went their separate ways.
And then, it finally came.
The first day of school. The first day of classes. The first day of high school. Clawdeen was planning to go on foot until Clawdia offered she should come with her and pick up Nefera. Harriet had already left early, and Clawd was on his way to pick up Cleo, so the younger werewolf had no other choice. She accepted the offer and texted Frankie she would meet them at school.
But Harriet wasn’t the only one who had gone to school early. Seth’s mom, Amuncommon, had arrived in New Salem last evening specifically to have a discussion with the headmistress and the rest of the faculty. His mom took him out for breakfast at a fancy restaurant, catching up on a few rules he still had to follow. “You mustn’t give out your social media information, understood? Nobody, and I repeat. Nobody, other than your classmates, may know you’re a prince.”
"As if they won’t all gossip." The prince rolled his eyes, “How many black mummies are in this school, anyway? I'm from Boo York. They’ll know immediately.”
“There’s plenty I know who enrolled this year.” Amuncommon shrugged. “They will not find out. Besides, I will make all of your classmates sign strict NDAs.”
“Mom!” He gasped. He was shocked his mother would even think about this. He came to school to make friends and have a great time, not to do business. He wasn't going to let anyone sign any contract. “That is not okay. Oh my Ra, why can’t I tell the world who I am?”
“I am trying to keep you safe,” Amuncommon said, lowering her voice as she made eye contact with her son. “You said you wanted a normal life, so it’s what I am giving you. A chance to be normal.”
“You’re just going to make me feel more suffocated.”
“Fine,” The queen muttered. “Do you have a better solution?”
“Well,” Seth began but stopped after his eyes met his mother’s strict ones. After thinking for a few seconds, he nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
“You do?”
“I, um…” He sighed. “I want everyone in school to know who I am. That’s not the whole world. And then, eventually, I will prepare myself to let everyone know who's behind the mask.”
“Are you sure you want that?”
The prince shrugged. Nodding, the queen leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms opposite her chest. Her expression was unreadable, so Seth froze, scared of his mother’s response. Eventually, Amuncommon agreed. “Then it’s decided.”
“Thank you, Mom.” He laughed, feeling so much more relieved. “That means a lot to me.”
“No problem.” She said. “I’ll pay, and we shall meet with the Jeadmistress after. Until then, please fix your eyeliner. I can’t have you looking messy on your first day.” When she turned around, Seth rolled his eyes and was about to get up when Amuncommon notified him about one more thing. “We have a meeting with the mayor of New Salem this afternoon. I need you home by 3 PM and ready by 4. Everything will be broadcasted live. I got you a new tux and had your mask polished. Please don’t disappear with a guest like you did in Egypt. It’s disrespectful.”
Seth raised a brow, “Guest?”
“Right, I forgot to mention.” Amuncommon sighed. “It’s a gala. The public liked you with Catty, so maybe you should consider inviting her.”
“Got it,”
For most students, getting called to the principal’s office was a place they wanted to avoid, but Seth knew, due to his status, he’d be there often to discuss important details of his education at Monster High. It was his first time meeting the headmistress, but he knew he wouldn’t get much chance to speak while his mother was there. She could go on for hours about different rules and guidelines she wanted to be followed to ensure her son’s safety. Bloodgood agreed she would strive to keep everything in check, and when the Queen finally left, Seth and the Headmistress could take a deep breath. “Your mom has a strong personality,” Bloodgood commented, handing Seth a few documents.
"Yup," Seth nodded, “She sure does.”
“Well, we are so excited to have you here!” Bloodgood smiled excitedly, placing her hands on her chest. “Your family’s support means a lot for the future of my school. If there’s anything we can help you with, please tell us. We’ll do our best to make you feel comfortable.”
“Honestly,” He shrugged. “Just please make sure my mom doesn’t throw a fit over every tiny thing. She has a tendency to overreact, you know?”
“I assume all those royal rules aren’t of your interest." Bloodgood nodded, "Don’t worry, dear. You don't need to follow those here. Your mom won’t be here to police you. Well, as long as you stay out of trouble. Please, stay out of trouble.”
The prince let out a laugh, “That won’t be a problem.”
“Good,” Bloodgood sighed in relief. “You may go. You still have some time, so I recommend looking around. We have a café, and besides, we offer multiple extracurricular activities. Do you like soccer?”
“Nope,” He shook his head, “Thanks, anyway. I think I should find my way around."
The headmistress smiled. After watching the boy leave her office, she pressed her hands together, leaving out a worried sigh. She wanted Seth to be alright. She could see that something was bothering him, but he didn't feel confident enough to talk about it. She could only hope that eventually, with time, he'd feel more comfortable opening up. This was meant to be a safe environment for him.
Clawdeen and Draculaura happened to arrive at the same time. Frankie was waiting for Clawdeen at the school’s entrance, so the werewolf asked the vampire to join her. The moment the werewolf spotted Frankie, she ran into their arms excitedly, wrapping her arms around their waist. “The first day of high school! Freshman year, baby!” Clawdeen squeaked. “How exciting this all is?”
“So exciting!” Frankie laughed, feeling their nonexistent organs squished by Clawdeen’s tight grip. Clawdeen may have had a slender figure, but as a werewolf, she could probably lift an entire car. “Wait, Deena, you’re squishing my boobs. Ow. Ow."
“Sorry!” Clawdeen chuckled, pulling away to give some air to breathe. Seeing Frankie’s wavy hair styled in a half-up, half-down hairstyle, Clawdeen couldn’t help but notice that their hair had changed from last time. Instead of regular bangs, they had curtain bangs, and the white parts of their hair were far more noticeable. “Honey, how often a week are you planning to change your hair?”
“As often as I want.” They shrugged, swinging their long and luscious wavy hair behind their shoulders. “I’m still experimenting with it, so… I might get braids. I might straighten it. I might get blue highlights. Literally, I'm unstoppable right now."
“Wow,” Draculaura muttered, interrupting the conversation. “I wish my hair wasn’t so fried and boring.”
“Who’s that?” Frankie asked with a grin, not out of ill intent. They gave Clawdeen a confused stare, asking for an explanation. Clawdeen nodded and turned towards the vampire, “This is Frankie. We met at the pre-course and became besties quite fast. They’re non-binary.”
“Hey,” Frankie waved, examining Draculaura. "Nice to meet you."
“And this is…” Clawdeen continued, wanting to introduce the vampire. “What’s your name, again? Dracu-”
“It’s technically just Laura.”
“Yeah, I’ll call you Draculaura.”
"Nice to meet you too, Frankie." Turning to Frankie, the vampire smiled, extending her hand to shake theirs. “You’re super pretty.”
“Awh,” Frankie laughed. They made eye contact with Clawdeeen, the werewolf responding with a supportive smile. Thesimulacrum continued, “I heard a lot about your dad. The infamous Dracula.”
“Everyone knows him.” Draculaura nodded, shrugging. “ Except not everyone realizes that the book about him is very much historical fiction.”
“Don’t worry, I know all about historical fiction,” Frankie said, making eye contact with Clawdeen again. The three of them laughed just thinking of the infamous Frankenstein novel. “ Everyone knows that book. Normies love a good horror story.”
“Just not the monsters.” Draculaura nodded, scratching the back of her head. “Yup.”
“Well, we’re happy to have you here.” Frankie smiled, pulling the vampire into a hug. “Üdvözöllek! Is that how you say it in your language?”
“Yes!” The vampire clapped her hands together in awe. “We do! Also, oh my God, I adore your shoes!”
“Thanks.” Frankie laughed, looking down at their outfit. They wore an oversized Nirvana t-shirt over a white tennis skirt, black lace tights, and Converse high-heels. “Clawdeen got them for me last year, but it’s my first wearing them. I learned to walk in heels during the summer."
Before they could continue the conversation, an old, wrinkly, and pale blue-skinned phantom stepped over to the trio. “The doorway is not for chit-chat.” He said in a thick Hungarian accent, similar to Draculaura’s. “Please, move out of the way or sit in the hallway. We’re about to welcome a new group of students and must give an immaculate impression.
“It’s okay, Steve.” Erik, a French phantom, said, placing his arm on Mr. Rotter’s shoulder. He gave him a wide grin. “Don’t ruin their first day.”
“My name is István.” Mr. Rotter muttered in anger.
Behind them, a bright red-haired and purple-skinned phantom showed up, holding multiple snacks in her hands. She turned towards Erik, “Dad, I got you the-”
“Dad?” Clawdeen and Frankie asked in unison, their faces shocked. Immediately, Mr. Rotter sighed and stepped away.
“Is there a problem?” The redhead asked in a southern accent, her voice full of attitude. Clawdeen scoffed, and Operetta rolled her eyes. “Sweetiepie, if you think I got the main role in drama class last year because my dad is the music teacher, you’re very dumb.”
“Well, I was better than you!”
“Aw, bless your heart,” She gave the werewolf a fake smile. “Do you think the sun comes up just to hear you crow? Because no. The answer is no."
“Okay, girls, enough.” Erik sighed. He hated student drama, especially if his daughter was involved. “Operetta won’t be in any of my classes, and I was also not responsible for her role in last year’s play. Now that we have that out of the way,” He muttered, fixing his black and white tux. “I must greet the new students.”
Turning around, Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Frankie spotted a group of around twenty humans standing in the parking lot, being intensely stared down by the monsters surrounding them. The werewolf hissed, “First, they banned us from their towns, now they are in our territory. How does this work again?”
“Let it go,” Frankie shook their head, sliding on and off a loose bandage on their right ring finger. “It’s not their fault. At least, not theirs specifically."
“I won’t let it go!” Clawdeen whisper-shouted. “My grandparents had to move homes fifteen times. Fifteen!”
“Khm,” Bloodgood said, digging through the crowd of students. As she reached the group, she smiled and greeted them with a nod, “Welcome to Monster High.”
The students looked younger than Monster High’s students yet were considered eligible for the school regardless. Throughout Bloodgood’s entire speech, Draculaura spaced out. Her mind filled with memories of her and her father being chased by crowds of humans carrying pitchforks and torches, wishing the worst upon them. As a couple of the girls walked beside them, hurrying inside the building, Draculaura almost fainted, grabbing onto the closest person she could and almost taking someone else down with her. “Oh my God, are you okay?”
Draculaura looked up, seeing a wide-eyed normie girl with long chestnut wavy hair and tan skin holding onto her. Startled, the vampire let go of her grip, staring at the human opposite her in shock. “I’m…” She stood up, backing away, searching for her friends who had already gone inside without noticing that she wasn’t in her right mind.
“Wait, I know you!” The girl insisted. “My grandmother told me about you. You’re Dracula’s daughter. We’re cousins!”
“Cousins?”
In that second, Clawdeen and Frankie stepped outside, preparing to come to Draculaura’s defense at any second. Frankie wrapped their arms together in front of their chest, trying to act all intimidating. “What do you want?”
“Your friend almost fainted.” The girl responded, immediately understanding she wasn’t welcome. “I caught her so she wouldn’t hit her head on the concrete.”
“Cool, well, you can go now,” Clawdeen said. “Follow your little human friends. Aren’t they waiting for you?”
“My mother was born a vampire and attended this school,” She responded. “My great-grandmother was a witch. If you ask me, I think I belong here.”
"Right, so what you’re saying is your mom betrayed her own people." The werewolf raised a brow, her facial expression annoyed. "That doesn’t make you a monster, you know?”
“She didn’t betray anyone.”
“Leave her alone, guys,” Draculaura muttered. “Why can’t she connect to her roots? Stop being mean.”
Before either of the girls could react, two human girls peeked through the doorway. “Lucia, are you coming?”
“Yeah,” The brunette nodded, forcing a smile. “Just a sec.”
One of the girls, dressed in fancy clothing and her light brown hair styled in layers, looked Clawdeen up and down, meeting eyes with her friend as they let out a laugh. Noticing their focused stares, Clawdeen decided to stand up for herself. “If you want to stare me down, you could at least be less obvious about it.”
“Oh, my bad.” A blonde-haired girl laughed, her voice melodic but fake. “You know, we were just talking about how you werewolf girlie aren't as hairy as I expected. I mean, you’re a wolf. Your hair is like your fur. My mom told me you guys are congested with fleas. Must be tough for you.”
The werewolf couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “Excuse me?”
“Your coat looks like it was made from another wolf's leg hair.”
“Lilith, stop,” Lucia whispered, trying to stop others from looking at them. “You’re doing too much. Stop being an asshole.”
“Yeah,” Instead of listening, she snorted. “Maybe your stupid little ass does belong between these weirdos. Good luck trying to fit in, witch .” With that, Lilith and her friends turned around, rushing towards the auditorium.
Lucia scoffed, muttering something undrneath her breath. Watching Lucia walk back inside the building, the group of three made eye contact, each shocked by the previous events. Clawdeen shook her head, “I have a really bad feeling about them.”
Chapter 9: Chapter 8 - The Ancient Spellbook
Summary:
"I walk this path to find my place."
- Forevermoor (The Evermoor Chronicles)The students at Monster High are told about the discovery of letters that could lead to finding the ancient spellbook buried deep between the school's walls. A group of three normie students begin conspiring.
Notes:
This and the upcoming chapter were supposed to be one, but it was too long and I decided I'd split it up instead.
Chapter Text
Catty was surprised to receive an invitation to another royal gala. While she happily accepted, both she and Seth couldn't help but feel it might have been a publicity stunt. Knowing that they would be the center of attention in most upcoming news headlines, they decided to keep a low profile and left the party early without asking for permission. After changing into more comfortable clothing, they headed to a quieter part of the town, bought snacks from a convenience store, and found a peaceful playground surrounded by two-story family houses. The weather was perfect for a night walk, and they enjoyed the calm atmosphere, which was a great change from the loud gala packed with thousands of guests.
“Can I ask a question?” Catty asked, turning towards Seth as they both lay on the grass, looking at the stars created to replicate the Earth’s skyline. The streets were dimly lit and as a result, there were barely any cars around. It felt like the entire town had stopped for the night. “Why does your mom want me around, anyway?”
Seth shrugged, “She wants to show that our family isn’t as closed off as many would think. She wants to pretend she cares about pop culture to keep us relevant, but it’s all stupid.”
“What do you think she’ll do if she finds out we ran away?”
“I think she’s too distracted discussing the history of Turkish rugs.” He muttered, playing around with the dreads touching his forehead. “We have school tomorrow. I don’t want Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons stuck in my head all night. It gives me nightmares.”
Catty snorted, “You’re not much of a classical music fan, huh?”
“I was forced to take ballet classes as a child.” He said. “Anytime I hear anything classical, I get reminded of my Italian ballet teacher screaming at me to straighten my leg. It was not a fun time.”
“Got it.” She smiled. “Given that your father is in a rock band, I’d assume you’re not very fond of that genre either, are you?”
“I don’t hate it.”
“Well,” Catty began, “You’ve certainly inherited his talent. I hope you take that as a compliment because, so far, it seems like wasted potential.”
“Maybe if I was born into a different family.” He answered sadly. “My mother and I had a few discussions, but I don’t think I have her full support. She’s still against me going into music.”
“Has she heard your music?”
“Have you, though?” He knew Catty wanted to be supportive, but he was worried his music wouldn’t live up to her expectations. “It’s nothing special. I do it for fun. Maybe that’s all it’s going to stay. Just a fun hobby.”
“Alright,” The girl sighed. Despite Seth’s worries, she wanted to encourage him. “Show me one of your songs. Which one are you the most proud of? There has to be one.”
“Genuinely,” He laughed, pursing his lips, wondering if this was a good idea. Maybe it wasn’t even about them not being good enough, but rather that he was too shy to present them to Catty. She was famous for her songwriting skills, after all. “I’m not sure any are ready to see the light of the day yet. There is one that I wrote a little while ago, but it’s deeply personal.”
The werecat shrugged, “Can I be the first one to hear it?”
Eventually, the boy agreed. He connected his earbuds to his phone, handed one to Catty, and pressed play. Listening to the song, he closed his eyes, silently processing every lyric. The song was about his personal struggles, many of which he hadn’t told anyone about. Despite keeping it private for so long, he was proud of the song.
Reaching the last chorus, he felt a warm touch on his hand and his whole body tensed up. He turned his head, seeing Catty’s worried eyes staring at him. “I told you it was personal.”
Shaking her head, she responded kindly. “Can I listen to more?”
“I mean, if you insist….”
“I insist.” She grinned happily, digging her fingers into his dreadlocks to brush them away from his forehead. “And if you want, I can take you to a recording studio.”
Feeling Catty’s hand in his hair, he felt his cheeks heat up. “Okay,” He had been to recording studios with his father before, but this was going to be an entirely different situation. ”I would truly be honored if you did that for me.” He scrolled through his phone and played more songs. They spoke about their meanings, made a few lyric changes, and eventually, on the way back, the conversation became even more personal. This helped Catty have a clearer outlook on Seth’s music, learning more about his upbringing and relationship with his parents. Once arriving at their place of stay, the two parted ways and headed to their bedrooms.
The next morning, Frankie and Clawdeen woke earlier than usual. Clawdeen assumed Cleo would stay home to heal from her surgery, but the mummy princess refused to miss a day, refusing to miss out on anything. To make matters worse, they shared almost every class, and Cleo just sat opposite her at every opportunity. The school’s cold purple hallways were filled with the loud chatters of students preparing for their first classes of the day. Suddenly, a deep voice blasted through the school’s loudspeakers, catching everyone’s attention. “Students of Monster High,” Bloodgood spoke, the sound quality low and sometimes entirely unclear. “I am excited to announce a special guest visiting us today. Mrs. Evanora Cualdronello, historian of witchcraft and sorcery, is here to present an incredible artifact recently discovered on the grounds of Monster High. Please make your way to the auditorium.”
“Cualdronello?” Catty gasped, staring at Casta in shock. They were standing in front of their lockers near the bathrooms, waiting for the bell to ring. “Wait, is that your mom?”
“Yup,” Casta shrugged, smiling proudly. She was always excited to hear about her mother’s discoveries - especially when they related to witch history. The two began walking towards the auditorium, the witch giving Catty some interesting information to keep in mind. “My mom works for a museum in Boo York. I’m not as interested in history, but when you hear what she found, you’ll be amazed.”
The students hurried to the auditorium, some more excited than others. Toralei and her two werecat friends were sitting in the back, munching on a few snacks while gossiping about the latest news about the students of Monster High. From the corner of her eye, the werecat saw a group of four normie students settling in the same line as them. Immediately, the werecat placed her long legs on the chairs beside her and let out a cat-like hiss, letting the humans know she didn’t appreciate their presence. She could see a teacher glaring at her, but she leaned back in her seat, without caring about the others finding her actions disrespectful.
“Where’s Nefera?” Frankie asked, looking around the almost full auditorium. “And Clawdia. I can’t see either of them. It’s unlike your sister to get into trouble by missing something as important as this.”
“Honestly,” Clawdeen laughed bitterly. “I’m not sure I know my sister anymore. Nefera is a terrible influence and you’d expect anyone to recognize that. Especially Clawdia.”
Overhearing the conversation, Lagoona leaned forward and tapped Clawdeen’s thigh to get her attention, “Hey, don’t overthink it.” She smiled. “Some other seniors aren’t here either. Maybe they have other responsibilities right now. You can’t blame everything on Nefera.”
Sitting in front of the group, Cleo turned around, giving the werewolf a bitter smile, “I heard you guys talking about my sister. What’s there to gossip about?”
“Considering neither of our sisters are here, I would simply like to know where they are when they should be right here .”
“Ask your mother,” Cleo said. “Besides, why can’t you just talk to Clawdia? You don’t seriously think she’d be skipping classes, do you?”
Clawdeen sighed and leaned back in her chair, feeling slightly embarrassed that she even imagined her sister would do such a thing. Clawdia may have been disgustingly in love with Nefera, but she always kept her attendance in check and would barely ever miss important events or classes, unless it was truly necessary. In that second, both Nefera and Clawdia walked through the auditorium’s doors and parted ways as Clawdia took a seat beside her brother Clawd and Nefera headed to the front row. Toralei and the werecat twins got up, rushing after the crown princess, and occupied the remaining seats, Meowlody forcing a short zombie to give up his seat for her. “Who are they?” Draculaura asked, eyeing Clawdeen with a confused expression.
“Just the most insufferable people you’ll ever meet,” Clawdeen replied, trying to seem unbothered. “The twins, Meowlody and Purrsephone are the daughters of a multi-millionaire, whereas Toralei, their group’s leader, is the daughter of a cleaning lady for a rich local family. She tells everyone she’s from Crown Street, you know, where all the wealthy have their villas, but she only lives in one because her mother is required to stay there.”
“Well, how does nobody find out?”
“She’s too good of a liar and her friends are extremely stupid.” She answered. “The house belongs to a Japanese pilot and his daughter is barely ever home. Toralei tells everyone she’s related to them, but she isn’t. I know because her mom, Sylvia, used to work at my grandma’s workplace.”
Suddenly, Cleo turned around and interrupted, “Correction, Sylvia is her stepmom.”
“Do the details matter?” Clawdeen raised a brow, starting to get annoyed. “Can’t you go and sit somewhere else, Cleo? Also, why are you listening to my conversation and why aren’t you with my brother? Or your sister?”
A zombie with red cat-eye glasses and blue hair joined the conversation, “Cleo and I are hanging out.” She moaned in zombie language. She then glanced at Draculaura, “Who is the new girl?”
“Hi!” The vampire waved, excited to meet new people. “I’m Laura. Dracula’s daughter.” She shook Ghoulia’s hand as a greeting, but Cleo denied her offer with an eye roll. Draculaura shook her head, “And… you are?”
“Princess Cleo, daughter of Ramses De Nile, former King of Egypt.” The brown-skinned girl answered, acting too important to make eye contact with the vampire.
“I like your blue eyes.” Draculaura smiled. “You’re pretty.”
She thought some kind words could get Cleo to loosen up, but the mummy princess wasn’t one to start friendships with just anyone. The princess laughed, surprised by the sudden compliment. Not wanting to seem cold to a stranger, she formed her lips into a smile, “You’re very pretty, too! Some new makeup would do wonders for you, though.”
“Okay, enough!” Clawdeen replied. She didn’t want Cleo around her friends especially not her newest one. “Stop listening to my conversations, will you?”
“Calm down, I was not listening to your conversation.” Cleo rolled her eyes. “But if you need any gossip about that annoying cat, you’ve come to the right person.”
“Well, gossiping is not a nice thing,” Frankie shrugged. Cleo threw them a disgusted glance, making them shut up immediately.
“Look, Deena…” The princess sighed and lowered her voice. “I am terribly sorry about our break up. I know this isn’t the place to talk about it, but I do genuinely regret using the ‘not wanting to date werewolves' excuse. I just wasn’t sure if Dad would approve of our relationship.”
Clawdeen scoffed, “Did Clawd tell you to apologize?”
“No,” She said. “And I don’t usually give out apologies, so please… Can you please let this one go?”
“I still think your sister is an asshole,” Clawdeen answered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “And to be fair, you aren’t the nicest person either, but at least you apologized. In your way, but-”
“But this doesn’t mean we’re friends,” Cleo nodded. “I know that. And as long as you leave me alone, I’ll leave you alone, too.”
Draculaura raised a brow, confused and saddened, “But I’d love to be friends with you!”
“Draculaura,” Clawdeen spoke through gritted teeth. “ Don’t .”
Cleo gave Draculaura a small smile, “No worries, I’ll be in touch!” She then turned around, grabbed Ghoulia’s arm, and dragged the zombie down the stairs to Nefera and Toralei’s group. Before Clawdeen could explain herself, Bloodgood stepped over to the microphone and began speaking, “Now, if everyone has settled down, I would like to talk about why I called you all here.” She was a pale-skinned woman and wore her black hair in a tight bun, all paired with a tight-fitting violet suit.
The werewolf whispered, “I’ll tell you something afterward.” Hearing that, the vampire nodded and sighed, scared that she might have ruined any potential trust between her and Clawdeen.
“Every year we tell you about the incredible history of our school,” Bloodgood smiled, her deep voice filled with excitement. “How the very building we are in right now was created by a group of incredible human witches who wanted to keep monsterkind safe from the rising hate crimes on Earth. As you may all know, our school was first opened in New Salem, a part of town in Salem, Oregon where many monster and magical families lived, but were forced out over two centuries ago.”
“Have you guys ever been to Salem before?” Draculaura whispered, trying to get Frankie and Clawdeen’s attention.
“I lived there for a year,” Frankie shrugged. “I had to hide, though. My family didn’t know about Monster High back then.”
Bloodgood continued, “Exactly a month ago, an incredible discovery had been made,” She raised her voice, making sure everybody understood the weight of her words. “The fantastic archeologists of the Museum of Unnatural History in Boo York City have discovered a collection of letters written by the same witches who created the Monster Universe. This led them to the conclusion that the pages of the very same spellbook that had been used to create our school are buried deep in the walls of this very building.”
“Ugh,” Toralei rolled her eyes and uttered a few words to her friends. “This is why we had to come here? Who cares about an ancient spellbook?”
“It gets worse when you realize our next class is History,” Meowlody shook her head. The werecats all turned towards Nefera, who seemed to be spaced out throughout the entire speech. It was clearer than day that she wasn’t paying attention, but Cleo didn’t overthink it. She thought it was probably something related to her meds and didn’t want to bother her. What Cleo had no idea about was that earlier that day, Nefera had received a secretive text from her father, asking her to return to Boo York City the same afternoon. It was about the results of a new expedition in Luxor and she was specifically asked not to share any information with Cleo. The crown princess could only guess what it was about, and Ra knew how much she didn’t want to be correct.
Casta’s mother, Evanora, had now switched places with Bloodgood and was talking about the letters’ details and the spellbook’s history. “Although it would be an incredible find, the spellbook’s pages are better left untouched.” She looked almost identical to her daughter. Tall with green skin and dark hair, dressed in gothic fashion. “The letters reveal that any witch who finds the book will have the power to destroy the entire Magical Realm, including the Monster Universe.”
“Destroy?” Sofia, one of the normie girls, whispered to her friends. “That is absolutely insane. Melanie, your mom was from Magix, so she must’ve known about this spellbook!”
“Yeah, no.” The curly-haired girl let out a laugh and shook her head, “After Mom died, Dad forbade me from ever bringing up anything witchcraft-related. He locked away all her books and potions, including her diary.”
“Well, you should totally find it!” Sofia laughed. “Imagine if you could use your powers. We could pull a few pranks on these monsters.”
“I would never disrespect my mom’s legacy by misusing magic to harm others.” Melanie said, “Besides, I don’t get your issue with them. I mean, are they harming anyone?”
Eventually, their blonde friend, Lilith broke her silence, “Didn’t a werewolf’s bite kill your mother?”
“We don’t know if it was a werewolf,” Melanie said. She didn’t know why she was getting so defensive, but this topic was emotional for her and she refused to make claims that weren’t true. “She got lost in the woods and God knows what she saw that day. I met a family of werewolves when I was staying in Boo York and they did not harm me.”
“Right,” Lilith nodded and formed her lips into an annoyed pout, “Maybe they didn’t harm you, but that doesn’t mean others won’t. My uncle, Van Hellscream, knows these stories oh so well.”
Hearing this, Sofia burst into laughter, “Oh, your delusional uncle. You don’t believe his fairytales, do you?”
Upset by Sofia’s comment, Lilith stood up and headed out of the auditorium, leaving her two friends behind. She made her way towards one of the bathrooms and walked over to the sinks to fix up her makeup in the large mirror. Not only was the school too dark for her liking, but she was constantly freezing thanks to the low temperatures. Hearing one of the toilets flush, she noticed a brown-skinned mummy girl stepping out of a stall. She wore her black hair in goddess braids and a black mini dress hugged her body. Her arms were adorned with matching mummy wraps, decorating her arms like a fingerless glove. As she approached the sink to wash her hands, the two spoke no words to each other, but Cleo could feel the blonde’s intense stare all over her body.
Without thinking, Lilith reached for one of the loose wraps dangling on Cleo’s arms, but her hand was immediately slapped away by the princess, who gripped onto her fingers with all her power. Cleo’s blue eyes met Lilith’s gray ones, “If you mistake me for a fool, you are playing with the wrong person. Don’t put your nasty little hands on me again, understand?”
Lilith untangled herself from Cleo’s grip and turned back to the mirror. The princess pulled out a clear lip gloss, applied some to her two-toned lips, and after running her hands through her braids, she walked away. When the girl was finally away, Lilith pulled out her phone and opened her messages, pressing down on the voice message icon, “Uncle, I have some incredible news for you. Call me when you wake up.”
Chapter 10: Chapter 9 - Secrets and Lies
Summary:
"Tell the truth or eventually someone will tell it for you."
Queen Amuncommon visits Medusa's restaurant. Draculaura meets an unknown family member, while Toralei, Meowlody and Purrsephone find out about Liltih's plan, so Toralei asks Clawdeen to help her find out what the three are up to. Clawdeen, Draculaura and Frankie have to make a tough decision.
Chapter Text
Queen Amuncommon wasn’t planning on staying in town for longer than a day, but after she heard that her flight from Boo York City to Scaris would be delayed due to bad weather conditions, she decided to explore New Salem - without her bodyguards. Last night’s gala was a success. Just as she expected, the headlines were centered all around it, especially around her son, Seth, and Catty Noir, who had made an appearance at the gala. In some ways it may have looked like a publicity stunt, trying to make the Ptolemy family seem more modernized in the eye of the public, but her true intentions were to help Seth feel more comfortable in an entirely new place.
The streets of New Salem were practically empty. It was around lunchtime. People were either working or having their second meal of the day inside their homes. The Queen had laid eyes on a small Greek restaurant on Mason Street, located on the ground floor of an apartment complex. When she stepped inside, her ears were hit by the traditional Greek music playing through the speakers. Surprised to see barely anyone inside, she stepped over to the counter, noticing noises coming from the kitchen, “Excuse me?” The queen shouted, hoping to get someone’s attention. “Are you open?”
“Yes, just a second,” A hoarse voice spoke from inside the kitchen, footsteps approaching the double door, which swung open a minute later. A snake-haired woman stepped outside. In her hands she was carrying multiple glass soda bottles, planning on stocking the freezer with them. When she noticed who was standing opposite the counter, she almost dropped everything. ”Good morning, I…” She gulped, “I am-”
“Medusa,” Queen Amuncommon smiled, extending an arm as an offer to shake Medusa’s hand. “We’ve met before. Nineteen years ago I ate at your restaurant in Mykonos.”
“Forgive me for the wait, ma’am,” Medusa responded, placing the soda bottles on the counter. “We don’t get a lot of guests around this time of day, so..”
The queen shrugged, “Perhaps I’m in luck.”
“I would be more than honored to serve Your Majesty,” Medusa said, “Please, take a seat somewhere. I’ll bring out the menu in a moment.”
“Oh, I’ll be good here.” Amuncommon answered, hopping onto one of the barstools in front of the counter, “Please, take your time. There’s no need to rush.”
The green-skinned woman nodded and handed the menu card to the queen. Once she had finished choosing, Medusa informed the chefs and the staff finally got to work. While the queen drank some white wine, the restaurant owner couldn’t help but ask questions. “So, what brings you here, ma’am?”
“Oh, I was just walking around.” The queen spoke and dug her fingers into her straightened shoulder-length hair. “I’m trying to get to know the town before I return to Boo York City. I don’t feel like staying at the estate and having paperwork shoved down my throat. My son was just enrolled in Monster High, you know.”
“I remember you were pregnant when you visited us in Mykonos,” Medusa chuckled, remembering fondly of 2003’s Summer. “I have a son here, too. His name is Deuce. He just began his first year, and yes, he did tell me he heard about your son attending.”
“It was his request, and although I wasn’t sure, I understand that I can’t keep him locked away from the world.”
Medusa smiled, “Sometimes change is good.”
The first time she met Amuncommon was a day she never forgot. They had only a short conversation, but her respect for the Queen certainly grew. She was forever appreciative of the donations she made to her restaurant to thank Medusa for the great service. Although much had changed since then, she was lucky to reunite with her. When the Queen finished her food, she pulled a one-hundred-dollar bill from her wallet, handing it to Medusa, “Keep the change.”
“Oh, I can’t possibly,” The woman shook her head, hesitant to accept the money, but Amuncommon insisted. Finally, Medusa nodded in acceptance and took the bill. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Amuncommon gathered her belongings, “I’ll make sure to leave a good review.” Saying that she walked out of the small restaurant, leaving Medusa to ponder about the possible outcome of this meeting. If the Queen recommended her restaurant to others, it could become more popular and she could finally make enough money to purchase a better home for her and Deuce.
There was one class left before lunch break and the students at Monster High couldn’t wait to finish classes for the day. It was an entirely different experience with normies around, and although most monsters didn’t mind it, Cleo was already having enough of their presence. Not only because they wouldn’t stop bothering her, but many questions they asked her were simply uncomfortable to answer. She hurried inside the lecture hall for Dead Languages class and took a seat beside Deuce. She dramatically handed him her gold leather jacket and sighed as she tilted her head on the table, “The normies have only been here for two days, yet I’m already sick of them.”
Lagoona, sitting in front of Cleo, cocked a brow and turned around, “What happened?” She asked as she ran a few wet wipes through her shiny blue scales.
“One of them just asked me if I was named after that woman.”
“Cleopatra?”
“Yes, that woman!” Cleo shouted, “I can’t believe it, Bluey. Do I look like I was born out of incest?”
Before anyone could answer, The princess shrieked and slammed a thick textbook to the table, making Mr. Rotter jump in fear. Deuce’s girlfriend, Rochelle, raised a brow, finding Cleo’s reaction somewhat intense. “Uh, no offense, but…” The blonde spoke in her thick French accent. “Why would you pick the name Cleo if you don’t want people asking you that question?”
Annoyed, the princess scoffed, “Because I liked it? No offense .”
“Great,” Rochelle nodded as she leaned back in her seat. “She doesn’t like me.”
Sitting in the back of the lecture hall, the group of three normie girls had their heads buried in Lilith’s phone. The blonde had her entire mind focused on articles about the ancient spellbook. Although she had no access to the monster side of the internet on her phone, she had found enough information to entertain herself. “Melanie, you need to dig through your mom’s belongings. If it turns out you can do magic, we could find the spellbook and bring back your mom. Wouldn’t you want that?”
“Even if I did, my dad would one hundred percent kill me if I went up to the attic,” She whispered, shaking her head. “There’s no way. He set up cameras inside the house to make sure he could keep me in control.”
“You could always climb through a window,” Sofia shrugged. “I’m sure there’s a ladder in the garage.”
“Yeah, and who’s going to open that window?” Melanie rolled her eyes. “Dumbass.”
Lilith raised a brow, “I thought you knew a few spells. Didn’t you do an invisibility spell to cheat on your Math test last year?”
“So that’s how you got an A!” Sofia gasped, leaving out a shocked laugh. “Girl, I wish I was half witch, too. Being a normie gets so boring sometimes.”
“Fine,” Melanie sighed and turned towards Lilith. “But if I get into trouble, you’ll do whatever I say for the rest of the school year. Deal?”
As the bell rang, Lilith shrugged, gathered her school supplies, and got up, “We’ll see about that.”
Watching the normie students leave, the three werecats sitting two rows underneath them locked eyes, staring at each other with confused faces. For a second, Toralei thought her ears were deceiving her, but they weren’t. Meowlody couldn’t keep quiet, “Melanie’s half-witch? What?”
“It’s not a big deal,” Purrsephone muttered. “They’re fooling around. There’s no way they’re going to get their hands on that stupid spellbook. It’s, like, ancient. It’s probably been walled in.”
“Fooling around?” Meowlody raised her brows, “You know what they could do to monsterkind if they did get their hands on it? They could destroy our world and potentially kill us. I say we should tell Casta.”
“Yeah, no! We’re not telling anyone.” Toralei said, lifting her legs off the table. “I say we follow them after school. Once we find out more about their intentions, we’ll figure out what to do.”
“Um, excuse me, do you mean we should go to normie-town?” Purrsephone scoffed, weirded out that Toralei would even suggest such a thing. “How do you expect us to blend in? They’ll catch us.”
“We’ll figure it out,” The orange-skinned cat stood up, “Until then, you guys try getting one of their numbers. And you better have it by the end of the day or I’ll ask Casta to turn you into fish food. Toralei out.”
In the hallway, Draculaura had just arrived from World Literature, a class she didn’t share with anyone she recognized. She could hardly memorize all the different classrooms in the building, not to mention her locker’s password. Struggling to open the lock for almost an entire minute, when she finally did, she heard a soft and melodic voice behind the open door, making her jump in fear. When she shut the locker, she noticed a familiar face with long and black wavy hair, light brown skin, and dark, but cheerful eyes. “Hi!” The girl said, looking at Draculaura with a welcoming smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I wanted to talk to you.”
“O-kay,” Draculaura nodded, pursing her lips. “Wait, you’re that normie girl who caught me when I fainted last time, right?”
“Yeah!” She said, shyly playing with the bracelets around her wrist. “Um, I’m Lucia, or Lucy, as everyone calls me. I’m from Mexico, but you can probably hear the accent. Anyway, not the point. We are second cousins through my mom. Have you heard of the Dumitriu family?”
“The who?” She blinked, somewhat confused. “I haven’t been to Transylvania for ages. Are you sure you have the right person?”
“Yes!” Lucy insisted. She pulled out an antique locket from her bag, the pendant having the same decoration as the one that often hung from Dracula’s neck. “My mom gave this to me. She said it was passed down to her by family members. I was wondering if I could speak to Dracula?”
“Speak to my dad?” The vampire asked, unsure what to make of this situation. “I mean, theoretically, I could ask him. It’s just, that he never told me about you - and I usually recognize all my cousins.”
“I understand,” She nodded. “My mom was born in 1821. When Wallachia and Moldavia united, she moved to Bucharest. My grandma’s maiden name was Drágffy - the same as your surname.”
“Well, I was adopted,” Draculaura chuckled, appreciating the girl’s excitement. “But that’s very cool. It’s always nice to meet family members I have never heard of. You must be excited to be here.”
“You bet I am!” Lucy beamed. “My mom was one of the very first students at Monster High when the school opened. Not here, but at the actual school in Oregon. I’m glad to connect with her roots, even if she’s not a vampire anymore.”
Draculaura and Lucy walked to class together. Clawdeen and Frankie couldn’t deny that they were confused by the two hanging out, worried that any normie could potentially harm the school’s students. Clawdeen wanted to spend time with Draculaura, but as it seemed Lucy was continuously around, she left the two alone and decided to eat lunch with Frankie and Lagoona. Cleo, also preparing for lunch, was digging through her locker. On the day of the ceremony, she had placed a keychain inside her locker and was planning on taking it back to Nefera’s house to put it in her bedroom’s new jewelry box. After mumbling a few Ancient Egyptian cuss words, she sighed, “I swear it was right here!”
“ What are you searching for? ” Ghoulia moaned in zombie language. She wore their choppy pastel blue hair in a ponytail decorated with a red scrunchie. “ Do you need help? ”
“They keychain Clawdeen gave me last year,” Cleo muttered. “I didn’t want to lose it, but it seems now I have. Seriously, how could I lose such a thing? It was a half-moon. It’s not hard to miss.”
“ Maybe someone found it and returned it to Clawdeen?” Ghoulia suggested, carefully styling Cleo’s braids with golden clips she found in the mummy’s locker. To both of them, playing with each other’s hair was an act of trust and friendship. The two met the two-year pre-high school course and as everyone in Cleo’s friend group could understand zombie language, they developed an immediate bond. They trusted each other with all their secrets.
“Oh,” The princess sighed. Finally, she closed her locker and leaned against it, “But don’t you think she would’ve said something? Even teasingly?”
The zombie shrugged, “Maybe she thought you dropped it on purpose,” Seeing Cleo’s saddened face, Ghoulia could only feel sorry for her. She knew how much the princess regretted her actions towards Clawdeen, but was too insecure to give out an honest apology. When noticing Clawd in the near distance, Ghoulia patted Cleo’s shoulder and walked to the cafeteria to give her some space.
Unlike anyone else, Catty spent lunch away from the cafeteria. She could barely walk two seconds without being screamed at by fans, so she asked her lunch to be put in a container she brought from the dormitory and she settled in the library. She had missed multiple conversations going around the school, especially the ones about the extra-curricular activities. She wasn’t interested in any of them, anyway. She wanted to be treated like any other student before she joined any activities. Suddenly, the chair in front of her was pulled out, and another werecat wearing black latex pants over a leopard-printed bodysuit hopped down in front of her. Her hair was chin-length, orange and wavy, “Hi, there.” The cat grinned, extending her orange hand to the dark-skinned girl opposite her. “Catty, right? I’m Toralei.”
So surprised by someone approaching her, Catty began coughing, almost choking on the bonbon she had just swallowed, “Sorry. Please, go on.”
Toralei made a disgusted face, rolling down the sleeves of her cropped leather jacket as she waited for Catty’s cough to pass, “You good?”
“Mhm,” Catty forced a smile and made eye contact. “Yeah, everything’s cool.”
“Right, uh,” Toralei muttered, “I was just curious if you’d accept my offer to join the school’s fearleading squad.”
“Oh!”
“Not that I’m the captain or anything,” The girl laughed bitterly, hoping Nefera would appreciate her more if she brought in someone famous. “We’ll be recruiting members next week, but you don’t need to audition. You’re special, so…”
Catty scratched her neck, “You know, all my respect for fearleaders and all the stuff you do, but I’m more of an ‘I would like to stay on my two feet’ type of cat.” She didn’t want to offend Toralei, but fearleading wasn’t anything that interested her. Her past gymnastics experience already gave her nightmares.
“You wouldn’t have to tumble.” Toralei sighed and grabbed some of Catty’s pencils on the table, playing around with them. “In any case, we would teach you. A famous member would always be useful in competitions.”
Before Catty could respectfully decline again, two beautifully manicured brown hands slapped on the table, making Toralei jump in shock. “She’s not joining your stupid squad,” An auburn-haired werewolf interrupted, her eyes fixed on Toralei. “Leave her alone. She clearly said she didn’t want to do it.”
“Can’t she speak for herself?” Toralei spat back. Suddenly the werewolf let out a loud growl and her yellow eyes lit up in annoyance. Scared again, the orange-skinned cat let out a high-pitched meow and rushed away. Werecats certainly didn’t want to pull fights with werewolves.
Catty was too stunned to speak. Rushingly throwing the werecat’s belongings back in her pink bag, Clawdeen finally looked up. “Let’s get you out of here,” She said as she grabbed Catty’s arm and dragged her out of the library.
The cat struggled to keep up with the fast wolf in front of her. Her thigh-high boots already made it hard for her to balance on the courtyard's uneven paver stones. She didn't like being dragged around, especially without knowing the reason, and particularly not by a freshman.
When Clawdeen turned around, Catty grabbed her bag and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You can’t just drag me around like that. It’s honestly very disrespectful.”
“You need to hear me out first,” Clawdeen replied, taking a seat on a garden bench and patting the empty seat. The werecat sighed deeply and hopped next to Clawdeen. “I’m all ears.” She declared, raising her pink brows in interest. “But it better be worth interrupting my lunch.”
“Toralei is a chronic liar.”
“Mhm,” Catty said, her lips forming into a slight smile. “Is this the part where you’re going to tell me that she’s only trying to use me for popularity and doesn’t care if I am skilled at fearleading? Because if that’s the case, I know.”
“Yes, but-” The werewolf sighed. “There’s more to this story.”
“I’m all ears,” Catty giggled, taking her bottle of iced coffee out of her bag. “Tell me all I need to know.”
“So…” Clawdeen sighed. “So, Tora loves to go around and tell everyone that she’s from this prosperous family that owns that gigantic mansion on Crown Street. Except, none of that is true. Most students can’t access that street unless they live there, and people don’t catch onto her bullshit.”
“Wait, I live on Crown Street!” The werecat laughed and shook her head. “I know which building.”
“Tora was adopted a few years ago,” Clawdeen explained, trying to keep her voice down. She may have had a strong dislike for Toralei, but if others found out about the girl’s secret, the tiger would’ve never left her alone. “Before that, she was in juvie because she damaged school property. That’s where she met those werecat twins. Her step-mom is a housemaid.”
“How’d you find out about that?”
“My parents know all werewolves in the area,” The auburn-haired pursed her lips and shrugged. “And her stepmom, Sylvie, is a werewolf.”
Catty nodded, “Well, I appreciate you telling me.” When she took another sip of her iced coffee, she noticed Seth walking around the courtyard, his eyes glued to his phone. Catty spaced out completely, taking in the boy’s gorgeous side profile. Although they lived in the same house, Seth had once again left earlier because his mother was in town, so they hadn’t spoken since the night. When she first realized the Prince of Boo York would be her classmate, she was more than excited. They were the same age and in the same grade. Maybe they were friends, but something about their bond felt more than just simple friendship. She wondered how much the other students knew about who he was. “Excuse me for a second,” Catty said, standing up. She ran over to Seth, patting his back to get his attention. “Hi,”
“Hi!” He smiled, finally looking up from his phone that kept on notifying him of new messages. “Sorry, my mom can’t stop texting me. How are you? I didn’t see you at lunch.”
“Gosh, I was chased down the hallway by a group of crazy fans,” The werecat laughed. She lifted her head and made eye contact with the boy standing in front of her. “Do you have time after school? I want to take you to a studio.”
“This guy called Heath invited me over to his house to hang out,” Seth answered. “He said it’d be him and some other guys - mostly freshmen and one junior. Apparently, he was specifically asked to be my friend. Would tomorrow be okay, though?”
“Yeah!” She smiled, trying to hold back her disappointment. “It’s all good. I should probably try and make some friends, too. I don’t know anyone other than you and Casta.”
The prince shrugged, “Well, you’re a ray of sunshine, so I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually. Besides, you can always come and hang out with me in between classes.”
“Sure!” The werecat chuckled and opened her arms, pulling the brown-skinned boy into a hug. The two barely shared any classes, and although Catty was planning on asking the headmistress to align her classes more with Seth’s, conversations like that made her stress too much over nothing. She overthought everything and could never say the right words when needed. Seeing a group of boys staring in Seth’s direction, Catty pulled away and smiled, “Your friends are waiting for you.”
Glancing in their direction, Seth turned back to Catty, “You can come and spend time with us if you’d like. I don’t think they’d mind.”
“I’ll be fine,” Catty shook her head, “I still need to finish my lunch. We’ll talk once you’re back from whoever’s house, okay?”
“Right,” He nodded. “Take care, Catty.”
The werecat waved goodbye and rushed inside the building, a group of young girls following behind her with excited screams. Seth let out a laugh, but he felt bad that the girl couldn’t get a second of alone time. Approaching his newly-found group of friends, they immediately began asking him about his relationship with the singer, quoting headlines and different articles about last night’s gala, “Has Prince Charming found his Cinderella?” Heath improvised, theatrically placing a hand on his forehead.
“We’re not dating,” Seth clarified, stealing a bag of chips from Heath’s hands. “And even if we were, shouldn’t that be our business? You know, privacy?”
“You’re royalty, dude,” Deuce said. “I thought you were used to no privacy, but it seems to me you’re not.”
“My family has always been very private,” Seth answered. “You’d be surprised how much the public doesn’t know about us. Why do you think I wear a mask in public appearances?”
“Because it’s fancy!” Heath’s cousin, a blue-skinned wasian boy with red hair interrupted, loud music blasting through the headphones around his neck. He was on his third energy drink of the day, which he very quickly hid behind his back the moment Mrs. J, his mother, and Biteology teacher, approached. He forced a grin on his face, pretending he wasn’t hiding anything behind his back. He shouted, “ Māma!”
“Holt Andrew Jekyll-Hyde, what did I say about energy drinks?” The teacher said, eyeing her son strictly. She was an East-Asian woman of average height, flaming red hair tied into a tight bun and orange-tinted skin, similar to Heath’s, who happened to be her nephew. As the two continued arguing, switching back and forth between Cantonese, Korean, and English, Heath felt like he was transported into an entirely different universe. He couldn’t understand a word despite taking classes in both foreign languages.
Needing an excuse to get away from his annoyed mother before she turned him back into Jackson, Holt spotted the same green-skinned monster he had met in Germany. Frankie had just entered the courtyard with Clawdeen and Lagoona, turning around immediately at the sight of Holt. Unfortunately for Frankie, Holt had already spotted them and began approaching. Frankie’s friends let out a few chuckles at the sight of the boy and left the two alone to talk, “Firecracker!” Holt called out, saying the nickname he had given them in Bavaria. “Yo, I had no idea you’d be at this school.”
“Well, here I am!” Frankie laughed, trying to act normal as if the entire courtyard wasn’t already staring at the two of them. “Hi, Holt. Long time no see.”
“Listen,” Holt began. “I know you broke up with Jackson, and I know he’s gay, but I’m bisexual, so! We had chemistry and I think it’d be a shame to throw that all away.”
“Okay,” Frankie was flabbergasted, “Well, I thought we broke up because you guys share a body and he wouldn’t have felt comfortable with me dating you.”
“That’s valid, and…” Holt said and let out a sigh. ”If you're up for it, and with Jackson's permission, would you be open to giving our relationship another shot? If you'd rather stay friends, I totally understand.”
“Can I sleep on this?” The green-skinned sighed, placing a hand on Holt’s shoulder. “You’re a great guy, Holt, but I honestly don’t know how to feel right now. I’m still figuring out my sexuality and I don’t want you to end up hurt if we don’t work out again. I don’t want to make this situation more awkward than it already is.”
At that moment, Holt removed his headphones, transforming back into a human-looking boy with light skin, glasses, and a much more put-together outfit, holding the now quiet headphones in his hand. He had, of course, known about the entire conversation as he could always hear it. Frankie let out another sigh, waiting for Jackson to be the first one to speak, “I know I could’ve gone better about that conversation.” He said, at last, his voice shy and quiet. “I was still figuring out this entire turning into a different person thing, and I was having a hard time accepting my sexuality, too. I didn’t want to ghost you.”
“I’m not upset at you,” Frankie smiled. “Believe me, I understand what it’s like to spend your summer figuring yourself out. I was going through something similar, and while I can’t say I’ve gotten closer, I feel more comfortable with myself than before.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
“So,” Frankie continued and nervously tied their black-and-white hair into a high ponytail, thinking about Holt’s previous words. “I’ll think about what Holt said. Maybe… Maybe it’s worth another shot.”
“Do you like him?”
“Do I?” They laughed, still unsure how to respond. “I don’t know. I wish I could give you a straightforward answer, but this entire situation feels so messy, you know? I didn’t know you two would be here, so I thought of it all as a summer fling. Nothing serious.”
“Which is valid,” Jackson shrugged. “I just want you to know that no matter what you choose, we can still be friends. I want both you and Holt to be happy.”
Frankie nodded with a smile and pulled Jackson into a half-hug, “Thank you, J. I’ll think about it.”
On Thursday, Clawdeen was walking home alone. Frankie was visiting Lagoona at the beach, while Draculaura went off with Lucy to a vegan restaurant, Clawd was spending time with Cleo and Clawdia was with Nefera, so she eventually found herself alone. Regardless of what others might have thought, she enjoyed walking through the streets with her earbuds plugged in, listening to the latest pop music. It was a half an hour's walk to Howland Street, anyway. When she was about to switch songs, Toralei appeared beside her, taking one of Clawdeen’s earbuds jokingly, “What are you listening to?”
“Give it back, Tora!” Clawdeen groaned. “I’m heading home and I would like to be alone. You have already passed Crown Street, so what are you doing here?”
“I’m going to the convenience store to pick up some snacks for tomorrow night,” She said. “Meowlody, Purrsephone, and I are going on a little trip to Normietown.”
“Normietown?” Clawdeen asked, confused as to why Toralei was giving her all this information. “Do you mean Salem?”
Almost as if she was worried about someone overhearing their conversation, Toralei looked around the street worriedly and dragged Clawdeen under a tree in the botanic park beside the local orphanage. They could hear the happy screams of children running around behind the park’s gate, but there was nobody else around to bother them, “Look, I overheard some things a group of normie girls said and I need your help with something. I can’t sneak out of the house until my mom falls asleep, but you live close enough to the dorms they’re staying at and I need you to spy on them.”
“How about some more details?”
“You know that curly-haired girl named Melanie?” She continued, “Apparently her mom was a witch and she wants to bring her back to life. Except, we all know that bringing someone back to life will result in another’s life being taken.”
“Why didn’t you tell Bloodgood?” Clawdeen whisper-shouted. She felt that this was irresponsible. All witches were required to abide by very specific rules set by the Headmistress and the witch council. If Melanie was indeed a witch, she wasn’t supposed to keep it a secret and could’ve easily gotten into trouble for it. “She should’ve been the person you went to, not me.”
Toralei shrugged, her smile conniving, “Let’s just say, I’m in the mood for a little bit of an adventure.” She stepped behind, heading in the direction of Crown Street. “Are you in?”
“I still think you’re insane.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” The werecat shrugged. “If you find out anything, let me know. Wolves have good ears, don’t they?”
Watching Toralei walk away, Clawdeen rolled her eyes and went in the opposite direction. Still, no matter how much she didn’t want to get into trouble, she also couldn’t hold back her curiosity. There wasn’t a high chance she would hear anything related to the normies’ plans, but it was worth a try. After finishing dinner, she told her parents she’d go on a walk, so she ran through the playground and ducked down behind a large bush opposite the dormitory on Hawthorn Street. The building stuck out like a sore thumb between the surrounding gothic mansions. It was simple, grey, and looked like a boring concrete cube.
Thanks to her sharp werewolf vision, she could squint and easily look through each window facing the street. She prayed the girl’s room was somewhere near, considering the park surrounding the building had closed over an hour ago. Maybe this was an invasion of privacy to some, but if this was really to protect monsters, she was doing a good deed. It took her over five minutes to locate the correct room, and even then the curtains were half-pulled in, covering much of the window. Although she could focus a little more and peek through the gap, her eyes were getting tired. Suddenly, someone placed their hands on Clawdeen’s shoulder, “Boo!”
The werewolf let out a high-pitched scream, lost her balance, and fell into the mud. When she looked up, she noticed Frankie standing behind her, laughing at Clawdeen’s dirty clothing. She groaned, “What the hell, Fran? Was that necessary?”
Frankie giggled, “You should’ve seen the look on your face! Did I scare you that badly?”
“It’s almost midnight!” Clawdeen said. “Of course, you scared me. My parents don’t know I’m outside. Howleen lied and told Mom I came home already.” She got up and crouched back down, attempting to focus her eyes again.
“To be fair, I think your brother is on a date with Cle-”
The werewolf turned around with an annoyed glance. “Do not mention her name!”
“O-kay….” They raised their hands in defense, and the werewolf growled in response. Frankie sighed. “I see, so this is a We Don’t Talk About Bruno situation, right?”
“Moving on.” Clawdeen shook her head. “How are you still outside? How’d you convince your parents to stay out so late?”
“Oh, easy.” Frankie laughed. “We were planning to visit my grandparents in Bavaria because a cousin just created a new child, so everyone’s celebrating. I haven't come out to the rest of my family, though. It’s a bit of a, uh, complicated situation.”
“Complicated?”
I told them I was sick.” Frankie shrugged, raising their fist to their mouth. “Cough. Cough.”
Clawdeen pulled her brows together, “What?”
“As I’m not going to show up, I won’t have to come out myself, and my parents will do it for me instead.” They explained. “You know. Gaslight, gatekeep, ghoulboss. Yay!”
“Right.” Clawdeen sighed. “Look, Frankie, I’m not going to say your decision is wrong, but eventually, you’ll have to face them. I’ve been in this situation before. Coming out is tough, but there’s no reason your grandparents wouldn’t accept you.”
Frankie nodded and bit their lips. They already felt ashamed for lying, but Clawdeen was right. This was something they should’ve done themself, and not waited for their parents to do it behind their back. “I just thought that I’d have a bit more time. We returned almost a week ago, and I didn’t know we’d fly back to Bavaria anytime soon. Coming out is not as easy as I thought it would be.”
As Frankie finished their train of thought, the two could hear slow footsteps approaching. They hid behind the bush, thinking that the person coming would leave without noticing them, but just a second later, someone pointed their flashlight at them from behind, “Who are you stalking?”
Jumping in fear, Clawdeen turned around, seeing Draculaura standing behind them in her pink polka-dot pajamas and hair tied into braid pigtails. The werewolf gulped, letting go of her nervousness, and made eye contact with the short vampire, “We aren’t stalking anyone, we are hanging out like any other friend group.”
“At midnight?”
“Yeah,” Clawdeen shrugged and hoped her lie would be believable. “At midnight. Why not? Have you never done that?”
“No,” She said, crouching down. “Besides, I know you’re stalking someone. Otherwise, why else would you be hiding behind a bush?”
“Girl, I don’t know either,” Frankie laughed. “Deenie, would you care to let us know?”
Finally, Clawdeen let out a sigh and explained the entire situation as quickly as she could. Frankie found it ridiculous, but Draculaura, who had much more life experience, immediately understood Clawdeen’s worries. Melanie wasn’t just endangering others by using her magic for selfish reasons, but also herself. “Does she realize she could end her own life if she tried bringing back her mother? It’s happened before, multiple times! The spell is impossible to reverse.”
“It’s not just that,” Clawdeen said, “What if they don’t stop there? The others could take advantage of Melanie’s powers and make her find the pages of the ancient spellbook. They could destroy the entire Monster Universe if they find it and put it together.”
Frankie sighed, “I think there’s only one way we can know what they’re up to.”
“Yeah?”
“We follow the werecats through the portal and we ask them to help us steal Melanie’s mom's belongings before they get their hands on them.” They announced, hoping the others would agree and sacrifice their weekend programs this one time. “What do you guys think?”
After hesitating for a few seconds, Clawdeen and Draculaura made eye contact. Eventually, they both nodded and the werewolf let out a sigh, “Fine, but we have to let Lagoona know.”
Chapter 11: Chapter 10 - Questions Without Answers
Summary:
"A truth does not mind being questioned. A lie does not like being challenged."
Cleo travels to Boo York to find out more about her father's plans. Melanie starts suspecting something about her family that she had never been told about.
Notes:
Apologies for splitting these chapters up so much, but it's a lot more convenient for me when I have to edit! I'll try to post a new chapter soon, I have many prompts for the upcoming one, but I think it's far from being finished yet. I've been reading the Lisi Harrison Monster High series, and although they do have some questionable parts, I definitely recommend them! I might add a few characters from the book eventually.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cleo got back from her date with Clawd a little bit before dinnertime. She expected to see her sister at home, but instead, she was greeted by a note on her nightstand in Nefera’s handwriting, the crown princess informing her that she had to catch a last-minute flight to Boo York to discuss something serious with her father. Although she could’ve easily assumed this was related to Nefera’s health, Cleo knew something was off. Ramses would never make the girls miss school, if anything, he would plan a video call and discuss everything he had in mind. The fact that Nefera was asked to return to Boo York must’ve meant that this was related to her father’s new expeditions in Luxor. Whatever it was, she had a bad feeling and knew she needed to return home. Even though it was only Thursday, she packed a minimal amount of belongings and sent Seth a text message, telling him to fly to Boo York City the following night. With that, she locked the house, set the building’s alarm, and hurried to the local forest, entering through the portal to Salem in Oregon.
As the Monster World had an entirely different timezone, Cleo ended up in Salem in the afternoon. The portal dropped her out behind the enormous State Capitol, onto the wet grass. As she looked up, she could see two children in private school uniforms staring at her in shock. Did they all see that embarrassing fall? Struggling to keep her annoyance inside, she hissed at them, “What? You’ve never seen a mummy before?”
“Monster!”
The kids ran to their parents sitting on a bench. The two mothers attempted to calm the children down. One was a pale woman with green eyes, dressed in all red, while the other looked Southeast Asian, with puffy eyes and light brown skin. Thinking the siblings were only playing around, the couple apologized to the princess, who noticed the name Silver Lake Middle School Portland embroidered on the kids’ uniforms. “Oh, you’re from Portland? I was heading there!”
“Yes!” The blonde smiled, “Do you need a lift?”
“Oh, um,” Cleo said, scratching her head. Getting someone to drive her was still better than taking a bus, wasn't it? She couldn’t stand public transport. “Are you by any chance going in the direction of the airport? I have a flight to catch.”
Before the women could answer, one of the kids cut into the conversation. He had the same brown skin as his mother. “Um, where is your luggage?”
“The airline said my baggage was delayed,” Cleo shrugged, hoping her lie was convincing enough for the family not to ask more questions. “If you ask me, it’s probably lost.”
“You look familiar,” His sister, pale with brown hair, stepped forward. “I swear I have seen you somewhere. What’s your name?”
“I’m…” Cleo started but knew using her real first name could have potentially caused trouble. Instead, she decided to think of the most modern, human-sounding name she could think of. “Samantha… Franklin.”
“Well, Sam,” The other woman smiled, extending a hand. “I am Annisa, from Barcelona. This is my wife, Holly.”
“So nice to meet you both!” Cleo nodded. As much as she tried to act happy, her nerves were killing her. She needed to catch a flight to New York City, then somehow get to the Boo York side without getting caught. She hopped into the backseat, not planning on talking for most of the 50-minute drive, but the two middle-aged women had other plans, “So, which state are you from, Sam?” Holly asked.
“New York.”
“And are you flying back to New York this afternoon?”
“Yeah,” She answered. As they drove through the streets of Salem, Cleo spotted a large, castle-like building, in the near distance. It looked an awful lot like Monster High, towering over all surrounding family houses, yet when she opened the Maps application on her phone, it was treated as if it didn’t exist. Maybe it was best to ask. “Excuse me, do you know what that large gothic building is on the left?”
“Oh, it’s just an abandoned school,” Holly said. “It used to belong to monsters, but I don’t believe there are any living in that area anymore. They’ve relocated to the Monster World. But you must know that. You’re from New York.”
“Yeah, they could unite the two sides, but instead they have some kind of mummy royalty ruling over the entire state,” Anissa answered, sounding disapproving. Those few words explained everything about her thoughts on the Ptolemy family. “You must’ve heard about them, right?”
“They’re on TV a lot,” Cleo said. She twirled some of her braids around her fingers, trying to calm herself. She hated it when people disrespected the Ptolemys. Queen Amuncommon offered her family home right after they were found, ensuring Ramses and his children wouldn’t end up in a museum. She was like a second mother both to her and Nefera. “I heard they do a lot of charity work.”
“I heard the Queen’s son goes to school there at the Monster World,” Anissa said. “That one school, Monster High or whatever it’s called, has normie exchange students. My daughter, Sofia, decided to participate in the program because of her friend's wishes, and I wasn’t going to accept, but her careless father agreed.”
“Sofia…” The princess whispered. She could easily associate a face with the name. Sofia would always hang out with Lilith and Melanie. She wasn’t the brightest student, always following Lilith’s orders. “I thought you were from Portland.”
“She lives with her father.”
Almost as if the car radio host were eavesdropping on their conversation, the news segment began, with one of the first topics being the Ptolemy Family. Cleo leaned back in her seat, observing quietly without being seen as judgemental. Were the normies really this interested in that family’s private life? “Blake Hudson of Salem Radio here to bring you the hottest celebrity news of the week.” The man spoke, his voice high-pitched and melodic. “We will begin with the infamous Ptolemy family of New York State, or the rulers of Boo York as they often like to call themselves.”
Wishing Seth had been there to laugh with her, she decided to voice-record the entire segment and send it to him. “Just a week ago, Prince Seth was seen outside the Ptolemy Tower, returning from Cairo dressed casually in a limited edition Tupac hoodie, sweatpants, and Nike Jordans, only sunglasses covering his eyes. His sassy responses to the paparazzi immediately captivated fans, whereas others criticized him for breaking royal protocol. The Prince refused to respond to dating allegations with the four-times Grammy-winning pop sensation Catty Noir, but the pair was photographed holding hands at a royal gala together a few days ago.”
Cleo laughed at these comments. These individuals would’ve been astonished if they knew how often Seth had violated royal protocol, but Cleo grew up with him and adored his rebellious personality. As for whatever he had going on with Catty - it wasn’t hers to worry about and she could only hope he was happy. The radio host continued his monologue, “If the two do decide to publicize their relationship, Catty will be the first American since Meghan Markle to be in a public relationship with royalty.”
Cleo created a group chat with Catty and Seth and sent them her recording. Seth wasn’t active, but Catty responded almost immediately, asking the princess where she heard this. Cleo said she would explain everything later. When the two women dropped her off at the airport, she handed them fifty dollars in cash to thank them for their help. She rushed inside the airport and looked for the closest flight to JFK airport. Her best option was Alaska Airlines. It was her first time flying on a commercial flight, and even though it was First Class, she would’ve loved some privacy. After five missed calls from Seth, she settled in the airport lounge and called him back. When the call connected, Catty and Seth showed up on the screen, staring at Cleo confused, “What do you mean you’re in Portland?”
“No worries, Sethie,” Cleo said, waving to the camera. “My sister left a note on my nightstand that she was going to… New York. And-”
“New York! Your delivery of that word was hilarious.” Catty snorted. Unable to hold back her laughter, she leaned onto Seth, her head buried in his chest. Seeing Seth mutter an ‘ow’, Catty quickly moved her head to his shoulders and left his healing chest alone. “Sorry, love.”
“It’s okay, bubs.” Looking at them, Cleo raised a brow, “So, y’all are dating.”
“Well, we’re getting to know each other,” Seth shrugged. He reached for one of the earrings dangling from his ear, showing his nervousness. “Early stages, you know.” “
But go on!” Catty smiled. She knew how much Cleo loved having the attention on herself, so she allowed her to tell her entire story before expressing her views on everything.
“I’m not the only monster here, thankfully,” Cleo whispered. She didn’t want other passengers to hear her. Even if she wasn’t the only one, not everyone was accepting. “I jumped through the portal in the forest alone. I know it’s not advisable to go without a vehicle because you can get injured, but I have a feeling my dad’s hiding something.”
“Cleo,” Seth sighed, tilting his head behind to look at the ceiling, “You do know there’s a separate portal for Boo York, right?”
“Yeah!” She rolled her eyes. She didn't ever like admitting that she made a mistake. “And who’s going to walk to Lotus Street in the middle of the night? The forest was closer! Besides, traveling is fun. Earlier, I told a sapphic couple my real name was Samantha Franklin and they believed me.”
“Samantha? Really?” He laughed as he stared at Cleo with a deadpan. “Out of all the names you could’ve chosen, you went with Samantha?”
“Shut up, your alias is Pharaoh.” She muttered, trying to make fun of the prince, but it didn’t make either of them laugh. She then decided to poke fun at his name, “And your name is Seth Amun Anubis Ptolemy. A bit on the nose, don’t you think?”
“One of my middle names is Amun because he was worshipped in Luxor.” He answered. Despite understanding Cleo’s joke, he still didn’t find it funny. “That’s where I was born. I’m not the first Ancient Egyptian named after our Gods.”
“Whatever,” Cleo argued. She had an hour left to wait, so she continued speaking to the pair until it was time for boarding. “Also, speaking of Franklin. Catty, for your information, Seth had an obsession with Franklin The Turtle growing up. He had a plushie that I once accidentally threw out the window, then ended up being chewed by his uncle’s dog and was still sown back together because Sethie over here insisted that a new one just wouldn’t be the same.”
“Really?” Catty gasped and turned over to her crush, leaving out a laugh. “That is so cute! Do you still have it?”
“He’s under my pillow.” The boy muttered. He leaned onto his arm, watching as Catty pulled out a terribly damaged Franklin The Turtle plushie from under the prince’s pillow. “Even though it has my dead name embroidered and he’s missing his hat, he has been with me since I was a newborn and I would cry if I ever lost him.”
“Awh,” Catty chuckled, squishing the turtle. “This is the sweetest thing I have ever seen. I can imagine baby Seth in his bear onesie holding Franklin The Turtle.”
“Yeah,” Cleo pursed her lips. Reminiscing old memories made her feel better. “He had Franklin even the day I arrived. I remember crying because I missed my mom, so he gave me and my sister his plushie for the night. I still miss my mom.”
Seth smiled, “Do you need me to lend him to you again?”
“Perhaps you should.” She laughed and shook her head. She began tearing up, “Dad’s been working so hard to locate her grave, but she wasn’t buried with us. We may have only been found accidentally, but at least my life didn’t end at 7 years old.”
“Hey, I can’t imagine the pain you feel.” The werecat replied. “If that’s the reason you felt the need to go back to Boo York, we understand. And if you need us to come, we will be there for you.”
“We’ll go as soon as school ends tomorrow, okay?” Seth said, “Whatever is going on, I want to be there for you.”
“Thank you,”
“My phone’s about to die, but I’ll text you when I wake up.” He told her, lifting the device. "Bye!" After waving goodbye, he ended the call and got up to charge his phone. Catty, who was lying on Seth’s bed, was still playing around with the plushie. He had returned an hour ago from his friend’s house and although he enjoyed it, getting used to school was new for him. “Sorry that we can’t make it to the recording studio again.”
“No worries,” Catty placed the plushie back under the prince’s pillow and climbed to the edge of the mattress, kneeling as she wrapped her arms around the boy’s waist. “I can take you to my own in Boo York. It’s all pink and is reserved for the most trustworthy people in my life.”
He turned around, and smiled at the werecat, their eyes meeting, “And I’m one of them?”
“You are one of them.” She giggled. She held onto one of his hands and pulled him beside her. Something about the boy made her feel comfortable with herself to the point that she wasn’t even bothered if he saw her without makeup or without being nicely dressed up. All she wanted was to be around him. “So, uh, about the early stages… Do you think we could… Go on a few dates? Be boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“If you’re ready to put up with my prince side, you are more than welcome to officially call yourself my girlfriend.” He said, digging his fingers into Catty’s pink beach curls. “And when I say officially, I mean it. No hiding.”
“With or without your mask, I still adore you,” She reciprocated Seth’s touch in her hair by placing her fingers in his and the two leaned closer, pressing their lips together. It was the first kiss they shared, and although it was short, it made both of them feel euphoric. They both had some experience with love, but they felt that their relationship was different. Before Catty, Seth had never met anyone who didn’t just love him for being a prince. Unlike so many other people he had met, the werecat was so much more understanding about the reason he didn’t show his face in public. When they pulled away and opened their eyes, they were both too shy to speak a word to each other, ending up giggling like two children who had just discovered kissing for the first time. As their eyes met again, the werecat beamed at Seth, “You have the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”
“And yours are pink,” He observed. “Why did I only realize now?”
Catty shrugged with a smile, “Maybe you were too lost in them to realize?”
“Probably the case.” He laughed. "By the way, it’s 9 pm, so you should go to sleep. We have a long day awaiting us tomorrow.”
“You’re not going anywhere in the morning, are you?” She asked, caressing the boy’s arm. “Your mom has left, right?”
Seth nodded, "Yup."
“Can I sleep in one bed with you? Please?”
“Hey, as long as you don’t squish my chest, you’re more than welcome to.”
“How much longer do you need to keep the compressive binder?”
“Tomorrow is the last day,” He nodded. “It’s been five weeks since the surgery, and honestly, I am so happy about the outcome.”
“I am glad to hear that,” The girl said. “Hopefully, someday, I can say the same thing about my own chest. Seriously, I’m flat as a table. God truly messed up something when he created me.”
“Well, I think Ra knew exactly what he was doing because you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen.”
Catty felt her cheeks heat up, “Do you really think so?”
“I do,” He nodded and intertwined his fingers with the girl's. “And I’ve thought that ever since I met you for the first time. And I know you were insecure about the same thing at the gala in Cairo because I heard your mom talking about it with mine, but when I say you’re the most beautiful being in this entire world, I mean it.”
“Thank you, Pharaoh,” Catty beamed. “That means a lot to me.”
The following morning, everything seemed normal at Monster High. Almost nobody batted an eye that Cleo and Nefera were absent, finding it normal that the girls would sometimes skip school because of family-related problems and important appearances. Usually, the headmistress would’ve been notified, but she had other things to worry about.
As Mr. Hackington was busy, the freshman and sophomore students had to head to the lecture room together for Biteology class. It wasn’t usually taught by Mr. Rotter, but as he was the substitute for the class, he had to plan a presentation. Clawd got up way too late, so he stormed through the hallways of the school with his skateboard, knocking down everyone and everything in his way. Approaching the lecture hall, he saw a pink-skinned vampire walking around the hallway with her earbuds in, reading a romantic novel. “Watch out!” He screamed, but the girl didn’t hear him. Just under a second, the boy bumped into her, knocking over both of them and breaking a hole in the head of a Shakespeare bust. The girl stared at him in complete shock, finding herself completely underneath him. Before Clawd could apologize, Mr. Rotter walked to them and examined them up close. The werewolf gave him a sweet grin, “Sorry!”
“Remind me, what is the rule about skateboarding in the hallways?” The phantom groaned. He exchanged a few Hungarian words with Draculaura, who was too shocked to move from the floor. She could’ve been seriously injured and Clawd still hadn’t said a word to her. Mr. Rotter turned back around, “Mr. Wolf, you are free to go with a warning, but the moment I see you skateboarding in the hallways for the second time, it’s detention. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Clawd said. Draculaura looked up, spotting a tall werewolf with dark brown skin, and tight curls worn under a green beanie with his wolf ears sticking out. His eyes switched between their natural rich brown color and the bright yellow they turned into when he was annoyed or nervous. Although she had previously seen him with a beard, he was now completely clean-shaven. Was everyone in the Wolf family so beautiful?
“Deuce!” Mr. Rotter called, waving at the snake-haired boy. “We need your help to fix a broken bust”
Sighing, Deuce walked out of the classroom, finding Clawd and Draculaura still on the floor. Deciding not to ask questions, he shooed them away, telling them to stand back. Mr. Rotter placed the bust on the table and carefully reapplied the missing part. “Close your eyes, everyone,” Deuce said. He slid off his sunglasses and in a second, the broken bronze statue was transformed into pure stone. “It should stay like that for a little while.”
Clawd sighed, opening his eyes as Deuce placed his sunglasses back on. “I thought your powers didn’t work in the Monster World?”
“The school’s an exception for some reason,” He shrugged, placing his sunglasses back on. “Had to learn it the hard way.”
Mr. Rotter cleared his throat, “Just help them get sorted, alright? You have five minutes.”
The two boys crouched in front of Draculaura, the vampire staring at them confused. She had barely ever spoken to boys before and now she had two handsome young men worried about her well-being. Was she dreaming?
“Yo!” Deuce greeted the girl still lying on the floor. “You good? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’m fine, I think.”
“Okay,” Clawd sighed, “Please tell me I didn’t cause you anemia.”
“Anemia?” Deuce shook his head, having to stop himself from laughing. “You mean amnesia?”
“That’s a different thing?”
"Entirely!"
“You’re Clawdeen’s brother!” Draculaura gasped, gripping the boy’s arm so she could stand up. “I have seen you around before. You guys look so similar!”
Deuce snorted, staring at Clawd as he slapped his upper arm, “Don’t let your sister hear that comparison, dude.”
“Well, except for the hairy part.” Draculaura chuckled. She was finally standing on two feet, with all her belongings back inside her backpack, but she felt somewhat intimidated by the two muscular boys towering over her. “I’m Laura! Daughter of Dracula.”
“Oh, right!” Clawd exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly. “Draculaura! My sister mentioned you once or twice, but she didn’t say much. I’m Clawd Wolf. Sophomore. The second oldest child in the family after my sis Clawdia. Where are you from again?”
“Dude,” Deuce turned towards Clawd. “Where do you think Dracula is from? Like, honestly?”
“Romania!” The werewolf clapped his hands together. “I had to do a presentation on Romania for Geography class last year.”
“Really?” Draculaura smiled. Nobody ever mentioned her country, unless it was to make fun of it, so she appreciated someone bringing it up. “What did you learn about it?”
“The food is incredible!” Clawd said and placed his hand on his stomach. “Goulash in a bread bowl is all I am dreaming of. You’re one of those Szeklers, aren’t you?”
“Székely, yeah.” The girl nodded. She then towards Deuce, eyeing him and his snakes curiously. “And who might you be?”
“I’m Deuce.” He answered with a shrug. His vibe was different from Clawd’s, more relaxed and edgy. While Clawd was more sporty, dressed in a t-shirt and baggy jeans, Deuce wore a black tank top tucked into cargo pants decorated with studs and chain. The neon green shoelaces of his combat boots matched his nails and sunglasses. “Medusa’s son, but I guess that’s kind of obvious. You don’t see a lot of people with snake hair.”
Sensing some chemistry between the two, Draculaura couldn’t help but ask, “Are you guys dating?”
The two boys burst into laughter, shaking their heads. The vampire couldn’t understand what was so funny about her question, but Clawd quickly explained, “We used to be in a relationship in the past.”
“Yeah, we both have girlfriends now.”
Clawd formed his hands into a prayer. “If you would just give me another chance…”
“You’ve shot your shot, my man,” Deuce responded, patting Clawd’s muscular arm. “Alright, let’s get you to class before Rotter turns us into frogs for delaying his presentation.”
“Please, don’t close the door yet!” Fast footsteps could be heard pacing down the hallway. Draculaura and Clawd headed inside the lecture hall, but when Deuce was about to enter, someone bumped into him, almost knocking off his sunglasses. The boy kept his balance, but the girl held onto the doorway in shock, feeling the need to crouch down. Her eyes turned piercing green and she felt like her entire world went black for a second, followed by splashes of colors appearing in front of her eyes, making her feel dizzy. After taking a deep breath, she stood up and hurried to the front row. Unsure what to make of the situation, Deuce rolled his eyes and settled in his usual seat beside Clawd.
“Does anyone know where Cleo is?” Clawd asked, looking around the hall worriedly. “She told me she had some kind of family emergency, but I thought she’d come to school. I miss her already.” Realizing he could’ve just asked Seth, he turned around and tapped the table, getting his and Catty’s attention. “Do you know where Cleo is?”
“Well,” Seth muttered. Cleo hadn’t called him since the night and he could only hope she was alright. “In Boo York. I’m assuming. Her phone probably died, so she hasn’t been able to call. The last text she sent told me her flight was delayed.”
Although Deuce was paying attention to Clawd’s conversation, he kept glancing at the normie girl who bumped into him earlier. Something about her didn’t look alright. Her hands and legs were shaking. She kept her head down, her palm holding her forehead as if something was wrong. Finally, he leaned forward and tapped her back. The curly-haired girl turned around in shock, her eyes lighting up with a bright green color, but the moment she looked at Deuce they went back to normal. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” She breathed out, her body still shaking. “I’ve never had anything similar happen before. I almost blacked out, and… I think I’m having a panic attack.”
Sitting on the opposite side of the row, Lagoona took out a clear reusable bottle filled with a pale blue potion. She walked away from her seat, approaching the curly-haired girl with a sweet smile, “Drink this. It’s one of my mom’s potions. It has the same effect as a magnesium pill.” She said. The girl nodded and began downing the potion hastily, making the saltwater monster worry for her well-being. “Oh, careful! Too much might make you fall asleep. And… your skin might turn blue. Just like mine!"
“Falling asleep would sound like heaven right now.” She chuckled, leaving out a sigh. “Thank you so much. I appreciate this.”
“I’m Lagoona!” Said the blonde, “And you are?”
“Melanie,” She answered. Maybe it was Lagoona’s positive presence, or perhaps the potion, but her body finally stopped shivering. “I’m in love with your hair!”
“Oh, thank you, love.” Lagoona giggled, touching her long blonde dreadlocks decorated with flowers and seashells. “We’ll catch up after class.”
Once everyone was back in their seats, Mr. Rotter could finally turn on the computer and search for his presentation. Before he began, Melanie turned to face Deuce, “I’m sorry if I scared you.” She said. “I probably just drank too much caffeine on an empty stomach.”
“No worries,” He shrugged, forming his lips into a pout in boredom. “I’m usually the person that tends to scare people, though. You know, my snakes, my gaze, and other shit. I’m half human, actually.” “
"You are?” Melanie gasped and let out a laugh. “Oh my God! So, there are humans at Monster High, after all.”
Suddenly Clawd cut into their conversation, and wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulder, “Deuce will always be more gorgon than human.” The two boys gave each other a high-five and quieted down, allowing Mr. Rotter to begin presenting.
Although most of the class was on the verge of falling asleep, Rotter continued rambling on. The topic was about different inherited conditions, most of which would’ve been good to learn about. Melanie, who had no idea about how healthcare worked for monsters, listened closely. It felt good not having her friends around, whispering in her ear about these creatures being bad. She didn’t feel unsafe with them. Still, she couldn't stop thinking about the events of earlier. Maybe she had only seen splashes of colors, but she could make out an image of her father and a snake-haired woman, closely resembling Deuce. She shook the thought away, thinking it must’ve been the school’s weird energy messing with her powers. She was a human witch, not a monster. Maybe spending so much time away from her home wasn’t a good idea, after all.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by laughter coming from the students around her. It seemed nobody could sit through Mr. Rotter’s lesson in peace. Heath was absolutely the class clown, “Oh yeah, it’s because Deuce is, um,” Heath pursed his lips, trying to figure out the correct terminology. “Albanian. He’s pale because he’s Albanian! He has a reduced amount of melanin.”
“That is not…” Deuce said, leaving out a deep sigh. He wanted to bang his head on the table. “I have albinism! Albania is a country.”
Heath turned around, confused. “Exactly a year ago you told us you took a DNA test and found out you were Albanian.”
“Six percent!” Deuce groaned. “I just wanted to know what ethnicity my stupid human dad was. My mom's literally a black Greek woman."
“Six percent? This is not maths class.” Clawd raised his brows, piecing together Deuce’s heritage in his mind. He didn’t know where half of the countries mentioned were. “By the way, where the hell is Bosnia? Isn’t there a country called Yugoslavia?”
Listening to the conversation, Melanie felt a weird sensation. Her father, Dimitri, was born in Bosnia during the time of Yugoslavia and moved to Greece as an infant. He was part Albanian and Nigerian, but always considered himself Greek. She gasped, “You’re Bosnian?”
“Can we move on?” The gorgon sighed deeply. “If you paid attention, you could learn something about my condition.”
“Thank you, Deuce.” Mr Rotter muttered. He knew he wouldn’t be able to finish this lesson at this pace.
Jackson leaned forward, “Clawd, to answer your question. Yugoslavia broke up in 1992.”
“With whom?”
“With your brain!” Clawdeen groaned, throwing an empty Cola can in Clawd’s direction.
“Deenie, I barely passed history,” Clawd said. “Also, are you trying to cause me physical harm?”
Cleo arrived in New York much later than she expected. Her plane was delayed without them giving her a proper reason, and as her phone died, she couldn’t call anyone. Eventually, she managed to fetch a taxi and she got herself a power bank at one of the electronics stores. Seeing the purple lights of the Ptolemy Tower, she followed in its direction and sneaked over the border to Boo York. A picture of Queen Amuncommon and Prince Seth was projected onto its walls, making them seem like they were watching over the entire city. After snapping a picture, she realized one of the only ways to get home in time was to take the subway. It was the last thing she wanted, but she had to sacrifice her fears this time. She eventually took out her large sunglasses, hoping they would help her blend in. Boo York was a big city and she didn’t look that different from the people surrounding her. She couldn’t wait to get home and take a bath.
At last, she found the Ptolemy Tower without needing much help. She knew if her father heard about the amount of money she had spent in the past day, he would scream her head off, but that was the last thing she was worried about. She rushed into one of the elevators and crouched down on the floor, allowing herself to take a minute of rest. When she reached the De Nile apartments, she ran through the hallways, trying to find her father. There was a high chance he wouldn’t be in his office, but her heart was telling her that she was going in the right direction. She slammed the door of her father’s office open, finding him and Nefera sitting at his desk. “What is that you’re not allowed to tell me about, Dad?”
When he saw Cleo, Ramses stood up in anger, “What is this supposed to mean? Why aren’t you in school?”
“You’re hiding something from me!” The youngest shouted. “I know you are!”
Nefera usually would’ve told Cleo not to be so ridiculous, but she was completely out of it. It was as if her brain wasn't functioning properly. She didn’t have the energy to argue. The past 24 hours had been very hard for her. She knew if Cleo found out what she knew, she was going to react the same way as her. It was a lot for a teenager to handle, possibly the reason her father didn’t want to let her know what was happening in the first place. “Cleo,” The blue-haired sighed. She didn’t know how to break the information to her sister, but she had to. “Dad thinks he found Mom.”
“What?”
“He and other archeologists found a mummy in very bad condition.” She continued, her voice shaky and weak. “She was found underneath our palace, well, what remains of it. Unfortunately, they still aren’t sure and the museum wants to run a few tests before… they attempt to wake her up.”
“Museum?” Cleo muttered. She turned towards her father, staring at him in shock. “You gave Mom’s body to a museum?”
“I-it’s just temporary,” Ramses said. “We can’t know for sure if it’s her. They still have to test the cause of death, and we can only know it’s her for sure if the result comes out as poisoning.”
“Can I at least see her?”
“Absolutely not.” Her father answered, gazing at her with a strict expression. “The Museum of Unnatural History shall do their job as required, and you will not be interfering with their work.”
“I could recognize my mother anywhere, don’t you think?”
“Trust the process, Cleo.” He took a seat. “I refuse to argue any further. You’re allowed to stay for the weekend, but you’re not going anywhere near that museum and on Monday, you’ll be back in school like nothing happened. No words to anyone about this. Not even Seth.”
Cleo shook her head. She felt overwhelmed. “I don’t trust you, Dad.” With that, she left the office, letting the doors slam by themselves. Nefera bit her lips. What if her sister was right? Not trusting her father was the last thing she wanted to think about.
Notes:
Also, don't worry, I didn't forget about the Frankie/Holt storyline (I still don't know how that'll end up...), they'll appear in the upcoming chapter, but these chapters are important to set up the climax of the story
It's also true that I started the fic by adding music suggestions, which I will continue doing eventually, I just haven't been able to find fitting songs for the most recent ones
Chapter 12: Chapter 11 - A Visit To Salem
Summary:
"Everything meaningful takes time."
During an unexpected trip to Salem in Oregon, Deuce and Melanie find out the secrets their families kept from them. Lagoona discovers more about her sea nymph powers.
Notes:
Well... This took me a while. Sorry!
So much happened in the span of one (or two?) weeks, and even now I feel like the writing in this chapter is floppy, but I'd rather get it out there than spend more time struggling with it. Yeah, a bit of a long chapter ahead, I guess? I don't know how much time I'll have in the upcoming days to update, but I have a few prompts and I can try and create something from all that.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Frankie walked back and forth in the school bathroom, trying to find a good answer to what Holt had asked them the other day. The black-and-white-haired monster had put the entire relationship behind them, but it was obvious that Holt didn’t. Without a clear answer, he would probably misunderstand Frankie’s feelings. He would leave thinking they just didn’t want to reject him. Although that was far from the real issue, it wasn’t the first time Frankie had struggled with their feelings for someone. Clawdeen stared at them in shock, “What do you mean you don’t know how you feel about him?”
“Half the time we were together, it was just Jackson!” Frankie sighed. Whenever they had a dilemma, they would get overwhelmed and emotional. It was the case now too, their makeup running down their blush-tinted green cheeks. “And yeah, he was attractive, but then he told me he was gay and I accepted it. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. His family left the following day.”
“He was attractive, but did you feel attracted to him?”
Frankie scoffed, “What’s the difference?”
“Well, from a lesbian’s perspective,” Clawdeen shrugged, hopping onto the countertop with her feet dangling in the air. “I can find men attractive, but that doesn’t mean I want to pursue a relationship with them. Do you feel that way about men?”
“I don’t know,” Frankie replied, shaking their head. “I feel like our relationship was barely a relationship. Yet, as was awkward as it was with Jackson, Holt helped me figure out my identity and… he gets me.”
“Personally, I think you’re a lesbian,” Clawdeen laughed. “I’m not trying to force a label on you, but you’ve only been into feminine guys.”
“It’s a preference! That doesn’t make me a lesbian.”
The bathroom door swung open, and Rochelle and Deuce entered. The latter was only there to wait for his girlfriend, while the French ghoul passed the two other monsters with a small smile and headed inside one of the stalls. Immediately, Frankie turned to the gorgon, “Deuce, you’re a guy.”
“Yes?” He muttered, confused by Frankie’s approach to starting a conversation. “Why?”
“From your perspective,” They began. “If I’m into women, especially masc ones, but I’ve only had crushes on feminine-presenting guys, what does that make me?”
Deuce laughed, “What does me being a guy have to do with that?”
“They had a crush on you pre-transition,” Clawdeen blurted out. Frankie wanted to dig themself into a hole and never come out. “Just wanted to put that out there.”
Deuce gave both of them a deadpan. Frankie cleared their throat, “To my defense, you made everyone question their sexualities.”
“Okay,” He replied, unsure how to respond. “Listen, sexuality is not always black and white. My mom’s a lesbian, which she only realized later in her life, while I’ve known I was bisexual for ages. Sometimes it takes time.”
Clawdeen responded with a shrug, “I still think Frankie’s gay.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to force anything on you,” Deuce sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “But I agree with Clawdeen.”
A toilet flushed, and Rochelle stepped out of a stall. Clawdeen’s eyes immediately fell on the ghoul’s beautiful, luscious blonde hair, pouty pink lips, and stone wings. She looked like she had just stepped out of a French fashion magazine, her high-heeled ankle boots handpainted to resemble the palace ceiling of Versailles. “Hi, guys!” She waved, her pink eyes dazzling. She stepped over to the sink to wash her hands. “I hope you all didn’t mind me, uh, listening to your conversation.”
“No worries,” Clawdeen said and scooched to the side of the countertop so she wouldn’t cover the soap dispenser. “Didn’t you have pink hair with blue highlights?”
“Yes!” Rochelle smiled, slipping on silk gloves that matched her pale pink corset dress, especially its puffy mini skirt. “It was hard to maintain and I can’t spend my money on weekly hairdresser appointments. I went back to my natural blonde hair.”
Deuce snorted, “Good thing I never had to go to the hairdresser.”
“I never understand how your snakes can change lengths,” Rochelle laughed. She stepped to her boyfriend and touched his green snakes, admiring their beauty. “I know you can shave the scales, but-”
“They do what I say,” He shrugged, but he corrected himself after remembering certain instances where his snakes slipped out of his hats. “For the most part.”
“Cool.” The girl smiled. She then turned to Frankie, reaching to hold their hands, which the other happily accepted. “You don’t need to label yourself, ma chérie. Do what your heart tells you.”
Frankie found Rochelle’s personality endearing. “Are you sure you’re not an angel?” The entire room let out a chuckle. When the door swung open, and Lilith’s group entered, it felt like the air went cold in the room. Lilith sent all of them annoyed glares, Sofia’s eyes were glued to her phone and Melanie’s eyes landed on Deuce. Feeling uncomfortable, Clawdeen got up and dragged her best friend out of the bathroom. The other two followed behind them moments later.
Lilith leaned closer to the mirror, sticking her fingers into her pin-straight blonde hair. From the corner of her eye, she was staring at Melanie who was checking if the stalls were empty. She didn’t want people overhearing anything, “Why do you keep staring at that snake-haired dude?” Lilith asked, refusing to turn around. “I thought you understood when I said we’re not here to make friends. Or boyfriends.”
“Firstly, his name is Deuce.” The girl replied, “Secondly, I bumped into him before Biteology class. I almost knocked off his glasses and the moment I touched his arm, I think I had a vision.”
“A vision?” Sofia laughed mockingly. She was standing beside Lilith, reapplying foundation on her tawny-brown skin. “Was it about the two of you kissing in the hallways of Monster High? Holding hands, hm? By the way, it’s Biology, not Biteology. Even I know that.”
Although Lilith found this funny, the comment made Melanie uncomfortable. She wasn’t against monsters, but what she experienced was terrifying, “No.” She said in a firm tone. “It was a serious one. I saw my father and a woman with a head full of snakes holding a baby that resembled, I don’t know, both of them? Maybe my father had another baby before me?”
“Or you’re half reptile,” The brown-skinned girl shrugged, assuming her friend was fooling around. Seeing the girl’s annoyed expression, she grimaced, “Ew, you were being serious?”
“I remember my mom telling me something about visions,” Melanie explained. Even if her friends didn’t care, she wanted to get her thoughts out - even if it seemed she was thinking loudly. “I can recall some of it. It was something about prophecies and revealing truths, about the dead communicating with us. Now that I think about it, what if it's true?”
Lilith scoffed, “I think you just had too much caffeine.”
“I’m serious!” She insisted. “I need to get into that attic. I know my father is hiding something from me. Can’t we get going now?”
“No,” The blonde rolled her eyes. “We can’t. You’re going to make us seem suspicious. We can’t get into trouble.”
“Oh, Jesus…” Melanie scoffed. She picked her khaki canvas crossbody bag from the floor and threw it across her shoulders, “Meet you all at the portal. 7 pm sharp. Don’t be late or I’ll go alone.”
During the day, Draculaura spent some more time with Lucy. They didn’t share all classes, so their conversations were kept short and unrelated to their family relations. Draculaura promised she’d introduce the girl to her father, but as Dracula had gone to California for a business trip, the young vampire was left alone at home. Serious matters weren’t video chat discussions. Deciding to skip lunch that day, Lilith and Sofia headed to the courtyard. Watching the normies leave, the three werecats took the opportunity and stepped inside the bathroom. Earlier that day, Toralei had bribed someone to stalk the girls and report on their every move. Although other students wanted to enter the bathroom, Meowlody leaned against the door, kicking it in with her thick combat boots. “Spectra!” Toralei sing-sang, snapping her fingers. A pale, purple-haired ghost emerged from one of the stalls, holding her iCoffin. “You got everything?”
Spectra smiled, “Already airdropped it.”
“Good!” The orange werecat grinned, scrolling through her notifications. She then pulled a $20 bill from her back pocket and handed it to the ghoul. She winked, “Keep up the good work, and who knows? You might get more.”
“Thank you!” Spectra giggled and disappeared again behind the walls of the school. The three girls made eye contact and twisted the doorknob, about to go, but when Toralei was about to leave, Clawdeen stepped in front of her and dragged her back inside, shutting the door. She looked annoyed and partially angry, staring at Toralei with piercing yellow eyes. The werecat rolled her eyes in disinterest, but that didn’t stop Clawdeen. “You will tell me what you know.”
“Oh!” Toralei laughed, her lip corners rising into a cunning smile. “So, now you’re interested?”
“Don’t play with me,” Clawdeen said. “If you want my help, tell me what’s going on. Otherwise, I am not interested in getting into trouble because of your stupidity. For all that I know, you could be lying to set me up.”
“I am not playing with you,” The werecat muttered, rolling her eyes. With the tap of a button on her phone, she sent Clawdeen the recording. “I got Spectra to listen in on their conversation, and I haven’t listened yet, but I am sure this will give us the answers we need. We’re going to find out what they’re planning and we can stop them.”
“Fine,” Clawdeen shrugged and crossed her arms before her chest. “But I’m bringing my friends.”
"Of course, you are." Toralei scoffed, “Meet me and the twins in the park at the orphanage after classes and we’ll listen to the recording together, alright?”
"Whatever.”
Right after classes, Frankie headed to the school’s music room. They hoped they would find Holt there as it became his new favorite place to hang out with other music-obsessed students. When Frankie walked in, they found him sitting on one of the chairs, tuning an electric guitar. Loud rock music blasted through the speakers. The green-skinned monster smiled, noticing the boy’s eyes land on them, “Do you mind if we talk?”
"I don't mind," Holt shrugged. He kicked out a chair and gestured towards it, telling Frankie to sit down.
Frankie hopped on a chair and began the conversation, “So, I slept on it and truth be told, I still don’t know how to feel.”
“I didn’t expect you to.” Holt noddded. He placed the red guitar on its stand and turned towards Frankie. “I heard what you said to Jackson, and… I fully understand if you don’t want to continue our relationship.”
Frankie smiled and shook their head, “I think we should try again.”
“Oh...” The boy nodded, taken aback. He wanted to see Frankie happy, even if that was without him. He had convinced himself Frankie didn’t want to continue the relationship. “I didn’t expect you to say that.”
“I want us to start all over again.” They said. “Let’s go on dates, hang out after classes, and get to know each other better. I feel like I barely know you.”
“Yup, that feeling is mutual.” Holt laughed. He brushed his flaming red hair away from his eyes, picking on his eyebrow piercing - he was excited, but tried to play it cool. “As long as it matches Jackson’s schedule, I’m up for going on dates. Even if it’s just to figure out your sexuality.”
Hearing the response, Frankie’s eyes began sparkling and they wrapped their arms around the boy, pressing a kiss on his cheek, “Thank you for understanding.”
Holt’s pale cheeks turned a light shade of red, making him feel slightly embarrassed. He couldn’t hold himself, Frankie was beautiful and something about their styles matched perfectly. He loved their checkered crop top and mini skirt combo and how the black-and-white color combo brought out the green of their skin. As for Frankie, they could only hope this relationship could bring them closer to understanding their sexuality. Holt was handsome - flaming hair, midnight blue skin, and monolids. Although he had the same face as Jackson, Holt’s charms attracted more people, including Frankie.
Interrupting their intimate moment, a loud bang made both teens turn toward the doorway, where Mrs. J was staring at the two with an unreadable expression. “Holt, don’t you and Jackson have an appointment with your therapist at 4 pm? It’s 3:35.”
Frankie chuckled, but Holt rolled his eyes and muttered a few annoyed words to himself as he shoved his belongings in his backpack, “Fucking love having BPD.”
“What did I say about cussing on school grounds?”
“Mom!” Holt scoffed. Having a teacher as his mother made everything extra complicated for him. He felt he could never fully be himself, whereas Jackson was considered the perfect poster child of the Jekyll-Hyde family. He was a good student and stayed out of trouble, whereas Holt was the opposite. He may have been intelligent according to his teachers, but his learning disabilities made it all that harder for him.
“It’s okay,” Frankie smiled, giving him a reassuring pat on his arm. “We’ll talk later.”
“Yeah,”
“Frankie, shouldn’t you be at home?” Mrs. J asked. “There’s going to be a thunderstorm, and given that the extracurricular activities begin next week, you are not allowed to stay on school grounds.”
In that second, Clawdeen appeared in the doorway. She looked tired and out of breath, but forced a smile, “Sorry, Mrs. Jekyll. Frankie was waiting for me. I had a bathroom emergency.”
Frankie and Holt exchanged a quick peck on the lips. He turned off the loud music, but kept an earbud in his ear. After checking if everything was in place, the boy headed outside, ignoring his mother. Watching the two leave, Clawdeen finally approached her friend, "We need to get going ASAP. Toralei has an audio recording of the normies’ conversation. The others have already gone to the park.”
“Wait, are you sure she's telling the truth?” Frankie laughed, crossing their arms. Frankie was hesitant. They lived their first year in Salem, attending middle school, and didn’t feel like returning. Salem wasn’t the safest for monsters. “If my parents find out I sneaked over to the normie side, I swear to you, they’ll disassemble me. I mean it.”
Clawdeen sighed, “It doesn’t hurt to listen to what she has to say, does it?”
As the werewolf said, the rest of the group was sitting on the grass under the shade of a large weeping willow near the orphanage. The happy screams and laughter of children could be heard through its gates, making the park's atmosphere seem all the more welcoming. When Clawdeen arrived, she was shocked by Meowlody and Purrsephone's absence, but Toralei didn't look bothered. She stared into the distance melancholically, her eyes stuck on the gates of the three-story Victorian-style building. She whispered, “Life was so different back then.”
“Back when?” Clawdeen raised a brow, settling on the grass beside Lagoona whose earbuds were plugged in. She couldn't understand a word of what was said. She was happily humming to her music, eyes closed as she lay in the grass. The werewolf glanced at Toralei, “During the time you didn’t lie for attention?”
“Whatever,” She said, "The twins have already heard the audio, so they didn't care to come. They’re off to buy new clothes for our little adventure.”
Lagoona rolled up her wired earbuds, then stuffed them inside her lavender backpack, made entirely of recycled materials, "I wish they cared more about saving the environment."
“Of course, you do.”
“What?”
Toralei responded by shaking her head, refusing to elaborate. She then grabbed her iCoffin and pressed play on the audio recording. It was true, Spectra had recorded everything, and although not everyone could tell which voice belonged to whom, the part where Melanie mentioned Deuce shocked everyone. Frankie's red lips widened in shock, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets as they stared at their friends, "Shouldn't we tell Deuce? He has the right to know he has a half-sister, right?”
"I don't know, guys." Lagoona pursed her lips, “This could be a lot for him to process.”
“Um, hello, Deuce and I both used to live in Salem!” Frankie insisted. “Besides, his powers are beneficial in case anything happens.”
Draculaura and Toralei both nodded in agreement. The werecat got on her feet, grabbed her belongings, “We better get going, then.”
Deuce lived across the bridge, far from the school, on Mason Street. It was a less nice area of New Salem, with cheaper apartment complexes for lower-income families. Although Medusa made enough to provide for her and Deuce, keeping up her small Greek restaurant was her only source of income. The group wasn’t sure if they’d find Deuce there, but he was still recovering from surgery and couldn’t go to the skate park. Clawd was at home, so it was reasonable to assume that the gorgon would be, too. The two never hung out without each other.
"I feel like I'm back in Eastern Europe." Draculaura noted. The group entered the stairwell beside Medusa’s restaurants and got into the squeaky elevator that hung on for dear life. The space was small, so everyone pushed their bodies together, almost squishing Draculaura’s body into a flat crépe. Struggling, Lagoona pressed the button decorated with a half-faded number 9. The doors closed and slowly, but the elevator began rising. “Are we sure we didn't exceed the weight limit?”
Toralei rolled her eyes, "We'll be fine."
The elevator opened on floor 5, and a seemingly ancient vampire was about to step inside, but seeing the crowded elevator, she froze in one spot and watched as it closed again. Soon enough, the group arrived at their destination. An intense smell of cabbage caught their noses, making almost everyone except Draculaura gag. She loved cabbage and often had it as a large part of her diet. Rushing to Deuce's apartment, Clawdeen hard-pressed the bell multiple times until Deuce finally unlocked the door. "Yes?"
"Are you alone?" Frankie asked.
"Also yes." He said, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, but his expression seemed confused by the amount of people standing at his door. His snakes still half-asleep, it seemed he had been broken out of a much-needed afternoon nap. “Is something wrong?”
Finally, Toralei spoke, “There is something you might need to know."
“Can you let us in?” Lagoona asked. “We need your help with something.”
Deuce allowed everyone inside. As expected, his bedroom had neon-green walls paired with black furniture. His sofa was decorated with a large Greek flag blanket. Clawdeen and Toralei settled, both wondering how they would break the information to him. The others scattered on the floor and Deuce sat on his bed. Before jumping into everything, Lagoona tried to break the ice by asking a silly question. “If people are immune to your powers here, why do you wear sunglasses?"
"Um, what?" Deuce laughed. "I know you all are here to talk to me about something serious, so let's get it over with. I'm super tired."
“Remember Melanie?” Toralei began, eyes stuck on the room’s ceiling. She and Deuce were far from close, and this conversation was more awkward than when she asked to copy his Japanese homework. Deuce didn’t take Japanese. “She's the black normie girl from that class with Rotter. Whatever it's called."
“Yes?”
“I once overheard a conversation between her and her friends,” The werecat continued, biting the corner of her lip. “Her mother was a witch. I heard them whispering about the spellbook Bloodgood mentioned. One of the girls insisted they should find the pages of the spellbook, put it together, and bring her mother back to life.”
“Which is impossible!” Lagoona shook her head, interrupting Toralei’s words. “Mortal beings cannot be brought back to life. It breaks the natural order of the Universe. It means taking an innocent person’s life in favor of another.”
Deuce rolled his eyes, “You don’t really think they’ll go through with this, right?”
“Oh, they will.” Clawdeen scoffed and crossed her arms. “Which is why we will follow them back to Salem tonight.”
“You are out of your mind!"
Toralei sighed, “Deuce, I think there’s something you need to listen to.”
The entire room went quiet. Toralei let the audio recording play out loud again, and after Deuce asked her to replay it twice more, he was ready to share his thoughts. He seemed shocked, but he wasn't surprised his father had married someone else and had children. He was more surprised that the half-sibling in question was someone he had made contact with. “You want me to figure out if she’s my sister?”
“Yeah, you could meet your dad!” Draculaura suggested, but the entire room gave her a deadpan. She let out an awkward laugh, “Oh, right, sorry. Still learning about your family life!”
"Fine," Deuce was hesitant, but knowing the others had good intentions he didn’t have other plans for the weekend. He would do anything for his friends, and if this would help him discover more about his family, he was willing to participate. “But we’ll have to be careful. I can pop on a beanie, but you all should figure out how to blend in, ‘cause it’s not going to be easy like this.”
“Leave that up to me!” Clawdeen smiled. She unzipped her schoolbag and took out a bag of heavy makeup products. “I borrowed a few makeup products from the school’s beauty parlor. I have a range of different shades, and I am an expert at doing people’s makeup.”
“You mean stole?” Draculaura gasped, staring at all the products scattered on the floor. “Oh my God, this is everything Dad is against! If he found out I dressed up as a normie, he would be so disappointed. I would feel so guilty."
Toralei rolled her eyes, “He won’t find out.”
“What about our fangs? And Lagoona’s fins?”
“We’ll print out fake tickets for a costume party,” Deuce shrugged, getting up from his bed to open his closet. “Believe me, normies are gullible.”
And so the makeover began. They had about an hour and a half left before they had to get going. Clawdeen and Deuce cooperated, helping Frankie conceal their green skin and bolts while Lagoona and Draculaura covered their skin in nude-colored foundation. The brown was having trouble sticking onto Lagoona’s scales, so Deuce dug through his mother’s closet and pulled out a knit white shrug Medusa never wore. She switched tights with Clawdeen, hiding her leg fins underneath the black material. Brushing forward her dreadlocks, she hid her ears and covered her webbed hands with gloves. Pairing this all with her flowy white mini-dress and embroidered western boots, she felt like she was going to a pirate party. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how corny is this outfit?”
“Pirates Of The Caribbean meets Australian trying to be a cowgirl,” Toralei said as she tried concealing her cat-like nose. “You don’t look that bad.”
"Maybe my dad was right when he said I need more color in my life." Stepping beside Lagoona, Draculaura took a look at herself in the mirror, wearing only a cropped white tank top and a black pleated skirt, “Without my pink skin, I look like a dead rat.”
“How’d your skin turn pink, anyway?” Frankie asked, still having two people working on painting their hands. They were almost done and didn’t need to paint their legs as that was covered with tights. "You're the first vampire I've seen with pink skin."
“Scarlet fever,” The girl answered. “A little while after my dad adopted me, I became very sick and he had to turn me into a vampire to save me. My skin stayed pink.”
Deuce nodded, “How old are you again?”
“Just a few hundred,”
“That’s crazy,” He said, finishing up Frankie’s hands. “I could’ve sworn my mom said something about you being older. It must've been a mistake.”
“Oh!” Draculaura muttered, an uncomfortable feeling filling her body after hearing this statement. Medusa was centuries old, how could she not remember Dracula’s real age? “No, that’s impossible. My father isn’t even that old. Maybe she was thinking about my grandpa?”
“Maybe,” He laughed. “Whatever, it’s not that important.”
The vampire pursed her lips and shrugged. Frankie borrowed one of Deuce’s turtlenecks, while Clawdeen and Toralei grabbed two of his beanies. Their next challenge would be leaving without being noticed. Thanks to Lagoona’s teleportation skills, it was enough for the rest of the group to hold onto her and they found themselves at the portal seconds later.
As for Meowlody and Purrsephone, they were already running late. After arguing about makeup and clothes for over two hours, the twins borrowed their dad’s tinted window Ferrari and left it at a nearby stadium. This wasn’t unusual for them - because of business meetings, their father was barely ever home and didn’t care what his daughters were up to. Their mother lived in California and only came to the Monster World during family celebrations. The girls hid their faces with matching oversized hoodies, trying not to attract anyone’s attention. “I am starting to think this was a bad idea,” Purrsephone said, nervously stopping at the forest’s entrance. “I mean, what happens if we get caught? Those girls don’t like monsters.”
“Stop stressing so much, sis!” Meowlody rolled her eyes. “It’s just a silly adventure. You don’t think I believe they’ll steal a spellbook, do you?”
“But what if they do?” Her twin muttered with a sigh, “I would hate to see Monster High destroyed. This place gave us another chance and if we get caught sneaking to Salem, we could get kicked out.”
"Your stressing was why we ended up in juvie, wasn’t it?" Meowlody snorted, arguing with her identical sister. “You were the one that put a malware on the principal’s computer and stole a bunch of his information.”
“Yeah, because you forced me! Remember?”
“Come on!” Meowlody said. She grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her onto the forest’s path. “We’re going to be late.”
Although the two tried to remain quiet and mysterious, it was clear that they weren’t the only ones in the area. Abbey and Heath had just left the school café’s building after working on English homework, preparing to head home. Abbey wanted to fetch a taxi to her dormitory, while Heath wanted to grab Chinese takeout from a nearby restaurant. They spent most of their time after school together, Heath helping the yeti adjust to her new environment and showing her around town. She wasn’t yet familiar with the boy’s friend group, so she usually spent lunch alone with a few other foreigners. “I know those girls!” The girl gasped, catching Heath’s attention. “Why they wearing… human makeup?”
“Maybe you’re confusing them with someone?
“No!” Abbey shook her head. “They Meowlody and Purrsephone, werecat twins from Mad Science. I can see their ears sticking out. Can we follow?”
“Um,” Heath let out an awkward laugh and scratched his head, “Are you sure? I don’t feel like getting into trouble with my parents. I’ve already sneaked out too many times.”
“Don’t worry,” Abbey smiled. “If you get in trouble, I will say it my fault. Your parents can’t resist my sweet personality.”
“What about our school bags?” He asked. “They’re too heavy to carry around. I mean, I know you’re insanely strong, but…”
The yeti giggled, “We follow them to forest and leave. Does that work for you?”
It was now 6:55 pm. There was no trace of the three normie girls, even if Clawdeen and Lagoona swore they could sense them. The weather was cooling down and spending the evening in a dark forest seemed less than ideal. The group of monsters hid behind a large tree, and as soon as the clock struck 7, they could finally hear footsteps. “Melanie used an invisibility spell!” Toralei whisper-shouted. “Lagoona, do something! They could catch us any second!”
Calmly, the blonde took out magical sand packed in a powder container and blew it onto the group of three, allowing her friends to see just a slight outline of their bodies. “I can’t make us invisible, but I promise I got this.”
“Really?” Toralei scoffed, crossing her arms with a pout. “Wow, this is useless.”
Ignoring Toralei’s words, Lagoona waited for the group to enter the portal. She told the others to wait up to five minutes, then reopened the portal and let her friends through. “Be careful, everyone. If you fall out at the end, it’ll hurt and you’ll get all eyes on us.”
Heath and Abbey stared at a group from behind a tree. They refused to follow them, but they couldn’t make out any words. It seemed they were following someone, but who could it have been? If it was a human, why did they need to go after them? The two had many questions running through their heads, but they decided to leave it like that. “Let’s go,” Heath whispered, holding Abbey’s arm. “We gotta get home.”
“Why can’t you make us invisible?” Toralei argued, trying to walk through the magical barrier without tripping on the force that made her legs feel so heavy. “The mermaids in H2O always did that. Don’t tell me a human witch has stronger powers than a nymph.”
Lagoona rolled her eyes. “H2O is about mermaids and I’m not one. I haven’t quite mastered my powers, anyway. I don’t know how to do invisibility spells yet. My momma hasn’t taught me everything she knows yet. She said I was too young.”
"God, I've already had enough of this." The werecat scoffed. She was about to make a snarky comment, but she tripped and fell over, knocking Lagoona down with her, and causing them to tumble out of the portal, falling face flat on the floor. The others got out just fine, but the people passing by stared the two down. “We weremonsters train ourselves and don’t need anyone’s stupid help. I didn’t have a momma, but that didn’t stop me from learning how to navigate this stupid world.”
“Okay, being half sea monster and nymph isn’t easy!” Lagoona argued, finally getting up on her two feet. Her tights were crushing her fins and she was deeply uncomfortable. “You can’t compare that to being a werecat. You had it a lot easier than me.”
“Are you shitting my dick right now?” Toralei raised her voice. She didn’t care that the people passing by would hear her and continued. “How did I have it easier? My birth mother abandoned me right after I was born, whereas you were raised in shiny and sunny Australia with not a thing to worry about. Do you know how many orphanages I’ve been in until I was finally adopted?”
“Okay, you know that was not what I meant.” The blonde muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed by her earlier statement. Her tone was apologetic, but she knew that wouldn’t convince the werecat. Nothing would make up for what she had said. “I-it just slipped out. I didn’t mean it like that, I promise. Also, it’s not like I knew your story.”
“How about, next time before you speak, you think through it one more time?” The werecat said as she held back tears. “All those lies about my life and I still don’t feel any better.”
“What lies are you talking about?” Lagoona scoffed. “You were adopted into a nice family, weren’t you? That makes up for what you had to go through.”
“Idiot,” Toralei muttered under her breath. She could feel her makeup staining, but she wiped her tears and walked away. Stepping to Lagoona, Clawdeen placed her hand on the blonde’s shoulder and smiled, “Give her some alone time.”
With the help of Lagoona’s teleportation powers, they reached a two-story suburban family house. It was in a neighborhood near the State Capitol, where the portal dropped them off. It was only a matter of minutes until the three girls reached their destination. “How do we know this is it?” Frankie asked, slightly confused. Lagoona giggled, “My intuition never lies to me. We’re in the right place.”
“Okay, well,” Clawdeen sighed. “We need to get into that attic.”
"No, someone's home." Noticing a small girl’s reflection in one of the upstairs windows, Deuce shook his head with a worried look, “They’ll notice us.”
“It’s a child!” Toralei argued, walking around annoyedly. “She won’t care if she hears noises in the attic. Yeah, she might get a little scared, but who would believe her? Not me.”
As the sound of laughter got closer, the group ducked behind a large bush, impatiently waiting to spot the three normies. They arrived within seconds, Melanie being the first to head inside, whereas the two others stayed outside on the porch, preparing to warn their friend in case someone unwanted showed up. They climbed closer to the porch, leaving Draculaura on the lookout behind the bush. Clawdeen turned towards her best friend, “Frankie, once we get in the courtyard, do you think you could open the attic window with one hand?”
“I’ll attempt,” They smiled.
Noticing that one of the ground floor windows was open, Toralei got up and after carefully inspecting the inside, she lifted a leg and began climbing inside. “What are you doing?” Lagoona hissed, staring at the werecat in shock. She understood she had hurt Toralei’s feelings, but this wasn’t the time to joke around. “You’re going to get us caught!”
“Don’t underestimate me,” The werecat hissed, her twin friends following behind. “I know what I’m doing. This is a job for werecats.”
Noticing that Lilith and Sofia weren’t paying attention, Lagoona gestured towards Draculaura, and the group of five held onto the blonde’s hand, teleporting inside the courtyard. “So, why can’t you just take us to the attic?” Draculaura asked, confused about Lagoona’s powers. “Wouldn’t it be easier?”
“No,” Lagoona shook her head. “We can’t know if Melanie’s in there. If she is, we’ll get caught. Besides, I haven’t touched saltwater in hours and the more I use my powers, the weaker I feel.”
Inside the house, Toralei and the twins split up. While Meowlody and Purrsephone hid, keeping their friend’s ankle boots, the werecat rushed up the carpet-covered stairs and noticed Melanie talking with the child Deuce mentioned. She hid behind a wall, looking around the hallway in case she could spot the attic door. As almost all the doors looked the same, it was practically impossible to spot. “Why don’t you go and play in the sandbox? Or take a dip in the pool?” Melanie spoke in a sweet tone. “I have some important things to sort out for school and you’re making a lot of noise.”
“I wasn’t making any noise!” The girl protested, raising her voice. Her pale cheeks turned red in anger. The two sisters bore no resemblance besides their thick dark curls. “You’re always bossing me around. Dad has already told you not to do that. I know you didn’t come home because of school.”
“Fine,” Melanie sighed. Her voice was getting more annoyed by the minute. “Well then, Sarah, why won’t you be a nice little sister and tell me where Dad keeps the attic key?”
“You can’t go up there!” Sarah said. “Dad has told you so many times it was dangerous.”
Melanie scoffed. Toralei could only see Melanie’s back, but she could feel the anger filling the room. “Sarah, if you don’t tell me right now-”
Spotting a hidden camera beside the large vase sitting on the table next to her, Toralei yanked the cord out of the wall and crouched down, climbing into one of the open rooms in the hallway. It looked like a teenage girl’s bedroom, decorated with posters of famous normie artists, with dark purple walls and Gothic furniture. Careful not to make any noise, she looked around, finding an attic access door on the ceiling, sealed without any way to open it. This couldn’t have been the only entrance, she thought. There had to be a different way. “It’s in his bedroom, isn’t it?” Melanie groaned and Sarah fell silent. “Fuck, I wish I knew a spell that could open doors. My life would be so much easier.”
Toralei refused to give up. After locking and barricading the door, she stood on a chair, grabbed a pair of scissors, and began digging into the material used to seal the door. If cats were good at one thing, it was scratching and using their claws to destroy anything they found inconvenient. Toralei grabbed the panel, moved it aside, kicked the chair away, and lifted herself into the hidden room. Finally, upstairs, she placed the panel back in its place and pushed a heavy sofa on top of it.
Down in the courtyard, Frankie detached their hand and let it climb up to the attic window. It being a sliding window only made their job that much easier. The hand searched the whole room for a ladder, but there wasn’t one. They seemed to have come to a dead-end when Toralei stepped forward, from the dark room to the bright light coming through the windowsill. “What’s good, y’all?” She grinned, staring down at the rest of the group from above. She looked incredibly proud of herself.
“How did you get up there?” Clawdeen gasped, shocked. “No way, it couldn’t have been that easy.”
Toralei smirked, smiling at her long black nails, “Never underestimate a kitty and her claws. Might have messed up my manicure, but… I got here earlier than Melanie.”
“You need to get us up there!”
“Nope, can’t do. She’s on her way.” She said. She shut the window and hid in a dark corner, preparing her phone in case she needed to videotape anything. Still, the group outside refused to leave the werecat alone. Deuce sighed, “Lagoona, are you sure you don’t know how to do an invisibility spell?”
“Well,” The blonde muttered. “I… could attempt, but it’ll drain my energy. There’s too many of us.”
“Lagoona,” Clawdeen began, walking towards the sea monster. She held onto her hands, getting some of her foundation on herself. “You are strong and we believe in you. You have some saltwater in your bag, and that should be enough to make you feel better, right?”
“Yeah, maybe.” She nodded. “Fine. Frankie and Deuce, come with me. Draculaura, and Clawdeen, I can’t use the spell on you, but you guys should go and find Meowlody and Purrsephone. Just be careful.”
Draculaura smiled, “Will do.”
Lagoona took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and remembered the things her mother taught her. Sea nymph magic was all about concentration and being in harmony with the nature around you. Seconds later, Lagoona and Deuce disappeared, but when Draculaura reached her arm out, she could still feel their bodies. “Freaky,” She muttered, leaving out a laugh.
“Um, can we get going?” Frankie sighed. “I’m starting to miss my hand.”
Lagoona and Deuce went first, looking around to see if Sofia and Lilith were around. Lagoona could sense that they were inside the house, but they weren’t nearby, so Draculaura and Clawdeen walked as quietly as possible. Even if Lagoona, Frankie, and Deuce were invisible, that didn’t stop them from making the stairs creak or make any noise. When they reached the upstairs hallway, they could see Melanie trying to open her father’s bedroom door with a hair clip. Annoyed by the wait, Lagoona used her powers to unlock the door, making Melanie think that she did it all by herself. “Isn’t she a witch?” Deuce whispered. “Why can’t she unlock the door herself?”
“Man, I don’t know.” Lagoona sighed. They followed the girl inside the bedroom, but they could also hear Lilith and Sofia approaching. They hid in the corner of the room, away from the doorframe, letting the two in. Frankie stayed outside the room.
“Why’d your dad keep this room locked anyway?” Lilith asked, looking around curiously. The room was large but dark, with heavy curtains covering the tall windows so nobody could peek inside. Melanie switched on the light and pressed a button on the wall, hidden underneath a painting. This opened a safe, holding only the attic key and her father’s saved-up money.
“You get it now?” Melanie laughed. She closed everything back up and walked out of the bedroom, leaving the door open. Before Lagoona and Deuce left, the gorgon stepped to a framed family picture on the dresser, showing only Melanie, her father, and a dark-skinned black woman with her hair in long beaded braids. An inscription on the picture frame read Melanie, Dimitri, and Samara. It was unclear when the picture was taken, but Melanie looked around four years old. Deuce snapped a picture with his phone and followed the three girls to the attic where Toralei was hiding. While Melanie was rummaging through old boxes, Frankie, Deuce, and Lagoona found Toralei hiding behind old furniture.
The werecat’s immediate first instinct was to argue, “Didn’t you say you couldn’t use an invisibility spell?”
“Believe me, it’s still draining my energy,” Lagoona muttered. “Now be quiet.”
Quietly, Deuce approached Melanie, crouching down opposite her. Digging through the dust-covered items, the girl found a stack of envelopes, the name and address of the sender crossed out with permanent black marker on each. Some were unopened, except a few. She reached inside the envelope with her shaking hand, pulling out a stack of early 2000s photo prints of a toddler with pale skin, green snakes instead of hair, and a port-wine stain birthmark on the child’s thigh. Taking a deep breath, Melanie lifted the hem of her skirt, staring at the much-hated mark on her leg. Her father had an almost identical one. Seeing the picture, Deuce pursed his lips and pulled it towards himself while Melanie wasn’t paying attention. He could immediately see that the child in the picture was himself. He had no idea his mother kept sending his father so many letters. Ripping open the rest of the envelopes, the girl could feel her eyes pooling, filling with tears. Her father forgot one important detail - he forgot to conceal the sender’s signature.
“Medusa…” The girl read, staring back and forth between the pictures and the letter. Deuce wished he could grab everything and take it with him, but Melanie deserved to know about her father’s secrets, too. Instead, he took a few pictures and promised himself he’d get his hands on those pictures and letters someday. Hearing her friends calling her name, Melanie scattered everything in a dirty old Adidas shoebox and rushed downstairs, dropping a few items without noticing and locking the attic door behind herself.
Finally, Lagoona removed the invisibility spell, rushing over to Deuce with Frankie to see if he was alright. The boy got up and grabbed the pictures and letters left on the floor, the photographs showing him at different ages. Frankie sighed, “So, it’s confirmed?”
“Yeah,” Deuce muttered, “These pictures are all me. Dimitri is my biological father who never cared to contact me. No wonder he locked the pictures away.”
“At least he didn't throw them away,” Toralei shrugged, trying to give her two cents regarding the topic. “Surely, that means something.”
“It means that he is embarrassed of me.” He replied in an annoyed tone. He could feel himself getting emotional, but he didn’t want to cry. “My entire life I’ve felt abandoned because he wasn’t in my life, and knowing that he was willing to start a new family with someone who can pass for human makes me want to tear my snakes out.”
"We are here for you." Lagoona placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a side hug. She was getting weaker by the minute, but she decided to hold herself together for a couple more minutes. “You are not alone.”
“Being the only half-human kid at Monster High, I kind of am.” He said. “Anyways, it doesn’t matter. I’m grateful for everything I had growing up, but I wish my father didn’t consider me something to be ashamed of.”
“Maybe you could contact him?” Frankie suggested. “If you spoke to Melanie, maybe she could give you his number. Maybe he wouldn’t be against meeting you.”
Deuce shook his head, “Let’s just go.”
While these four were up in the attic, Clawdeen and Draculaura found Meowlody and Purrsephone hiding in the downstairs office, staring at the laptop screen with the house’s hidden camera footage showing everything that was happening while snacking on a bag of chips they found in the kitchen. Clawdeen raised a brow, “What are we going to do about these?”
“We’re not in the footage, I’ve checked,” Purrsephone shrugged, “There are no cameras in the kitchen. The ones in the office and the hallway I’ve already touched up. Our house has the same type of camera system, except that one does catch vampires.”
Meowlody laughed, “She’s kind of a tech genius.”
“Yeah,” Purrsephone nodded. She plugged in a USB and clicked on a few pop-ups. “I sent a virus to the computer. It’ll be easy to remove, but it’ll temporarily delete all of the camera footage from the week.”
Draculaura laughed, “You just have all that lying around?”
“Our uncle’s a hacker,” Purrsephone shrugged. She then stood up and restarted the computer, waiting for the program to do its job. “He once hacked into one of the teachers’ computers at our old school. He released some pretty private information, and he almost got sued, but uh…”
“Let’s just say some of the things on that laptop were pretty scandalous.” Meowlody giggled, trying to stop herself from laughing at a serious situation. “That teacher’s in jail now.”
“Oh,” The vampire said, scratching her head. “That’s… not great.”
Ignoring the entire conversation, Clawdeen broke her silence, “So, that means we can walk back without being seen on the cameras, right?”
“Yes,” Purrsephone nodded. She grabbed her backpack and headed to the door, peeking to see if anyone was out there. She could hear the girls’ voices, but they were still upstairs. They all took off their shoes, stormed through the house, and climbed through the kitchen window, trying to leave no trace behind. The other four were still upstairs. They waited in the courtyard, sneaking under the windows.
Toralei, being as dramatic as she usually was, simply stepped out on the windowsill and held onto the closest oak tree, jumping on the grass in one go, landing in a perfect side lunge position. Taking a relieved breath, she let out a laugh and looked at Clawdeen, “And in the end, cats always fall on their feet.”
“Congrats,” Clawdeen muttered. “Where’s the other three?”
“Well, Lagoona is too weak to redo the invisibility spell,” She shrugged. “She said she’d fix the other attic entrance I broke, though. Thank the gods someone has magic here, right?”
“Great,” The werewolf scoffed. “She needs saltwater. We don’t have any.”
Seconds later, the other three were seen approaching, Lagoona looking more tired than ever. Although the makeup covered her blue skin, it was turning grey and her chapped lips were proof of that. As she stepped closer to her friends, she lost her balance, slipping on the edge of a large pool filled with unclean water. Noticing that she could barely hold herself above the surface, her friends hurried to the edge and fished her backpack out of the water, opening her bottle of saltwater and pressing it against her lips, trying to force her to drink it.
“Since when do people drink salt water?” Toralei groaned, staring at Frankie in anger who was struggling not to electrify her friends. “You need to dunk it on her body!”
“She’s waking up!” Deuce said, noticing the blonde’s eyes flutter tiredly. The group grabbed Lagoona’s body and placed her on the grass, her human makeup smudged and all over the place.
“Someone’s coming,” Lagoona breathed out, water dripping off her scales. The blonde could barely move, but she didn’t want to get her friends into trouble because of her. She was willing to take responsibility if it was needed. “Hide. Hide right now. Leave me here.”
Clawdeen was shocked, “Leave you here? We can’t do that.”
“I said hide!”
While everyone hid behind the courtyard’s boxwood bushes, Lagoona got on her two feet and noticed a young girl running outside. She stared at the blonde amazed by her beautiful fins, scales, and pastel blue skin. To her, the sea monster looked like the mermaids she would see in movies. “Mermaids are real?” The little girl gasped. “Where is your tail?”
Lagoona sighed annoyedly, glancing towards Clawdeen in the bushes. Clawdeen held up both her thumbs, grinning at Lagoona. Finally, the Aussie bit her lips and came up with a convincing lie, “This is a… realistic Halloween costume. Waterproof glue. My fins are fake. My hair is a wig.”
“Can I touch your scales?” The girl begged. Lagoona flinched, trying not to give anything away. She tugged on one of Lagoona’s arm scales, making the teen want to scream. “It’s so realistic. Such strong glue.”
“Mhm,” Lagoona said, clearing her throat. She began fanning her face with her hands. “But it needs to stay on so that I can win the best costume award. So, please, no touching. I need to get to the party.”
“Melanie!” Sarah screamed, running back inside the house. “Look! I saw a mermaid!”
Gathering all her power, Lagoona ran to the back of the courtyard and climbed over the gate, her friends following her. When Melanie, Lilith, and Sofia arrived outside, the courtyard was empty, with no sign of any of the monsters. Melanie and Lilith shared a glance, but the curly-haired girl brushed Sarah’s words off as attention-seeking. Finally, Lagoona settled under a wide oak tree and washed her legs with the remaining saltwater in her bottle. “Well, that was a new experience.”
“Yeah, you’re telling me.” Deuce sighed, finally removing his beanie and setting his snakes free because nobody was around. “A rollercoaster of emotions.”
Frankie immediately pulled Deuce into a group hug, his friends letting him cry as much as he needed. This was the closest he had ever gotten to learning about his father and he didn’t know if he was happy about it. One side of him felt relieved, but his other side wished he had never met Melanie or learned any of this information. “Are you going to tell my brother?” Clawdeen asked, staring at Deuce worried. She felt bad for him. “Maybe talking to him would help.”
“I’ll probably say something eventually,” Deuce muttered. “Not sure it’ll be this weekend, but… eventually. I think I want to talk to my mom first.”
As it was getting late, and it was already close to midnight in the Monster World’s New Salem, the group got going and washed off all the makeup while still in the forest. Some caught a taxi, while Meowlody, and Purrsephone drove away with Toralei. Clawdeen and Lagoona walked home together and decided to discuss everything that had happened that day. The werewolf refused to leave Lagoona to walk home alone. She was worried that she’d pass out again and she wanted to know that her best friend made it home safely. “Do you think this was our last time in Salem?”
“No,” Lagoona sighed and pursed her lips, “I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse from now on, and if we aren’t careful enough, we might find ourselves in some hellish situation.”
Clawdeen nodded, nervously running her fingers through her auburn locks, trying to ease her anxiety, “Yeah, I understand.”
“Keep your eyes peeled, Deena.” She smiled and pulled her friend into a tight hug. “As for me, I think I need an entire weekend of rest. See you on Monday, okay?”
“Take care, Lagoona,” Clawdeen said. Lovingly, she pressed their foreheads together, hoping she could pass on some positive energy to the sea monster. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, though.”
Lagoona let out a chuckle, “Hopefully not.”
Watching Lagoona take off her heels and rush inside her family’s beautiful wooden beach house, Clawdeen was reminded of how breathtaking she found the Aussie when she first saw her at the local aqua park’s swim club. They were only fourteen, but the werewolf couldn’t stop crushing on Lagoona. Her thick blonde curls, big green eyes, and freckled pale ocean-blue skin were not only captivating but also mesmerizing. She was the most talented swimmer she had ever seen, outdoing anyone who competed with her.
Clawdeen would always tell everyone how Lagoona was the happiest person she had ever seen, but after she began dating Gil and his family rejected their relationship, something changed. She wasn’t that cheerful girl she met at the aqua park anymore. Witnessing her best friend’s heart slowly getting broken in the span of two years was the most useless she had ever felt. Even if she knew how terrible the freshwater boy was to her, she watched Lagoona suffer through the relationship and didn’t say a word. Clawdeen promised herself she would never make the same mistake again.
The lights in Lagoona’s bedroom lit up and she stepped over to the window, waving goodbye to her best friend. The lights turned off again, only the water in Lagoona’s hydrating station shining in the gloomy night. The werewolf sighed, “I wish I could tell you how much I love you.”
Notes:
Also... What do we think about a potential Clawdeen x Lagoona x Toralei love triangle...
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