Monster High

  “Tonight we’re heading into a foreign land, or at least we’re trying to,” Venus proclaimed to her visibly nervous friends, ignoring Rochelle’s germaphobia. “It won’t be easy, but if it works, we’ll save Salem and Monster High.”

  “And if it doesn’t work?” Rochelle inquired.

  “Then we’re back to square one? Or we’re in a normie prison? It could go either way,” Venus replied matter-of-factly.

  As the clock’s hands hovered over the twelve, Robecca, Rochelle, Cy, and Venus stepped onto the ornate golden elevator to the catacombs.

  “Boo la la! Venturing into the catacombs after midnight is definitely a non-non,” Rochelle wondered aloud as she tapped her claws against her cheek.

  “We’re fighting a war, in case you haven’t noticed,” Venus shot back. “And in war, like in love, there are no rules.”

  “S’il ghoul plaît, Venus! Must you say such things to me? You know how much rules mean to me.”

  “We’re here,” Cy said as the elevator doors opened into the catacombs.

  First out of the elevator, the boy opened the heart-shaped rot-iron gate, above which hung a hand-carved sign: WELCOME TO THE NORTHERN TUNNELS OF THE CATACOMBS, WHERE HIDDEN FROM LIGHT, IN THE DARK OF NIGHT, YOU JUST MIGHT FIND A MONSTER’S TRUEST FRIGHT.

  “Mr. Mummy said it was in the southeast corner, just past the portrait of anthropologist Jane Ghoulall,” Venus informed the others.

  Dimly lit rot-iron sconces, carvings of skulls, and portraits of historically relevant figures adorned the gray stone walls. Everyone from Thomas Deadison to Franklin Delano Growlsevelt seemed to be watching them as the group crept along the drafty corridor.

  “It’s kind of spooky down here,” Robecca whispered.

  “Spooky? I do not agree. Unless of course you are referring to the possibility of bumping into something and stubbing your toe or banging your shin?” Rochelle asked.

  “Bumping into something? How about someone? Wouldn’t it be fangtastic to happen upon my father down here?” Robecca whispered excitedly.

  “The Gargoyle Code of Ethics paragraph 76.2 states that managing a friend’s expectations is key to maintaining a lifelong friendship. Therefore, I must tell you that it is highly unlikely that we will just run into your father down here.”

  “Jane Ghoulall!” Cy called out excitedly, and then turned the corner and gasped.

  “Talk about a flea’s tease! How are we ever going to get through that?” Robecca asked after she walked around the corner.

  A mess of nails, wood, and even a thick metal chain covered the entrance of the tunnel to the normie town. It was, in short, impenetrable.

  what time is it?” Robecca cried while splayed out beneath a small pile of debris, her copper eyelids fighting to stay open after hours of hard work trying to break through the barrier.

  “Robecca! Stop asking what time it is and help us!” Venus snapped.

  “It’s six fifteen AM,” Cy whispered to Robecca after checking that Venus wasn’t listening.

  “My fingers have so many splinters in them, they look like cacti. Not to mention I think I pulled a root,” Venus lamented.

  “We’re almost through, chéries,” Rochelle encouraged the others as she stifled a yawn.

  “Almost through is not through,” Venus grumbled as she blew strands of pink hair off her forehead.

  “Plants are très grognons, or grouchy as you say in Fanglish, when they don’t get enough sleep,” Rochelle muttered to Cy. “Quel dommage. What a shame, for us that is.…”

  “I heard that,” Venus grunted as she yanked at a piece of wood, which triggered a strange creaking noise.

  “Errr… err…”

  “What is that?” Cy asked.

  “An animal? You know how normies love to have exotic pets. Maybe one got loose and wound up down here!” Robecca rambled.

  “That seems highly unlikely, although it’s true that normies like to have odd pets. I once read an article about a man who kept a tiger in his one-bedroom apartment in Boo York,” Rochelle stated as Venus pulled at another piece of wood in the wall.

  “It’s not an animal; it’s the wood,” Venus explained, seconds before the wall started to crumble, piece by piece.

  “Bravo! Venus! Bravo!” Rochelle cried excitedly.

  “Good golly, Miss Molly, you sure are strong,” Robecca remarked.

  “What can I tell you? My vines are tougher than they look,” Venus responded proudly.

  “Yikes! It’s pretty dark in there,” Robecca said as she followed Cy into the near pitch-black tunnel.

  “Luckily for you, you are traveling with a gargoyle. And as you know, gargoyles come prepared,” Rochelle said as she pulled out a flashlight.

  “And we’re sure this is the right tunnel? This is the one that leads to the normie town?” Cy asked the others.

  “That’s what Mr. Mummy said.…” Venus trailed off as she looked anxiously around the space. “I hope he knows what he’s talking about.”

  The foursome walked through the murky and musty-smelling corridor for what felt like hours. Though it was, in fact, only forty-seven minutes.

  “Ouch!” Venus screeched as she bumped into one of the many discarded chairs and sconces littered across the floor of the tunnel.

  “Regardez! I see something! Slivers of light up above!” Rochelle called out.

  “It’s a manhole,” Cy assessed as the foursome stood looking up at the splinters of light.

  “A what?” Robecca asked.

  “You know, those metal things in the streets that lead to sewers and other stuff below cities. In this case, a catacombs tunnel,” Cy replied.

  “How are we going to do this? Are we all just walking into normieville? Or should only one of us go?” Venus asked the others.

  “One monster might sneak through town unnoticed, but four? I doubt it. But it must be noted that it’s far more dangerous for whoever goes alone. For even though the normies are not actually threatening to wall us in, they aren’t used to us. The sight of a monster popping up in town might frighten some of them,” Rochelle hypothesized.

  “I’ll go,” Cy stated.

  “Why?” Venus asked. “And don’t say because you’re a boy. Because ghouls are just as strong as boys.”

  “It has nothing to do with the fact that I am a boy. You guys are a trio, I don’t think you could function without one another.”

  “That is so sweet!” Robecca gushed as she started to steam up.

  “And highly codependent,” Rochelle interjected.

  “Please know, Cy, we need you too,” Robecca finished.

  “Thanks.”

  “It’s almost seven thirty AM. If you are going to do this, you should go now, before the streets become crowded,” Rochelle advised.

  “You need to find the mayor’s office,” Venus said, and then paused. “Once there, figure out a way inside so that you can convince him to make a video stating that the normies have no intention of walling us in,” Venus instructed.

  “I have a bad feeling about this! What if the mayor is afraid of monsters and throws Cy in jail? Then we really will have to reach out to ASOME for help!” Robecca squealed.

  “It is true that the normie/monster relationship has a long and difficult history. There have been pockets of trouble as well as friendship over the years,” Rochelle responded.

  “Well, here’s to hoping we’re in a pocket of friendship,” Cy said unsurely as he pulled up one of the abandoned chairs from the tunnel and climbed atop it.

  Light flooded into the damp space as Cy pushed the manhole to the side and then slowly pulled himself to the street.

  “Bonne chance! Good luck!” Rochelle wished the boy.

  “Stay safe!” Robecca called out as Cy pushed the manhole back in place and disappeared into normieville.

  “My vines are so tense I think they might snap in half,” Venus commented as the trio sat in the faint light of the tunnel.

  “Jeez Louise! How long h
as he been gone? An hour? Two? He’s probably in normie jail by now!”

  “Becs, Cy’s been gone eight minutes,” Venus replied. “And please stop talking about jail. It’s hardly helping the mood.”

  “Then what should we talk about? The mayor? What do we know about him? Is he nice? Is he young? Is he old? Does he like karaoke? Monsters with one eye?” Robecca babbled.

  “We don’t know anything about him except that he is not threatening to wall us in,” said Rochelle.

  “But what if we’re wrong? What if everything Miss Flapper said is true? They’ll kidnap Cy just like they did Wydowna and Headmistress Bloodgood!” Robecca squawked.

  “Venus, s’il ghoul plaît, help me hold Robecca’s hands. Our ghoulfriend needs to calm down.”

  Minutes passed like hours and hours passed like days as Robecca, Rochelle, and Venus waited for Cy to return to the tunnel. He had been gone two hours and thirteen minutes, which was exactly thirteen minutes longer than either Venus or Rochelle had anticipated.

  “There’s no way the normies are really planning to wall us in, right?” Robecca questioned her friends.

  “For the last time, no,” Venus replied, albeit with a slightly shaky voice.

  “Are you sure about that? Because you don’t sound that sure.”

  “Robecca, Venus is as sure as I am, which I place at approximately seventy-eight percent.”

  “What? Why only seventy-eight percent?!” Robecca yelped.

  “I came into this tunnel at a hundred percent, but there is something about sitting in the dark that has eroded my ability to think clearly,” Rochelle confessed.

  “I know! It’s like some kind of terrible torture. It’s worse than watching an aluminum can get thrown into the trash,” Venus seconded.

  “What’s that?” Robecca yelped. “Is that a siren? An ambulance? The police? The MIA, the Monster Intelligence Agency?”

  “I don’t hear anything. So either you’re imagining something or I’m going deaf,” Venus replied.

  “Both of you stop talking! I have come to believe that conversing of any kind is highly detrimental to our mental health,” Rochelle instructed the others as the sound of the manhole scratching against the pavement echoed through the tunnel.

  “Cy’s back!” Robecca said with relief, before gasping. “Unless of course he caved under normie questioning and it’s actually the police coming to arrest us for trespassing!”

  “Trespassing! An arrest record! Those are not terms gargoyles want to hear,” Rochelle cried, before a bright light flooded the tunnel, suddenly blinding the trio. The intense burst of sunlight left the ghouls seeing spots of color even after Cy closed the manhole cover behind him.

  “These dots of light I’m seeing are beautiful, but not as beautiful as seeing Cy again!” Robecca exclaimed.

  “Sorry, ghouls, I should have warned you to close your eyes,” Cy apologized.

  “We’re just glad to see you,” said Venus as the foursome started on their way back through the tunnel toward Monster High. “Now tell us what happened!”

  “Mayor Mazin is a really nice guy, and smart too,” Cy reflected.

  “Is that why you spent so much time with him?” Venus persisted.

  “I spent most of the time trying to find the mayor’s office. You have to remember that walking around a normie town with a big eye in the middle of your forehead without being noticed is not easy. Even with the hood of my sweatshirt pulled down over half my face I couldn’t ask for directions, so I just had to keep wandering until I found the office.”

  “And what happened when you found the office? You simply walked in and said, ‘Boo-jour, I am a monster and I must talk to the mayor’?” Rochelle inquired.

  “Hardly,” Cy replied with a chuckle. “The mayor’s secretary looked about as friendly as Superintendent Petra after spending time with Miss Sue Nami.”

  “So how did you get to the mayor?” Robecca chimed in.

  “I climbed up a tree in front of the building and then I jumped from there to the roof—”

  “Jeepers! Who knew Cy was a spider ghoul?” Robecca remarked excitedly.

  “Then I almost crashed to the ground as I attempted to lower myself onto the mayor’s balcony from the roof. But eventually I climbed through the window and introduced myself,” Cy continued.

  “How did he respond? A monster climbing through his window unannounced? That could be pretty jarring,” Venus supposed.

  “Surprisingly well. It turns out his parents once sent him to a monster and normie camp in upstate Boo York, so he’s more comfortable around creatures than the average normie.”

  “What are they like? I’ve never been around any normies,” Robecca admitted.

  “They seemed fine, except, well…”

  “What?” Robecca inquired.

  “They’re really boring dressers. I’ve never seen so much khaki and beige in my life. It’s like they’re afraid of color or something.”

  “While I am amused by their fashion limitations, I must ask you, did you get the video?” Rochelle cut to the chase.

  “Yes, I did,” Cy replied confidently, clearly proud of what he had accomplished.

  “YEAH!!” Robecca squealed.

  “Merci boo-coup!”

  “Okay, that does it, we’re no longer a trio. We are now officially a quartet,” Venus said while patting Cy on the arm.

  “Thanks, ghouls!” Cy replied, his face locked in a permanent smile.

  wake up, you lot!” Ms. Kindergrubber hollered at Cy, Venus, Rochelle, and Robecca as each of them dozed off during Home Ick. They had arrived to campus so late that they didn’t even have time to change, let alone sleep.

  “It’s bad enough I have to deal with these two,” Ms. Kindergrubber continued as she flung open the pantry doors where Rose and Blanche Van Sangre were sleeping among the dried goods, covered in crumbs.

  “Vhat time is it?” Rose muttered as her eyes creaked open.

  “Time zo go back zo sleep,” Blanche replied as she popped a cookie into her mouth. “I think ve might have found the perfect place zo nap.”

  “I know. Eating vhile ve sleep—this is the life,” Rose trailed off, and then quickly started snoring.

  Ms. Kindergrubber slammed the cupboard shut and shook her head at Venus, Cy, Robecca, and Rochelle.

  “Boo-la-la! Je suis désolée, madame! We had very little sleep last night. Hence why we were nodding off atop our cutting boards,” Rochelle explained as Ms. Kindergrubber mumbled to herself and then walked away.

  “Hey, ghouls,” Frankie called over to Robecca, Rochelle, and Venus. “I don’t know if you heard, but I’m canceling today’s Frightingale meeting because of the Claws & Gauze Summit.”

  “The what?” Venus questioned Frankie.

  “The Claws & Gauze Summit to honor Toralei and Cleo,” Frankie explained. “Spectra announced it this morning on her blog. Apparently Cleo’s dad and Toralei’s guardian set it up with Miss Flapper. I think Scariff Fred and Superintendent Petra are coming as well to show their respect for the missing ghouls.”

  “My dad says it’s just another ruse by Miss Flapper to garner support for ASOME, which is probably true. But I’m attending anyway. I might not be Toralei’s biggest fan, but I want them both home just as much as the rest of you,” Draculaura added.

  “Are you ghouls going to attend?” Frankie asked.

  “We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Venus replied.

  “We wouldn’t?” Robecca wondered aloud, before catching Rochelle’s eye. “I mean, we wouldn’t. That is to say, we’ll be there.”

  The Claws & Gauze Summit was held in the Study Howl classroom, which had been transformed into a shrine to Toralei and Cleo, their pictures covering every available inch of wall space.

  “It really is such a shame that neither of them are here to appreciate this fangtastique ode to them. I am quite certain that they would be thrilled. After all, you know how much they like to look at themselves,” Rochelle
said while surveying the surroundings.

  “Isn’t that the truth?” Frankie said with a laugh. “Cleo once told me that the best birthday gift she ever received was a mirror.”

  “Toralei once asked me to sign a petition to name her Monster High’s Greatest… well, everything,” Draculaura added with a smile. “You ghouls have to admit she’s a great source of comedy.”

  “They both are, mate. Just last week they offered to give me swimming lessons. Apparently, the two of them think they can swim better than a sea creature!” Lagoona remembered as she, Frankie, and Draculaura headed across the room to find seats.

  “Jeepers, does anyone else feel bad that we’re having a Claws & Gauze Summit instead of a Headless & Webbed & Claws & Gauze Summit? After all, Cleo and Toralei aren’t the only ones missing,” Robecca noted to Cy, Venus, and Rochelle.

  “You really do have the biggest heart,” Cy responded to Robecca. “I’m surprised it can even fit in there.”

  “Technically speaking, I do not believe Robecca has an actual heart but a…” Rochelle trailed off after Venus nudged her.

  “Thanks, Cy,” Robecca responded bashfully. “I think your heart is even bigger than your eye.… Wait, that sounded weird, didn’t it? I meant it as a compliment!”

  “I know, I know,” Cy said with a laugh. “You never need to worry with me. I think it’s pretty clear we understand each other.”

  “Look, there’s Miss Flapper with Ramses de Nile and Tab Bee. I don’t know about you guys, but I am super pumped to play the video,” Venus said while fidgeting with her vines.

  “We’re all set on that front,” Cy said with a satisfied smile.

  The Claws & Gauze Summit kicked off with Ramses de Nile and Tab Bee speaking about their deep-seated fear that Cleo and Toralei would never be returned to Salem, since the monsters lack the necessary power to pressure the normies. Then, as if following a script, Miss Flapper took the microphone and once again spoke of ASOME.