“It is the same principle that flight crews use: One must first put on his or her own oxygen mask before helping others with theirs,” Rochelle said with a smile, clearly pleased to use her knowledge of aviation protocol.
“Yes, Rochelle,” Jinafire responded, before looking each of the ghouls in the eye. “I would like to invite the three of you to come into my dorm room for a very important demonstration.”
“Thanks for the invite, but we’re super hungry. Can we take a rain check?” Venus asked as her stomach began to growl louder than a werewolf during a full moon.
“Venus, your stomach makes even more noise than my rusty joints,” Robecca said with a giggle.
“This is no laughing matter, ghouls. So please follow me,” Jinafire stated authoritatively.
“Venus, chérie, I do not like upsetting your stomach, but perhaps we should spare a few minutes for Jinafire’s demonstration,” Rochelle said as she started after the dragon.
“Never a dull moment at Monster High,” Robecca mused as she grabbed hold of Venus’s arm and followed Jinafire and Rochelle.
“Dragon kung boo is a very old and traditional martial art. One which my family has practiced for centuries,” Jinafire informed Robecca, Rochelle, and Venus as the trio sat scattered around her and Skelita’s dorm room.
Jinafire then draped herself in a long white robe and tied it with a sash.
“Does everyone wear that outfit when practicing kung boo?” Robecca asked.
“It is called a gi. And no, not everyone. I find it comfortable.”
“And that wasn’t to imply that I don’t like the way it looks, because I do. Not that it matters if your outfit is stylish when you are working out and sweating. I, of course, can’t sweat. It’s one of the few perks of being crafted out of a steam engine. Although now that I think about it, steaming is kind of like sweating, only without the odor. Heavens to batsy, what am I going on about? You must all think I am missing a few cogs!” Robecca rambled on.
“Statistically speaking, it is highly probable that you are missing a part or two. Very few creatures manage to be reassembled without losing a cog, screw, or spring in the process,” Rochelle added in her usual literal manner.
Jinafire then began demonstrating several different moves before being interrupted by Venus.
“Why exactly did you choose today to invite us over for a self-defense lesson?” Venus asked.
“Actually,” a soft voice floated into the room from the doorway, “it was my idea.”
“Madame Flapper,” Rochelle said after spotting the always-graceful European dragon.
Dressed in a long and flowing lavender jumpsuit with intricate lace details, Miss Flapper was as breathtakingly stylish as usual. However, it was not simply the woman’s outfit that was capturing Rochelle’s attention but the materials used to create the long lavender ensemble.
“The lace trim on your clothing is très fangtastique. It takes incredible precision and skill to create something of that caliber. Surely this must be the work of Wydowna,” Rochelle blurted out.
“Rochelle, Miss Flapper could have gotten that lace anywhere. After all, it’s not like she even knew Wydowna that well, remember?” Venus stated pointedly.
“But it looks identical to some of the pieces Wydowna created,” Rochelle continued, oblivious to Venus’s attempt to shut down her line of questioning.
Unsure how else to communicate her message, Venus began elbowing Rochelle. But as so often happens, she stopped after remembering that granite and elbows proved a very painful combination.
“You have a very good eye, Rochelle. This is indeed the work of Wydowna Spider. I had it commissioned right before she fled Monster High. It really is a shame that such a talented ghoul couldn’t make any friends here. But in the end, in light of the danger we’re facing, maybe she’s better off,” Miss Flapper stated cautiously.
“Fled? Why do you think Wydowna fled? A lot of monsters are speculating that she was taken by the normies,” Robecca inquired.
“Scariff Fred said that it was as likely that the ghoul ran away as it was that she was kidnapped. But think about it, they took Headmistress Bloodgood because they knew everyone would miss her. They tried to take me because, while not as well loved as the headmistress, I do have a few supporters,” Miss Flapper said, before smiling at Skelita and Jinafire. “But why would they take a new spider ghoul, someone who had yet to make one friend at Monster High? She was still very much a stranger to our community. I think she was just homesick.”
“I don’t know about that,” Robecca responded without thinking.
“What? I thought you had barely spoken to her,” Miss Flapper pressed Robecca.
“Yep, that’s right,” Robecca declared nervously.
“Thanks for the kung boo lesson, Jinafire. It was really cool!” Venus exclaimed in a desperate attempt to change the subject.
“I do hope that the few simple moves that I taught you will help if you ever find yourself face-to-face with a kidnapper,” Jinafire replied.
“Well, we better get going, we’ve got a big day today,” Robecca uttered, once again without thinking.
“What do you mean? Are you referring to the town hall meeting? Because I was told that students weren’t allowed to attend,” Miss Flapper asked, all the while maintaining a taut smile.
“Students are most definitely not allowed at the meeting,” Venus quickly answered. “Robecca was referring to Mr. Mummy’s quiz in Catacombing class.”
“Yes, that is exactly what I was referring to. Thank you, Venus,” Robecca stated stiffly as steam dribbled out of her ears.
The town hall meeting at the Crier’s Club was starting at five PM sharp. But as Robecca, Rochelle, and Venus did not wish any of the parents or teachers attending the meeting to see them, they waited until 4:40 PM to leave campus. With a short window of time in which to make it to the meeting, the trio cut through the grove of conifurs, dodged the trolls at the edge of campus, and then ran like crazy into town.
Upon arriving in Salem, the trio saw that things were far from normal. The once busy village was eerily empty save for the odd cat and dog roaming around. The Die-ner appeared abandoned, without so much as a waiter or busboy in sight. The Maul had a sign posted on the door stating that it was closed for the town hall meeting.
“Wow, it’s like the apocalypse over here. There isn’t a monster left,” Venus said to Robecca and Rochelle as they turned onto Elm Street en route to the Crier’s Club. “I know this is going to sound weird, but I find the emptiness kind of peaceful.”
“Really? I can’t stand it! It’s giving me a serious case of the heebie-jeebies! Why, just look at me, my bolts are rattling!” Robecca babbled as her eyes darted from side to side in search of anything suspicious. “And even though I know for a fact that we have nothing to fear from the normies, I’m pretty on edge, like I’m waiting for one of them to jump out at me.”
“C’est absolument ridicule! It is absolutely ridiculous! Normies do not jump out at people, unless, of course, you are playing hide-and-screech with them,” Rochelle clarified.
“I agree, but what about another monster? Maybe someone from this secret organization ASOME? It’s not totally impossible,” Venus said as she motioned for the others to follow her onto Warren Street.
As the threesome turned the corner onto the tree-lined lane, they stopped dead in their tracks. Venus’s vines prickled, Robecca’s copper plates trembled, and Rochelle’s wings fluttered as they took in the scene. Miss Flapper and Cy Clops walking together. And though the trio was at least thirty feet behind Cy and Miss Flapper, there was no mistaking either of them. Dressed in an emerald-green gown that beautifully complemented her long red hair and lithe silhouette, Miss Flapper gracefully floated along as only she could. And as for Cy, the evidence was equally hard to refute. The boy was sporting a bright purple backpack with his name embroidered on it.
“I don’t believe my eyes,” Venus mumbled as she shook her head.
“Is that Cy with Miss Flapper?”
“You may rest assured that your eyes are not playing tricks on you. It is most definitely Cy and Madame Flapper,” Rochelle stated unequivocally.
“Then I guess the question isn’t whether my eyes are playing tricks on me but whether Cy is playing tricks on us,” Venus postulated as she suspiciously raised her left eyebrow.
“Jeez Louise, Venus! He’s our friend! Don’t you think he deserves a chance to at least explain himself? Especially after everything we’ve been through with him.”
“Robecca is absolument correct. Plus, paragraph 65.9 of the Gargoyle Code of Ethics states that one should not jump to conclusions based on circumstantial evidence. And this is most definitely circumstantial evidence.”
“What is this, Claw & Order?” Venus said with a huff, before relenting. “Fine. You guys are right. It’s just that seeing those two together really threw me for a loop.”
“Quick!” Robecca yelped as she grabbed hold of both Rochelle’s and Venus’s arms and pulled them behind a parked car.
Crouched behind an old rusted truck, Robecca, Rochelle, and Venus craned their necks to see what Miss Flapper and Cy were doing.
“Sorry about that, ghouls. I thought she was about to turn around. And then I started worrying about what would come out of my mouth, because, as we all know, I’m not good on the spot or under pressure,” Robecca muttered.
“Not to worry, chérie. A ghoul must always trust her instincts,” Rochelle answered.
“Except, of course, when it comes to the time. Then you should never ever trust your instincts. Because if I have learned anything about you these past two semesters, it’s that you haven’t a clue what time it is,” Venus added.
“They’ve stopped walking,” Robecca noticed as Miss Flapper and Cy stood in front of the two-story brick building that housed the Crier’s Club. “Now they’re talking.”
“Thanks for the narration,” Venus joked as Miss Flapper patted Cy on the shoulder and then walked into the club.
“Miss Flapper has flown the coop,” Robecca continued.
“Come on, ghouls,” Venus instructed Rochelle and Robecca as she jumped up from behind the old truck and started running down the street.
But so eager was Robecca to talk to the one-eyed boy that she quickly jetted past Venus.
“Hey! Hey! Cy!” Robecca called out as she charged toward him with Venus and Rochelle close behind.
“Hey, ghouls. What’s going on? What are you doing here?”
“How funny! That’s just what we were about to ask you,” Venus said as she whipped her pink ponytail around and raised her eyebrows.
“Miss Flapper came to my dorm room and asked if Henry or I would walk her to the Crier’s Club. She said she was worried about her safety,” Cy repeated while shaking his head incredulously. “And since I thought she might say something helpful, I offered to accompany her.”
“S’il ghoul plaît, Cy! I am not very good with anticipation. What did she say?” Rochelle squealed.
“She mostly talked about her clothes and how no one will ever fully understand how amazingly stylish she is—” Cy recalled.
“Clothes? That’s it?” Venus interrupted.
“No, then right at the end she asked if I had seen Wydowna hanging out with anyone in particular while she was at Monster High.”
“Madame Flapper is clearly worried that Wydowna might have told us something,” Rochelle said as she began rubbing her chin.
“If only those vampires would have come a minute later, she might have actually told us something of use,” Venus said with a sigh.
“It’s almost five. The meeting is about to start,” Rochelle informed the others.
“Venus, how did you say we were sneaking in again?” Robecca chimed in.
“You’re sneaking into the meeting?” Cy repeated.
“As you know, I do not as a rule break rules. However, the Gargoyle Code of Ethics clearly states that rules may be broken when the results of said action will aid in the greater good, which clearly applies to this situation,” Rochelle explained seriously.
“Then I’m coming with you ghouls,” Cy responded.
“Great! We could always use another set of eyes and ears. Or rather eye and ears. Oh! You know what I mean,” Robecca babbled as Venus started around the back of the building.
Hidden behind an assortment of trash cans was a metal ladder bolted to the wall.
“Isn’t this fangtastique? Fire safety precautions are helpful even when there isn’t a fire,” Rochelle mused.
“So I guess this means we’re going in via the roof,” Robecca said. “Good thing none of us is afraid of heights.”
“We’re going to climb up to the roof, remove the air vent, and then jump down into the back stairwell, which leads to an internal balcony that overlooks the hall,” Venus explained, before grabbing hold of the ladder.
“Have you been moonlighting at the Crier’s Club? How do you know the layout?” Robecca inquired.
“Lagoona and I entered into an investigation last semester after hearing that the manager had stopped recycling. But luckily, it turned out to be a false alarm.”
“Jeepers, Venus! And you didn’t tell us?”
“I didn’t think the Code of Ethics would approve,” Venus explained while motioning at Rochelle.
“You may be correct. I need more facts. However, as time is slipping away, discussion of your investigation is going to have to wait,” Rochelle said, and then grabbed onto the ladder behind Venus.
Less than ten seconds had passed and already the metal bars were groaning and bolts were popping out of the wall.
“It’s raining hardware,” Robecca exclaimed as she raised her hands to shield Cy’s large eye from the falling metal debris.
“The ladder’s about to become completely unhinged from the wall!” Cy yelled at Rochelle and Venus.
“That just leaves us one choice, then—jump!” Venus instructed Rochelle.
The sound of the two ghouls crashing against the cement ground resulted in quite a thud, mostly due to Rochelle’s sturdy granite composition.
“Ouch!” Venus moaned as she slowly stood up and dusted herself off.
“One of the good things about being crafted from stone is that it takes a lot to bruise me. However, the heavy nature of stone also means that I am rather prone to having items collapse beneath me,” Rochelle mumbled quietly.
“It’s no big deal, Rochelle,” Venus said as she looked around. “Except that now we need to find another way up to the roof.”
“No problem; I’ve got that covered,” Robecca said as she flipped the switch to her rocket boots and smiled. “Who wants to go first?”
“It sure does pay to have a ghoulfriend who can fly,” Venus remarked, and then wrapped her arms around the copper-plated ghoul’s waist.
Robecca seamlessly jetted Venus to the top of the building and then returned to get Rochelle and Cy.
“Are you certain you can lift me?” Rochelle questioned Robecca. “I might not look very heavy, but believe me, I am.”
“Rocket boots are pretty powerful. So you don’t need to worry about me,” Robecca replied.
“D’accord,” Rochelle said as she grabbed hold of Robecca and braced herself.
Much to the gargoyle’s relief, the flight up went off without a hitch. And so after bringing Cy to the roof, the foursome managed to pry open an air vent and drop into the back stairwell. Immediately upon entering, the foursome heard the sound of monsters talking. And with each step they took, the voices grew louder and clearer.
“From here, we have to crawl,” Venus whispered to the others as she got down on her hands and knees and started making her way across the balcony, which overlooked the large meeting hall.
Lying flat on the ground, the foursome discreetly peered down at the audience below. It was a full house, without even one empty chair. But then again, who would miss a meeting to discuss the future of their town? Just the
n, the faint sound of the bell tower striking five echoed through the large room.
would everyone please take a seat,” Superintendent Petra announced as she and Scariff Fred walked to the podiums positioned at the front of the Crier’s Club.
“In light of our current situation with the normies, we are turning to the community to help us find a possible solution. So with that in mind, I hereby call this town hall meeting in session,” Scariff Fred said into a microphone.
As the crowd of concerned monsters exchanged nervous glances, as if to say “who’s going to go first,” an elderly pumpkin head stood up.
“Is it true that the normies plan to divide Salem into sections based on our age? Because I’m not fond of my peers, so the idea of being locked up with them is pretty awful,” the man grumbled, and then sat back down.
“Unfortunately, sir, we have not been given any information as to their plans after the wall goes up,” Scariff Fred responded.
“That’s because the normies aren’t planning anything,” Robecca whispered to Cy as they lay on the floor of the balcony.
“As of now, all we can tell you is that the normies are planning on erecting the wall very soon. After which, they should return Headmistress Bloodgood and anyone else they might take in the meantime,” Scariff Fred finished.
“I would like to take this moment to point out that I no longer allow any of Monster High’s students to linger outside, so as to decrease their chances of being kidnapped. I also arranged for deputies to escort students during the morning and afternoon school runs,” Superintendent Petra stated with pride and, of course, her usual blank expression.
“Superintendent Petra? While I commend your efforts to keep our cubs safe, I worry that we’ve gotten carried away without taking the time to fact-check our information,” Clawdeen’s father, Mr. Wolf, said as tactfully as possible.
“Fact-check our information? Mr. Wolf, this is an issue of local security, not some term paper on Gillary Clinton!” Superintendent Petra snapped.
“I didn’t mean for it to come out like that,” Mr. Wolf replied calmly. “I only meant that it would be helpful if we knew who your source was; as in, who visited the normie mayor?”