The Crybrary did not appear on any of the school maps, nor was there mention of it in any report or letter. Had it not been for the words of Signore Vitriola, you never would have known the room existed. As you later learned, the International Monster Federation insisted Crybraries remain clandestine for fear of adventurous students using the information for less-than-appropriate endeavors.
In order to locate the elusive Crybrary, the dormies and you had to unearth the original floor plans for Monster High. Lucky for you, the blueprints were stored in a shed hidden within the maze. After poring over the ink-stained papers, you saw one room located behind the Absolutely Deranged Scientist Laboratory that you believed was the Crybrary. However, when you went to inspect it, you found a janitorâs closet.
Venus: None of these rooms look big enough to be the Crybrary!
Venus groaned after returning to the maze to once again pore over the floor plans. You were with her. The clock was ticking and you had no answers.
Rochelle: We must keep looking. We havenât any other choice.
Y/N: We could run away and join the circus.
Robecca: Ugh! The circus! They were after me for years. But Father always said no. He thought living in a tent might lead to rust.
You continued studying the floor plans long after the others had fallen asleep atop nearby hedges. Though prickly, the shrubbery was surprisingly comfortable.
Y/N: Hey, ladies, I think I found something.
The girls, who were tired both mentally and physically, did what they used to do to their parents: They rolled over and ignored you. Ever polite, you waited ten minutes before again trying to rouse the interest of the group. Plus you were tired too.
Y/N: Um, I think Iâm onto something. Something that will help us find the Crybrary.
Venus shot straight up.
Venus: What? Why didnât you say something earlier?
Robecca: Venus is right, Cy. You really need to learn to speak up.
Robecca chided you as Penny shook her head at her clueless owner.
Y/N: Of course, Robecca, whatever you say.
Rochelle: The anticipation is weighing very heavily on me. What is your idea?
Rochelle was using a bristly leaf as an exfoliant on her arm. She was always looking for new ways to soften her skin.
Y/N: Actually, I was thinking of Rochelleâ¦.
Robecca: Oh, you were, were you? Not that I blame you; she really is the beeâs knees. Plus, she has that great accent. And letâs be honest, everything sounds better with an accent. Deary me, what were you saying? I seem to have gone wildly off course.
Robecca rambled a bit before averting her eyes in embarrassment. You all stared at her before attention was turned back to you.
Y/N: Rochelle is smaller than us, smaller than the average monsterâ¦.
Rochelle: While that is technically true, I am considered above average in size in the gargoyle community.
Y/N: But she manages to retain more information than the rest of us, reciting codes and guidelines off the top of her headâ¦.
Venus: And?
Y/N: Donât you see? We all assumed that the Crybrary had to be big, and we were wrong. A small space can hold just as much information, if not more.
Robecca: Jeez Louise, Y/N! Youâre a genius!
Y/N: I donât know about that, but I think I might have found the room. Itâs the smallest one on the plans.
And so your crew, dressed head to toe in black, set out from the maze in the dead of night to find the Crybrary.
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Rochelle: I know I shouldnât say this, but I really donât care for bats. They do not appear to have a very rule-based society.
You all walked through the main corridor while she looked up at the bats that hung from the ceilings.
Venus: You certainly do love your rules.
Venus snuck a peek at you and Robecca. You both walked ahead, you still holding your bat that didn't even have a scratch.
Robecca: Y/N, do Cyclopes ever need glasses? And if so, what do they look like? Just one big circle? Or maybe they prefer contact lenses? I know itâs silly, but Iâm terribly curious. And so is Penny. Oh dear, Penny! Wherever did I leave her? I sure hope I wound her enough.
You looked back at her for a second before facing forward again.
Y/N: Sheâs with Roux and Chewlian at the graveyard for safekeeping, remember?
Robecca: Oh yes, it certainly is nice to have someone around with a good memory.
This ghoul had a lot of questions for a robot.
Y/N: And to answer your question, Cyclopesâ issues with peripheral vision and depth perception arenât really things that can be helped with glasses or contacts.
Robecca: Too bad.
This ghoul was weird, but she seriously reminded you of someone.
Y/N: Hey, guys, weâre here.
You ended up covering your face with your hands in an effort to protect your eyes from an unusually low-flying bat.
The fear of getting particles, insects, or occasionally even small mammals stuck in you eyes had made you more than a bit skittish.
Venus: Why are we back at the laboratory?
Y/N: Follow me.
You led the girls through the messy, vial-filled room and into the janitorâs closet.
You fiddled with the sink knobs, then the broom stand, then the water main, then the light switch, but nothing happened.
Robecca: Are you sure it was behind this room? That plan is awfully hard to read.
Y/N: Itâs here. Iâm sure of it.
Venus: Really? Iâm not sure of anything anymore.
She suddenly kicked the doorjamb with her foot.
From the ceiling came a noise similar to the sound of a plane lowering its wheels before landing. A thick metal ladder descended, stopping a mere inch above the floor. You all looked up into the darkness.
Robecca: I thought you said it was behind the room!
Y/N: Thatâs what it looked like on the plan.
You ended up grabbing on to the ladder and starting up it.
You climbed into the ceiling, then a few feet across, before lowering yourself into what must have been the worldâs smallest library. The room was no bigger than three feet by three feet, with old leather-bound books covering every inch of the walls. You scanned the titles quickly (a benefit of being the nephew of a Monster Hunter) until your eyes landed on Monster Whisperer.
You brushed some dust away and looked at it before you smiled.
Venus: Hey, whatâs going on in there?
Y/N: Coming.
But when you tried to pull the volume off the shelf, you found that it was chained to the wall. You had to admit it was an effective means of preventing the usual library problems of overdue and stolen books.
After returning to the janitorâs closet and explaining the rudimentary security system to the girls, you sat back and listened as they debated how to handle the situation.
Robecca: So, whoâs going in there to read the book? Obviously, I would be more than happy to, but on several occasions my roomies have alluded to my rather short attention span, so perhaps it shouldnât be me. But then again, I have always liked reading. I must have read Aliceâs Adventures in Monsterland four times when I was younger......
Venus: I think we can all agree that Robecca is out.
Rochelle: It makes the most sense for me to go in there. I retain information better than anyone else; Y/N even said as much. Plus, I am very compact and fit easily into small spaces.
Venus: See, I was thinking I should go because I am sort of the group leader. Not to mention, I am pretty good at thinking outside the box, a skill this situation definitely calls for.
Rochelle: I only acknowledge democratically elected leaders, and as far as I can recall, we have never held an election.
Venus: You know, I didnât want to have to say it, but Iâm afraid youâll break the ladder. Letâs not forget what happened in the office. You killed a chair.
Sensing the mounting tension, you quickly stepped in.
Y/N: What about me? Perhaps itâs best I read the book. After all, I do have a knack for this kind of thing.
Venus: Fair enough.
Venus relented before Rochelle nodded her head.
You climbed back up the ladder and the ghouls waited for your return. You reached the book once again and pulled out your phone, using the light feature to provide the light you needed to read.
You returned ten minutes later sporting a facial expression the girls could only describe as impossible to read. Instead of immediately telling the others what you had discovered, you merely stood there, staring at the floor.
Robecca: Please, Y/N! What in the name of the mouseâs house did you find out?
Y/N: Breaking a monster whispererâs spell is not easy.
Venus: Okay, we can handle not easy.
Y/N: Actually itâs going to be really hard.
Venus: We can handle really hard.
Y/N: To be totally honest, itâs near impossible.
Rochelle: Please, Cy, just tell us what is required.
Rochelle snapped, feeling more than a bit edgy from the suspense.
Y/N: In order to break the hold, the whisperer must swallow one teaspoon of ground Fernish Bush while a recently zombified snake is wrapped around the neck.
The ghouls stood there blankly.
Robecca: I have to admit that does sound a bit tricky.
Y/N: Wait, thereâs more. It must take place at exactly midnight.
It was like trying to fight a witch curse. It was like it had fifty failsafes and each was stronger than the last.
Venus: Well, I see what you meant by near impossible. Unfortunately, itâs our only option.
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Much like the bats, the four of you slept all day and worked all night in preparation for the moment of reckoning. Fortunately, some tasks proved simple, such as locating the necessary ingredients and finding a time to launch the attack on Miss Flapper.
Venus and you happened upon both ground Fernish Bush and Burnwidth Serum in Mr. Hackâs office during a midnight sleuthing mission. And as for the occasion of the attack, there was really only one option, Homecoffin. When else could you access Miss Flapper at exactly midnight? The snake, however, proved a tad bit more complicated.
Robecca: How are we going to, you know, do it?
You were all staring at a thin gray-and-yellow snake recently removed from Miss Kindergrubberâs pantry. Nonpoisonous snake-venom soup was one of the teacherâs specialties.
Y/N: I donât know. Mr. Hack didnât mention what to do with the serum after it was heated.
Rochelle: Weâre just going to drop the serum into the snakeâs mouth until it starts looking ashen and moving slowly.
Venus: But how exactly are you planning on getting the snake to open its mouth? Are you going to say âpretty pleaseâ?
Rochelle: For your information, I thought weâd add a bit of melted cheese to the serum. Snakes, like the Scarisians, absolutely love cheese. As soon as the little thing smells the melted Camembert, heâll open up. Trust me.
Robecca: I feel like weâve all overlooked one very important matter. How are we getting into Homecoffin unnoticed? We're kinda wanted.
They all looked at you as you smiled.
Y/N: I have two words for you. Drama department.