Nothing against the Olympics. They're inspiring, and they originated in Greece, just like Deucey. But whenever they rolled around, Cleo's favorite TV shows were taken off the air and replaced with, and let's be honest, two weeks' worth of obscure, unendorsable physical activities.
During that time, Cleo would often find herself wandering aimlessly around the palace like a lost camel in the desert, in search of something familiar to ground her. It was a disorienting, unnerving condition for which the only cures were the closing ceremonies and the subsequent return of her regularly scheduled programming.
Once order had been restored, she'd celebrate by eating one of Hasina's decadent chocolate pyramid cupcakes, to replenish the inevitable calorie loss she'd suffered during her fourteen days of wandering.
And now, seated in her area of the Monster High cafeteria with her three best friends, Cleo bit off the chocolate point of the pyramid in celebration of a different kind of restoration: the restoration of her regularly scheduled life. The one in which Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Lagoona focused on her like a high-performance zoom lens.
The one in which newbies (Rochelle!) and normies (You!) weren't making headlines. The one in which there was cell service in the palace. And dates with D on Saturday nights. The one in which she'd announce her Teen Vogue shoot, and her friends would sweat envy for days. The one that she was about to get back.
Oh, and the not being some mind control thing. That was nice, she supposed.
So far nothing pointed to the contrary. The cafeteria was filling up with hungry normies en route to their usual tables in the Peanut-Free, Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free, and new Fat-Free food zones. As usual, girls passed Cleo and her friends with a sideways glance to check their fashion-forward outfits.
If Deuce wasn't around, and he wasn't on Mondays because of casketball practice, guys would do the same. They'd bop their heads to the lunchtime playlist, which today began with "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)" by Kevin Rudolf. The lyrics couldn't have been more appropriate.
I've known all my life.
I made it.
I made it.
Cleo chewed the rich pyramid-shaped cake to the triumphant beat that signaled her return. And with calculated patience, she flipped through photos on her phone, waiting for someone to ask the inevitable question.
Clawdern: My Sweet Sixteen invites went out today.
Clawdeen bit her double bacon burger.
Clawdeen: I kissed each envelope with MAC Girl About Town lipstick before I dropped it into the mailbox, which is why I was late for math this morning. Though, I am a bit worried that Y/N might not go. I mean, like, we're friends, but he might be uncomfortable around my brothers.
She paused, obviously hoping for a reaction. Cleo refused, she hadn't been the center of attention in days, and it was starting to dull the shine on her hair.
Finally Draculaura leaned closer and peeked at the screen with her deep brown eyes.
Draculaura: Hey!
She flicked a dab of chocolate icing off the pyramid with her cold finger. It landed on Cleo's black mesh sweater and fell onto her pink-and-gray tie-dyed leggings.
Draculaura: What are you looking at?
Cleo: Um, my stained pants!
Lagoona: Seriously, Sheila, whatever's on that celly must be ace, 'cause you haven't even noticed Lagoona's smudged eyeliner.
Blue said, playfully tapping her gray-gloved fingers against her cheek.
Draculaura: Nice. Make fun of the blind girl.
Draculaura tossed salt on Blue's dry skin.
Lagoona: You're not blind. You just can't see your reflection.
Clawdeen: That's a good thing.
Clawdeen twisted an amber curl around her long finger.
Draculaura: No.
Draculaura wiped her eyelids with a wet napkin.
Draculaura: It'd be a good thing if I couldn't smell your burger breath.
She pursed her lips to avoid smiling in public.
Cleo, however, smiled out loud. Everything was back to normal.
It was time.
Cleo: I'm trying to decide what to model for the Teen Morgue shoot. I love the falcon necklace and the pear earrings, but wearing both together feels like overkill, you know?
The girls knit their eyebrows in confusion. This scene couldn't have played out any better if she had scripted it. Which she kind of had.
Cleo swiped through the phone lookbook she had photographed earlier that morning. At dawn to be specific, when the sunlight was at its richest. The orange glow woke the gold the way kohl woke her blue eyes. She shot the priceless pieces on the sandy island in her bedroom and framed them with bulrushes and wild grass. Forget Cairo couture, her collection was pharaoh fabulous!
Cleo: What do you guys think?
She showed them photos of the earrings and the collar necklace.
Cleo: Too much?
Lagoona: I think you'd better pause and rewind.
Blue twisted her blond curls off her face and secured them with a pair of aqua-lacquered chopsticks.
Clawdeen: Fur real. Those pear earrings are even better than....
Cleo: Angelina's Oscar emeralds, I know.
Draculaura leaned across the table, the ends of her pink-and-black-streaked hair dusting the top of Cleo's pyramid cupcake.
Draculaura: Is there more?
Cleo: Tons.
Cleo showed them the hammered cuffs, the stone-covered crown, the glow-in-the-dark ring, the feather necklace, and the ruby-eyed snake cuff, plus a beautifully lit shot of Anna Wintour's business card.
Draculaura: Is it legit?
Cleo: Of course! My dad found it in Aunt Nefertiti's tomb.
Draculaura: No. The card!
Cleo waved the girls closer. Once they were inside her amber-scented circle, she told them about her father's first-class encounter with Anna, the Teen Morgue shoot, the sand dunes, the camels, her upcoming modeling debut, and the limitless networking potential. Their eyes widened with each new detail.
Lagoona: Rack off, Sheila! You serious?
Draculaura: I would eat meat to be in Teen Morgue.
Clawdeen: I would go vegetarian!
Intrigue had them wrapped around her like fine linen strips.
Draculaura: Will you actually be on the camel?
Clawdeen: Who are the other models?
Lagoona: Do they need any blonds?
And banded them together with Herve Leger suction.
Clawdeen: Can we see the collection after school?
Draculaura: We'll help you pick the best pieces.
Lagoona: Hey, mate, can we try anything on?
By the grace of Geb, Cleo's image as queen, their queen, had been preserved for at least another day or two. Crisis averted.
She could have gone on for hours, and they would have listened. But her chocolate chip pyramid, which had happened to be at the center of their huddle, rose off its plate and began disappearing in bite-size chunks.
Cleo: What the....
Y/N: Sorry. It just looked so good.
Laughter blew the amber-scented circle wide open to reveal Frankie and you, now visable. You slid your white trays onto the rectangular table and sat as though you'd been invited. Which you hadn't been, at least, not by Cleo.
Lagoona: Wow! Cool trick, mate.
Y/N: Thanks. I've been working on making some experiments after the whole Miss Flapper fiasco. We had to sneak around a lot so, I figured invisibility was the way to go.
Cleo was forced to watch as all attention was suddenly given to you once again. The normie. The monster hunter. The "hero of the day". You were a glorified Hall Monitor, you even said it yourself. And your fashion sense, may Anubis not use it against you when he weights your soul.
Cleo: Why are you even here?
Cleo had just blurted it out, no longer able to censor herself.
You just looked at her surpised. Did you say something?
Ghouls: Cleo!
Cleo: I mean, um, don't you have allergies? Shouldn't you be eating where you can get, like, normie food.
You blinked. Since when was that ever an issue? You always ate just fine before.
Y/N: I mean, I have slight asthma, but it's been much better since I moved here. This morning I sang in the shower for the first time in years, and it actually sounded.......
Lagoona: You sing?
Cleo: You shower?
Y/N: Both.
You chose to ignore the dig.
Y/N: I learned a bit when I was traveling. I also used to play a lot in my down time. Why? Do you?
Lagoona: I play guitar, and a little piano.
Draculaura: Still working on those scales?
Draculaura giggled into her napkin.
Lagoona: Still working on those jokes?
Frankie: But that's not all he does. Check this out!
She nudged you, nearly taking off her own arm in the process, which made you smile a bit.
Y/N: Uh, I'm making videos. I used to document my travels with my uncle and now I want to use that as a way to show the world that monsters and humans can get along and live in peace.
The ghouls seemed in awe at the idea. They had never had someone try and do something like this before, and it was definitely something that would make all the right waves. Of course there would be opposition, but what's change without resistance?
Y/N: I'm doing interviews by the Riverfront, at the carousel. Asking humans what they think about monsters and monster-human relations. And then I'll go to the Maul and do the same for Monsters.
Draculaura: Can we go too?
Lahoona: Yeah! We'll ride the carousel and pretend we don't know you.
Clawdeen: Let's sneak out early or my brothers will follow us. They don't think it's safe down there.
Cleo: Hold on! I thought we were going to look at the jewelry!
Cleo's disappointment was now unmaskable.
Lagoona: I know!
Lagoona, always the peacekeeper, lifted a finger.
Lagoona: Why don't we do the Riverfront today and Cleo's tomorrow?
Cleo: No way!
Draculaura: Why not way?
She wasn't one for being told what she could and could not do.
Cleo: Because.....
She found herself struggling to find an answer. She couldn't let you snatch the spotlight again.
Cleo: Because of the surprise!
Draculaura: What surprise?
Cleo: Um... I was going to tell you at my house but... Clawdeen and Blue are going to be models with me!
She just blurted out the first thing to come to mind.
Cleo: And Lala, I was going to have you help the stylists, since you don't really show up on camera too well, but....
Another round of squeals filled the casserole-scented air. As usual, all the other students in the zone turned to see what they were missing. And as usual, Cleo grinned, loving the attention.
Cleo: But if you'd rather go to the Riverfront and chaperone, that's fine. I just need to know because I'd have to find replacements. Your call.
The girls assured her that replacements would not be necessary and that they were totally committed to the shoot.
Cleo: Golden.
She was hoping to Geb that the editors at Teen Mourge would take the news with the same level of enthusiasm.
You turned to Frankie and shrugged.
Y/N: Looks like it's just you and me, Frankie-Fine.
You both laughed at the nickname.
-------------------
Organ music swelled, and the carousel began to spin. Bobbing up and down on their chosen horses, normie kids laughed and waved to their parents. And their parents waved back, eyes flooded with joy, moved by life's simplest pleasures. Children's laughter, a warm afternoon, the smell of popcorn in the air.
You had gotten quite a few good interviews. Both with some people who supported Monster-Human relations, some against, and some in the middle. Frankie had done well with hanging back and getting people. Her chipper attitude was great to have.
You sat on a bench with her and looked over the footage you had. You didn't plan on editing it to show just the good parts. You wanted the people's raw opinions. You didn't want the video to lean one way or the other. It would defeat the purpose.
Frankie: These are good.
You hummed. You then looked up and began to think.
Y/N: Maybe we need something serious. More like a news piece, to show people what you're all about.
Frankie considered this. A news story would reach a lot of people. But was it safe?
Frankie: You should direct it. You've been trying to make a video. Why not make it an exposé instead?
Y/N: I dunno if I'm ready for something that big. Besides, it's not like Local Channel 58 is just going to let some high schooler direct one of its shows. I'd be happy if they'd hire me to clean the camera lenses.
You looked at the camera. You were used to fighting with weapons. But, maybe, you could win this fight with a message. You looked up and smiled.
Y/N: You know what? Screw it. Let's make something great.
Frankie smiled back, catching a glimpse of herself in his lenses. She may have looked goofy in her jumpsuit, but she felt beautiful in her skin.
------------------
Candlelight flickered against the stone walls in Cleo's bedroom, providing a tomblike authenticity to her well-crafted jewelry display. Or, rather, the display she had asked the staff to create. She had texted Beb and Hasina while she tuned out a lecture on supply and demand during last-period economics class. But Mr. Virga would have been proud. Her text was supply and demand in its purest form.
Now, amid the heady scent of amber and the rhythmic claps in Utada's song "Poppin'," Cleo elbow-guided her blindfolded friends through her flickering chamber. She positioned them in front of the white wrapped board that showcased her twinkling treasures. It stood proudly before the three open sarcophagi like a highly decorated queen facing her handmaidens.
Cleo: Rea-dy~?
They nodded anxiously.
Cleo: Okay, take off your blindfolds!
The girls pulled the linen strips off their eyes and dropped them onto the stone floor. Miu-Miu and Bastet padded over to claim their new toys and hurried off before the birds could steal them.
Clewdeen: Clee! They're even more amazing in real life.
Cleo: That's what he said.
Lagoona: Can I touch?
Lagoona began reaching for the glow-in-the-dark moonstone ring.
Draculaura: That's what he said!
They all cracked up.
It was an old routine, something that brought them to giggle-tears back when they were in grade school. And it kept on delivering. The familiarity of it all put Cleo at ease. Her girls were back.
After washing their hands in the soapy basin, they reached for their favorite pieces and began trying them on. Draculaura crunched on celery sticks while fastening and unfastening the gold relics with the patience of a true stylist.
And to add more good news to the growing pile, Cleo had gotten confirmation on Lagoona and Clawdeen being models and Draculaura being stylist. Cleo read over the text again with a smile. October fourteenth would be the day of the shoot.
Cleo: Yes!
Lagoona: Were you just reading Frankie's text too?
Lagoona waved her phone.
Cleo: Huh? What text?
Lagoona: About being on TV and changing the world.
Draculaura and Clawdeen checked their screens.
Draculaura: We're blowing up! First magazines, now TV!
Lagoona: I reckon we should hire agents.
Clawdeen hitched her purse over her shoulder.
Clawdeen: I reckon we should get going. The meeting is in three minutes.
Cleo: Wait. You're not leaving now, are you?
Draculaura: Why not?
Lala was already pulling a violet cashmere turtleneck over her head.
Cleo: Because....
Cleo splayed her arms.
Cleo: We're kind of in the middle of something here.
Lagoona: We're done.
Draculaura waved her notepad as proof.
Draculaura: I have everyone's looks. There's nothing left to do.
Cleo: What about pose practice? And squint-prevention exercises?
Clawdeen: You're joking, right?
Cleo: No.
Flickering flames illuminated their blank stares.
Cleo: In case you forgot, we've never done this before. And if this shoot doesn't go well, they'll cancel the feature. Cairo couture will be out for another five thousand years, and my jewelry designs will never take off. This is my big chance.
Just saying those words made her stomach roil.
Lagoona: I totally get it, Cleo. But what about my big chance?
She hung the moonstone ring back on its hook.
Lagoona: You have ace connections. But what do I have? I want to be a pro surfer. Who's going to sponsor a scaly girl in gloves?
Draculaura snorted.
Lagoona: Things need to change for us, Cleo.
Lagoona scooped up some Nile water and rubbing it on the back of her neck.
Lagoona: Normies need to start accepting us, or we'll never land our dream jobs.
Cleo rolled her eyes.
Draculaura: Aren't you tired of hiding? Don't you want to be normal?
She was spearing a couple of cherry tomatoes on her fangs. Clawdeen laughed.
Clawdeen: La, you couldn't be normal if you tried.
Cleo: There's nothing special about normal.
Cleo had insisted with a slight lift of her chin.
Lagoona: Don't you want to walk around wherever, whenever without having to hide or be looked at like we're....monsters?
Cleo: It wasn't worth the price we'll pay, if that's what you're asking.
Clawdeen: What if there wasn't any price?
Cleo: There's always a price.
Cleo was shocked by her own cynicism. Was it change she opposed, or a changing of the guard? Suddenly, Lagoona looked at her with a serious expression.
Lagoona: I wanted to be an exchange student because my parents told me it would be different in America. They said there was a bonzer monster community here, and the monsters were going to change things. They wanted me to grow up better than they did. And ever since I got here, I haven't had the heart to tell them fair dinkum. My e-mails and postcards are full of bodgy lies.
Lagoona walked to the door.
Lagoona: So I reckon we should give Y/N a listen. After everything he's done for us, it's only fair.
Cleo: He's a Monster Hunter.
Draculaura: We're just going to listen. Come on.
Clawdeen stood between them, fidgeting with the zipper on her purse, obviously torn.
Clawdeen: We should work on our poses.
Cleo grinned approvingly. She could always count on Claw to have her back.
Lagoona: Not to be a bludger, but we have two weeks for that. You said it was October fourteenth.
Lagoona placed her hand on the scarab doorknob.
Lagoona: And this meeting sounds important.
Cleo: More important than Teen Vogue?
Cleo stomped her foot, wondering when lagoona had become so assertive. Draculaura burst out laughing. No one else saw the humor, though.
Draculaura: Oh. I thought you were kidding.
Cleo: Thought wrong.
Cleo folded her arms across her black mesh sweater and jutted out her hip. The sudden movement caused the crown on her head to tip forward, but she caught it before it fell. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about her social status.
Cleo: Fine. I'll listen.
She hung up her royal jewels and followed her friends to Frankie's house, all the while silently swearing it would be the very last time.
-------------
Monsters emerged from the starlit maze of trees and marveled at the sight of the Steins' secret waterfall. Frankie welcomed each of them with a thanks-for-coming hug and offered those with blankets a seat on the mist-covered grass. Those without joined you on the stony ledge of the frothing pool. The tangy smell of dinner lingered on their clothes, and yet their eyes were full of hunger.
But what were they craving? Change? Revenge? Their own MTV (Monster Television) reality show? You flipped up the hood of your black sweatshirt and buried your hands in your sleeves. You'll know soon enough.
Deuce: Not bad for short notice, huh?
You and him high-fived. His fingertips were smeared with green and yellow pastels.
Deuce: And it was all your idea!
He had shouted over the sound of the pounding water. Several heads turned when he said that. Once they saw he was referring to you, they turned away and began whispering.
Y/N: It was not!
If this idea was a bust, you certainly didn't need the monsters knowing who to blame.
Deuce: Was so. What did you have for dessert tonight? Humble pie?
You rolled your eyes at his corny grandpa humor
Y/N: Ha-ha. Looks like you've been drawing.
Deuce: Just messing around.
He leaned back, dipped his fingertips in the rushing water, and dried them on his jeans.
Deuce: While you and Frankie were getting organized, Rochelle and I were working on graphics ideas and titles.
He leaned close and whispered.
Deuce: We're thinking of calling it 'The Ghoul Next Door.' What do you think?
Cleo: Get a tomb.
Cleo?!
Flanked by her friends, the queen bee-otch trolled for seats with a reluctant shuffle. Ghoulia stood and offered Cleo her spot on the ledge. Without hesitation, Cleo took it.
Suddenly, the falls stopped falling, and the remaining water gurgled out like a high-speed bathtub. Silence, sharp and jarring, hit the group like a smack.
Frankie: Much better.
Frankie flashed a thumbs-up to her parents, who were standing at the back of the blanket-patched lawn with a remote control.
Frankie: What I have to say cannot be shouted.
Everyone scooted closer to hear.
Frankie: First, thanks for coming on such short notice.
She sat and began swinging her legs over the wet cliff.
Frankie: As you all know, the monster community was recently attacked by one of our own. By someone who actively fought against Normie-Monster relations. She was going to use us to start an uprising. And, of course, it was thanks to the combine efforts of Y/N, Rochelle, Robecca, and Venus that we were all freed.
Everyone began to cheer while Deuce slapped your back. You smiled a bit.
Frankie: And that's why I called you here. Y/N Van Helsing has come up with an idea to help show the world that we're not the kind of monsters they think we are.
The cheers died down slowly as Frankie turned to you. She nodded and you took a deep breath before you stood up.
Dozens of eyes fixed on you. Glowing in the darkness like bulbs on a Christmas tree; some green, some red, most yellow. They watched you expectantly, waiting for you to move them to a place they had never been before. Just like the villagers that used to wait for you to slay the beast. Only this time, instead of drawing on a blade that had once come so easily, you were forced to use the one that never had.
You were stepping into the spotlight to defend yourself, a role you had never imagined choosing. And yet there you were, front and center.
Y/N: I get why you don't trust me. And I guess if I were you, I'd have a hard time with it too. My family name bares a lot of weight, both good and bad. But I'm on your side.
The more you spoke up, the lighter your lungs felt. Your voice became clearer, smoother, and silkier. Like oil in an unused car engine, it just needed to be turned on and used.
Cleo: Why do you care so much?
Y/N: Because, I'm an outcast. Always have been. I know how it feels to want 'normal' so badly you hide the qualities that make you special. Most of all, I know how it feels to change those things. And that's the most degrading feeling.
Ghoulia, obviously moved by your admission, nodded in agreement but lowered her head so sleepily that her glasses slipped off and fell to the ground. Embarrassed, she bent down, one vertebra at a time, picked them up, and then slowly backed into the darkness.
Y/N: I don't know anything about my past before my uncle found me. Not about my family, where I came from, or even what my real name is. But I've tried my hardest to try and find peaceful resolves with everyone, because I believe that it's possible. So, please, trust me. And when you stand up for yourselves, let me stand with you. So together we can....
Everyone started applauding. Their shining eyes were moist with compassion; your's were moist with relief. Was it really that easy?
Y/N: So...
You clapped your hands together nervously.
Y/N: Um, I have some great news. You see, I used to document my adventures with my uncle and, well, long story short, Rochelle, Deuce, Frankie, and I thought it would be a good idea if I made a documentary about you so people would see how cool you are, and, after pulling some strings, a local reporter agreed. So he's letting me direct it, and he's going to put in on Channel 58 during the Spotlight on Oregon week. Any questions?
Hands shot up. It looked like a mass audition for a deodorant commercial. You spotted Deuce. Of course he would play along and help you explain.
Y/N: Um, yes, you with the sunglasses.
Deuce: What's up, Y/N?
Y/N: Yo.
Deuce: So, like, why are you doing this?
Y/N: Simple. The best way to show people that monster and humans can get along is by....well....showing them!
Deuce: Cool.
Cleo: That's it? You're okay with that?
Deuce: Yup.
You looked between the two. You hoped that wouldn't grow into something bigger.
Billy: What do we have to do to be in it?
Y/N: Agree to be interviewed. Share photos, stories, hopes, dreams...
Cy: Sounds dangerous.
Y/N: No need to worry. Your faces can be blurred, so no one will know who you are. Your identities will be completely concealed. It's a first step toward showing people that you're harmless.
Lagoona: Hey, mate, will our relatives all over the world be able to see it?
Y/N: It's just airing locally for now. But I can burn copies for you if you want.
Lagoona: Ace!
The questions kept coming.
Spectra: Where will you film it?
Y/N: I have a place. It's completely private.
Robecca: What's it gonna be called?
Y/N:'The Ghoul Next Door.'
A burst of laughter said the crowd liked it.
Draculaura: Will you do any audio-only interviews, you know, for those of us who don't show up on film?
Y/N: Sure! I'll show other images while you're talking.
Draculaura: Fang-tastic!
Clawdeen: When does it air?
Y/N: October fourteenth. Oh, and if you're going to be in the show, you have to be in the studio when it airs. They want you to answer questions from the viewers, live.
Viktor: Then everyone will know who they are.
You all looked back to Frankie's parents. You had never meet them before, but you had heard stories of the great Dr. Viktor Stein. He was the one who founded the labs down in the catacombs.
Y/N: I'll make sure those shots are blurred too. And...we'll get some security guards to keep the room private, no one will see you exit or enter. I assure you, Doctor, that no one will harm anyone. I'd never allow that to happen to my friends.
Cleo stood. She couldn't believe the audacity. She then looked to her friends.
Cleo: Let's go.
No one moved.
Cleo: You heard him.
Cleo hitched her purse over her shoulder.
Cleo: You have to be available on October fourteenth, and you're not. So let's go.
The three girls exchanged glances.
Cleo: I said let's go!
Cleo stomped.
Cleo: This...whatever-it's-called is the same time as our Tuh-een Muhr-ogue photo shoot.
She made sure to enunciating Teen Vogue in case the people in Portland couldn't hear her.
Cleo: And I promised the magazine editors we'd be professional, so we have to pass.
The girls stood reluctantly.
Y/N: Wait!
You didn't want to lose the most dynamic girls in the group.
Y/N: Can you change the date of your shoot?
Cleo hate-squinted, crushing you between her fake lashes.
Cleo: Why don't you change the date of your shoot?
Y/N: We can't. It has to air during the Spotlight on Oregon week. And since yours is only fashion, can't you....
Cleo: It's not only fashion. It's about fashion and history. My history.
Y/N: Well, this documentary is about your future.
The monsters and ghouls applauded again.
Cleo turned to face her detractors.
Cleo: A future that none of you will have if you put it in the hands of normies!
She whipped back around to find her friends seated again, their elbows linked in solidarity. You actually felt a little bad for Cleo, but you were thrilled the girls were going to do the documentary.
Cleo: Really?
Cleo sneered at them. Then, without another word, she marched past you and disappeared behind the trees, leaving behind a trail of amber-scented rage.
Again you inhaled it's bittersweet smell, and you wondered if your attempts to fit in were uniting this group or tearing it apart.