Jade didn't sleep well.
She spent the entire night tossing and turning in her old bed until dawn, and when she got up, she found out that her first order of business would be finding something suitable to wear for the day.
After a quick shower and putting on many rings around her fingers, she dressed up in a red sweater, a two-layered green skirt and black Mary Jane shoes.
And to think it only took her twenty minutes to pick that outfit!
Breakfast with Erich was quiet. He wished her good luck at school before he left the house, and even though Jade wanted to tell him how much she appreciated his efforts, she just didn't.
Jade hurried out of the house, more out of fear that the whole place would fall on her than any desire to go to school, and quickly got into her father's car.
The engine started quickly.
"That exhaust is so loud," Jade laughed a little, "It's a farty car."
Finding the school would not be difficult, because Erich said she just had to drive straight down the road and turn left as soon as she reached the shopping area, then it would be about ten minutes along a cobblestone road.
Jade hadn't had the slightest interest in even looking up the campus online, so she didn't know exactly what to expect.
There wasn't much to see once Jade entered the cobblestone road, just a lot of tall trees and the occasional deer jumping around.
After about ten minutes, the first thing that caught her attention was a huge stone wall, higher than any she had ever seen before, blackened by years of weathering.
A sign on the wall let her know that no, this was not a dream.
"Hallow Woods University," she read, and when drove through to the enormous open gates of the wall, she widened her eyes. "What is this? It looks like Westminster Abbey!"
It wasn't obvious that it was a school; it was more of a castle with a tall bell tower and an oversized parking lot.
The castle was made of grey stone, almost black. There were many towers, many stone bridges, many huge windows.
It looked more like a vampire's castle than a prestigious university.
"It's like being a student at Monster High," Jade laughed, shaking her head, "No Jade, shut up. It's because of this that you don't have any friends."
She parked in front of a tall oak tree.
She stepped out of the car and walked up a series of huge stone steps that led to the giant open doors of the school.
The place felt much larger once inside. The foyer had a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling and tall grey arches and columns. It was warmer than she'd hoped, darker too.
Behind a desk by the right, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and flyers, a woman in a purple t-shirt looked up, way too young and fit to be a receptionist.
"Can I help you?"
"Hi. I'm..."
"You're the new girl, aren't you?" the woman cocked her head. She had a mischievous smile on her face, "Miss Kardashark?"
"What did you just say?"
"Oh well! You'll have to catch up because the school year started over a month ago. Good thing your career is much easier than graphic design," the woman joked as she dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the castle."
"Thanks?"
"Oh! My son told me you're Erich's daughter so I was going to ask you for a favour."
"Sure, I guess," Jade faked a smile, just like her mum had recommended. But that smile faded quickly. "Wait, your son?"
"Can you please tell Erich that I will be free tonight?" The woman bit her lip.
"I definitely won't," Jade whispered as she walked away.
She looked at the map, trying to memorize it.
It was no use. The place was huge!
She stuffed everything in her bag, slung the strap over her shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath. She would rather miss her first class before asking for any directions, so she spent at least ten minutes walking down endless hallway after endless hallway in this crazy maze of a school until she emerged from a door just to find herself in the foyer again.
The woman behind the desk was laughing discretely when she saw her all lost and blushing.
Suddenly, a feminine and somewhat melodic voice behind Jade startled her.
"You're Jade? Erich's daughter?"
Jade turned slowly to look at this mysterious girl talking to her. She was a little taller than Jade by maybe two or three inches. She had beautiful, wavy, silky crimson red hair and yellowish eyes full of life.
This girl and Jade were like salt and pepper. Red leather jacket, black leather pants, eyelashes so long they were almost blowing Jade's hair, excessive makeup and blush that made her look like a clown...
No, no. Jade promised to be nice and push away those thoughts.
"Yes, I am."
"Good! So, Jade! Where's your next class?" Loud, wasn't she?
"Um, classroom thirteen, Literature, with Professor King." Jade replied.
"That is my class too! I could show you the way... I'm Melody by the way, Melody Operman, daughter of Faltom Operman of Phantom Records and Cadence Christensen, the vocal coach." She said with a terrifyingly white smile. Melody took Jade by the arm, and they both began to walk slowly towards a hallway on the left. Jade looked down at the black Goth boots with red platforms Melody was wearing. They looked expensive, like everything else she was wearing.
As the two walked, many boys and girls stopped to greet Melody, with the boys giving her high fives and some girls throwing compliments at her outfit.
"Those two guys who just waved at me?" Melody told Jade, "They were the twins Clyde and Jeyk Hill, the dean's sons. They're super cool! The red-haired one is very quiet but the black-haired one is crazy! He is super funny!" She then waved at someone else, "Ooohhh! And did you see that handsome guy? That's Kevin Visibal, he's a bit shy, like now you see him, now you don't, but he is such a hottie. And that other handsome guy? That's Jack Ripperton, but be careful, the guy will rip your heart out because he's a womanizer." then she greeted a girl, "That's Harriet Warden, her dad is a miner, and that girl with the big ears is Gremilyn, she always gets into trouble. Never fly on a plane with her," and another boy, "That's Jay Vorja, hockey champion, super hot too. Just don't ever mention Fred Krugal around him, they're arch enemies. Oh! And that girl over there is Charlie Ray, she collects dolls. Oh! And you see that long-haired hunk? The super tall guy? That's Zack Zquatch. And that guy over there is Ness, he's from Scotland and is always thirsty, literally."
The further they went into the school, the more and more people greeted Melody.
Wow! This was the closest Jade had ever been to a popular girl without being bullied!
"You are the popular one, I see," Jade said, Melody dismissed with a hand.
"I just like being nice," Melody said, "And I am the president of the music, chess, reading, and fashion design clubs. And I would like to be a part of the cheerleading squad too, like my mum was when she was my age, but Brooke said I am as graceful as a gazelle."
"Really?"
"A dead gazelle," Melody laughed loud.
"Yeah, me too," Jade murmured.
"We can't have everything in this life. Oh! Let me show you!" Melody said, pointing at a display case full of trophies to her right. "That was the cheerleading squad back in Mum's day." Melody was pointing with a long, red acrylic nail at an old photograph behind the glass. In it, the cheerleading team was standing on the bleachers of a football field. Melody's mother was holding a trophy with a smile and a diva pose. Wow! She was almost identical to her daughter when she was younger. "They say that the trophy got lost years ago, along with the team's captain," Melody said. Of the five men in the photograph, the face of the boy in the black and gold uniform with the word 'captain' on it had his face heavily scratched.
He looked athletic, muscular but not bulky, firm arms and strong legs, a little tanned. The funny thing was that this guy had bandages around his neck and forearms.
Maybe being a cheerleader was more dangerous than it looked?
"Why does the captain have his face scratched?" Jade asked, but Melody shrugged.
"Mum never talks about him, and his name and picture do not appear in any yearbook. After he vanished, the uniform was changed, now it's black, purple and orange. The chess president is also a mystery," Melody pointed at another picture. A bunch of nerdy boys and girls, all wearing plaid sweaters in the huge library. The guy holding the trophy however, just like the cheer captain, had his face scratched. He was short, and didn't fit in with the rest of his group. He wore a black leather vest with studs and huge Goth boots, and his body was gym-rat-type.
The trophy in that photo was right below it, glued on. Judging by the photo, and the fact the censored boy was carrying the trophy above his head, Jade knew exactly why and when that trophy broke.
"Mum doesn't talk about him either, and neither does Dad," Melody said, "In fact, it's like every adult in Hallow Woods refuses to talk about the two of them."
"How weird," Jade whispered, and walked by Melody's side after one quick glance at both photos. "Ummm... I don't want to be rude, Melody but... Why are you being nice to me?"
"Let's just say that when I saw you, a song came to my mind," Melody replied, and then began singing softly, "Born and raised in the winter but now winter lives in me. Always shivering, worried 'bout what people think of me. I might be broken. I might be frozen. I'm such a loner. I'm looking for summer."
"Oh. Right, that explains a lot," Jade frowned.
She'd never heard that song before.
"When I heard 'Frozen Heart' for the first time, I related to the lyrics so much that I kept singing it all day until my parents and brother got sick of it," Melody said. At least Jade didn't have to ask the name of it, "In fact, my entire family is already fed up with my musical tastes."
"Oh, I guess that's bad, but if you like that song, like, that's fine I guess," Jade laughed, worried about asking who sang that song.
"It's one of my favourite songs. Mum likes it too even when she tries to deny it. She once said it's an icy rush of electro-pop sincerity in praise of social anxiety," Melody said, and continued singing softly, "Need to cry. But tears froze in my eyes. I'm too cold. And I can't socialize. What's wrong with me? Can't break the ice. My frozen heart. Is looking for summer."
Jade could really relate to the lyrics of that song, and it sounded pretty catchy so maybe it was time to ask who sang it.
"Oh god! I'm here singing a Monster Mash song and I haven't even asked you if you're a Masher!" Melody said, laughing, "Are you a Masher, Jade?"
Jade's stomach knotted.
"I... I don't really know much about them, but I have heard a song or two," Jade needed an excuse to stay away from this girl. She wished someone would pull the fire alarm.
"And what do you think? Are they not talented?" Melody wiggled her eyebrows. Jade snorted.
"I guess they are pretty good." It sounded pathetic even to her own ears.
"Of course they are," Melody replied, giggling, "Maybe we can listen to some of their music during the lunch break."
Please, no.
"Oh! Sure," Jade faked a smile just the way her mother told her to.
The two girls walked through the hallway silently until Melody stopped outside a heavy wooden door.
Melody then took a huge phone out of her purse, almost the size of a tablet. The case had the Monster Mash logo on it.
Oh no. What had Jade gotten herself into?!
"Maybe we can sit together." Melody sounded hopeful, typing something on her phone with too agile thumbs, "Facebook?"
"Ummm... Jade Cullen Swan..." She replied.
"Twilight?" Melody laughed.
"Yeah. I know it's silly but I watched those movies when I was young and I became obsessed." She blushed, "My profile picture is the Fall Out Boy logo by the way."
"I think I've found you," Melody said in an almost childish voice, "I will add you to my friends."
"Oh, no need to..."
"Okay, I've already sent you a friend request. Instagram? Tiktok? Snapchat? X?"
"Instagram only. Same name."
"Good. You have to create an X account then, the best Monster Mash news are always there. Come on, we have a long day ahead of us," Melody pulled her by the arm again and went inside the classroom. It was full of students, as expected. The walls were purple, another black chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the windows overlooking the basketball court were so large it looked like there was no wall. "There is an empty table over there," said Melody, pointing, "Maybe we can... Watch out!"
Jade tripped over a backpack on the way to her seat.
She fell on her chest.
And then everyone started laughing.
Great, what a way to make a first impression!
"That was 'super' awkward," she heard a mocking male voice.
Oh no.
"Don't be rude, Zedrick," Melody said as she helped Jade up.
"Oh! I am 'super' sorry! I just didn't know Miss Kardashark was soooo clumsy." Zedrick laughed, and the pompous blonde in pink sportswear next to him nudged him.
"Why do I suspect my dad is dating this jerk's mum?" Jade whispered.
Soon, she and Melody sat at the end of the classroom, and when Mr. King entered the room, he began talking about the importance of reading to become a great writer.
Good thing he didn't ask Jade to introduce herself.
In fact, he didn't even notice her.
Jade was trying hard to pay attention, and it more or less happened until Melody slid her phone closer to her.
"What are you doing?" Jade asked in a whisper, "The teacher is speaking!"
"This is more important," Melody said. On her phone screen was a picture of six boys on a dark stage, all of them in colourful clothes... Oh no! "I'm going to tell you everything you need to know about Monster Mash."
"I... I don't think it's the right moment," Jade replied, and Melody grimaced, nodding afterwards.
"You're right. How about you come to my house tonight? I can show you everything you need to know about Monster Mash, and we can watch all their music videos, interviews and.... Oh my god! The boys are going to stream a live concert in a couple weeks! On October 18th to be precise! And if you like their music, you can come to my place and watch it! I have a Premier Pass and..."
"Hey, hey, slow down, we have just met," Jade definitely didn't want that. She just wanted to go home after school starting today until her graduation.
"It won't bother me, really, I live near the edge of the city, like twenty minutes by foot from the Hallow Inn. I can ask my chauffer to drive us to my place after school."
"I..." Jade wanted to be sociable, to make friends for once in her life, but this wasn't a good idea. She would not be able to hide her discomfort, she had no idea how to behave around people, let alone someone who was practically begging her to do something she disliked. "Listen Melody, I would love to but my dad..."
"Come on! My mum and dad have known Erich since college! Dad always tells me stories about how Erich stuffed him into lockers and places so small that they once had to call the fire department," Melody nudged her, wiggling her eyebrows.
Awkward...
"So your parents know my dad?"
"Obviously. Everyone knows him. My mum actually dated your dad for a couple months, he was the captain of the football team and my mum was a cheerleader, and she told me that..."
"I don't want to know," Jade closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "Damn mental images."
"Come on, my parents and your dad are good friends now! Erich even went to my super ultra sweet sixteen." Melody said with a smile, "I am sure he will let you come over."
"But tomorrow I have school and I have to go to sleep early." For the first time, Jade preferred school. Erich lived in a house on the verge of collapse to pay for her studies, and she wouldn't let him down.
"My mother is a control freak, I'm sure Erich knows you're in good hands." Melody reassured her.
"How about you invite one of your many other friends instead?"
"You are the new girl and I want you to be part of the Monster Mash Fam," Melody insisted, "I promise you won't regret it. It'll be so much fun!"
Well, it was useless to try to escape from this.
"Fine. I guess I can give Monster Mash a try." Jade faked a smile for the sake of her social life.
After all, it wasn't like she was actually going to meet the band or be their friend or girlfriend...
Right?